Samuelem Johnson (conspirantibus omnium suffragiis) Magistrumi in Artibus renunciavimus et constituimus; eumque, virtute præsentis diplomatis, singulis juribus, pri- | vilegiis et honoribus ad istum gradum quaqua pertinentibus frui et gaudere jussimus. "In cujus rei testimonium sigillum Universitatis Oxoniensis præsentibus apponi fecimus. "Datum in Domo nostræ Convocationis die 20 Mensis Feb. Anno Dom. prædicto. "Diploma supra scriptum per Registrarium lectum erat, et ex decreto venerabilis Domus communi Universitatis sigillo munitum." "Londini, 4to. Cal. Mart. 1755. "INGRATUS plane et tibi et mihi videar, nisi quanto me gaudio affecerint, quos nuper mihi honores (te, credo, auctore,) decrevit Senatus Academicus, literarum, quo tamen nihil levius, officio significem: ingratus etiam, nisi comitatem, qua vir eximiust mihi vestri testimonium amoris in manus tradidit, agnoscam et laudem. Si quid est, unde rei tam gratæ accedat gratia, hoc ipso magis mihi placet, quod eo tempore in ordines Academicos denuo cooptatus sim, quo tuam imminuere auctoritatem, famamque Oxonii lædere, omnibus modis conantur homines vafri, nec tamen acuti: quibus ego, prout viro umbratico licuit, semper restiti, semper restiturus. Qui enim, inter has rerum procellas, vel tibi vel Academiæ defuerit, illum virtuti et literis, sibique et posteris, defuturum existimo. Vale." "TO THE REV. MR. THOMAS WARTON. "DEAR SIR, "AFTER I received my diploma, I wrote you a letter of thanks, with a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, and sent another to Mr. Wise: but have heard from nobody since, and begin to think myself forgotten. It is true, I sent you a double letter, and you may fear an expensive correspondent; but I would have taken it kindly, if you had returned it treble: and what is a double letter to a petty king, that, having fellowship and fines, can sleep without a Modus in his head ?" "Dear Mr. Warton, let me hear from you, and tell me something, I care not what, The original is in my possession. The superscription of this letter was not quite correct in the former editions. It is here given from Dr. Johnson's original letter, now before me. M.] We may conceive what a high gratification it must have been to Johnson to receive his diploma from the hands of the great Dr. KING, whose principles were so congenial with his own. "The words in italics are allusions to passages in Mr. Warton's poem, called The PROGRESS of DISCONTENT,' now lately published." so I hear it but from you. Something, I "[London,] March 20, 1755." "DEAR SIR, "THOUGH not to write, when a man can write so well, is an offence sufficiently heinous, yet I shall pass it by. I am very glad that the Vice-Chancellor was pleased with my note. I shall impatiently expect you at London, that we may consider what to do next. I intend in the winter to open a Bibliotheque, and remember, that you are to subscribe a sheet a year: let us try, likewise, if we cannot persuade your brother to subscribe another. My book is now coming in luminis oras. What will be its fate I know not, nor think much, because thinking is to no purpose. It must stand the censure of the great vulgar and the small; of those that understand it, and that understand it not. But in all this, I suffer not alone; every writer has the same difficulties, and, perhaps, every writer talks of them more than he thinks. "You will be pleased to make my compli ments to all my friends; and be so kind, at every idle hour, as to remember, dear Sir, yours, &c. "SAM. JOHNSON." "[London,] March 25, 1755." Dr. Adams told me, that this scheme of a Bibliotheque was a serious one; for, upon his visiting him one day, he found his parlour floor covered with parcels of foreign and English literary journals, and he told Dr. Adams he meant to undertake a Review. "How, Sir, (said Dr. Adams,) can you think of doing it alone? All branches of knowledge must be considered in it. Do you know Mathematics? Do you know Natural History?" Johnson answered, "Why, Sir, I must do as well as I can. My chief purpose is, to give my countrymen a view of what is doing in literature upon the continent; and I shall have, in a good measure, the choice of my subject, for I shall select such books as I best understand." Dr. Adams suggested, that as Dr. Maty had just then finished his Bibliotheque Britannique, which was a well-executed work, giving foreigners an account of British publica tions, he might with great advantage assume him as an assistant. "He, (said Johnson,) the little black dog! I'd throw him into the Thames." The scheme, however, was dropped. In one of his ittle memorandum-books, I find the following hints for his intended Re- | fession, but whose name could never have view, or Literary Journal; "The Annals of reached the author of THE RAMBLER, the Literature, foreign as well as domestic. Imi-politeness and urbanity may be opposed to tate Le Clerk, Bayle - Barbeyrac. Infeli- some of the stories which have been lately city of Journals in England. Works of the circulated of Dr. Johnson's natural rudeness learned. We cannot take in all. Some- and ferocity. times copy from foreign Journalists. Always tell. "SIR, "TO MR. SAMUEL JOHNSON. Norfolk-street, April 23, 1755. "THE part of your Dictionary which you have favoured me with the sight of has given me such an idea of the whole, that I most sincerely congratulate the public upon the acquisition of a work long wanted, and now executed with an industry, accuracy, and judgement, equal to the importance of the subject. You might, perhaps, have chosen one in which your genius would have appeared to more advantage, but you could not have fixed upon any other in which your labours would have done such substantial service to the present age