INTRODUCTION 



It is Elia who ought to say grace for " Margaret New- 

 castle," as he called her, since to him she owes her wider 

 fame. She was in his regard the thrice noble, the 

 princely, the "original-brained"; something far other 

 than the "Mad Duchess" of the Court of Charles II., 

 and the extravagant dame in a just-au-corps of Pepys. 

 Elia's praise of her occurs in three of his essays, and first, 

 in " The Two Races of Men," where he speaks of her 

 letters. He has been alluding to Coleridge, alias Comber- 

 batch, who is the type of the one race, the men who 

 borrow, " matchless in his depredations " at that. "To 

 lose a volume to C," says Lamb, " carries some sense 

 and meaning in it. You are sure that he will make one 

 hearty meal on your viands, if he can give no account of 

 the platter after it. But what moved thee, wayward, 

 spiteful K.^ to be so importunate to carry off with thee, 

 in spite of tears and adjurations to thee to forbear, the 

 letters of that princely woman, the thrice noble Margaret 

 Newcastle ? — knowing at the time, and knowing that 

 I knew also, thou most assuredly would'st never turn 

 over one leaf of the illustrious folio — what but the mere 

 spirit of contradiction, and childish love of getting the 

 better of thy friend ? — ^Then worst cut of all ! to trans- 

 port it with thee to the Galilean land : 



' Unworthy land to harbour such a sweetness, 

 A virtue in which all ennobhng thoughts dwelt, 

 Pure thoughts, kind thoughts, high thoughts, her sex's wonder! ' 



— hadst thou not thy play-books, and books of jests and 

 fancies, about thee, to keep thee merry, even as thou 

 keepest all companies with thy quips and mirthful tales ? 



1 James Kenny the playwright. 



vii * 



