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sell it at a low price: no man will send to buy a thing that costs even sixpence, without an intention to read it."

The character of Mallet having been introduced, and spoken of slightingly by Goldsmith: JOHNSON. "Why, sir, Mallet had talents enough to keep his literary reputation alive as long as he himself lived; and that, let me tell you, is a good deal. GOLDSMITH, "But I cannot agree that it was so his literary reputation was dead long before his natural death. I consider an author's literary reputation to be alive only while his name will insure a good price for his copy from the booksellers. I will get you (to Johnson) a hundred guineas for any thing whatever that you shall write, if you put your name to it."

Speaking of Rolt, to whose Dictionary of Commerce Dr. Johnson wrote the preface. JOHNSON. "Old Gardner the bookseller employed Rolt and Smart to write a monthly miscellany, called The Universal Visitor. There was a formal written contract, which Allen the printer saw. They were bound to write nothing else; they were to have, I think, a third of the profits of his sixpenny pamphlet; and the contract was for ninety-nine years. I wish I had thought of giving this to Thurlow, in the cause about literary property: what an excellent instance would it have been of the oppression of booksellers towards poor authors!" (smiling) Davies, zealous for the honour of the trade, said, Gardner was not properly a bookseller. JOHNSON. "Nay, sir; he certainly was a bookseller: he had served his time regularly, was a member of the stationers' company, kept a shop in the face of man,

kind, purchased copy-right, and was a bibliopole, sir, in every sense. I wrote for some months in the Universal Visitor, for poor Smart, while he was mad; not then knowing the terms on which he was engaged to write, and thinking I was doing him good. I hoped his wits would soon return to him mine returned to me, and I wrote in the Uni. 1 versal Visitor no longer."

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Johnson nobly said, when Boswell talked to him of the feeble, though shrill outcry, that had been raised against his Lives of the Poets, "Sir, I considered myself as entrusted with a certain portion of truth. I have given my opinion sincerely-let them show where they think me wrong."

Boswell censured some ludicrous fantastic dialogues between two coach horses, and other such stuff, which Baretti had lately published. Johnson joined with Boswell, and said, "Nothing odd will do long: Tristram Shandy did not last."

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Boswell mentioned Dr. Adam Smith's book on the Wealth of Nations, which was just published; and that sir John Pringle had observed to him, that Dr. Smith, who had never been in trade, could not be expected to write well on that subject, any more than a lawyer upon physic. JOHNSON. "He is mistaken, sir: a man who has never been engaged in trade himself may undoubtedly write well upon trade; and there is nothing which requires more to be illustrated by philosophy, than trade does. As to mere wealth, that is to say, money, it is clear, that one nation or one individual cannot increase its store but by making another poorer: but trade procures what is more valuable, the reciprocation of the peculiar advantages of different countries

A merchant seldom thinks but of his own particular trade. To write a good book upon it, a man must have extensive views. It is not necessary to have practised, to write well upon a subject." BoswELL. “Law is a subject, on which no man can write well without practice." JOHNSON. "Why, sir, in England, where so much money is to be got by the practice of the law, most of our writers upon it have been in practice; though Blackstone had not been much in practice when he published his Commentaries; but upon the continent, the great writers on law have not all been in practice: Grotius indeed was; but Puffendorf was not; Burlamaqui was not.”

No. II.

AUTHORS.

IN 1745, Johnson published a pamphlet, entitled "Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth, with Remarks on sir T. H.'s (sir Thomas Hanmer's) Edition of Shakspeare;" to which he affixed proposals for a new edition of that poet. This pamphlet was highly esteemed, and was fortunate enough to obtain the approbation even of the supercilious Warburton himself, who, in the preface to his Shakspeare, published two years afterwards, thus mentioned it: "As to all those things which have been published under the titles of Essays, Remarks, Observations, &c. on Shakspeare, if you except some Critical Notes on Macbeth, given as a specimen of a projected edition, and written,

as appears, by a man of parts and genius, the rest are absolutely below a serious notice."

Of this flattering distinction shown to him by Warburton, a very grateful remembrance was ever entertained by Johnson, who said, "He praised me at a time when praise was of value to me."

The year 1747 is distinguished as the epoch when Johnson's arduous work, his Dictionary of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE, was announced to the world by the publication of its Plan or Prospectus. The booksellers who contracted with Johnson, single 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 Dodsley, Mr. Charles Hitch, Mr. Andrew Millar, the two Messieurs Longman, and the two Messieurs Knapton. The price stipulated was fifteen hundred guineas.

The Plan was addressed 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 expressed himself in terms very favourable to its success. There is, perhaps, in every thing of any consequence, a secret history, which it would be amusing to know, could we have it authentically communicated. Johnson told Boswell, "Sir, the way in which the plan of my Dictionary came to be inscribed to lord Chesterfield, was this: I had neglected to write it by the time appointed; Dodsley suggested a desire to have it addressed to lord Chesterfield; I laid hold of this as a pretext for delay, that it might be better done, and let Dodsley

have his desire. I said to my friend, Dr. Bathurst, 'Now if any good comes of my addressing to lord Chesterfield, it will be ascribed to deep policy, when, in fact, it was only a casual excuse for laziness.'

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Dr. Taylor told Boswell, that Johnson sent his Plan to him in manuscript, for his perusal; and that when it was lying upon his table, Mr. William Whitehead happened to pay him a visit, and being shown 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 observed that 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."

Dr. Adams found him one day busy at his Dictionary, when the following dialogue ensued :— ADAMS. "This is a great work, sir: how are you to get all the etymologies?" JOHNSON. "Why, sir, here is a shelf with Junius, and Skinner, and others; and there is a Welsh gentleman who has published a collection of Welsh proverbs, who will help me with the Welsh." 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 consists of forty members, took forty years to compile their Dictionary." JOHNSON. " Sir, thus it is; this is the proportion: let me seeforty times forty is sixteen hundred: as three to sixteen hundred, so is the proportion of an Englishman to a Frenchman." With so much ease and plea

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