 section 10 of the life of Samuel Johnson volume 1 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org read by Andrew Coleman the life of Samuel Johnson volume 1 by James Boswell section 10 it has been generally said I know not with what truth that Johnson offered his London to several booksellers none of whom would purchase it to this circumstance Mr. Derek alludes in the following lines of his fortune a rhapsody will no kind patron Johnson own shall Johnson friendless range the town and every publisher refuse the offspring of his happy muse but we have seen that the worthy modest and ingenious Mr. Robert Doddsley had taste enough to perceive its uncommon merit and thought it creditable to have a share in it the fact is that at a future conference he bargained for the whole property of it for which he gave Johnson ten guineas who told me I might perhaps have accepted of less but that Paul Whitehead had a little before got ten guineas for a poem and I would not take less than Paul Whitehead I may here observe that Johnson appeared to me to undervalue Paul Whitehead upon every occasion when he was mentioned and in my opinion did not do him justice but when it is considered that Paul Whitehead was a member of a riotous and profane club we may account for Johnson's having prejudice against him Paul Whitehead was indeed unfortunate in being not only slighted by Johnson but violently attacked it by Churchill who utters the following implication may I can worse disgrace on manhood fall be born a Whitehead and baptised a Paul yet I shall never be persuaded to think meanly of the author of so brilliant and pointed a satire as manners Johnson's London was published in May 1738 and it is remarkable that it came out on the same morning with Pope Satar entitled 1738 so that England had at once its juvenile and Horace as poetical monitors the Rev. Dr. Douglas now Bishop of Salisbury to whom I am indebted for some obliging communications was then a student at Oxford and remembers well the effect which London produced everybody was delighted with it and there being no name to it the first buzz of the literary circles was here is an unknown poet greater even than Pope as it is recorded in the gentleman's magazine of that year that it got to the second edition in the course of a week note Sir John Hawkins page 86 tells us the event is antedated in the poem of London but in every particular except the difference of a year what is there said of the departure of Thales must be understood of savage and looked upon as true history this conjecture is I believe entirely groundless I have been assured that Johnson said he was not so much as acquainted with savage when he wrote his London if the departure mentioned in it was the departure of savage the event was not antedated but foreseen for London was published in May 1738 and savage did not set out for Wales till July 1739 however well Johnson could defend the credibility of second sight he did not pretend that he himself was possessed of that faculty end of note one of the warmest patrons of this poem on its first appearance was General Oglethorpe whose strong benevolence of soul was unabated during the course of a very long life though it is painful to think that he had but too much reason to become cold and callous and discontented with the world from the neglect which he experienced of his public and private worth by those in whose power it was to gratify so gallant a veteran with marks of distinction this extraordinary person was as remarkable for his learning and taste as for his other eminent qualities and no man was more prompt active and generous in encouraging merit I have heard Johnson gratefully acknowledge in his presence the kind and a factual support which he gave to his London though unacquainted with its author Pope who then filled the poetical throne without a rival it may reasonably be presumed must have been particularly struck by the sudden appearance of such a poet and to his credit let it be remembered that his feelings and conduct on the occasion were candid and liberal he requested mr. Richardson son of the painter to endeavor to find out who this new author was mr. Richardson after some inquiry having informed him that he had discovered only that his name was Johnson and that he was some obscure man Pope said he will soon be debtor a we shall presently see from a note written by Pope that he was himself afterwards more successful in his inquiries than his friend that in this justly celebrated poem may be found a few rhymes which the critical precision of English prosody at this day would disallow cannot be denied but with this small imperfection which in the general blaze of its excellence is not perceived till the mind has subsided into cooler tension it is undoubtedly one of the noblest productions in our language both for sentiment and expression the nation was then in that ferment against the court and the ministry which some years after ended in the downfall of Sir Robert Walpole and as it has been said that Tories are wigs when out of place and wigs Tories when in place so as a wig administration ruled with what force it could a Tory opposition had all the animation and all the eloquence of resistance to power aided by the common topics of patriotism liberty and independence accordingly we find in Johnson's London the most spirited invectives against tyranny and oppression the warmest predilection for his own country and the purest love of virtue interspersed with traits of his own particular character and situation not omitting his prejudices as a true born Englishman not only against foreign countries but against Ireland and Scotland on some of these topics I shall quote a few passages the cheated nations happy favorite see mark whom the great caress who frown on me has heaven reserved in pity to the poor no pathless waste or undiscovered shore no secret island in the boundless main no peaceful desert yet unclaimed by Spain quick let us rise the happy seats explore and bear oppression's insolence no more how when competitors like these contend can surly virtue hope to fix a friend this mournful truth is everywhere confessed slow rises worth by poverty depressed we may easily conceive with what feeling a great mind like his cramped and galled by narrow circumstances uttered this last line which he marked by capitals the whole of the poem is eminently excellent and there are in it such proofs of a knowledge of the world and of a mature acquaintance with life as cannot be contemplated without wonder when we consider that he was then only in his 29th year and had yet been so little in the busy haunts of men yet while we admire the poetical excellence of this poem candor obliges us to allow that the flame of patriotism and zeal for popular resistance with which it is fraught had no just cause there was in truth no oppression the nation was not cheated Sir Robert Walpole was a wise and a benevolent minister who thought that the happiness and prosperity of a commercial country like ours would be best promoted by peace which he accordingly maintained with credit during a very long period Johnson himself afterwards honestly acknowledged the merit of Walpole whom he called a fixed star one he characterised his opponent pit as a meteor but Johnson's juvenile poem was naturally impregnated with a fire of opposition and upon every account was universally admired though thus elevated into fame and conscious of uncommon powers he had not that bustling confidence or I may rather say that animated ambition which one might have supposed would have urged him to endeavor at rising in life but such was his inflexible dignity of character that he could not stoop to court the great without which hardly any man has made his way to a high station he could not expect to produce many such works as his London and he felt the hardships of writing for bread he was therefore willing to resume the office of a schoolmaster so has to have assure the moderate income for his life and an offer being made to him of the mastership of a school provided he could obtain the degree of master of arts Dr Adams was applied to by a common friend to know whether that could be granted him as a favour from the University of Oxford but though he had made such a figure in the literary world it was then thought too great a favour to be asked note in a billet written by Mr Pope in the following year this school is said to have been in Shropshire but as it appears from a letter from Earl Gower that the trustees of it were some worthy gentleman in Johnson's neighborhood I in my first edition suggested that Pope must have by mistake written Shropshire instead of Staffordshire but I have since been obliged to Mr Spearing attorney at law for the following information William Adams formerly citizen and haberdasher of London founded a school at Newport in the county of Salop by deed dated 27th November 1656 by which he granted the yearly sum of 60 pounds to such evil and learned schoolmaster from time to time being of godly life and conversation who should have been educated at one of the universities of Oxford or Cambridge and had taken the degree of master of arts and was well read in the Greek and Latin tongues as should be nominated from time to time by the said William Adams during his life and after the decease of the said William Adams by the governors namely the master and wardens of the haberdasher's company of the city of London and their successors the manner and lands out of which the revenues for the maintenance of the school were to issue are situate at Nightton and Adbeston in the county of Stafford from the foregoing account of this foundation particularly the circumstances of the salary being 60 pounds and the degree of master of arts being a requisite qualification in their teacher it seemed probable that this was the school in contemplation and that Lord Gower erroneously supposed that the gentleman who possessed the lands at which the revenues issued were trustees of the charity such was probable conjecture but in the gent mag for may 1793 there is a letter from Mr Hen one of the masters of the school of applebee in Leicestershire in which he writes as follows i compared time and circumstance together in order to discover whether the schooling question might not be this of applebee some of the trustees at that period were worthy gentlemen of the neighborhood of lichfield applebee itself is not far from the neighborhood of lichfield the salary the degree request it together with the time of election all agreeing with the statutes of applebee the election as said in the letter could not be delayed longer than the 11th of next month which was the 11th of september just three months after the annual audit day of applebee school which is always on the 11th of June and the statutes enjoin neolius prikeptorum electio deutius tribus mensibus morareto etc these i thought to be convincing proofs that my conjecture was not ill founded and that in a future edition of