duces insolence and envy. Too much regard in each to private interest;-too little.

"The mischiefs of private and exclusive societies.- The fitness of social attraction diffused through the whole. The mischiefs of too partial love of our country. Contraction of moral duties. -" Οι φιλοι, ε φιλος.

"Every man moves upon his own centre, and therefore repels others from too near a contact, though he may comply with some general laws.

" Of confederacy with superiours every one knows the inconvenience. With equals, no authority;-every man his own opinion-his own interest.

"Man and wife hardly united ;-scarce ever without children. Computation, if two to one against two, how many against five? If confederacies were easy-useless;-many oppresses many.If possible only to some, dangerous. Principum amicitias."

Here we see the embryo of Number 45 of the Adventurer; and it is a confirmation of what I shall presently have occasion to mention, that the papers in that collection marked T. were written by Johnson.

This scanty preparation of materials will not, however, much diminish our wonder at the extraordinary fertility of his mind; for the proportion which they bear to the number of essays which he wrote is very small; and it is remarkable, that those for which he had made no preparation are as rich and as highly finished, as those for which the hints were lying by him. It is also to be observed, that the papers formed from his hints are worked up with such strength and elegance, that we almost lose sight of the hints, which become like "drops in the bucket." Indeed, in several instances, he has made a very slender use of them, so that many of them remain still unapplied1.

As the Rambler was entirely the work of one man, there was, of course, such a uniformity in its texture, as very much to exclude the charm of variety; and the grave and often solemn cast of thinking, which distinguished it from other periodical papers, made it, for some time, not generally liked. So slowly did this excellent work, of which twelve editions have now issued from the press, gain upon the world at large, that even in the closing number the authour says, "I have never been much a favourite of the publick."

66

Yet, very soon after its commencement, there were who felt and acknowledged its uncommon excellence. Verses in its praise appeared in the newspapers; and the editor of the Gentleman's Magazine mentions, in October, his having received several letters to the same purpose from the learned. "The Student, or Oxford and Cambridge Miscellany," in which Mr. Bonnel Thornton and Mr. Colman were the principal writers, describes it as a work that exceeds any thing of the kind ever published in this kingdom, some of the Spectators excepted, if indeed they may be excepted." And afterwards, "May the publick favours crown his merits, and may not the English, under the auspicious reign of GEORGE the Second, neglect a man, who, had he lived in the first century, would have been one of the greatest favourites of Augustus." This flattery of the monarch had no effect. It is too well known, that the second George never was an Augustus to learning or genius. [Richardson, the authour of Clarissa, to whom ED. Cave had sent the first five numbers of the Rambler, became, as they proceeded, "so inexpressibly pleased

German antiquary and linguist, Xylander, who, he tells us, lived in such poverty, that he was supposed fumi non famæ scribere ; and another in French, Degente de fate et affamé d'argent, instead of Degouté de fame (an old word for renommé) et affamé d'argent. The manuscript being written in an exceedingly small hand, is indeed very hard to read; but it would have been better to have left blanks than to write nonsense. BoSWELL.

Rich. Cor. vol. 1.p.166.

with them," that he wrote to Cave in strong commendation, and intimated his conviction (the name of the authour being still a secret) that Johnson was the only man who could write them. Cave's answer seems worth inserting, as giving a higher idea of his own station in society than has been hitherto entertained, as well as more clearly explaining some points of Dr. Johnson's life.

"MR. CAVE TO MR. RICHARDSON.

"St. John's Gate, August 23, 1750. "DEAR SIR,-I received the pleasure of your letter of the 9th inst. at Gloucester, and did intend to answer it from that city, though I had but one sound hand (the cold and rain on my journey having given me the gout); but, as soon as I could write, I went to Westminster1, the seat of Mr. Cambridge 2, who entertained the Prince there, and, in his boat, on the Severn. He kept me one night, and took me down part of his river to the Severn, where I sailed in one of his boats, and took a view of another of a peculiar make, having two keels, or being rather two long canoes, connected by a floor or stage. I was then towed back again to sup and repose. Next morning he explained to me the contrivance of some waterfalls, which seem to come from a piece of water which is four feet lower. The three following days I spent in returning to town, and could not find time to write in an inn.

"I need not tell you that the Prince appeared highly pleased with every thing that Mr. Cambridge showed, though he called him upon deck often to be seen by the people on the shore, who came in prodigious crowds, and thronged from place to place, to have a view as often as they could, not satisfied with one; so that many who came between the towing line and the bank of the river were thrown into it, and his royal highness could scarce forbear laughing; but sedately said to them, I am sorry for your condition.'

"Excuse this ramble from the purpose of your letter. I return to answer, that Mr. Johnson is the Great Rambler, being,

J

as you observe, the only man who can furnish two such papers Rich. in a week, besides his other great business, and has not been Cor. vol.

assisted with above three.

" I may discover to you, that the world is not so kind to itself as you wish it. The encouragement, as to sale, is not in proportion to the high character given to the work by the judicious, not to say the raptures expressed by the few that do read it; but its being thus relished in numbers gives hope that the sets must go off, as it is a fine paper, and, considering the late hour of having the copy, tolerably printed.

"When the authour was to be kept private (which was the first scheme), two gentlemen, belonging to the Prince's court, came to me to inquire his name, in order to do him service; and also brought a list of seven gentlemen to be served with the Rambler. As I was not at liberty, an inference was drawn, that I was desirous to keep to myself so excellent a writer. Soon after, Mr. Doddington1 sent a letter directed to the Rambler, inviting him to his house, when he should be disposed to enlarge his acquaintance. In a subsequent number2 a kind of excuse was made, with a hint that a good writer might not appear to advantage in conversation. Since that time several circumstances, and Mr. Garrick and others, who knew the authour's powers and style from the first, unadvisedly asserting their (but) suspicions, overturned the scheme of secrecy. (About which there is also one paper 2.)

"I have had letters of approbation from Dr. Young, Dr. Hartley, Dr. Sharpe, Miss Carter, &c. &c. most of them, like you, setting them in a rank equal, and some superiour, to the Spectators (of which I have not read many, for the reasons which you assign): but, notwithstanding such recommendation, whether the price of twopence, or the unfavourable season of their first publication, hinders the demand, no boast can be made of it.

"The authour (who thinks highly of your writings) is obliged to you for contributing your endeavours; and so is, for several marks of your friendship, good sir, your admirer, and very humble servant, "E. CAVE."]

Johnson told me, with an amiable fondness, a little

1. p. 166.

pleasing circumstance relative to this work. Mrs. Johnson, in whose judgement and taste he had great confidence, said to him, after a few numbers of the Rambler had come out, " I thought very well of you before; but I did not imagine you could have written any thing equal to this." Distant praise, from whatever quarter, is not so delightful as that of a wife whom a man loves and esteems. Her approbation may be said to "come home to his bosom;" and being so near, its effect is most sensible and permanent.

Mr. James Elphinston1, who has since published various works, and who was ever esteemed by Johnson as a worthy man, happened to be in Scotland while the Rambler was coming out in single papers at London. With a laudable zeal at once for the improvement of his countrymen, and the reputation of his friend, he suggested and took the charge of an edition of those Essays at Edinburgh, which followed progressively the London publication 2.

The following letter written at this time, though not dated, will show how much pleased Johnson was