TESTIMONIA BOSWELL "After my death I wish no other herald, -Shakspeare, "Henry VIII.” "Boswell writes a regular journal of our travels, which I think contains: much of what I say and do, as of all other occurrences together; 'for such a faithful chronicler is Griffith.'"-Dr. Johnson's letter to Mrs. Thrale, dated. Ostick, in Skie, September 30th, 1773. "The Life of Johnson' is assuredly a great, a very great work. Homer is not more decidedly the first of heroic Poets, Shakspeare is not more decidedly the first of Dramatists, Demosthenes is not more decidedly the first of Orators, than Boswell is the first of Biographers. He has no second. He has distanced all his competitors so decidedly, that it is not worth while: to place them. Eclipse is first, and the rest nowhere."-MACAULAY. " 'It is not speaking with exaggeration, but with strict measured sobriety, to say that this Book of Boswell's will give us more real insight into the History of England during those [Johnson's] days than twenty other Books, falsely entitled'Histories,' which take to themselves that special aim."-CARLYLE. I "I shall never forget the first time I read Boswell's 'Life of Johnson.' thought of nothing else for months afterwards. It tinged my whole life, in a manner that no other book did. I felt as if I were admitted into the society, and made the intimate companion, of a class of men and women of whom I had heard much, but had known little; and now I knew them like personal friends. I returned to the book day after day as to a company of interesting and pleasant people whose society I loved; and I knew that when I got through I was quite a different man to what I was when I began."-ROBERT WATERS. "Great men are scarce (to use a bookseller's distinction), but great biographers are positively rare. Character-the vital principle is the ignis fatuus of the well-intentioned and efficient biographical chronicler. The great result is attained by a striking variety of means . . . but Boswell by his striking combination of imaginative insight and historical veracity would seem likely to retain a unique position as the greatest of all masters of theresources of the biographic art."-THOMAS SECCOMBE. CONTENTS Johnson starts on his Journey to the Midlands with Boswell-Mr. Gwyn, the Architect-Johnson and Boswell at Oxford-University College-Dr. Wetherell-Pembroke College-Dr. Adams-Phil Jones and Fludyer-Dr. Bentham-Dr. Horne-Walton's "Lives "-Thomas Warton-Robert and James Dodsley-Dr. John Campbell-Steele-" Tristram Shandy "-Edmund Burke-At Blenheim-Inns and Taverns-Shenstone-Dyer's "Fleece "-Grainger's Sugar Cane "-Dr. Percy-At Birmingham-Mr. Hector and Mr. Lloyd-Quakers-Mrs. Careless-Lichfield-Three Crowns Inn-Lucy Porter-Peter Garrick-Harry Jackson-Oat-ale-Garrick-Richard Green- Rev. Thos. Seward-Miss Seward-Death of Mr. Thrale's Son-Mrs. Aston-Marriage pp. 577-601 Johnson and Boswell Visit Dr. Taylor at Ashbourne-At Derby, Dr. Butter-Love Marriages—" The Ladies of the Present Day "-Death of Dr. James-St. Albans-Return to London-Johnson Goes to the Borough-Lobo's "Account of Abyssinia "-Johnson Arranges his Books-Voyages-Omai- Soldiers and Sailors-Pity-Education-Maclaurin-Good Friday and Easter-Johnson's Hope of Visiting Italy-Joseph Fowke-Jack Ellis-Gaming-Dr. Cheyne's Books-Dinner at Mr. Thrale's- Dinner at General Paoli's-Garrick's Humour-Johnson on Italian Travel-Translations-The Art of Printing-Goldsmith's Vanity-At John Hoole's-Mickle-Thomson's Poetry-Dodsley and Goldsmith-Gray-Joseph Cradock-Othello-At the Crown and Anchor-Wine-drinking-On Reading Cumberland's Odes-The Reviews-At Bath with Boswell-Burke-Mrs. Macaulay- Blair's " Chatterton-Chesterfield's Letters-Luxuries-Hailes's Annals of Scotland "-Johnson on Colonel Dr. Johnson meets John Wilkes at Dilly's Dinner-Party-Arthur Lee-Wilkes's Attention to Johnson- An Anecdote of Foote-Garrick-Johnson and his "Life of Dryden "-Cibber-Horace-Elkanah Settle-The Scotch-Mrs. Macaulay-Mrs. Knowles-Mrs. Rudd-Johnson's Epitaph on Goldsmith (1) for Westminster Abbey-The Round Robin-Johnson's Letter to Mrs. Boswell-He Rebukes Boswell-Count Manucci-At Brighton-Johnson's Indisposition-Dr. Hugh Blair |