that book the circumstance might be recorded as fact but what banishes every shadow of doubt is the minute book of the school which declares the head mastership to be at that time vacant i cannot omit returning thanks to this learned gentleman for the very handsome manner in which he has in that letter been so good as to speak of this work end of note hawkins life page 61 says that johnson went to applebee in august 1738 and offered himself as a candidate for the mastership the date of 1738 seems to be hawkins's inference if johnson went at all it was in 1739 pope the friend of swift would not of course have sought lord gowers influence with swift he applied to his lordship no doubt as a great midland county landowner likely to have influence with the trustees why when the difficulty about the degree of ma was discovered pope was not asked to solicit swift cannot be known see post beginning of 1780 in boswell's account of the life of swift pope without any knowledge of him but from his london recommended him to earl gower who endeavored to procure for him a degree from dublin by the following letter to a friend of dean swift sir mr samuel johnson author of london satire and some other poetical pieces is a native of this country and much respected by some worthy gentlemen in his neighborhood who are trustees of a charity school now vacant the certain salary is 60 pounds a year of which they are desirous to make him master but unfortunately he is not capable of receiving their bounty which would make him happy for life by not being a master of arts which by the statutes of this school the master of it must be now these gentlemen do me the honor to think that i have interest enough in you to prevail upon you to write to dean swift to persuade the university of dublin to send a diploma to me constituting this poor man master of arts in their university they highly extoll the man's learning and property and will not be persuaded that the university will make any difficulty of conferring such a favor upon a stranger if he is recommended by the dean they say he's not afraid of the strictest examination though he hears of so long a journey and will venture it if the dean thinks it necessary choosing rather to die upon the road than be starved to death in translating for booksellers which has been his only subsistence for some time past i fear there is more difficulty in this affair than those good-natured gentlemen apprehend especially as their election cannot be delayed longer than the 11th of next month if you see this matter in the same light that it appears to me i hope you will burn this and pardon me for giving you so much trouble about an impracticable thing but if you think there is a probability of obtaining the favor asked i'm sure your humanity and propensity to relieve merit in distress will incline you to serve the poor man without my adding any more to the trouble i have already given you then assuring you that i am with great truth sir your faithful servant gower trintum august 1st 1739 it was perhaps no small disappointment to johnson that this respectable application had not the desired effect yet how much reason has there been both for himself and his country to rejoice that it did not succeed as he might probably have wasted in obscurity those hours in which he afterwards produced his incomparable works about this time he made one other effort to emancipate himself from the drudgery of authorship he applied to dr adams to consult dr smallbrook of the commons whether a person might be permitted to practice as an advocate there without a doctor's degree in civil law i am said he a total stranger to these studies but whatever is a profession and maintains numbers must be within the reach of common abilities and some degree of industry dr adams was much pleased with johnson's design to employ his talents in that manner being confident he would have attained to great eminence and indeed i cannot conceive a man better qualified to make a distinguished figure as a lawyer for he would have brought to his profession a rich store of various knowledge an uncommon acuteness and a command of language in which few could have equaled and none have surpassed him he who could display eloquence and wit in defense of the decision of the house of commons upon mr wilkes's election for middle sex and of the unconstitutional taxation of our fellow subjects in america must have been a powerful advocate in any cause but here also the want of a degree was an insurmountable bar he was therefore under the necessity of persevering in that course into which he had been forced and we find that his proposal from grenich to mr cave for a translation of father paul sarpy's history was accepted some sheets of this translation were printed off but the design was dropped for it happened oddly enough that another person of the name of samuel johnson librarian of st martins in the fields and curate of that parish engaged in the same undertaking and was patronized by the clergy particularly by dr pierce afterwards bishop of rochester several light skirmishes passed between the rival translators in the newspapers of the day and the consequence was that they destroyed each other for neither of them went on with the work it is much to be regretted that the able performance of that celebrated genius for our paulo lost the advantage of being incorporated into british literature by the marsley lee hand of johnson i have in my possession by the favor of mr john nickles a paper in johnson's handwriting entitled account between mr edward cave and sam johnson in relation to a version of father paul etc begun august the second 1738 by which it appears that from that day to the 21st of april 1739 johnson received for this work 49 pounds seven shillings in sums of one two three and sometimes four guineas at a time most frequently two and it is curious to observe the minute and scrupulous accuracy with which johnson has pasted upon it a slip of paper which he has entitled small account and which contains one article september ninth mr cave laid down two shillings and sixpence there is sub joined to this account a list of some subscribers to the work partly in johnson's handwriting partly in that of another person and there follows a leaf or two on which are written a number of characters which have the appearance of a shorthand which perhaps johnson was then trying to learn to mr cave wednesday sir i did not care to detain your servant while i wrote an answer to your letter in which you seem to insinuate that i have promised more than i am ready to perform if i have raised your expectations by anything that may have escaped my memory i'm sorry and if you remind me of it shall thank you for the favour if i made fewer alterations than usually in the debates it was only because there appeared and still appears to be less need of alteration the verses to lady far breeze may be had when you please for you know that such a subject neither deserves much thought nor requires it the chinese stories may be had folded down when you please descend in which i do not recollect that you desired any alterations to be made an answer to another query i am very willing to write i'd had to consult it with you about it last night if there had been time for i think it's the most proper way of inviting such a correspondence as may be an advantage to the paper not a load upon it as to the prize verses a backwardness to determine their degrees of merit is not peculiar to me you may if you please still have what i can say but i shall engage with the little spirit in an affair which i shall hardly end to my own satisfaction and certainly not to the satisfaction of the party's concerned as to father paul i have not yet been just my proposal but i've met with impediments which i hope are now at an end and if you find the progress hereafter not such as you have a right to expect you can easily stimulate a negligent translator if any or all of these have contributed to your discontent i will endeavor to remove it and desire you to propose the question to which you wish for an answer i am sir your humble servant sam johnson to mr cave no date sir i'm pretty much of your opinion that the commentary cannot be prosecuted with any appearance of success for as the names of the authors concerned are of more weight in the performance than its own intrinsic merit the public will be soon satisfied with it and i think the examine should be pushed forward with the utmost expedition thus this day etc an examine of mr pope's essay etc containing a succinct account of the philosophy of mr liveness on the system of the fatalists with a computation of their opinions and an illustration of the doctrine of free will with what else you think proper it will above all be necessary to take notice that it is a thing distinct from the commentary i was so far from imagining they stood still that i conceived them to have a good deal beforehand and therefore was less anxious in providing them more but if ever they stand still on my account it must doubtless be charged to me and whatever else shall be reasonable i shall not oppose but beg a suspense of judgment till morning when i must entreat you to send me a dozen proposals and you shall then have copy to spare i am sir yours imprancess sam johnson pray muster up the proposals if you can or let the boy recall them from the booksellers but although he corresponded with mr cave concerning a translation of cruisances examine of pope's essay on man and gave advice as one anxious for its success i was long ago convinced by a perusal of the preface that this translation was erroneously ascribed to him and i have found this point ascertained beyond all doubt by the following article in dr birch's manuscripts in the british museum elisai katerai spd thomas birch verse yonem to am examinees cruisaz yani yam pelegi sumum stili et elegantium et imre difficile mar proprietatum admiratus dabham november 27th 1738 indeed mrs carter has lately acknowledged mr seward that she was the translator of the examine it is remarkable that johnson's last quoted letter to mr cave concludes with a fair confession that he had not a dinner and it is no less remarkable that though in this state of want himself his benevolent heart was not insensible to the necessities of an humble labourer in literature as appears from the very next letter to mr cave no date dear sir you may remember i have formally talked with you about a military dictionary the eldest mr mc bean who was with mr chambers has very good materials for such work which i have seen and will do it at a very low rate i think the terms of war and navigation might be comprised with good explanations in one octavo pika which he is willing to do for 12 shellingers her sheet to be made up a guinea at the second impression if you think on it i will wait on you with him i am sir your humble servant sam johnson pray lend me topsell on animals i must not omit to mention that this mr mc bean was a native of