The Life of Samuel Johnson

Indeed even Dr. Towers, who may be considered as one of the warmest zealots of The Revolution Society⁹⁸⁶ itself, allows, that ‘Johnson has spoken in the highest terms of the abilities of that great poet, and has bestowed on his principal poetical compositions the most honourable encomiums.’^a

That a man, who venerated the Church and Monarchy as Johnson did, should speak with a just abhorrence of Milton as a politician, or rather as a daring foe to good polity, was surely to be expected; and to those who censure him, I would recommend his commentary on Milton’s celebrated complaint of his situation, when by the lenity of Charles the Second, ‘a lenity of which (as Johnson well observes) the world has had perhaps no other example; he, who had written in justification of the murder of his Sovereign, was safe under an Act of Oblivion.’

‘No sooner is he safe than he finds himself in danger, fallen on evil days and evil tongues, and with darkness and with danger compassed round.⁹⁸⁷ This darkness, had his eyes been better employed, had undoubtedly deserved compassion; but to add the mention of danger was ungrateful and unjust. He was fallen, indeed, on evil days; the time was come in which regicides could no longer boast their wickedness. But of evil tongues for Milton to complain, required impudence at least equal to his other powers; Milton, whose warmest advocates must allow, that he never spared any asperity of reproach, or brutality of insolence.’

I have, indeed, often wondered how Milton, ‘an acrimonious and surly Republican,’ – a man ‘who in his domestick relations was so severe and arbitrary,’ and whose head was filled with the hardest and most dismal tenets of Calvinism, should have been such a poet; should not only have written with sublimity, but with beauty, and even gaiety; should have exquisitely painted the sweetest sensations of which our nature is capable; imaged the delicate raptures of connubial love; nay, seemed to be animated with all the spirit of revelry. It is a proof that in the human mind the departments of judgement and imagination, perception and temper, may sometimes be divided by strong partitions; and that the light and shade in the same character may be kept so distinct as never to be blended.^a

In the Life of Milton, Johnson took occasion to maintain his own and the general opinion of the excellence of rhyme over blank verse, in English poetry; and quotes this apposite illustration of it by ‘an ingenious critick,’ that it seems to be verse only to the eye.^b The gentleman whom he thus characterises, is (as he told Mr. Seward) Mr. Lock, of Norbury Park, in Surrey, whose knowledge and taste in the fine arts is universally celebrated; with whose elegance of manners the writer of the present work has felt himself much impressed, and to whose virtues a common friend,⁹⁸⁸ who has known him long, and is not much addicted to flattery, gives the highest testimony.

Various Readings in the Life of MILTON.

‘I cannot find any meaning but this which [his most bigotted advocates] even kindness and reverence can give.

‘[Perhaps no] scarcely any man ever wrote so much, and praised so few.

‘A certain [rescue] preservative from oblivion.

‘Let me not be censured for this digression, as [contracted] pedantick or paradoxical.

‘Socrates rather was of opinion, that what we had to learn was how to [obtain and communicate happiness] do good and avoid evil.

‘Its elegance [who can exhibit?] is less attainable.’

I could, with pleasure, expatiate upon the masterly execution of the Life of Dryden, which we have seen^c was one of Johnson’s literary projects at an early period, and which it is remarkable, that after desisting from it, from a supposed scantiness of materials, he should, at an advanced age, have exhibited so amply.

His defence of that great poet against the illiberal attacks upon him, as if his embracing the Roman Catholick communion had been a time-serving measure, is a piece of reasoning at once able and candid. Indeed, Dryden himself, in his Hind and Panther, hath given such a picture of his mind, that they who know the anxiety for repose as to the aweful subject of our state beyond the grave, though they may think his opinion ill-founded, must think charitably of his sentiment: –

‘But, gracious God, how well dost thou provide

For erring judgements an unerring guide!

Thy throne is darkness in the abyss of light,

A blaze of glory that forbids the sight.

O! teach me to believe thee thus conceal’d,

And search no farther than thyself reveal’d;

But Her alone for my director take,

Whom thou hast promis’d never to forsake.

My thoughtless youth was wing’d with vain desires;

My manhood, long misled by wand’ring fires,

Follow’d false lights; and when their glimpse was gone,

My pride struck out new sparkles of her own.

