brewers; one hundred and fifty pounds in the hands of Dr. Percy, bishop of Dromore; one thoufand pounds, three per cent. annuities in the public funds, and one hundred pounds now lying by me in ready all thefe before-mentioned fums and property money; I leave, I fay, to Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir John Hawkins, and Dr. William Scott, of Doctors Commons, in truft for the following ufes; That is to fay, to pay to the reprefentatives of the late William Innys, bookfeller, in St. Paul's Church Yard, the fum of two hundred pounds; to Mrs. White, my female fervant, one hundred pounds ftock in the three per cent. annuities aforefaid. The rest of the aforefaid fums of money and property, together with my books, plate, and houshold-furniture, I leave to the beforementioned Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir John Hawkins, and Dr. William Scott, alfo in truft, to be applied, after paying my debts, to the ufe of Francis Barber, my man-fervant, a negro, in fuch manner as they fhall judge moft fit and available to his benefit. And I appoint the aforefaid Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir John Hawkins, and Dr. William Scott, fole executors of this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills and teftaments whatfoever. In witness whereof I hereunto fubfcribe my name, and affix my feal, this eighth day of December, 1784.

SAM. JOHNSON, (L. S.)

Signed, fealed, publifhed, declared, and delivered by the faid teftator, as his laft will and teftament, in the prefence of us, the word two being firft inferted in the oppofite page.

GEORGE STRAHAN.

JOHN DES MOULINS.

By

By way of codicil to my laft will and teftament, I SAMUEL JOHNSON, give, devife, and bequeath, my meffuage or tenement, fituate at Lichfield, in the county of Stafford, with the appurtenances, in the tenure or occupation of Mrs. Bond, of Lichfield aforefaid, or of Mr. Hinchman, her under-tenant, to my executors in truft, to fell and difpofe of the fame; and the money arifing from fuch fale I give and bequeath as follows, viz. to Thomas and Benjamin the fons of Fisher Johnson, late of Leicester, and Whiting, daughter of Thomas Johnson, late of Coventry, and the grand-daughter of the faid Thomas Johnson, one full and equal fourth part each; but in cafe there fhall be more grand-daughters than one of the faid Thomas Johnson, living at the time of my decease, I give and bequeath the part or fhare of that one to, and equally between fuch grand-daughters. I give and bequeath to the Rev. Mr. Rogers, of Berkley, near Froome, in the county of Somerfet, the fum of one hundred pounds, requesting him to apply the fame towards the maintenance of Elizabeth Herne, a lunatic. I also give and bequeath to my god-children, the fon and daugh❤ ter of Mauritius Low, painter, each of them, one hun dred pounds of my stock in the three per cent. confolidated annuities, to be applied and difpofed of by and at the difcretion of my Executors, in the education or fettlement in the world of them my faid legatees. Alfo, I give and bequeath to Sir John Hawkins, one of my Executors, the Annales Ecclefiaftici of Baronius and Holingfhed's and Stowe's Chronicles, and also an octavo Common Prayer Book. To Bennet Langton, Efq; I give and bequeath my Polyglot Bible. VOL. I. Qq

To

To Sir Joshua Reynolds, my great French Dictionary, by Martiniere, and my own copy of my folio English Dictionary, of the laft revifion. To Dr. William Scott, one of my Executors, the Dictionnaire de Commerce, and Lectius's edition of the Greek Poets. To Mr. Windham, Poetæ Græci Heroici per Henricum Stephanum. To the Rev. Mr. Strahan, vicar of Iflington, in Middlefex, Mills's Greek Teftament, Beza's Greek Teftament by Stephens, all my Latin Bibles, and my Greek Bible by Wechelius. To Dr. Heberden, Dr. Brocklesby, Dr. Butter, and Mr. Cruikshank the furgeon who attended me, Mr. Holder my apothecary, Gerard Hamilton, Efq; Mrs. Gardiner, of Snow-hill, Mrs. Frances Reynolds, Mr. Hoole, and the Rev. Mr. Hoole, his fon, each a book at their election, to keep as a token of remembrance. I alfo give and bequeath to Mr. John des Moulins, two hundred pounds confolidated three per cent, annuities; and to Mr. Saftres, the Italian master, the fum of five pounds, to be laid out in books of piety for his own ufe. And whereas the faid Bennet Langton hath agreed, in confideration of the fum of seven hundred and fifty pounds, mentioned in my will to be in his hands, to grant and fecure an annuity of feventy pounds, payable during the life of me and my fervant Francis Barber, and the life of the furvivor of us, to Mr. George Stubbs in truft for us; my mind and will is, that in cafe of my decease before the faid agreement fhall be perfected, the faid fum of seven hundred and fifty pounds, and the bond for securing the faid fum, fhall go to the faid Francis Barber; and I hereby give and bequeath to him the fame, in lieu of the bequeft in his favour, contained in my faid will.

And

And I hereby empower my Executors to deduct and retain all expences that fhall or may be incurred in the execution of my faid will, or of this codicil thereto, out of such estate and effects as I fhall die poffeffed of. All the reft, refidue, and remainder of my estate and effects, I give and bequeath to my said Executors, in truft for the faid Francis Barber, his Executors and Adminiftrators. Witness my hand and feal this ninth day of December, 1784.

SAM. JOHNSON, (L. S.)

Signed, fealed, published, declared, and delivered by the faid Samuel Johnson, as, and for a Codicil to his laft Will and Teftament, in the prefence of us, who, in his prefence, and at his request, and also in the presence of each other, have hereto subscribed our names as witnesses.

JOHN COPLEY. WILLIAM GIBSON." HENRY COLE.

POSTSCRIPT.

THE foregoing inftrument carries into effect the refolution of Dr. Johnfon, to be, with refpect to his negro-fervant, nobiliffimus; but the many lavish encomiums that have been bestowed on this act of bounty, make it neceffary to mention fome particulars, fubfequent to his death, that will ferve to fhew the fhort-fightedness of human wifdom, and the effects of ill-directed benevolence.

The amount of the bequest to this man, may be estimated at a fum little fhort of 1500l. and that to the teftator's relations named in the will at 2351. (the fum which the houfe at Lichfield produced at a fale by auction) who, being five in number, divided the fame, after deducting the expences of the fale, in the following proportions; that is to fay, three of the relations took 581. 15s. od. each, and each of twa others, the reprefentatives of a fourth, 291. 7s 6d.

A few days after the doctor's decease, Francis came to me, and informed me, that a relation of his mafter's, named Humphrey Heely, who, with his wife, had lately, upon the request of the doctor to the bishop of Rochester, been placed in an alms-house at Weftminfter, was in great neceffity, as wanting money to buy bedding and cloaths. I told him, that seeing he was fo great a gainer by his mafter's will, as to be poffeffed of almost the whole of his fortune, it behoved him to have compaffion on this his relation, and to fupply his wants. His reply was,' I cannot afford it.'

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