scotland in the gentleman's magazine of this year johnson gave a life of father paul and he wrote the preface to the volume which though prefixed to it when bound is always published with the appendix and is therefore the last composition belonging to it the ability and nice adaptation with which he could draw a preparatory address was one of his peculiar excellencies it appears to that he paid a friendly attention to mrs elisabeth carter for in a letter from mr cave to dr birch november 28 this year i find mr johnson advises mc to undertake a translation of boethius decorne because there is prus and verse and put a name to it when published this advice was not followed probably from an apprehension that the work was not sufficiently popular for an extensive sale her world johnson himself could have executed a translation of this philosophical poet we may judge from the following specimen which he has given in the rambler motto to number seven a qui perpetua mondum radione gubnas terrarum calicois at all this year katerina a neblas at ponderam mollies at kway to all splendor a mica to nam kway serrinum to requies tranquillur p's te cunnery finis fringipium vector dux semeter terminus idam o thou whose power of moving world's presides whose voice created at whose wisdom guides on dark link man in pure effulgence shine and cheer the clouded mind with light divine it is thine alone to calm the pious breast with silent confidence and holy rest from thee great god we spring to thee we tend path motive guide original and end in 1739 beside the assistance which he gave to the parliamentary debates his writings in the gentleman's magazine were the life of boahava in which it is to be observed that he discovers that love of chemistry which never forsook him and appeal to the public in behalf of the editor and address to the reader an epigram both in greek and latin to Eliza and also english verses to her and a greek epigram to dr birch it has been erroneously supposed that an essay published in that magazine this year entitled the apotheosis of milton was written by johnson and on that supposition it has been improperly inserted in the edition of his works by the booksellers after his disease were there no positive testimony as to this point the style of the performance and the name of shakespeare not being mentioned in an essay professedly reviewing the principal english poets would ascertain it not to be the production of johnson but there is here no occasion to resort to internal evidence from my lord bishop of solisbury dr. douglas has assured me that it was written by guthrie his separate publications were a complete vindication of the licenses of the stage from the malicious and scandalous aspersions of mr. brook author of gustava's vasa being an ironical attack upon them for their suppression of that tragedy and marmar nor falciense or an essay on an ancient prophetical inscription in monkish rhyme lately discovered near lin in norfolk by probus britannicus in this performance he in a faint inscription supposed to have been found in norfolk the county of sarobot warpole then the obnoxious prime minister of this country in vays against the brunswick succession and the measures of government consequent upon it to this supposed prophecy he added a commentary making each expression applied to the times with warm anto hanoverian zeal this anonymous pamphlet i believe did not make so much noise as was expected and therefore had not a very extensive circulation so john hawkins relates that warrants were issued and messengers employed to apprehend the author who though he had foreborn to subscribe his name to the pamphlet the vigilance of those in pursuit of him had discovered and we are informed that he lay concealed in labath marsh till the center after him grew cold this however is altogether without foundation from mr. steel one of the secretaries of the treasury who amidst a variety of important business politely obliged me with his attention to my inquiry informed me that he directed every possible search to be made in the records of the treasury and secretary of state's office but could find no trace whatever of any warrant having been issued to apprehend the author of this pamphlet marmore nor falciense became exceedingly scarce so that i for many years endeavored in vain to procure a copy of it at last i was indebted to the malice of one of johnson's numerous petty adversaries who in 1775 published a new edition of it with notes and a dedication to samuel johnson lld by tribunus in which some puny scribbler infidiously attempted to found upon it a charge of inconsistency against its author because he had accepted of a pension from his present majesty and had written in support of the measures of government as a mortification to such impotent malice of which there are so many instances towards men of eminence i am happy to relate that this tilum imbele did not reach its exalted object till about a year after it thus appeared when i mentioned it to him supposing that he knew of the republication to my surprise he had not yet heard of it he requested me to go directly and get it for him which i did he looked at it and laughed and seemed to be much diverted with the feeble efforts of his unknown adversary who i hope is alive to read this account now said he here is somebody who thinks he has vexed me sadly yet if it had not been for you you rogue i should probably never have seen it as mr. pope's note concerning johnson alluded to in a former page refers both to his london and his marmore nalfalciensei i have deferred in certain git till now i am indebted for it to dr persie the bishop of dromore who permitted me to copy it from the original in his possession it was presented to his lordship by sir joshua reynolds to whom it was given by the son of mr. richardson the painter the person to whom it is addressed i have transcribed it with minute exactness that the peculiar mode of writing and imperfect spelling of that celebrated poet may be exhibited to the curious in literature it just flies swift's epithet of paper sparing pope for it is written on a slip no larger than a common message card and was sent to mr. richardson along with the imitation of juvenile this is imitated by one johnson who put in for public school in shropshire but was disappointed he has an infirmity of the convulsive kind that attacks him sometimes so as to make him a sad spectacle mr. p from the merit of this work which was all the knowledge he had of him endeavored to serve him without his own application and wrote to my lord gore but he did not succeed mr. johnson published afterwards another poem in latin with notes the whole very humorous called the norfolk prophecy p johnson had been told of this note and sir joshua reynolds informed him of the compliment which he contained but from delicacy avoided showing him the paper itself when sir joshua observed to johnson that he seemed very desirous to see pope's note he answered who would not be proud to have such a man as pope so solicitous in inquiring about him the infirmity to which mr. pope alludes appear to me also as i have elsewhere observed to be of the convulsive kind and of the nature of that distemper called saint phytos dance and in this opinion i am confirmed by the description which sydney gives of that disease this disorder is a kind of convulsion it manifests itself by halting or unsteadiness of one of the legs which the patient draws after him like an idiot if the hand of the same side be applied to the breast or any other part of the body he cannot keep it a moment in the same posture but it will be drawn into a different one by a convulsion notwithstanding all his efforts to the contrary sir joshua reynolds however was of a different opinion and favored me with the following paper those motions or tricks of dr johnson are improperly called convulsions he could sit motionless when he was told so to do as well as any other man my opinion is that it proceeded from a habit which he had indulged himself in of accompanying his thoughts with certain untoward actions and those actions always appear to me as if they were meant to reprobate some part of his past conduct whenever he was not engaged in conversation such thoughts were sure to rush into his mind and for this reason any company any employment whatever he preferred being alone the great business of his life he said was to escape from himself this disposition he considered as the disease of his mind which nothing cured but company one instance of his absence and particularity as it is characteristic of the man may be worth relating when he and i took a journey together into the west we visited the late mr banks of dorset chair the conversation turning upon pictures which johnson could not well see he retired to a corner of the room stretching out his right leg as far as he could reach before him then bringing up his left leg and stretching his right still further on the old gentleman observing him went up to him and in a very courteous manner assured him that though it was not a new house the flooring was perfectly safe the doctor started from his reverie like a person waked out of his sleep but spoke not a word end of section 10 section 11 of the life of samuel johnson volume one this is a lever vox recording all lever vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit lever vox.org read by andrew colman the life of samuel johnson volume one by james boswell section 11 one we are on this subject my readers may not be displeased with another anecdote communicated to me by the same friend from the relation of mr hogarth johnson used to be a pretty frequent visitor at the house of mr richardson author of clarissa and other novels of extensive reputation mr hogarth came one day to see richardson soon after the execution of dr cameron for having taken arms for the house of stewart in 1745 to six and being a warm partisan of george the second he observed to richardson that certainly there must have been some very unfavorable circumstances lately discovered in this particular case which had induced the king to approve of an execution for a rebellion so long after the time when it was committed as this had the appearance of putting a man to death in cold blood and was very unlike his majesty's usual clemency one he was talking he perceived a person standing at a window in the room shaking his head and rolling himself about in a strange ridiculous manner he concluded that he was an idiot whom his relations had put under the care of mr richardson as a very good man to his great surprise however this figure stalked forwards to where he and mr richardson was sitting and all at once took up the argument and burst out into an invective against george the second as one who upon all occasions was unrelenting and barbarous mentioning many instances particularly that when an officer of high rank had been acquitted by a court marshal george the second had with his own hand struck his name off the list in