The Life of Charles Lamb Author:E. V. Lucas Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III A very Short Chapter—Charles Aders—John Thelwall and the Champion —Lamb's Political Epigrams—The Regent and Canning—James Sheridan Knowles—The Wor... more »dsworths in London—The Lambs at Cambridge Again—Emma Isola—Mary Lamb Again Ill—Miss Kelly —Thomas Allsop. TO 1820, in one respect the most important year in Lamb's life, belong only five or six letters, all of which are comparatively trivial, the principal one being from Mary Lamb to Mrs. Vincent Novello, to sympathise with her on the loss of a little girl (the same little girl that prompted Leigh Hunt's essay "Death of Little Children"). Crabb Robinson helps to fill in the gaps: "January 3rd, 1820:—A call on Miss Lamb. Later met Charles and Miss Lamb at Mr. Aders'. I was not in spirits. Aders exhibited his Campo Sacro to L. which he greatly enjoyed. And we had a rubber or two of whist. Mr. and Mrs. Smith also were of the party. We staid long, Aders had provided a profuse supper. L. was temperate but rather dull at the same time. However he seemed to enjoy himself, and that is the truest flattery." Charles Aders, a friend of Robinson, was a merchant of German extraction,with a house in Euston Square packed with pictures. In 1831, Lamb wrote some lines on his collection, and one of the prettiest of his later poems, " Angel Help," was suggested by an engraving in Mrs. Aders" album. " March 2nd:—I called in the forenoon on Lamb to give him £10, a contribution towards sending Tom Holcroft to India. He will probably soon set out, and I consider this morning as well spent. Villiers H. is well settled in India and has offered to provide for his brother if he can be sent out. Miss L. told me of a Burney party this evening, and I went to James Street. . . . Walked home late with the Lambs. "April 2oth. Thursday:—I to...« less