Chapter I: Preface: To the New Edition

This edition is the same as that in seven large volumes published between 1903 and 1905, except that it has been revised and amended and arranged in more companionable shape. Some new matter is included; some doubtful matter has been removed; and the notes, although occasionally enriched, have been reduced in number and often condensed. For completer annotation as well as for portraits and accessory illustrations the old edition must be consulted.

The present volume contains all Lamb's prose, with the exception of his work for children, his full notes in the Dramatic Specimens and Garrick Extracts, his prose plays and the Elia essays. The contents have been arranged in their order of publication, the earliest dating from 1798, when Lamb was twenty-three, and the latest belonging to 1834, the year of his death--thus covering the whole of his literary life.

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

Rosamund Gray 1 438

Curious fragments, extracted from a commonplace-book
which belonged to Robert Burton, the famous Author
of _The Anatomy of Melancholy_ 35 440

Early Journalism 41 442
I. G. F. Cooke in "Richard the Third" 41 442
II. Grand State Bed 44 442
III. Fable for Twelfth Day 44 444
IV. The Londoner 46 444

Characters of Dramatic Writers, Contemporary with
Shakspeare 48 445

On the Inconveniences Resulting from Being Hanged 65 445

On the Danger of Confounding Moral with Personal Deformity:
with a Hint to those who have the Framing
of Advertisements for Apprehending Offenders 74 448

On the Ambiguities Arising from Proper Names 80 448

On the Genius and Character of Hogarth; with some
Remarks on a Passage in the Writings of the Late
Mr. Barry 81 448

On the Custom of Hissing at the Theatres, with some
Account of a Club of Damned Authors 101 449

On Burial Societies; and the Character of an
Undertaker 107 451

On the Tragedies of Shakspeare, Considered with Reference
to their Fitness for Stage Representation 112 451

Specimens from the Writings of Fuller, the Church
Historian 130 453

Edax on Appetite 138 454

_Hospita_ on the Immoderate Indulgence of the Pleasures of
the Palate 145 454

The Good Clerk, a Character; with some Account of "The
Complete English Tradesman" 148 455

Memoir of Robert Lloyd 153 455

Confessions of a Drunkard 154 456

Recollections of Christ's Hospital 162 460

Table-Talk in _The Examiner_ 174 464
I. Reynolds and Leonardo Da Vinci 174 464
II. The New Acting 176 465
III. Books with one Idea in them 178 466
IV. A Sylvan Surprise 179 467
V. Street Conversation 179 467
VI. A Town Residence 180 467
VII. Gray's _Bard_ 181 468
VIII. An American War for Helen 182 468
IX. Dryden and Collier 183 468
X. Play-house Memoranda 184 468

Review of _The Excursion_ 187 469

On the Melancholy of Tailors 200 473

On Needle-work 204 477

On the Poetical Works of George Wither 210 477

Five Dramatic Criticisms 215 484
I. Mrs. Gould (Miss Burrell) in "Don Giovanni" 215 484
II. Miss Kelly at Bath 217 485
III. Richard Brome's "Jovial Crew" 219 486
IV. Isaac Bickerstaff's "Hypocrite" 221 489
V. New Pieces at the Lyceum 222 490

Four Reviews 225 491
I. _Falstaff's Letters_ 225 491
II. Charles Lloyd's Poems 229 493
III. Barron Field's Poems 232 493
IV. Keats' "Lamia" 235 494

Sir Thomas More 239 495

The Confessions of H. F. V. H. Delamore, Esq. 246 496

The Gentle Giantess 248 497

Letter to an Old Gentleman whose Education has been
Neglected 251 497

Ritson _versus_ John Scott the Quaker 257 498

Letter of Elia to Robert Southey 265 498

Guy Faux 278 509

Nugæ Criticæ: On a Passage in "The Tempest" 285 511

Original Letter of James Thomson 288 512

Biographical Memoir of Mr. Liston 292 512

A Vision of Horns 299 513

The Illustrious Defunct 304 514

Unitarian Protests 310 514

Autobiography of Mr. Munden 314 515

The "Lepus" Papers 317 515
I. Many Friends 317 516
II. Readers against the Grain 319 516
III. Mortifications of an Author 322 516
IV. Tom Pry 324 516
V. Tom Pry's Wife 326 517
VI. A Character 327 517

Reflections in the Pillory 329 518

The Last Peach 333 519

"Odes and Addresses to Great People" 335 519

The Religion of Actors 337 521

A Popular Fallacy 340 523

Reminiscences of Juke Judkins, Esq., of Birmingham 342 523

Contributions to Hone's _Every-Day Book_ and _Table Book_ 349 523
I. Remarkable Correspondent 349 527
II. Captain Starkey 351 528
III. Twelfth of August 354 528
IV. The Ass 356 529
V. _In re_ Squirrels 359 530
VI. An Appearance of the Season 360 531
VII. The Months 361 531
VIII. Reminiscence of Sir Jeffery Dunstan 366 532
IX. Mrs. Gilpin Riding to Edmonton 368 533
X. The Defeat of Time 369 534

An Autobiographical Sketch 375 535

Shakspeare's Improvers 376 535

Saturday Night 379 537

Estimate of De Foe's Secondary Novels 381 537

Clarence Songs 383 539

Recollections of a Late Royal Academician 385 540

The Latin Poems of Vincent Bourne 391 544

The Death of Munden 397 545

Thoughts on Presents of Game, &c. 398 546

Table-Talk by the Late Elia 400 547

The Death of Coleridge 406 549

Cupid's Revenge 407 550

APPENDIX

ESSAYS AND NOTES NOT CERTAIN TO BE LAMB'S, BUT PROBABLY HIS

Scraps of Criticism 425 551

The Miscellany 427 552

Review of Dibdin's _Comic Tales_ 429 552

Dog Days 430 553

The Progress of Cant 431 554

Mr. Ephraim Wagstaff 432 554

Review of Moxon's Sonnets 435 554

NOTES 437

FRONTISPIECE

CHARLES LAMB (AGED 30) IN THE DRESS OF A VENETIAN SENATOR
From A Painting By William Hazlitt Now in the National Portrait
Gallery

ROSAMUND GRAY

(WRITTEN 1797-1798. FIRST EDITION 1798. TEXT OF 1818)