thisdispositionheconsideredasthediseaseofhismind,whichnothingcuredbutcompany。
’Oneinstanceofhisabsenceandparticularity,asitischaracteristickoftheman,maybeworthrelating。WhenheandI
tookajourneytogetherintotheWest,wevisitedthelateMr。
Banks,ofDorsetshire;theconversationturninguponpictures,whichJohnsoncouldnotwellsee,heretiredtoacorneroftheroom,stretchingouthisrightlegasfarashecouldreachbeforehim,thenbringinguphisleftleg,andstretchinghisrightstillfurtheron。Theoldgentlemanobservinghim,wentuptohim,andinaverycourteousmannerassuredhim,thatthoughitwasnotanewhouse,theflooringwasperfectlysafe。TheDoctorstartedfromhisreverie,likeapersonwakedoutofhissleep,butspokenotaword。’
Whileweareonthissubject,myreadersmaynotbedispleasedwithanotheranecdote,communicatedtomebythesamefriend,fromtherelationofMr。Hogarth。
JohnsonusedtobeaprettyfrequentvisitoratthehouseofMr。
Richardson,authourofClarissa,andothernovelsofextensivereputation。Mr。HogarthcameonedaytoseeRichardson,soonaftertheexecutionofDr。Cameron,forhavingtakenarmsforthehouseofStuartin1745-6;andbeingawarmpartisanofGeorgetheSecond,heobservedtoRichardson,thatcertainlytheremusthavebeensomeveryunfavourablecircumstanceslatelydiscoveredinthisparticularcase,whichhadinducedtheKingtoapproveofanexecutionforrebellionsolongafterthetimewhenitwascommitted,asthishadtheappearanceofputtingamantodeathincoldblood,andwasveryunlikehisMajesty’susualclemency。
Whilehewastalking,heperceivedapersonstandingatawindowintheroom,shakinghishead,androllinghimselfaboutinastrangeridiculousmanner。Heconcludedthathewasanideot,whomhisrelationshadputunderthecareofMr。Richardson,asaverygoodman。Tohisgreatsurprise,however,thisfigurestalkedforwardstowhereheandMr。Richardsonweresitting,andallatoncetookuptheargument,andburstoutintoaninvectiveagainstGeorgetheSecond,asone,who,uponalloccasionswasunrelentingandbarbarous;mentioningmanyinstances,particularly,thatwhenanofficerofhighrankhadbeenacquittedbyaCourtMartial,GeorgetheSecondhadwithhisownhand,struckhisnameoffthelist。Inshort,hedisplayedsuchapowerofeloquence,thatHogarthlookedathimwithastonishment,andactuallyimaginedthatthisideothadbeenatthemomentinspired。NeitherHogarthnorJohnsonweremadeknowntoeachotheratthisinterview。
1740:AETAT。3l。]——In1740hewrotefortheGentleman’sMagazinethe’Preface,’’LifeofSirFrancisDrake,’andthefirstpartsofthoseof’AdmiralBlake,’andof’PhilipBaretier,’bothwhichhefinishedthefollowingyear。Healsowrotean’EssayonEpitaphs,’
andan’EpitaphonPhilips,aMusician,’whichwasafterwardspublishedwithsomeotherpiecesofhis,inMrs。Williams’sMiscellanies。ThisEpitaphissoexquisitelybeautiful,thatI
rememberevenLordKames,strangelyprejudicedashewasagainstDr。Johnson,wascompelledtoallowitveryhighpraise。IthasbeenascribedtoMr。Garrick,fromitsappearingatfirstwiththesignatureG;butIhaveheardMr。Garrickdeclare,thatitwaswrittenbyDr。Johnson,andgivethefollowingaccountofthemannerinwhichitwascomposed。Johnsonandheweresittingtogether;when,amongstotherthings,GarrickrepeatedanEpitaphuponthisPhilipsbyaDr。Wilkes,inthesewords:
’Exaltedsoul!whoseharmonycouldpleaseThelove-sickvirgin,andthegoutyease;
Couldjarringdiscord,likeAmphion,moveTobeauteousorderandharmoniouslove;
Resthereinpeace,tillangelsbidtheerise,AndmeetthyblessedSaviourintheskies。’
Johnsonshookhisheadatthesecommon-placefunereallines,andsaidtoGarrick,’Ithink,Davy,Icanmakeabetter。’Then,stirringabouthisteaforalittlewhile,inastateofmeditation,healmostextemporeproducedthefollowingverses:
’Philips,whosetouchharmoniouscouldremoveThepangsofguiltypowerorhaplesslove;
Resthere,distress’dbypovertynomore,Herefindthatcalmthougav’stsooftbefore;
Sleep,undisturb’d,withinthispeacefulshrine,Tillangelswaketheewithanotelikethine!’
