William Hone to Charles Lamb, May, 1825 An Electronic Edition William Hone Kyle Grimes

For publication in the Hone Correspondence section of the William Hone BioText, http://honearchive.org. The letter is published under a Creative Commons license, details of which are accessible from the BioText homepage.

Transcribed from the original in Washington State University, Hone Papers, Box 1, folder 6, f. 1.

 Transcribed and encoded letter.
William Hone to Charles Lamb, May, 1825. WSU, Hone Papers, Box 1, Folder 6, f. 1. This is the draft of a letter Hone wrote to Charles Lamb after he had read Lamb's poem "Quatrains" which was originally published in the London Magazine (New Series, vol. 12, May 1825, p. 16) and which Hone reprinted in the Every-Day Book in the July 9, 1825 issue. [return] — -TEI-
Gate House Highgate
Sunday 1825 Dear Sir!

My dear Sir, at the head of a letter to you, is too formal — I think it much better to say, then,

Dear Lamb—

Because, to be plain, I must call you so. "Friend Hone"last Quatrain (Hone's note) [return] in print is so kind, and then there's such courage, in public, to say you dare to encourage my friendship, in private, I cannot resist a glow of affection for such an assistance towards a poor mortal like me, who only is, and never can be more than a creeper where others are runners.

Now for my "say". — There being some sun, this — May morning, I purpose to shock Miss Lamb and you about 2 o'clock, with a call, & an appetite such as it is, and to eat out my thanks, and excite all your risibility, suavity, compassion & gravity — for melancholy, mirth, and I are one.

I'm more than Yours sincerely, W Hone