your attention. The fentiment, as you have prefaced and explained it, as I doubted not would be the cafe, is quite unexceptionable. I am glad to find that you are better than you have been, and on the recovery. Indeed, I fhould be wanting in gratitude, as well as benevolence and charity, if you had not, in return for the great pleasure I have received from your writings, my best wishes and prayers; and particularly, as my laft and beft, that, when the period of the present state of your existence shall approach, you may have a short and easy paffage from this life to that in which good men "reft from their labours, and their works follow them." I am, SIR, With great esteem, your obliged and obedient humble servant, &c. To Dr. Johnson, &c. The following appeared in the MORNING CHRONICLE of May 29, 1782. A correfpondent having mentioned, in the Morning Chronicle of Dec. 12, the laft claufe of the following paragraph, as seeming to favour fuicide; we are requested to print the whole paffage, that its true meaning may appear, which is not to recommend fuicide, but exercise. "Exercife cannot fecure us from that diffolution to which we are decreed; but, while the foul and body continue united, it can make the affociation pleafing, and give probable hopes that they fhall be disjoined by It was a an eafy feparation. It was a principle among the ancients, that acute difeafes are from heaven, and chronical from ourselves; the dart of death indeed falls from heaven, but we poifon it by our own misconduct: to die is the fate of man; but to die with lingering anguish is generally his folly." Vide RAMBLER, vol. II. N° 85. LETTER XXXIII. To MR. NICHOL S. Oct. 10, 1782. SIR, WHILE I am at Brighthelmftone, if you have any need of confulting me, Mr. Strahan will do us the favour to tranfinit our papers under his frank. I have looked often into your "Anecdotes," and you will hardly thank a lover of literary history for telling you, that he has been informed and gratified. I wifh you would add your own discoveries and intelligence to those of Dr. Rawlinson, and undertake the Supplement to Wood. Think on it *. I am, SIR, Your humble fervant, SAM. JOHNSON. • In a fubfequent letter, dated Oct. 28, Dr. Johnson adds, "I "wish, Sir, you could obtain fome fuller information of Jortin, * Markland, and Thirlby. They were three contemporaries of great M m 2 "eminence," LETTER XXXIV. TO THE REV. MR. WILSON, CLITHEROE, REV. SIR, LANCASHIRE. Bolt-court, Fleet-ftreet, London, THAT I have fo long omitted to return you thanks for the honour conferred upon me by your Dedication, I entreat you with great earneftness not to confider it as more faulty than it is. A very importunate and oppreffive diforder has for fome time debarred me from the pleasures, and obftructed me in the duties of life. The esteem and kindness of wife and good men is one of the last pleasures which I can be content to lose; and gratitude to those from whom this pleasure is received, is a duty of which I hope never to be reproached with the final neglect. "eminence." It was in confequence of this request that I drew up the account of Thirlby, which is printed in the Magazine for April 1784, p. 260; which having been fhewn to Dr. Johnson in the ftate of a proof fheet, he added to it nearly half of what is there printed. The Doctor's MS. is now before me, and begins with "What I can "tell of Thirlby, I had from those who knew him; I never faw him "in my life." The communication concludes with "This is what I can remember." I will take this opportunity of adding, that, on my fhewing Dr. Johnson the " Remarks on his Life of Milton," which were published in 8vo. 1780, he wrote on the margin of p. 14, "In the bufinefs of Lauder, I was deceived; partly by thinking the man too frantick to be fraudulent. Of this quotation from the ["Literary] Magazine ["a POETICAL SCALE"], "I was not the "author. I fancy it was put in after I had quitted that work; for I "not only did not write it, but do not remember it." J. N. I there I therefore now return you thanks for the notice which I have received from you, and which I confider as giving to my name not only more bulk, but more weight; not only as extending its fuperficies, but as encreasing its value. Your book was evidently wanted, and will, I hope, find its way into the schools; to which, however, I do not mean to confine it; for no man has fo much skill in ancient rites and practices as not to want it. As I fuppofe myself to owe part of your kindness to my excellent friend Dr. Patten, he has likewise a just claim to my acknowledgments, which I hope you, Sir, will tranfmit. There will foon appear a new Edition of my Poetical Biography. If you will accept of a copy to keep me in your mind, be pleased to let me know how it may be conveniently conveyed to you. The prefent is small, but it is given with good-will by, REVEREND SIR, Your most obliged and moft humble fervant, SAM. JOHNSON. SIR, To MR. NICHOL S. Jan. 10, 1783. I am much obliged by your kind communication of your account of Hinckley *. I knew Mr. Carte as one * For this work Dr. Johnson had contributed several hints towards the life of Anthony Blackwall, to whom, when very young, he had been fome time an ufher at Market Bosworth-school. Blackwall died in April 1730, before Johnson was one and twenty. J. N. M m 3 of of the Prebendaries of Litchfield, and for fome time Surrogate of the Chancellor. Now I will put you in a way of fhewing me more kindness. I have been confined by illness a long time; and ficknefs and folitude make tedious evenings. Come fometimes, and fee, IT has pleafed God by a paralytic stroke in the night to deprive me of speech. I am very defirous of Dr. Heberden's affiftance, as I think my cafe is not past remedy. Let me see you as foon as it is poffible. Bring Dr. Heberden with you, you can; but come yourself at all events. I am glad you are fo well, when I am fo dreadfully attacked. if I think that by a speedy application of ftimulants much may be done. I question if a vomit, vigorous and rough, would not cause the organs of speech to action. As it is too early to fend, I will try to recollect what I can that can be fufpected to have brought on this dreadful diftrefs. |