rick exhibited his growing wealth and his furniture with oftentation but we hope that he fometimes opened his heart, not content to tantalize an old friend with the mere display of his riches. If any obligation of this nature ever took place, it has not yet tranfpired. Being from the year 1762 in poffeffion of a certain income, Johnfon began to relax from that exertion to which his mind had been often compelled. His friend Levett, his phyfician in ordinary, paid his daily vifits with affiduity; attended at all hours, made tea all the morning, talked what he had to fay, and did not expect an anfwer; or if occafion required it, was mute, officious, and ever complying. Mrs. Williams entertained her friend and benefactor with more enlarged converfation. Johnfon had left his chambers in Temple Lane, and was now in a houfe in Johnfon's Court, Fleet-ftreet. There he fat every morning receiving vifits, hearing the topics of the day, and indolently trifling away the time. Chemistry afforded fome amufement. In Gough Square he had an apparatus for the purpose, and the fame, with perhaps a few additions, was now fixed up in his houfe. In the fummer of 1783, when a paralytic ftroke affected his utterance, Mr. Murphy, we are told, found him reading Dr. Watfon's Effays on Chemistry. Articulating with difficulty, This is a book, faid he, from which he who knows nothing may learn a great deal; and he who knows, will be pleafed to fee his knowledge recalled to his mind in a manner highly pleafing. For this love of natural experiments, Sir John Hawkins thinks an apology neceffary; he tells us very gravely, that his object was mere amufement, not an intention to grow fuddenly rich by the philofopher's ftone, or the tranfmutation of metals. To enlarge his circle, and to find opportunities for converfa tion, Johnson once more had recourse to a club. This was at the Turk's Head in Gerard-freet, Soho, on every Monday through the year. The members were, befide himself, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mr. Burke, Dr. Nugent, Dr. Geldimith, Mr. Beauclerk, Mr. Langton, Mr. Chamier, and Sir John Hawkins. Garrick, on his return from Italy, wifhed to be admitted a member, but was never in form propofed. Johnfon, his Biographer fays, prevented it, and thence he infers that the friendThip between those two eminent men was not fo ftrong as might be fuppofed. When the fame writer afterwards adds, that Garrick was no difquifitor, and that Johnfon, who loved philofop ical and moral enquiries, was afraid of being interrupted by Garrick's buffoonery, what other caufe needs to be affigned? Johnfon, it is well known, loved Garrick; and though he did not often fe him on his ftage, admired his talents, and the vivacity of his converfation. It is true, that of the art in which Garrick was fo eminent, he would often speak in flight ing terms he would fay, "Punch has no feelings:" he was ready to vindicate Garrick whenever his name was brought in queftion, and he would let nobody abufe him but himfelf. He lamented Garrick's death, and defired it might be fignified to Mrs. Garrick, that, if fhe afked it of him, he would undertake to write his life. In this courfe of indolence and occafional amusement, Johnfon let his mind lie fallow for two or three years. Shakespeare ftood ftill, and, indeed, the intended edition was never a favourite employment. He was at length roufed from his lethargy. In a poem of Churchill's he faw himself abused for breaking faith with the Public; and, in the fame production, charged with credulity in the affair of the Cock Lane ghoft, which happened in 1762. True it is, Johnfon would have been glad to fee a traveller from that undifcovered country, over which, like the rest of mankind, he faw nothing but clouds and darkness. For this weakness, Churchill ridiculed him: Johnson made no reply, and, indeed, had no occafion. He faw the fraud, and published an account of it. To acquit himself to his fubfcribers, he returned to Shakespeare, and unwillingly went to work with vigour. In 1765, the edition was published. Sir John Hawkins thinks it a meagre work; he complains of the paucity of notes; of Johnfon's want of induftry, and, indeed, unfitnefs for the office of a fcholiaft. He is, further, of opinion, that, because the preface fets forth, in the ftrongeft colourings of language, as well the beauties of that extraordinary genius, as the defects, that Johnfon detracted from the merit of his author. This is not the place to examine the opinions of Sir John Hawkins: our bufinefs at present is with Johnfon. The Univerfity of Dublin, as it fhould