and to posterity; I am glad that your health has supported the application necessary to the performance of so vast a task; and can undertake to promise you as one (though perhaps the only) reward of it, the approbation and thanks of every well-wisher to the honour of the English language. I am, with the greatest regard, Sir, your most faithful, and "Most affectionate humble servant, "THO. BIRCH." Mr. Charles Burney, who has since distinguished himself so much in the science of Music, and obtained a Doctor's degree from the University of Oxford, had been driven from the capital by bad health, and was now residing at Lynne Regis in Norfolk. He had been so much delighted with Johnson's Rambler, and the plan of his Dictionary, that when the great work was announced in the newspapers as nearly finished, he wrote to Dr. Johnson, begging to be informed when and in what manner his Dictionary would be published; entreating, if it should be by subscription, or he should have any books at his own disposal, to be favoured with six copies for himself and friends. In answer to this application, Dr. Johnson wrote the following letter, of which (to use Dr Burney's own words,) "if it be remembered that it was written to an obscure young man, who at this time had not much distinguished himself even in his own pro "TO MR. BURNEY, IN LYNNE REGIS, NORFOLK "SIR, "IF you imagine that by delaying my answer I intended to shew any neglect of the notice with which you have favoured me, you will neither think justly of yourself nor of me. Your civilities were offered with too much elegance not to engage attention; and I have too much pleasure in pleasing men like you, not to feel very sensibly the distinction which you have bestowed upon me. "Few consequences of my endeavours to please or to benefit mankind have delighted me more than your friendship thus voluntarily offered, which now I have it I hope to keep, because I hope to continue to deserve it. "I have no Dictionaries to dispose of for myself, but shall be glad to have you direct your friends to Mr. Dodsley, because it was by his recommendation that I was employed in the work. "When you have leisure to think again upon me, let me be favoured with another letter; and another yet, when you have looked into my Dictionary. If you find faults, I shall endeavour to mend them; if you find none, I shall think you blinded by kind partiality: but to have made you partial in his favour, will very much gratify the ambition of, Sir, your most obliged "And most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." "Gough-Square, Fleet-street, April 8, 1755." Mr. Andrew Millar, bookseller, in the Strand, took the principal charge of conducting the publication of Johnson's Dictionary; and as the patience of the proprietors was repeatedly tried and almost exhausted by their expecting that the work would be completed within the time which Johnson had sanguinely supposed, the learned author was often goaded to despatch, more especially as he had received all the copy-money, by dif ferent drafts, a considerable time before he had finished his task. When the messenger who carried the last sheet to Millar returned, Johnson asked him, “Well, what did he say?"-"Sir, (answered the messenger,) he said, Thank God, I have done with him.”"I am glad, (replied Johnson with a smile,) that he thanks GOD for any thing." It is Sir John Hawkins, p. 341, inserts two notes as having passed formally between Andrew Millar and Johnson, to the above effect. 1 am assured this was not the case. In the way of incidental remark, it was a pleasant play of raillery. To have deliberately written notes in such terms would have been morose. able, that those with whom Johnson chiefly contracted for his literary labours were Scotchmen, Mr. Millar and Mr. Strahan. Millar, though himself no great judge of literature, had good sense enough to have for his friends very able men, to give him their opinion and advice in the purchase of copyright; the consequence of which was his acquiring a very large fortune with great liberality. Johnson said of him, "I respect Millar, Sir; he has raised the price of literature." The same praise may be justly given to Panckoucke, the eminent bookseller of Paris. Mr. Strahan's liberality, judgement, and success, are well known. "It has been long observed, that men do not suspect faults which they do not commit; your own elegance of manners, and punctuality of complaisance, did not suffer you to impute to me that negligence of which I was guilty, and which I have not since atoned. I received both your letters, and received them with pleasure proportio nate to the esteem which so short an acquaintance strongly impressed, and which I hope to confirm by nearer knowledge, though I am afraid that gratification will be for a time withheld. "I have, indeed, published my Book, of which I beg to know your father's judgement, and yours; and I have now stayed long enough to watch its progress in the world. It has, you see, no patrons, and, I think, has yet had no opponents, except the critics of the coffee-house, whose outcries are soon dispersed into the air, and are thought on no more: from this, therefore, I am at liberty, and think of taking the opportunity of this interval to make an excursion, and why not then into Lincolnshire? or, to mention a stronger attraction, why not to dear Mr. Langton? I will give the true reason, which I know you will approve :I have a mother more than eighty years old, who has counted the days to the publicatiou of my book, in hopes of seeing me: and to her, if I can disengage myself here, I resolve to go. pany of men to whom Nature does not spread her volumes or utter her voice in vain." "Do not, dear Sir, make the