read a page in the Bible for years, a reflection fuddenly came across my mind"Jetus of Nazareth," faid I to myself,

66

was a man" (for I difbelieved his Divinity)" acquainted with forrows, endured a life of poverty, was expofed to public fcorn and derifion, fuffered pain of body and agony of mind, and had nothing to reproach himfelf with yet this Reformer of the morals of mankind, this benefactor to fociety, this illuftrious pattern of fortitude, patience, and humility, was by an unthankful world put to death; he was crucified !-but he crucified not himself!" Repeating thefe last words a fecond time with unufual energy, pride, difdain, fhame and contempt of my i y inabilty humbly to imitate this ftriking example of bearing afflictions mantully, produced a paffionate conflict of mind, in which paroxyfm I madly flung the piftol to fome diftance from me: to add to the af fecting fcene it went off, unheard but by my affectionate wife, who religiously kept the fecret; her confolations restored me to temporary tranquillity, but the work of Providence was not yet completed; not a week had elapfed, and fettled melancholy was again taking pofleflion of my foul, when a letter announced the death of a distant relation, and fummoned me to the reading of his will, by which he had be queathed me fufficient not only to clear me of all incumbrances, but to enable me, with the affittance of a confiderable furplus, to exert my abilities in the line of my profeffion, for the genteel fupport of my family, and even to aim at a moderate in dependence, which you will find I have at length acquired.

I.

Rife, O my Soul! the hour review When, aw'd by guilt and fear, Thou duit not Heaven for mercy fuc, Nor hope for pity here!

II.

Dry'd are thy tears, thy griefs are fled, Dilpell'd each bitter care;

For Heav'n ittelf did lend its aid,

To fnatch thee from despair!
III.

Then hear, O God! thy work fulfil;

And from thy Mercy's throne, Vouchfafe me ftrength, to do thy Will, And to refilt my own.

JV.

So fhall my foul each power employ,
Thy mercies to adore,
Whilt Heaven itself proclaims with joy
One refcued finner more!

The

OUR laft Review of Mr. Bofwell's Life of Johnfon, exhibited the character of this extraordinary man during his ftate of pupilage and until the day of his marriage: we are now therefore to behold him emancipated from his family, without fortune, without friends, and nothing to depend upon for his fuccefs in life, but the exertion of thofe ftrong powers of mind with which nature had endowed him, improved by intenfe ftudy, and exclufively directed, by the academical fame he had already acquired, to the pursuits of philofophy and literature. To procure fubfiftence for himself and his family he fet up a private school at Edial near Litchfield, the place of his nativity; but he foon became as diffatisfied with the character of a mafter as he had before been in that of an uber, and after a trial of about eighteen months he gave up all hopes of fuccefs; and having made fome progress in his tragedy of IRENE, he foon afterwards relinquished the fchool, and turned his thoughts towards the ftage as a dramatic writer. By the advice of Mr. Walmsley, he finished the tragedy, and being highly flattered with the profpect of its fuccefs, he formed a refolution, in conjunction with his friend and pupil (the late celebrated David Garrick) to leave the country, and try his fortune in London, "the great field of genius and exertion," fays Mr. Botwell, where talents of every kind have their fulleft fcope and higheit encouragement." To give a fuccesful effect to the joint expedition of thefe two eminent men, they were warmly recommended by Mr. Walmsley to the Rev. Mr. Colton, at that time a celebrated mathematician and the mafter of an academy in London. The employment and future fuccefs of Garrick upon their arrival in the metropolis is well known; but how Johnfon lived, or employed himfelf, for a long time afterwards, remains in obfcurity. The first lodgings at which he was known to be, were at the houfe of Mr. Norns, ftaymaker, in Exeter-street, adjoining Catharine-ftreet, in the Strand, and during this refidence, faid Johnion, "I dined very well for eight-pence, with very good company, at the Pine-apple, in New-itreet, juft by; but it used to coft

