1739. Ætat. 30. there is here no occafion to refort to internal evidence; for my Lord Bishop This anonymous pamphlet, I believe, did not make so much noise as was expected, and, therefore, had not a very extenfive circulation. Sir John Hawkins relates, that "warrants were iffued, and meffengers employed to apprehend the authour; who, though he had forborne to subscribe his name to the pamphlet, the vigilance of those in pursuit of him had discovered;" and we are informed, that he lay concealed in Lambeth-marfh till the scent after him grew cold. This, however, is altogether without foundation; for Mr. Steele, one of the Secretaries of the Treafury, who, amidst a variety of important business, politely obliged me with his attention to my inquiry, informs me, that "he directed every poffible search to be made in the records of the Treasury and Secretary of State's Office, but could find no trace whatever of any warrant having been iffued to apprehend the authour of this pamphlet." "Marmor Norfolcienfe" became exceedingly fcarce, fo that I, for many years, endeavoured in vain to procure a copy of it. At laft I was indebted to the malice of one of Johnfon's numerous petty adverfaries, who, in 1775, published a new edition of it, "with Notes and a Dedication to SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL. D. by TRIBUNUS;" in which fome puny scribbler invidiously attempted to found upon it a charge of inconfiftency against its authour, because he had accepted of a penfion from his prefent Majefty, and had written in fupport of the meafures of government. As a mortification to fuch impotent malice, of which there are fo many inftances towards men of eminence, I am happy to relate, that this telum imbelle did not reach its exalted object, till about a year after it thus appeared, when I mentioned it to him, fuppofing that he knew of the re-publication. To my furprize, he had not yet 1739. yet heard of it. He requested me to go directly and get it for him, which I did. He looked at it and laughed, and seemed to be much diverted with the tat. 30. feeble efforts of his unknown adverfary, who, I hope, is alive to read this account. "Now (faid he) here is fomebody who thinks he has vexed me fadly; yet, if it had not been for you, you rogue, I fhould probably never have feen it." As Mr. Pope's note concerning Johnson, alluded to in a former page, refers both to his "London," and his "Marmor Norfolcienfe," I have deferred inferting it till now. I am indebted for it to Dr. Percy, the Bishop of Dromore, who permitted me to copy it from the original in his poffeffion. It was prefented to his Lordship by Sir Joshua Reynolds, to whom it was given by the fon of Mr. Richardfon the painter, the perfon to whom it is addreffed. I have transcribed it with minute exactnefs, that the peculiar mode of writing, and imperfect spelling of that celebrated poet, may be exhibited to the curious in literature. It juftifies Swift's epithet of "paperfparing Pope," for it is written on a flip no larger than a common meffagecard, and was sent to Mr. Richardson, along with the Imitation of Juvenal. "This is imitated by one Johnson who put in for a Publick School "in Shropshire+, but was Difappointed. He has an Infirmity of the "convulfive kind, that attacks him sometimes, so as to make Him a "fad Spectacle. Mr. P. from the Merit of This Work which was all "the knowledge he had of Him endeavour'd to ferve Him without his "own application; & wrote to my Ld. gore, but he did not fucceed. "Mr. Johnfon publifh'd afterwds, another Poem in Latin with Notes the "whole very Humerous call'd the Norfolk Prophecy. "P." Johnson had been told of this note by Pope; and Sir Joshua Reynolds informed him of the compliment which it contained, but, from delicacy, avoided fhewing him the paper itself. When Sir Joshua obferved to Johnson that he feemed very defirous to fee Pope's note, he answered, "Who would not be proud to have fuch a man as Pope fo folicitous in inquiring about him?” The infirmity to which Mr. Pope alludes, appeared to me alfo, as I have elsewhere obferved, to be of the convulfive kind, and of the nature of that diftemper called St. Vitus's dance; and in this opinion I am confirmed by the See note, p. 67. 5 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 8. L 2 defcription 1739. Ætat. 30. defcription which Sydenham gives of that disease. "This diforder is a kind "Those motions or tricks of Dr. Johnson are improperly called convulfions. He could fit motionlefs, when he was told fo to do, as well as any other man; my opinion is, that it proceeded from a habit he had indulged himself in, of accompanying his thoughts with certain untoward actions, and those actions always appeared to me as if they were meant to reprobate fome part of his paft conduct. Whenever he was not engaged in conversation, fuch thoughts were fure to rush into his mind; and, for this reason, any company, any employment whatever, he preferred to being alone. The great business of his life (he faid) was to escape from himself; this difpofition he confidered as the difeafe of his mind, which nothing cured but company. "One instance of his abfence and particularity, as it is characteristick of the man, may be worth relating. When he and I took a journey together into the Weft, we visited the late Mr. Banks, of Dorsetshire; the converfation turning upon pictures, which Johnfon could not well fee, he retired to a corner of the room, ftretching out his right leg as far