Hiftoria Latina Poefeos a Petrarchæ ævo ad Poli⚫tiani tempora deducta, et Vita Politiani fufius quam • antehac enarrata, addidit Sam. Johnfon.' The book was to be contained and printed in thirty octavo fheets, and delivered at the price of five fhillings; but not meeting with fufficient encouragement, Johnfon dropped the defign.

From the above particulars it evidently appears, that he had entertained a refolution to depend for a livelihood upon what he fhould be able, either in the way of original composition, or tranflation, or in editing the works of celebrated authors, to procure by his ftudies, and, in fhort, to become an author by profeffion; an occupation, which, though it may, in fome views of it, be deemed mercenary, as adapting itfelf to particular occafions and conjunctures, nay, to the interefts, paffions and prejudices, and even humours of mankind, has yet fome illuftrious examples, at least in our times, to juftify it. It is true, that many perfons diftinguifh between thofe writings which are the effect of a natural impulfe of genius, and those other that owe their existence to interested motives, and, being the offspring of another parent, may, in some sense, be faid to be illegitimate; but, Johnfon knew of no fuch diftinction, and would never acquiesce in it when made by others: on the contrary, I have, more than once, heard him affert, that he knew of no genuine motive for writing, other than neceffity.

In the prosecution of this his defign, he, in the year, 1734, made a tender of affiftance to Cave, the editor, printer, and publifher of the Gentleman's Magazine; a man of whom I fhall hereafter have

3

frequent

frequent occafion to fpeak. The letter of Johnfon to Cave, on this occafion, is yet extant, and is here given as a literary curiosity :

• SIR,

Nov. 25, 1734.

As you appear no less fenfible than your readers, ⚫ of the defect of your poetical article, you will not be displeased, if, in order to the improvement of it, I communicate to you the fentiments of a perfon, who ⚫ will undertake, on reasonable terms, fometimes to • fill a column.

His opinion is, that the public would not give you ' a bad reception, if, beside the current wit of the ⚫ month, which a critical examination would generally reduce to a narrow compafs, you admitted, not only poems, inscriptions, &c. never printed before, which he will fometimes fupply you with, but likewise fhort literary differtations in Latin or English, critical remarks on authors ancient or modern, forgotten poems that deserve revival, or loose pieces, like Floyer's, worth preferving. By this method, your Literary Article, for fo it might be called, will, he thinks, be better recommended to the public, than by low jests, aukward buffoonery, ⚫ or the dull fcurrilities of either party.

If fuch a correfpondence will be agreeable to you, ⚫ be pleased to inform me, in two pofts, what the conditions are on which you fhall expect it. Your late ⚫ offer* gives me no reason to distrust your generosity. If you engage in any literary projects befides this

* A prize of fifty pounds for the best poem on Life, Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.'

paper

paper, I have other designs to impart, if I could be 'fecure from having others reap the advantage of 'what I should hint.

Your letter, by being directed to S. Smith, to be left at the Castle in Birmingham, Warwickshire, will • reach

< Your humble fervant.' *

To this letter Cave returned an answer, dated 2d December following, wherein he accepted the fervices of Johnson, and retained him as a correspondent and a contributor to his Magazine.

This correfpondence exhibits a view of the Gentleman's Magazine in its rudiments, and may excite a curiofity in the patrons thereof, to trace back to its origin the publication of a mifcellany, the fame whereof has extended itself to the most remote parts of the literary world. Hiftories of the learned men of modern times, and short abridgments of their works, as also fuch pieces as for their brevity required fome vehicle to convey them to pofterity, it has been the practice of foreign countries, in their memoirs, and of universities and academies, in their acts and tranfactions, to give. The historical and memorable diurnal events of the paffing times, have also been recorded in publications variously denominated, particularly, in a work, entitled the Political State of Great Britain, beginning with the year 1711, and compiled by the well known Abel Boyer. In this are contained debates and speeches in parliament; and also, abstracts of po

* This letter, and Cave's answer to it, may ferve to refute an affertion in an anonymous account of Johnson's life, that he was introduced to the acquaintance of Cave by Savage.

9

litical

litical pamphlets; but of a work that fhould com. prehend intelligence of both these kinds, we know of no exemplar in this country, earlier than the year 1716, when an effay towards fuch a one was made in the publication of a book, entitled The Hiftorical Register, containing, an impartial relation of all tranfactions foreign and domeftic, by a body of men, from whom few would have expected any thing of the kind. In fhort, the editors of the Hiftorical Register, were the members of a fociety, affociated about the year above-mentioned, for the purpose of infurance from fire, which, from the badge affumed by them, obtained the denomination of the Sun-fire-Office, and is ftill fubfifting in a flourishing ftate. One of the managing perfons in this fociety, was, if my information misleads me not, a man of the name of Povey, who, by the way, was a great improver of that useful project, the Penny Poft,* and died within my memory. Having a scheming head, a plaufible tongue, and a ready pen, he prevailed on his fellow-members to undertake the above publication, foreign as it was to the nature of their inftitution. In Strype's continuation of Stow's Survey, I find the following article respecting this fociety: All perfons taking out policies for infurance, must pay two fhillings and fix-pence per quarter; and, besides their insurance, fhall have a book, called the Hiftorical Regifter, left every quarter at their house.'

The Hiftorical Register gave also an account of the proceedings of Parliament: the firft volume contains

*The original inventor thereof was one Mr. Dockwra, a citizen of fuch eminence, that he stood for the office of Chamberlain, against Sir Wm. Fazakerley.

the

the fpeeches in both houses, on the debate on the Septennial Bill; but, fo great is the caution obferved in drawing them up, that none of thofe in the House of Lords are appropriated, otherwise, than by fuch words as thefe: A noble Duke ftood up, and faid,'

This speech was anfwered by a Northern Peer,' and other fuch vague defignations. In those in the Houfe of Commons, the names of the fpeakers, Mr. Shippen, Mr. Hampden, Sir Richard Steele, and others are given, without any artifices of concealment.

This publication was continued to the year 1737, inclufive, and may be supposed to have been fuperfeded by the Gentleman's Magazine, which was then rifing very faft in its reputation.

From the Hiftorical Regifter the hint was taken, of a publication, entitled The Grub-street Journal,* which, befides a brief account of public occurrences, contained criticifins and cenfures of dull and profane

* Mention is often made, in the Dunciad and other modern books, of Grub-ftreet writers and Grub-ftreet publications, but the terms are little understood: the following historical fact will explain them: During the ufurpation, a prodigious number of feditious and libellous pamphlets and papers, tending to exafperate the people, and encrease the confufion in which the nation was involved, were from time to time published. The authors of these were, for the most part, men whofe indigent circumftances compelled them to live in the fuburbs and moft obfcure parts of the town; Grubftreet then abounded with mean and old houses, which were let out in lodgings, at low rents, to perfons of this description, whose occupation was the publishing anonymous treafon and flander. One of the original inhabitants of this street was Fox the Martyrologist, who, during his abode there, wrote his Acts and Monuments. It was alfo rendered famous by having been the dwelling-place of Mr. Henry Welby, a gentleman of whom it is related in a printed narrative that he lived there forty years without being feen of any.

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