CHAPTER XIV. 1760-1763. Miscellaneous Essays-Origin of Johnson's Acquaintance with Murphy-Akenside and RoltMackenzie and Eccles-Letters to Baretti-Painting and Music-Sir George StauntonLetter to a Lady soliciting Church Preferment for her Son-The King confers on Johnson a Pension of £300 a Year-Letters to Lord Bute-Visit to Devonshire, with Sir Joshua Rey nolds-Character of Collins-Dedication of Hooll's Tasso. IN 1760 he wrote "An Address of the Painters to George III. on his Accession to the Throne of these Kingdoms,"† which no monarch ever ascended with more sincere congratulations from his people. Two generations of foreign princes had prepared their minds to rejoice in having again a King, who gloried in being "born a Briton."1 He also wrote for Mr. Baretti the Dedicationf of his Italian and English Dictionary, to the Marquis of Abreu, then En voy-Extraordinary from Spain at the Court of Great Britain. Johnson was now either very idle, or very busy with his Shakspeare; for I can find no other public composition by him except an Introduction to the Proceedings of the Committee for Clothing the French Prisoners ;* one of the many proofs that he was ever awake to the calls of humanity; and an account which he gave in the Gentleman's Magazine of Mr. Tytler's acute and able vindication of Mary Queen of Scots.* The generosity of Johnson's feelings shines forth in the following sentence :— "It has now been fashionable, for near half a century, to defame and vilify the house of Stuart, and to exalt and magnify the reign of Elizabeth. The Stuarts have found few apologists, for the dead cannot pay for praise; and who will, without reward, oppose the tide of popularity? Yet there remains still among us, not wholly extinguished, a zeal for truth, a desire of establishing right in opposition to fashion.” 1 "Born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Briton.”—GEORGE III.'s fri Speech to his Parliament. In this year I have not discovered a single private letter written by him to any of his friends. It should seem, however, that he had at this period a floating intention of writing a history of the recent and wonderful successes of the British arms in all quarters of the globe; for among his resolutions or memorandums, September 18, there is, 1 "Send for books for Hist. of War." How much is it to be regretted that this intention was not fulfilled. His majestic expression would have carried down to the latest posterity the glorious achievements of his country, with the same fervent glow which they produced on the mind at the time. He would have been under no temptation to deviate in any degree from truth, which he held very sacred, or to take a licence, which a learned divine told me he once seemed, in a conversation, jocularly to allow to historians. "There are (said he) inexcusable lies, and consecrated lies. For instance, we are told that on the arrival of the news of the unfortunate battle of Fontenoy, every heart beat, and every eye was in tears. Now, we know that no man eat his dinner the worse, but there should have been all this concern; and to say there was (smiling), may be reckoned a consecrated lie." 2 This year Mr. Murphy, having thought himself ill-treated by the Rev. Dr. Francklin, who was one of the writers of "The Critical Review," published an indignant vindication in "A Poetical Epistle to Samuel Johnson, A.M.," in which he compliments Johnson in a just and elegant manner :— 1 The following memorandum, made on his birthday in this year, may be quoted as an example of the rules and resolutions which he was in the habit of making, for the guidance of his moral conduct and literary studies : 'Sept. 18. Resolved, D (eo) j (uvante), To combat notions of obligation: To apply to study: To reclaim imaginations To consult the resolves on Tetty's coffin: Rise early as I can: Send for books for Hist. of War: Put books in order: Scheme of life." Dr. Thomas Francklin, the translator of Sophocles and Lucian. He died in 1784 "Transcendent Genius! whose prolific vein And every muse presents her sacred lore; Say, powerful JOHNSON, whence thy verse is fraught Her innocence exchanged for guilty state; Thy nervous phrase impresses every soul, Again, towards the conclusion: "Thou then, my friend, who see'st the dang'rous strife In which some demon bids me plunge my life, To the Aonian fount direct my feet, Say, where the Nine thy lonely musings meet? You wake to finer feelings every heart; In each bright page some truth important give, I take this opportunity to relate the manner in which an acquaint ance first commenced between Dr. Johnson and Mr. Murphy. During the publication of "The Gray's Inn Journal," a periodical paper which was successfully carried on by Mr. Murphy alone, when a very young man, he happened to be in the country with Mr. Foote, and having mentioned that he was obliged to go to Londou in order to get ready for the press one of the numbers of that journal, Foote said to him, "You need not go on that account. Here is a French magazine, in which you will find a very pretty oriental tale; translate that, and send it to your printer." Mr. Murphy having read the tale, was highly pleased with it, and followed Foote's advice. When he returned to town, this tale was pointed out to him in "The Rambler," from whence it had beca translated into the French magazine.' Mr. Murphy then waited upon Johnson, to explain this curious incident. His talents, literature, and gentleman-like manners, were soon perceived by Johnson, and a friendship was formed which was never broken. LETTER 75. TO