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　　LETTER 126

　　MARY LAMB TO MRS. S. T. COLERIDGE (Same letter)

　　[P.M. October 13, 1804.]

　　My dear Mrs. Coleridge—I have had a letter written ready to send to you, which I kept, hoping to get a frank, and now I find I must write one entirely anew, for that consisted of matter not now in season, such as condolence on the illness of your children, who I hope are now quite well, & comfortings on your uncertainty of the safety of Coleridge, with wise reasons for the delay of the letters from Malta, which must now be changed for pleasant congratulations. Coleridge has not written to us, but we have had two letters from the Stoddarts since the one I sent to you, containing good accounts of him, but as I find you have had letters from himself I need not tell you the particulars.

　　My brother sent your letters to Mr. Motley according to Coleridge's direction, & I have no doubt but he forwarded them.

　　One thing only in my poor letter the time makes no alteration in, which is that I have half a bed ready for you, & I shall rejoice with exceeding great joy to have you with me. Pray do not change your mind for I shall be sadly disappointed if you do. Will Hartley be with you? I hope he will, for you say he goes with you to Liverpool, and I conclude you come from thence to London.

　　I have seen your brother lately, and I find he entertains good hopes from Mr. Sake, and his present employment I hear is likely to continue a considerable time longer, so that I hope you may consider him as good as provided for. He seems very steady, and is very well spoken of at his office.

　　I have lately been often talking of you with Mrs. Hazlitt. William Hazlitt is painting my brother's picture, which has brought us acquainted with the whole family. I like William Hazlitt and his sister very much indeed, & I think Mrs. Hazlitt a pretty good-humoured woman. She has a nice little girl of the Pypos kind, who is so fond of my brother that she stops strangers in the street to tell them when Mr. Lamb is coming to see her.

　　I hope Mr. Southey and your sister and the little Edith are well. I beg my love to them.

　　God bless you, and your three little darlings, & their wandering father, who I hope will soon return to you in high health & spirits.

　　I remain ever your affectionate friend

　　MARY LAMB.

　　Compliments to Mr. Jackson and darling friend. I hope they are well.

　　[Charles Lamb adds:—]

　　C. Lamb particularly desires to be remembered to Southey and all the

　　Southeys, as well as to Mrs. C. and her little Coleridges. Mrs. C.'s

　　letters have all been sent as Coleridge left word, to Motley's,

　　Portsmouth.

　　[The Ben Jonson in Lamb's own library was the 1692 folio; his Beaumont and Fletcher, which may be seen at the British Museum, was the folio 1647 or 1679.

　　Spenser's prose work, View of the Present State of Ireland, is that referred to.

　　"John Ford." Lamb says in the Dramatic Specimens, 1808, "Ford was of the first order of poets."

　　Dorothy Wordsworth (afterwards the wife of Edward Quillinan) was born

　　August 16, 1804.

　　"Your brave sailor-brother"—John Wordsworth.

　　Mrs. Coleridge now had three children—Hartley, Derwent and Sara. We do not know whether or no she stayed with the Lambs, as suggested. Her brother was George Fricker.

　　William Hazlitt's sister was Peggy Hazlitt. His sister-in-law, Mrs.

　　Hazlitt, was the wife of John Hazlitt, the miniature painter.

　　Hazlitt's portrait of Lamb was the one in the dress of a Venetian senator, reproduced as frontispiece to Vol. I. of this edition. It now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.] The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 5