1754. Etat. 45. inquiring in the literary circle with which his Lordship was well acquainted, and was, indeed, himself one of its ornaments. Dr. Adams expoftulated with Johnson, and fuggefted, that his not being admitted when he called on him, was, probably, not to be imputed to Lord Chesterfield; for his Lordfhip had declared to Dodfley, that " he would have turned off the best servant he ever had, if he had known that he denied him to a man who would have been always more than welcome;" and, in confirmation of this, he infifted on Lord Chesterfield's general affability and eafinefs of accefs, especially to literary men. "Sir, (faid Johnfon) that is not Lord Chefterfield; he is the proudeft man this day exifting." "No, (faid Dr. Adams) there is one perfon, at least, as proud; I think, by your own account, you are the prouder man of the two." "But mine (replied Johnson, instantly) was defenfive pride." This, as Dr. Adams well obferved, was one of those happy turns for which he was fo remarkably ready. Johnson having now explicitly avowed his opinion of Lord Chesterfield, did not refrain from expreffing himself concerning that nobleman with pointed freedom: "This man (faid he) I thought had been a Lord among wits; but, I find, he is only a wit among Lords!" And when his Letters to his natural fon were published, he obferved, that " they teach the morals of a whore, and the manners of a dancing-mafter"." The character of a "refpectable Hottentot," in Lord Chesterfield's letters, has been generally understood to be meant for Johnson, and I have no doubt that it was. But I remember when the Literary Property of those letters was 2 That collection of letters cannot be vindicated from the ferious charge of encouraging, in fome paffages, one of the vices moft deftructive to the good order and comfort of fociety, which his Lordship reprefents as mere fashionable gallantry; and, in others, of inculcating the base practice of diffimulation, and recommending, with difproportionate anxiety, a perpetual attention to external elegance of manner. But it muft, at the fame time be allowed, that they contain many good precepts of conduct, and much genuine information upon life and manners, very happily expreffed; and that there was confiderable merit in paying fo much attention to the improvement of one who was dependent upon his Lordship's protection; it has, probably, been exceeded in no inftance by the most exemplary parent; and though I can by no means approve of confounding the diftinction between lawful and illicit offspring, which is, in effect, infulting the civil eftablishment of our country, to look no higher; I cannot help thinking it laudable to be kindly attentive to those, of whofe existence we have, in any way, been the cause. Mr. Stanhope's character has been unjustly reprefented as diametrically oppofite to what Lord Chefterfield wifhed him to be. He has been called dull, grofs, and aukward: but I knew him at Dresden, when he was Envoy to that court; and though he could not boast of the graces, he was, in truth, a sensible, civil, well-behaved man, contested 1754. contested in the Court of Seffion in Scotland, and Mr. Henry Dundas, one of the Counsel for the proprietors, read this character as an exhibition of Johnson, Sir Etat. 45. David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes, one of the Judges, maintained, with some warmth, that it was not intended as a portrait of Johnson, but of a late noble Lord, diftinguished for abftruse science. I have heard Johnson himself talk of the character, and fay that it was meant for George Lord Lyttelton, in which I could by no means agree; for his Lordfhip had nothing of that violence which is a confpicuous feature in the compofition. Finding that my illuftrious friend could bear to have it fuppofed that it might be meant for him, I faid, laughingly, that there was one trait which unquestionably did not belong to him; "he throws his meat any where but down his throat." "Sir, (faid he) Lord Chesterfield never faw me eat in his life.” On the 6th of March came out Lord Bolingbroke's works, published by Mr. David Mallet. The wild and pernicious ravings, under the name of Philofophy," which were thus ufhered into the world, gave great offence to all well-principled men. Johnson, hearing of their tendency, which nobody difputed, was roused with a just indignation, and pronounced this memorable fentence upon the noble authour and his editor. "Sir, he was a fcoundrel, and a coward: a fcoundrel, for charging a blunderbuss against religion and morality; a coward, because he had not refolution to fire it off himself, but left half a crown to a beggarly Scotchman, to draw the trigger after his death!" Garrick, who I can atteft from my own knowledge, had his mind seasoned with pious reverence, and fincerely disapproved of the infidel writings of feveral, whom, in the courfe of his almoft univerfal gay intercourse with men of eminence, he treated with external civility, diftinguished himself upon this occafion. Mr. Pelham having died on the very day on which Lord Bolingbroke's works came out, he wrote an elegant Ode on his death, beginning "Let others hail the rifing fun, "I bow to that whofe courfe is run." in which is the following stanza : "The fame fad morn to church and state 1754. Atat. 45. Johnson this year found an interval of leifure to make an excurfion to Oxford, for the purpose of confulting the libraries there. Of this, and of many interesting circumstances concerning him, during a part of his life when he converfed but little with the world, I am enabled to give a particular account, by the liberal communications of the Reverend Mr. Thomas Warton, who has obligingly furnished me with feveral of our common friend's letters, which he has illustrated with notes. These I fhall infert in their proper places. " SIR, To