1742:AETAT。33。]——In1742hewrote……’ProposalsforPrintingBibliothecaHarleiana,oraCatalogueoftheLibraryoftheEarlofOxford。’HewasemployedinthisbusinessbyMr。ThomasOsbornethebookseller,whopurchasedthelibraryfor13,000l。,asumwhichMr。Oldyssays,inoneofhismanuscripts,wasnotmorethanthebindingofthebookshadcost;yet,asDr。Johnsonassuredme,theslownessofthesalewassuch,thattherewasnotmuchgainedbyit。Ithasbeenconfidentlyrelated,withmanyembellishments,thatJohnsononedayknockedOsbornedowninhisshop,withafolio,andputhisfootuponhisneck。ThesimpletruthIhadfromJohnsonhimself。’Sir,hewasimpertinenttome,andIbeathim。
Butitwasnotinhisshop:itwasinmyownchamber。’
1744:AETAT。35。]——Heproducedoneworkthisyear,fullysufficienttomaintainthehighreputationwhichhehadacquired。ThiswasTheLifeofRichardSavage;aman,ofwhomitisdifficulttospeakimpartially,withoutwonderingthathewasforsometimetheintimatecompanionofJohnson;forhischaracterwasmarkedbyprofligacy,insolence,andingratitude:yet,asheundoubtedlyhadawarmandvigorous,thoughunregulatedmind,hadseenlifeinallitsvarieties,andbeenmuchinthecompanyofthestatesmenandwitsofhistime,hecouldcommunicatetoJohnsonanabundantsupplyofsuchmaterialsashisphilosophicalcuriositymosteagerlydesired;andasSavage’smisfortunesandmisconducthadreducedhimtotheloweststateofwretchednessasawriterforbread,hisvisitstoSt。John’sGatenaturallybroughtJohnsonandhimtogether。
Itismelancholytoreflect,thatJohnsonandSavageweresometimesinsuchextremeindigence,*thattheycouldnotpayforalodging;
sothattheyhavewanderedtogetherwholenightsinthestreets。
Yetinthesealmostincrediblescenesofdistress,wemaysupposethatSavagementionedmanyoftheanecdoteswithwhichJohnsonafterwardsenrichedthelifeofhisunhappycompanion,andthoseofotherPoets。
*SoonafterSavage’sLifewaspublished,Mr。HartedinedwithEdwardCave,andoccasionallypraisedit。Soonafter,meetinghim,Cavesaid,’Youmadeamanveryhappyt’otherday。’——’Howcouldthatbe。’saysHarte;’nobodywastherebutourselves。’Caveanswered,byremindinghimthataplateofvictualswassentbehindascreen,whichwastoJohnson,dressedsoshabbily,thathedidnotchoosetoappear;butonhearingtheconversation,washighlydelightedwiththeencomiumsonhisbook——MALONE。
HetoldSirJoshuaReynolds,thatonenightinparticular,whenSavageandhewalkedroundSt。James’s-squareforwantofalodging,theywerenotatalldepressedbytheirsituation;butinhighspiritsandbrimfulofpatriotism,traversedthesquareforseveralhours,inveighedagainsttheminister,and’resolvedtheywouldstandbytheircountry。’