short he displayed such a power of eloquence that hogarth looked at him with astonishment and actually imagined that this idiot had been at the moment inspired now the hogarth nor johnson were made known to each other at this interview note impartial posterity may perhaps be as little inclined as dr johnson was to justify the uncommon rigor exercised in the case of dr archibald cameron he was an amiable and truly honest man and his offense was owing to a generous though mistaken principle of duty being obliged to after 1746 to give up his profession as a physician and to go into foreign parts he was honored with the rank of colonel both in the french and spanish service he was a son of the ancient and respectable family of cameron of locale at his brother who was the chief of that brave clan distinguished himself by moderation and humanity while the highland army marched victorious through scotland it is remarkable of this chief that though he had earnestly remonstrated against the attempt as hopeless he was of too heroic a spirit not to venture his life and fortune in the cause when personally asked by him whom he thought his prince end of note 1740 itad 31 in 1740 he wrote for the gentlemen's magazine the preface life of sir francis drake and the first parts of those of admiral blake and of philip baratier both of which he finished the following year he also wrote an essay on epitaphs and an epitaph of philips a musician which was afterwards published with some other pieces of his in mrs. williams miscellanese this epitaph is so exquisitely beautiful that i remember even lord cames strangely prejudiced as he was against dr. johnson was compelled to allow it very high praise it has been ascribed to mr. garrick from its appearance at first with the signature g but i have heard mr. garrick declare that it was written by dr. johnson and give the following account of the manner in which he was composed johnson and he was sitting together when amongst other things garrick repeated an epitaph upon this philips by dr. wilks in these words exalted soul whose harmony could please the lovesick virgin and the gouty ease could jarring discord like anthion move to beautious order and harmonious love rest here in peace till angels bid thee rise and meet thy blessed saviour in the skies johnson shook his head at these commonplace funereal lines and said to garrick i think davie i can make it better then stirring about his tea for a little while in a state of meditation he almost extemporary produced the following verses philips whose touch harmonious could remove the pangs of guilty power or hapless love rest here distressed by poverty no more here find that calm thou gave'st so oft before sleep undisturbed within this peaceful shrine till angels wake thee with a note like thine at the same time that mr. garrick favored me with this anecdote he repeated a very pointed epigram by johnson on george the second and collie kibber which has never yet appeared out of which i know not the exact date dr. johnson afterwards gave it to me himself augusta still survives in marrow's drain and spence's first prolongs Eliza's reign great george's acts let tuneful kibber sink for nature formed the poet for the king in 1741 he wrote for the gentleman's magazine the preface conclusion of his lives of drake and barotere a free translation of the jests of harry clees with an introduction and i think the following pieces debate on the proposal of parliament to cromwell to assume the title of king abridged modified and digested translation of abbey gion's dissertation on the amazons translation of fontanel's panagiric on dr. morin two notes upon this appear to me undoubtedly his he this year and the two following wrote the parliamentary debates he told me himself that he was the sole composer of them for those three years only it was not however precisely exact in his statement which he mentioned from hasty recollection for it is sufficiently evident that his composition of them began november 19th 1740 and ended february 23rd 1742 to three it appears from some of cave's letters to dr. birch that cave had better assistance for that branch of his magazine than has been generally supposed and that he was indefatigable in getting it made as perfect as he could thus 21st july 1735 i trouble you with the enclosed because you said you could easily correct what is here given for lord c's speech i beg you will do so as soon as you can for me because the month is far advanced and 15th july 1737 as you remember the debate so far as to perceive the speeches already printed are not exact i beg the favor that you will peruse the enclosed and in the best manner your memory will serve correct the mistaken passages or add anything that is omitted i should be very glad to have something of the duke of n speech which would be particularly of service a gentleman has lord bather's speech to add something to and july 3rd 1744 you will see what stupid low abominable stuff is put upon your noble and learned friend's character such as i should quite reject and endeavor to do something better towards doing justice to the character but as i cannot expect to attain my desires in that respect it would be a great satisfaction as well as an honor to our work to have the favor of the genuine speech it is a method that several have been pleased to take as i could show but i think myself under a restraint i shall say so far that i have had some by a third hand which i understood well enough to come from the first others by penny post and others by the speakers themselves who have been pleased to visit st john's gate and show particular marks of their being pleased there is no reason i believe to doubt the veracity of cave it is however remarkable that none of these letters are in the years during which johnson alone furnished the debates and one of them is in the very year after he ceased from that labor johnson told me that as soon as he found that the speeches were thought genuine he determined that he would write no more of them for he would not be accessory to the propagation of falsehood and such was the tenderness of his conscience that a short time before his death he expressed his regret for his having been the author of fictions which had passed for realities he nevertheless agreed with me in thinking that the debates which he had framed were to be valued as orations upon questions of public importance they have accordingly been collected in volumes properly arranged and recommended to the notice of parliamentary speakers by a preface written by no inferior hand i must however observe that although there is in those debates a wonderful store of political information and very powerful eloquence i cannot agree that they exhibit the manner of each particular speaker as sir john hawkins seems to think but indeed what opinion can we have of his judgment and taste in public speaking he presumes to give as the characteristics of two celebrated orators the deep-mouthed rancor of potiny and the yelping pertinacity of pit this year i find that his tragedy of irini had been for some time ready for the stage and that his necessities made him desirous of getting as much as he could for it without delay for there is the following letter from mr cave to dr birch in the same volume of manuscripts in the british museum from which i copied those above quoted they were most obligingly pointed out to me by sir william musgrave one of the curators of that noble repository september ninth 1741 i have put mr johnson's play into mr gray's hands in order to sell it to him if he is inclined to buy it but i doubt whether he will or not he would dispose of the copy and whatever advantage may be made by acting it would your society or any gentleman or body of men that you know take such a bargain he and i are very unfit to deal with theatrical persons fleetwood was to have acted it last season but johnson's dividends or prevented it i have already mentioned that irini was not brought into public notice till garrick was manager of drory lane theater 1742 itat 33 in 1742 he wrote for the gentleman's magazine the preface the parliamentary debates essay on the account of the conduct of the duchess of malbra then the popular topic of conversation this essay is a short but masterly performance we find him in number 13 of his rambler censoring a profligate sentiment in that account and again insisting upon it strenuously in conversation an account of the life of peter burman i believe chiefly taken from a foreign publication as indeed he could not himself know much about burman additions to his life of barit here the life of sydney afterwards prefix to dr swan's edition of his works proposals for printing bibliotheca haleana or a catalog of the library of the earl of roxford his account of that celebrated collection of books in which he displays the importance to literature of what the french caller catalogues on a when the subjects of it are extensive and various and it is executed with ability cannot fail to impress all his readers with admiration of his philosophical attainments it was afterwards prefix to the first volume of the catalogue in which the latin accounts of books were written by him he was employed in this business by mr. thomas osborne the bookseller who purchased the library for 13 000 pounds a sum which mr. oldest says in one of his manuscripts was not more than the binding of the books had cost yet as dr johnson assured me the slowness of the sale was such that there was not much gained by it it has been confidently related with many embellishments that johnson one day knocked osborne down in his shop with a folio and put his foot upon his neck the simple truth i had from johnson himself sir he was impertinent to me and i beat him but it was not in his shop it was in my own chamber a very diligent observer may trace him where we should not easily suppose him to be found i have no doubt that he wrote the little abridgement entitled foreign history in the magazine for december to prove it i shall quote the introduction as this is that season of the year in which nature may be said to command a suspension of hostilities and which seems intended by putting a shortstop to violence and slaughter to afford time for malice to relent and animosity to subside we can scarce expect any other accounts than of plans negotiations and treaties of proposals for peace and preparations for war as also this passage let those who despise the capacity of the swiss tell us by what wonderful policy or by what happy conciliation of interests it is brought to pass that in a body made up of different communities and different religions there should be no civil commotions though the people are so warlike that to nominate and raise an army is the same i am obliged to mr astor for his ready permission to copy the two following letters of which the originals are in his possession their contents show that they were written about this time and that johnson was now engaged in preparing an