New-York tribune., 1905-11-22
Literary .NesOs and Criticism.

Amid the horror and agony of the moment in
which poor Lamb trembles for the safety of his
own senses, he fixes all his hopes his love for
Mary, and this comes out in his discussion of her
future with splendid sincerity. He says
Ny aunt is recovered and as well as ever and
highly pleased at thoughts of going, and has gem
efousiy given up the interest OF her little money
wholly and solely 10 my Sisters use. Reckoning
and an old maid servant to look after him, when
l am out. which will be necessary. f1T0 or $50
50 at least FOR Mary While she stays @ at Tsgton G
where she must and shall stay during her fathers
an hospital The good Lady of the mad house and
her daughter. an elegant sweet behaved young
Lady, love her and are taken with her amazingly.
and longs to be with them aS mueh se PoeF tbn
they say she was but the other morning saying
she knew she must go TO Bethlem for life: that
one one OF her brothers would have 1t so. but the
the stream; that she had often as she passed
Bedlam thought it likely here it may be my fate
IN her poor head oftentimes, and mindful Of more
man one severe @ illness OF that nature before. A
Xmas, and this 20 mentioned before with what
If my father. and old servant maid and I, can't
live comfortably on ESQ or fl2o year we ought
Mary might not into an hospital. Let me not
Ies1e 2ne gnIaT&uFa6ie impression on your mind
he has been very kind and brotherly; but fear
and IS no 1t hm5ef to sr6gge S eSe with dcHe
nor has much accustomed himself to throw him
airTeeady Charles YOU must take care OF your
pleasure you have been used to- &c. &c. and in
that style Of talking. But you, necessarian. can
able in character not perfect He has been very
good but fear raf I2r f ms m n0 and aa Go6
all my father monies In future myself, II | take
hinted a wish, at any future time even. to share
with me-
1t must have been this phase OF the man that
Thackeray had in mind when he called him
Saint Charles" the phase all compact Of stead
fastness tenderness justice and the power of
perfect understanding. If we lay stress upon
it on this occasion it is because his goodness
leaps to the eye turns the pages of his
biography. Consider that Lamb was only in his
twenty second year when the world was made
over for him by Marys unconscious deed; and
that while still scarcely more than youth he
proceeded to play the man, bearing himself
henceforth with q strength and dignity that
are only matched by his unconquerable blithe-
ness Of spirit and the charm he exerted in talk
and in his work. He had a genius for friend
ship. if ever had that precious gift. and
Mr.. Lucas has done well to give abundant space
to all those intimates OF his hero-not only
giants like Coleridge or Hazlitt but minor per
sonaHties like Dyer-who seem somehow to take
on a new attractiveness when we meet them in
the annals of the Lambs. He knew a good COM
rade when he found one, no matter where. How
he savored the qualities Of John Rickman. for
example "a most pleasant hand; a fine, rattling
fellow. has gone through life laughing at solemn
apes" Thus Lamb himself went through life
laughing at all things laughable, entering with
the sviftest sympathy into all things grave that
came within the range of his experience, and,
with his wit and his great heart, binding his
friends to him with hooks of steel. He practised
a most beguiling hospitality, and it is good to
note by the way, that. while Fortune never
poured benefits into his lap, she did not treat
him harshly on the material side of things. Mr..
Lucas with the thoughtful attention to detail
and the good taste which we have learned to
count on in his books, pauses briefly on the
mundane circumstances of his hero. The Lambs
were not rich" he says, but he gives figures
which make it clear that the picture that has
sometimes been drawn of Lamb as always "a
moor clerk should be effaced. Lamb had never
been poor in any extreme sense. had never had
TO do more than practise economy, short of much
self-denial: while from 1900 onward. he was a
stranger 10 any real anxiety from monetary
causes"
Even if his resources had been sltghter, he
would have made the best of his burdens, with
brave heart. Wordsworth's phrase ''by resigna-
ton sanctifed,' recurs to the mind again and
again. He remained wistfuI but not undone
when he had given up the Alice W" of his
first love affair; it was from afar, and, We i'm
agine with a kind of calm acceptance of his
loss that he fell in love with Hester Savory, the
subject of those beautiful lines beginning,
when maidens such as Hester die" Mr. Lucas
carries US with him when he says OF Lambs
letter acquiescing in Fanny Kelly's rejection of
his proposal Of marriage that he doubts IF
there is a better letter than that in English
5r iDs nf of de-
feat its brave. half smiling admission that yet
another dream was shattered, one more pa
thetic' And how like Lamb it TO write
the little epilogue to the incident. which Mr..
Lucas quotes! 1t was on July 20. 1919, that the
actress rejected his suit and he wrote his deli
cate reply to her delicate letter few days |
ater she played in The Hypocrite," and Lamb |
wrote of the performance in The Examiner" |
n this wise She is in truth not framed TO /
lease or torment even in jest but TO utter a |
hearty Yes No. to yield refuse assent with |
/ noble sincerity. We have not the pleasure OF /
being acquainted with her, but have been |
old that she carries the same cordial manners
nto private life" AS Mr.. Lucas asks. rs it not |
he prettiest dramatic criticism in the world 20
rhe episode illustrates, may add. a very
characteristic element in Lambs genius his
eady fusion of life and literature, his effortless
yav of putting the fruits of experience into
What he wrote. He was a bookish man. and had
he sense of literature in him to an extraordinary
legree. Yet if there is thing more than an |
,ther that is taught by his biography it is his
reedom from literary professionalism. Though !
lis most trifing notes have the fragrance which
belongs TO his essays they remain trif1ing notes,
he freshest, most spontaneous things Of the
sort in English literature.
All through this long narrative of his career
he reader is largely concerned with what we |