d to hear that your grievance is mitigated.

Shelly I saw once. His voice was the most obnoxious squeak I ever was
tormented with, ten thousand times worse than the Laureat's, whose voice
is the worst part about him, except his Laureatcy. Lord Byron opens upon
him on Monday in a Parody (I suppose) of the "Vision of Judgment," in
which latter the Poet I think did not much show _his_. To award his
Heaven and his Hell in the presumptuous manner he has done, was a piece
of immodesty as bad as Shelleyism.

I am returning a poor letter. I was formerly a great Scribbler in that
way, but my hand is out of order. If I said my head too, I should not be
very much out, but I will tell no tales of myself. I will therefore end
(after my best thanks, with a hope to see you again some time in
London), begging you to accept this Letteret for a Letter--a Leveret
makes a better present than a grown hare, and short troubles (as the old
excuse goes) are best.

I hear that C. Lloyd is well, and has returned to his family. I think
this will give you pleasure to hear.

I remain, dear Sir, yours truly

C. LAMB.

E.I.H.

9 Oct. 22.

[Barton had just published his _Verses on the Death of P.B. Shelley_, a
lament for misapplied genius. The club at Pisa referred particularly to
Byron, Leigh Hunt, and Trelawney. Trelawney placed three lines from
Ariel's song in "The Tempest" on Shelley's monument; but whether Lamb
knew this, or his choice of rival lines is a coincidence, I do not know.
Trelawney chose the lines:--

Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.

There is no other record of Lamb's meeting with Shelley, who, by the
way, admired Lamb's writings warmly, particularly _Mrs. Leicester's
School_ (see the letter to Barton, August 17, 1824).

Byron's _Vision of Judgment_, a burlesque of Southey's poem of the same
name, was printed in _The Liberal_ for 1822.]

LETTER 294

CHARLES LAMB TO B.R. HAYDON

India House, 9th October, 1822.

Dear Haydon, Poor Godwin has been turned out of his house and business
in Skinner Street, and if he does not pay two years' arrears of rent, he
will have the whole stock, furniture, &c., of his new house (in the
Strand) seized when term begins. We are trying to raise a subscription
for him. My object in writing this is simply to ask you, if this is a
kind of case which would be likely to interest Mrs. Coutts in his
beh