historical account of the british parliament to mr cave no date sir i believe i am going to write a long letter and have therefore taken a whole sheet of paper the first thing to be written about is our historical design you mentioned the proposal of printing in numbers as an alteration in the scheme but i believe you mistook some way or other my meaning i had no other view than that you might rather print too many of five sheets than of five and thirty with regard to what i shall say on the manner of proceeding i would have it understood as wholly indifferent to me at my opinion only not my resolution and torus sit elegare i think the insertion of the exact dates of the most important events in the margin or of so many events as may enable the reader to regulate the order of facts with sufficient exactness the proper medium between a journal which has regard only to time and a history which ranges facts according to their dependence on each other and postpones or anticipates according to the convenience of narration i think the work or to partake of the spirit of history which is contrary to minute exactness and of the regularity of a journal which is inconsistent with spirit for this reason i neither admit numbers or dates nor reject them i am of your opinion with regard to placing most of the resolutions etc in the margin and think which will give the most complete account of parliamentary proceedings that can be contrived the naked papers without an historical treatise into woven require some other book to make them understood i will date the succeeding facts with some exactness but i think in the margin you told me on saturday that i had received money on this work and found set down 13 pounds two shillings and sixpence reckoning the half guinea of last saturday as you hinted to me that you had many calls for money i would not press you too hard and therefore shelters are only as i send it in two guineas for a sheet of copy the rest you may pay me when it may be more convenient and even by this sheet payment i shall for some time be very expensive the life of savage i'm ready to go upon and in greek primer and pica notes i reckon on sending in half a sheet a day but the money for that shall likewise lie by in your hands till it is done with the debates shall not i have business enough if i had but good pens towards mr savages life what more have you got i would willingly have his trial etc and know whether his defense be at bristol and would have his collection of perms on account of the preface the plain dealer all the magazines that have anything of his or relating to him i thought my letter would be long but it is now ended and i am sir yours etc sam johnson the boy found me writing this almost in the dark when i could not quite easily read yours i have read the italian nothing in it as well i had no notion of having anything for the inscription i hope you don't think i kept it to extort a price i could think of nothing till today if you could spare me another guinea for the history i should take it very kindly tonight but if you do not i shall not think it an injury i am almost well again to mr cave sir you did not tell me your determination about the soldier's letter which i am confident was never printed i think it will not do by itself or in any other place so well as the mag extraordinary if you will have it at all i believe you do not think i set it high and i will be glad if what you give you will give quickly you need not being cared about something to print for i have got the state trials and shall extract lair atabri and macclesfield from them i shall bring them to you in a fortnight after which i will try to get the south sea report no date nor signature i would also ascribe to him an essay on the description of china from the french of du haud his writings in the gentleman's magazine in 1743 are the preface the parliamentary debates considerations on the dispute between cruisans and warburton on pope's essay on man in which while he defends cruisans he shows an admirable metaphysical acuteness and temperance and controversy at lauram parutorum epigramma and a latin translation of pope's verses on his grotto and as he could employ his pen with equal success upon a small matter as a great i suppose him to be the author of an advertisement for osborne concerning the great halcyon catalogue but i should think myself much wanting both to my illustrious friend and my readers did i not introduce here with more than ordinary respect an exquisitely beautiful ode which has not been inserted in any of the collections of johnson's poetry written by him at a very early period as mr hector informs me and inserted in the gentleman's magazine of this year friendship an ode friendship peculiar boon of heaven the noble mind's delight and pride to men and angels only given to all the lower world denied while love are known among the blessed parent of thousand wild desires the savage and the human breast torments alike with raging fires with bright but oft destructive gleam alike are all his lightnings fly their lamp and glories only beam around the favorites of the sky their gentle flows of guiltless joys on fools and villains near descend in vain for the either tyrant's size and hugs a flatterer for a friend directoress of the brave and just oh guide us through life's dark some way and let the tortures of mistrust on selfish bosoms only pray nor shall thine ardours cease to glow when souls to blissful climbs remove what raised our virtue here below shall aid our happiness above end of section 11 section 12 of the life of samuel johnson volume one this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer visit libra vox dot org read by andrew colman the life of samuel johnson volume one by james boswell section 12 johnson had now an opportunity of obliging his school fellow dr. james of whom he once observed no man brings more mind to his profession james published this year his medicinal dictionary in three volumes folio johnson as i understood from him had written or assisted in writing the proposals for this work and being very fond of the study of physics in which james was his master he furnished some of the articles he however certainly wrote for it the dedication to dr mead which is conceived with great address to conciliate the patronage of that very eminent man it has been circulated i know not with what authenticity that johnson considered dr birch as a dull writer and said of him tom birch is as brisk as a being conversation but no sooner does he take a pen in his hand than it becomes a torpedo to him and benums all his faculties that the literature of this country is much indebted to birch's activity and diligence must certainly be acknowledged we have seen that johnson honoured him with a greek epigram and his correspondence with him during many years proves that he had no mean opinion of him to dr birch thursday september 29th 1743 sir i hope you will excuse me for troubling you on an occasion on which i know not whom else i can apply to i am at a loss for the lives and characters of earl stanhope the two crags and the minister sunderland and begs that you will inform me where i may find them and send any pamphlets etc relating to them to mr cave to be perused for a few days by sir your most humble servant sam johnson his circumstances were at this time much embarrassed yet his affection for his mother was so warm and so liberal that he took upon himself a debt of hers which though small in itself was then considerable to him this appears from the following letter which he wrote to mr levitt of litchfield the original of which lies now before me to mr levitt in litchfield december 1743 sir i am extremely sorry that we have encroached so much upon your forbearance with respect to the interest which a great perplexity of affairs hindered me from thinking of with that attention that i ought and which i am not immediately able to admit to you but will pay it i think 12 pounds in two months i look upon this and on the future interest of that mortgage as my own debt and beg that you will be pleased to give me directions how to pay it and not mention it to my dear mother if it be necessary to pay this in less time i believe i can do it but i take two months for certainty and beg an answer whether you can allow me so much time i think myself very much obliged to your forbearance and shall i steam it a great happiness to be able to serve you i have great opportunities of dispersing anything that you may think it proper to make public i will give a note for the money payable at the time mentioned to anyone here that you shall appoint i am sir your most obedient and most humble servant sam johnson at mr osborne's book seller in graze in 1744 it had 35 it does not appear that he wrote anything in 1744 for the gentleman's magazine but the preface his life of barit here was now republished in a pamphlet by itself but he produced one work this year fully sufficient to maintain the high reputation which he had acquired this was the life of richard savage a man of whom it is difficult to speak impartially without wondering that he was for some time the intimate companion of johnson for his character was marked by profligacy insolence and ingratitude yet as he undoubtedly had a warm and vigorous though unregulated mind had seen life in all its varieties and been much in the company of the statesmen and wits of his time he could communicate to johnson an abundant supply of such materials as his philosophical curiosity most eagerly desired and as savage's misfortunes and misconduct had reduced him to the lowest state of wretchedness as a writer for bread his visits to st john's gate naturally brought johnson and him together note as a specimen of his temper i insert the following letter from him to a noble lord to whom he was under great obligations but who on account of his bad conduct was obliged to discard him the original was in the hands of the late france's cocaine cussed escua one of his majesty's council learned in the law right honorable brute and booby i find you want as mr blank is pleased to hint to swear away my life that is the life of your creditor because he asked you for a debt the public shall soon be acquainted with this to judge whether you are not fitter to be an Irish evidence than to be an Irish peer i defy and despise you i am your determined adversary r s end of note it is melancholy to reflect that johnson and savage were sometimes in such extreme indigence that they could not pay for lodging so that they have wandered together whole nights in the streets yet in these almost incredible scenes of distress we may suppose that savage mentioned many of the anecdotes with which johnson afterwards enriched the life of his unhappy companion and those of other poets he told sir joshua reynolds that one night in particular when savage and he walked around st james's square for want of a lodging they were not at all depressed by their situation but in high spirits and