"His art of life certainly deserves to be known and studied. He lived in plenty and elegance upon an income which to many

the appurtenances to his table were neat and handsome; he frequently entertained company at dinner, and then his table was well served with as many dishes as were usual at the tables of the other gentlemen in the neighbourhood. His own appearance, as to clothes, was genteelly neat and plain. He had always a postchaise, and kept three horses.

66

Such, with the resources I have mentioned, was his way of living, which he did not suffer to employ his whole income; for he had always a sum of money lying by him for any extraordinary expenses that might arise. Some money he put into the stocks; at his death, the sum he had there amounted to one hundred and fifty pounds. He purchased out of his income his household furniture and linen, of which latter he had a very ample store; and, as I am assured by those that had very good means of knowing, not less than the tenth part of his income was set apart for charity: at the time of his death, the sum of twenty-five pounds was found, with a direction to be employed in such uses.

would appear indigent, and to most scanty. How he lived, therefore, every man has an interest in knowing. His death, I hope, was peaceful; it was surely happy.

"I wish I had written sooner, lest, writing now, I should renew your grief; but I would not forbear saying what I have now said.

"This loss is, I hope, the only misfortune

stead of gaining any thing by their produce, I have reason to think he lost by them: however, they furnished him with no further assistance towards his housekeeping than grass for his horses (not hay, for that I know he bought), and for two cows. Every Monday morning he settled his family accounts, and so kept up a constant attention to the confining his expenses within his income; and to do it more exactly, compared those expenses with a computation he had made, how much that income would afford him every week and day of the year. One of his economical practices was, as soon as any repair was wanting in or about his house, to have it immediately performed. When he had money to spare, he chose to lay in a provision of linen or clothes, or any other necessaries; as then, he said, he could afford it, which he might not be so well able to do when the actual want came; in consequence of which method he had a considerable supply of necessary articles lying by him, beside what was in use.

"But the main particular that seems to have enabled him to do so much with his income, was, that he paid for every thing as soon as he had it, except alone what were current accounts, such as rent for his house, and servants' wages; and these he paid at the stated times with the utmost exactness. He gave notice to the tradesmen of the

longer have his custom, if they let any of his servants have any thing without their paying for it. Thus he put it out of his power to commit those imprudences to which those are liable that defer their payments by using their money some other way than where it ought to go. And whatever money he had by him, he knew that it was not demanded elsewhere, but that he might safely employ it as he pleased.

"He had laid down a plan of living proportioned to his income, and did not practise any extraordinary degree of parsimony, but endeavoured that in his family there should be plenty without waste. As an instance that this was his endeavour, it may be worth while to mention à method he took in regulating a proper allowance of malt liquor to be drunk in his family, that there might not be a deficiency, or any intemperate profusion: -On a complaint made that his allowance of a hogshead in a month was not enough for his own family, he ordered the quantity of a hogshead to be put into bottles, had it locked up from the ser-neighbouring market-towns that they should no vants, and distributed out, every day, eight quarts, which is the quantity each day at one hogshead in a month; and told his servants, that if that did not suffice, he would allow them more; but, by this method, it appeared at once that the allow ance was much more than sufficient for his small family; and this proved a clear conviction, that could not be answered, and saved all future dispute. He was, in general, very diligently and punctually attended and obeyed by his servants; he was very considerate as to the injunctions he gave, and explained them distinctly; and, at their first coming to his service, steadily exacted a close compliance with them, without any remission: and the servants finding this to be the case, soon grew habitually accustomed to the practice of their business, and then very little further attention was necessary. On extraordinary instances of good behaviour or diligent service, he was not wanting in particular encouragements and presents above their wages: it is remarkable that he would permit their relations to visit them, and stay at his house two or three days at a time.

"His example was confined, by the sequestered place of his abode, to the observation of few, though his prudence and virtue would have made it valuable to all who could have known it. These few particulars, which I knew myself, or have obtained from those who lived with him, may afford instruction, and be an incentive to that wise art of living which he so successfully practised."-BOSWELL. [With all our respect for Mr. Bennet Langton's acknowledged character for accuracy and veracity, there seems something, in the foregoing relation, absolutely incomprehensible-a house, a good table, frequent company, four servants (two of them men in livery), a carriage and three horses on 2001. a year! Economy and ready money payments will do much to diminish current expenses, but what effect can they have had on rent, taxes, wages, and other permanent charges of a respectable domestic es

"The wonder, with most that hear an account of his economy, will be, how he was able, with such an income, to do so much, especially when it is considered that he paid for every thing he had. He had no land, except the two or three small fields which I have said he rented; and, in-tablishment?-ED.]

