pleased with their amusement, that they resolved to persevere in dissipation for the rest of the day: but Langton deserted them, being engaged to breakfast with some young ladies. Johnson scolded him for "leaving his social friends, to go and sit with a set of wretched un-idea'd girls.' Garrick being told of this ramble, said to him smartly, "I heard of your frolic t'other night. You'll be in the Chronicle."" Upon which Johnson afterwards observed, "He durst not do such a thing. His wife would not let him!" He entered upon this year, 1753, with his usual piety, as appears from the following prayer, which I transcribed from that part of his diary which he burned a few days before his death: “Jan. 1, 1753, N.S., which I shall use for the future. "Almighty God, who hast continued my life to this day, grant that, by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit, I may improve the time which thou shalt grant me, to my eternal salvation. Make me to remember, to thy glory, thy judgments and thy mercies. Make me to consider the loss of my wife, whom thou hast taken from me, that it may dispose me, by thy grace, to lead the residue of my life in thy fear. Grant this, O Lord, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." He now relieved the drudgery of his Dictionary, and the melancholy of his grief, by taking an active part in the composition of "The Adventurer," in which he began to write, April 10, marking his essays with the signature T., by which most of his papers in that collection are distinguished: those, however, which have that signature, and also that of Mysargyrus, were not written by him, but, as I suppose, by Dr. Bathurst. Indeed, Johnson's energy of thought and richness of language are still more decisive marks than any signature. As a proof of this, my readers, I imagine, will not doubt that No. 39, on Sleep, is his; for it not only has the general texture and colour of his style, but the authors with whom he was peculiarly conversant are readily introduced in it in cursory allusion. The translation of a passage in Statius,* quoted in that paper, and marked C. B., has been erroneously ascribed to Dr. Bathurst, whose Christian name was Richard. How much this amiable man actually contributed to "The Adventurer,' cannot be known. Let me add, that Hawkesworth's imitations of Johnson are sometimes so happy, that it is extremely difficult to distinguish them, with certainty, from the compositions of his great archetype. Hawkesworth was his closest imitator, a circumstance of which that writer would once have been proud to be told; though when he had become elated by having risen into some degree of consequence, he, in a conversation with me, had the provoking effrontery to say he was not sensible of it. Johnson was truly zealous for the success of "The Adventurer;" and very soon after his engaging in it, he wrote the following letter: This is a slight inaccuracy. The Latin Sapphics, translated by C. B. in that paper, were written by Cowley, and are in his fourth book on Plants.-MALONE. "TO THE REVEREND DR. JOSEPH "DEAR SIR, "I ought to have written to you before now, but I ought to do many things which I do not; nor can I, indeed, claim any merit from this letter; for being desired by the authors and proprietor of 'The Adventurer,' to look out for another hand, my thoughts necessarily fixed upon you, whose fund of literature will enable you to assist them, with very little interruption of your studies. "They desire you to engage to furnish one paper a month, at two guineas a paper, which you may very readily perform. We have considered that a paper should consist of pieces of imagination, pictures of life, and disquisitions of literature. The part which depends on the imagination is very well supplied, as you will find when you read the paper; for descriptions of life, there is now a treaty almost made with an author and authoress;* and the province of criticism and literature they are very desirous to assign to the commentator on Virgil. I hope this proposal will not be rejected, and that the next post will bring us your compliance. I speak as one of the fraternity, though I have no part in the paper, beyond now and then a motto; but two of the writers are my particular friends, and hope the pleasure of seeing a third united to them, will not be denied to, dear Sir, your most obedient and most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." Το It is not improbable, that the "author and authoress, with whom a treaty was almost made,-for descriptions of life," and who are mentioned in a manner that seems to indicate some connection between them, were Henry, and his sister Sally, Fielding, as she was then popularly called. Fielding had previously been a periodical essayist, and certainly was well acquainted with life in all its varieties, more especially within the precincts of London; this notion it perhaps may be objected, that no papers in and his sister was a lively and ingenious writer. "The Adventurer" are known to be their productions. But it should be remembered, that of several of the essays in that work, the authors are unknown; and some of these may have been written by the persons here supposed to be alluded to. Nor would the objection be decisive, even if it were ascertained that neither of them contributed anything to "The Adventurer;" for the treaty above mentioned might afterwards have been worth, and not Johnson. Fielding was at this time in the broken off. The negotiator, doubtless, was Hawkeshighest reputation; having, in 1751, produced his Amelia, of which the whole impression was sold off on the day of publication.-MALONE. its The author, I conceive, is here in an error. He had before stated, that Johnson began to write in "The Adventurer" on April roth (when No. 45 was_published), above a month after the date of his letter to Dr. Warton. The two papers published previously with the signature T., and subscribed MYSARGYRUS (Nos. 34 and 41), were written, I believe, by Bonnel Thornton, who contributed also all the papers signed A. This information I re he might have used the same expression, considering it as a point of honour not to own them; for Mrs. Williams told me that, "as he had given those essays to Dr. Bathurst, who sold them at two guineas each, he never would own them; nay, he used to say he did not write them; but the fact was, that he dictated them while Bathurst wrote." I read to him Mrs. Williams's account: he smiled, and said nothing. 