The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-25

kim that he possessed. In "a later letter to
Coleridge we learn what hs destroyed:
Il burned all my own verses, all my book
extracts from Beaumont and Flstcher and
a thousand SOURCES: l burned a little journal
Of my foolish passion. which l had a long
time kept-'noting ere they paes away the
little lines Of yesterday ! almost burned
all your letters" Lambs destiny, however.
was to write, and his interest in writing
soon began to revive.
In January, 1898, Mary Lamb had a re-
lapse, necsssitating removal from her .lodg-
ings to a plaoe whore she could be under
restraint. 1t was at this time that The
Old Familiar Faces" the poem by which
Lamb is best known, was written. 1t
seems that in their original form the verses
ran thus:
Where are they gone. the old familiar faces2
/ had a mother once, but she died AID left me.
Died prematurely in a day OF horrors
ALI. all are gone, the old familiar faces.
| have had play1nates, ] have had companions
In my days of childhood, Ia my joyful school,
days.
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
/ have been laughing. l have been carouslng.
Drinking late, sitting late. with my bosom
cronieS-
All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.
1 loved a love once. fairest among women.
Closed are her doors on me, / must not see
her
All, all are gone. the old familiar faces.
I have a friend, a kinder friend has no man.
Like an migrate, ! left my friend abruptly;
IAfy ki,n tn n,,aa an thn old n m Ill a r fanaa
Ghostlike ] paced round the kaunts of my
childhood:
Earth seemed a desert I was bound to traverse.
Seeking TO npd the old familiar faces.
Friend Of my bosom. thou moro than a brother!
Why vert not thou born Ia my fathers
dwelling? ,
So might we talk Of the old familiar faces.
For some they have died. and some they have
left me.
And some are taken from me, all are departed.
All. all are gone. the old familiar faces.
Mr.. Lucas points out that when this poem
was first printed in 1918 Lamb struck out
the first stanza. The friend Of the seventh
stanza is Coleridge; the italicized words in
the last stanza obviously refer to Mary
Lambs removal to the asylum.
After the death Of his father, which &C.
CURED in April, 1899, Lamb appears to have
removed from As Chapel street, Penton-
vile, to SO in the same street, where
his sister Joined him, and where they lived
together until the spring Of 1900. 1t is SEEM
ingly of this 20 Chapel street period that
Barry Cornwall writes in his memoir of
Lamb; Whenever the approach of one Of
her Mary Lamb'sJ fits Of insanity was
announced by some ~irritability or change Of
manner Lamb would take her under his
arm to Ho1ton Asylum. 1t was very affect
ing to encounter the young brother and his
elder sister walking together weeping to-
gether) on this painful errand; Mary her
self, although sad. was very conscious Of the
necessity for temporary separation from
her only friend. They used to carry a strait
jacket with Them Charles Lloyd told Tai
fourd that once he met them together, in
tears. Later, as Lambs finances improved,
Mary Lamb was cared for privately when
Ill, either at home or with a nurse else
where. s3
The Lambs, Of oourse, were not rich
EGO, with some small additions for over
time and holidays, was his salary In 1900
but their father must have left something,
enough at any rate to put them beyond
want for a while. Charles's salary rose
thenceforward by e1o every two years
until 1918, when it suddenly became much
larger. From the beginning Of the century
he was also in receipt Of an annual eratu-
ity, which began at Eso, and rose steadily.
There was furthermore a holiday allow
anoe Of e1o, and extra work was paid for.
Mr.. Lucas submits that in view of these
figures the picture that has sonnet ines
been drawn Of Lamb as always "a poor
clerk" should be efaced.
In 1871 a letter written to one Walter
vii .on, an India House clerk ard after
ward the hiographer of Dofoe. throws
light upon lambs religious opinions. Il
know he tells his correspondent, shat
you think a very important difference
Of opinion with respect to some serious
subjects between us makes MI a dangerous
co,npanion, but do not rashly infer from
some slight and Light expression which
| NAV nave made use Of in a moment Of
levity in your presence, without sufficient
regard TO your feelings-do not conclude
that | am an inveterate enemy to all re-
ligions. / have had q time of nervousness,
and | have known the importance and
reality of a religious belief. Latterly !
acknowledge much OF my seriousness has
gone of, whether from new company or
some other new association, but l still
retain at bottom a conviction Of the truth
and a certainty Of the usefulness of re-
ligion. l will not pretend to more gravity
or feeling than | at present possess; my
intention is not to persuade you that any
great alteration is probable in me; sudden
con verts are superficial and trapsitory:
| only want you to believe that l nave
sta nina of seriousness within me, ard that
I desire nothing more than a return Of the
friendly intercourse which used TO subsist
bet een us, but which my folly has sts-
PENDED" So far as Mr.. Lucas has heen
able to ascertain, lamb never again wrote
much Of religion, neither did he uractise
religious forms.
III.
It is we'll known that Lamb tried to exc