"At cum Cicero quosdam versus (Virgilii) audisset, in fine ait: Magnæ spes altera RoThe passage omitted explained the transac-mæ.' Quasi ipse linguæ Latina spes prima tion to which the preceding letter had alluded. fuisset et Maro futurus esset secunda." BOSWELL.

"Origo is used to signify extraction, as He had then 2 contracted a great intimacy in Virg. Æneid i. 286.

"Nascetur pulchrâ Trojanus origine Cæsar: ' and in Eneid x. 1. 618,

Ille tamen nostrâ deducit origine nomen." And as nullus is used for obscure, it is not in the genius of the Latin language to write nullius originis, for obscure extraction? "I have defended myself as well as I could.

with Mr. Chambers of that university, afterwards Sir Robert Chambers, one of the judges in India.

Friendship, an ode*;" and "The Ant*," a paraphrase from the Proverbs, of which I have a copy in his own handwriting; and, from internal evidence, I ascribe to him, "To Miss

He published nothing this year in his own name; but the noble dedication to the king of Gwyn's "London and Westminster Improved 3," was written by him; and he furnished the Preface †, and several of the pieces, which compose a volume of Miscellanies by Mrs. Anna Williams, the blind lady who had an asylum in his house1. Of "Might I venture to differ from you with these, there are his "Epitaph on Phillips*;" regard to the utility of vows? I am sensi-"Translation of a Latin Epitaph on Sir ble that it would be very dangerous to make Thomas Hanmer† ;" vows rashly, and without a due consideration. But I cannot help thinking that they may often be of great advantage to one of a variable judgment and irregular inclinations. I always remember a passage in one of your letters to our Italian friend Baretti, where, talking of the monastick life, you say you do not wonder that serious men should put themselves under the protection of a religious order, when they have found how unable they are to take care of themselves. For my own part, without affecting to be a Socrates, I am sure I have a more than ordinary struggle to maintain with the Evil Principle; and all the methods I can devise are little enough to keep me tolerably steady in the paths of rectitude.

Piozzi, p. 173, 174.

"JAMES BOSWELL."

[Much of Johnson's eloquence and much of his logick were occasionally used to prevent men from making vows on trivial occasions; and when he saw a person oddly perplexed about a slight difficulty, "Let the man alone (he would say), and torment him no more about it; there is a vow in the case, I am convinced; but is it not very strange that people should be neither afraid nor ashamed of bringing in God Almighty thus at every turn between themselves and their dinner?" When once asked what ground he had for such imaginations, he replied, "That a young lady once told him in confidence, that she could never persuade herself to be dressed against the bell rung for dinner, till she made a vow to heaven that she would never more be absent from the family meals."]

It appears from Johnson's diary 1, that he was this year at Mr. Thrale's, from before Midsummer till after Michaelmas, and that he afterwards passed a month at Oxford.

["I returned from Streatham, Oct. 1, having lived there more than three months."-Prayers and Meditations, p. 70.-ED.]

? [He had known him at least twelve years before this. See ante, p. 118.-Ed.]

3 [In this work Mr. Gwyn proposed the principle, and in many instances the details, of the most important improvements which have been made in the metropolis in our day. A bridge near Somerset House a great street from the neighbourhood of the Haymarket to the New Road-the improvement of the interior of St. James's Park-quays along the Thames-new approaches to London Bridge-the removal of Smithfield market, and several other suggestions on which we pride ourselves as original designs of our own times, are all to be found in Mr. Gwyn's very able and very curious work. It is singular, that he denounced a row of houses, then building in Pimlico, as intolerable nuisances to Buckingham Palace, and of these very houses the public voice now calls for the destruction. Gwyn had, as Mr. D'Israeli very happily quotes, "the prophetic eye of taste."ED.]

In a paper already mentioned (see p. 97. 100.) the following account of this publication is given by a lady [Lady Knight] well acquainted with Mrs. Williams:

"As to her poems, she many years attempted to publish them: the halfcrowns she had got towards the publication, she confessed to me, went for necessaries, and that the greatest pain she ever felt was from the appearance of defrauding her subscribers: but what can I do? the Well, we'll think about it; and Goldsmith says, Doctor (Johnson) always puts me off with, Leave it to me.' However, two of her friends, under her directions, made a new subscription at a crown, the whole price of the work, and in a very little time raised sixty pounds. Mrs. Carter was applied to by Mrs. Williams's desire, and sne, with the utmost activity and kindness, procured a long list of names. At length the work was published, in which is a fine written but gloomy tale of Dr. Johnson. The money Mrs. Williams had various uses for, and a part was funded.”

