DEAR Sir,—I have read your poetry with pleasure. The
tales are pretty and prettily told, the language often finely poetical. It is
only sometimes a little careless, I mean as to redundancy. I have marked
certain passages (in pencil only, which will easily obliterate) for your
consideration. Excuse this liberty. For the distinction you offer me of a
dedication, I feel the honor of it, but I do not think it would advantage the
publication. I am hardly on an eminence enough to warrant it. The Reviewers,
who are no friends of mine—the two big ones especially who make a
566 | LETTERS OF C. AND M. LAMB | May |
The “Specimens” would give a handle to it, which the poems might seem to want. But I submit it to yourself with the old recollection that “beggars should not be chusers” and remain with great respect and wishing success to both your publications