The Ufe and Defcription of a new invented Inftrument for Navigation, by which every Cafe in plain middle latitude, or Mercator's failing, may be performed without Logarithms, Tables, or any numerical Calculations whatsoever. By John Cooke, Efq. M. R. I. A.

Obfervations made on the Disappearance and Reappearance of Saturn's Ring, in the Year 1789, with fome Remarks on the Diurnal Rotation. By the Rev. H. Ufsher, D.D. M.R.I.A. and F. R.S.

Account of two Parhelia, obferved Feb. 25, 1790. By the Rev. H. Ufsher, D.D. M. R.I. A. and F. R.S.

For the contents of thefe communications, we fhall refer to the tranfactions of the academy.

The papers under the heads of Polite Literature, and Antiquities, fhall be noticed in our next Number.

ART. XI. Mr. BOSWELL's Life of JOHNSON.

[Article concluded from the Review for February, p. 198.]

HOR

ORACE juftly compares a poem to a picture. We, in like manner, may confider the biographer as a painter; and fuch is Mr. Bofwell; who has, in our opinion, drawn the best whole length of JOHNSON, that has yet been offered to the public view though we must acknowlege, that in regard to fome parts of it, in one or two of the features, at least, it seems rather a flattering refemblance. Not unfrequently does the hand of friendship appear to direct the pencil; yet, ftill it is JOHNSON that we behold: and never can it be faid of this portrait, as often has been remarked of others, even when painted by the best artists, that "it is fomething like the Doctor, but very like Mr. --," fomebody elfe. Perhaps it will be obferved, that it is improper to ftyle this work a refemblance of Johnfon, for that it is THE MAN himself; that here we have the fage, the philofopher, the moralift, the warm friend, the improving companion, in all his humours, whether grave or mellow; whether penfive in his study, oppreffed with "morbid melancholy" in his chamber, or enlivened at the focial board;-whether mufing in the rural scene, wherever friendship invited him,-debating in the Urban portico of Bolt-court, or philofophizing in the academic

A court in which Dr. Johnfon lived, during the latter years of his life, and in which he breathed his laft.

F 4

walks

walks of Fleet-street*. In these fituations, we view him in his mind's undress; not ftudiously arrayed for public obfervation; not defigned to catch the applaufe of the admiring world !—all is natural, fpontaneous, and unreserved. In his converfation with his friends, his fentiments, and their's too, (for all are here preserved,) appear to flow unpremeditated; open and liberal difcuffion takes its courfe, unreftrained; and even prejudice and implicit attachments, feem, at times, to enjoy the bleffings of freedom.

We have faid, that, in this picture, we cannot yet quit the allufion,] the partial hand of friendship feems to have fre quently guided the pencil. It does fo, occafionally, but not always for there are inftances in which impartiality allerts her rights, and maintains them; in which Mr. Bofwell's devotion to the god of his idolatry" gives way to his fuperior regard for truth; in which the violence of Dr. Johnson's temper appears to have occafionally overcome his wifdom;-when judgment has given way to prepoffeffion-and anger has ufurped the place of decorum : for, in the warmth of earnest debate,

this

*The Doctor and his friend four author) were wont to remark on the preference due to focial London, when compared with the ftill life of country retirement. On thefe occafions, they never failed to pronounce our great emporium the most defirable place in the world and Fleet-ftreet, in which the Mitre Tavern and Bolt Court were fituated, feems to have been deemed the pleasantest part of all.

+ Mr. B. frequently differed in opinion from his learned and eloquent friend: but his diffent was always in terms of the most becoming modefty; and in his recitals of thefe inftances, he decently leaves to his candid readers the decifion of the point in difpute.

Perhaps Dr. Johnfon was well aware, that this appearance of a want of moderation and candor in himself, when difputing (efpecially) on religious or political topics,-and his violence of tone and manners, might require fome apology :--which, accordingly, he feems to have cafually offered in a converfation on the fabject of intemperance in difputation. In p. 49 of the fecond vol. Mr. Bofwell has thus recited the Doctor's fentiments on this head :

Mr. Murray (one of the Judges of the Court of Seffion in Scotland) praised the ancient philofophers, for the candour and good humour with which thofe of different fects difputed with each other.

