fraction and the lofs of our liberties, there can no point of time intervene; fuch a cause and such an effect being fo clofely connected, that we cannot fee the one till we feel the other. Such was the conduct of opposition at this time, and by such futile arguments as the above were the filly people of three kingdoms deluded into a belief, that their liberties were in danger, and that nothing could fave this country from impending ruin, and that the most formidable of all the evils they had to dread, was the continuance of the then adminiftration, of which they had nothing worse to say than that they hated it. The truth is, that Johnfon's political prejudices were a mift that the eye of his judgment could not penetrate: in all the measures of government he could fee nothing right; nor could he be convinced, in his invectives against a standing army, as the Jacobites affected to call it, that the peafantry of a country was not an adequate defence against an invasion of it by an armed force. He almost afferted in terms, that the fucceffion to the crown had been illegally interrupted, and that from whig-politics none of the benefits of government could be expected. He could but juft endure the oppofition to the minister because conducted on whig principles; and I have heard him fay, that during the whole course of it, the two parties were bidding for the people. At other times, and in the heat of his refentment, I have heard him affert, that, since the death of Queen Anne, it had been the policy of the administration to promote to ecclefiaftical dignities none but the most worthlefs and undeferving men: nor would he then exclude from this bigotted cenfure those illuftrious divines, Wake, Gibfon, Sherlock, Butler, Herring, Pearce, and leaft of all Hoadly; ་ in in competition with whom he would set Hickes, Brett, Leslie, and others of the nonjurors, whofe names are scarcely now remembered. From hence it appears, and to his honour be it faid, that his principles cooperated with his neceffities, and that the proftitution of his talents, taking the term in one and that its worft fenfe, could not, in justice, be imputed to him. But there is another, and a lefs criminal fenfe of the word prostitution, in which, in common with all who are called authors by profeffion, he may be faid to stand in need of an excufe. When Milton wrote the Paradife Loft, the fum he received for the copy was not his motive, but was an adventitious benefit that refulted from the exercise of his poetical faculty. In Johnson's cafe, as well in the inftances above given as almost all the others that occurred during the course of his life, the impulfe of genius was wanting: had that alone operated in his choice of fubjects to write on, mankind would have been indebted to him for a variety of original, interefting and useful compofitions; and tranflations of fome, and new editions of others of the ancient authors. The truth of which affertion I think I may fafely ground on a catalogue of publications projected by him at different periods, and now lying before me, a copy whereof is given below: * Under DIVINIT Y. • A fmall book of precepts and directions for piety: the hint taken from the directions in the [countefs of] Morton's' [daily] exercise. PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY, and LITERATURE in general. Hiftory of Criticifm as it relates to judging of authors, from Ariftotle to the prefent age. An account of the rife and im. Under this notion of works written with a view to gain, and thofe that owe their exiftence to a more liberal motive, a diftinction of literary productions arifes which provements of that art; of the different opinions of authors. ancient and modern. • Translation of the Hiftory of Herodian. • New edition of Fairfax's Translation of Taffo, with notes, gloffary, &c. • Chaucer, a new edition of him, from manuscripts and old'editions, with various readings, conjectures, remarks on his language, and the changes it had undergone from the earliest times to his age, and from his to the prefent. With notes explanatory of customs, &c. and references to Boccace and other authors from whom he has borrowed, with an account of the liberties he has taken in telling the ftories, his life, and an exact • etymological glossary. Ariftotle's Rhetoric, a tranflation of it into English. A Collection of Letters, tranflated from the modern writers, with fome account of the feveral authors. Oldham's Poems, with notes hiftorical and critical. Rofcommon's Poems, with notes. • Lives of the Philofophers, written with a polite air, in fuch a manner as may divert as well as instruct. Hiftory of the Heathen Mythology, with an explication of the fables, both allegorical and historical, with references to the poets. Hiftory of the State of Venice, in a compendious manner. • Ariftotle's Ethicks, an English translation of them with notes. Geographical Dictionary from the French. Hierocles upon Pythagoras, tranflated into English, perhaps with notes. This is done by Norris. A book of Letters upon all kinds of fubjects. • Claudian, a new edition of his works, cum notis variorum in the manner of Burman. Tully's Tufculan Queftions, a tranflation of them. Tully de Natura Deorum, a translation of those books. ! Hiftory which Johnson would never allow; on the contrary, to the astonishment of myself who have heard him, and many others, he has frequently declared, that the only History of the Revival of Learning in Europe, containing an ⚫ account of whatever contributed to the reftoration of literature, 'fuch as controverfies, printing, the deftruction of the Greek em pire, the encouragement of great men, with the lives of the most ⚫ eminent patrons, and moft eminent early profeffors of all kinds of learning in different countries. A Body of Chronology, in verse, with historical notes. A table of the Spectators, Tatlers, and Guardians, diftinguished by figures into fix degrees of value, with notes giving the reasons of preference or degradation. A Collection of Letters from English authors, with a preface giving fome account of the writers, with reafons for felection and criticism upon ftiles, remarks on each letter, if needful. "A Collection of Proverbs from various languages :-Jan. 6-53. A Dictionary to the Common Prayer in imitation of Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible. March-52. A Collection of Stories and Examples like thofe of Valerius Maximus. Jan. 10-53. 'From Ælian, a volume of select stories, perhaps from others. Jan. 28-53. 'Collection of Travels, Voyages, Adventures, and Defcriptions of Countries. Dictionary of Ancient History and Mythology. Treatife on the Study of Polite Literature, containing the hiftory of learning, directions for editions, commentaries, &c. Maxims, Characters and Sentiments, after the manner of Bruyere, collected out of ancient authors, particularly the Greek, with Apophthegms. 'Claffical Mifcellanies, Select Tranflations from ancient Greek and Latin authors. 'Lives of illuftrious perfons, as well of the active as the learn ed, in imitation of Plutarch. Judgment of the learned upon English authors. Poetical Dictionary of the English tongue. G 2 Confiderations only true and genuine motive to the writing of books was the affurance of pecuniary profit. Notwithstanding the boldness of this affertion, there are but few that can be perfuaded to yield to it; and, after all, the best apology for Johnfon will be found to confift in his want of a profeffion, the preffure of his necessities, and the example of fuch men as Caftalio, Gefner, and Salmafius, among foreigners; and Fuller, Howel, L'Eftrange, Dryden, Chambers, and Hume, not to mention others now living, among ourselves. The principle here noted was not only in the above inftance avowed by Johnfon, but feems to have been wrought by him into a habit. He was never greedy of money, but without money could not be ftimulated to write. I have been told by a clergyman of some eminence with whom he had been long acquainted, that, being to preach on a particular occafion, he applied, as others under a like neceffity had frequently done, to Johnfon for help. I will write a • Confiderations upon the prefent ftate of London. • Collection of Epigrams, with notes and observations. • Obfervations on the English language, relating to words, phrafes, and modes of Speech. Minutia Literariæ, Mifcellaneous reflections, criticisms, emendations, notes. History of the Conftitution. • Comparison of Philofophical and Chriftian Morality by fentences collected from the moralifts and fathers. • Plutarch's Lives in English, with notes. |