city that gave birth to one of the first characters. which this kingdom can boast. We regarded with reverence the house where Dr. Johnson had first drawn his breath, and the great willow-tree planted by the hand of a man who united every moral excellence with every intellectual endowment; the rarest gifts of the mind with the noblest virtues of the heart; who exhibited transcendent mental powers, combined with all the aids of human learning, ever laboriously employed in the defence of religion and the corroboration of virtue. That Johnson's character should be unmixed with foibles, would be vain to expect, since no mortal can be perfect, or catch those graces which are beyond the reach of humanity; but in appreciating this character, let us recollect, that all these failings leaned to virtue's side, and that they always manifested the excess of a good principle, rather than the presence of a bad one. Of this the following anecdote you will probably consider as an example: During the last visit which the Doctor made to Lichfield, the friends with whom he was staying, missed him one morning at the breakfast-table; on enquiring after him of the servants, they understood he had set off from Lichfield at a very early hour, without mentioning to any of the family whither he was going. The day passed without the return of the illustrious guest, and the party began to be very uneasy on his account, when, just before the supper-hour, the door opened, and the Doctor stalked into the room. A solemn silence of a few minutes ensued, nobody daring to enquire the cause of his absence; which was at length relieved by Johnson addressing the lady of the house in the following manner:-" Madam, "I beg your pardon for the abruptness of my departure from your house this morning; but I was constrained to it by my conscience. Fifty 66 years ago, Madam, on this day, I committed a "breach of filial piety, which has ever since lain heavy on my mind, and has not till this day "been expiated. My father, you recollect, was a "bookseller, and had long been in the habit of "attending market, and opening a stall for "the sale of his books during that day. Confined "to his bed by indisposition, he requested me this “ time fifty years ago to visit the market, and attend "the stall in his place. But, Madam, my pride "prevented me from doing my duty, and I gave 66 766 my father a refusal. To do away the sin of this 66 disobedience, I this day went in a post-chaise to and going into the market at the time of high business, uncovered my head, and stood "with it bare an hour, before the stall which my 66 "father had formerly used, exposed to the sneers "of the standers-by, and the inclemency of the "weather; a penance, by which, I trust, I have 66 propitiated Heaven for this only instance, I be"lieve, of contumacy towards my father." Since the removal of Mr. Green's museum from Lichfield, the lions of the place are reduced to a very narrow number. Amongst these the cathedral offers itself first for observation; an edifice uniform and beautiful, kept up with the utmost nicety, neatness, and care. One regulation for the preservation of its walls and the prevention of their disfigurement by bad taste, is an order of the chapter, prohibiting any monuments to be erected within the fabric, and directing that all notifications of the names and ages of persons buried in the cathedral should be inscribed on little tablets of black marble, and inserted in the walls of the southern transept. Previously to this sensible arrangement, some few monuments had been erected, amongst which are the following three, commemorating remarkable persons, and bearing these inscriptions "Sacred to the memory of the Right Hon. LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGUE, who happily introduced from Turkey into this country the salutary art of Inoculating the Small-Pox. Convinced of its efficacy, she first tried it with success on her own children, and then recommended the practice of it to her fellow-citizens. Thus by her example and advice we have softened the virulence, and escaped the danger, of this malignant disease. To perpetuate the memory of such benevolence, and to express her gratitude for the benefit she herself has received from this alleviating art, this monument is erected by Henrietta Inge, relict of Theodore William Inge, esq; and daughter of Sir John Wrottesley, bart. A. D. 1789." Near this tribute to the public spirit of the witty and elegant Lady Mary Wortley Montague, is a testimony of friendship to the memory of Johnson, with these lines: "The friends of SAMUEL JOHNSON, L.L. D. a native of Lichfield, erected this monument as a tribute of respect to the memory of a man of extensive learning; a distinguished moral writer, and a sincere christian. He died 13th Dec. 1784; aged 75 years." Adjoining this monument is another, of equally elegant and simple pattern, the design of Wyatt, and execution of Westmacott, commemorating the friend of Johnson, Garrick; the witty, the pleasant, and the vain. It is inscribed: "Eva Maria, relict of DAVID GARRICK, esq; caused this monument to be erected to the memory of her beloved husband, who died the 20th of January 1779, aged 63 years. He had not only the amiable qualities of private life, but such astonishing dramatic talents, as too well verified the observation of his friend: "His death eclipsed the gaiety of nations, "and impoverished the public stock of harmless "pleasure." There is an air of bathos in this remark, which gives it rather a ridiculous effect, but it certainly has truth for its foundation; for since the death of the inimitable histrionical powers of Garrick, the stage has alike lost its force to charm, and its influence to improve. The compliment, also, only extends to a single feature in the character of Garrick; if you wish to have the whole form complete, I must recommend you to that admirable painter of the human mind, Goldsmith, who has analyzed that of his dramatic friend with all the power of a master: "Here lies DAVID GARRICK, describe me who can, Yet, with talents like these, and an excellent heart, |