intreat you to inform the publick, that his life will speedily be published by 1744. a person who was favoured with his confidence, and received from himself an Etat. 35account of most of the tranfactions which he proposes to mention, to the time of his retirement to Swansea in Wales. "From that period, to his death in the prison of Bristol, the account will be continued from materials ftill lefs liable to objection; his own letters, and thofe of his friends, fome of which will be inferted in the work, and abstracts of others fubjoined in the margin. "It may be reasonably imagined, that others may have the fame defign; but as it is not credible that they can obtain the fame materials, it must be expected they will fupply from invention the want of intelligence; and that under the title of The Life of Savage,' they will publish only a novel, filled with romantick adventures, and imaginary amours. You may therefore, perhaps, gratify the lovers of truth and wit, by giving me leave to inform them in your magazine, that my account will be published in 8vo. by Mr. Roberts, in Warwick-lane." [No fignature.] In February, 1744, it accordingly came forth from the shop of Roberts, between whom and Johnson I have not traced any connection, except the cafual one of this publication. In this work, although it must be allowed that its moral is the reverfe of" Refpicere exemplar vita morumque jubebo," a very useful leffon is inculcated, to guard men of warm paffions from a too free indulgence of them; and the various incidents are related in fo clear and animated a manner, and illuminated throughout with so much philofophy, that it is one of the most interesting narratives in the English language. Sir Joshua Reynolds told me, that upon his return from Italy he met with it in Devonshire, knowing nothing of its authour, and began to read it while he was standing with his arm leaning against a chimney-piece. It feized his attention fo ftrongly, that, not being able to lay down the book till he had finished it, when he attempted to move, he found his arm totally benumbed. The rapidity with which this work was compofed, is a wonderful circumftance. Johnson has been heard to fay, "I wrote forty-eight of the printed octavo pages of the Life of Savage at a fitting; but then I fat up all night"." He exhibits the genius of Savage to the best advantage, in the specimens of his poetry which he has felected, fome of which are of uncommon merit. 2 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 35. We 1744. We, indeed, occasionally find such vigour and fuch point, as might make us Etat. 35. fuppofe that the generous aid of Johnfon had been imparted to his friend. Mr. Thomas Warton made this remark to me; and, in fupport of it, quoted. from the poem entitled "The Bastard," a line in which the fancied fuperiority of one "stamped in Nature's mint with extafy," is contrafted with a regular lawful defcendant of some great and ancient family: "No tenth transmitter of a foolish face." but the fact is, that this poem was published some years before Johnson and Savage were acquainted. It is remarkable, that in this biographical difquifition there appears a very ftrong fymptom of Johnson's prejudice against players; a prejudice, which may be attributed to the following causes: first, the imperfection of his organs, which were fo defective that he was not fufceptible of the fine impreffions which theatrical excellence produces upon the generality of mankind; fecondly, the cold rejection of his tragedy; and, laftly, the brilliant fuccefs of Garrick, who had been his pupil, who had come to London at the fame time with him, not in a much more profperous ftate than himself, and whofe talents he undoubtedly rated low, compared with his own. His being outstripped by his pupil in the race of immediate fame, as well as of fortune, probably made him feel fome indignation, as thinking that whatever might be Garrick's merits in his art, the reward was too great when compared with what the most fuccefsful efforts of literary labour could attain. At all periods of his life Johnson used to talk contemptuously of players; but in this work he speaks of the, with peculiar acrimony; for which, perhaps, there was formerly too much reafon from the licentious and diffolute manners of thofe engaged in that profeffion. It is but justice to add, that in our own time fuch a change has taken place, that there is no longer room for fuch an unfavourable diftinction. His fchoolfellow and friend, Dr. Taylor, told me a pleasant anecdote of Johnfon's triumphing over his pupil David Garrick. When that great actor had played fome little time at Goodman's-fields, Johnson and Taylor went to fee him perform, and afterwards paffed the evening at a tavern with him and old Giffard. Johnson, who was ever depreciating stage-players, after cenfuring fome mistakes in emphafis which Garrick had committed in the course of that night's acting, faid, "the players, Sir, have got a kind of rant, with which they run on, without any regard either to accent or emphasis." Both Garrick and Giffard were offended at this sarcasm, and endeavoured to refute it; upon which Johnfon rejoined, "Well now, I'll give you something to fpeak, with which you are little acquainted, and then we shall see how just my 1744. my observation is. That shall be the criterion. Let me hear you repeat the ninth Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neigh-Atat. 35. bour." Both tried at it, faid Dr. Taylor, and both miftook the emphafis, which should be upon not and false witness. Johnfon put them right, and enjoyed his victory with great glee. His "Life of Savage" was no fooner published, than the following liberal praise was given to it, in "The Champion," a periodical paper: "This pamphlet is, without flattery to its authour, as juft and well written a piece as of its kind I ever faw; so that at the fame time that it highly deferves, it certainly stands very little in need of this recommendation. As to the history of the unfortunate perfon, whofe memoirs compofe this work, it is certainly penned with equal accuracy and fpirit, of which I am fo much the better judge, as I know many of the facts mentioned to be strictly true, and very fairly related. Befides, it is not only the story of Mr. Savage, but innumerable incidents relating to other perfons, and other affairs, which renders this a very amufing, and, withal, a very instructive and valuable performance. The authour's observations are short, fignificant, and juft, as his narrative is remarkably smooth and well difpofed. His reflections open to all the receffes of the human heart; and, in a word, a more juft or pleasant, a more engaging or a more improving treatise, on all the excellencies and defects of human