He took opium in large quantities, but the effect of it was a renovation of his faculties. His friend Cave died in January 1754. Of this man it is unneceffary to fay any thing, because the author of his life has said so much and fo well. It was a mortification to Johnson that his old friend did not live to see the triumph of his labours. By the end of the year in which Cave died, the Dictionary was completed, and the clofe of the work fent to the prefs. Mr. Andrew Millar received the conclufion of this great undertaking with tranfports of joy, which he thought proper to exprefs in the following note: "Andrew Millar fends his compliments to Mr. Samuel Johnfon, with the money for the laft fheet of copy of the Dictionary, and thanks God he has done with him." Johnfon returned a fhort and temperate anfwer: "Samuel Johnfon returns his compliments to Mr. Andrew Millar, and is very glad to find, as he does by his note, that Andrew Millar has the grace to thank God for any thing." In May 1755, this great work was published. Johnfon was defirous that it fhould appear to come from one, who had ob tained academical honours, and, for that purpose, procured, in the preceding Feb. 1755, through the means of his friend, Mr. Thomas Warton, a diploma for a Mafter's degree from the Univerfity of Oxford. Garrick, on this occafion, wrote the following lines: Talk of war with a Briton, he'll boldly advance, In the deep mines of fcience though Frenchmen may toil, Their verfe-men and profe-men; then match them with ours: Have put their whole drama and epic to flight; Has beat forty French, and will beat forty more.' Lord Chefterfield wrote two eflays, in the paper called the World, in a ftrain of compliment to the author. Johnfon treated this civility with difdain: his obfervation to Garrick, and others, was, "I have failed a long and difficult voyage round the world of the English language, and does he now send out his cock-boat to tow me into harbour?" Sir Thomas Robinfon (commonly called Long Sir Thomas) endeavoured to bring about a reconciliation. He was commiffioned to apologize for Lord Chesterfield, and to make a tender of future friendship and pa The number of the French Academy employed in fettling their language. Cc 2 tronage. tronage. Sir Thomas added, that he himfelf, were he in greater affluence, would fettle an annuity of sool. "Sir," faid Johnfon, 66 were the first peer in the kingdom to make me fuch an offer, I would fhew him the way down ftairs." Thus we fee Johnfon proud of himself, and fierce with a fpirit of independence. He received, about this time, a polite overture of friendship from Mr. Dodington, afterwards Lord Melcombe. It does not appear that this invitation was accepted: his pride led him to fhun the Great. It may be fuppofed that for all this ferocity there was fome foundation in his finances, and fince his Dictionary was finished, that money was to flow in upon him. The reverfe was the cafe. For his fubfiftence, during the progrefs of the work, he had received more than his contract, which was 15757. His receipts were produced at a taverndinner given by the bookfellers, and Johníon had nothing left but the growing fame of his work. The author of a book called Lexiphanes, endeavoured to blaft his laurels, but in vain: the world applauded, and Johnfon never replied. His mind, indeed, ftrained and overlaboured, called for an interval of relaxation. He could not, however, afford to be altogether idle. Indolence was natural to him, but his neceffities required fome exertion of his talents. In or about 1756, he engaged in a publication called the Vifitor; and in the fubfequent year he became a Reviewer in the Literary Magazine, published by Mr. Newbery, and printed by Faden, who had been alfo printer of the Rambler. Among the books and monthly publications that paffed under his pen, Hanway's Journal attracted his attention. Mr. Hanway, in that work, happened to cenfure in ftrong terms the practice of drinking tea, which was Johnfon's favourite liquor. Between thefe two eminent men a controversy ensued concerning the qualities of tea. Mr. Hanway begged quarter till his fecond edition fhould appear. Johnfon complied; but on the appearance of the fecond edition, the war was renewed. In the article of tea, Johnson defcribes himself as a hardened finner, who had for years diluted his meals with the infufion of that fafcinating plant; whofe tea-kettle had no time to cool; who with tea folaced the midnight hour, and with tea welcomed the morning. Of Hanway he faid, "He is a man