towards a great literary project, that had been the subject of important confideration in a former reign.

The booksellers who contracted with Johnson, fingle and unaided, for the execution of a work, which in other countries has not been effected but by the co-operating exertions of many, were Mr. Robert Dodfley, Mr. Charles Hitch, Mr. Andrew Millar, the two Meffieurs Longman, and the two Meffieurs Knapton. The price ftipulated was fifteen hundred and feventy-five pounds.

The Plan" was addreffed to Philip Dormer, Earl of Chesterfield, then one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, a nobleman who was very ambitious of literary distinction, and who, upon being informed of the design, had expreffed himself in terms very favourable to its fuccefs. There is, perhaps, in every thing of any confequence, a fecret hiftory which it would be amusing to know, could we have it authentically communicated. Johnson told me, "Sir, the way in which the Plan of my Dictionary came to be inscribed to Lord Chefterfield, was this: I had neglected to write it by the time appointed. Dodfley fuggefted a defire to have it addreffed to Lord Chesterfield. I laid hold of this as a pretext for delay, that it might be better done, and let Dodsley have his defire. I faid to my friend Dr. Bathurst, 'Now if any good comes of my addreffing to Lord Chesterfield, it will be ascribed to deep policy, when, in fact, it was only a 'cafual excuse for lazinefs."

It is worthy of obfervation, that the "Plan" has not only the substantial merit of comprehenfion, perfpicuity, and precifion, but that the language of it is unexceptionably excellent, it being altogether free from that inflation of style, and those uncommon but apt and energetick words, which in fome of his writings have been cenfured with more petulance than justice; and never was there a more dignified ftrain of compliment, than that in which he courts the attention of one whom he had been perfuaded to believe would be a refpectable patron.

"With regard to questions of purity or propriety, (fays he) I was once in doubt whether I fhould not attribute to myself too much in attempting to decide them, and whether my province was to extend beyond the propofition of the queftion, and the difplay of the fuffrages on each fide; but I have been fince determined by your Lordship's opinion, to interpofe my own judgement, and shall therefore endeavour to fupport what appears to me most confonant to

3 September 22, 1777, going from Afhbourne in Derbyshire, to fee Iflam.

1747.

Etat. 38.

1747.

grammar and reafon.

Aufonius thought that modesty forbade him to plead Etat. 38. inability for a task to which Cæfar had judged him equal:

Cur me poffe negem poffe quod ille putat?'

And I may hope, my Lord, that fince you, whose authority in our language is fo generally acknowledged, have commiffioned me to declare my own opinion, I shall be confidered as exercising a kind of vicarious jurifdiction, and that the power which might have been denied to my own claim, will be readily allowed me as the delegate of your Lordship."

This paffage proves, that Johnson's addreffing his " Plan" to Lord Chesterfield was not merely in confequence of the refult of a report by means of Dodsley, that the Earl favoured the defign; but that there had been a particular communication with his Lordship concerning it. Dr. Taylor told me, that Johnson-sent his "Plan" to him in manuscript, for his perufal; and that when it was lying upon his table, Mr. William Whitehead happened to pay him a visit, and being fhewn it, was highly pleased with such 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. When Taylor obferved this might be an advantage, Johnson replied, "No, Sir; it would have come out with more bloom, if it had not been seen before by any body."

The opinion conceived of it by another noble authour, appears from the following extract of a letter from the Earl of Orrery to Dr. Birch:

Caledon, Dec. 30, 1747.

"I HAVE just now feen the fpecimen of Mr. Johnfon's Dictionary, addreffed to Lord Chesterfield. I am much pleafed with the plan, and I think the fpecimen is one of the best that I have ever read. Moft fpecimens difguft, rather than prejudice us in favour of the work to follow; but the language of Mr. Johnfon's is good, and the arguments are properly and modeftly expreffed. However, fome expreffions may be cavilled at, but they are trifles. I'll mention one. The barren Laurel. The laurel is not barren, in any fense whatever; it bears fruits and flowers. and I have great expectations from the performance 4"

Sed hæ funt nuga,

That he was fully aware of the arduous nature of the undertaking, he acknowledges, and fhews himself perfectly fenfible of it in the conclufion of his

"Plan," but he had a noble consciousness of his own abilities, which enabled him to go on with undaunted fpirit.

Dr. Adams found him one day busy at his Dictionary, when the following dialogue enfued. "ADAMS. This is a great work, Sir. How are you to get all the etymologies? JOHNSON. Why, Sir, here is a fhelf with Junius, and Skinner, and others; and there is a Welch gentleman who has published a collection of Welch proverbs, who will help me with the Welch. ADAMS. But, Sir, how can you do this in three years? JOHNSON. Sir, I have no doubt that I can do it in three years. ADAMS. But the French Academy, which confifts of forty members, took forty years to compile their Dictionary. JOHNSON. Sir, thus it is. This is the proportion. Let me fee; forty times forty is fixteen hundred. As three to fixteen hundred, fo is the proportion of an Englishman to a Frenchman." With so much ease and pleasantry could he talk of that prodigious labour which he had undertaken to execute.

The publick has had, from another pen, a long detail of what had been done in this country by prior Lexicographers, and no doubt Johnson was wife to avail himself of them, fo far as they went; but the learned, yet judicious research of etymology, the various, yet accurate display of definition, and the rich collection of authorities, were referved for the fuperiour mind of our great philologist. For the mechanical part, he employed, as he told me, fix amanuenfes; and let it be remembered by the natives of North-Britain, to whom he is fuppofed to have been fo hoftile, that five of them were of that country. There were two Meffieurs Macbean; Mr. Shiels, the writer of the Lives of the Poets to which the name of Cibber is affixed; Mr. Stewart, fon of Mr. George Stewart, bookfeller at Edinburgh; and, a Mr. Maitland. The fixth of these humble affiftants was Mr. Peyton, who, I believe, taught French, and published fome elementary tracts.