the reft a fhilling, for they drank wine. I had a cut of meat for fixpence, and bread for a penny, and gave the waiter a penny, fo that I was quite well ferved, nay, better than the reft, for they gave the waiter nothing." But amidit this coid obfcurity there was one brilliant circumftance to cheer him, his acquaintance with Mr. Henry Hervey, one of the branches of the noble family of that name, who had a houfe at this time in London, where Johnfon was frequently entertained, and had an opportunity of meeting genteel company. "He was a vicious man,' faid Johnion, but very kind to me. If you call a dog HERVEY I fhall love him." At this time he retired to Greenwich, to enjoy the rural folitude of the Park, and give the finishing touch to his IRENE; but this defign was not accomplished until in the courfe of the fummer of the year 1737, when he returned to Litchfield, and on his return to London, which was in the courfe of three months, Mr. Fleetwood, the patentee of Drury-lane theatre, refufed to accept it, and it was not acted until the year 1749, when his friend David Garrick became the manager of that ftage. Difappointed in his hopes of fuc. cefs as a dramatic writer, he commenced a monthly writer in the Gentleman's Magazine, begun and carried on by Mr. Edmund Cave, under the name of Sylva. 'nus Urban; and he was thus employed as a mere literary labourer for gain, not glory," folely to obtain an honelt fupport, during fome of the belt years of his life. The literary world however difcovered his merit, though his name was concealed, and this periodical publication, perhaps, owes the greatest fhare of its fuccefs to the celebrity into which it was railed by the nierit of Johnfon's contributions. But what firit difplayed his tranfcendant powers, "and gave the world allurance of THE MAN," was his LONDON," a Poem in imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal, which came out in the month of May 1733," and burft forth," fays Mr. Boiwell, with a fplendour the rays of which will for ever encircle his name." This poem, excellent as it certainly is, was of fered, without the author's name, to feveral bookfellers, none of whom would

purchase it; but Johnfon at length inclofed it in a letter to Mr. Cave as the production of an author of his acquaintance, who, to procure the recommendation of a good pu' ther's name, read it to Mr. Robert Dodfley, who had tafte enough to perceive its uncommon merit, and thought it creditable to have a fare in it; and the fact is, that Mr. Dodley at a future conference had tafte enough to bargain for the whole property in it, for which he generoufly gave Johnfon ten guineas. "I might perhaps," faid Johnfon," have accepted lefs; but that Paul Whitehead had a little before got ten guineas for a poem, and I would not take lets than Paul Whitehead." The merit of this poem was immediately acknowledged by POPE, who then filled the poetical throne without a rival, and with a candour and liberality, not ufual upon fuch occafions, he was indefatigable to difcover its author, and ever after continued his patron and his friend. From this time until the year 1744 Johnton continued, under very embarraffed circumstances, to write miicella neous pieces both in verfe and profe for the Gentleman's Magazine, all of which Mr. Bofwell has enumerated, and accompanied with a hiftory of the tranfactions which gave them birth. In the beginning of the year 1744, he published his celebrated Life of the ingenious, excentric, and unfortunate Mr. Savage; and MifcelJaneous obfervations on the Tragedy of Macbeth; but his literary carcer appears to have been almost totally fufpended in the civil wars in the years 1745 and 1746. But the year 1747 is diftinguished as the epoch when Johnfon's arduous and important work, his "Dictionary of the English Language" was announced to the world, by the publication of its plan, or profpectus. The bookfellers who contracted with Johnfon for the execution of this ftupendous work, were Mr. Robert Dodfley, Mr. Charles Hitch, Mr. Andrew Millar, the two Mell. Longmans, and the two Meff. Knaptons; and the price ftipulated was fifteen hundred and feventy-five pounds. The PLAN, in confequence of a particular communication for that purpose, was addreiled to Paip Dormer Earl of Chelterfield, then one of his Majelly's principal Secretaries of State," a Nobleman," fays Mr. Bofwell, who was very ambitious of literary diftinétion, and who, upon being informed of the defign, had exprefied himfelt in terms very favourable to its fuc. cels." Of the manner in which Lord Chesterfield was first informed of this work, M. Bofwell gives the following

account :

"Dr. Taylor told me that Johnson fent his Plan to him in Manufeript, for his perufal, and that when it was lying on his table Mr. William Whitehead happened to pay him a vifit, and being thewn it, was highly pleafed with fuch parts of it as he had time to read, and begged to take it home with him, which he was allowed to do; that from him it got into the hands of a noble Lord, who carried it to Lord Chesterfield." This was afterwards mentioned to Johnfon, by Dr. Taylor, as a circumitance that might be an advantage to the work. "No Sir," replied Johnion, "it would have come out with more bloom if it had not been feen before by any body." While the Dictionary was going forward he publifhed, in January 1749, "The Vanity of Human Wilhes," a Poem in imitation of the Tenth Satire of Juvenal, which he had compofed the year preceding; and for which he only received the fum of five guineas.