whofe failings may well be pardoned for his virtues." Of the good Mr. Hanway, Sir John Hawkins fpeaks with more afperity : he had, fays the Biographer, a propenfity to write books, which for their tritenefs and inanity, no one can read. The remark, if true, will apply to a great many other writers. Before we clofe this year, 1756, we must acquaint the reader with a dreadful misfortune, which marks this unhappy æra. * Generally afcribed to Kenrick; but we have heard that the author's name was Campbell. The The chop-houfe club in Ivy-lane was diffolved: fome of the members were called to different parts of the world, and Sir John Hawkins found it convenient to spend his evenings at home. Johnfon, however, furvived this calamity. His flock of money arifing from the Dictionary being exhaufted, he quitted his houfe in Gough-fquare, and took chambers fomewhere in the Temple, and afterwards in Gray's Inn. Mrs. Williams went into lodgings. The bookfellers had been for fome time projecting a new edition of Shakespeare, and Johnson's name they thought would give celebrity to the work. He clofed with their propofals, and fubfcription tickets were iffued out. For undertaking this work, money, he confeffed, was the inciting motive: this, and not the defire of fame, he ufed freely to declare, was the most cogent reafon for taking a pen in hand. His friends exerted themselves to promote the fubfcription, and, in the mean time, he engaged, under the auspices of Mr. Newbery, in a new work, called the Idler, which was published in the Univerfal Chronicle, a paper fet on foot by Mr. Newbery, who was a man of a projecting head, good tafte, and great induftry. The Idler began on the 15th of April 1758, and clofed on the 15th of April 1760. The profits of this work, and the fubfcriptions taken in for the edition of Shakespeare, together with fome fermons for lazy clergymen at a guinea each, were the means by which he fupported himfelf, till May or June 1762, when he was at length delivered from his diftrefs, by a penfion of 300l. per annum, extended to him by the royal bounty. In 1759, was published Raffelas, Prince of Abyffinia. The fory current at the time, was, that Johnfon wanted to fet out on a journey to Lichfield, in order to pay the laft offices of filial duty to his mother, who, at the age of ninety, was then very near her diffolution. For this purpose, money was neceffa y. The late Mr. Dodfley was a man, whofe heart at all times melted at diftrefs, and the prefent occafion awakened fenfations of the tendereft kind. He fled to the relief of a man, whom he loved and honoured, and either gave 100 l. for the book (if it was then written), or advanced the money on the promise of a work that fhould be deemed equivalent. With this fupply, the affectionate fon fet out for Lichfield, but did not arrive in time to bid the laft adieu, and close the eye of a parent whom he loved. He attended the funeral, and returned to London. Raffelas, it is faid, was then written, and Mr. Dodfley thought himfelt amply repaid. This hiftory of the affair, we hope is true, for it does honour both to the Bookfeller and the Author. The Biographer's account of Mr. Baretti's being employed to hawk it among the bookfellers for the moft money, is related upon no better authority than that of hearsay. The character of this work, as expreffed by Sir John Hawkins, is curious in its kind: Confidered,' Cc 3 fidered,' he fays, as a fpecimen of our language, it is fcarcely to be paralleled.' His reafon is this, it is written in a ftyle refined to a degree of immaculate purity, and difplays the whole force of turgid eloquence. Is this praife, or is it cenfure? The little incident that happened with Foote might be paffed over in filence, but fince it is brought forward, it may be proper to place it in its true light. A large number of friends, fuch as Johafon, Mr. Burke, Dr. Jofeph Warton, Mr. Thomas Warton, Mr. Murphy, and others, dined at Garrick's, at Chriftmas 1760. Foote was then in Dublin. It was faid at table, that the modern Ariftophanes (as Foote was then called) had been horfe-whipped by an apothecary, for taking him off upon the tage. The report occafioned much converfation. "But I wonder," faid Garrick, "that any man would fhew fo much refentment to Foote: he has a licence or a patent for fuch liberties: nobody ever thought it worth his while to quarrel with him in London.”