New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-17

and visits to the theatre brought to him
all the brightness that his life then held.
Very short. those school days. but they served
and all the lore of Oxford and Cambridge could
hardly have added another charm to that delicate
and original genus.
Lambs odd and graceful personality was one pc
culiarly susceptible to description. Mr. Anger
writes
We have descriptions of Lamb, all possessing
points of great interest by Ialf0nrh' tioc,er w.
Patmore and Others and from these 1t IS posslpe 10
learn how their subject looked ana spoke ana poIe
himself, with precision and vivldness tnat we Le
seldom IN s%ch cases hs o confirm their accounts
by the testimony of living witness. MT. james
Crossley of Manchester, has related to me nj; reco
lectiOns of more than one interview which nc had
with Lamb nearly sixty years ago, and has kindly
allowed me 10 make use of Them -.
shortly after Lambs DEATH if slightly idealized by
his own poetic temperament is not for that reason
less satisfactory basis on which to form conSep-
ton of Charles Lambs appearance. Methnks
see him before me now as he appeared then, and
he continued with scarcely any perccplhle altera-
ton to me. during the twenty years. of intimacy
which followed and were closed by his death.
light Frame so fragile that it seemed as if breath
would overthrow it. clad in clerk like black, was
surnounted by head of form and expression the
most noble and sweet. His black hair curled crsply
about expanded forehead: his eyes, softly brown
twinkled with varying expression, though the prey
alent feeling was sad !; and the nose shght tyy
the lower outline of the face regularly oval, com
pleted head which finely placed on the
shoulders, and gave importance and even dlgnltyto
a diminutive and shadowv stem. Who shall de
scribe his cOuntenance, catch itH quiverng sweet
ness, and fix ii forever in word There are none
ship. Deep thought, striving with hunorj
tine lines of suffering wreathed into cordial
mirth; and smile OF palniul sW vel
describe as lose His personal appearance and man
ner are not unftly characterized by what he HIM
self says in one of his letters 70 Manning, OF Bra
ham. a compound of he Jew, the gentleman, and
the angel"
From this tender AID charming sketch it is in
structive 10 turn to the ride etching on copper
made by Mr.. Brook Pulham from life in the year
1925, which, in the opinion OF Lambs biogTaphels
land Mr.. CrOssIcy confirms their Judgment gives
Charles Lambs outward man. The small stature
he was very noticeablv below the middle height
the head apparently ont Of 1p proportion to
nose. the long black hair, the figure
dwindling away down to " almost immQterial legs
ing in CATERS and straps all these appear iii Mr..
Pulham's etching in such bold realism that the por-
trait might easily pass for caric2tnrc, were not
confirmed in ali is details by other authorities.
Mr.. Crossley recalls with perfect distinctness the
aspect of Lamb as he sat his desk in hisroom at the
India House looking the more dimigutivc for beng
pcTched upon very high stool. His hair and COM
plexion were dark that whel looked at III com
bination with the complete suit of solemn biack,
they Sugges ed old Fuers description of the negro,
of which Lamb fond-an image "cut III
ebony He might have passed. Hood tells MS. for a
Quaker in black" He had long melancholy
face" SAYS Mr.. Proctor, with keen penetrating
eyes" "Therc was altogether Mr.. Patmore says,
" a Rabbinical look about Lambs head which vas a.
striking and impressive l5ut the feature or
his expression that all his friends dwell on with
most loving emphasis is the bland sweet smile,
with the touch of sadness in it,; and Nh latm9res
description of the general impression produced by
tins cOuntenance we'll sums up and confirms the les
timOny of all other friends: In point of intellect
ua character and expression, finer face was never
prepr I'm Y o.
spending with the mind whose features II inter,
preted.. There was the gravity usually engendersd
by life passed in book learning, without the
slightest tnge of that assumption and ahectaton
which almost always attend the gravity so euEcn-
dered; the intensity and elevation of general eX-
preston that mark high genius, without any OF IFS
waiting on tfraitless thoughts and banled
aspirations but no evidence of that
spirit of scorning and contempt which these apt
to engendeT. Above all there was peryadlng
sweetness and gentleness which went straight to
the heart of every one who looked on IT and not
the less So perhaps. that it bore about 1t an air.
something, seeming to tell that 1t was-nOt PIT on
Lamb with assuming any thing, even virtue when
he did not pOSScSs-but preserved ami peT5eNcrcd n
spite of opposing and contradictory feelings WITHIN
that struggled in vain for mastery: 1t was thing
to remind you of that painful smile winch BODILY
disease and agony will sometimes put OH, to con-
cea their suferings from the observation of those
they love"
Lambs dloery and wilfulness, the quaintness
that seemed diluted insanity" Carlyle, graph
ically pictured by Hayden, the painter, and repro
duced by Mr. Anger. Hayden had arranged a lit
tie dinner on occasion of Wordsworth being in
town December 1917, and Lamb and Keats
of the party.
"On December 2s the immortal dinner came off in
nv paIntlng room. with Jerusalem towering up be-
hind us background. WoriSw0rth was IN me
enc and we had glorious sct-tO-On Homer, Shake
speare, Milton and Virgil. Lamb got exceedingly
merry aTG exgnsitgly witty and his fun innhe
Of the Fool in the intervals k of an5 L ears
pasS ahS ND made %of them a S @g hea fa
said Lamb You old lake poet. you ragcaly poet
why do You call Votaire dull We all defended
when Voltaire would be dull. We'll. said Lamb,
here's Voltaire-the Messiah of the French nation
and a very proper one, 100
"Ue then. in a STRAIN Of humOT beyond description,
abused Inc for putting NewtOns head into my picture
= fellow said he, who believed nothing unless
il was as clear as the three sides of triangle And
then he and Keats agreed that he had destroyed all
the poetry Of the rainbow by reducing 1t TO- the
prismatic colors; It was impossible TO reSlsF MN,
10 mathematics. 1t deli ghtful to see the good
bumor of Wordsworth in giving in to all our frocs
without afectation, and laughing as heartily as the
By this time other friends joined among them
poor Richie, who was going TO penetrate by tezzan
10 TimbuctOO. introduced him 10 all as gentle
man going to Africa Lamb seemed to take no
notice but ali of a sudden he rOared out, Which
is the gentleman we are gong to lose we then
drank the victims health, in which Rtchie joined.
In the morning Of this delightful day, gentle;
man perfect stranger had called on me. lie said
he knew nv friends had an enthusiasm for Words
worth, and begged | would procure him the happi-
ness OF an introduction. He told me he was Comp
troler of Stamps. and often had correspondence
with tbe poet thought it n liberty; but still, as
he seemed a gentleman, told him he might come.
"When we retired 10 tea we found the Comptrol-
Ter. In introducing him to Wordsworth forgot to
say who he was. After little time the COmptr9-
lef looked down, looked up, and said TO Words
WORTH Don't you think, sir, Milton was great ge-
niusY' Keats looked at me- Wordsworth looked at
the Comptroller Lamb, who was doing 10y the fire