nature, is scarce to be found in our own, or, perhaps, any other language." This paper is well known to have been written by the celebrated Henry Fielding. But, I fuppofe, Johnson was not informed of his being indebted to him for this civility; for if he had been apprised of that circumstance, as he was very sensible of praise, he probably would not have fpoken with fo little refpect of Fielding, as we shall find he afterwards did. Johnson's partiality for Savage made him entertain no doubt of his story, however extraordinary and improbable. It never occurred to him to question his being the son of the Countefs of Macclesfield, of whofe unrelenting barbarity he fo loudly complained, and the particulars of which are related in so strong and affecting a manner in Johnson's life of him. Johnson was certainly well warranted in publishing his narrative, however offensive it might be to the Lady and her relations, because her alledged unnatural and cruel conduct to her son, and shameful avowal of guilt, were stated in a life of Savage now lying before me, which came out fo early as 1727, and no attempt had been made to confute it, or to punifh the authour or printer as a libeller: but, for the honour of human nature, we should be glad to find the fhocking tale not true; and, from a refpectable gentleman connected with the Lady's family, I 1744. Atat. 35. have received fuch information and remarks, as joined to my own inquiries, will, I think, render it at least somewhat doubtful, especially when we consider that it must have originated from the person himself who went by the name of Richard Savage. If the maxim falfum in uno, falfum in omnibus, were to be received without qualification, the credit of Savage's narrative, as conveyed to us, would be annihilated; for it contains fome affertions which, beyond a question, are not true. 1. In order to induce a belief that Earl Rivers, on account of a criminal connection with whom, Lady Macclesfield is faid to have been divorced from her husband, by Act of Parliament 3, had a peculiar anxiety about the child which the bore to him, it is alledged, that his Lordship gave him his own name, and had it duly recorded in the register of St. Andrew's, Holborn. I have carefully inspected that register, but no fuch entry is to be found. 2. It is ftated, that "Lady Macclesfield having lived for fome time upon very uneafy terms with her husband, thought a publick confeffion of adultery the most obvious and expeditious method of obtaining her liberty;" and Johnson, affuming this to be true, ftigmatifes her with indignation, as "the wretch who had, without scruple, proclaimed herself an adulterefs." But I have perused the Journals of both houses of Parliament at the period of her divorce, and there find it authentically ascertained, that fo far from voluntarily fubmitting to the ignominious charge of adultery, fhe made a ftrenuous defence by her Counfel; the bill having been first moved 15th January, 1697, in the House of Lords, and proceeded on, (with various applications for time to bring up witnesses at a distance, &c.) at intervals, till the 3d of March, when it paffed. It was brought to the Commons, by a meffage from the Lords, the 5th of March, proceeded on the 7th, 10th, 11th, 14th, and 15th, on which day, after a full examination of witneffes on both fides, and hearing of Counsel, it was reported without amendments, paffed, and carried to the Lords. That Lady Macclesfield was convicted of the crime of which she was accused, cannot be denied; but the queftion now is, whether the perfon calling himself Richard Savage was her fon. It has been said, that when Earl Rivers was dying, and anxious to provide for all his natural children, he was informed by Lady Macclesfield that her fon by him was dead. Whether, then, fhall we believe that this was a malignant lie, invented by a mother to prevent her own child from receiving 3 1697. the 1741. the bounty of his father, which was accordingly the confequence, if the perfon whose life Johnson wrote, was her fon; or fhall we not rather believe that the tat. 35. person who then affumed the name of Richard Savage was an impoftor, being in reality the fon of the shoemaker, under whose wife's care Lady Macclesfield's child was placed; that after the death of the real Richard Savage, he attempted to perfonate him, and that the fraud being known to Lady Macclesfield, he was therefore repulfed by her with juft refentment. There is a ftrong circumftance in fupport of the laft fuppofition, though it has been mentioned as an aggravation of Lady Macclesfield's unnatural conduct, and that is, her having prevented him from obtaining the benefit of a legacy left to him by Mrs. Lloyd his god-mother. For if there was fuch a legacy left, his not being able to obtain payment of it, must be imputed to his consciousness that he was not the real perfon. The juft inference should be, that by the death of Lady Macclesfield's child before its god-mother, the legacy became lapfed, and therefore that Johnfon's Richard Savage was an impoftor. If he had a title to the legacy, he could not have found any difficulty in recovering it; for had the executors refifted his claim, the whole cofts, as well as the legacy, must have been paid by them, if he had been the child to whom it was given. The talents of Savage, and the mingled fire, rudenefs, pride, meannefs, and ferocity of his character, concur in making it credible that he was fit to plan and carry on an ambitious and daring fcheme of impofture, fimilar inftances of which have not been wanting in higher spheres, in the history of different countries, and have had a confiderable degree of fuccefs. Yet, on the other hand, to the companion of Johnfon, (who through whatever medium he was conveyed into this world,—be it ever so doubtful "To whom related, or by whom begot," was, unquestionably, a man of no common endowments,) we must allow the weight of general repute as to his Status or parentage, though illicit; and fuppofing him to be an impoftor, it feems strange that Lord Tyrconnel, the nephew of Lady Macclesfield, fhould Johnfon's companion appears to have perfuaded that lofty-minded man, that he refembled him in having a noble pride; for Johnfon, after painting in ftrong colours the quarrel between Lord Tyrconnel and Savage, afferts that "the fpirit of Mr. Savage, indeed, never fuffered him to folicit a reconciliation; he returned reproach for reproach, and infult for infult." Eut the refpectable gentleman to whom I have alluded, has in his poffeffion a letter from Savage, after Lord Tyrconnel had difcarded him, addreffed to the Reverend Mr. Gilbert, his Lordship's Chaplain, in which he requests him, in the humbleft manner, to reprefent his cafe to the Earl. patronife |