The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb IV | Page 2

exception of the verse for children,
which will be found in Vol. III. of this edition, all the accessible
poetical work of Charles and Mary Lamb that is known to exist and
several poems not to be found in the large edition. There are probably
still many copies of album verses which have not yet seen the light. In
the London Magazine, April, 1824, is a story entitled "The Bride of
Modern Italy," which has for motto the following couplet:--
My heart is fixt:
This is the sixt.--Elia.
but the rest of what seems to be a pleasant catalogue is missing. In a
letter to Coleridge, December 2, 1796, Lamb refers to a poem which
has apparently perished, beginning, "Laugh, all that weep." I have left
in the correspondence the rhyming letters to Ayrton and Dibdin, and an
epigram on "Coelebs in Search of a Wife." I have placed the dedication
to Coleridge at the beginning of this volume, although it belongs
properly only to those poems that are reprinted from the Works of 1818,

the prose of which Lamb offered to Martin Burney. But it is too fine to
be put among the Notes, and it may easily, by a pardonable stretch, be
made to refer to the whole body of Lamb's poetical and dramatic work,
although Album Verses, 1830, was dedicated separately to Edward
Moxon.
In Mr. Bedford's design for the cover of this edition certain Elian
symbolism will be found. The upper coat of arms is that of Christ's
Hospital, where Lamb was at school; the lower is that of the Inner
Temple, where he was born and spent many years. The figures at the
bells are those which once stood out from the façade of St. Dunstan's
Church in Fleet Street, and are now in Lord Londesborough's garden in
Regent's Park. Lamb shed tears when they were removed. The tricksy
sprite and the candles (brought by Betty) need no explanatory words of
mine.
E.V.L.
CONTENTS
TEXT NOTE

PAGE PAGE

Dedication
1 307
Lamb's earliest poem, "Mille viae mortis"
3 307
Poems in Coleridge's Poems on Various Subjects,
1796:--
"As when a child ..."
4 308
"Was it some sweet device ..."
4 309
"Methinks how dainty sweet ..."
5 311
"Oh! I could laugh ..."
5 311
From Charles Lloyd's _Poems