of ease and unlaboured elegance-it is the Odyssey after the Iliad-intense thinking would not become the Idler;-the first number presents a well drawn portrait of an Idler, and from that character no deviation could be made: accordingly, Johnson forgets his austere manner, and plays us into sense: he still continues his lectures on human life; but he adverts to common occurrence, and is often content with the topicks of the day.'

As a novelist, he displays in the oriental tales in the Rambler, an unbounded knowledge of men and manners; but his capital work in this department of literature is his Rasselas: none of his writings have been so extensively diffused over Europe:-The language enchants us with harmony, the arguments are acute and ingenious, and the reflections novel, yet just-it astonishes by the sublimity of its sentiments and the fertili ty of its instructions, and delights in the abun dance and propriety of its images: the fund of thinking which it contains is such, that almost every sentence of it may furnish a subject of long meditation; but it is not without its faults, being barren of interesting incidents, and destitute of originality or distinction of characters-there is little difference in the manner of thinking and reasoning of the philosopher and the female, of the prince and the waiting woman.

Mr. Murphy comments on this novel in the following manner: 'Rasselas is undoubtedly both elegant and sublime-It is a view of human life displayed, it must be owned, in gloomy colours→→

the author's natural melancholy, depressed at the time by the approaching dissolution of his mother, darkened the picture: He who reads the heads of the chapters will find, that it is not a course of adventures that invites him forwards, but a discussion of interesting questions; reflections on human life: the history of Imlac, the man of learning; a dissertation on poetry; the character of a wise and Happy man, &c. It is by pictures of life and profound moral reflection, that expectation is engaged and gratified throughout the work.' Mr. Murphy concludes his observations with these words, 'It is remarkable, that the vanity of human pursuits, was about the same time the subject that employed both Johnson and Voltaire; but Candide is the work of lively imagination, and Rasselas, with all its splendour of eloquence, exhibits a gloomy picture.'

The effect of Rasselas, and of Johnson's other moral tales, is thus beautifully illustrated by Mr. Courtenay in his 'Poetical Review.'

Impressive truth, in splendid fiction drest,
Checks the vain wish, and calms the troubled breast;
O'er the dark mind a light celestial throws,
And soothes the angry passions to repose;
As oil effused illumes and smooths the deep,
When round the bark the swelling surges sweep.'

As a political writer, his productions are more distinguished by a subtlety of disquisition, poignancy of satire, and energy of style, than by truth, equity, or candour-In perusing his representation of those who differed from him in political

subjects, we are sometimes inclined to assent to a proposition of his own, that'there is no credit due to a rhetorician's account, either of good or evil:' Many positions are laid down in admirable language, and in highly polished periods, which are inconsistent with the Britsh constitution, and repugnant to the common rights of mankind: in apology for him it may be admitted, that he was attached to tory principles, and that most of what he wrote on political subjects was conformable to his real sentiments: Mr. Murphy observes, that Johnson's political pamphlets, whatever was his motive for writing them, whether gratitude for his pension or the solicitation of men in power, did not support the cause for which they were undertaken: they are written in a style truly harmonious; and with his usual dignity of language: when it is said that he advanced positions repugnant to the common rights of mankind, the violence of party may be suspected it is perhaps true, that in the clamour raised throughout the kingdom, Johnson overheated his mind; but he was a friend to the rights of man, and he was greatly superiour to the littleness of spirit that might induce him to advance what he did not think, and firmly believe.'

The style of Johnson's prosaick writings has been censured, applauded, and imitated to extremes equally dangerous to the purity of the English language: he has, no doubt, innovated upon our language by his adoption of Latin derivatives; but the danger from his innovation would

be trifling, if those alone would copy him who can think with equal precision; for few passages can be pointed out from his works, in which his meaning could be accurately expressed by such words as are in more familiar use. His comprehension of mind was the mould for his language: had his comprehension been narrower, his expression would have been easier-and it is to be remembered, that while he has added harmony and dignity to our language, he has neither violated it by the insertion of foreign idioms, nor the affectation of anomaly in the construction of his sentences; upon the whole, it is certain that his example has given a general elevation to the language of his country, for some of our best writers have approached very near to him. This circumstance is well described by Mr. Courtenay in his 'Poetical Review,' in the following lines.

"By nature's gifts ordain'd mankind to rule,
He has like Titian form'd his brilliant school,
And taught congenial spirits to excel,
While from his lips impressive wisdom fell.'

As a poet, the merit of Johnson, though considerable, yet falls short of that which he has displayed in those provinces of literature in which we have already surveyed him. Ratiocination prevailed in Johnson more than sensibility;-he has no daring sublimities nor gentle graces; he never glows with the fire of enthusiasm, or kindles a sympathetick emotion in the bosoms of his

readers his poems are the plain and sensible effusions of a mind never hurried beyond itself, to which the use of rhyme adds no beauty, and from which the use of prose would detract no force: his versification is smooth, flowing, and unrestrained, but his pauses are not sufficiently varied to rescue him from the imputation of monotony he seems never at a loss for rhyme, or destitute of a proper expression; and the manner of his verse appears admirably adapted to didactick or satirick poetry, for which his powers were equally, and perhaps alone qualified.

Mr. Murphy, in his estimate of the literary character of Johnson observes, that his English poetry is such, as leaves room to think if he had devoted himself to the muses, that he would have been the rival of Pope. His first production of this kind was London, a poem in imitation of the third satire of Juvenal-the vices of the metropolis are placed in the room of ancient manners: the author has heated his mind with the ardour of Juvenal, and having the skill to polish his numbers, he became a sharp accuser of the times. The Vanity of Human Wishes, is an imitation of the tenth satire of the same author: though it is translated by Dryden, Johnson's imitation approaches nearest to the original.

It is generally admitted, that of Johnson's poetical compositions, the imitations of Juvenal are the best; they are perhaps the noblest imitations to be found in any language. It has been remarked with nice discrimination, that if John