Such was I, such by Nature still I am;

Be thine the glory, and be mine the shame.

Good life be now my task: my doubts are done;

What more could shock my faith than Three in One?’⁹⁸⁹

In drawing Dryden’s character, Johnson has given, though I suppose unintentionally, some touches of his own. Thus: – ‘The power that predominated in his intellectual operations was rather strong reason than quick sensibility. Upon all occasions that were presented, he studied rather than felt; and produced sentiments not such as Nature enforces, but meditation supplies. With the simple and elemental passions as they spring separate in the mind, he seems not much acquainted. He is, therefore, with all his variety of excellence, not often pathetick; and had so little sensibility of the power of effusions purely natural, that he did not esteem them in others.’ It may indeed be observed, that in all the numerous writings of Johnson, whether in prose or verse, and even in his Tragedy, of which the subject is the distress of an unfortunate Princess, there is not a single passage that ever drew a tear.

Various Readings in the Life of DRYDEN.

‘The reason of this general perusal, Addison has attempted to [find in] derive from the delight which the mind feels in the investigation of secrets.

‘His best actions are but [convenient] inability of wickedness.

‘When once he had engaged himself in disputation, [matter] thoughts flowed in on either side.

‘The abyss of an un-ideal [emptiness] vacancy.

‘These, like [many other harlots,] the harlots of other men, had his love though not his approbation.

‘He [sometimes displays] descends to display his knowledge with pedantick ostentation.

‘French words which [were then used in] had then crept into conversation.’

The Life of Pope was written by Johnson con amore, both from the early possession which that writer had taken of his mind, and from the pleasure which he must have felt, in for ever silencing all attempts to lessen his poetical fame by demonstrating his excellence, and pronouncing the following triumphant eulogium: – ‘After all this, it is surely superfluous to answer the question that has once been asked, Whether Pope was a poet? otherwise than by asking in return, If Pope be not a poet, where is poetry to be found? To circumscribe poetry by a definition, will only shew the narrowness of the definer; though a definition which shall exclude Pope will not easily be made. Let us look round upon the present time, and back upon the past; let us enquire to whom the voice of mankind has decreed the wreath of poetry; let their productions be examined, and their claims stated, and the pretensions of Pope will be no more disputed.’

I remember once to have heard Johnson say, ‘Sir, a thousand years may elapse before there shall appear another man with a power of versification equal to that of Pope.’ That power must undoubtedly be allowed its due share in enhancing the value of his captivating composition.

Johnson, who had done liberal justice to Warburton in his edition of Shakspeare, which was published during the life of that powerful writer, with still greater liberality took an opportunity, in the Life of Pope, of paying the tribute due to him when he was no longer in ‘high place,’ but numbered with the dead.^a

It seems strange, that two such men as Johnson and Warburton, who lived in the same age and country, should not only not have been in any degree of intimacy, but been almost personally unacquainted. But such instances, though we must wonder at them, are not rare. If I am rightly informed, after a careful enquiry, they never met but once, which was at the house of Mrs. French, in London, well known for her elegant assemblies, and bringing eminent characters together. The interview proved to be mutually agreeable.

I am well informed, that Warburton said of Johnson, ‘I admire him, but I cannot bear his style:’ and that Johnson being told of this, said, ‘That is exactly my case as to him.’ The manner in which he expressed his admiration of the fertility of Warburton’s genius and of the variety of his materials was, ‘The table is always full, Sir. He brings things from the north, and the south, and from every quarter. In his Divine Legation, you are always entertained. He carries you round and round, without carrying you forward to the point; but then you have no wish to be carried forward.’ He said to the Reverend Mr. Strahan, ‘Warburton is perhaps the last man who has written with a mind full of reading and reflection.’

It is remarkable, that in the Life of Broome, Johnson takes notice of Dr. Warburton’s using a mode of expression which he himself used, and that not seldom, to the great offence of those who did not know him. Having occasion to mention a note, stating the different parts which were executed by the associated translators of The Odyssey, he says, ‘Dr. Warburton told me, in his warm language, that he thought the relation given in the note a lie.’ The language is warm indeed; and, I must own, cannot be justified in consistency with a decent regard to the established forms of speech. Johnson had accustomed himself to use the word lie, to express a mistake or an errour in relation; in short, when the thing was not so as told, though the relator did not mean to deceive. When he thought there was intentional falsehood in the relator, his expression was, ‘He lies, and he knows he lies.’

