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1783

Ætat. 74.

what I should do. Though God stopped my speech, he left me my hand, I enjoyed a mercy which was not granted to my dear friend Lawrence, who now perhaps overlooks me as I am writing, and rejoices that I have what he wanted. My first note was necessarily to my servant, who came in talking, and could not immediately comprehend why he should read what I put into his hands.

“ I then wrote a card to Mr. Allen, that I might have a discreet friend at hand, to act as occasion should require. In penning this note, I had some difficulty ; my hand, I knew not how nor why, made wrong letters. I then wrote to Dr. Taylor to come to me, and bring Dr. Heberden; and I sent to Dr. Brocklesby, who is my neighbour. My physicians are very friendly and give

me great hopes; but you may imagine my situation. I have so far recovered

my

vocal powers, as to repeat the Lord's Prayer with no very imperfect articulation. My memory, I hope, yet remains as it was; but such an attack produces solicitude for the safety of every faculty.”

To Mr. THOMAS DAVIES. « DEAR SIR,

“ I have had, indeed, a very heavy blow; but God, who yet spares my life, I humbly hope will spare my understanding, and restore my speech. As I am not at all helpless, I want no particular aslistance, but am

. strongly affected by Mrs. Davies’s tenderness; and when I think she can do me good, shall be very glad to call upon her. I had ordered friends to be shut out, but one or two have found the way in; and if you come you shall be admitted: for I know not whom I can see that will bring more amusement on his tongue, or more kindness in his heart. I am, &c. « June 18, 1783

SAM. JOHNSON."

It gives me great pleasure to preserve such a memorial of Johnson's regard for Mr. Davies, to whom I was indebted for my introduction to him. He indeed loved Davies cordially, of which I shall give the following little evidence. One day, when he had treated him with too much afperity, Tom, who was not without pride and spirit, went off in a passion; but he had hardly reached home, when Frank, who had been fent after him, delivered this note :-“Come, come, dear Davies, I am always forry when we quarrel; send me word that we are friends."

, Poor Derrick, however, though he did not himself introduce me to Dr. Johnfon as he promised, had the merit of introducing ine to Davies, the immediate introductor,

To 1783.

Æral. 74,

TO JAMES BOSWELL, Esq. « DEAR SIR, “ YOUR anxiety about my health is very friendly, and very agree

, able with your general kindness. I have, indeed, had a very frightful blow. On the 17th of last month, about three in the morning, as near as I can guess, I perceived myself almost totally deprived of speech. I had no pain. My organs were so obstructed, that I could say no, but could scarcely say yes. I wrote the necessary directions, for it pleased God to spare my hand, and sent for Dr. Heberden and Dr. Brocklesby. Between the time in which I discovered my own disorder, and that in which I sent for the doctors, I had, I believe, in spite of my surprize and solicitude, a little neep, and Nature began to renew its operations. They came, and gave the directions which the disease required, and from that time I have been continually improving in articulation. I can now speak, but the nerves are weak, and I cannot continue discourse long; but strength, I hope, will return. The physicians consider me as cured. I was last Sunday at church. On Tuesday I took an airing to Hampstead, and dined with the Club, where Lord Palmerston was proposed, and, against my opinion, was rejected'. I design to go next week

with Mr. Langton to Rochester, where I purpose to stay about ten days, and · then try some other air. I have many kind invitations. Your brother has very frequently enquired after me. Most of my friends have, indeed, been

, very attentive. Thank dear Lord Hailes for his present.

“ I hope you found at your return every thing gay and prosperous, and your lady, in particular, quite recovered and confirmed. Pay her my respects.

I am, dear Sir, your most humble servant, “ London, July 3, 1783.

SAM. Johnson.To Mrs. Lucy PORTER, in Lichfield. « DEAR MADAM,

“ THE account which you give of your health is but melancholy. May it please God to restore you. My disease affected my speech, and still continues, in some degree, to obstruct my utterance; my voice is distinct enough for awhile, but the organs being still weak are quickly weary : but in other respects I am, I think, rather better than I have lately been; and can let you

state without the help of any other hand.

know my

His Lordship was soon after chosen, and is now a member of the Club.

" In

1783

Ælat. 74.

Return my

“ In the opinion of my friends, and in my own, I am gradually mending. The physicians consider me as cured ; and I had leave, four days ago, to wash the cantharides from my head. Last Tuesday I dined at the Club,

“ I am going next week into Kent, and purpose to change the air frequently this summer ; whether I shall wander so far as Staffordshire I cannot tell. I should be glad to come.

thanks to Mrs. Cobb, and Mr. Pearson, and all that have shewn attention to me.

« Let us, my dear, pray for one another, and consider our sufferings as notices mercifully given us to prepare ourselves for another state.

« I live now but in a melancholy way. My old friend Mr. Levett is dead, who lived with me in the house, and was useful and companionable ; Mrs. Desmoulins is gone away; and Mrs. Williams is so much decayed, that she can add little to another's gratifications. The world passes away, and we are passing with it; but there is, doubtless, another world, which will endure for

Let us all fit ourselves for it. I am, &c. - London, July 5, 1783.

SAM. Johnson.”

