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1781.

whose elegance of manners the writer of the present work has felt himself much impressed, and to whose virtues a common friend, who has known him long, and is not much addicted to flattery, gives the highest testimony.

Ætat. 72.

Various readings in the Life of Milton. « I cannot find any meaning but this which [his most bigotted advocates] even kindness and reverence can give.

[Perhaps no] scarcely any man ever wrote so much, and praised fo few, « A certain [rescue] preservative from oblivion.

« Let me not be censured for this digression, as (contracted] pedantick or paradoxical.

“ Socrates rather was of opinion, that what we had to learn was how to [obtain and communicate happiness] do good and avoid evil.

“ Its elegance [who can exhibit ?] is less attainable.

I could, with pleasure, expatiate upon the masterly execution of the Life of Dryden, which we have seen? was one of Johnson's literary projects at an early period, and which it is remarkable, that after desisting from it, from a supposed scantiness of materials, he should, at an advanced age, have performed so amply.

His defence of that great poet against the illiberal attacks upon him, as if his embracing the Roman Catholick communion had been a time-serving measure, is a piece of reasoning at once able and candid. Indeed, Dryden himself, in his “ Hind and Panther,” hath given such a picture of his mind, that they who know the anxiety for repose as to the aweful subject of our state beyond the grave, though they may think his opinion ill-founded, must think charitably of his sentiment.

« But, gracious God, how well dost thou provide

For erring judgements an unerring guide !

Thy throne is darkness in th' abyss of light,
" A blaze of glory that forbids the fight.
O! teach me to believe thee thus conceal’d,
" And search no farther than thyself reveal'd;

1

? See page 85 of this Volume,

1781.

Ætat. 72.

st But Her alone for my director take,
« Whom thou hast promis'd never to forsake.

My thoughtless youth was wing'd with vain desires;
“ My manhood, long misled by wand'ring fires,
« Follow'd false lights; and when their glimpse was gone,

My pride struck out new sparkles of her own.
“ Such was I, such by Nature still I am;
“ Be thine the glory, and be mine the shame.
« Good life be now my task: my doubts are done ;

" What more could shock my faith than Three in One ?"
In drawing Dryden's character, Johnson has given, though I suppose
unintentionally, some touches of his own. Thus, “ The

pre-
dominated in his intellectual operations was rather strong reason than quick
sensibility. Upon all occasions that were presented, he studied rather than
felt; and produced sentiments not such as Nature enforces, but meditation
supplies. With the simple and elemental pasions as they spring separate in
the mind, he seems not much acquainted. He is, therefore, with all his
variety of excellence, not often pathetick; and had so little sensibility of the
power of effusions purely natural, that he did not esteem them in others.” -
It may indeed be observed, that in all the numerous writings of Johnson,
whether in prose or verse, and even in his tragedy, of which the subject is the
distress of an unfortunate Princess, there is not a single passage that ever drew

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Various readings in the Life of DRYDEN.
“ The reason of this general perusal, Addison has attempted to [find in]
derive from the delight which the mind feels in the investigation of secrets.

“ His best actions are but [convenient) inability of wickedness.

« When once he had engaged himself in disputation, [matter] thoughts. flowed in on either side.

“ The abyss of un-ideal [emptiness] vacancy.

“ These, like [many other harlots,] the barlots of other men, had his love though not his approbation.

“ He [sometimes displays] defcends to display his knowledge with pedantick oftentation.

“ French words which [were then used in] bed then crept into conversation.”

The

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181.

The Life of Pope was written by Johnson con amore, both from the early
Arat. 72. poffeffion which that writer had taken of his mind, and from the pleasure

which he must have felt, in for ever silencing all attempts to lessen his poetical
fame, by demonstrating his excellence, and pronouncing, a triumphant
apotheosis." After all this, it is surely superfluous to answer the question
that has once been asked, Whether Pope was a poet ? otherwise than by asking
in return, If Pope be not a poet, where is poetry to be found? To cir-
cumscribe poetry by a definition, will only shew the narrowness of the
definer; though a definition which shall exclude Pope will not easily be
made. Let us look round upon the present time, and back upon the past; let
enquire to whom the voice of mankind has decreed the wreath of poetry;
let their productions be examined, and their claims stated, and the pretensions
of Pope will be no more disputed.”

I remember once to have heard Johnson fay, “Sir, a thousand years may
clapse before there shall appear another man with a power of versification
equal to that of Pope. That power must undoubtedly be allowed its due
share in enhancing the value of his captivating composition.”

Johnson, who had done liberal justice to Warburton in his edition of Shakspeare, which was published during the life of that powerful writer, with still greater liberality took an opportunity of paying the tribute due to him when he was no longer in “high place,” but numbered with the dead %.

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8 Of Johnson's conduct towards Warburton, a very honourable notice is taken by the editor of “ Tracts by Warburton, and a Warburtonian, not admitted into the Collection of their respective Works.” After an able and " fond, though not undistinguishing," confideration of

“ Warburton's character, he says, “In two immortal works, Johnson has stood forth in the foremost rank of his admirers. By the testimony of such a man, impertinence must be abashed, and malignity itself must be foftened. Of literary merit, Johnson, as we all know, was a sagacious but a most severe judge. Such was his discernment, that he pierced into the most fecret Springs of human actions; and such was his integrity, that he always weighed the moral characters of his fellow-creatures in the • balance of the fanctuary.' He was too courageous to propitiate a rival, and too proud to truckle to a superiour. Warburton he knew, as I know him, and as every man of sense and virtue would wish to be known-I mean, both from his own writings, and from the writings of those who dissented from his principles, or who envied his reputation. But, as to favours, he had never received or asked any from the Bishop of Gloucester; and, if my memory fails me not, he had seen him only once, when they met almost without design, conversed without much effort, and parted without any lasting impressions of hatred or affection. Yet, with all the ardour of fympathetick genius, Johnson has done that fpontaneously and ably, which, by some writers, had been before attempted injudiciously, and which, by others, from whom more successful attempts might have been expected, has not hitherto been done at all. He Spoke well of Warburton, without insulting those whom Warburton despised. He suppressed not

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1781.