feem, entertained a better idea of Johnion and his abilities. That learned body prefented him with a diploma, drawn up in very honourable terms, by which he was created a Doctor of Laws. Oxford afterwards followed this example, and till then, Johnfon never affumed the name of Doctor. In addition to the penfion fettled upon him in 1762, Johnson had now gained another refource, which contributed perhaps more than any thing else to exempt him from the folicitudes of life. In 1764, he had been introduced to the late Mr. Thrale and his family. From Mrs. Thrale's agreeable book we learn, that Mr. Murphy, who had been long the friend and confidential intimate of Mr. Thrale, perfuaded him to wifh for Johnfon's converfation, extolling it in the higheft terms. The pretence for inviting him to that family was to give him an opportunity of feeing Woodhouse the fhoemaker, whofe verfes were, at that time, * In the Gentleman's Mag. for Feb. 1762. a general a general topic. Mr Murphy brought Johnfon to meet him, and through the rest of the winter they both dined at Mr. Thrale's every Thursday. In the autumn of that year, Johnson followed the Thrales to Brighthelmftone, but not finding them there, wrote an angry letter. The quarrel was foon made up, and Mr. Murphy brought Johnfon back to the family. In 1766 Johnson's health was exceedingly bad. The Thrales vifited him he was begging the prayers of Dr. Delap, that God would continue to him the ufe of his understanding. He thought himfelf in a state of infanity. The Thrales took him away to their house at Streatham, and, no doubt, by their care, prolonged his life. He continued from that time a conftant refident in the family. He went to town occafionally to the club in Gerardfreet, but his head quarters were fixed at Streatham. Sir John Hawkins feems to pity his fituation. His words are, The obligation they fubjected him to was that of fupporting his character, and furnishing fuch converfation, as was expected from a man who had diftinguifhed himfelf by his learning, his wit, and his eloquence.' Who told him that Johnfon was thus put under contribution? To talk in his best manner was a law which he impofed upon himself at all times, and in all places. But his hardship, it feems, was ftill greater: Like other men, he had his fombrous intervals, and might, in the hour of repletion, wish for the indulgence of being filent, or, at least, of talking like other men.' The Biographer, it is probable, takes a nap upon a full ftomach, and waits in flumber for a good digeftion: but let him be informed, though Johnfon neither flept nor fnored, that he did, on all occafions, as he liked; and if he talked apothegms, they were not demanded of him. non ifto vivitur illic Quo tu vere modo; domus hac nec purior ulla, It may be further added, that no ill example in the family hindered him from rifing at eight: elegance prevailed in the house, but irregularity was never known. The conftant difficulty was to draw Johnfon from his bed to breakfaft, or to get him dreffed for dinner. It does not appear that Sir John was ever of the parties that vifited Streatham; and fince he knows but little of the manner in which Johnlon was treated in that house, the reader is referred to thofe fprightly Memoirs with which Mrs. Piozzi has obliged the world. The fame of Dr. J halon raifed the curiofity of the King. His Majefty defired to lee a man, of whom extraordinary things were faid. Accordingly, the librarian invited Johnson to tee the collection of books at Buckingham-houfe. His Majefty entered the room, and among other things afked the author of fa many valuable works, if he intended to publish any thing more. The The Author modeftly answered, that he thought he had written enough: "And fo fhould I too," replied the King, "if you had not written fo well." In 1770, he became a political writer. The flame of difcontent that blazed throughout the nation, on the expulfion of Mr. Wilkes, and the final determination of the House of Commons, that Mr. Luttrel was duly elected by 296 votes against 1143, fpread a general alarm. Mr. Thrale was defired to conduct Johnfon to an interview with the Minifter. The confe quence was, that in 1770 he published the False Alarm. Whatever may be the logic or eloquence of the pamphlet, the House of Commons has fince erafed the refolution from the Journals. In March 1771 iffued forth another tract. The fubject was Falkland Islands; and the defign of the pamphlet was to fhew the impropriety of going to war for a mafs of iflands and broken lands, of which the foil was nothing but a bog, with no better profpect