as he could reach before him, then bringing up his left leg, and ftretching his right still further on. The old gentleman observing him, went up to him, and in a very courteous manner affured him, that though it was not a new house, the flooring was perfectly fafe. The Doctor started from his reverie, like a perfon waked out of his fleep, but fpoke not a word." While we are on this fubject, my readers may not be displeased with another anecdote, communicated to me by the fame friend, from the relation of Mr. Hogarth. Johnson used to be a pretty frequent vifiter at the house of Mr. Richardson, authour of Clariffa, and other novels of extenfive reputation. Mr. Hogarth came one day to fee Richardson, soon after the execution of Dr. Cameron, for having taken arms for the house of Stuart in 1745-6; and being a warm partifan of George the Second, he obferved to Richardson, that certainly there must have been some very unfavourable circumstances lately discovered in this particular case, which had induced the King to approve of an execution for for rebellion fo long after the time when it was committed, as this had the appearance of putting a man to death in cold blood", and was very unlike his Majesty's ufual clemency. While he was talking, he perceived a perfon standing at a window in the room, fhaking his head, and rolling himself about in a strange ridiculous manner. He concluded that he was an ideot, whom his relations had put under the care of Mr. Richardson, as a very good man. To his great furprize, however, this figure ftalked forwards to where he and Mr. Richardson were fitting, and all at once took up the argument, and burst out into an invective against George the Second, as one, who, upon all occafions, was unrelenting and barbarous; mentioning many inftances, particularly, that when an officer of high rank had been acquitted by a Court Martial, George the Second had, with his own hand, ftruck his name off the lift. In fhort, he difplayed fuch a power of eloquence, that Hogarth looked at him with astonishment, and actually imagined that this ideot had been at the moment infpired. Neither Hogarth nor Johnson were made known to each other at this interview. In 1740 he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine the "Preface,+" "Life of Admiral Drake,*" and the first parts of those of "Sir Francis Blake,*” and of " Philip Baretier,*" both which he finished the year after. He alfo wrote an Effay on Epitaphs,t" and an "Epitaph on Philips, a Mufician,*” which was afterwards published with fome other pieces of his, in Mrs. Williams's Mifcellanies. This Epitaph is fo exquifitely beautiful, that I remember even Lord Kames, ftrangely prejudiced as he was against Dr. Johnson, was compelled to allow it very high praife. It has been afcribed to Mr. Garrick, from its appearing at firft with the fignature G; but I have heard Mr. Garrick declare, that it was written by Dr. Johnson, and give the following account of the manner in which it was compofed. Johnfon and he were fitting together; when, amongst other things, Garrick repeated an Epitaph upon this Philips by a Dr. Wilkes, in these words: Impartial pofterity may, perhaps, be as little inclined as Dr. Johnson was to justify the uncommon rigour exercised in the case of Dr. Archibald Cameron. He was an amiable and truly honeft man; and his offence was owing to a generous, though mistaken principle of duty. Being obliged, after 1746, to give up his profession as a physician, and go into foreign parts, he was honoured with the rank of Colonel, both in the French and Spanish service. He was a fon of the ancient and refpectable family of Cameron, of Lochiel; and his brother, who was the Chief of that brave clan, diftinguished himself by moderation and humanity, while the Highland army marched victorious through Scotland. It is remarkable of this Chief, that though he had earnestly remonftrated against the attempt as hopeless, he was of too heroick a fpirit, not to venture his life and fortune in the cause, when perfonally asked by him whom he thought his Prince. "Exalted 1740. Atat. 31. 1741. Etat. 32. * Exalted foul! whofe harmony could please "And meet thy bleffed Saviour in the fkies." Johnson fhook his head at these common-place funereal lines, and faid to Garrick, "I think, Davy, I can make a better." Then, ftirring about his tea for a little while, in a state of meditation, he almost extempore produced the following verses: Phillips, whofe touch harmonious could remove At the fame time that Mr. Garrick favoured me with this anecdote, he repeated a very pointed Epigram by Johnson, on George the Second and Colley Cibber, which has never yet appeared, and of which I know not the exact date. Dr. Johnfon afterwards gave it to me himself. "Auguftus ftill furvives in Maro's ftrain, cr In 1741 he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine " the Preface,+" "Conclufion of his Lives of Drake and Baretier,*" "A free Translation of the Jefts of Hierocles, with an Introduction;t" and, I think, the following pieces: "Debate on the Propofal of Parliament to Cromwell, to affume the Title of King, abridged, methodised, and digested;†" "Tranflation of Abbé Guyon's Differtation on the Amazons ;+" "Tranflation of Fontenelle's Panegyrick on Dr. Morin.t" Two notes upon this appear to me undoubtedly his. He this year, and the two following, wrote the Parliamentary Debates. He told me himself, that he was the fole compofer of them for those three years only. |