The Life of Samuel Johnson

Appendix 1

Selected Variants in the First

Three Editions

The Life of Samuel Johnson was published first in two volumes in 1791. A second edition in three volumes (corrected, and enriched ‘with many valuable additions’) followed in 1793, accompanied by a slim volume entitled The Principal Corrections and Additions to the first edition of Mr. Boswell’s Life of Dr. Johnson, which purported to supply purchasers of the first edition with all the supplementary material made available in the second edition (now occasionally found bound at the end of the second volume of the first edition, as in the Bodleian copy, shelfmark 4° BS 554, 555). Boswell died in 1795, in the midst of preparing a third edition which would incorporate still more material, and in which the order of the whole work would be regularized. In the event, a third edition, in four volumes, was published in 1799 by Boswell’s friend and guide in the project of the Life of Johnson, Edmond Malone.

The history of the Life of Johnson as a printed book is therefore complicated, and there are a great many textual variants between the first three editions. The present edition is informed by a complete collation of the first three editions and the Principal Corrections and Additions, but it would be inappropriate in an edition of this nature to reprint that collation in its entirety. The variants given below are intended to give the reader the substance of some of the most extensive and important divergences between the various editions of the Life of Johnson, and also to allow the reader to sample the kinds of change that occurred during the first decade of the book’s existence as a published work. The several editions are denoted by the following abbreviations:

1791 the first edition of 1791, in two volumes

1793 the second edition of 1793, in three volumes

PCA The Principal Corrections and Additions to the first edition of Mr. Boswell’s Life of Dr. Johnson (1793)

1799 the third edition of 1799, in four volumes

The entries take the following form: text as published in this edition; square bracket; variant reading in other editions. ‘om.’ means ‘omitted in’.

p. 54, 25 November 1734

… but with what… Edmund Hector.]… and I am assured by Miss Seward, that he conceived a tender passion for Miss Lucy Porter, daughter of the lady whom he afterwards married. Miss Porter was sent very young on a visit to Lichfield, where Johnson had frequent opportunities of seeing and admiring her; and he addressed to her the following verses, on her presenting him with a nose-gay of myrtle: 1791

p. 97, Spring 1744

… any other language.]… any other language. This paper is well known to have been written by the celebrated Henry Fielding. But, I suppose, Johnson was not informed of his being indebted to him for this civility; for if he had been apprised of that circumstance, as he was very sensible of praise, he probably would not have spoken with so little respect of Fielding, as we shall find he afterwards did. 1791

p. 112, February 1749

… and a gold-laced hat… experience of it.] om. 1791

p. 125, 1750

… voluble and easy.] 1799 inserts the following note from Charles Burney: [When Johnson shewed me a proof-sheet of the character of Addison, in which he so highly extols his style, I could not help observing, that it had not been his own model, as no two styles could differ more from each other. – ‘Sir, Addison had his style, and I have mine.’ – When I ventured to ask him, whether the difference did not consist in this, that Addison’s style was full of idioms, colloquial phrases, and proverbs; and his own more strictly grammatical, and free from such phraseology and modes of speech as can never be literally translated or understood by foreigners; he allowed the discrimination to be just. – Let any one who doubts it, try to translate one of Addison’s Spectators into Latin, French, or Italian; and though so easy, familiar, and elegant, to an Englishman, as to give the intellect no trouble; yet he would find the transfusion into another language extremely difficult, if not impossible. But a Rambler, Adventurer, or Idler, of Johnson, would fall into any classical or European language, as easily as if it had been originally conceived in it. B.]

pp. 129–30, 17 March 1752

The following… by dreams.] om. 1791, 1793. PCA inserts the text of these three paragraphs at p. 133 below, after ‘… cannot be read without wonder.’

p. 130, 28 March 1752

March 28… were lawful.] om. 1791.

pp. 157–8, 6 May 1755

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 6 May 1755.

p. 164, July 1755

On the 13th… contracted in the week.] om. 1791.

pp. 174–6, 24 December 1757

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 9 January 1758.

pp. 180–81, 27 June 1758

1791 omits the letters to Bennet Langton dated 27 June and 21 September 1758.

p. 185, 1759

An inquiry… subsequent years.] 1791 places this passage later, at the end of the entries for 1761.

p. 190–91, 18 October 1760

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 18 October 1760.

p. 198, 1762

1791 includes at this point the second letter to Baretti dated 21 December 1762 (see above, pp. 202–3).