Ætat. 72.

It seems strange, that two fuch men as Johnson and Warburton, who lived in the same age and country, should not only not have been in any degree of intimacy, but been almost personally unacquainted. . But such instances, though we must wonder at them, are not rare. If I am rightly informed, after a careful inquiry, they never met but once, which was at the house of Mrs. French, in London, well known for her elegant assemblies, and bringing eminent characters together. The interview proved to be mutually agreeable.

I am well informed, that Warburton said of Johnson, “ I admire him, but I cannot bear his style:” and that Johnson being told of this, said, " That is exactly my case as to him.” The manner in which he expressed his admiration of the fertility of Warburton's genius and of the variety of his materials, was, “ The table is always full, Sir. He brings things from the north, and the south, and from every quarter.

In his · Divine Legation, you are always entertained. He carries you'round and round, without carrying you forward to the point; but then you have no wish to be carried forward.” He faid to the Reverend Mr. Strahan, “ Warburton is perhaps the last man who has written with a mind full of reading and reflection."

It is remarkable, that in the Life of Broome, Johnson takes notice of Dr. Warburton's using a mode of expression which he himself used, and that not feldom, to the great offence of those who did not know him. Having occasion to mention a note, stating the different parts which were executed by the associated translators of “ The Odyffey,” he says, “ Dr. Warburton told me, in his warm language, that he thought the relation given in the note a lie.” The language is warm indeed., and, I must own, cannot be

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the imperfections of this extraordinary man, while he endeavoured to do justice to his numerous
and transcendental excellencies. He defended him when living, amidst the clamours of his
enemies; and praised him when dead, amidst the filence of his friends.

Having availed myself of this editor's eulogy on my departed friend, for which I warmly
thank him, let me not fuffer the lustre of his reputation, honestly acquired by profound learning andi
vigorous eloquence, to be tarnished by a charge of illiberality. He has been accused of invidiously
dragging again into light certain writings of a person respectable by his talents,, his learning, his.
fation, and his age, which were published a great many years ago, and have since, it is said,
been filently given up by their authour. But when it is considered that these writings were not
fins of youth, but deliberate works of one well advanced in life, overflowing at once with flattery.
to a great man of great interest in the Church, and with unjust and acrimonious abuse of two
men of eminent merit; and that, though it would have been unreasonable to expect an
humiliating recantation, no apology whatever has been made in the cool of the evening, for the
oppressive fervour of the heat of the day ; no flight relenting indication has appeared in any note,
or any corner of later publications ; is it not fair to understand him as superciliously persevering?
When he allows the shafts to remain in the wounds, and will not stretch forth a lenient hand,
is it wrong, is it not generous to become an indignant avenger?
VOL, II
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1781. justified in consistency with a decent regard to the established forms of speech. tat. 2. Johnson liad accustomed himself to use the word lie, to express a mistake or

an errour in relation; in short, when the thing was not so as told, though the relator did not mean to deceive. When he thought there was intentional falsehood in the relatór, his expression was, “He lies, and he knows he dies."

Speaking of Pope's not having been known to excel in conversation, Johnson observes, that “ traditional memory retains no fallies of raillery, or sentences of observation ; nothing either pointed or folid, wise or merry; and that one apophthegm only is recorded.” In this respect, Pope differed widely froin Johnfon, whose conversation was, perhaps, more admirable than even his writings, however excellent. Mr. Wilkes has, however, favoured me with one repartee of Pope, of which Johnson was not informed. Jahnson, after justly censuring him for having "nursed in his mind a foolish dif-esteem of Kings," tells us, " yet a little regard shewn him by the Prince of Wales melted his obducacy; and he kad not.mrich to say when he was asked by his Royal Highness, how he could love a Prince, while he disliked Kings?” The answer which Pope made, was, “ The young lion is harmless, and even playful; but when his claws are full grown he becomes cruel, dreadful, and mischievous."

But although we have no collection of Pope's sayings, it is not therefore to be concluded, that he was not agreeable in social intercourse; for Johnson himself has been heard to say, that “the happiest conversation is that of which nothing is distinctly remembered but a general effect of pleasing impression.” The late Lord Somerville', who saw much both of great and brilliant life, told me, that he had dined in company with Pope, and that after dinner the little man, as he called him, drank his bottle of Burgundy, and was exceedingly gay and entertaining.

I cannot with-hold from my great friend a censure of at least culpable inattention, to a nobleman, who, it has been shewn, behaved to him with uncommon politeness. He says, “ Except Lord Bathurst, none of Pope's

· Let me here express my grateful remembrance of Lord Somerville's kindness to me, at a very early period. He was the first person of high rank that took particular notice of me in the way moft fiattering to a young man, fondly ambitious of being distinguished for his literary talents; and by the honour of his encouragement made me think well of myself, and aspire to deserve it better. He had a happy art of communicating his varied knowledge of the world, in Mort remarks and anecdotes, with a quiet pleasant gravity, that was exceedingly engaging. Never shall I forget the hours which I enjoyed with him at his apartments in the Royal Palace of Holy-Rood House, and at his feat near Edinburgh, which he himself had formed with an elegant taste.

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