* chiefly taken from a foreign publication; as, indeed, he could not himself know much about Burman; "Additions to his Life of Barretier," "The Life of Sydenham,"* afterwards prefixed to Dr. Swan's edition of his works; "Proposals for printing Bibliotheca Harleiana, or a Catalogue of the Library of the Earl of Oxford." His account of that celebrated collection of books, in which he displays the importance to literature, of what the French call a catalogue raisonné, when the subjects of it are extensive and various, and it is executed with ability, cannot fail to impress all his readers with admiration of his philological attainments. It was afterwards prefixed to the first volume of the Catalogue, in which the Latin accounts of books were written by him. He was employed in this business by Mr. Thomas Osborne' the bookseller, who purchased the library for 13,000l., a sum which Mr. Oldys says, in one of his manuscripts, was not more than the binding of the books had cost; yet, as Dr. Johnson assured me, the slowness of the sale was such, that there was not much gained by it. It has been confidently related, with many embellishments, that Johnson one day knocked Osborne down in his shop with a folio, and put his foot upon his neck. The simple truth I had from Johnson himself. "Sir, he was impertinent to me, and I beat him. But it was not in his shop: it was in my own chamber." A very diligent observer may trace him where we should not easily suppose him to be found. I have no doubt that he wrote the little abridgment entitled "Foreign History," in the Magazine for December. To prove it, I shall quote the Introduction: "As this is that season of the year in which Nature may be said to command a suspension of hostilities, and which seems intended, by putting a short stop to violence and slaughter, to afford time for malice to relent, and animosity 'The same who is introduced into the Dunciad under disgusting circumstances, which disgrace Pope rather than Osborne, of whom Johnson says in his life of the poet, that his "impassible dulness" would not feel the satire. He died in 1767.-Croker. * See Censura Literaria, vol. i., p. 438.-Wright. to subside; we can scarce expect any other account than of plans, negotiations, and treaties, of proposals for peace, and preparations for war." As also this As also this passage: "Let those who despise the capacity of the Swiss, tell us by what wonderful policy, or by what happy conciliation of interests, it is brought to pass, that in a body made up of different communities and different religions, there should be no civil commotions, though the people are so warlike, that to nominate and raise an army is the same." I am obliged to Mr. Astle1 for his ready permission to copy the two following letters, of which the originals are in his possession. Their contents show that they were written about this time, and that Johnson was now engaged in preparing an historical account of the British Parliament. TO MR. CAVE. [No date.] "SIR, "I believe I am going to write a long letter, and have therefore taken a whole sheet of paper. The first thing to be written about is our historical design. "You mentioned the proposal of printing in numbers as an alteration in the scheme, but I believe you mistook, some way or other, my meaning; I had no other view than that you might rather print too many of five sheets, than of five and thirty. "With regard to what I shall say on the manner of proceeding, I would have it understood as wholly indifferent to me, and my opinion only, not my resolution. Emptoris sit eligere. "I think the insertion of the exact dates of the most important events in the margin, or of so many events as may enable the reader to regulate the order of facts with sufficient exactness, the proper medium between a journal, which has regard only to time, and a history, which ranges facts according to their dependence on each other, 1 Thomas Astle, Esq., many years Keeper of the Records in the Tower, one of the Keepers of the Paper Office, and Trustee of the British Museum, He contributed many articles to the Archæologia: but his principal work was the "Origin and Progress of Writing, as well Hieroglyphic as Elementary." He died Dec. 1st, 1803.