InJohnson’sLifeofSavage,althoughitmustbeallowedthatitsmoralisthereverseof——’Respicereexemplarvitaemorumquejubebo,’averyusefullessonisinculcated,toguardmenofwarmpassionsfromatoofreeindulgenceofthem;andthevariousincidentsarerelatedinsoclearandanimatedamanner,andilluminatedthroughoutwithsomuchphilosophy,thatitisoneofthemostinterestingnarrativesintheEnglishlanguage。SirJoshuaReynoldstoldme,thatuponhisreturnfromItalyhemetwithitinDevonshire,knowingnothingofitsauthour,andbegantoreaditwhilehewasstandingwithhisarmleaningagainstachimney-piece。Itseizedhisattentionsostrongly,that,notbeingabletolaydownthebooktillhehadfinishedit,whenheattemptedtomove,hefoundhisarmtotallybenumbed。Therapiditywithwhichthisworkwascomposed,isawonderfulcircumstance。
Johnsonhasbeenheardtosay,’Iwroteforty-eightoftheprintedoctavopagesoftheLifeofSavageatasitting;butthenIsatupallnight。’
Itisremarkable,thatinthisbiographicaldisquisitionthereappearsaverystrongsymptomofJohnson’sprejudiceagainstplayers;aprejudicewhichmaybeattributedtothefollowingcauses:first,theimperfectionofhisorgans,whichweresodefectivethathewasnotsusceptibleofthefineimpressionswhichtheatricalexcellenceproducesuponthegeneralityofmankind;
secondly,thecoldrejectionofhistragedy;and,lastly,thebrilliantsuccessofGarrick,whohadbeenhispupil,whohadcometoLondonatthesametimewithhim,notinamuchmoreprosperousstatethanhimself,andwhosetalentsheundoubtedlyratedlow,comparedwithhisown。Hisbeingoutstrippedbyhispupilintheraceofimmediatefame,aswellasoffortune,probablymadehimfeelsomeindignation,asthinkingthatwhatevermightbeGarrick’smeritsinhisart,therewardwastoogreatwhencomparedwithwhatthemostsuccessfuleffortsofliterarylabourcouldattain。AtallperiodsofhislifeJohnsonusedtotalkcontemptuouslyofplayers;butinthisworkhespeaksofthemwithpeculiaracrimony;
forwhich,perhaps,therewasformerlytoomuchreasonfromthelicentiousanddissolutemannersofthoseengagedinthatprofession。Itisbutjusticetoadd,thatinourowntimesuchachangehastakenplace,thatthereisnolongerroomforsuchanunfavourabledistinction。
Hisschoolfellowandfriend,Dr。Taylor,toldmeapleasantanecdoteofJohnson’striumphingoverhispupilDavidGarrick。
WhenthatgreatactorhadplayedsomelittletimeatGoodman’sfields,JohnsonandTaylorwenttoseehimperform,andafterwardspassedtheeveningatatavernwithhimandoldGiffard。Johnson,whowaseverdepreciatingstage-players,aftercensuringsomemistakesinemphasiswhichGarrickhadcommittedinthecourseofthatnight’sacting,said,’Theplayers,Sir,havegotakindofrant,withwhichtheyrunon,withoutanyregardeithertoaccentoremphasis。’BothGarrickandGiffardwereoffendedatthissarcasm,andendeavouredtorefuteit;uponwhichJohnsonrejoined,’Wellnow,I’llgiveyousomethingtospeak,withwhichyouarelittleacquainted,andthenweshallseehowjustmyobservationis。Thatshallbethecriterion。LetmehearyourepeattheninthCommandment,“Thoushaltnotbearfalsewitnessagainstthyneighbour。“’Bothtriedatit,saidDr。Taylor,andbothmistooktheemphasis,whichshouldbeuponnotandfalsewitness。Johnsonputthemright,andenjoyedhisvictorywithgreatglee。
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