1 am not quite satisfied with the casuistry by which the productions of one person are thus passed upon the world for the productions of another. I allow that not only knowledge, but powers and qualities of mind may be communicated, but the actual effect of individual exertion never can be transferred, with truth, to any other than its own original cause. One person's child may be made the child of another person by adoption, as among the Romans, or by the ancient Jewish mode of a wife having children born to her upon her knees, by her handmaid. But these were children in a different sense from that of nature. It was clearly understood that they were not of the blood of their nominal parents. So in literary children, an author may give the profits and fame of his composition to another man, but cannot make that other the real author. A Highland gentleman, a younger branch of a family, once consulted me if he could not validly purchase the Chieftainship of his family from the Chief, who was willing to sell it. I told him it was impossible for him to acquire, by purchase, a right to be a different person from what he really was; for that the right of Chieftainship attached to the blood of primogeniture, and therefore was incapable of being transferred. I added, that though Esau sold his birthright, or the advantages belonging to it, he still remained the first-born of his parents; and that whatever agreement a ceived several years ago; but do not precisely remember from whom I derived it. I believe, however, my informer was Dr. Warton. With respect to No. 39, on Sleep, which our author has ascribed to Johnson (see p. 58), even if it were written by him, it would not be inconsistent with his statement to Dr. Warton, for it appeared on March 20th, near a fortnight after the date of Johnson's letter to that gentleman. But on considering it attentively, though the style bears a strong resemblance to that of Johnson, I believe it was written by his friend Dr. Bathurst, and perhaps touched in a few places by Johnson. Mr. Boswell has observed that "this paper not only has the general texture and colour of his style, but the authors with whom he was peculiarly conversant are readily introduced in it in cursory allusion." Now the authors mentioned in that paper are, Fontenelle, Milton, Ramazzini, Madlle. de Scuderi, Swift, Homer, Barratier, Statius, Cowley, and Sir Thomas Browne. With many of these, doubtless, Johnson was particularly conversant; but I doubt whether he would have characterised the expression quoted from Swift as elegant; and with the works of Ramazzini it is very improbable that he should have been acquainted. Ramazzini was a celebrated physician, who died at Padua, in 1714, at the age of 81: with whose writings Dr. Bathurst may be supposed to have been conversant. So also with respect to Cowley: Johnson, without doubt, had read his Latin poem on Plants, but Bathurst's profession probably led him to read it with more attention than his friend had given to it; and Cowley's eulogy on the Poppy would more readily occur to the naturalist and the physician than to a more general reader. I believe, however, that the last paragraph of the paper on Sleep, in which Sir Thomas Browne is quoted to show the propriety of prayer before we lie down to rest, was added by Johnson. -MALONE chief might make with any of the clan, the Heralds' Office could not admit of the metamorphosis, or with any decency attest that the younger was the elder: but I did not convince the worthy gentleman. Johnson's papers in "The Adventurer" are very similar to those of "The Rambler;" but being rather more varied in their subjects,* and being mixed with essays by other writers, upon topics more generally attractive than even the most elegant ethical discourses, the sale of the work, at first, was more extensive. Without meaning, however, to depreciate "The Adventurer," I must observe, that, as the value of "The Rambler" came, in the progress of time, to be better known, it grew upon the public estimation, and that its sale has far exceeded that of any other periodical papers since the reign of Queen Anne. In one of the books of his Diary I find the following entry: Apr. 3, 1753. I began the second vol. of my Dictionary, room being left in the first for Preface, Grammar, and History, none of them yet begun. "O God, who hast hitherto supported me, enable me to proceed in this labour, and in the whole task of my present state; that when I shall render up at the last day an account of the talent committed to me, I may receive pardon, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen." He this year favoured Mrs. Lenoxt with a Dedication [*] to the Earl of Orrery, of her Shakspeare Illustrated." + CHAPTER VIII.-1754-1755. IN 1754 I can trace nothing published by him, except his numbers of "The Adventurer," and the Life of Edward Cave,"[*] in "The Gentle Dr. Johnson lowered and somewhat disguised his style in writing "The Adventurers" in order that his papers might pass for those of Dr. Bathurst, to whom he consigned the profits. This was Hawkesworth's opinion. -BURNEY. Mrs. Lenox was authoress of "The Female Quixote' "and various other works that will be found mentioned in the common biographies. In her "Shakspeare Illustrated" she gives an account of the source whence the poet derived the plots of his plays.