Selections from Boswell's Life of JohnsonCharles E. Merrill Company, 1912 - 93 pages |
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Page 11
... morning put the Com- mon Prayer Book into his hands , pointed to the collect for the day , and said , " Sam , you must get this by heart . " She went upstairs , leaving him to study it ; but by the time she had reached the second floor ...
... morning put the Com- mon Prayer Book into his hands , pointed to the collect for the day , and said , " Sam , you must get this by heart . " She went upstairs , leaving him to study it ; but by the time she had reached the second floor ...
Page 20
... morning . They went into a churchyard , in the time of divine . service , and Johnson laid himself down at his ease upon one of the tombstones . " Now , sir " ( said Beauclerk ) , " you are like Hogarth's Idle Appren- tice . " When ...
... morning . They went into a churchyard , in the time of divine . service , and Johnson laid himself down at his ease upon one of the tombstones . " Now , sir " ( said Beauclerk ) , " you are like Hogarth's Idle Appren- tice . " When ...
Page 21
... morning , it came into their heads to go and knock up Johnson , and see if they could prevail on him to join them in a ramble . They rapped violently at the doors of his chambers in the Temple , till at last he appeared in his shirt ...
... morning , it came into their heads to go and knock up Johnson , and see if they could prevail on him to join them in a ramble . They rapped violently at the doors of his chambers in the Temple , till at last he appeared in his shirt ...
Page 34
... morning , I boldly repaired to Johnson . His chambers were on the first floor of No. 1 Inner Temple Lane , and I entered them with an impres- sion given me by the Rev. Dr. Blair of Edinburgh , who had been introduced to him not long ...
... morning , I boldly repaired to Johnson . His chambers were on the first floor of No. 1 Inner Temple Lane , and I entered them with an impres- sion given me by the Rev. Dr. Blair of Edinburgh , who had been introduced to him not long ...
Page 38
... morning a message from poor Goldsmith that he was in great distress , and as it was not in his power to come to me , begging that I would come to him as soon as possible . I sent him a guinea , and promised to come to him directly . I ...
... morning a message from poor Goldsmith that he was in great distress , and as it was not in his power to come to me , begging that I would come to him as soon as possible . I sent him a guinea , and promised to come to him directly . I ...
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Common terms and phrases
acquaintance Addison Amen appeared Arthur Lee Beauclerk Bennet Langton bless bookseller Boswell BOSWELL'S Burke caulay Cawston character compliments conversation critical Davies dear sir death desire Dictionary Dilly Dilly's dine dinner Edinburgh endeavour English entertained fancy father favour Garrick gayety gentleman give Goldsmith hand happiness head heard Hebrides hope House of Hanover house of Stuart humour hundred pounds Jack Wilkes JAMES BOSWELL Jesus Christ King knew labour ladies Langton letter Lichfield literary live London Lord Lordship Macaulay's Madam manner mentioned merit Miss morning mother never obliged observed Pembroke College pension pleased Poets Pray prayer Raasay received recollect Robertson Samuel Johnson Scotch Scotland seemed servant Sir John Hawkins Sir Joshua Reynolds smile soon style suppose talk thought Thrale tion told Tory violent Whig William wish write
Popular passages
Page 22 - Dictionary is recommended to the public, were written by your Lordship. To be so distinguished, is an honor, which, being very little accustomed to favors from the great, I know not well how to receive, or in what terms to acknowledge. When, upon some slight encouragement, I first visited your Lordship, I was overpowered, like the rest of mankind, by the enchantment of...
Page 26 - Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to Him. COME unto me all that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.
Page 31 - At last, on Monday the 16th of May, when I was sitting in Mr. Davies's back-parlour, after having drunk tea with him and Mrs. Davies, Johnson unexpectedly came into the shop ; and Mr.
Page 18 - What he attempted, he performed ; he is never feeble, and he did not wish to be energetic ; he is never rapid, and he never stagnates. His sentences have neither studied amplitude, nor affected brevity : his periods, though not diligently rounded, are voluble and easy. Whoever wishes to attain an English stile, familiar but not coarse, and elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison.
Page 64 - Notwithstanding the high veneration which I entertained for Dr. Johnson, I was sensible that he was sometimes a little actuated by the spirit of contradiction, and by means of that I hoped I should gain my point. I was persuaded that if I had come upon him with a direct proposal, 'Sir, will you dine in company with Jack Wilkes?' he would have flown into a passion, and would probably have answered, 'Dine with Jack Wilkes, Sir! I'd as soon dine with Jack Ketch.
Page 52 - Goldsmith tells you shortly all you want to know ; Robertson detains you a great deal too long. No man will read Robertson's cumbrous detail a second time ; but Goldsmith's plain narrative will please again and again. I would say to Robertson what an old tutor of a college said to one of his pupils, "Read over your compositions, and wherever you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.
Page 36 - He had no doubt a more than common share of that hurry of ideas which we often find in his countrymen, and which sometimes produces a laughable confusion in expressing them.
Page 33 - I am willing to flatter myself that I meant this as light pleasantry to soothe and conciliate him, and not as an humiliating abasement at the expense of my country. But however that might be, this speech was somewhat unlucky; for, with that quickness of wit for which he was so remarkable, he seized the expression, "come from Scotland...
Page 40 - Sir, in my early years I read very hard. It is a sad reflection, but a true one, that I knew almost as much at eighteen as I do now.
Page 35 - ... readers in some degree acquainted with his singular character. He was a native of Ireland, and a contemporary with Mr. Burke, at Trinity College, Dublin, but did not then give much promise of future celebrity.