ourfelves to part with him; for it is a harmless, loving creature: we divide our morfel with him, and are just able to keep him from starving. Upon enquiring into the means of this poor man's fubfiftence, he informed me, that the endowment of the alms-houses, in one of which he lived, yielded him an allowance of half a crown a week, and half a chaldron of coals at Christmas. That his wife bought milk and fold it again, and thereby was able to get about a fhilling a day. The fcantinefs of his income, he faid, had obliged him and his wife to study the art of cheap living, and he felicitated himself that they were become fuch proficients therein, as to be able to abftain from drinking, except at their fupper meal, when, as he said, they each indulged in a pint of beer, which sufficed them for four and twenty hours. He told me all this in a tremulous tone of voice that indicated a mind that had long ftruggled with affliction, but without the leaft murmur at his hard fortune, or complaint of the doctor's neglect of him: in fhort, he appeared to me fuch an examplar of meeknefs and patience in adverfity, as the best of men, in fimilar circumftances, might wish to imi tate. Johnson had also a first cousin, Elizabeth Herne, a lunatic, whom, upon her discharge from Bethlem hofpital as incurable, he had placed in a mad-houfe at Bethnal green. A lady of the name of Prowse, had bequeathed to her an annuity of 10l. and Johnfon conftantly paid the bills for her keeping, which, amounting to 251. a year, made him a benefactor to her of the difference between those two fums. The The doctor, by his will, bequeathed to the reverend Mr. Rogers, who had married the daughter of Mrs. Prowfe, 100l. towards the maintenance of the lunatic; but he, probably confidering that the intereft of that fum would fall far fhort of what Johnfon had been used to contribute, and that the burthen of supporting her would lie on himself, renounced the legacy. Had the doctor left her, for her life, the dividends of 5001. part of his ftock, fhe had fuftained no lofs at his death: as the matter now ftands, I muft apply the 1001. for her maintenance, and, if.fhe lives to exhaust it, mult feek out the place of her laft legal fettlement, and remit her to the care of a parish *. That the name of the poor man Heely occurs not in the will, and that no better a provision is therein made for the lunatic Herne, than a legacy which may fail to fupport her through life, can no otherwise be accounted for, than by the doctor's poftponing that last folemn act of his life, and his making a difpofition of what he had to leave, under circumstances that disabled him from recollecting either their rela Of the craft and selfishness of the doctor's negro-fervant, the following is a notable inftance. At the time of his mafter's death, Mrs. Herne's maintenance was about 301. in arrear. I was applied to for the money, and fhewed the bill to him, upon which he immediately went to the mad-houfe, and endeavoured to prevail on the keeper thereof to charge it on the legacy; but he refused to do it, faying, that the lunatic was placed there by Dr. Johnfon, and that it was a debt incurred in his life-time, and, by con fequence, was payable out of his effects. When this would not do, this artful fellow came to me, and pretended that he could bring a woman to fwear that there was nothing due ; and, upon my telling him, that I fhould, notwithstanding, pay the bill, he said, he faw there was no good intended for him, and in anger left me. tion VOL. I. Rr . tion to him, or the diftreffes they feverally laboured under. Any other fuppofition would be injurious to the memory of a man, who, by his private memoranda in my poffeffion, appears to have applied near a fourth part of his income in acts of benericence. The above facts are fo connected with the tranfactions of Dr. Johnson in the latter days of his life, that they are part of his history; and the mention of them may serve as a caveat against oftentatious bounty, favour to negroes, and teftamentary difpofitions in. extremis. It will afford fome fatisfaction to the compaffionate reader to know, that the means of benefiting Heely, and fome others of Dr. Johnion's relations, whom he had either totally neglected, or flightly noticed, have been found out and rendered practicable by Mr. Langton. That gentleman, to whom the doctor had given his ma-. nufcript Latin poems, having got for them of the bookiellers 201, with that benignity which is but one of his excellent qualities, had determined to divide the fame among the doctor's relations. And whereas the doctor died indebted to the eftate of the late Mr. Beauclerk, in the fum of 301. lady Diana Beauclerk, this relict and executrix, upon the receipt thereof, and being informed of Mr. Langton's intention, in a spirit of true benevolence requested, that he might be permitted to add that fum to the former, and, accordingly, depofited it in his hands. Part of this money has been applied in relieving the wants of Heely and his wife, and the reft will be difpofed of among thofe relations that fhall appear to ftand most in need of help; and, as a farther relief to Heely, andfor the benefit of the idiot-boy, meafures are taking to compel the father to maintain him, and eventually to fettle him with the parish, upon which he has ultimately a legal claim for relief and maintenance. END OF THE FIRST VOLUME, INDE X. A. ABiffinia, account of the Portuguefe miffion to Adventurer, hiftory of that publication Advertisement, a fpirited one, refpecting the Idler Ainsworth, Michael, note of him Akenfide, Dr. Mark, anecdotes of him challenges Ballow, a lawyer PAGE. 23 74 292 377 254 242 245 247 268 344 account of a day spent with him in the country Amburft, (editor of the Craftsman) memoirs of him tures Arches, obfervations on the controverfy on the ftrength of inftances of generofity of bookfellers to the frequent contrariety between their lives and writings 410 B. Bailey's Dictionary, the foundation of Johnson's Ballow, Mr. a lawyer, anecdotes of him affronts Dr. Akenfide and is challenged by him, but de 175 244 clines a meeting -245 Baret, John, the preface to his dictionary of four languages Lady Diana, his relict, her benevolence to the neglected Blackfriars Bridge, obfervations on the architecture of Blackmore, Sir Richard, his contempt of calumny 374 348 VOL. I. Sf Blaney, PAGE Blaney, Elizabeth, infcription to her memory, by Johnfon's father 4 344 158 Bookfellers, inftances of their generofity to authors 448 573 Brooke, Mr. Henry, account of his tragedy of Gustavus Vafa 76 C. Camden, (the antiquary) ftory of the mutilation of his monu ment in Weitminster Abbey Campbell, (the architect) Campbell, Dr. John, account of him Canton, Mr. John, a writer in the Gentleman's Magazine Catalogue of the Harleian Library, extracts from Cave, Edward, (the printer) account of him his correfpondents Chamier, Anthony, Efq; account of him Chesterfield, Earl of, his fpeech on the act for licenfing the ftory of his attempt on a married lady of quality 519 373 210 48 134 46 ibid. 422 the immoral tendency of his letters to his fon examined 181 his letters contrafted with a letter of Sir Henry Sidney's Chriftian, a complete one defined, by Howell Clarke, Dr. Samuel, his definition of virtue Cock-lane Ghoft, account of the Columns, the proportions of Contraband trader characterized Cooper, Bishop of Lincoln, note refpecting his dictionary Cornelys, Mrs. the fuperintendant of our public diverfions - Graftfman, character of that paper 573 Creditor, mercilefs, a character now hardly known in England 523 Crichton, James, furnamed the Admirable, account of him and his exploits Groufaz, character of him and his writings 294 65 D. Dead, |