Letters London; and though he had not the comfort of occa seeing his aged parent, he contributed liberally to sioned her support. ["To MRS. JOHNSON, IN LICHFIELD,1 HONOURED MADAM, "THE account which Miss [Porter] gives me of your health, pierces my heart. GOD comfort, and preserve you, and save you, for the sake of Jesus Christ. "I would have Miss read to you from time to time the Passion of our Saviour, and sometimes the sentences in the Communion Service, beginning Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "I have just now read a physical book, which inclines me to think that a strong infusion of the bark would do you good. Do, dear mother, try it. Pray, send me your blessing, and forgive all that I have done amiss to you. And whatever you would have done, and what debts you would have paid first, or any thing else that you would direct, let Miss put it down; I shall endeavour to obey you. [Since the publication of the third edition of this work, the following letters of Dr. Johnson, occasioned by the last illness of his mother, were obligingly communicated to Mr. Malone by the Rev. Dr. Vyse. They are placed here agreeably to the chronological order almost uniformly observed by the authour; and so strongly evince Dr. Johnson's piety, and tenderness of heart, that every reader must be gratified by their insertion.-M.] 1 "I have got twelve guineas to send you, but by his unhappily am at a loss how to send it to-night. If mother's illness I cannot send it to-night, it will come by the next post. "Pray, do not omit any thing mentioned in this letter. God bless you for ever and ever. "I am "Your dutiful Son, "SAM. JOHNSON." "Jan. 13, 1758."2 Jeorbis "TO MISS PORTER, AT MRS. JOHNSON'S, IN Som LICHFIELD.și si "MY DEAR MISS, "I THINK myself obliged to you beyond all expression of gratitude for your care of my dear mother. God grant it may not be without success. Tell Kitty, that I shall never forget her tenderness 8 1 [Six of these twelve guineas Johnson appears to have borrowed from Mr. Allen, the Printer. See Hawkins's Life of Johnson, p. 366, n.—M.] 2 [Written by mistake for 1759, as the subsequent letters shew. In the next letter, he had inadvertently fallen into the same errour, but corrected it. On the outside of the letter of the 13th was written by another hand-"Pray, acknowledge the receipt of this by return of the post, without fail."-M.] [Catharine Chambers, Mrs. Johnson's maid-servant. She died in October, 1767. See Dr. Johnson's PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS, p. 71: "Sunday, Oct. 18, 1767. Yesterday, Oct. 17, I took my leave for ever of my dear old friend, Catharine Chambers, who came to live with my mother about 1724, and has been but little parted from us since. She buried my father, my brother, and my mother. She is now fifty-eight years old."-M.] VOL. II. B E Letters for her mistress. Whatever you can do, continue occa to do. My heart is very full. sioned "I hope you received twelve guineas on Monday. I found a way of sending them by means of the Postmaster, after I had written my letter, and hope they came safe. I will send you more in a few days. God bless "I "Jan. 16, 1759." you all. am, my dear, "and most humble Servant, "Over the leaf is a letter to my mother." 66 DEAR HONOURED MOTHER, "YOUR weakness afflicts me beyond what I am willing to communicate to you. I do not think you unfit to face death, but I know not how to bear the thought of losing you. Endeavour to do all you [can] for yourself. Eat as much as you can. "I pray often for you; do you pray for me.I have nothing to add to my last letter. "I am, dear, dear Mother, "SAM. JOHNSON.” "To MRS. JOHNSON, IN LICHFIELD. DEAR HONOURED MOTHER, "I FEAR you are too ill for long letters; therefore I will only tell you, you have from me all the regard that can possibly subsist in the heart. I pray GOD to bless you for evermore, for Jesus Christ's by his sake. Amen. "Let Miss write to me every post, however short. "I am, dear Mother, mother's illness "Jan. 18, 1759." "Your dutiful Son, "SAM. JOHNSON.” "To MISS PORTER, AT MRS. JOHNSON'S, IN I WO LICHfield. "DEAR MISS, 66 I WILL, if it be possible, come down to you. GOD grant I may yet [find] my dear mother breathing and sensible. Do not tell her, lest I disappoint her. If I miss to write next post, I am on the road. 'I am, my dearest Miss, "Jan. 20, 1759." "Your most humble servant, Joukátky jedn« On the other side.” "DEAR HONOURED MOTHER, 1 "NEITHER your condition nor you your character make it fit for me to say much. You have been the best mother, and I believe the best woman in the world. I thank you for your indulgence to me, and beg forgiveness of all that I have done ill, and all that I have omitted to do well.2 GOD 1 [This letter was written on the second leaf of the preceding, addressed to Miss Porter.-M.] 2 [So, in the Prayer which he composed on this occasion: "Almighty God, merciful Father, in whose hands are life and death, sanctify unto me the sorrow which I now feel. Forgive me whatever I have done unkindly to my Letter grant you his Holy Spirit, and receive you to everon his lasting happiness, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. mother's Lord Jesus receive your spirit. Amen. death "I am, dear, dear Mother, "Jan. 20, 1759." "Your dutiful Son, "SAM. JOHNSON." "TO MISS PORTER, IN LICHFIELD. "You will conceive my sorrow for the loss of my mother, of the best mother. If she were to live again, surely I should behave better to her. But she is happy, and what is past is nothing to her; and for me, since I cannot repair my faults to her, I hope repentance will efface them. I return you and all those that have been good to her my sincerest thanks, and pray GOD to repay you all with infinite advantage. Write to me, and comfort me, dear child. I shall be glad likewise, if Kitty will write to me. I shall send a bill of twenty pounds in a few days, which I thought to have brought to my mother; but GOD suffered it not. I have not power or composure to say much more. GOD bless you, and bless us all. Make me Mother, and whatever I have omitted to do kindly. to remember her good precepts and good example, and to reform my life according to thy holy word, &c." PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS, p. 31.-M.] 1 [Mrs. Johnson probably died on the 20th or 21st of January, and was buried on the day this letter was written.-M.] |