1744.

Etat. 35.

receffes of the human heart; and, in a word, a more juft or pleasant, a more engaging or more improving treatise, on all the excellencies and defects of human nature, is fcarce to be found in our own, or, perhaps, any other language+.'

Johnson's partiality for Savage made him entertain no doubt of his ftory, however extraordinary and improbable. It never occurred to him to queftion his being the fon of the Countefs of Macclesfield, of whofe unrelenting barbarity he fo loudly complained, and the particulars of which are related in so strong and affecting a manner in Johnson's life of him. Johnson was certainly well warranted in publishing his narrative, however offenfive it might be to the lady and her relations, because her alledged unnatural and cruel conduct to her fon, and fhameful avowal of guilt, were stated in a life of Savage now lying before me, which came out fo early as 1727, and no attempt had been made to confute it, or to punish the authour or printer as a libeller: but, for the honour of human nature, we fhould be glad to find the fhocking tale not true; and, from a refpectable gentleman' connected with the lady's family, I have received fuch information and remarks, as joined to my own inquiries, will, I think, render

+ This character of the Life of Savage was not written by Fielding as has been fuppofed, but moft probably by Ralph, who, as appears from the minutes of the partners of The Champion," in the poffeffion of Mr. Reed of Staple Inn, fucceeded Fielding in his share of the paper, before the date of that eulogium.

5 The late Francis Cockayne Cuft, Efq. one of His Majesty's Counsel learned in the law.

it at least fomewhat doubtful, especially when we confider that it must have originated from the person himself who went by the name of Richard Savage.

If the maxim falfum in uno, falfum in omnibus, were to be received without qualification, the credit of Savage's narrative, as conveyed to us, would be annihilated; for it contains fome affertions which, beyond a queftion, are not true.

1. In order to induce a belief that Earl Rivers, on account of a criminal connection with whom, Lady Macclesfield is faid to have been divorced from her husband, by Act of Parliament", had a peculiar anxiety about the child which the bore to him, it is alledged, that his Lordship gave him his own name, and had it duly recorded in the register of St. Andrew's Holborn. I have carefully infpected that register, but no fuch entry is to be found.

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2. It is stated, that "Lady Macclesfield having lived for some time upon very uneafy terms with her husband, thought a publick confeffion of adultery the most obvious and expeditious method of obtaining her liberty;" and Johnson, affuming this to be true, ftigmatises her with indignation, as "the wretch who had, without fcruple, proclaimed herself an adulterefs." But I have perused the Journals of both houfes of Parliament at the period of her divorce, and there find it authentically afcertained, that fo far from voluntarily fubmitting to the ignominious charge of adultery, fhe made a ftrenuous defence by her Counsel; the bill having been first moved 15th January, 1697, in the Houfe of Lords, and proceeded on, (with various

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Etat. 35.

applications for time to bring up witnesses at a diftance, &c.) at intervals, till the 3d of March, when it paffed. It was brought to the Commons, by a meffage from the Lords, the 5th of March, proceeded on the 7th, 10th, 11th, 14th, and 15th, on which day, after a full examination of witneffes on both fides, and hearing of Counsel, it was reported without amendments, paffed, and carried to the Lords.

That Lady Macclesfield was convicted of the crime of which fhe was accused, cannot be denied ; but the question now is, whether the perfon calling himself Richard Savage was her fon.

It has been faid, that when Earl Rivers was dying, and anxious to provide for all his natural children, he was informed by Lady Macclesfield that her fon by him was dead. Whether, then, fhall we believe that this was a malignant lie, invented by a mother to prevent her own child from receiving the bounty of his father, which was accordingly the confequence, if the person whofe life Johnfon wrote, was her fon; or fhall we not rather believe that the perfon who then affumed the name of Richard Savage was an impoftor, being in reality the fon of the fhoe-maker, under whofe wife's care Lady Macclesfield's child was placed; that after the death of the real Richard Savage, he attempted to perfonate him, and that the fraud being known to Lady Macclesfield, he was therefore repulfed by her with just resentment.

There is a ftrong circumftance in fupport of the laft fuppofition, though it has been mentioned as an aggravation of Lady Macclesfield's unnatural conduct, and that is, her having prevented him

from

from obtaining the benefit of a legacy left to him 1744. by Mrs. Lloyd his god-mother. For if there was Atat. 35. fuch a legacy left, his not being able to obtain payment of it, must be imputed to his confcioufnefs that he was not the real perfon. The just inference should be, that by the death of Lady Macclesfield's child before its god-mother, the legacy became lapfed, and therefore that Johnson's Richard Savage was an impoftor. If he had a title to the legacy, he could not have found any difficulty in recovering it; for had the executors refifted his claim, the whole cofts, as well as the legacy, must have been paid by them, if he had been the child to whom it was given.

The talents of Savage, and the mingled fire, rudeness, pride, meannefs, and ferocity of his character, concur in making it credible that he was fit to plan and carry on an ambitious and daring scheme of imposture, fimilar instances of which have not been wanting in higher fpheres, in the history of different countries, and have had a confiderable degree of fuccefs.

Yet, on the other hand, to the companion of

Johnson's companion appears to have perfuaded that loftyminded man, that he resembled him in having a noble pride; for Johnfon, after painting in ftrong colours the quarrel between Lord Tyrconnel and Savage, afferts that "the spirit of Mr. Savage, indeed, never fuffered him to folicit a reconciliation; he returned reproach for reproach, and infult for infult." But the refpectable gentleman to whom I have alluded, has in his poffeffion a letter from Savage, after Lord Tyrconnel had dif carded him, addreffed to the Reverend Mr. Gilbert, his Lordfhip's Chaplain, in which he requests him, in the humbleft manner, to represent his cafe to the Viscount,

1744. Johnson, (who through whatever medium he was Etat. 35. conveyed into this world,-be it ever fo doubtful "To whom related, or by whom begot," was, unquestionably, a man of no common endowments,) we muft allow the weight of general repute as to his Status or parentage, though illicit; and supposing him to be an impoftor, it seems ftrange that Lord Tyrconnel, the nephew of Lady Macclesfield, fhould patronise him, and even admit him as a gueft in his family". Lastly, it must ever appear very fufpicious, that three different accounts of the Life of Richard Savage, one published in "The Plain Dealer," in 1724, another in 1727, and another by the powerful pen

7 Trusting to Savage's information, Johnson represents this unhappy man's being received as a companion by Lord Tyrconnel, and penfioned by his Lordship, as if pofteriour to Savage's conviction and pardon. But I am affured, that Savage had received the voluntary bounty of Lord Tyrconnel, and had been dismissed by him long before the murder was committed, and that his Lordship was very inftrumental in procuring Savage's pardon, by his interceffion with the Queen, through Lady Hertford. If, therefore, he had been defirous of preventing the publication by Savage, he would have left him to his fate. Indeed I must observe, that although Johnson mentions that Lord Tyrconnel's patronage of Savage was "upon his promise to lay afide his defign of expofing the cruelty of his mother," the great biographer has forgotten that he himself has mentioned, that Savage's story had been told feveral years before in "The Plain Dealer," from which he quotes this ftrong faying of the generous Sir Richard Steele, that "the inhumanity of his mother had given him a right to find every good man his father.” At the fame time it must be acknowledged, that Lady Macclesfield and her relations might still with that her story should not be brought into more confpicuous notice by the fatirical pen of Savage.

of