Speaking of Pope’s not having been known to excel in conversation, Johnson observes, that ‘traditional memory retains no sallies of raillery, or sentences of observation; nothing either pointed or solid, wise or merry; and that one apophthegm only is recorded.’ In this respect, Pope differed widely from Johnson, whose conversation was, perhaps, more admirable than even his writings, however excellent. Mr. Wilkes has, however, favoured me with one repartee of Pope, of which Johnson was not informed. Johnson, after justly censuring him for having ‘nursed in his mind a foolish dis-esteem of Kings,’ tells us, ‘yet a little regard shewn him by the Prince of Wales melted his obduracy; and he had not much to say when he was asked by his Royal Highness, how he could love a Prince, while he disliked Kings?’ The answer which Pope made, was, ‘The young lion is harmless, and even playful; but when his claws are full grown he becomes cruel, dreadful, and mischievous.’

But although we have no collection of Pope’s sayings, it is not therefore to be concluded, that he was not agreeable in social intercourse; for Johnson has been heard to say, that ‘the happiest conversation is that of which nothing is distinctly remembered but a general effect of pleasing impression.’ The late Lord Somerville,^a who saw much both of great and brilliant life, told me, that he had dined in company with Pope, and that after dinner the little man, as he called him, drank his bottle of Burgundy, and was exceedingly gay and entertaining.

I cannot with-hold from my great friend a censure of at least culpable inattention, to a nobleman, who, it has been shewn, behaved to him with uncommon politeness. He says, ‘Except Lord Bathurst, none of Pope’s noble friends were such as that a good man would wish to have his intimacy with them known to posterity.’ This will not apply to Lord Mansfield, who was not ennobled in Pope’s life-time; but Johnson should have recollected, that Lord Marchmont was one of those noble friends. He includes his Lordship along with Lord Bolingbroke, in a charge of neglect of the papers which Pope left by his will; when, in truth, as I myself pointed out to him, before he wrote that poet’s life, the papers were ‘committed to the sole care and judgement of Lord Bolingbroke, unless he (Lord Bolingbroke) shall not survive me;’ so that Lord Marchmont had no concern whatever with them. After the first edition of the Lives, Mr. Malone, whose love of justice is equal to his accuracy, made, in my hearing, the same remark to Johnson; yet he omitted to correct the erroneous statement.^b These particulars I mention, in the belief that there was only forgetfulness in my friend; but I owe this much to the Earl of Marchmont’s reputation, who, were there no other memorials, will be immortalised by that line of Pope in the verses on his Grotto:

‘And the bright flame was shot through Marchmont’s soul.’⁹⁹³

Various Readings in the Life of POPE.

‘[Somewhat free] sufficiently bold in his criticisms.

‘All the gay [niceties] varieties of diction.

‘Strikes the imagination with far [more] greater force.

‘It is [probably] certainly the noblest version of poetry which the world has ever seen.

‘Every sheet enabled him to write the next with [less trouble] more facility.

‘No man sympathizes with [vanity depressed] the sorrows of vanity.

‘It had been [criminal] less easily excused.

‘When he [threatened to lay down] talked of laying down his pen.

‘Society [is so named emphatically in opposition to] politically regulated, is a state contra-distinguished from a state of nature.

‘A fictitious life of an [absurd] infatuated scholar.

‘A foolish [contempt, disregard,] disesteem of Kings.

‘His hopes and fears, his joys and sorrows [were like those of other mortals] acted strongly upon his mind.

‘Eager to pursue knowledge and attentive to [accumulate] retain it.

‘A mind [excursive] active, ambitious, and adventurous.

‘In its [noblest] widest researches still longing to go forward.

‘He wrote in such a manner as might expose him to few [neglects] hazards.

‘The [reasonableness] justice of my determination.

‘A [favourite] delicious employment of the poets.