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Such was the general vigour of his constitution, that he recovered from this
alarming and severe attack with wonderful quickness; so that in July he
was able to make a visit to Mr. Langton at Rochester, where he passed
about a fortnight, and made little excursions as easily as at any time of his
life. In August he went as far as the neighbourhood of Salisbury, to Heale,
the seat of William Bowles, Esq. a gentleman whom I have heard him
praise for exemplary religious order in his family. In his diary I find a short

a
but honourable mention of this visit:-“ August 28, I came to Heale with-
out fatigue. 30. I am entertained quite to my mind.”

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TO Dr. BROCKLESBY.

56 DEAR SIR,

Heale, near Salisbury, Aug. 29, 7783.
“ WITHOUT appearing to want a just sense of your kind atten-
tion, I cannot omit to give an account of the day which seemed to appear
in some fort perilous. I rose at five, and went out at six, and having reached
Salisbury about nine, went forward a few miles in my friend's chariot. I
was no more wearied with the journey, though it was a high hung rough
coach, than I should have been forty years ago. We shall now see what air
will do.' The country is all a plain ; and the house in which I am, so far as
I can judge from my window, for I write before I have left my chamber,
is sufficiently pleasant.

« Ве

“ Be so kind as to continue your attention to Mrs. Williams; it is great

1783 consolation to the well, and still greater to the sick, that they find them- Ætat. 74. selves not neglected; and I know that you will be desirous of giving comfort even where you have no great hope of giving help.

“ Since I wrote the former part of the letter, I find that by the course of the post I cannot send it before the thirty-first. I am, &c.

« SAM. JOHNson.”

While he was here he had a letter from Dr. Brocklesby, acquainting him of the death of Mrs. Williams, which affected him a good deal. Though for several years her temper had not been complacent, she had valuable qualities, and her departure left a blank in his house. Upon this occasion he, according to his habitual course of piety, composed a prayer 2.

I shall here insert a few particulars concerning him, with which I have been favoured by one of his friends.

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“ He had once conceived the design of writing the Life of Oliver Cromwell, saying, that he thought it must be highly curious to trace his extraordinary rise to the supreme power, from so obscure a beginning. He at length laid aside his scheme, on discovering that all that can be told of him is already in print ; and that it is impracticable to procure any authentick information in addition to what the world is already possessed of.”

“ He had likewise projected, but at what part of his life is not known, a work to shew how small a quantity of REAL FICTION there is in the world and how the same images, with very little variation, have served all the authours who have ever written.”

-“ His thoughts in the latter part of his life were frequently employed on his deceased friends. He often muttered these, or such like sentences, Poor man! and then he died.”

“ Speaking of a certain literary friend, · He is a very pompous puzzling fellow, (says the Doctor ;) he lent me a letter once that somebody had written to him, no matter what it was about ; but he wanted to have the letter back, and expressed a mighty value for it, he hoped it was to be met with again, he would not lose it for a thousand pounds. I layed my hand upon it soon afterwards, and gave it him. I believe I said, I was very glad to have met with it. O then he did not know that it signified any thing. So you see, when the letter was lost it was worth a thousand pounds, and when it was found it was not worth a farthing.”

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1783.

Ætat. 74.

« The style and character of his conversation is pretty generally known; it was certainly conducted in conformity with a precept of Lord Bacon, but it is not clear, I apprehend, that this conformity was either perceived or intended by Johnson. The precept alluded to is as follows: In all kinds of speech, either pleasant, grave, severe, or ordinary, it is convenient to speak leisurely, and rather drawingly than hastily: because hasty speech confounds the memory, and oftentimes, besides the unseemlinefs, drives a man either to stammering, a non-plus, or harping on that which should follow; whereas a low speech confirmeth the memory, addeth a conceit of wisdom to the hearers, besides a seemliness of speech and countenance.' Dr. Johnson's method of conversation was certainly calculated to excite attention, and to amufe or instruct, (as it happened,) without wearying or confusing his company. He was always most perfectly clear and conspicuous; and his language was so accurate, and his sentences so neatly constructed, that his conversation might have been all printed without any correction. At the same time, it was easy and natural; the accuracy of it had no appearance of labour, constraint, or stiffness; he seemed more correct than others by the force of habit and the customary exercises of his powerful mind.”

“ He spoke often in praise of French literature. The French are excellent in this, (he would say,) they have a book on every subject. From what he had seen of them he denied them the praise of superiour politeness, and mentioned, with very visible disgust, the custom they have of spitting on the foors of their apartment. This (says the Doctor) is as gross a thing as can well be done; and one wonders how any man, or set of men, can persist in so offensive a practice for a whole day together; one should expect that the first effort toward civilization would remove it even amongst savages.”

“ Baxter's • Reasons of the Christian Religion,' he thought contained the best collection of the evidences of the divinity of the Christian system.”

Chymistry was always an interesting pursuit with Dr. Johnson. Whilst he was in Wiltshire, he attended fome experiments that were made by a physician at Salisbury, on the new kinds of air, In the course of the experiments frequent mention being made of Dr. Priestley, Dr. Johnson knit his brows, and in a stern manner enquired, “Why do we hear so much of Dr. Priestley??' He was very properly answered, “Sir, because we are indebted

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3 I do not wonder at Johnson's displeasure when the name of Dr. Priestley was mentioned; for I know no writer who has been suffered to publish more pernicious doctrines. I shall instance only three. First, Materialism; by which mind is denied to human nature, which, if believed, mult deprive us of every elevated principle. Secondly, Neceflity; or the doctrine that every action,

whether

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