brimful of patriotism traversed the square for several hours invade against the minister and resolved they would stand by their country i'm afraid however that by associating with savage who was habituated to the dissipation and licentiousness of the town johnson though his good principles remained steady did not entirely preserve their conduct for which in days of greater simplicity he was remarked by his friend mr hector but was imperceptibly led into some indulgencies which occasioned much distress to his virtuous mind that johnson was anxious that an authentic and favorable account of his extraordinary friend should first get possession of the public attention is evident from a letter which he wrote in the gentleman's magazine for august of the year preceding its publication mr urban as your collections show how often you have owed the ornaments of your poetical pages to the correspondence of the unfortunate and ingenious mr savage i doubt not but you have so much regard to his memory as to encourage any design that may have a tendency to the preservation of it from insults or calamities and therefore with some degree of assurance in treat you to inform the public that his life will speedily be published by a person who was favored with his confidence and received from himself an account of most of the transactions which he proposes to mention to the time of his retirement to swansy in wales from that period to his death in the prison of bristol the account will be continued from materials still less liable to objection his own letters and those of his friends some of which will be inserted in the work and abstracts of others subjoined in the margin it may be reasonably imagined that others may have the same design but as it is not credible that they can obtain the same materials it must be expected they will supply from invention the want of intelligence and that under the title of the life of savage they will publish only a novel filled with romantic adventures and imaginary amours you may therefore perhaps gratify the lovers of truth and wit by giving me leave to inform them in your magazine that my account will be published in octavo by mr roberts in warwick lane no signature in february 1744 it accordingly came forth from the shop of roberts between home and johnson i have not traced any connection except the casual one of this publication in johnson's life of savage although it must be allowed that its moral is the reverse of risk bickery exemplar vitae mormquay your babel a very useful lesson is inculcated to guard men of warm passions from a two free indulgence of them and the various incidents are related in so clear and animated a manner and illuminated throughout with so much philosophy that it is one of the most interesting narratives in the english language so joshua reynolds told me that upon his return from italy he met with it in devonshire knowing nothing of its author and began to read it while he was standing with his arm leaning against a chimney piece it seized his attention so strongly that not being able to lay down the book till he had finished it when he attempted to move he found his arm totally benumbed the rapidity with which this work was composed is a wonderful circumstance johnson has been heard to say i wrote 48 of the printed octavo pages of the life of savage at a sitting but then i sat up all night he exhibits the genius of savage to the best advantage in the specimens of his poetry which he has selected some of which are of uncommon merit we indeed occasionally find such figure and such point as might make us suppose that the generous aid of johnson had been imparted to his friend mr thomas worton made this remark to me and in support of it quoted from the poem entitled the bastard a line in which the fancy superiority of one stumped in nature's mint with ecstasy is contrasted with a regular lawful descendant of some great and ancient family no tense transmitter of a foolish face but the fact is that this poem was published some years before johnson and savage were acquainted it is remarkable that in this biographical disquisition there appears a very strong symptom of johnson's prejudice against players a prejudice which may be attributed to the following causes first the imperfection of his organs which was so defective that he was not susceptible of the fine impressions which theatrical excellence produces upon the generality of mankind secondly the cold rejection of his tragedy and lastly the brilliant success of garrick who had been his pupil who had come to london at the same time with him not in a much more prosperous state than himself and whose talents he undoubtedly rated low compared with his own he is being outstripped by his pupil in the race of immediate fame as well as of fortune probably made him feel some indignation as thinking that whatever might be garrick's merits in his art the reward was too great when compared with what the most successful efforts of literary labour could attain at all periods of his life johnson used to talk contemptuously of players but in this work he speaks of them with peculiar acrimony for which perhaps there was formerly too much reason from the licentious and dissolute manners of those engaged in that profession it is but justice to add that in our own time such a change has taken place that there is no longer room for such an unfavourable distinction his school fellow and friend dr taylor told me a pleasant anecdote of johnson's triumphing over his pupil david garrick when that great actor had played some little time at goodman's fields johnson and taylor went to see him perform and afterwards passed the evening at a tavern with him at old gifford johnson who was ever depreciating stage players after censuring some mistakes in emphasis which garrick had committed in the course of that night's acting said the players sir have got a kind of rant with which they run on without any regard either to accent or emphasis both garrick and gifford were offended at this sarcasm and endeavour to refute it upon which johnson rejoined well now i'll give you something to speak with which you are little acquainted and then we shall see how just my observation is that shall be the criterion let me hear you repeat the ninth commandment though shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour both tried at it said dr taylor and both mistook the emphasis which should be upon not and false witness johnson put them right and enjoyed his victory with great glee note i suspect dr taylor was inaccurate in this statement the emphasis should be equally upon shout and not as both concur to form the negative injunction and false witness like the other acts prohibited in the decalogue should not be marked by any peculiar emphasis but only be distinctly annunciated end of note his life of savage was no sooner published than the following liberal praise was given to it in the champion a periodical paper this pamphlet is without flattery to its author as just and well written a piece as of its kind i ever saw so that at the same time that it highly deserves it certainly stands very little in need of this recommendation as to the history of the unfortunate person whose memoirs compose this work it is certainly penned with equal accuracy and spirit of which i am so much the better judge as i know many of the facts mentioned to be strictly true and very fairly related besides it is not only the story of mr savage but innumerable instance relating to other persons and other affairs which renders this a very amusing and with all a very instructive and valuable performance the author's observations are short significant and just as his narrative is remarkably smooth and well disposed his reflections open to all the recesses of the human heart and in a word a more just or pleasant a more engaging or a more improving treatise on all the excellencies and defects of human nature is scarce to be found in our own or perhaps any other language note this character of the life of savage was not written by fielding as has been supposed but most probably by ralph who as appears from the minutes of the partners of the champion in the possession of mr read of staple in succeeded fielding in his share of the paper before the date of that eulogium end of note johnson's partiality for savage made him entertain no doubt of his story however extraordinary and improbable it never occurred to him to question his being the son of the countess of macklesfield of whose unrelenting barbarity he's so loudly complained and the particulars of which are related in so strong and affecting a manner in johnson's life of him johnson was certainly well warranted in publishing his narrative however offensive it might be to the lady and her relations because her alleged unnatural and cruel conduct to her son and shameful a valour of guilt was stated in a life of savage no lying before me which came out so early as 1727 and no attempt had been made to confute it or to punish the author or printer as a libeler but for the honor of human nature we should be glad to find the shocking tale not true and from a respectable gentleman connected with the lady's family i have received such information and remarks as joined to my own inquiries will i think render it at least somewhat doubtful especially when we consider that it must have originated from the person himself who went by the name of richard savage if the maxim falsum in uno falsum in omnibus were to be received without qualification the credit of savages narrative as conveyed to us would be annihilated for it contains some assertions which beyond a question are not true one in order to induce a belief that oh rivers on account of a criminal connection with whom lady mackersfield is said to have been divorced from her husband by act of parliament had a peculiar anxiety about the child which she brought to him it is alleged that his lordship gave him his own name and had it duly recorded in the register of st andrew's hallbore i have carefully inspected that register but no such entry is to be found two it is stated that lady mackersfield having lived for some time upon very uneasy terms with her husband thought a public confession of adultery the most obvious and expeditious method of obtaining her liberty and johnson assuming this to be true stigmatizes her with indignation as the rich who had without scruple proclaimed herself an adulterous but i have perused the journals of both houses of parliament at the period of her divorce and there find it authentically ascertained that so far from voluntarily submitting to the ignominious charge of adultery she made a strenuous defense by her counsel the bill having been first moved 15th of january 1697 in the house of lords and proceeded on with various applications for time to bring up witnesses at a distance etc at intervals till the third of march when it passed it was brought to the commons by a message from the lords the fifth of march proceeded on the 7th 