‘More terrifick and more powerful [beings] phantoms perform on the stormy ocean.

‘The inventor of [those] this petty [beings] nation.

‘The [mind] heart naturally loves truth.’

In the Life of ADDISON we find an unpleasing account of his having lent Steele a hundred pounds, and ‘reclaimed his loan by an execution.’⁹⁹⁴In the new edition of the Biographia Britannica, the authenticity of this anecdote is denied. But Mr. Malone has obliged me with the following note concerning it: –

‘Many persons having doubts concerning this fact, I applied to Dr. Johnson to learn on what authority he asserted it. He told me, he had it from Savage, who lived in intimacy with Steele, and who mentioned, that Steele told him the story with tears in his eyes. – Ben Victor, Dr. Johnson said, likewise informed him of this remarkable transaction, from the relation of Mr. Wilkes the comedian, who was also an intimate of Steele’s. – Some, in defence of Addison, have said, that “the act was done with the good-natured view of rousing Steele, and correcting that profusion which always made him necessitous.” – “If that were the case, (said Johnson,) and that he only wanted to alarm Steele, he would afterwards have returned the money to his friend, which it is not pretended he did.” – “This too, (he added,) might be retorted by an advocate for Steele, who might alledge, that he did not repay the loan intentionally, merely to see whether Addison would be mean and ungenerous enough to make use of legal process to recover it. But of such speculations there is no end: we cannot dive into the hearts of men; but their actions are open to observation.’

‘I then mentioned to him that some people thought that Mr. Addison’s character was so pure, that the fact, though true, ought to have been suppressed. He saw no reason for this. “If nothing but the bright side of characters should be shewn, we should sit down in despondency, and think it utterly impossible to imitate them in any thing. The sacred writers, (he observed,) related the vicious as well as the virtuous actions of men; which had this moral effect, that it kept mankind from despair, into which otherwise they would naturally fall, were they not supported by the recollection that others had offended like themselves, and by penitence and amendment of life had been restored to the favour of Heaven.”

‘March 15, 1782.’ E. M.’

The last paragraph of this note is of great importance; and I request that my readers may consider it with particular attention. It will be afterwards referred to in this work.

Various Readings in the Life of ADDISON.

‘[But he was our first great example] He was, however, one of our earliest examples of correctness.

‘And [overlook] despise their masters.

‘His instructions were such as the [state] character of his [own time] readers made [necessary] proper.

‘His purpose was to [diffuse] infuse literary curiosity by gentle and unsuspected conveyance [among] into the gay, the idle, and the wealthy.

‘Framed rather for those that [wish] are learning to write.

‘Domestick [manners] scenes.’

In his Life of PARNELL, I wonder that Johnson omitted to insert an Epitaph which he had long before composed for that amiable man, without ever writing it down, but which he was so good as, at my request, to dictate to me, by which means it has been preserved.

‘Hic requiescit THOMAS PARNELL, S. T. P.

Qui sacerdos pariter et poeta,

Utrasque partes ita implevit,

Ut neque sacerdoti suavitas poetæ,

Nec poetæ sacerdotis sanctitas, deesset.’⁹⁹⁵

Various Readings in the Life of PARNELL.

‘About three years [after] afterwards.

‘[Did not much want] was in no great need of improvement.

‘But his prosperity did not last long [was clouded by that which took away all his powers of enjoying either profit or pleasure, the death of his wife, whom he is said to have lamented with such sorrow, as hastened his end.]^a His end, whatever was the cause, was now approaching.

‘In the Hermit, the [composition] narrative, as it is less airy, is less pleasing.’

In the Life of BLACKMORE, we find that writer’s reputation generously cleared by Johnson from the cloud of prejudice which the malignity of contemporary wits had raised around it. In this spirited exertion of justice, he has been imitated by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his praise of the architecture of Vanburgh.

We trace Johnson’s own character in his observations on Blackmore’s ‘magnanimity as an authour.’ ‘The incessant attacks of his enemies, whether serious or merry, are never discovered to have disturbed his quiet, or to have lessened his confidence in himself.’ Johnson, I recollect, once told me, laughing heartily, that he understood it had been said of him, ‘He appears not to feel; but, when he is alone, depend upon it, he suffers sadly.’ I am as certain as I can be of any man’s real sentiments, that he enjoyed the perpetual shower of little hostile arrows, as evidence of his fame.

