done in
_his_, prying in at windows to get a glimpse of her), and that it was by
advice of Southern, who objected to the circumstances as being untrue,
when the rest of the story was founded on fact; which shows S. to have
been a stupid-ish fellow. The incidents so resemble Savage's story, that
I taxed Godwin with taking Falconer from his life by Dr. Johnson. You
should have the edition (if you have not parted with it), for I saw it
never but at your place at the Mews' Gate, nor did I then read it to
compare it with my own; only I know the daughter's curiosity is the best
part of _my_ Roxana. The prologue you speak of was mine, so named, but
not worth much. You ask me for 2 or 3 pages of verse. I have not written
so much since you knew me. I am altogether prosaic. May be I may touch
off a sonnet in time. I do not prefer Col. Jack to either Rob. Cr. or
Roxana. I only spoke of the beginning of it, his childish history. The
rest is poor. I do not know anywhere any good character of De Foe
besides what you mention. I do not know that Swift mentions him. Pope
does. I forget if D'Israeli has. Dunlop I think has nothing of him. He
is quite new ground, and scarce known beyond Crusoe. I do not know who
wrote Quarll. I never thought of Quarll as having an author. It is a
poor imitation; the monkey is the best in it, and his pretty dishes made
of shells. Do you know the Paper in the Englishman by Sir Rd. Steele,
giving an account of Selkirk? It is admirable, and has all the germs of
Crusoe. You must quote it entire. Captain G. Carleton wrote his own
Memoirs; they are about Lord Peterborough's campaign in Spain, & a good
Book. Puzzelli puzzles me, and I am in a cloud about Donald M'Leod. I
never heard of them; so you see, my dear Wilson, what poor assistances I
can give in the way of information. I wish your Book out, for I shall
like to see any thing about De Foe or from you.

Your old friend,

C. LAMB.

From my and your old compound. 24 Feb. '23.

[With this letter compare the letter on September 9, 1801, to Godwin,
and the letter on December 16, 1822, to Wilson.

Defoe's _Roxana_, first edition, does not, as a matter of fact, contain
the episode of the daughter which Lamb so much admired. Later editions
have it. Godwin says in his Preface to "Faulkener," 1807, the play to
which Lamb wrote a prologue in praise of Defoe (see Vol. IV.), that the
only accessible edition of _Roxana_ in which the story of Susannah is
fully tol