10th 11th 14th and 15th on which day after a full examination of witnesses on both sides and hearing of counsel it was reported without amendments passed and carried to the lords that lady macklesfield was convicted of the crime of which he was accused cannot be denied but the question now is whether the person calling himself richard savage was her son it has been said that when l rivers was dying and anxious to provide for all his natural children he was informed by lady macklesfield that her son by him was dead whether then shall we believe that this was a malignant lie invented by a mother to prevent her own child from receiving the bounty of his father which was accordingly the consequence if the person whose life johnson wrote was her son or shall we not rather believe that the person who then assumed the name of richard savage was an imposter being in reality the son of the shoemaker under whose wife's care lady macklesfield's child was placed that after the death of the real richard savage he attempted to personate him and that the fraud of being known to lady macklesfield he was therefore repulsed by her with just resentment there is a strong circumstance in support of the last supposition though it has been mentioned as an aggravation of lady macklesfield's unnatural conduct and that is her having prevented him from obtaining the benefit of a legacy left to him by mrs. Lloyd his godmother for if there was such a legacy left his not being able to obtain payment of it must be imputed to his consciousness that he was not the real person the just inference should be that by the death of lady macklesfield's child before his godmother the legacy became lapsed and therefore that johnson's richard savage was an imposter if he had a title to the legacy he could not have found any difficulty in recovering it for had the executors resisted his claim the whole costs as well as the legacy must have been paid by them if he had been the child to whom it was given the talents of savage and the mingled fire rudeness pride meanness and ferocity of his character concur in making it credible that he was fit to plan and carry on an ambitious and daring scheme of imposture similar instances of which have not been wanting in higher spheres in the history of different countries and have had a considerable degree of success yet on the other hand to the companion of johnson who through whatever medium he was conveyed into this world be it ever so doubtful to whom related or by whom begot was unquestionably a man of no common endowments we must allow the weight of general repute as to his status or parentage the illicit and supposing him to be an imposter it seems strange that lord to connell the nephew of lady macclesfield should patronize him and even admit him as a guest in his family lastly it must ever appear very suspicious that three different accounts of the life of richard savage one published in the plane dealer in 1724 another in 1727 and another by the powerful pen of johnson in 1744 and all of them while lady macclesfield was alive should notwithstanding the severe attacks upon her have been suffered to pass without any public and effectual contradiction note trusting to savages information johnson represents this unhappy man's being received as a companion by lord to connell and penchant by his lordship as if posterior to savages conviction and pardon but i am assured that savage had received the voluntary bounty of lord to connell and have been dismissed by him long before the murder was committed and that his lordship was very instrumental in procuring savages pardon by his intercession with the queen through lady hartford if therefore he had been desirous of preventing the publication by savage he would have left him to his fate indeed i must observe that although johnson mentions that lord to connell's patronage of savage was upon his promise to lay aside his design of exposing the cruelty of his mother johnson's works 8124 the great biographer has forgotten that he himself has mentioned that savages story had been told several years before in the plane dealer from which he quotes this strong saying of the generous sir richard steel that the inhumanity of his mother had given him a right to find every good man his father ibbid page 104 at the same time it must be acknowledged that lady macklesfield and her relations might still wish that her story should not be brought into more conspicuous notice by the satirical pen of savage end of note i have thus endeavored to sum up the evidence upon the case as fairly as i can and the result seems to be that the world must vibrate in a state of uncertainty as to what was the truth end of section 12 section 13 of the life of samuel johnson volume one this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org read by cori samuel the life of samuel johnson volume one by james boswell section 13 this digression i trust will not be censured as it relates to a matter exceedingly curious and very intimately connected with johnson both as a man and an author he this year wrote the preface to the harley and miscellany the selection of the pamphlets of which it was composed was made by mr. oldest a man of eager curiosity and indefatigable diligence who first exerted that spirit of inquiry into the literature of the old english writers by which the works of our great dramatic poet have of late been so signally illustrated in 1745 he published a pamphlet entitled miscellaneous observations on the tragedy of mcbeth with remarks on saty h's sir thomas handma's edition of shakespeare to which he affixed proposals for a new edition of that poet as we do not trace anything else published by him during the course of this year we may conjecture that he was occupied entirely with that work but the little encouragement which was given by the public to his anonymous proposals for the execution of a task which warburton was known to have undertaken probably damped his ardour his pamphlet however was highly esteemed and was fortunate enough to obtain the approbation even of the supercilious warburton himself who in the preface to his shakespeare published two years afterwards thus mentioned it as to all those things which have been published under the titles of essays remarks observations etc on shakespeare if you accept some critical notes on mcbeth given as a specimen of a projected edition and written as appears by a man of parts and genius the rest are absolutely below a serious notice of this flattering distinction shown him by warburton a very grateful remembrance was ever entertained by johnson who said he praised me at a time when praise was of value to me 1746 it artist 37 in 1746 it is probable that he was still employed upon his shakespeare which perhaps he laid aside for a time upon account of the high expectations which were formed of warburton's edition of that great poet it is somewhat curious that his literary career appears to have been almost totally suspended in the years 1745 and 1746 those years which were marked by a civil war in great britain when a rash attempt was made to restore the house of stewart to the throne that he had a tenderness for that unfortunate house is well known and some may fancifully imagine that a sympathetic anxiety impeded the exertion of his intellectual powers but i'm inclined to think that he was during this time sketching the outlines of his great philological work none of his letters during those years are extant so far as i can discover this is much to be regretted it might afford some entertainment to see how he then expressed himself to his private friends concerning state affairs dr adams informs me that at this time a favorite object which he had in contemplation was the life of alfred in which from the warmth with which he spoke about it he would i believe had he been master of his own will have engaged himself rather than on any other subject 1747 it artist 38 in 1747 it is supposed that the gentleman's magazine for may was enriched by him with five short poetical pieces distinguished by three asterisks the first is a translation or rather a paraphrase of latin epitaph on sir thomas hanmer whether the latin was his or not i have never heard though i should think it probably was if it be certain that he wrote the english as to which my only cause of doubt is that his slighting character of hanmer as an editor in his observations on mcbeth is very different from that in the epitaph it may be said that there is the same contrariety between the character in the observations and that in his own preface to shakespeare but a considerable time elapsed between the one publication and the other whereas the observations and the epitaph came close together the others are to miss blank on her giving the author a golden silk network purse of her own weaving stellar in mourning the winter's walk an ode and to lycee an elderly lady i'm not positive that all these were his productions but as the winter's walk has never been controversial to be his and all of them have the same mark it is reasonable to conclude that they are all written by the same hand yet to the ode in which we find a passage very characteristic of him being a learned description of the gout unhappy to whom beds of pain arthritic tyranny consigns there is the following note the author being ill of the gout but johnson was not attacked with that distemper till at a very late period of his life may not this however be a poetical fiction why may not a poet suppose himself to have the gout as well as suppose himself to be in love of which we have innumerable instances and which has been admirably ridiculed by johnson in his life of cowley i have also some difficulty to believe that he could produce such a group of conceits as appear in the verses till i see in which he claims for this ancient personage as good a right to be assimilated to heaven as nymphs whom other poets have flattered he therefore ironically ascribes to her the attributes of the sky in such stanzas as this her teeth the night with darkness dies she's starred with pimples are her tongue like nimble lightning plies and can with thunder roar but as at a very advanced age he could condescend to trifle in namby pamby rhymes to please mrs. thrale and her daughter he may have in his earlier years composed such a piece as this it is remarkable that in this first edition of the winter's walk the concluding line is much more johnsonian than it was afterwards printed for in subsequent editions after praying stellar to snatch him to her arms he says and shield me from the ills of life whereas in the first edition it is and hide me from the sight of life a horror at life in general is more consonant with johnson's habitual gloomy cast of thought i have heard him repeat with great energy the following verses which appeared in the gentleman's magazine for april this year but i have no authority to say they were his own indeed one of the best critics of our age suggests to me that the word indifferently