BENNET LANGTON, ESQ. "October 18, 1760. "DEAR SIR,-You that travel about the world, have more materials for letters, than I who stay at home; and should, therefore, write with frequency equal to your opportunities. I should be glad to have all England surveyed by you, if you would impart your observations in narratives as agreeable as your last. Knowledge is always to be wished to those who can communicate it well. While you have been riding and running, and seeing the tombs of the learned, and the camps of the valiant, I have only staid at home, and intended to do great things, which I have not done. Beau2 went away to Cheshire, and has not yet found his way back. Chambers passed the vacation at Oxford. "I am very sincerely solicitous for the preservation or curing of Mr. Langton's sight, and am glad that the chirurgeon at Coventry gives him so much hope. Mr. Sharp is of opinion that the tedious maturation of the cataract is a vulgar error, and that it may be removed as soon as it is formed. This notion deserves to be considered; I doubt whether it be universally true; but if it be true in some cases, and those cases can be distinguished, it may save a long and uncomfortable delay. "Of dear Mrs. Langton you give me no account; which is the less friendly, as you know how highly I think of her, and how much I interest myself in her health. I suppose you told her of my opinion, and likewise suppose it was not followed; however I still believe it to be right. "Let me hear from you again, wherever you are, or whatever you are doing; whether you wander or sit still, plant trees or make Rustics,3 play with your sisters or muse alone; and in return I will tell you the success of Sheridan, who at this instant is playing Cato, and has already played Richard twice. He had more company the second than the first night, and will make I believe a good figure in the whole, though his faults seem to be very many; some of natural deficience, and some of laborious affectation. He has, I think, no power of 1 When Mr. Murphy first became acquainted with Dr. Johnson, he was about thirty-one years old. He died at Knightsbridge, June 18, 1805, in his eighty-second year. The extraordinary paper mentioned in the text is No. 38 of the second series [of the Gray's Inn Journal], published on June 15, 1754; which is a retranslation from the French version of the Rambler, No. 190.-M. 2 Topham Beauclerk, Esq. 3 Essays with that title, written about this time by Mr. Langton, but not published. assuming either that dignity or elegance which some men, who have little of either in common life, can exhibit on the stage. His voice when strained is unpleasing, and when low is not always heard. He seems to think too much on the audience, and turns his face too often to the galleries. However, I wish him well; and among other reasons, because I like his wife. Make haste to write to, dear Sir, your most affectionate servant, 1 "SAM. JOHNSON." In 1761 Johnson appears to have done little. He was still, no doubt, proceeding in his edition of Shakspeare; but what advances he made in it cannot be ascertained. He certainly was at this time not active; for in his scrupulous examination of himself on Easter eve, he laments, in his too rigorous mode of censuring his own conduct, that his life, since the communion of the preceding Easter, had been "dissipated and useless." He, however, contributed this year the Preface* to "Rolt's Dictionary of Trade and Commerce," in which he displays such a clear and comprehensive knowledge of the subject, as might lead the reader to think that its author had devoted all his life to it. I asked him, whether he knew much of Rolt, and of his work. "Sir (said he), I never saw the man, and never read the book. The booksellers wanted a Preface to a Dictionary of Trade and Commerce. I knew very well what such a Dictionary should be, and I wrote a preface accordingly." Rolt, who wrote a great deal for the booksellers, was, as Johnson told me, a singular character. Though not in the least acquainted with him, 1 Mrs. Sheridan was author of " Memoirs of Miss Sydney Biddulph," a novel of great merit, and of some other pieces.-BosWELL. Her last work is, perhaps, her best-Nourjahad, an eastern tale: in which a pure morality is inculcated, with a great deal of fancy and consider. able force. No wonder that Dr. Johnson should have liked her! Dr. Parr, in a letter to Mr. Moore, published in his Life of R. B. Sheridan (vol. i. p. 11), thus mentions her :--"I once or twice met his mother-she was quite celestial! both her virtues and her genius were highly esteemed." This amiable and accomplished woman died at Blois, in September, 1766, as Mr. Moore states, and as is proved by a letter of Mr. Sheridan's, deploring that event, dated in October, 1766; though the Biographical Dictionary, and other authorities, placed her death in 1767.-C. -་་ 2 Sir Frederick Madden has favoured me with the following interesting extract from a letter of Birch to Lord Royston, dated London, October 25, 1760 :-" Sam. Johnson is in treaty with certain booksellers to supply three papers a week, in the nature of Essays, like the Rambler, at the unusual rate (if the fact be true), it is said, of three guineas a paper. But I question whether the temptation of even so liberal a reward will awaken him from his natural indolence; for while his Rambler was publishing, which came out but twice a week, the proprietor of it, Cave, told me that copy was seldom sent to the press till late in the right before the day of publication."-MARKLAND. Prayers and Meditations. |