JOHNSON Sir, They difputed with good humour, becaufe they were not in earnest as to religion. Had the ancients been serious in their belief, we should not have had their gods exhibited in the manner we find them reprefented in the poets.-They difputed with good humour on their fanciful theories, because they were not interested in the truth of them. When a man has nothing to lofe, he may be in good humour with his opponent.-Being angry with

one

this powerful pleader feldom ufed the allurements of gentle language, but wished to compel, rather than to perfuade *."

one who controverts an opinion which you value, is a neceflary confequence of the uneasiness which you feel. Every man who attacks my belief, diminishes, in fome degree, my confidence in it, and therefore makes me uneafy. Thofe only who believed in revelation have been angry on having their faith called in question because they only had fomething on which they could reft, as matter of fact.' MURRAY' It feems to me, that we are not angry with a man for controverting an opinion which we believe and value; we rather pity him.'

JOHNSON Why Sir, to be fure, when you with a man to have that belief which you think is of infinite advantage, you with well to him; but your primary confideration is your own quiet. If a mad. man were to come into this room with a stick in his hand, no doubt we should pity the ftate of his mind, but our primary confideration would be to take care of ourselves. We should knock him down first, and pity him afterward. No, fir; every man will dispute with great good humour, on a fubject in which he is not interested. I will difpute very calmly on the probability of another man's fon being hanged, but if a man zealously enforces the probability that my fon will be hanged, I shall certainly not be in very good humour with him.'

BOSWELL, in illustration—' If a man endeavours to convince me that my wife, whom I love very much, and in whom I have great confidence, is a difagreeable woman, and is even unfaithful to me, I fhall be very angry, for he is putting me in fear of being unhappy.'

MURRAY- But, Sir, truth will always bear an examination.' JOHNSON-Yes, Sir, but it is painful to be forced to defend it. Confider, Sir, how fhould you like, though confcious of your innocence, to be tried by a jury for a capital crime, once a week.'

This is perhaps as good an apology as can be offered for the want of candour and good temper in difputation, whatever be the fubje&t ; but is the apology compleat? Is it a fufficient defence of defpotifm in argument? If we admit it as fuch, what will become of Horace's audi alteram partem, and of a much higher authority, which faith, Be ready, always, to give an answer to every man that afketh you a REASON of the hope that is in you, with MEEKNESS and FEAR?" PET. ch. iii. v. 5.

It feems, natural, however, for men who are not firmly perfuaded of the truth of a favourite system, (imbibed, perhaps, in infancy,) to be angry with thofe who queflion that fyftem; they feel uneafy, at the approach of inveftigation; they dread the confequences, and would knock down the examiner:-but, is this the right way to fupport any good caufe? Truth, as the fenfible Scotifh magiftrate has obferved, as above, fhuns no inquiry; it gives her no pain; on the contrary, the delights in it, as well knowing that her beit interefts are promoted by it.

An expreffion of Dr. Johnfon, when speaking of Warburton; fee his LIFE of POPE, vol. iv. of his Lives of the Poets.

These

These fhades, however, only ferve to render the picture more perfect, in point of refemblance to the original. The general fault of biographical painters-is, that they overwhelm their performances with too much light,-from an over-fondnefs for the fubject on which they are engaged. We now lay afide the pencil and the pallet.

In the prefent article, we propofe to give a few more fpecimens of this very mifcellaneous performance, in addition to those which we have already extracted; and to conclude with the general character of Dr. Johnfon, as fummed up by his prefent biographer.

Vol. II. P. 45. fpeaking of MARRIAGE, Mr. B. noticed a common remark, that a man may be, on the whole, richer by marrying a woman with a very small portion, because a woman of fortune will be proportionably expenfive; whereas that woman, who brings none, will be moderate in expences.