Garrick being now vefted with theatrical power by being Manager of Drurylane Theatre, generoutly made use of it to bring out Johnion's Tragedy of IRENE; but Johnion could not for fome time brook that a drama which he had formed with much study, and had been obliged to keep more than the nine years of HORACE, fhould be revited and altered at the plea fure of an actor. "Sir," faid Johnfon to Dr. Taylor upon this f:bject," the fellow (Garrick) wants to make Mahomet run mad, that he may have an oppor tunity of toffing his hands and kicking his heels." The Poet, however, was at length perfuaded to fubmit. The reprefentation, by the zeal of Garrick to ferve his friend, was continued through nine nights; but it received its death wound upon the first reprefentation; for, when Mrs. Pritchard, the heroine of the piece, was to be ftrangled on the itage, and was to speak two lines with the bow-ftring round her neck, the audience, who before the cur tain drew-up did not appear to have con ceived a very favourable opinion of it, cried out Murder, Murder, and, though the attempted feveral times to fpeak, the was at length obliged to go off the itage alive; and, in the fubfequent reprefentations, was fuppofed to be murdered behind the fcenes. Of this play Mr. Bofwell has given a very jutt and ingenious critic in. Johnfon, when afked how he fult upon the ill fuccefs of his I ragedy, replied, "Like the monument," meaning, fays his hiltorian," that he continued him and unmoved as that column." In 1750 he came terth

forth in a character for which he was eminently qualified, a majestic teacher of moral and religious wildom; by commencing the publication of " THE RAMBLER," a periodical work which was continued to March 1752, and increafed in fame as it advanced in age. From this time he was almost entirely occupied with his Dictionary until the death of his wife, which happened in the fucceeding year; when to relieve the melancholy with which this event afficted his mind, he took an active part in the compofition of the periodical publication, called "THE ADVENTURER, in which he began to write on the 10th April 1753. The labours of the Dictionary, however, were only occafionally fufpended, and as the three years in which he had engaged to complete it were nearly expired, it is probable that he worked at it with redoubled vigour. "Lord Chesterfield," fays Mr. Bolwell, "to whom Johnfon had paid the high compliment of addressing the plan of this work, had, by continued neglect during its progrefs, behaved to him in fuch a manner as to excite his contempt and indignation; but when the Dictionary was upon the eve of publication, his Lordfhip, who, it is faid, had fiattered himself with expectations that Johnfon would dedicate the work to him, attempted in a courtly manner to foothe and infinuate himleif with the author, confcious, as it should feem, of the cold indifference with which he had treated him; and further attempted to conciliate him, by writing two papers in "The World," in recommendation of the Work. The highftrained panegyrick in which bis Lordthip expreffes his complimentary obfervations, and advice to Johnson, do indeed fully speak the inclination of his mind upon this fubject; but this courtly advice," contizues Mr. Bofwell, "failed of its effect. Johnson thought that all was falfe and belloru, defpifed the honeyed words, and was even indignant that Lord Chesterfield fhould for a moment imagine that he could be the dupe of fuch an artifice. Johnfon therefore, upon this occafion, wrote to his Lord hip that celebrated Letter of which fo much has been faid, and about which curiofity has been fo long excited without being fatisfied. With this letter, however, Mr. Bofwell has, by the favour of

"I HAVE been lately informed, by the proprietor of the World, that two pa pers, in which my Dictionary is recoinmended to the public, were written by your Lordship. To be fo diftinguifhed, is an honour, which, being very little accustomed to favours from the great, I know not well how to receive, or in what terms to acknowledge.

"When, upon fome flight encouragement, I first visited your Lordship, I was overpowered, like the reft of mankind, by the enchantment of your addrefs; and could not forbear to wish that I might boat myself Le vainqueur du vainqueur de la terre; that I might obtain that regard for which I faw the world contending;-but I found my attendance fo little encouraged, that neither pride nor modefty would fuffer me to continue it. When I had once addreffed your Lordfhip in public, I had exhausted all the art of pleating which a retired and uncourtly fcholar can poffefs. I had done all that I could; and no man is well pleased to have his all neglected, be it ever fo little.

"Seven years, my Lord, have now past fince I waited in your outward rooms, or was repulfed from your door; during which time I have been pushing on my work through difficulties, of which it is ufelefs to complain, and have brought it, at lait, to the verge of publication, with out one act of alfiftance, one word of encouragement, or one fimile of favour. Such treatment I did not expect, for I never had a patron before.

"The fhepherd in Virgil grew at last acquainted with Love, and found him a native of the rocks.

"Is not a patron, my Lord, one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help? The notice which you have been pleated to take of my labours, had it been early,

had