being used in the sense of without concern and being also very unpoetical renders it improbable that they should have been his composition on lord love it's execution pitied by gentle minds kilmanic died the brave balmarino were on thy side radcliffe unhappy in his crimes of youth steady in what he still mistook for truth beheld his death so decently unmoved the soft lamented and the brave approved but love its fate indifferently we view true to no king to no religion true no fair forgets the ruin he has done no child laments the tyrant of his son notary pitties thinking what he was no wig compassion's for he left the cause the brave regret not for he was not brave the honest mourn not knowing him and naïve this year his old pupil and friend david garrick having become joint patentee and manager of dreary lane theater johnson honored his opening of it with a prologue which for just and manly dramatic criticism on the whole range of the english stage as well as for poetical excellence is unrivaled like the celebrated epilogue to the distressed mother it was during the season often called for by the audience the most striking and brilliant passages of it have been so often repeated and are so well recollected by all the lovers of the drama and of poetry that it would be superfluous to point them out in the gentleman's magazine for december this year he inserted an ode on winter which is i think an admirable specimen of his genius philharic poetry but the year 1747 is distinguished as the epoch when johnson's arduous and important work his dictionary of the english language was announced to the world by the publication of its plan or prospectus how long this immense undertaking had been the object of his contemplation i do not know i once asked him by what means he had attained to that astonishing knowledge of our language by which he was enabled to realize a design of such extent and accumulated difficulty he told me that it was not the effect of particular study but that it had grown up in his mind insensibly i have been informed by mr james dodsley that several years before this period when johnson was one day sitting in his brother robert's shop he heard his brother suggest to him that a dictionary of the english language would be a work that would be well received by the public that johnson seemed at first to catch at the proposition but after a pause said in his abrupt decisive manner i believe i shall not undertake it that he however had bestowed much thought upon the subject before he published his plan is evident from the enlarged clear and accurate views which it exhibits and we find him mentioning in that tract that many of the writers whose testimonies were to be produced as authorities were selected by pope which proves that he had been furnished probably by mr robert dodsley with whatever hints that eminent poet had contributed towards a great literary project that had been a subject of important consideration in a former reign the booksellers who contracted with johnson single and unaided for the execution of a work which in other countries has not been affected but by the cooperating exertions of many were mr robert dodsley mr charles hitch mr andrew miller the two missures longman and the two missures napton the price stipulated was fifteen hundred and seventy five pounds the plan was addressed to philip dormer earl of chesterfield then one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state a nobleman who was very ambitious of literary distinction and who upon being informed of the design had expressed himself in terms very favorable to its success there is perhaps in everything of any consequence a secret history which it would be amusing to know could we have it authentically communicated johnson told me sir the way in which the plan of my dictionary came to be inscribed to lord chesterfield was this i had neglected to write it by the time appointed dodsley suggested a desire to have it addressed to lord chesterfield i laid hold of this as a pretext for delay that it might be better done and let dodsley have his desire i said to my friend dr barthurst now if any good comes of my addressing to lord chesterfield it will be ascribed to deep policy when in fact it was only a casual excuse for laziness it is worthy of observation that the plan has not only the substantial merit of comprehension perspicuity and precision but that the language of it is unexceptionably excellent it being altogether free from that inflation of style and those uncommon but apt and energetic words which in some of his writings have been censured with more petulance than justice and never was there a more dignified strain of compliment than that in which he caught the attention of one who he had been persuaded to believe would be a respectable patron with regard to questions of purity or propriety says he i was once in doubt whether i should not attribute to myself too much in attempting to decide them and whether my province was to extend beyond the proposition of the question and the display of the suffrages on each side but i have been since determined by your lordship's opinion to interpose my own judgment and shall therefore endeavour to support what appears to me most consonant to grammar and reason or sonius thought that modesty forbade him to plead inability for a task to which Caesar had judged him equal and i may hope my lord that since you whose authority in our language is so generally acknowledged have commissioned me to declare my own opinion i shall be considered as exercising a kind of vicarious jurisdiction and that the power which might have been denied to my own claim will be readily allowed me as the delegate of your lordship this passage proves that johnson's addressing his plan to lord Chesterfield was not merely in consequence of the result of a report by means of Dotsley that the Earl favoured the design but that there had been a particular communication with his lordship concerning it doctor Taylor told me that johnson sent his plan to him in manuscript for his perusal and that when it was lying upon his table Mr William Whitehead happened to pay him a visit and being shown it was highly pleased with such parts of it as he had time to read and begged to take it home with him which he was allowed to do that from him it got into the hands of a noble lord who carried it to lord Chesterfield when Taylor observed this might be an advantage johnson replied no sir it would have come out with more bloom if it had not been seen before by anybody the opinion conceived of it by another noble author appears from the following extract of a letter from the Earl of Oury to Dr Birch Caledon December 30th 1747 I have just now seen the specimen of Mr Johnson's dictionary addressed to lord Chesterfield I am much pleased with the plan and I think the specimen is one of the best that I have ever read most specimens discussed rather than prejudice us in favour of the work to follow but the language of Mr Johnson's is good and the arguments are properly and modestly expressed however some expressions may be caviled at but they are trifles I'll mention one the baron laurel the laurel is not baron in any sense whatever it bears fruits and flowers said High St Nugai and I have great expectation from the performance that he was fully aware of the arduous nature of the undertaking he acknowledges and shows himself perfectly sensible of it in the conclusion of his plan but he had a noble consciousness of his own abilities which enabled him to go on with undaunted spirit Dr Adams found him one day busy at his dictionary when the following dialogue ensued Adams this is a great work sir how are you to get all the etymologies Johnson why sir here is a shelf with Junius and Skinner and others and there is a Welsh gentleman who has published a collection of Welsh proverbs who will help me with the Welsh Adams but sir how can you do this in three years Johnson sir I have no doubt that I can do it in three years Adams but the French Academy which consists of 40 members took 40 years to compile their dictionary Johnson sir thus it is this is the proportion let me see 40 times 40 is 1600 as three to 1600 so is the proportion of an Englishman to a Frenchman with so much ease and pleasantry could he talk of that prodigious labour which he had undertaken to execute the public has had from another pen a long detail of what had been done in this country by prior lexicographers and no doubt Johnson was wise to avail himself of them so far as they went but the learned yet judicious research of etymology the various yet accurate display of definition and the rich collection of authorities were reserved for the superior mind of our great philologist for the mechanical part he employed as he told me six eminuencies and let it be remembered by the natives of north britain to whom he has supposed to have been so hostile that five of them were of that country there were two mrs mcbeen Mr Shields who we shall hear after see partly wrote the lives of the poets to which the name of siber is affixed mr stewart son of mr george stewart bookseller at edinburgh and a mr mateland the sixth of these humble assistants was mr paton who i believe taught french and published some elementary tracts to all these painful labourers johnson showed a never-ceasing kindness so far as they stood in need of it the elder mr mcbeen had afterwards the honour of being librarian to archibald duke of argile for many years but was left without a shilling johnson wrote for him a preface to a system of ancient geography and by the favour of lord furlough got him admitted a poor brother of the charter house for shields who died of a consumption he had much tenderness and it has been thought that some choice sentences in the lives of the poets was supplied by him paton when reduced to penury had frequent aid from the bounty of johnson who at last was at the expense of burying both him and his wife while the dictionary was going forward johnson lived part of the time in hoburn part in goff square fleet street and he had an upper room fitted up like a counting house for the purpose in which he gave to the copyists their several tasks the words partly taken from other dictionaries and partly supplied by himself having been first written down with spaces left between them he delivered in writing their etymologies definitions and various significations the authorities were copied from the books themselves in which he had marked the passages with a black lead pencil the traces of which could easily be effaced i have seen several of them in which that trouble had not been taken so that they were just as when used by the copyists it is remarkable that he was so attentive in the choice of the passages in which words were authorised the one may read page after page of his dictionary with improvement and pleasure and it should not pass unobserved that he has quoted no author whose writings had a tendency to hurt sound religion and morality end of section 13