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THE

LIFE

OF

SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.

COMPREHENDING

AN ACCOUNT OF HIS STUDIES
AND NUMEROUS WORKS,

IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER;

A SERIES OF HIS EPISTOLARY CORRESPONDENCE
AND CONVERSATIONS WITH MANY EMINENT PERSONS;

AND

VARIOUS ORIGINAL PIECES OF HIS COMPOSITION,
NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED:

THE WHOLE EXHIBITING A VIEW OF LITERATURE AND
LITERARY MEN IN GREAT-BRITAIN, FOR NEAR
HALF A CENTURY, DURING WHICH HE

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RECOLLECTED, AND RECEIVED

AFTER THE SECOND EDITION WAS PRINTED.

THE following very folemn and affecting Prayer was found after Dr. Johnson's deceafe, by his faithful fervant Mr. Francis Barber, who delivered it to my worthy friend the Reverend Mr. Strahan, Vicar of Illington, who at my earnest request has obligingly favoured me with a copy of it, which he and I compared with the original. I prefent it to the world as an undoubted proof of a circumftance in the character of my illuftrious friend, which though some whofe bard minds I never fhall envy, may attack as fuperftitious, will I am fure endear him more to numbers of good men. I have an additional, and that a perfonal motive for prefenting it, because it Janctions what I myself have always maintained and am fond to indulge.

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April 26, 1752, being after 12 at Night of the 25th. "O Lord! Governour of heaven and earth, in "whofe hands are embodied and departed Spirits, "if thou haft ordained the Souls of the Dead to "minifter to the Living, and appointed my de"parted Wife to have care of me, grant that I may enjoy the good effects of her attention and "ministration, whether exercised by appearance, impulfes, dreams, or in any other manner "agreeable to thy Government. Forgive my

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prefumption, enlighten my ignorance, and how"ever meaner agents are employed, grant me the "bleffed influences of thy holy Spirit, through Jefus Chrift our Lord." Amen.

VOL. I.

What

t

What actually followed upon this most interesting piece of devotion by Johnson, we are not informed; but I, whom it has pleafed GOD to afflict in a fimilar manner to that which occafioned it, have certain experience of benignant communication by dreams.

Of Dr. Hurd, Bishop of Worcester, Johnson faid to a friend; "Hurd, Sir, is one of a fet of men who account for every thing systematically; for "inftance, it has been a fashion to wear scarlet breeches; these men would tell you, that ac"cording to caufes and effects, no other wear "could at that time have been chofen." He, however, faid of him at another time to the fame gentleman, "Hurd, Sir, is a man whofe acquaintance is a valuable acquifition."

That learned and ingenious Prelate it is well known publifhed at one period of his life "Moral and Political Dialogues," with a woefully whiggifh caft. Afterwards, his Lordfhip having thought better, came to fee his errour, and republished the work with a more conftitutional fpirit. Johnson, however, was unwilling to allow him full credit for his political converfion. I remember when his Lordship declined the honour of being Archbishop of Canterbury, Johnson faidam glad he did not go to Lambeth; for, after all, I fear he is a Whig in his heart.'

Johnfon's attention to precifion and clearness in expreffion was very remarkable. He difapproved of parentheses; and I believe in all his volumi-nous writings, not half a dozen of them will be found. He never used the phrafes the former and the latter, having obferved that they often occa

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