Works of Charles and Mary Lamb. VI-VII. Letters
Charles Lamb to John Mathew Gutch, [9 February 1810]
DEAR Gutch,—I
did not see your brother, who brought me Wither; but he understood, he said, you were daily expecting to
come to town: this has prevented my writing. The books ![]()
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have pleased me excessively: I should think you could not have
made a better selection. I never saw “Philarete” before—judge of my
pleasure. I could not forbear scribbling certain critiques in pencil on the
blank leaves. Shall I send them, or may I expect to see you in town? Some of
them are remarks on the character of Wither and of his
writings. Do you mean to have anything of that kind? What I have said on
“Philarete” is poor, but I think some
of the rest not so bad: perhaps I have exceeded my commission in scrawling over
the copies; but my delight therein must excuse me, and pencil-marks will rub
out. Where is the Life? Write, for I am quite in the dark.
Yours, with many thanks,
Perhaps I could digest the few critiques prefixed to the
Satires, Shepherds Hunting,
&c., into a short abstract of Wither’s character and works, at the end of his Life.
But, may be, you don’t want any thing, and have said all you wish in
the Life.
John Mathew Gutch (1776-1861)
Educated at Christ's Hospital with Coleridge and Lamb, he was the owner and editor of
Felix Farley's Bristol Journal and editor of the poems of George
Wither.
George Wither (1588-1667)
Prolific Puritan poet and satirist who became a byword for bad poetry; during the
eighteenth century his more attractive youthful verse began to be reprinted and
admired.
