not, I shall not think it an injury.I am almost. well again." 66 SIR, "TO MR. CAVE. "You did not tell me your determination about the Soldier's Letter, (a) 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 at 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 shews an admirable metaphysical acuteness and temperance in controversy; "Ad Lauram parituram Epigramma ;"*(b) and, "A Latin (a) I have not discovered what this was. (b) Angliacas inter pulcherrima Laura puellas, Adsit, Laura, tibi facilis Lucina dolenti, 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. 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 authour of an advertisement for Osborne, concerning the great Harleian Catalogue. The following elegant Latin Ode, which appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1743, (vol. xiii. p. 548,) may safely be attributed to Johnson. AD ORNATISSIMAM PUELLAM. Vanæ sit arti, sit studio modus, Ut fortuitis verna coloribus Nec invident horto nitenti Divitias operosiores : Lenique fons cum murmure pulchrior Ducit aquas temerè sequentes : Utque inter undas, inter et arbores, Ingeminant sine lege cantus: Nativa sic te gratia, te nitor Simplex decebit, te Veneres tuæ; Nudus Cupido suspicatur Ergo fluentem tu, malè sedula, Ne sæva inuras semper acu comam; Nec sparsa odorato nitentes Pulvere dedecores capillos; CA 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 informs me, and inserted in the Gentleman's Magazine of this year. VOL. 1. FRIENDSHIP, an ODE.* FRIENDSHIP, peculiar boon of heav'n, While Love, unknown among the blest, With bright, but oft destructive, gleam, Thy gentle flows of guiltless joys In vain for thee the tyrant sighs, Quales nec olim vel Ptolemæia Nec diva mater, cum similem tuæ Permisit incomtas protervis M Directress of the brave and just, Nor shall thine ardour cease to glow, way ! When souls to blissful climes remove: Johnson had now an opportunity of obliging his schoolfellow Dr. James, of whom he once observed, 66 no man brings more mind to his profession." James published this year his "Medicinal Dictionary," in three volumes folio. Johnson, as I understood from him, had written, or assisted in writing, the proposals for this work; and being very fond of the study of physick, in which James was his master, he furnished some of the articles. He, however, certainly wrote for it the Dedication to Dr. Mead,† which is conceived with great address, to conciliate the patronage of that very eminent man. (a) It has been circulated, I know not with what au 66 SIR, (a) "TO DR. MEAD. "THAT the Medicinal Dictionary' is dedicated to you, is to be imputed only to your reputation for superior skill in those sciences which I have endeavoured to explain and facilitate: and you are, therefore, to consider this address, if it be agreeable to you, as one of the rewards of merit; and if otherwise, as one of the inconveniencies of eminence. "However you shall receive it, my design cannot be disappointed; because this publick appeal to your judgement will shew that I do not found my hopes of approbation upon the ignorance of my readers, and that I fear his censure least, whose knowledge is most extensive. I am, sir, "Your most obedient humble servant, thenticity, that Johnson considered Dr. Birch as a dull writer, and said of him, "Tom Birch is as brisk as a bee in conversation; but no sooner does he take a pen in his hand, than it becomes a torpedo to him, and benumbs all his faculties." That the literature of this country is much indebted to Birch's activity and diligence must certainly be acknowledged. We have seen that Johnson honoured him with a Greek Epigram; and his correspondence with him, during many years, proves that he had no mean opinion of him. " SIR, << TO DR. BIRCH. Thursday, Sept. 29, 1743. "I HOPE you will excuse me for troubling you on an occasion on which I know not whom else I can apply to; I am at a loss for the Lives and Characters of Earl Stanhope, the two Craggs, and the minister Sunderland; and beg that you will inform [me] where I may find them, and send any pamphlets, &c. relating to them to Mr. Cave to be perused for a few days by, sir, "Your most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." His circumstances were at this time embarrassed; yet his affection for his mother was so warm, and so liberal, that he took upon himself a debt of hers, which, though small in itself, was then considerable to him. This appears from the following letter which he wrote to Mr. Levett, of Lichfield, the original of which lies now before me. "SIR, 66 TO MR. LEVETT; IN LICHFIELD. December 1, 1743. "I AM extremely sorry that we have encroached so much upon your forbearance with respect to the in |