fure which I receive from your approbation. I 1765. defend my criticifim in the fame manner with you. Atat. 56. We must confefs the faults of our favourite, to gain credit to our praife of his excellencies. He that claims, either in himself or for another, the honours of perfection, will furely injure the reputation which he designs to affift.

"Be pleased to make my compliments to your family. I am, Sir,

"Your most obliged

" Oct. 16, 1765.

"And most humble fervant,

SAM. JOHNSON."

From one of his Journals I tranfcribed what follows:

"At church, Oct. —65.

"To avoid all fingularity; Bonaventura". "To come in before fervice, and compofe my mind by meditation, or by reading fome portions of fcripture. Tetty.

"If I can hear the fermon, to attend it, unless attention be more troublesome than ufeful.

"To confider the act of prayer as a repofal of myself upon GOD, and a refignation of all into his holy hand."

Both in 1764 and 1765 it fhould seem that he was fo bufily employed with his edition of Shakfpeare, as to have had little leifure for any other literary exertion, or, indeed, even for private correfpondence. He did not favour me with a single

7 He was probably propofing to himself the model of this excellent perfon, who for his piety was named the Seraphick Doctor.

letter

1765. letter for more than two years, for which it will Etat. 56. pear that he afterwards apologised.

ap

He was, however, at all times ready to give asfiftance to his friends, and others, in revifing their works, and in writing for them, or greatly improving their Dedications. In that courtly fpecies of compofition no man excelled Dr. Johnson. Though the loftiness of his mind prevented him from ever dedicating in his own perfon, he wrote a very great number of Dedications for others. Some of thefe, the perfons who were favoured with them, are unwilling should be mentioned, from a too anxious apprehenfion, as I think, that they might be fufpected of having received larger affiftance; and fome, after all the diligence I have bestowed, have efcaped my enquiries. He told me, a great many years ago, "he believed he had dedicated to all the Royal Family round;" and it was indifferent to him what was the fubject of the work dedicated, provided it were innocent. He once dedicated fome Mufick for the German Flute to Edward Duke of York. In writing Dedications for others, he confidered himself as by no means fpeaking his own fentiments.

Notwithstanding his long filence, I never omit ted to write to him when I had any thing worthy of communicating. I generally kept copies of my letters to him, that I might have a full view of our correfpondence, and never be at a lofs to underftand any reference in his letters. He kept the greater part of mine very carefully; and a short time before his death was attentive enough to feal them up in bundles, and order them to be delivered

to

to me, which was accordingly done. Amongst

1765.

them I found one, of which I had not made a Etat. 56. copy, and which I own I read with pleasure at the distance of almost twenty years. It is dated November, 1765, at the palace of Pafcal Paoli, in Corte, the capital of Corfica, and is full of generous enthusiasm. After giving a sketch of what I had feen and heard in that ifland, it proceeded thus: "I dare to call this a spirited tour. I dare to challenge your approbation."

This letter produced the following answer, which I found on my arrival at Paris.

A Mr. Mr. BOSWELL, chez Mr. WATERS, Banquier, à Paris.

"DEAR SIR,

" APOLOGIES are feldom of any ufe. We will delay till your arrival the reasons, good or bad, which have made me fuch a sparing and ungrateful correfpondent. Be affured, for the present, that nothing has leffened either the esteem or love with which I difmiffed you at Harwich. Both have been increased by all that I have been told of you by yourself or others; and when you return, you will return to an unaltered, and, I hope, unalterable friend.

"All that you have to fear from me is the vexation of disappointing me. No man loves to fruftrate expectations which have been formed in his favour; and the pleasure which I promise myself from your journals and remarks is fo great, that perhaps no degree of attention or difcernment will be fufficient to afford it. Hh

VOL. I.

"Come

1766.

Etat. 57.

"Come home, however, and take your chance. I long to fee you, and to hear you; and hope that we fhall not be fo long feparated again. Come home, and expect fuch a welcome as is due to him, whom a wife and noble curiofity has led, where perhaps no native of this country ever was before.

"I have no news to tell you that can deferve your notice; nor would I willingly leffen the pleafure that any novelty may give you at your return. I am afraid we fhall find it difficult to keep among us a mind which has been fo long feafted with variety. But let us try what esteem and kindness can effect.

"As your father's liberality has indulged you with fo long a ramble, I doubt not but you will think his fickness, or even his defire to fee you, a fufficient reafon for haftening your return. The longer we live, and the more we think, the higher value we learn to put on the friendship and tendernefs of parents and of friends. Parents we can have but once; and he promises himself too much, who enters life with the expectation of finding many friends. Upon fome motive, I hope, that you will be here foon; and am willing to think that it will be an inducement to your return, that it is 'fincerely defired by, dear Sir,

"Your affectionate humble fervant, SAM. JOHNSON."

Johnfon's-court, Fleet-ftreet,

January 14, 1766.

I returned to London in February, and found Dr. Johnson in a good house in Johnson's-court, Fleet-street, in which he had accommodated Mifs

Williams

1766.

Williams with an apartment on the ground floor, while Mr. Levett occupied his poft in the garret: Etat, 57. his faithful Francis was ftill attending upon him. He received me with much kindnefs. The fragments of our first converfation, which I have preferved, are thefe: I told him that Voltaire, in a converfation with me, had diftinguished Pope and Dryden thus:-" Pope drives a handfome chariot, with a couple of neat trim nags; Dryden a coach, and fix ftately horfes." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, the truth is, they both drive coaches and fix; but Dryden's horses are either galloping or ftumbling: Pope's go at a fteady even trot." He faid of Goldsmith's "Traveller," which had been published in my abfence, "There has not been fo fine a poem fince Pope's time."

And here it is proper to fettle, with authentick precision, what has long floated in publick report, as to Johnson's being himself the authour of a confiderable part of that poem. Much, no doubt, both of the sentiments and expreffion, were derived from converfation with him; and it was certainly fubmitted to his friendly revifion: but in the year 1783, he, at my request, marked with a pencil

It is remarkable, that Mr. Gray has employed fomewhat the fame image to characterife Dryden. He, indeed, furnishes his car with but two horses; but they are of "ethereal race :"

* Behold where Dryden's lefs prefumptuous car,

" Wide o'er the fields of glory bear

"Two courfers of ethereal race,

** With necks in thunder cloath'd, and long refounding pace.",