Various Readings in the Life of BLACKMORE.

‘To [set] engage poetry [on the side] in the cause of virtue.

‘He likewise [established] enforced the truth of Revelation.

‘[Kindness] benevolence was ashamed to favour.

‘His practice, which was once [very extensive] invidiously great.

‘There is scarcely any distemper of dreadful name [of] which he has not [shewn] taught his reader how [it is to be opposed] to oppose.

‘Of this [contemptuous] indecent arrogance.

‘[He wrote] but produced likewise a work of a different kind.

‘At least [written] compiled with integrity.

‘Faults which many tongues [were desirous] would have made haste to publish.

‘But though he [had not] could not boast of much critical knowledge.

‘He [used] waited for no felicities of fancy.

‘Or had ever elevated his [mind] views to that ideal perfection which every [mind] genius born to excel is condemned always to pursue and never overtake.

‘The [first great] fundamental principle of wisdom and of virtue.’

Various Readings in the Life of PHILIPS.

‘His dreaded [rival] antagonist POPE.

‘They [have not often much] are not loaded with thought.

‘In his translations from Pindar, he [will not be denied to have reached] found the art of reaching all the obscurity of the Theban bard.’

Various Readings in the Life of CONGREVE.

‘Congreve’s conversation must surely have been at least equally pleasing with his writings.

‘It apparently [requires] presupposes a familiar knowledge of many characters.

‘Reciprocation of [similes] conceits.

‘The dialogue is quick and [various] sparkling.

‘Love for Love; a comedy [more drawn from life] of nearer alliance to life.

‘The general character of his miscellanies is, that they shew little wit and [no] little virtue.

‘[Perhaps] certainly he had not the fire requisite for the higher species of lyrick poetry.’

Various Readings in the Life of TICKELL.

‘[Longed] long wished to peruse it.

‘At the [accession] arrival of King George.

‘Fiction [unnaturally] unskilfully compounded of Grecian deities and Gothick fairies.’

Various Readings in the Life of AKENSIDE.

‘For [another] a different purpose.

‘[A furious] an unnecessary and outrageous zeal.

‘[Something which] what he called and thought liberty.

‘A [favourer of innovation] lover of contradiction.

‘Warburton’s [censure] objections.

‘His rage [for liberty] of patriotism.

‘Mr. Dyson with [a zeal] an ardour of friendship.’

In the Life of LYTTELTON, Johnson seems to have been not favourably disposed towards that nobleman. Mrs. Thrale suggests that he was offended by Molly Aston’s⁹⁹⁶ preference of his Lordship to him.^a I can by no means join in the censure bestowed by Johnson on his Lordship, whom he calls ‘poor Lyttelton,’ for returning thanks to the Critical Reviewers for having ‘kindly commended’ his Dialogues of the Dead. Such ‘acknowledgements (says my friend,) never can be proper, since they must be paid either for flattery or for justice.’ In my opinion, the most upright man, who has been tried on a false accusation, may, when he is acquitted, make a bow to his jury. And when those who are so much the arbiters of literary merit, as in a considerable degree to influence the publick opinion, review an authour’s work, placido lumine⁹⁹⁸ when I am afraid mankind in general are better pleased with severity, he may surely express a grateful sense of their civility.

Various Readings in the Life of LYTTELTON.

‘He solaced [himself] his grief by writing a long poem to her memory.

‘The production rather [of a mind that means well than thinks vigorously] as it seems of leisure than of study, rather effusions than compositions.

‘His last literary [work] production.

‘[Found the way] undertook to persuade.’

As the introduction to his critical examination of the genius and writings of YOUNG, he did Mr. Herbert Croft, then a Barrister of Lincoln’s-inn, now a clergyman, the honour to adopt a Life of Young written by that gentleman, who was the friend of Dr. Young’s son, and wished to vindicate him from some very erroneous remarks to his prejudice. Mr. Croft’s performance was subjected to the revision of Dr. Johnson, as appears from the following note to Mr. John Nichols:^b-