with Dr. Johnson, I never faw in his company, I think but once, and I am fure not above twice. Johnson might have esteemed him for his decent, religious demeanour, and his knowledge of books and literary history; but from the rigid formality of his manners, it is evident that they never could have lived together with companionable ease and familiarity; nor had Sir John Hawkins that nice perception which was neceffary to mark the finer and lefs obvious parts of Johnson's character. His being appointed one of his executors, gave him an opportunity of taking poffeffion of fuch fragments of a diary and other papers as were left; of which, before delivering them up to the refiduary legatee, whofe property they were, he endeavoured to extract the fubftance. In this he has not been very fuccefsful, as I have found upon a perufal of thofe papers, which have been fince transferred to me. Sir John Hawkins's ponderous labours, I must acknowledge, exhibit a farrago,

Hawkins was alive; and I avow, that one object of my ftrictures was to make him feel fome compunction for his illiberal treatment of Dr. Johnfon. Since his decease, I have fuppreffed several of my remarks upon his work. But though I would not

war with the dead" offenfively, I think it neceffary to be ftrenuous in defence of my illuftrious friend, which I cannot be, without ftrong animadverfions upon a writer who has greatly injured him. Let me add, that though I doubt I should not have been very prompt to gratify Sir John Hawkins with any compliment in his life-time, I do now frankly acknowledge, that, in my opinion, his volume, however inadequate and improper as a life of Dr. Johnson, and however difcredited by unpardonable inaccuracies in other respects, contains a collection of curious anecdotes and obfervations, which few men but its authour could have brought together,

of which a confiderable portion is not devoid of entertainment to the lovers of literary goffiping; but befides its being fwelled out with long unneceffary extracts from various works, (even one of feveral leaves from Ofborne's Harleian Catalogue, and those not compiled by Johnson, but by Oldys,) a very fmall part of it relates to the perfon who is the fubject of the book; and, in that, there is fuch an inaccuracy in the ftatement of facts, as in fo folemn an authour is hardly excufable, and certainly makes his narrative very unfatisfactory. But what is ftill worfe, there is throughout the whole of it a dark uncharitable caft, by which the most unfavourable conftruction

is put upon almost every circumftance in the character and conduct of my illuftrious friend; who, I trust, will, by a true and fair delineation, be vindicated both from the injurious misreprefentations of this authour, and from the flighter afperfions of a lady who once lived in great intimacy with him.

There is, in the British Museum, a letter from Bishop Warburton to Dr. Birch, on the fubject of biography; which, though I am aware it may expose me to a charge of artfully raifing the value of my own work, by contrasting it with that of which I have spoken, is fo well conceived and expreffed, that I cannot refrain from here inserting it:

" I SHALL endeavour (fays Dr.Warburton) to give you what fatisfaction I can in any thing you want to be fatisfied in any subject of Milton, and am extremely glad you intend to write his life. Almoft all the life-writers we have had before Toland

and

and Defmaiseaux, are indeed ftrange infipid creatures; and yet I had rather read the worst of them, than be obliged to go through with this of Milton's, or the other's life of Boileau, where there is fuch a dull, heavy fucceffion of long quotations of difinteresting paffages, that it makes their method quite naufeous, But the verbose, tafteless Frenchman feems to lay it down as a principle, that every life must be a book, and what's worse, it proves a book without a life; for what do we know of Boileau, after all his tedious ftuff? You are the only one, (and I speak it without a compliment) that by the vigour of your ftile and fentiments, and the real importance of your materials, have the art (which one would imagine no one could have miffed) of adding agreements to the most agreeable subject in the world, which is literary history"."

"Nov. 24, 1737."

Instead of melting down my materials into one mafs, and constantly speaking in my own perfon, by which I might have appeared to have more merit in the execution of the work, I have refolved to adopt and enlarge upon the excellent plan of Mr. Mason, in his Memoirs of Gray. Wherever narrative is neceffary to explain, connect, and supply, I furnish it to the best of my abilities; but in the chronological series of Johnson's life, which I trace as diftinctly as I can, year by year, I produce, wherever it is in my power, his own minutes, letters, or converfation, being convinced that this mode is

• Brit, Muf. 4320, Afcough's Catal, Sloane MSS,

more lively, and will make my readers better acquainted with him, than even most of those were who actually knew him, but could know him only partially; whereas there is here an accumulation of intelligence from various points, by which his character is more fully understood and illuftrated.

Indeed I cannot conceive a more perfect mode of writing any man's life, than not only relating all the most important events of it in their order, but interweaving what he privately wrote, and faid, and thought; by which mankind are enabled as it were to fee him live, and to "live o'er each fcene" with him, as he actually advanced through the several ftages of his life. Had his other friends been as diligent and ardent as I was, he might have been almost entirely preserved. As it is, I will venture to say that he will be feen in this work more completely than any man who has ever yet lived.

And he will be seen as he really was; for I profefs to write, not his panegyrick, which must be all praise, but his life; which, great and good as he was, must not be supposed to be entirely perfect. To be as he was, is indeed fubject of panegyrick enough to any man in this state of being; but in every picture there fhould be fhade as well as light, and when I delineate him without referve, I do what he himself recommended, both by his precept and his example.

"If the biographer writes from perfonal knowledge, and makes hafte to gratify the publick curiofity, there is danger left his interest, his fear, his gratitude, or his tenderness overpower his fidelity, and tempt him to conceal, if not to invent. There

are

are many who think it an act of piety to hide the faults or failings of their friends, even when they can no longer fuffer by their detection; we therefore fee whole ranks of characters adorned with uniform panegyrick, and not to be known from one another but by extrinsick and cafual circumstances. Let me remember, (fays Hale,) when I find myself inclined to pity a criminal, that there is likewise a pity due to the country.' If we owe regard to the memory of the dead, there is yet more respect to be paid to knowledge, to virtue, and to truth+.'

What I confider as the peculiar value of the following work, is, the quantity it contains of Johnson's conversation; which is universally açknowledged to have been eminently instructive and entertaining; and of which the fpecimens that I have given upon a former occafion, have been received with fo much approbation, that I have good grounds for fuppofing that the world will not be indifferent to more ample communications of a fimilar nature.

That the converfation of a celebrated man, if his talents have been exerted in conversation, will best display his character, is, I trust, too well established in the judgement of mankind, to be at all fhaken by a fneering obfervation of Mr. Mafon, in his Memoirs of Mr. William Whitehead, in which there is literally no Life, but a mere dry narrative of facts. I do not think it was quite neceffary to attempt a depreciation of what

Rambler, No. 60.