1744. L

my observation is. That fhall be the criterion. Let me hear you repeat the ninth Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear falfe witness against thy neigh- Atat. 35. bour." Both tried at it, faid Dr. Taylor, and both mistook the emphafis,

which fhould be upon not and falfe witness. Johnfon put them right, and enjoyed his victory with great glee.

His "Life of Savage" was no fooner published, than the following liberal praise was given to it, in "The Champion," a periodical paper: "This pamphlet is, without flattery to its authour, as juft and well written a piece as of its kind I ever faw; fo that at the fame time that it highly deferves, it certainly ftands very little in need of this recommendation. As to the history of the unfortunate perfon, whofe memoirs compofe this work, it is certainly penned with equal accuracy and fpirit, of which I am fo much the better judge, as I know many of the facts mentioned to be strictly true, and very fairly related. Befides, it is not only the ftory of Mr. Savage, but innumerable incidents relating to other perfons, and other affairs, which renders this a very amusing, and, withal, a very inftructive and valuable performance. The authour's obfervations are short, fignificant, and juft, as his narrative is remarkably smooth and well difpofed. His reflections open to all the receffes of the human heart; and, in a word, a more juft or pleafant, a more engaging or a more improving treatise, on all the excellencies and defects of human nature, is scarce to be found in our own, or, perhaps, any other language." This paper is well known to have been written by the celebrated Henry Fielding. But, I fuppofe, Johnson was not informed of his being indebted to him for this civility; for if he had been apprised of that circumftance, as he was very fenfible of praise, he probably would not have spoken with fo little refpect of Fielding, as we fhall find he afterwards did.

Johnson's partiality for Savage made him entertain no doubt of his story, however extraordinary and improbable. It never occurred to him to queftion his being the son of the Countefs of Macclesfield, of whofe unrelenting barbarity he fo loudly complained, and the particulars of which are related in fo strong and affecting a manner in Johnson's life of him. Johnson was certainly well warranted in publishing his narrative, however offenfive it might be to the Lady and her relations, because her alledged unnatural and cruel conduct to her fon, and fhameful avowal of guilt, were stated in a life of Savage now lying before me, which came out fo early as 1727, and, no attempt had been made to confute it, or to punish the authour or printer as a libeller: but, for the honour of human nature, we should be glad to find the fhocking tale not true; and, from a refpectable gentleman connected with the Lady's family, I

1744.

Etat. 35.

have received fuch information and remarks, as joined to my own inquiries, will, I think, render it at least somewhat doubtful, especially when we confider that it must have originated from the perfon himself who went by the name of Richard Savage.

If the maxim falfum in uno, falfum in omnibus, were to be received without qualification, the credit of Savage's narrative, as conveyed to us, would be annihilated; for it contains fome affertions which, beyond a question, are

not true.

1. In order to induce a belief that Earl Rivers, on account of a criminal connection with whom, Lady Macclesfield is faid to have been divorced from her husband, by Act of Parliament', had a peculiar anxiety about the child which she bore to him, it is alledged, that his Lordship gave him his own name, and had it duly recorded in the register of St. Andrew's, Holborn. I have carefully inspected that register, but no fuch entry is to be found.

But I

2. It is ftated, that "Lady Macclesfield having lived for fome time upon very uneafy terms with her husband, thought a publick confeffion of adultery the most obvious and expeditious method of obtaining her liberty;" and Johnson, affuming this to be true, ftigmatifes her with indignation, as "the wretch who had, without fcruple, proclaimed herself an adulteress.” have perused the Journals of both houses of Parliament at the period of her divorce, and there find it authentically ascertained, that so far from voluntarily fubmitting to the ignominious charge of adultery, fhe made a ftrenuous defence by her Counsel; the bill having been first moved 15th January, 1697, in the House of Lords, and proceeded on, (with various applications for time to bring up witnesses at a distance, &c.) at intervals, till the 3d of March, when it paffed. It was brought to the Commons, by a meffage from the Lords, the 5th of March, proceeded on the 7th, 10th, 11th, 14th, and 15th, on which day, after a full examination of witneffes on both fides, and hearing of Counfel, it was reported without amendments, paffed, and carried to the Lords.