slowness of this letter a precedent for delay, or imagine that I approved the incivility that I have committed; for I have known you enough to love you, and sincerely to wish a farther knowledge; and I assure you, once more, that to live in a house that contains such a father, and such a son, will be accounted a very uncommon degree of pleasure, by, dear Sir, "Your most obliged, and "Most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." "May 6, 1755." "TO THE REVEREND MR. THOMAS WAR if "DEAR SIR, TON. "I AM grieved that you should think me "Your most affectionate, &c. "[London,] May 13, 1755." "DEAR SIR, "IT is strange how many things will hap pen to intercept every pleasure, though it [be] only that of two friends meeting toge ther. I have promised myself every day to inform you when you might expect me at Oxford, and have not been able to fix a time. The time, however, is, I think, at last come; and I promise myself to repose in KettelHall, one of the first nights of the next week. I am afraid my stay with you cannot be long; but what is the inference? We must endeavour to make it cheerful. I wish your and drink tea with Mr. Wise in a body. I brother could meet us, that we might go British and Saxon antiquities.§. I shall expect to see Spenser finished, and many other things begun. Dodsley is gone to visit the As I know, dear Sir, that to delay my visit for a reason like this, will not deprive me of your esteem, I beg it may not lessen your kindness. I have very seldom receiv-hope he will be at Oxford, or at his nest of ed an offer of friendship which I so earnestly desire to cultivate and mature. I shall rejoice to hear from you, till I can see you, and will see you as soon as I can; for when the duty that calls me to Lichfield is discharged, my inclination will carry me to Langton. I shall delight to hear the ocean roar, or see the stars twinkle, in the com * His Dictionary. "A translation of Apollonius Rhodius was now intended by Mr. Warton." [Kettel-Hall is an ancient tenement built about the year 1615, by Dr. Ralph Kettel, President of Trinity College, for the accommodation of Commoners of that Society. It adjoins the College; and was a few years ago converted into a private house. M.] § "At Ellsfield, a village three miles from Oxford." 66 Catalogue, page 154. Life of Sir Thomas More. Qu. Whether Roper's? Page 363. De resignatione Magni Sigilli in manus Regis per D. Thomam Morum. Page 364. Mori Defensio Moria. "If you procure the young gentleman in the library to write out what you think fit to be written, I will send to Mr. Prince the bookseller to pay him what you think proper. "Be pleased to make my compliments to Mr. Wise, and all my friends. I am, Sir, "Your affectionate, &c. "SAM. JOHNSON." The Dictionary, with a Grammar and History of the English Language, being now at length published, in two volumes fo lio, the world contemplated with wonder so stupendous a work achieved by one man, while other countries had thought such undertakings fit only for whole academies. Vast as his powers were, I cannot but think that his imagination deceived him, when he supposed that by constant application he might have performed the task in three years. Let the Preface be attentively perused, in which is given, in a clear, strong, and glowing style, a comprehensive, yet particular view of what he had done; and it will be evident, that the time he employed upon it was comparatively short. I am unwilling to swell my book with long quotations from what is in every body's hands, and I believe there are few prose composi tions in the English language that are read with more delight, or are more impressed upon the memory, than that preliminary discourse. One of its excellencies has always struck me with peculiar admiration; I mean the perspicuity with which he has expressed abstract scientific notions. As an instance of this, I shall quote the following sentence: "When the radical idea branches out into parallel ramifications, how can a consecutive series be formed of senses in their own nature collateral ?" We have here an example of what has been often said, and I believe with justice, that there is for every thought a certain nice adaptation of words which none other could equal, and which when a man has been so fortunate as to hit, he has attained, in that particular case, the perfection of language. The extensive reading which was absolutely necessary for the accumulation of authorities, and which alone may account for Johnson's retentive mind being enriched with a very large and various store of knowledge and imagery, must have occupied several years. The Preface furnishes an eminent instance of a double talent, of which Johnson was fully conscious. Sir Joshua Reynolds heard him say, "There are two things which I am confident I can do very well: one is an introduction to any literary work, stating what it is to contain, and how it should be executed in the most perfect manner; the other is a conclusion, shewing from various causes why the execution has not been equal to what the author promised to himself and to the public.' How should puny scribblers be abashed and disappointed, when they find him displaying a perfect theory of lexicographical excellence, yet at the same time candidly and modestly allowing that he "had not satisfied his own expectations." Here was a fair occasion for the exercise of Johnson's modesty, when he was called upon to compare his own arduous performance, not with that His introducing his own opinions, and even prejudices, under general definitions of words, while at the same time the original meaning of the words is not explained, as his Tory, Whig, Pension, Oats, Excise,† and a few more, cannot be fully defended, and must