To all these painful labourers, Johnson fhewed a never-ceafing kindness, fo far as they stood in need of it. The elder Mr. Macbean had afterwards the honour of being Librarian to Archibald, Duke of Argyle, for many years, but was left without a fhilling. Johnson wrote for him a Preface to "A System of ancient Geography;" and, by the favour of Lord Thurlow, got him admitted a poor brother of the Charterhouse. For Shiels, who died of a confumption, he had much tenderness; and it has been thought that some choice fentences in the Lives of the Poets were fupplied by him. Peyton, when reduced to penury, had frequent aid from the bounty of Johnson, who at last was at the expence of burying both him and his wife.

4

While

1748.

Ætat. 39.

1748.

Etat. 39.

2

While the Dictionary was going forward, Johnfon lived part of the time in Holborn, part in Gough-fquare, Fleet-street; and he had an upper room fitted up like a counting-house for the purpose, in which he gave to the copyists their several tasks. The words, partly taken from other dictionaries, and partly fupplied by himself, having been firft written down with fpaces left between them, he delivered in writing their etymologies, definitions, and various fignifications. The authorities were copied from the books themfelves, in which he had marked the paffages with a black-lead pencil, the traces of which could easily be effaced. I have seen several of them, in which that trouble had not been taken; fo that they were juft as when used by the copyifts. It is remarkable, that he was fo attentive in the choice of the paffages in which words were authorised, that one may read page after page of his Dictionary with improvement and pleafure; and it fhould not pafs unobserved, that he has quoted no authour whofe writings had a tendency to hurt found religion and morality.

The neceffary expence of preparing a work of fuch magnitude for the press, must have been a confiderable deduction from the price ftipulated to be paid for the copy-right. I understand that nothing was allowed by the bookfellers on that account; and I remember his telling me, that a large portion of it having, by mistake, been written upon both fides of the paper, fo as to be inconvenient for the compofitor, it coft him twenty pounds to have it transcribed upon one fide only.

He is now to be confidered as " tugging at his oar," as engaged in a steady continued course of occupation, fufficient to employ all his time for fome years, and which was the beft preventive of that conftitutional melancholy which was ever lurking about him, ready to trouble his quiet. But his enlarged and lively mind could not be fatisfied without more diverfity of employment, and the pleasure of animated relaxation. He therefore not only exerted his talents in occafional compofition very different from Lexicography, but formed a club in Ivy-lane, Paternofter-row, with a view to enjoy literary difcuffion, and amufe his evening hours. The members affociated with him in this little fociety were his beloved friend Dr. Richard Bathurst, Mr. Hawkefworth, afterwards well known by his writings, Mr. John Hawkins, an attorney, and a few others of different profeffions,

In

5 He was afterwards for feveral years Chairman of the Middlefex Juftices, and upon occafion of prefenting fome addrefs to the King, accepted the ufual offer of Knighthood. He is authour of "A Hiftory of Mufick," in five volumes in quarto. By affiduous attendance upon Johnfon in

In the Gentleman's Magazine for May of this year he wrote a "Life of 1748. Lord Rofcommon,*" with Notes, which he afterwards much improved, Etat. 39indented the notes into text, and inferted it amongst his Lives of the English

Poets.

Mr. Dodsley this year brought out his PRECEPTOR, one of the most valuable books for the improvement of young minds that has appeared in any language; and to this meritorious work Johnson furnished "The Preface,*" containing a general sketch of the book, with a short and perspicuous recommendation of each article; as alfo, "The Vifion of Theodore the Hermit, found in his Cell,*" a most beautiful allegory of human life, under the figure of afcending the mountain of Existence. The Bishop of Dromore heard Dr. Johnson say, that he thought this was the beft thing he ever wrote.

In January, 1749, he published "THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES, being the Tenth Satire of Juvenal imitated." He, I believe, composed it the preceding year. Mrs. Johnson, for the fake of country air, had lodgings at Hampstead, to which he reforted occafionally, and there the greatest part, if not the whole, of this Imitation was written. The fervid rapidity with which it was produced, is fcarcely credible. I have heard him fay, that he compofed seventy lines of it in one day, without putting one of them upon paper till they were finished. I remember when I once regretted to him that he had not given us more of Juvenal's Satires, he faid he probably should give more, for he had them all in his head; by which I understood, that he had the originals and correfpondent allufions floating in his mind, which he could, when he pleased, embody and render permanent without much labour. Some of them, however, he obferved, were too grofs for imitation.

The profits of a single poem, however excellent, appear to have been very fmall in the last reign, compared with what a publication of the fame fize has fince been known to yield. I have mentioned, upon Johnson's own authority, that for his LONDON he had only ten guineas; and now, after his fame was established, he got for his "Vanity of human Wishes" but five guineas more, as is proved by an authentick document in my poffeffion"..

It

his laft illness, he obtained the office of one of his executors; in confequence of which, the bookfellers of London employed him to publifh an edition of Dr. Jolinfon's works, and to write his Life.

• Sir John Hawkins, with folemn inaccuracy, reprefents this poem as a confequence of the indifferent reception of his tragedy. But the fact is, that the poem was published on the 9th of January, and the tragedy was not acted till the 6th of the February following.

7" Nov. 25, 1748. I received of Mr. Dodfley fifteen guineas, for which I affign to him the

1749.