What  other  news  is  there,  Mary  ?  What  puns
have  I  made  in  the  last  fortnight?  You  never
remember  them.  You  have  no  relish  of  the
comic.  '  O  !  tell  Hazlitt  not  to  forget  to  send  me
the  American  Farmer.  I  dare  say  it  is  not  so
good  as  he  fancies ;  but  a  book's  a  book.'  I  have
not  heard  from  Wordsworth  or  from  Malta  since.
Charles  Kemble,  it  seems,  enters  into  possession
to-morrow.  We  sup  at  109  Russel-street,  this
evening.  I  wish  your  friend  would  not  drink.
It''s  a  blemish  in  the  greatest  characters.  You
send  me  a  modern  quotation  poetical.  How  do
you  like  this  in  an  old  play  ?  Vittoria  Corombona,
a  spunky  Italian  lady,  a  Leonardo  one,  nick-named
the  White  Devil,  being  on  her  trial  for  murder, :
&c. — and  questioned  about  seducing  a  duke  from]
his  wife  and  the  state,  makes  answer  : —

'  Condemn  you  me  for  that  the  Duke  did  love  me  ?
So  may  you  blame  some  fair  and  clirystal  river.
For  tliat  some  melancholic  distracted  man
Hath  drown'd  himself  in  it.'

"  N.  B.  I  shall  expect  a  line  from  you,  if  but
bare  line,    whenever  you  write   to  Ilussel-streetJ
and   a  letter  often   when  you  do  not.     I  pay  n^
postage.     But   I   will  have   consideration  for  yoi
until   Parliament  time  and  franks.     Luck  to  Ne(


LETTERS    TO    HAZLITT.  271

Search  and  the   new  art   of  colouring.     Monkey-
sends  her  love  :  and  Mary  specially.
"  Yours  truly,

"C.  Lamb.''

Lamb  introduced  Hazlitt  to  Godwin;  and  we
find  him  early  in  the  following  year  thus  writing
respecting  the  offer  of  Hazlitt's  work  to  Johnson,
and  his  literary  pursuits.
TO    MR.    HAZLITT.
"  Thursday,  15th  Jan.  1806.
