1755. Ætat. 46. and am far from thinking it a flight honour, or a small advantage; fince it it will put the enjoyment of your conversation more frequently in the power of, dear Sir, "Your most obliged and affectionate "SAM. JOHNSON. « P. S. I have enclosed a letter to the Vice-Chancellor', which you will read; and, if you like it, feal and give him. As the publick will doubtless be pleased to see the whole progress of this well-earned academical honour, I fhall infert the Chancellor of Oxford's letter to the University, the diploma, and Johnfon's letter of thanks to the ViceChancellor. To the Reverend Dr. HUDDESFORD, Vice-Chancellor of the University of "Mr. Vice-Chancellor, and Gentlemen, "MR. SAMUEL JOHNSON, who was formerly of Pembroke College, having very eminently distinguished himself by the publication of a series of effays, excellently calculated to form the manners of the people, and in which the cause of religion and morality is every where maintained by the strongest powers of argument and language, and who fhortly intends to publish a Dictionary of the English Tongue, formed on a new plan, and executed with the greatest labour and judgement; I perfuade myself that I shall act agreeably to the fentiments of the whole University, in defiring. that it may be proposed in convocation to confer on him the degree of Master of Arts by diploma, to which I readily give my confent; and am, "Mr. Vice-Chancellor, and Gentlemen, "Grosvenor-ftreet, Feb. 4, 1755. 3" Dr. Huddesford, Prefident of Trinity College." ARRAN," " DIPLOMA Term. Sti. Hilarii. 1755. "DIPLOMA MAGISTRI JOHNSON. "CANCELLARIUS, Magiftri et Scholares Univerfitatis Oxonienfis omnibus ad quos boc prefens fcriptum pervenerit, falutem in Domino fempiternam. "Cùm eum in finem gradus academici a majoribus noftris inftituti fuerint, ut viri ingenio et doctrinâ præftantes titulis quoque præter cæteros infignirentur; cùmque vir doctiffimus Samuel Johnson è Collegio Pembrochienfi, fcriptis fuis popularium mores informantibus dudum literato orbi innotuerit; quin et linguæ patriæ tum ornanda tum ftabilienda (Lexicon fcilicet Anglicanum fummo ftudio, fummo a fe judicio congeftum propediem editurus) etiam nunc utiliffimam impendat operam; Nos igitur Cancellarius, Magiftri, et Scholares antediƐti, nè virum de literis humanioribus optimè meritum diutius inhonoratum prætereamus, in folenni Convocatione Doctorum, Magiftrorum, Regentium, et non Regentium, decimo die Menfis Februarii Anno Domini Millefimo Septengentefimo Quinquagefimo quinto habitá, præfatum virum Samuelem Johnson (confpirantibus omnium fuffragiis) magiftrum in artibus renunciavimus et conftituimus; eumque, virtute præfentis diplomatis, fingulis juribus privilegiis et honoribus ad iftum gradum quàquà pertinentibus frui et gaudere juffimus. "In cujus rei teftimonium figillum Univerfitatis Oxonienfis præfentibus apponi fecimus. "Datum in Domo noftra Convocationis die 20° Menfis Feb. Anno Dom. "Diploma fupra fcriptum per Registrarium lectum erat, et ex decreto venerabilis Domus communi Univerfitatis figillo munitum." DOM. DOCTORI HUDDESFORD, OXONIENSIS ACADEMIE VICE CANCELLARIO. "INGRATUS planè et tibi et mihi videar, nifi quanto me gaudio affecerint, quos nuper mihi honores (te credo auctore) decrevit Senatus Academicus, literarum, quo tamen nihil levius, officio, fignificem: ingratus etiam, nifi comitatem, quá vir eximius mihi veftri teftimonium amoris in manus tradidit, agnofcam et laudem. Si quid eft undè rei tam grate accedat gratia, boc ipfo magis mihi placet, 5 The orignal is in my poffeffion. We may conceive what a high gratification it must have been to Johnfon to receive his diploma from the hands of the great Dr. KING, whofe principles were fo congenial with his own. 1755. Etat. 46. 1755. quod eo tempore in ordines Academicos denuo cooptatus fim, quo tuam imminuere Aitat. 46. au&toritatem, famamque Oxonii lædere, omnibus modis conantur homines vafri, nec tamem acuti: quibus ego, prout viro umbratico licuit, femper reftiti, femper reftiturus. Qui enim, inter has rerum procellas, vel Tibi vel Academiæ defuerit, illum virtuti et literis, fibique et pofteris, defuturum existimo. "S. JOHNSON." To the Reverend Mr. THOMAS WARTON. "DEAR SIR, "AFTER I received my diploma, I wrote you a letter of thanks, with a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, and fent another to Mr. Wife; but have heard from nobody fince, and begin to think myself forgotten. It is true, I fent you a double letter, and you may fear an expensive correspondent; but I would have taken it kindly, if you had returned it treble: and what is a double letter to a petty king, that having fellowship and fines, can fleep without a Modus in his head"? "Dear Mr. Warton, let me hear from you, and tell me fomething, I care not what, fo I hear it but from you. Something I will tell you:-I hope to fee my Dictionary bound and lettered, next week ;-vaftá mole fuperbus. And I have a great mind to come to Oxford at Eafter; but you will not invite Shall I come uninvited, or stay here where nobody perhaps would mifs me if I went? A hard choice! But fuch is the world to, dear Sir, Your, &c. me. 56 [London,] March 20, 1755. SAM. JOHNSON." To the fame. "DEAR SIR, "THOUGH not to write, when a man can write fo well, is an offence fufficiently heinous, yet I fhall pass it by. I am very glad that the Vice-Chancellor was pleased with my note. I shall impatiently expect you at London, that we may confider what to do next. I intend in the winter to open a Bibliotheque, and remember, that you are to fubfcribe a sheet a year; let us try, likewife, if we cannot perfuade your brother to fubfcribe another. 