that celebrated poet, may be exhibited to the curious in literature. It justifies 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 Juvenal. "This is imitated by one Johnson, who put in for a 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 endeavour'd to serve Him without his own application; & wrote to my Ld. gore, but he did not succeed. Mr. Johnson published afterwds. another Poem in Latin with Notes the whole very Humerous call'd the Norfolk Prophecy. 66 P." Johnson had been told of this note; and Sir Joshua Reynolds informed him of the compliment which it contained, but, from delicacy, avoided shewing 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, appeared to me also, as I have elsewheret observed, to be of the convulsive kind, and of the nature of that distemper called St. Vitus's dance; and in this opinion I am confirmed by the description which Sydenham 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 ideot. 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, notwithstand ing all his efforts to the contrary." shua Reynolds, however, was of a different opinion, and favoured me with the following paper. Sir Jo "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 indulg ed himself in, of accompanying his thoughts with certain untoward actions, and those actions always appeared 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 pre ferred to 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 com pany. "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 Dorsetshire; 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, 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." may not be displeased with another anecdote, While we are on this subject, my readers 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 Stuart in 1745-6; and being a warm partizan of George the Second, he observed to Richardson, that certainly there cumstances lately discovered in this parti must have been some very unfavorable cirapprove of an execution for rebellion so cular case, which had induced the King to long after the time when it was committed, as this had the appearance of putting a man his Majesty's usual clemency. While he was to death in cold blood,§ and was very unlike 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 ideot, 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. Richard $ Impartial posterity may, perhaps, be as little inclined as Dr. Johnson was, to justify the uncommon rigour exercised in the case of Dr. Archibald Cameron. He was an amiable and truly honest man; and his offence was owing to a generous, though mistaken, principle of duty. Being obliged, after 1746, to give up his profession as a physician, and to go into foreign parts, he was honoured 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 Lochiel; and 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. son were 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 Martial, 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 ideot had been at the moment inspired. Neither Hogarth nor Johnson were made known to each other at this interview. 66 In 1740, he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine the "Preface,"[+] "the Life of Admiral Blake,"[*] and the first parts of those of "Sir Francis Drake,"[*] and "Philip Barretier,"[*] both which he finished the following year. He also wrote an Essay on Epitaphs,"[*] and an "Epitaph on Phillips, a Musician," which was afterwards published, with some other pieces of his, in Mrs. Williams's Miscellanies. This Epitaph is so exquisitely beautiful, that I remember even Lord Kames, 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 appearing 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 it was composed. Johnson and he were sitting together; when, amongst other things, Garrick repeated an Epitaph upon this Phillips by a Dr. Wilkes, in these words: "Exalted soul! whose harmony could please Johnson shook his head at these common place funereal lines, and said to Garrick, "I think, Davy, I can make a better." Then stirring about his tea for a little while in a state of meditation, he almost extempore produced the following verses: "Phillips, whose touch harmonious could remove [To which in 1742 he made very large additions, which have never yet been incorporated in any edition of Barretier's Life. A. C.] (The epitaph of Phillips is in the porch of Wolverhampton church. The prose part of it is curious: "Near this place lies CHARLES CLAUDIUS PHILLIPS, Whose absolute contempt of riches and inimitable performances upon the violin made him the admiration of all that knew him. He was born in Wales, made the tour of Europe, and, after the experience of both kinds of fortune, Died in 1732." At the same time that Mr. Garrick favoured me with this anecdote, he repeated a very pointed epigram by Johnson, on George the Second and Colley Cibber, which has never yet appeared, and of which I know not the exact date. Dr. Johnson afterwards gave it to me himself: "Augustus still survives in Maro's strain, In 1741 he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine" the Preface," [+]" Conclusion of his lives of Drake and Barretier,"[*]"A free translation of the Jests of Hierocles, 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 Abbé Guyon's Dissertation on the Amazons ;”[+] “Translation of Fontenelle's Panegyric 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. He 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 19, 1740, and ended February 23, 1742-3. It appears from some of Cave's letters to Dr. Birch, that Cave had better assistance for that branch of his Magazine, than had 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- -ld's speech. I beg you will do so as soon as you can for me, because the month is far advanced." ber the debates so far as to perceive the And 15th July, 1737, "As you rememspeeches already printed are not exact, I beg the favour that you will peruse the enclosed, and, in the best manner your memory will serve, correct the mistaken passages, or add any thing that is omitted. I should Mr. Garrick appears not to have recited the verses correctly, the original being as follows. One of the various readings is remarkable, as it is the germ of Johnson's concluding line: "Exalted soul, thy various sounds could please The love-sick virgin, and the gouty ease; Could jarring crowds, like old Amphion, move To beauteous order and harmonious love; Rest here in peace, till angels bid thee rise, And meet thy SAVIOUR'S consort in the skies." Dr. Wilkes, the author of these lines, was a Fellow of Trinity College, in Oxford, and rector of Pitchford, in Shropshire; he collected materials for a history of that county, and is spoken of by Brown Willis, in his History of Mitred Abbies, vol. ii. p. 189. But he was a native of Staffordshire; and to the antiquities of that county was his attention chiefly confined. Mr. Shaw has had the use of his papers. J. B.] be very glad to have something of the Duke of N-le's speech, which would be particularly of service. "A gentleman has Lord Bathurst's speech to add something to." And July 3, 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 endeavour to do something better towards doing justice to the character. But as I cannot expect to attain my desire in that respect, it would be a great satisfaction, as well as honour to our work, to have the favour of the genuine speech. It is a method that several have been pleased to take, as I could shew, 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 shew particular marks of their being pleased."