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Who William Lauder was, what was his character, and of what ftamp his moral and political principles, may be learned from a pamphlet, intituled, Furius, printed for Carpenter, in Fleet-ftreet, without a date; but, as evidently appears by the Remarks at the end of it, published soon after Lauder's appearance in the Gentleman's Magazine, with his famous difcoveries.

Congenial politics create connections between men in whofe abilities there is great disparity. Buchanan's principles, in his dialogue, De jure Regni apud Scotos, were equally detefted by the noted Thomas Ruddiman and William Lauder. But Lauder's malignity could never prevail with the ingenuous Ruddiman to B 3 detract

detract from Buchanan's poetical merit, in compliance with Lauder's, furious zeal in favour of Johnfton's Latin tranflation of David's, Pfalms, to which Lauder gave the preference.

In his alliance with Dr. Johnfon, ce mented by their mutual antipathy to Milton's principles of civil and religious government, he found a paternal indul gence of his fplenetic animosity.

Milton was a Whig, and therefore muft be a Plagiary; accordingly when the time came that Lauder's ftrictures in the Gentleman's Magazine had fwelled into the fize of a pamphlet of 160 pages, it was ushered into public by a preface, and finished by a postscript, from the ile luftrious hand of Dr. Samuel Johnson. 7

On

On occafion of thefe head and tailpieces the ingenious Dr. Douglas, the detector of Lauder's forgeries, writes thus:

"'Tis to be hoped, nay, 'tis expected,

that the elegant and nervous writer, "whofe judicious fentiments and inimi"table ftile point out the author of Lau

der's Preface and Poftfcript, will no "longer allow one to plume himself with

his feathers, who appears fo little to

"have deferved his affiftance; an affif"tance which, I am perfuaded, would "never have been communicated, had "there been the leaft fufpicion of those facts which I have been the inftrument

"of conveying to the world *",

*Milton vindicated from the charge of Pla giarifm, &c. by John Douglas, M. A. for Mil

lar, 1751, p. 77.

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This favourable prefumption was illfounded and premature. It appeared afterwards, by the confeffion of Lauder himself, that "in Johnson's friendship " he placed the moft implicit and unli"mited confidence *."

Dr. Johnson had faid for his friend, at the end of the Essay, that " Lauder's mo"tives were, a ftrict regard to truth "alone, &c. and none of them taken " from any difference of country, or of "fentiments in political or religious "matters t." This Lauder, in his pamphlet of 1754, exprefsly contradicted, and avowed motives of party and premeditated deception. Here the cat leaped *King Charles I. vindicated, p. 3, 4.

Eflay, p. 163.

King Charles I. vindicated from the charge of Plagiarism, brought against him by Milton. Printed for Owen, 1754, P. 11.

out

out of the bag. It was now notorious that the fable had been inverted. The

Lion roared in the Ass's Skin; and if the Lion had not the whole afinine plan com municated to him à priori, Lauder's confidence in his friend Johnson was neither implicit nor unlimited.

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Dr.Johnson, indeed, it is to be fufpected, took upon him the patronage of Lauder's project from the beginning; and bore his part in the controverfy retailed in the Gentleman's Magazine for the year 1747. There is at least a HIGH DEGREE OF PREPOLLENT PROBABILITY, that the Letter in that Magazine for the month of Auguft, page 363, 364, figned WILLIAM LAUDER, came from the amicable hand of Mr. Samuel Johnson.

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