than that of barren mountains, beaten by forms almoft perpetual. For this work it is apparent that materials were furnished by direction of the minifter. At the approach of a general election, in 1774, a small tract, called The Patriot, was published, not with any vifible application to Mr. Wilkes, but to teach the people to reject the leaders of Oppofition, who called themfelves patriots. In 1775, Johnfon undertook a pamphlet of more importance. This was Taxation no Tyranny, in anfwer to the Refolutions and Addrefs of the American Congrefs. The fcope of the argument was, that diftant colonies, which had in their affemblies a legislature of their own, were, notwithstanding, liable to be taxed in a British Parliament, where they had neither peers in one house, nor reprefentatives in the other. The principle, which was immediately and vigorously combated in our Review, has been long abandoned but Johnfon was of opinion that this country was ftrong enough to enforce obedience. When," fays he," an Englishman is told that the Americans fhoot up like a Hydra, he naturally confiders how the Hydra was deftroyed." The event has fhewn how much he was mistaken. 66 The tour to the Hebrides, or Western Islands of Scotland, in company with Mr. Bofwell, took place in 1773. Johnson's account has been varioufly praifed, and abufed. Since his death, Mr. Bofwell has entertained us with a minute hiftory of his fellow traveller, in a style that fhews he poffeffes, in an eminent degree, the kill to give connection to mifcellaneous matter, and vivacity to the whole of his narrative: two rare qualities in a biographer! Of the ftorm that feemed to be gathering about the poems of Offian, little needs to be faid. That work, it is well known, was prefented to the public as a tranflation from the Erfe; and and that it was no better than a fraud, Dr. Johnson declared his opinion, without referve. If there was a manuscript, in what age was it written, and where is it? If it was collected from oral recitation in different parts of the Highlands, who put it together in its prefent form? Thefe and fuch like obfervations provoked the refentment of Mr. Macpherfon: he fent a threatening letter to the author, and Johnfon anfwered him in the rough phrafe of ftern defiance. The two heroes frowned at a diftance, but never came to action. The few remaining occurrences may be eafily dispatched. The Univerfity of Oxford, in 1775, created Johnfon a Doctor of Laws, and foon after the publication of the political pamphlet, Mr. Thrale wifhed to fee Johnfon in Parliament; but whether an uncouth form, loud vociferation, and a violent temper, would have fucceeded in that affembly, may well be a question: Lord North difapproved, and Johnfon, it feems, ever after disliked the minifter, in whofe fervice he had figured as a political writer. The misfortunes of Dr. Dodd, in 1777, excited Johnson's compaffion he wrote two petitions for that unhappy man, one to the King, another to the Queen: he alfo wrote a fermon, which was preached by Dodd to the convicts in Newgate. What is become of the fpeech, which Dodd delivered at the Old Bailey, when he was called up for judgment? Sir John has omitted that remarkable compofition. We come now to the laft of John fon's literary labours. At the request of the bookfellers, he undertook the Lives of the Poets. The first publication was in 1778, and the whole was completed in the year 1780, or 81. His Biographer doubts whether he poffeffed all the qualities of a critic, and in particular a truly poetic faculty. For this he gives, in his way, a curious reafon. Shakespeare talks of the poet's eye, in a fine phrenzy rolling, and Johnson had no eye to roll and glance. But he had the mind's eye, and with that he was qualified for every fubject upon which he exercifed his pen. The Lives of the Poets are thought not inferior to any of his other works. In fact they are written upon fo juft a plan, with fuch graces of order and connection, and with fo comprehenfive a brevity, that we with Sir John Hawkins had ftudied him, night and day, as the true model of biography. We now take leave of Johnfon as an author. From the clofe of this laft work, the malady that perfecuted him through life, came upon him with redoubled force. His conftitution declined faft, and the fabric of his mind feemed to be tottering. The contemplation of his approaching end was conftantly before his eyes, and the profpect of death, he declared, was terrible. Mr. Thrale died in April 1781, and Johnfon, to ule his own words, felt the laft Autter of his pulfe, and faw for the last time that face |