-ED. Two of Johnson's letters addressed to Samuel Richardson, author of "Clarissa," &c., the former dated March 1750-1, the other, September 26, 1753, are preserved in Richardson's Correspondence," 8vo., 1804, vol. v., pp. 281-284. In the latter of these letters Johnson suggested to Richardson the propriety of making an index to his three works: "but while I am writing," he adds, "an objection arises; such an Index to the three would look like the preclusion of a fourth, to which I will never contribute; for if I cannot benefit mankind, I hope never to injure them." Richardson, however, adopted the hint; for in 1755 he published in octavo, "A Collection of the Moral and Instructive Sentiments, Maxims, Cautions, and Reflections, contained in the Histories of Pamela, Clarissa,' and 'Sir Charles Grandison,' digested under proper Heads." It is remarkable, that both to this book, and to the first two volumes of "Clarissa," is prefixed a Preface, by a friend. The "friend," in this latter instance. was the celebrated Dr. Warburton. -MALONE, 537446 man's Magazine" for February. In biography Johnson would have been highly delighted. Praise, in general, was pleasing to hin; but by praise from a man of rank and elegant accomplishments, he was peculiarly gratified. His lordship says, "I think the public in general, and the republic of letters in particular, are greatly obliged cuted so great and desirable a work. Perfection to Mr. Johnson, for having undertaken and exeis not to be expected from man; but if we are to judge by the various works of Johnson already published, we have good reason to believe, that he will bring this as near to perfection as any man could do. The plan of it, which he published some years ago, seems to me to be a proof of it. Nothing can be more rationally imagined, or more accurately and elegantly expressed. I therefore recommend the previous perusal of it to all those who intend to buy the Dictionary, and who, I suppose, are all those who can afford it. The Dictionary, we may believe, afforded Johnson full occupation this year. As it ap proached to its conclusion, he probably worked with redoubled vigour, as seamen increase their exertion and alacrity when they have a near prospect of their haven. "It must be owned, that our language is, at Lord Chesterfield, to whom Johnson had paid the high compliment of addressing to his Lord-present, in a state of anarchy, and hitherto, ship the plan of his Dictionary, had behaved to During our free and open trade, many words and perhaps, it may not have been the worse for it. him in such a manner as to excite his contempt expressions have been imported, adopted, and and indignation. The world has been for many naturalised from other languages, which have years amused with a story confidently told, and as confidently repeated with additional circum- greatly enriched our own. Let it still preserve stances, that a sudden disgust was taken by borrowed from others; but let it not, like the what real strength and beauty it may have Johnson upon occasion of his having been one day kept long in waiting in his lordship's ante- Tarpeian maid, be overwhelmed and crushed by chamber, for which the reason assigned was, that unnecessary ornaments. The time for discrimi he had company with him; and that at last, tion, and naturalisation have run their length. nation seems to be now come. Toleration, adopwhen the door opened, out walked Colley Cibber; Good order and authority are now necessary. and that Johnson was so violently provoked when But where shall we find them, and at the same he found for whom he had been so long ex- time, the obedience due to them? We must have cluded, that he went away in a passion, and never would return. I remember having menrecourse to the old Roman expedient in times of Upon this tioned this story to George Lord Lyttleton, who confusion, and choose a dictator. told me he was very intimate with Lord Chester- principle, I give my vote for Mr. Johnson, to fill that great and arduous post, and I hereby field and holding it as a well-known truth, defended Lord Chesterfield by saying, that "Cibber, declare, that I make a total surrender of all my who had been introduced familiarly by the back rights and privileges in the English language, as a free-born British subject, to the said Mr. Johnstairs, had probably not been there above ten minutes." It may seem strange even to enterson, during the term of his dictatorship. Nay, tain a doubt concerning a story so long and so Roman, as my dictator, but, like a modern more-I will not only obey him like an old widely current, and thus implicitly adopted, if Roman, I will implicitly believe in him as my not sanctioned, by the authority which I have Pope, and hold him to be infallible while in the mentioned; but Johnson himself assured me, that there was not the least foundation for it. chair, but no longer. More than this, he cannot He told me, that there never was any particular never be expected, when there is neither terror well require; for, I presume, that obedience can incident which produced a quarrel between Lord Chesterfield and him; but that his lordship's conto enforce, nor interest to invite it. tinued neglect was the reason why he resolved to have no connection with him. When the Dictionary was upon the eve of publication, Lord Chesterfield, who, it is said, had flattered himself with expectations that Johnson would dedicate the work to him, attempted, in a courtly manner, to soothe and insinuate him: self with the sage, conscious, as it should seem, of the cold indifference with which he had treated its learned author; and further attempted to conciliate him, by writing two papers in "The World," in recommendation of the work; and it must be confessed that they contain some studied compliments, so finely turned, that if there had been no previous offence, it is probable that "But a Grammar, a Dictionary, and a History of our Language, through its several stages, were for from abroad. Mr. Johnson's labours will still wanting at home, and importunately called now, I dare say, very fully supply that want, and greatly contribute to the farther spreading of our language in other countries. Learners were discouraged, by finding no standard to resort to; and, consequently, thought it incapable of any. They will now be undeceived and encouraged." This cou tly device failed of its effect. Johnson, who thought that "all was false and hollow," despised the honeyed words, and was even indignant that Lord Chesterfield should, for a moment, imagine that he could be the dupe of such an |