His
imagination (not very lofty, perhaps) is to be discovered less in his
verse than in his prose humor, than in his letters and essays. In these it
was never trivial, but was always knit together by good sense, or softened
by tenderness. Real humor seldom makes its appearance in the first
literary ventures of young writers. Accordingly, symptoms of humor (which,
nevertheless, were not long delayed) are not to be discovered in Charles
Lamb's first letters or poems; the latter, when prepared for publication
in 1796, being especially grave. They are entitled "Poems by Charles Lamb
of the India House," and are inscribed to "Mary Anne Lamb, the author's
best friend and sister."
After some procrastination, the book containing them was published in
1797, conjointly with other verses by Coleridge and Charles Lloyd. "We
came into our first battle" (Charles says in his dedication to Coleridge,
in 1818) "under cover of the greater Ajax." In this volume Lloyd's verses
took precedence of Lamb's, at Coleridge's suggestion. This suggestion, the
reason of which is not very obvious, was very readily acceded to, Lamb
having a sincere regard for Lloyd, who (with a fine reasoning mind) was
subject to that sad mental disease which was common to both their
families.
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