JOHNSON Depend on it, Sir, this is not true. A woman of fortune being used to the handling of money, fpends it judiciously; but a woman who gets the command of money for the first time, on her marriage, has fuch a guft in fpending it, that he throws it away in great profufion." He praised the ladies of the prefent age, infifting that they were more faithful to their husbands, and more virtuous in every refpect, than in former times, because their understandings were better cultivated.'

Our female readers will not quarrel with the Doctor, on account of the foregoing opinion :-nor do we.

P. 50, Vol. II. On the topic of Univerfities, and their endownients, Mr. B. obferved that it has often been ignorantly urged, that the univerfities of England are too rich; fo that learning does not flourish in them as it would do, if those who teach had smaller falaries, and depended on their affiduity for a great part of their income.

JOHNSON Sir, The very reverfe of this is the truth; the English univerfities are not rich enough. Our fellowships are only fufficient to fupport a man during his ftudies to fit him for the world, and, accordingly, in general, they are held no longer than till an opportunity offers of getting away. Now and then, perhaps, there is a Fellow who grows old in his college; but this is against his will, unless he be very indolent indeed. A hundred a year is reckoned a good fellowship, and that is no more than is neceffary to keep a man decently, as a fcholar. We do not allow our Fellows to marry, because we confider academical inflitutions as preparatory to a fettlement in the world. It is only by being employed as a tutor, that a Fellow can obtain any thing more than a livelihood. To be fure, a man who has enough without teaching, will probably not teach; for we would all be idle if we could. In the fame manner, a man' who is to get nothing by teaching will not exert himfelf. Grefbum college was intended as a place of inftruction for London; able Pro

foffors

feffors were to read lectures gratis; they contrived to have no fcholars; whereas, if they had been allowed to receive but fixpence a lecture from each scholar, they would have been emulous to have had many scholars. Every body will agree that it fhould be the intereft of thofe who teach, to have fcholars; and this is the cafe in our Univerfities. That they are too rich is certainly not true; for they have nothing good enough to keep a man of eminent learning with them for his life. In the foreign Univerfities a profefforthip is a high thing; and therefore we find the most learned men abroad are in the Universities. It is not fo with us.-I wish there were many places of a thousand a year at Oxford, to keep first-rate men of learning from quitting the University.'

There is great juftice in the foregoing remarks. It cannot be doubted that the dignity of learning ought to be more liberally fupported in thofe illuftrious feminaries of education, in behalf of which Dr. Johnfon fo handfomely pleads.

Vol. II. p. 59. Mentioning the Lives of the Poets by Cibber and other Hands,' in five pocket vols, published about thirty years ago, that work, as we apprehend, through wrong information, is here fomewhat mifreprefented. The paffage is this:

Dr. Johnson told us (fays Mr. B.) that the Lives of the Poets, &c. [as above] were compiled by Mr. Shiels, a Scotchman, one of his amanuenfes. The bookfellers, faid he, gave Theophilus Cibber, who was then in prifon, ten guineas to allow Mr. Gibber to be put upon the title-page, as the author; by this, a double impofition was intended in the first place, that it was the work of a Cibber at all; and, in the second place, that it was the work of old Cibber.'

This account is very inaccurate. The following flatement of facts we know to be true, in every material circumstance.Shiells was the principal collector and digefter of the materials for the work: but as he was very raw in authorship, an indifferent writer in profe *, and his language full of Scotticifmns, Cibber, who was a clever, lively fellow †, and then foliciting, employment among the book fellers, was engaged to correct

He had a good tafte in poetry, and was author of fome poetical pieces: but they were of no great note. Thomson was his model. + THE. was really an ingenious man; inheriting much of his father's fpirit, his literary turn, and his difpofition for extravagance; a great voluptuary; and every way indifcreet in his conduct. He acknowleged that the following jeft related of him, was a fact, viz. that once, when applying to his father, the Laureate, for a fupply of cash, the old gentleman faid "The. you are an expenfive dog! When I was of your age, I never fpent half fo much of my father's money." "Sir," faid young Graceless, " I don't know how that might be, but I know you have spent a vast deal of my father's money."

the