—And I am glad, faid Johnson, to find that the man is rising in the world. The anecdote was, afterwards, told to Foote, who, in return, gave out that he would in a fhort time produce the Caliban of literature on the ftage. Being informed of this defign, Johnfon fent word to Foote, that, the theatre being intended for the reformation of vice, he would go from the boxes on the stage, and correct him before the audience. Foote abandoned the defign. No ill-will enfued. Johnson used to fay, that for broad-faced mirth, Foote had not his equal. In June or July 1762, his Majefty, willing to reward literary merit, granted the penfion already mentioned, of 3007. a year. Sir John Hawkins, perhaps in a hurry to relieve the diftreffes of his friend, places this tranfaction in the year 1760, when, he fays, Lord Bute was Minifter. Lord Bute was not Minifter till the rifing of the Parliament in 1762. Of this affair, as far as it is known, the real ftate is as follows: Mr. Wedderburn (now Lord Loughborough) had authority to mention it. He was well acquainted with Johnfon, but he had heard much of his fierce independence, and alfo of the downfal of Ofborne the bookfeller. He did not know but a folio might be thrown at his own head, and, to avoid all untoward accidents, defired Mr. Murphy, who was intimate with Johnson, to open the matter to him. Mr. Murphy went, without delay, to the Doctor's chambers in the Inner Temple Lane. By due degrees and artful approaches, and after waiting for fome time for the mollia tempora fandi, the meffage was difclofed. Johnfon was overwhelmed with the tidings. He made a long paufe: he afked if it was feriously intended? He fell into profound meditation, and at last his own definition of a penfioner occurred to him. He did not say a fyllable about the houfe of Hanover. It was enough to obferve to him that he, at leaf, did not come within the definition. The The refult was, he took a fhort time to confider of it: he defired that Mr. Murphy and he might dine at the Mitre tavern on the following day. The partics met at the appointed hour. The matter was fully difcuffed, and ended in Johnfon's acknowledging himfelf highly honoured by his Majefty's liberal offer. It was then fixed that he was to be dreffed the next day at eleven o'clock, when a carriage would be ready to convey him to a houfe at the west end of the town, where Mr. Wedderburn would meet him, in order to proceed to the Earl of Bute. On the next day, Mr. Murphy was in the Temple Lane foon after nine: he got Johnson up, and dreffed in due time, and faw him fet off at eleven. Of the converfation between Lord Bute and Johnfon the fubftance was this: The penfion was notified; Johnfon expreffed his fenfe of the royal munificence, and thought himself the more highly honoured, as the offer was not made to him for having dipped. his pen in faction. No, Sir, faid Lord Bute; it is not offered to you for having dipped your pen in faction, nor with a defire that you ever fhould. Sir John Hawkins fays, that, after this interview, Johnfon was often preffed to wait on Lord Bute, but he never knocked at his door. Of Johnfon's intimates there are many living to whom this is entirely new. Certain it is, he was never heard to utter a difrefpectful word of that nobleman. Mrs. Piozzi has related a difpute with the late Dr. Rofe of Chifwick, about the Scotch and English writers. Dr. Rofe contended for the pre-eminence of his countrymen; and Ferguson's book upon Civil Society, he faid, would give the laurel to the authors of North Britain. "Alas! what can he do upon that fubject Ariftotle, Polybius, Grotius, Puffendorf, and Burlamaqui have been before him." He will treat it, faid Dr. Rofe, in a new manner." A new manner !-Buckinger had no hands, and he wrote his name with his toes, for half a crown a time, at Charing-crofs that was a new manner of writing!" Mrs. Piozzi has omitted the reply. If that will not fatisfy you, faid Dr. Rofe, I will name a writer, whom you must allow to be the best in the kingdom." Who is that?"-The Earl of Bute, when he wrote an order for your penfion. There, Sir, replied Johnfon, you have me in the toil: to Lord Bute I muft allow whatever praife you claim for him.-Ingratitude was no part of Johnfon's character. We have now travelled through that part of Dr. Johnfon's life, which was a perpetual ftruggle with difficulties. In the whole of this time, we have no account of any acts of generosity or benevolence on the part of his friends. Garrick was in a lucrative profeffion, that yielded annually a confiderable acquifition of wealth. We know from the character of Profpero, in the Rambler, No. 2co (explained by Mrs. Piozzi), that Gare CC 4 rick 1 |