+ 37 This year I find that his tragedy of IRENE 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. "Sept. 9, 1741. Mr. Gray's hands, in order to sell it to him, "I HAVE put Mr. Johnson's play into 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 diffidence or prevented it." ++ I have already mentioned that "Irene" was not brought into public notice till Garrick was manager of Drury-lane theatre. In 1742++ he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine the "Preface,"[+] the "Parliamen tary Debates,"[]"Essay on the Account of the Conduct of the Duchess of Marlbo 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 labour. Johnson told me, that as soon as he found that the speeches were thought genuine, he determined that he would write rough,"[*] then the popular topic of converno more of them; " for he would not be acsation. This Essay is a short but masterly cessary to the propagation of falsehood." performance. We find him, in No. 13 of his And such was the tenderness of his consci-Rambler, censuring a profligate sentiment ence, that a short time before his death, he expressed his regret for his having been the author of fictions, which had passed for real ities. 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 judgement, and taste in public speaking, who presumes to give, as the characteristics of two celebrated orators, "the deep-mouthed rancour of Pulteney, and the yelping pertinacity of Pitt."|| I suppose in another compilation of the same kind. Birch's MSS. in the British Museum, 4302. I am assured that the editor is Mr. George Chalmers, whose commercial works are well known and esteemed. Hawkins's Life of Johnson, p. 100. 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 Barretier ;"[]"The Life of Sydenham,"[*] afterwards prefixed to Dr. Swan's edition of his works; "Proposals for printing Bibliotheca Harleiana, or a Catalogue of the Library of the Earl of Oxford."[*] His account of that celebrated collection of books, in which he displays the importance to literature, of what the French call a catalogue raisonné, when the subjects of it are extensive and various, and it is executed with ability, cannot fail to impress all his A bookseller of London. **Not the Royal Society; but the Society for the encouragement of learning, of which Dr. Birch was a lead ing member. Their object was, to assist authors in to 1746, when, having incurred a considerable debt, it printing expensive works. It existed from about 1735 was dissolved. tt There is no erasure here, but a mere blank; to fill up which may be an exercise for ingenious conjecture. #[From one of his letters to a riend, written in June 1742, it should seem that he then purposed to write a play on the subject of Charles the Twelfth, of Sweden, and to have it ready for the ensuing winter. The passage alluded to, however, is somewhat ambiguous; and the work which he then had in contemplation may have been a history of that monarch. M.] §§ Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 167. readers with admiration of his philological | attainments. It was afterwards prefixed 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 13,000l. a sum which Mr. Oldys 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 short stop to violence and slaughter, to afford time for malice to relent, and animosity to subside; we can scarce expect any other account than of plans, negociations, 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. Astle for his ready permission to copy the two following letters, of which the originals are in his possession. Their contents shew that they were written about this time, and that Johnson was now engaged in preparing an historical account of the British Parliament. SIR, "TO MR. CAVE. (No date.) 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, and my opinion only, not my resolution. Emptoris sit eligere. "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 ought 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, &c. in the margin, and think we shall give the most complete account of parliamentary proceedings that can be contrived. The naked papers, without an historical treatise interwoven, 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 131. 2s. 6d. 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 shall desire 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 am ready to go upon; and in Great 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. Savage's Life what more have you got? I would willingly have his trial, &c. and know whether his defence be at Bristol, and would have his collection of poems, on account of the Preface ;-" The Plain Dealer,"*-all the magazines that have any thing of his or relating to him. "I thought my letter would be long, but it is now ended; and I am, Sir, yours, &c. "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 is well. "I had no notion of having any thing for the inscription.+ I hope you don't think "The Plain Dealer" was published in 1724, and contained some account of Savage. [Perhaps the Runick inscription, Gent. Mag. vol. xii. p. 132. M.] I would also ascribe to him an "Essay on the Description of China, from the French of Du Halde." [+] His writings in the Gentleman's Magazine in 1743, are, the Preface, [+] the Parliamentary Debates, [+] "Considerations on the Dispute between Crousaz and Warburton, on Pope's Essay on Man ;"[+] in which, while he defends Crousaz, he shews an admirable metaphysical acuteness and temperance in controversy; "Ad Lauram parituram Epigramma ;"[*] † and, “A Latin I have not discovered what this was. † Angliacas inter pulcherrima Laura puellas, Mr. Hector was present when this Epigram was made impromptu. The first line was proposed by Dr. James, and Johnson was called upon by the company to finish it, which he instantly did. [The following elegant Latin Ode, which appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1743 (vol. xiii. p. 548,) was many years ago pointed out to James Bindley, Esq. as written by Johnson, and may safely be attributed to him: AD ORNATISSIMAM PUELLAM. VANE sit arti, sit studio modus, Mitte, supervacuosque cultus. Ut fortuitis verna coloribus Lenique fons cum murmure pulcrior Ducit aquas temere sequentes : Ingeminant sine lege cantus : | 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 Harleian 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. [*] On fools and villains ne'er descend: And hugs a flatterer for a friend. O guide us through life's darksome way! On selfish bosoms only prey. Nor shall thine ardour cease to glow, Shall aid our happiness above. Johnson had now an opportunity of obliging his schoolfellow, 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 physic, 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 |