—Wright. and postpones or anticipates according to the convenience of narration. I think the work ought to partake of the spirit of history, which is contrary to minute exactness, and of the regularity of a journal, which is inconsistent with spirit. For this reason, I neither admit numbers or dates, nor reject them. "I am of your opinion with regard to placing most of the resolutions, &c., in the margin, and think we shall give the most complete account of parliamentary proceedings that can be contrived. The naked papers, without an historical treatise interwoven, require some other book to make them understood. I will date the succeeding facts with some exactness, but I think in the margin. "You told me on Saturday that I had received money on this work, and found set down £13 2s. 6d. reckoning the half guinea of last Saturday. As you hinted to me that you had many calls for money, I would not press you too hard, and therefore shall desire only, as I send it in, two guineas for a sheet of copy; the rest you may pay me when it may be more convenient; and even by this sheet payment I shall, for some time, be very expensive. "The Life of Savage I am ready to go upon; and in great primer and pica notes, I reckon on sending in half a sheet a day; but the money for that shall likewise lie by in your hands till it is done. With the debates, shall not I have business enough if I had but good pens? "Towards Mr. Savage's Life what more have you got? I would willingly have his trial, &c., and know whether his defence be at Bristol, and would have his collection of Poems, on account of the preface; "The Plain Dealer,"—all the Magazines that have any thing of his or relating to him. "I thought my letter would be long, but it is now ended; and I am, Sir, yours, &c., "SAM JOHNSON." "The boy found me writing this almost in the dark, when I could not quite easily read yours. "I have read the Italian :-nothing in it is well. "I had no notion of having any thing for the Inscription.2 I hope you don't think I kept it to extort a price. I could think of nothing till to-day. If you could spare me another guinea for the history, I 'The Plain Dealer, was published in 1724, and contained some account of Savage. (Third edition, vol. i., p. 128.) 2 Perhaps the Runic Inscription, Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xii., p. 132. -Malone. Certainly not that was published in March, 1742, at least seventeen should take it very kindly, to-night; but if you do not I shall not think it an injury. I am almost well again." "SIR, TO MR. CAVE. "You did not tell me your determination about the " Soldier's Letter,"1 which I am confident was never printed. I think it will not do by itself, or in any other place, so well as the Mag. Extraordinary. If you will have it all, I believe you do not think I set it high; and I will be glad if what you give you will give quickly. "You need not be in care about something to print, for I have got the State Trials, and shall extract Layer, Atterbury, and Macclesfield from them, and shall bring them to you in a fortnight; after which I will try to get the South Sea Report." [No date, nor signature.] I would also ascribe to him an "Essay on the Description of China, from the French of Du Halde." + His writings in the "Gentleman's Magazine" in 1743, are, the Preface, the Parliamentary Debates,† "Considerations on the Dispute between Crousaz and Warburton, on Pope's Essay on Man" in which, while he defends Crousaz, he shows an admirable metaphysical acuteness and temperance in controversy: "Ad Lauram parituram Epigramma :"** and, “A months before this letter was written; nor does there appear in the Magazine any inscription to which this can refer. It seemed at first sight probable that it might allude to the translation of Pope's Inscription on his Grotto, which appeared (with an apology for haste) in the next Magazine; but the expression “I could think of nothing till to-day," negatives that supposition. The inscription, then, was I suppose, one which Cave requested Johnson to devise, and for which, when Johnson after a long delay produced it, Cave surprised him by paying.-Croker. 1 I have not discovered what this was. Mr. Hector was present when this Epigram was made impromptu. The first line was proposed by Dr. James, and Johnson was called upon by the company to finish it, which he instantly did. Latin Translation of Pope's Verses on his Grotto :"* and, as he could employ his pen with equal success upon a small matter as a great, I suppose him to be the author of an advertisement for Osborne, concerning the great Harleian Catalogue. But I should think myself much wanting, both to my illustrious friend and my readers, did I not introduce here, with more than ordinary respect, an exquisitely beautiful Ode, which has not been inserted in any of the collections of Johnson's poetry, written by him at a very early period, as Mr. Hector infoms me, and inserted in the "Gentleman's Maga· zine" of this year. FRIENDSHIP, AN ODE.* "Friendship, peculiar boon of Heaven, To men and angels only given, To all the lower world denied. "While love, unknown among the blest, "Thy gentle flows of guiltless joys On fools and villains ne'er descend: In vain for thee the tyrant sighs, And hugs a flatterer for a friend. "Directress of the brave and just, O guide us through life's darksome way! On selfish bosoms only prey. Nor shall thine ardour cease to glow, When souls to blissful climes remove: What rais'd our virtue here below, Shall aid our happiness above." |