the Reverend Mr. THOMAS WARTON. "IT is but an ill return for the book with which you were pleased to favour me3, to have delayed my thanks for it till now. I am too apt to be negligent; but I can never deliberately fhew my difrepect to a man of your character and I now pay you a very honeft acknowledgement, for the advancement of the literature of our native country. You have shewn to all, who shall hereafter attempt the study of our ancient authours, the way to fuccefs; by directing them to the perufal of the books which thofe authours had read. Of this method, Hughes, and men much greater than Hughes, feem never to have thought. The reafon why the authours, which are yet read, of the fixteenth century, are fo little understood, is, that they are read alone; and no help is borrowed from thofe who lived with them, or before them. Some part of this ignorance I hope to remove by my book, which now draws towards its end; but which I cannot finish to my mind, without vifiting the libraries of Oxford, which I, therefore, hope to fee in a fortnight'. I know not how long I fhall stay, or where I fhall lodge; but shall be sure to look for you at my arrival, and we shall easily fettle the reft. I am, dear Sir, "Your most obedient, &c. "[London,] July 16, 1754 SAM. JOHNSON." Of his converfation while at Oxford at this time, Mr. Warton has preserved and communicated to me the following memorial, which, though not written 3. Obfervations on Spenfer's Fairy Queen, the first edition of which was now just published.” "He came to Oxford within a fortnight, and stayed about five weeks. He lodged at a houfe called Kettel-hall, near Trinity College. But during this vifit at Oxford, he collected nothing in the libraries for his Dictionary.” with all the care and attention which that learned and elegant writer bestows 1754. on those compofitions which he intends for the publick eye, is fo happily Etat. 45. expressed in an easy style, that I should injure it by any alteration: "When Johnson came to Oxford in 1754, the long vacation was begin This was the first time of his The next morning after his ning, and most people were leaving the place. Loft in a convent's folitary gloom!' I remember, at the claffical lecture in the Hall, fuperiority, and I tried to fit as far from him as I hear him comtrue.' I could not bear Meeke's "As we were leaving the College, he faid, Here I tranflated Pope's Meffiah. Which do you think is the best line in it? My own favourite is, • Vallis aromaticas fundit Saronica nubes.' I told him, I thought it a very fonorous hexameter. I did not tell him, it was not in the Virgilian ftyle. He much regretted that his first tutor was dead; for whom he seemed to retain the greateft regard. He faid, I once had been a whole morning fliding [kating] in Chrift-Church Meadow, and miffed his lecture in logick. After dinner, he fent for me to his room. I expected a fharp rebuke for my idlenefs, and went with a beating heart. When we were feated, he told me he had fent for me to drink a glafs of wine with him, and 1754. Astat. 45. to tell me, he was not angry with me for miffing his lecture. This was, in fact, a most severe reprimand. Some more of the boys were then fent for, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon.' Befides Mr. Meeke, there was only one other Fellow of Pembroke now refident: from both of whom Johnson received the greatest civilities during this vifit, and they preffed him very much to have a room in the College. "In the course of this vifit (1754), Johnson and I walked, three or four times, to Ellsfield, a village beautifully fituated about three miles from Oxford, to fee Mr. Wife, Radclivian librarian, with whom Johnson was much pleased. At this place, Mr. Wife had fitted up a house and gardens, in a fingular manner, but with great taste. Here was an excellent library; particularly, a valuable collection of books in Northern literature, with which Johnson was often very bufy. One day Mr. Wife read to us a differtation which he was preparing for the prefs, intitled, A History and Chronology of the fabulous Ages.' Some old divinities of Thrace, related to the Titans, and called the CABIRI, made a very important part of the theory of this piece; and in conversation afterwards, Mr. Wife talked much of his CABIRI. As we returned to Oxford in the evening, I out-walked Johnfon, and he cried out Sufflamina, a Latin word which came from his mouth with peculiar grace, and was as much as to fay, Put on your drag-chain. Before we got home, I again walked too faft for him; and he now cried out, Why, you walk as if you were purfued by all the CABIRI in a body.' In an evening, we frequently took long walks from Oxford into the country, returning to fupper. Once, in our way home, we viewed the ruins of the abbies of Ofeney and Rewley, near Oxford. After at least half an hour's filence, Johnson faid, I viewed them with indignation!' We had then a long conversation on Gothick buildings; and in talking of the form of old halls, he said, In thefe halls, the fire-place was anciently always in the middle of the room, till the Whigs removed it on one fide.'-About this time there had been an execution of two or three criminals at Oxford on a Monday. Soon afterwards, one day at dinner, I was faying that Mr. Swinton the chaplain of the gaol, and alfo a frequent preacher before the Univerfity, a learned man, but often thoughtless and absent, preached the condemnation-fermon on repentance, before the convicts, on the preceding day, Sunday: and that in the close he told his audience, that he fhould give them the remainder of what he had to fay on the fubject, the next Lord's Day. Upon which, one of our company, a Doctor of Divinity, and a plain matter-of-fact-man, by way of offering an apology for Mr. Swinton, gravely remarked, that he had probably preached the |