in the _London Magazine_, September, 1820. By a curious
oversight the error in Knowles's initials was repeated in the _Album
Verses_, 1830, Knowles's first name being, of course, James. James
Sheridan Knowles (1784-1862) had been a doctor, a schoolmaster, an
actor, and a travelling elocutionist, before he took seriously to
writing for the stage. His first really successful play was "Virginius,"
written for Edmund Kean, transferred to Macready, and produced in 1820.
His greatest triumph was "The Hunchback," 1832. Lamb, who met Knowles
through William Hazlitt, of Wem, the essayist's father, wrote both the
prologue and epilogue for Knowles's play "The Wife," 1833 (see pages
146-7).

* * * * *

Page 63. _Quatrains to the Editor of the "Every-Day Book_."

First printed in the _London Magazine_, May, 1825, and copied by Hone
into the _Every-Day Book_ for July 9 of the same year. William Hone (see
Vol. I. notes), 1780-1842, was a bookseller, pamphleteer and antiquary,
who, before he took to editing his _Every-Day Book_ in 1825, had passed
through a stormy career on account of his critical outspokenness and
want of ordinary political caution; and Lamb did by no means a
fashionable thing when he commended Hone thus publicly. The _Every-Day
Book_, begun in 1825, was, when published in 1826, dedicated by Hone to
Charles Lamb and his sister. "Your daring to publish me your 'friend,'
with your 'proper name' annexed," Hone wrote, "I shall never forget."

Page 63. Acrostics.

In his more leisurely years, at Islington and Enfield, Lamb wrote a
great number of acrostics--many more probably than have been
preserved--of which these, printed in _Album Verses_, are all that he
cared to see in print. Probably he found his chief impulse in Emma
Isola's schoolfellows and friends, who must have been very eager to
obtain in their albums a contribution from so distinguished a gentleman
as Elia, and who passed on their requests through his adopted daughter.
I have not been able to trace the identity of several of them. The lady
who desired her epitaph was Mrs. Williams in whose house Emma Isola was
governess. While there Emma was seriously ill, and Lamb travelled down
to Fornham, in Suffolk, in 1830, to bring her home. On returning he
wrote Mrs. Williams several letters, in one of which, dated Good Friday,
he said:--"I beg you to have inserted in your county paper something
like this advertisement; 'To the