1755. in itself very plain. But to these frivolous cenfures no other answer is necefEtat. 46. fary than that with which we are furnished by his own Preface. To explain, requires the use of terms lefs abftrufe than that which is to be explained, and fuch terms cannot always be found. For as nothing can be proved but by supposing something intuitively known, and evident without proof, so nothing can be defined but by the use of words too plain to admit of definition. Sometimes easier words are changed into harder; as, burial, into fepulture or interment; dry, into deficcative; drynefs, into ficcity or aridity; fit, into paroxyfm; for, the eafieft word, whatever it be, can never be translated into one more eafy." His introducing his own opinions, and even prejudices, under general definitions of words, while at the fame time the original meaning of the words is not explained, as his Tory, Whig, Penfion, Oats, Excife, and a few more, cannot be fully defended, and must be placed to the account of capricious and humourous indulgence. Talking to me upon this fubject when we were at Ashbourne in 1777, he mentioned a still stronger instance of the predominance of his private feelings in the compofition of this work, than any now to be found in it. "You know, Sir, Lord Gower forfook the old Jacobite interest. When I came to the word Renegado, after telling that it meant 'one who deferts to the enemy, a revolter,' I added, Sometimes we fay a GowER. Thus it went to the prefs; but the printer had more wit than I, and struck it out." Let it, however, be remembered, that this indulgence does not display itself only in sarcasm towards others, but fometimes in playful allufion to the notions commonly entertained of his own laborious task. Thus: "GrubStreet, the name of a street in London, much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems; whence any mean production is called Grub-street."-" Lexicographer, a writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge." At the time when he was concluding his very eloquent Preface, Johnson's mind appears to have been in such a state of depreffion, that we cannot contemplate without wonder the vigorous and fplendid thoughts which fo highly distinguish that performance. "I (fays he) may furely be contented without the praise of perfection, which if I could obtain in this gloom of folitude, what would it avail me? I have protracted my work till most of those whom I wished to please, have funk into the grave; and fuccefs and miscarriage are empty founds. I therefore difmifs it with frigid tranquillity, having little to fear or hope from cenfure or from praife." That this indifference was rather a temporary 1755 a temporary than an habitual feeling, appears, I think, from his letters to Mr. Warton; and however he may have been affected for the moment, Atat. 46. certain it is that the honours which his great work procured him, both at home and abroad, were very grateful to him. His friend the Earl of Corke and Orrery, being at Florence, prefented it to the Academia della Crufca. That Academy sent Johnson their Vocabulario, and the French Academy sent him their Dictionnaire, which Mr. Langton had the pleasure to convey to him. It must undoubtedly feem ftrange, that the conclufion of his Preface fhould be expreffed in terms fo defponding, when it is confidered that the authour was then only in his forty-fixth year. But we must ascribe its gloom to that miserable dejection of spirits to which he was conftitutionally fubject, and which was aggravated by the death of his wife two years before. I have heard it ingeniously observed by a lady of rank and elegance, that "his melancholy was then at its meridian." It pleased GOD to grant him almost thirty years of life after this time; and once, when he was in a placid frame of mind, he was obliged to own to me that he had enjoyed happier days, and had had many more friends, fince that gloomy hour than before. It is a fad saying, that "most of those whom he wished to please had sunk into the grave," and his cafe at forty-five was fingularly unhappy, unless the circle of his friends was very narrow. I have often thought, that as longevity is generally desired, and, I believe, generally expected, it would be wife to be continually adding to the number of our friends, that the loss of fome may be fupplied by others. Friendship, "the wine of life," fhould, like a wellstocked cellar, be thus continually renewed; and it is confolatory to think, that although we can feldom add what will equal the generous first-growths of our youth, yet friendship becomes infenfibly old in much lefs time than is commonly imagined, and not many years are required to make it very mellow and pleafant. Warmth will, no doubt, make a confiderable difference. Men of affectionate temper and bright fancy will coalefce a great deal fooner than those who are cold and dull. The propofition which I have now endeavoured to illuftrate was, at an after period of his life, the opinion of Johnson himself.. He said to Sir Joshua Reynolds, "If a man does not make new acquaintance as he advances through life, he will foon find himself left alone. A man, Sir, should keep his friendfhip in conftant repair." The celebrated Mr. Wilkes, whofe notions and habits of life were very oppofite to his, but who was ever eminent for literature and vivacity, fallied forth with a little Jeu d' Efprit upon the following paffage in his Grammar of the behave 1755. the English Tongue, prefixed to the Dictionary: " H feldom, perhaps never, Atat. 46. begins any but the first fyllable." In an effay printed in the Publick Advertifer, this lively writer enumerated many inftances in oppofition to this remark; for example, "The authour of this obfervation must be a man of a quick appre-henfion, and of a most compre-benfive genius." The position is undoubtedly expreffed with too much latitude. This light fally, we may suppose, made no great impreffion on our Lexicographer, for we find that he never altered the paffage. He had the pleasure of being treated