ngale sonnet, not having heard one. 'Tis a good sonnet
notwithstanding. You shall have the books shortly.

C.L.

[Samuel Rogers had just lent Moxon L500 on which to commence publisher.

Moxon had dedicated his first book to Rogers. This is Moxon's "Sonnet to
the Nightingale," but I cannot explain why Rogers laughed:--

Lone midnight-soothing melancholy bird,
That send'st such music to my sleepless soul,
Chaining her faculties in fast controul,
Few listen to thy song; yet I have heard,
When Man and Nature slept, nor aspen stirred,
Thy mournful voice, sweet vigil of the sleeping
And liken'd thee to some angelic mind,
That sits and mourns for erring mortals weeping.
The genius, not of groves, but of mankind,
Watch at this solemn hour o'er millions keeping.
In Eden's bowers, as mighty poets tell,
Did'st thou repeat, as now that wailing call--
Those sorrowing notes might seem, sad Philomel,
Prophetic to have mourned of _man_ the _fall_.]

LETTER 516

CHARLES LAMB TO VINCENT NOVELLO

Friday. [P.M. May 14, 1830.]

Dear Novello, Mary hopes you have not forgot you are to spend a day with
us on Wednesday. That it may be a long one, cannot you secure places now
for Mrs. Novello yourself and the Clarkes? We have just table room for
four. Five make my good Landlady fidgetty; six, to begin to fret; seven,
to approximate to fever point. But seriously we shall prefer four to two
or three; we shall have from 1/2 past 10 to six, when the coach goes
off, to scent the country. And pray write _now_, to say you do so come,
for dear Mrs. Westwood else will be on the tenters of incertitude.

C. LAMB.

LETTER 517

CHARLES LAMB TO VINCENT NOVELLO

[May 20, 1830.]

Dear N.--pray write immediately to say "The book has come safe." I am
anxious, not so much for the autographs, as for that bit of the hair
brush. I enclose a cinder, which belonged to _Shield_, when he was poor,
and lit his own fires. Any memorial of a great Musical Genius, I know,
is acceptable; and Shield has his merits, though Clementi, in my
opinion, is far above him in the Sostenuto. Mr. Westwood desires his
compliments, and begs to present you with a nail that came out of
Jomelli's coffin, who is buried at Naples.

[Vincent Novello writes on this: "A very characteristic note from Dear
Charles Lamb, who always pretended to R