7 The words in Italicks are allufions to paffages in Mr. Warton's poem, called The PROGRESS OF DISCONTENT,' now lately published." My book is now coming in luminis oras. What will be its fate I know not, nor think much, because thinking is to no purpose. It must stand the cenfure of the great vulgar and the fmall; of thofe that understand it, and that under. ftand it not. But in all this, I fuffer not alone: every writer has the same difficulties, and, perhaps, every writer talks of them more than he thinks. "You will be pleased to make my compliments to all my friends: and be fo kind, at every idle hour, as to remember, dear Sir, "[London,] March 25, 1755. Dr. Adams told me, that this fcheme of a Bibliotheque was a ferious one; for upon his vifiting him one day, he found his parlour floor covered with parcels of foreign and English literary journals, and he told Dr. Adams he meant to undertake a Review. How, Sir, (faid Dr. Adams, can you think of doing it alone? All branches of knowledge must be confidered in it. Do you know Mathematicks? Do you know Natural Hiftory?" Johnfon answered, Why, Sir, I must do as well as I can. My chief purpose is to give my countrymen a view of what is doing in literature upon the continent; and I shall have, in a good measure, the choice of my subject, for I shall felect fuch books as I best understand." Dr. Adams fuggefted, that as Dr. Maty had juft then finished his Bibliotheque Britannique, which was a well executed work, giving foreigners an account of British publications, he might, with great advantage, affume him as an affiftant. "He, (faid Johnson,) the little black dog! I'd throw him into the Thames." The fcheme, however, was dropped. In one of his little memorandum-books I find the following hints for his intended Review or Literary Journal: "The Annals of Literature, foreign as well as domeftick. Imitate Le Clerk-Bayle-Barbeyrac. Infelicity of JourWorks of the learned. Works of the learned. We cannot take in all. foreign Journalists. Always tell." nals in England. times copy from Some 1755 Etat. 46. To Dr. BIRCH. March 29, 1755 "SIR, "I HAVE fent fome parts of my Dictionary, fuch as were at hand, for your inspection. The favour which I beg is, that if you do not like them you will fay nothing. I am, Sir, "Your most affectionate humble fervant, "SAM. JOHNSON." Το 1755 Etat. 46. "SIR, To Mr. SAMUEL JOHNSON. Norfolk-ftreet, April 3, 1755. "THE part of your Dictionary which you have favoured me with the fight of has given me fuch an idea of the whole, that I moft fincerely congratulate the publick upon the acquifition of a work long wanted, and now executed with an industry, accuracy, and judgement, equal to the importance of the fubject. You might, perhaps, have chofen one in which your genius would have appeared to more advantage; but you could not have fixed upon any other in which your labours would have done such substantial fervice to the prefent age and to pofterity. I am glad that your health has fupported the application neceffary to the performance of so vast a task; and can undertake to promise you as one (though perhaps the only) reward of it, the approbation and thanks of every well-wisher to the honour of the English language. I am, with the greatest regard, Sir, "Your most faithful "And moft affectionate humble fervant, "THO. BIRCH." Mr. Charles Burney, who has fince diftinguished himself fo much in the fcience of Mufick, and obtained a Doctor's degree from the University of Oxford, had been driven from the capital by bad health, and was now refiding at Lynn Regis, in Norfolk. He had been fo much delighted with Johnson's Rambler, and the Plan of his Dictionary, that when the great work was announced in the newspapers as nearly finished, he wrote to Dr. Johnson, begging to be informed when and in what manner his Dictionary would be published; intreating, if it should be by subscription, or he should have any books at his own difpofal, to be favoured with fix copies for himself and friends. In answer to this application, Dr. Johnson wrote the following letter, of which (to use Dr. Burney's own words) "if it be remembered that it was written to an obfcure young man, who at this time had not much distinguished himfelf even in his own profeffion, but whofe name could never have reached the authour of THE RAMBLER, the politenefs and urbanity may be opposed to fome of the stories which have been lately circulated of Dr. Johnson's natural rudeness and ferocity." Το |