in a very different manner by his old pupil Mr. Garrick, in the following complimentary Epigram: On JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY. "TALK of war with a Briton, he'll boldly advance, "In the deep mines of fcience though Frenchmen may toil, "Their verse-men and profe-men; then match them with ours! Has beat forty French, and will beat forty more!" Johnson this year gave at once a proof of his benevolence, quickness of apprehenfion, and admirable art of compofition, in the affiftance which he gave to Mr. Zachariah Williams, father of the blind lady whom he had humanely received under his roof. Mr. Williams had followed the profeffion of phyfick in Wales; but having a very strong propenfity to the study of natural philosophy, had made many ingenious advances towards a difscovery of the longitude, and repaired to London in hopes of obtaining the great parliamentary reward. He failed of fuccefs; but Johnson having made himself 3 The number of the French Academy employed in fettling their language. mafter mafter of his principles and experiments, wrote for him a pamphlet, published in quarto, with the following title; "An Account of an Attempt to ascertain the Longitude at Sea, by an exact Theory of the Variation of the magnetical Needle; with a Table of the Variations at the most remarkable Cities in Europe, from the year 1660 to 1860." To diffuse it more extenfively, it was accompanied with an Italian translation on the oppofite page, which it is supposed was the work of Signor Baretti, an Italian of confiderable literature, who having come to England a few years before, had been employed in the capacity both of a language-master and an authour, and formed an intimacy with Dr. Johnson. This pamphlet Johr.fon presented to the Bodleian Library. On a blank leaf of it is pafted a paragraph cut out of a newspaper, containing an account of the death and character of Williams, plainly written by Johnsons. In July this year he had formed fome scheme of mental improvement, the particular purpose of which does not appear. But we find in his "Prayers and Meditations," p. 24, a prayer entitled "On the Study of Philosophy, as an Inftrument of living," and after it follows a note, "This study was not pursued." In 1756 Johnson found that the great fame of his Dictionary had not fet him above the neceffity of " making provifion for the day that was paffing over him." No royal or noble patron extended a munificent hand to give independence to the man who had conferred ftability on the language of his country. We may feel indignant that there should have been fuch unworthy neglect; but we muft, at the fame time, congratulate ourselves, that to this very neglect, operating to roufe the natural indolence of his constitution, we owe many valuable productions, which otherwife, perhaps, might never have appeared. He had spent, during the progrefs of the work, the money for which he had contracted to write his Dictionary. We have seen that the reward of his labour was only fifteen hundred and feventy-five pounds; and when the expence of amanuenfes and paper, and other articles are deducted, his clear profit was • See note by Mr. Warton, p. 149. 5 "On Saturday the 12th, about twelve at night, died Mr. Zachariah Williams, in his eightythird year, after an illness of eight months, in full poffeffion of his mental faculties. He has been long known to philofophers and feamen for his skill in magnetism, and his propoïal to ascertain the longitude by a peculiar fyftem of the variation of the compafs. He was a man of industry indefatigable, of conversation inoffenfive, patient of adversity and disease, eminently sober, temperate, and pious; and worthy to have ended life with better fortune." 1755 Etat. 46. 1756. 1756. Etat. 47. But it was very inconfiderable. I once faid to him "I am forry, Sir, you did not get On the first day of this year we find from his private devotions, that he had then recovered from fickness"; and in February that his eye was restored to its use. The pious gratitude with which he acknowledges mercies upon every occafion is very edifying; as is the humble fubmiffion which he breathes when it is the will of his heavenly Father to try him with afflictions. As fuch difpofitions become the state of man here, and are the true effects of religious discipline, we cannot but venerate in Johnson one of the most exercised minds that our holy religion hath ever formed. If there be any thoughtless enough to suppose such exercise the weakness of a great understanding, let them look up to Johnson, and be convinced that what he so earnestly practised must have a rational foundation. His works this year were, an abstract or epitome, in octavo, of his folio Dictionary, and a few effays in a monthly publication, entitled, "THE UNIVERSAL VISITER." Chriftopher Smart, with whofe unhappy vacillation of mind he fincerely fympathifed, was one of the ftated undertakers of this mifcellany; and it was to affift him that Johnson fometimes employed his pen. All the effays marked with two afterisks have been ascribed to him; but I am confident, from internal evidence, that of these, neither "The Life of Chaucer," "Reflections on the State of Portugal," nor an "Effay on Architecture," were written by him. I am equally confident, upon the fame evidence, that he wrote "Further Thoughts on Agriculture,t" being the fequel of a very inferiour effay on the fame fubject, and which, though carried on as if by the fame hand, is both in thinking and expreffion fo far above it, and so strikingly peculiar, as to leave no doubt of its true parent; and that he also wrote "A Differtation on the State of Literature and Authours,t" and "A Differtation on the Epitaphs written by Pope.t" The last of these, indeed, he afterwards added to his " Idler." Why the effays truly written by him are marked in the fame manner with fome he did not write, I cannot explain; but with deference to thofe who have afcribed to him the three effays which 7 Ibid. p. 27. Prayers and Meditations, p. 25. I have |