man.

upon

College; Corbet as a gentleman-commoner, and Johnfon as a commoner. The college tutor, Mr. Jordan, was a man of no genius ; and Johnson, it feems, fhewed an early contempt of mean abilities, in one or two inftances behaving with infolence to that gentleOf his general conduct at the univer fity there are no particulars that merit attention, except the tranflation of Pope's Meffiah, which was a college exercife impofed him as a task by Mr. Jordan. Corbet left the university in about two years, and Johnson's falary ceafed. He was, by confequence, ftraitened in his circumftances; but he still remained at college. Mr. Jordan, the tutor, went off to a living; and was fucceeded by Dr. Adams, who afterwards became head of the college, and was efteemed through life for his learning, his talents, and his amiable character. Johnfon grew more regular in his attendance. Ethics, theology, and claffic literature, were his favourite studies. He discovered, notwithstanding, early fymptoms of that wandering difpofition of mind which adhered to him to the end of his life. His reading was by fits and starts, undirected to any particular science. General philology, agree

agreeably to his coufin Ford's advice, was the object of his ambition. He received, at that time, an early impreffion of piety, and a tafte for the best authors ancient and modern. It may, notwithstanding, be questioned whether, except his Bible, he ever read a book entirely through. Late in life, if any man praised a book in his presence, he was fure to ask, "Did you read it through ?" If the answer was in the affirmative, he did not feem willing to believe it. He continued at the university till the want of pecuniary fupplies obliged him to quit the place. He obtained, however, the affiftance of a friend, and returning in a fhort time was able to complete a refidence of three years. The history of his exploits at Oxford, he used to fay, was best known to Dr. Taylor and Dr. Adams. Wonders are told of his memory, and, indeed, all who knew him late in life can witness that he retained that faculty in the greatest vigour.

From the univerfity Johnson returned to Lichfield. His father died foon after, Deçember 1731; and the whole receipt out of his effects, as appeared by a memorandum

in the fon's hand-writing, dated 15th June, 1732, was no more than twenty pounds In this exigence, determined that poverty fhould neither deprefs his fpirit nor warp his integrity, he became under-master of a Grammar-school at Market Bofworth in Leicestershire, That refource, however, did not last long. Difgusted by the pride of Sir Wolftan Dixie, the patron of that little feminary, he left the place in difcontent, and ever after spoke of it with abhorrence. In 1733 he went on a visit to Mr. Hector, who had been his fchool-fellow, and was then a furgeon at Birmingham, lodging at the house of Warren, a bookfeller. At that place Johnson tranflated a Voyage to Abyffinia, written by Jerome Lobo, à Portugueze miffionary. This was the firft literary work from the pen of Dr. Johnfon. His friend Hector was occafionally his amanuenfis. The

The entry of this is remarkable for his early refolution to preserve through life a fair and upright character. "1732, Junii 15. Undecim aureos depofui, quo die, quid

quid ante matris funus (quod ferum fit precor) de pa"ternis bonis fperare licet, viginti fcilicet libras, accepi. Ufque adeo mihi mea fortuna fingenda eft interea, èt ne paupertate vires animi languefcant, ne in flagitia egeftas adiga, cavendum."

work

work was, probably, undertaken at the defire of Warren, the bookfeller, and was printed at Birmingham; but it appears in the Lites rary Magazine, or Hiftory of the Works of the Learned, for March, 1735, that it was published by Bettesworth and Hitch, Paternofter-row. It contains a narrative of the endeavours of a company of miffionaries to convert the people of Abyffinia to the Church of Rome. In the preface to this work Johnson obferves, "that the Portu"guese traveller, contrary to the general "view, of his countrymen, has amused his "readers with no romantic abfurdities, or "incredible fictions. He appears, by his "modeft and unaffected narration, to have "described things as he faw them; to have "copied nature from the life; and to have "confulted his fenfes, not his imagination. "He meets with no bafilifks, that destroy "with their eyes; his crocodiles devour "their prey, without tears; and his cata"racts fall from the rock, without deafening "the neighbouring inhabitants. The rea"der will here find no regions curfed with "irremediable barrennefs, or bleffed with fpontaneous fecundity; no perpetual gloom,

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or

"or unceasing fun-fhine; nor are the na"tions, here defcribed, either void of all "sense of humanity, or confummate in all

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private and focial virtues: here are no "Hottentots without religion, polity, or ar"ticulate language; no Chinese perfectly

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polite, and completely fkilled in all sci"ences: he will discover, what will always "be difcovered by a diligent and impartial enquirer, that wherever human nature is "to be found, there is a mixture of vice and "virtue, a contest of paffion and reason; " and that the Creator doth not appear par"tial in his diftributions, but has balanced, "in most countries, their particular incon"veniences by particular favours.' have here an early fpecimen of Johnson's manner the vein of thinking and the frame of the sentences are manifeftly his: we fee the infant Hercules. The tranflation of Lobo's Narrative has been reprinted lately in a feparate volume, with fome other tracts of Dr. Johnson's, and therefore forms no part of this edition; but a compendious account of fo interesting a work as Father Lobo's difcovery of the head of the Nile will not, it is imagined, be unacceptable to the reader.

Father

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