be placed to the account of capricious and humorous indulgence. Talking to me upon this subject when we were at Ashbourne in 1777, he mentioned a still stronger instance of the predominance of his private feelings in the composition of this work, than any now to be found in it. "You know, Sir, Lord Gower forsook the old Jacobite interest. When I came to the word Renegado, after telling that it meant one who deserts to the enemy, a revolter,' I added, Sometimes we say a GowER. Thus it went to the press: but the printer had more wit than I, and struck it out." those of other individuals (in which case his | Sometimes easier words are changed into inflexible regard to truth would have been harder; as, burial, into sepulture or interviolated had he affected diffidence), but with ment; dry, into desiccative; dryness, into sicspeculative perfection; as he, who can out-city or aridity; fit, into paroxysm; for, the strip all his competitors in the race, may easiest word, whatever it be, can never be yet be sensible of his deficiency when he translated into one more easy." runs against time. Well might he say, "the English Dictionary was written with little assistance of the learned;" for he told me, that the only aid which he received was a paper containing twenty etymologies, sent to him by a person then unknown, who he was afterwards informed was Dr. Pearce, Bishop of Rochester. The etymologies, though they exhibit learning and judge. ment, are not, I think, entitled to the first praise amongst the various parts of this immense work. The definitions have always appeared to me such astonishing proofs of acuteness of intellect and precision of language, as indicate a genius of the highest rank. This it is which marks the superior excellence of Johnson's Dictionary over others equally or even more voluminous, and must have made it a work of much greater mental labour than mere Lexicons, or Word-Books, as the Dutch call them. They, who will make the experiment of try. ing how they can define a few words of whatever nature, will soon be satisfied of the unquestionable justice of this observation, which I can assure my readers is founded upor much study, and upon communication with more minds than my own. 66 A few of his definitions must be admitted to be erroneous. Thus, Windward, and Leeward, though directly of opposite meaning, are defined identically the same way;" as to which inconsiderable specks it is enough to observe, that his Preface announces that he was aware there might be many such in so immense a work; nor was he at all disconcerted when an instance was pointed out to him. A lady once asked him how he came to define Pastern the knee of a horse: Instead of making an elaborate defence, as she expected, he at once answered, Ignorance, Madam, pure ignorance." His definition of Network has often been quoted with sportive malignity, as obscuring a thing in itself very plain. But to these frivolous censures no other answer is necessary than that with which we are furnished by his own Preface. "To explain, requires the use of terms less abstruse than that which is to be explained, and such terms cannot always be found. For as nothing can be proved but by supposing something intuitively known, and evident without proof, so nothing can be defined but by the use of words too plain to admit of definition. [He owns in his preface the deficiency of the technical part of his work; and he said, he should be much obliged to me for definitions of musical terms for his sex? edition, which he did not live to superintend. B.] Let it, however, be remembered, that this indulgence does not display itself only in sarcasm towards others, but sometimes in playful allusion to the notions commonly entertained of his own laborious task. Thus; "Grub-street, the name of a street in London, much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems; whence any mean production is called Grubstreet."-" Lexicographer, a writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge." At the time when he was concluding his very eloquent Preface, Johnson's mind appears to have been in such a state of depression, that we cannot contemplate without wonder the vigorous and splendid thoughts, which so highly distinguish that perform ance. "I (says he) may surely be contented without the praise of perfection, which if I could obtain in this gloom of solitude, + He thus defines Excise-" A hateful tax levied upon commodities, and adjudged not by the common judges of property, but wretches hired by those to whom Excise is paid." The Commissioners of Excise being offended by this severe reflection, consulted Mr. Murray, then Attorney-General, to know whether redress could be legally obtained. I wished to have procured for my readers a copy of the opinion which he gave, and which may now be justly considered as history: but the mys terious secrecy of office it seems would not permit it. I am, however, informed, by very good authority, that its import was, that the passage might be considered as board not to prosecute. Johnson never made the smallactionable; but that it would be more prudent in the est alteration in this passage. We find he still retained his early prejudice against Excise; for in "The Idler, No. 65," there is the following very extraordinary paragraph: "The authenticity of Clarendon's history, though printed with the sanction of one of the first Universities of the world, had not an unexpected manuscript been happily discovered, would, with the help of factious credulity, have been brought into question, by the two lowest of all human beings, a Scribbler for a party, and a Commissioner of Excise." The persons to whom he alludes were Mr. John Oldmixon, and George Ducket, Esq. |