The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb Volume III Part 53

Page 384. X.--_Arabella Hardy_. "The Sea Voyage."

By Charles Lamb. Nothing else that Lamb wrote is quite so far from the ordinary run of his thoughts; and nothing has, I think, more charm.

Page 389. The King and Queen of Hearts This is probably the first of Charles Lamb's books for children. Of its history nothing is known: the proof that Charles Lamb wrote it is to be found in a letter from Lamb to Wordsworth, now in America, dated February 1, 1806, the concluding portion of which, and the only portion that has been printed--beginning "_Apropos_ of Spenser"--will be found in most editions of the correspondence tacked on to the letter dated June, 1806. In the earlier part of this missive Lamb enumerates the books which he has just despatched to Wordsworth by carrier from London.

Among these is an edition of Spenser, leading to the "_apropos_."

Also: "there comes W. Hazlitt's book about Human Action for Coleridge; a little song book for Sarah Coleridge; a Box for Hartley ...; a Paraphrase on _The King and Queen of Hearts_, of which I, being the author, beg Mr. Johnny Wordsworth's acceptance and opinion. _Liberal Criticism_, as G. Dyer declares, I am always ready to attend to."

As Charles Lamb is not known to have written children's books for any one but the G.o.dwins, who in 1806 were still publis.h.i.+ng under cover of Thomas Hodgkins' name, in Hanway Street, it is reasonable to a.s.sume that if a paraphrase of _The King and Queen of Hearts_ nursery rhyme could be found, bearing Hodgkins' or G.o.dwin's name, and dated 1805 or 1806, Lamb would be its author. That such a work did exist was proved by the advertis.e.m.e.nts at the end of other of G.o.dwin's juvenile books.

In the first edition of _Mrs. Leicester's School_, 1809, is this announcement:--

"Likewise, the following elegant and approved Publications, containing each of them the Incidents of an agreeable Tale, exhibited in a Series of Engravings, Price 1s. plain, or 1s. 6d.

coloured.

"1. _The King and Queen of Hearts: showing how notably the Queen made her Tarts, and how Scurvily the Knave stole them away._ &c."

This series was called the Copperplate Series. In due course a copy of No. 1, _The King and Queen of Hearts_, was found in the library of Miss Edith Pollock, bought by her at the sale of the late Mr. Andrew W. Tuer, an authority upon old children's literature and the publisher to whose enterprise we owe the facsimile editions of _Prince Dorus_ and _Poetry for Children_. Mr. Tuer, however, had not suspected Lamb's authors.h.i.+p. The cover of Miss Pollock's copy bears the date 1809, which means that the little book was re-bound as required with the date of the current year upon it. Copies of the first edition have since been discovered and sold for enormous sums. The date is 1806.

In a copy of _The Looking Gla.s.s_, another of G.o.dwin's books, _The King and Queen of Hearts_ is thus advertised, with a new quatrain, probably also from Lamb's pen:--

"Price 1s. Plain; or 15. 6ed. Coloured, The King and Queen of Hearts, With the Rogueries of the Knave who stole away the Queen's Pies.

Ill.u.s.trated in Fifteen elegant Engravings: Agreeably to the famous Historical Ballad on the Subject.

"I write of Tarts; how sweet a tale!

You'll lick your lips to hear it told: I show you mighty Kings and Queens, Robes of scarlet, Crowns of gold."

This little book, _The Looking Gla.s.s_, which relates the early life of William Mulready (1786-1863), was issued in facsimile by Mr. F.G.

Stephens in 1885, with an interesting account of its history. Therein Mr. Stephens wrote: "Mr. Linnell told me that the cuts to the once well-known _Nongtong Paw_ [Vol. 6 of "The Copperplate Series;" see above], _The Sullen Woman and the Pedlar_ [Vol. 2 of the same series], _Think before you speak_, and _The King and Queen of Hearts_, were designed by Mulready." We thus discover who was the ill.u.s.trator. My own feeling is that the plates came first and Lamb's verses later.

_The King and Queen of Hearts_ cannot be said to add anything characteristic to the body of Lamb's writings. But its discovery is historically valuable in establis.h.i.+ng--by the date 1805 on the engraved t.i.tle-page--the fact that before the _Tales from Shakespear_, which are usually thought to be the brother and sister's first experiment in writing for children, Charles at any rate had tried his hand at that pastime. _The King and Queen of Hearts_ thus becomes his first juvenile work.

Page 404. POETRY FOR CHILDREN.

This little book, attributed on the t.i.tle-page merely to the author of _Mrs. Leicester's School_, was published in two minute volumes at three s.h.i.+llings by Mrs. G.o.dwin in 1809.

Robert Lloyd, writing from London to his wife in April, 1809, says of Charles and Mary Lamb: "If we may use the expression, their Union of affection is what we conceive of marriage in Heaven. They are the World _one_ to the _other_. They are writing a Book of Poetry for children together." Later: "It is _task_ work to them, they are writing for money, and a Book of Poetry for Children being likely to sell has induced them to compose one." Writing to Coleridge of the _Poetry for Children_, in June, 1809, Lamb says: "Our little poems are but humble, but they have no name. You must read them, remembering they were task-work; and perhaps you will admire the number of subjects, all of children, picked out by an old Bachelor and an old Maid. Many parents would not have found so many." Charles Lamb, by the way, was then thirty-four, and Mary Lamb forty-four. In sending the book to Manning, Lamb said that his own share of the poems was only one-third.

The little book seems to have been quickly allowed by its publisher to pa.s.s into the void. Possibly the two-volume form was found to be impracticable: at any rate _Poetry for Children_ disappeared, many of its pieces at various times reappearing with the signature Mrs.

Leicester in _The Junior Cla.s.s-Book_ (two pieces), in _The First Book of Poetry_ (twenty-two pieces) and _The Poetical Cla.s.s Book_ (three pieces), all compiled by William Frederic Mylius, a Christ's Hospital master, and published by Mrs. G.o.dwin. Hence the extreme rarity of _Poetry for Children_, which seemed to be completely lost until, in 1877, a copy was found in Australia. Two or three other copies of the English edition have since come to light. Mylius used also the frontispieces to the two volumes. As I have not seen all the editions of these compilations, it is possible that my figures may not be complete.

An American edition of _Poetry for Children_ was published in 1812 at Boston. The poems "Clock Striking," "Why not do it, Sir, To-day?" and "Home Delights," were omitted.

I have placed against the poems, in the notes that follow, the authors.h.i.+p--brother or sister's--which seems to me the more probable.

But I hope it will be understood that I do this at a venture, and, except in a few cases, with no exact knowledge.

Page 404. _Envy_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 404. _The Reaper's Child_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 405. _The Ride_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 406. _The b.u.t.terfly_.

(?) Mary Lamb. The poet referred to was William Roscoe, author of _The b.u.t.terfly's Ball_, 1807.

Page 407. _The Peach_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 408. _Chusing a Name_.

By Charles Lamb; as we know from a letter from Lamb to Robert Lloyd.

Page 408. _Crumbs to the Birds_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 409. _The Rook and the Sparrows_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 410. _Discontent and Quarrelling_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 411. _Repentance and Reconciliation_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 412. _Neatness in Apparel_.

(?) Charles Lamb.

Page 412. _The New-born Infant_.

(?) Mary Lamb.

Page 413. _Motes in the Sun-beams_.

(?) Mary Lamb.