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　　LETTER 359

　　CHARLES LAMB TO JOHN BATES DIBDIN

　　[P.M. January II, 1825.]

　　My Dear Sir—Pray return my best thanks to your father for his little volume. It is like all of his I have seen, spirited, good humoured, and redolent of the wit and humour of a century ago. He should have lived with Gay and his set. The Chessiad is so clever that I relish'd it in spite of my total ignorance of the game. I have it not before me, but I remember a capital simile of the Charwoman letting in her Watchman husband, which is better than Butler's Lobster turned to Red. Hazard is a grand Character, Jove in his Chair. When you are disposed to leave your one room for my six, Colebrooke is where it was, and my sister begs me to add that as she is disappointed of meeting your sister your way, we shall be most happy to see her our way, when you have an even'g to spare. Do not stand on ceremonies and introductions, but come at once. I need not say that if you can induce your father to join the party, it will be so much the pleasanter. Can you name an evening next week? I give you long credit.

　　Meantime am as usual yours truly C.L.

　　E.I.H.

　　11 Jan. 25.

　　When I saw the Chessiad advertised by C.D. the Younger, I hoped it might be yours. What title is left for you—

　　Charles Dibdin the Younger, Junior.

　　O No, you are Timothy.

　　[Charles Dibdin the Younger wrote a mock-heroic poem, "The Chessiad," which was published with Comic Tales in 1825. The simile of the charwoman runs thus:—

　　Now Morning, yawning, rais'd her from her bed,

　　Slipp'd on her wrapper blue and 'kerchief red,

　　And took from Night the key of Sleep's abode;

　　For Night within that mansion had bestow'd

　　The Hours of day; now, turn and turn about,

　　Morn takes the key and lets the Day-hours out;

　　Laughing, they issue from the ebon gate,

　　And Night walks in. As when, in drowsy state,

　　Some watchman, wed to one who chars all day,

　　Takes to his lodging's door his creeping way;

　　His rib, arising, lets him in to sleep,

　　While she emerges to scrub, dust, and sweep.

　　This is the lobster simile in Hudibras, Part II., Canto 2, lines 29-32:—

　　The sun had long since, in the lap

　　Of Thetis, taken out his nap,

　　And, like a lobster boiled, the morn

　　From black to red began to turn.

　　Hazard is the chief of the gods in the Chessiad's little drama.

　　"You are Timothy." See letter to Dibdin above.

　　I have included in Vol. I. of the present edition a review of Dibdin's book, in the New Times, January 27, 1825, which both from internal evidence and from the "ation of the charwoman passage I take to be by Lamb, who was writing for that paper at that time.] The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6