he frontispiece. The Elephant is pleasant; and I am
glad you are getting into a wider scope of subjects. There may be too
much, not religion, but too many _good words_ into a book, till it
becomes, as Sh. says of religion, a rhapsody of words. I will just name
that you have brought in the Song to the Shepherds in four or five if
not six places. Now this is not good economy. The Enoch is fine; and
here I can sacrifice Elijah to it, because 'tis illustrative only, and
not disparaging of the latter prophet's departure. I like this best in
the Book. Lastly, I much like the Heron, 'tis exquisite: know you Lord
Thurlow's Sonnet to a Bird of that sort on Lacken water? If not, 'tis
indispensable I send it you, with my Blackwood, if you tell me how best
to send them. Fludyer is pleasant. You are getting gay and Hood-ish.
What is the Enigma? money--if not, I fairly confess I am foiled--and
sphynx must [_here are words crossed through_] 4 times I've tried to
write eat--eat me--and the blotting pen turns it into cat me. And now I
will take my leave with saying I esteem thy verses, like thy present,
honour thy frontispicer, and right-reverence thy Patron and Dedicatee,
and am, dear B.B.

Yours heartily, C.L.

Our joint kindest Loves to A.K. and your Daughter.

[Barton's new book was _A New Year's Eve and other Poems_, 1828,
dedicated to Charles Richard Sumner, Bishop of Winchester. This volume
contains Barton's "Fireside Quatrains to Charles Lamb" (quoted in Vol.
IV.) and also the following "Sonnet to a Nameless Friend," whom I take
to be Lamb:--

SONNET TO A NAMELESS FRIEND

In each successive tome that bears _my_ name
Hast thou, though veiled _thy own_ from public eyes,
Won from my muse that willing sacrifice
Which worth and talents such as thine should claim:
And I should close my minstrel task with shame,
Could I forget the indissoluble ties
Which every grateful thought of thee supplies
To one who deems thy friendship more than fame.
Accept then, thus imperfectly, once more,
The homage of thy poet and thy friend;
And should thy partial praise my lays commend,
Versed as thou art in all the gentle lore
Of English poesy's exhaustless store,
Whom I most love they never can offend.

Martin's frontispiece represented Christ walking on the water. Lamb
recalls his remarks in a previous letter ab