By this publication Mrs. Williams got 1501. Ibid.-MALONE.

on her giving the Authour a gold and silver | ily round;" and it was indifferent to him net-work purse of her own weaving † 1" what was the subject of the work dedicated, and " The happy Lifet." Most of the provided it were innocent. He once dedipieces in this volume have evidently receiv-cated some musick for the German Flute to ed additions from his superiour pen, particu- Edward, Duke of York. In writing dedilarly "Verses to Mr. Richardson, on his cations for others, he considered himself as Sir Charles Grandison; "The Excur- by no means speaking his own sentiments. sion;""Reflections on a Grave digging in He wrote this year a letter, not intended Westminster Abbey." There is in this col- for publication, which has, perhaps, as strong lection a poem, "On the death of Stephen marks of his sentiment and style, as any of Grey, the Electrician *;" which, on reading his compositions. The original is in my it, appeared to me to be undoubtedly John- possession. It is addressed to the late Mr. son's. I asked Mrs. Williams whether it William Drummond, bookseller in Edinwas, not his. Sir," ," said she, with some burgh, a gentleman of good family, but warmth, "I wrote that poem before I had small estate, who took arms for the house of the honour of Dr. Johnson's acquaintance." Stuart in 1775; and during his concealment I, however, was so much impressed with my in London till the act of general pardon first notion, that I mentioned it to Johnson, came out, obtained the acquaintance of Dr. repeating, at the same time, what Mrs. Johnson, who justly esteemed him as a very Williams had said. His answer was, "It is worthy man. It seems, some of the memtrue, sir, that she wrote it before she was ac-bers of the society in Scotland for propagaquainted with me; but she has not told you that I wrote it all over again, except two lines." "The Fountains t,' a beautiful little fairy tale in prose, written with exquisite simplicity, is one of Johnson's productions; and I cannot withhold 2 from Mrs. Thrale the praise of being the authour of that admirable poem, "The Three Warnings."

He was, indeed, at all times ready to give assistance to his friends, and others, in revising their works, and in writing for them, or greatly improving, their Dedications. In that courtly species of composition no man excelled Dr. Johnson. Though the loftiness of his mind 3 prevented him from ever dedicating in his own person, he wrote a very great number of dedications for others. Some of these the persons who were favoured with them are unwilling should be mentioned, from a too anxious apprehension, as I think, that they might be suspected of having received larger assistance; and some, after all the diligence I have bestowed, have escaped my inquiries. He told me, a great many years ago, "he believed he had dedicated to all the royal fam

[See ante, p. 71. n. where it is shown that the translation of the Epitaph on Hanmer and the Verses on the Purse are by Hawkesworth. -ED.

2 [This is almost a confession that he would if he could, and shows clearly the kind of feeling he had towards that lady.-ED.]

3 [This is surely not the occasion on which one would have expected to hear of "loftiness of be mind:" a dedicator in his own person may sincere, but he who writes a dedication for

another cannot be so, and is moreover accessary to a public deception: and when this imposition is practised for hire (however it may be excused), it ought not, surely, to be accompanied by any extravagant eulogy on loftiness of mind. ED.]

ting Christian knowledge had opposed the scheme of translating the holy scriptures into the Erse or Gaelic language, from political considerations of the disadvantage of keeping up the distinction between the Highlanders and the other inhabitants of North Britain. Dr. Johnson being informed of this, I suppose by Mr. Drummond, wrote with a generous indignation as follows

"TO MR. WILLIAM DRUMMOND. "Johnson's-court, Fleet-street, 18th August, 1766. "SIR,-I did not expect to hear that it could be, in an assembly convened for the propagation of Christian knowledge, a question whether any nation uninstructed in religion should receive instruction; or whether that instruction should be imparted to them by a translation of the holy books into their own language. If obedience to the will of God be necessary to happiness, and knowledge of his will be necessary to obedience, I know not how he that withholds this knowledge, or delays it, can be said to love his neighbour as himself. He tha voluntarily continues in ignorance is guilty of all the crimes which ignorance produces; as to him that should extinguish the tapers of a light-house, might justly be imputed the calamities of shipwrecks. Christianity is the highest perfection of humanity; and as no man is good but as he wishes the good of others, no man can be good in the highest degree, who wishes not to others the largest measures of the greatest good. To omit for a year, or for a day, the most efficacious method of advancing Christianity, in compliance with any purposes that terminate on this side of the grave, is a crime of which I know not that the world has yet had an example, except in the prac tice of the planters of America, a race of mortals whom, I suppose, no other man wishes to resemble.