That Lady Macclesfield was convicted of the crime of which she was accused, cannot be denied; but the queftion now is, whether the person calling himself Richard Savage was her fon.

It has been faid, that when Earl Rivers was dying, and anxious to provide for all his natural children, he was informed by Lady Macclesfield that her fon by him was dead. Whether, then, fhall we believe that this was a malignant lie, invented by a mother to prevent her own child from receiving

ROUND ROBIN, addressed to SAMUEL JOHNSON, L.L.D. with FACSIMILES of the Signatures.

We the Circumscribers,

gretcalfellsson. Jos. Warton. Com Bucher Tho. Franklin.

as

a Writer, particularly

of revising it; & of making such additions and alterations
he shall think proper, upon a further perusal : Bute
if We might venture to express our Wishes, they would
lead us to request, that he would write the Epitaph
in English, rather than in Latin: As We think that the
Memory of so eminent an English Writer ought to be
perpetuated in the language, to which his Works are
likely to be so lasting

Вато

also know to have been the opinion of

The late Doctor

し

himself.

London : Published as the lot directs, w April 1791, by Charles Dilly:

(H.Shepherd fe

To Face Page 92. Vol. II.

the bounty of his father, which was accordingly the confequence, if the perfon whofe life Johnson wrote, was her fon; or fhall we not rather believe that the person who then affumed the name of Richard Savage was an impoftor, being in reality the fon of the shoemaker, under whose wife's care Lady Macclesfield's child was placed; that after the death of the real Richard Savage, he attempted to personate him, and that the fraud being known to Lady Macclesfield, he was therefore repulfed by her with juft refentment.

There is a strong circumftance in fupport of the laft fuppofition, though it has been mentioned as an aggravation of Lady Macclesfield's unnatural conduct, and that is, her having prevented him from obtaining the benefit of a legacy left to him by Mrs. Lloyd his god-mother. For if there was fuch a legacy left, his not being able to obtain payment of it, must be imputed to his consciousness that he was not the real perfon. The just inference should be, that by the death of Lady Macclesfield's child before its god-mother, the legacy became lapsed, and therefore that Johnson's Richard Savage was an impostor. If he had a title to the legacy, he could not have found any difficulty in recovering it; for had the executors refifted his claim, the whole cofsts, as well as the legacy, must have been paid by them, if he had been the child to whom it was given.

The talents of Savage, and the mingled fire, rudeness, pride, meanness, and ferocity of his character, concur in making it credible that he was fit to plan and carry on an ambitious and daring scheme of impofture, fimilar inftances of which have not been wanting in higher spheres, in the history of different countries, and have had a confiderable degree of fuccefs.

Yet, on the other hand, to the companion of Johnfon, (who through whatever medium he was conveyed into this world,—be it ever so doubtful "To whom related, or by whom begot," was, unquestionably, a man of no common endowments,) we must allow the weight of general repute as to his Status or parentage, though illicit; and fuppofing him to be an impoftor, it seems strange that Lord Tyrconnel, the nephew of Lady Macclesfield, should

• Johnson's companion appears to have perfuaded that lofty-minded man, that he refembled him in having a noble pride; for Johnson, after painting in ftrong colours the quarrel between L.ord Tyrconnel and Savage, afferts that "the fpirit of Mr. Savage, indeed, never suffered him to folicit a reconciliation; he returned reproach for reproach, and infult for infult." But the refpectable gentleman to whom I have alluded, has in his poffeffion a letter from Savage, after Lord Tyrconnel had difcarded him, addreffed to the Reverend Mr. Gilbert, his Lordship's Chaplain, in which he requests him, in the humbleft manner, to represent his case to the Earl.

patronife

1741.

Etat. 35.