A merchant seldom thinks but of his own particular trade. To write a good book upon it, a man must have extensive views. It is not necessary to have practised, to write well upon a subject." BOSWELL. "Law is a subject, on which no man can write well without practice." JOHNSON. "Why, sir, in England, where so much money is to be got by the practice of the law, most of our writers upon it have been in practice; though Blackstone had not been much in practice when he published his Commentaries; but upon the continent, the great writers on law have not all been in practice: Grotius indeed was; but Puffendorf was not; Burlamaqui was not."

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IN 1745, Johnson published a pamphlet, entitled "Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth, with Remarks on sir T. H.'s (sir Thomas Hanmer's) Edition of Shakspeare;" to which he affixed proposals for a new edition of that poet. This pamphlet was highly esteemed, and was fortunate enough to obtain the approbation even of the supercilious Warburton himself, who, in the preface to his Shakspeare, published two years afterwards, thus mentioned it: "As to all those things which have been published under the titles of Essays, Remarks, Observations, &c. on Shakspeare, if you except some Critical Notes on Macbeth, given as a specimen of a projected edition, and written,

as appears, by a man of parts and genius, the rest are absolutely below a serious notice."

Of this flattering distinction shown to him by Warburton, a very grateful remembrance was ever entertained by Johnson, who said, "He praised me at a time when praise was of value to me."

The year 1747 is distinguished as the epoch when Johnson's arduous work, his DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, was announced to the world by the publication of its Plan or Prospectus. The booksellers who contracted with Johnson, single

A unaided, for the execution of a work, which, in other countries, has not been effected but by the co-operating exertions of many, were Mr. Robert Dodsley, Mr. Charles Hitch, Mr. Andrew Millar, the two Messieurs Longman, and the two Messieurs Knapton. The price stipulated was fifteen hundred guineas.

The Plan was addressed to Philip Dormer, earl of Chesterfield, then one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state-a nobleman who was very ambitious of literary distinction, and who, upon being informed of the design, had expressed himself in terms very favourable to its success. There is, perhaps, in every thing of any consequence, a secret history, which it would be amusing to know, could we have it authentically communi. cated. Johnson told Boswell, "Sir, the way in which the plan of my Dictionary came to be inscribed to lord Chesterfield, was this: I had neglected to write it by the time appointed; Dodsley suggested a desire to have it addressed to lord Chesterfield; I laid hold of this as a pretext for delay, that it might be better done, and let Dodsley

have his desire. I said to my friend, Dr. Bathurst, 'Now if any good comes of my addressing to lord Chesterfield, it will be ascribed to deep policy, when, in fact, it was only a casual excuse for lazi ness.'"

Dr. Taylor told Boswell, that Johnson sent his Plan to him in manuscript, for his perusal; and that when it was lying upon his table, Mr. William Whitehead happened to pay him a visit, and being shown it, was highly pleased with such parts of it as he had time to read, and begged to take it home with him, which he was allowed to do; that him it got into the hands of a noble lord, who carried it to lord Chesterfield. When Taylor observed that this might be an advautage, Johnson replied, No, sir, it would have come out with more bloom, if it had not been seen before by any body."

Dr. Adams found him one day busy at his Dictionary, when the following dialogue ensued:ADAMS. "This is a great work, sir: how are you to get all the etymologies?" JOHNSON. "Why, sir, here is a shelf with Junius, and Skinner, and others; and there is a Welsh gentleman who has published a collection of Welsh proverbs, who will help me with the Welsh." ADAMS. "But, sir, how can you do this in three years ?" JOHNSON. "Sir, I have no doubt that I can do it in three years." ADAMS. "But the French Academy, which consists of forty members, took forty years to compile their Dictionary." JOHNSON." Sir, thus it is; this is the proportion: let me see→→→ forty times forty is sixteen hundred: as three to sixteen hundred, so is the proportion of an Englishman to a Frenchman." With so much ease and plea

santry could he talk of that prodigious labour which he had undertaken to execute.

When the Dictionary was upon the eve of publi cation, lord Chesterfield, who, it is said, had flattered himself with expectations that Johnson would dedicate the work to him, attempted, in a courtly manner, to soothe and insinuate himself with the the sage, conscious, as it should seem, of the cold indifference with which he had treated its learned author; and farther attempted to conciliate him, by writing two papers in The World, in recommendation of the work; and it must be confessed, that they contain some studied compliments, so finely turned, that, if there had been no previous offence, it is probable Johnson would have been highly delighted. Praise, in general, was pleasing to him; but, by praise from a man of rank and elegant accomplishments, he was peculiarly gratified.

This courtly device failed of its effect. Johnson, who thought that "all was false and hollow," despised the honeyed words, and was even indignant that lord Chesterfield should, for a moment, imagine that he could be the dupe of such an artifice. His expression to Boswell concerning lord Chesterfield, upon this occasion, was, "Sir, after making great professions, he had, for many years, taken no notice of me; but when my Dictionary was coming out, he fell a scribbling in The World about it: upon which, I wrote him a letter, expressed in civil terms, but such as might show him that I did not mind what he said or wrote, and that I had done with him."

Dr. Johnson appeared to have had a remarkable delicacy with respect to the circulation of this lets

ter; for Dr. Douglas, bishop of Salisbury, informed Boswell, that, having many years ago pressed him to be allowed to read it to the second lord Hardwicke, who was very desirous to hear it (promising, at the same time, that no copy of it should be taken); Johnson seemed much pleased, that it had attracted the attention of a nobleman of such a respectable character; but, after pausing some time, declined to comply with the request; saying, with a smile, "No, sir, I have hurt the dog too much already;" or words to this purpose.

Dr. Adams expostulated with Johnson, and suggested, that his not being admitted when he called on him, to which Johnson had alluded in his letter, was probably not to be imputed to lord Chesterfield; for his lordship had declared to Dodsley, that "he would have turned off the best servant he ever had, if he had known that he denied him to a man who would have been always more than welcome;" and in confirmation of this, he insisted on lord Chesterfield's general affability and easiness of access, especially to literary men. JOHNSON. "Sir, that is not lord Chesterfield; he is the proudest man this day existing." ADAMS. "No, there is one person, at least, as proud; I think, by your own account, you are the prouder man of the two." JOHNSON. "But mine was defensive pride." This, as Dr. Adams well observed, was one of those happy turns, for which he was so remarkably ready.

Johnson having now explicitly avowed his opinion of lord Chesterfield, did not refrain from expressing himself concerning that nobleman with pointed freedom: "This man," said he, "I thought had been a lord among wits, but I find he is only a

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