p. 200, 20 July 1762

1791 and 1793 omit the letter to Bute dated 20 July 1762.

p. 202, 3 November 1762

1791 omits the letter to Bute dated 3 November 1762.

p. 228, 14 July 1763

1791 omits the paragraph on Jacobitism beginning ‘Yet there is no doubt…’

p. 254, 1764

… distinctly overheard.] 1799 inserts the following note from Charles Burney: [It used to be imagined at Mr. Thrale’s, when Johnson retired to a window or corner of the room, by perceiving his lips in motion, and hearing a murmur without audible articulation, that he was praying; but this was not always the case, for I was once, perhaps unperceived by him, writing at a table, so near the place of his retreat, that I heard him repeating some lines in an ode of Horace, over and over again, as if by iteration, to exercise the organs of speech, and fix the ode in his memory:

Audiet cives acuisse ferrum

Quo graves Persae melius perirent,

Audiet pugnas…

It was during the American War. B.]

p. 255, 1764

Generally… before the wind.] om. 1791, 1793.

p. 256, July 1765

The concluding… deliver me!] om. 1791.

p. 261, October 1765

From one… his holy hand.] om. 1791.

p. 268–71, 9 March 1766

1791 omits the letters to Bennet Langton dated 9 March and 10 May 1766.

p. 286, 2 August 1767

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 10 October 1767.

p. 289, Spring 1768

Dr. John Campbell… have afforded us.] om. 1791.

pp. 291–2, Spring 1768

Here he discovered… way to keep him.] om. 1791.

pp. 328–31, 1770

Speaking of Homer… laudo tamen.”] om. 1791.

p. 332, Spring 1771

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 20 March 1771.

p. 335, 29 August 1771

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 29 August 1771.

pp. 370–71, 24 February 1773

While a former… London, March 4, 1773.] om. 1791.

p. 411–12, 5 July 1774

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 5 July 1774, and the letter to Robert Levet dated 16 August 1774.

p. 415, 25 Octobrbr lass="indent">1791 omits the letter to Perkins dated 25 October 1774.

pp. 425–6, 1775

Mr. Tytler… of the inhabitants.] om. 1791.

p. 448, 8 April 1775

Nor did he… better than yours.] om. 1791.

p. 454–5, 18 April 1775

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 17 April 1775.

p. 458, 18 April 1775

the audience… poor Polly’s life.] om. 1791.

p. 463, 27 May 1775

1791 omits the letter to Bennet Langton dated 21 May 1775.

p. 466-7, 18 September 1775

1791 omits the letters to Robert Levet dated 18 September and 22 October 1775.

p. 467, 16 November 1775

1791 and PCA omit the letter to Johnson from Boswell dated 24 October 1775.

p. 480, 5 December 1775

When at Paris… literarum.’] om. 1791.

p. 505, 21 March 1776

My illustrious… improves by time.] om. 1791.

p. 506, 21 March 1776

This passage… lowland cane.] om. 1791.

p. 507, 21 March 1776

‘He had… the annuity.] om. 1791.

pp. 509–10, 22 March 1776

He said to me… for the purpose.] om. 1791.

p. 525, 3 April 1776

I have acted… so valuable an education.] om. 1791.

pp. 562-3, 16 May 1776

The following letters… better but slowly.’] om. 1791.

pp. 567-8, 30 August 1776

1791 omits the letter to Sir Joshua Reynolds dated 3 August 1776.

p. 569, 21 October 1776

1791 omits the letter to Robert Levet dated 21 October 1776.

pp. 632-4, 23 September 1777

The argument dictated… most people’s Certainties.] om. 1791.

pp. 671-2, 12 April 1778

Having impartially censured… dog’s a WbigV] om. 1791.

p. 728, 2 April 1779

A gentleman… ever known.’] om. 1791, PCA.

p. 744, 12 October 1779

Yet he had… could have robbed them.’] om. 1791.

pp. 777–81, 1780

‘Beauclerk having observed… see him again.’] om. 1791.

pp. 779–81, 1780

‘On occasion of… see him again.’] om. 1793.

p. 783, 1781

But he was… private society.] om. 1791.

p. 814, 15 April 1781

I agreed… will languish.] The event proved the justice of Johnson’s opinion as to the impracticability of getting people to meet, when they know there is absolutely nothing to touch the palate; for this society, though held at the house of a person deservedly much esteemed, and composed of very eminent men, could not be preserved from gradual decay. 1791

p. 814, 15 April 1781

and found… use of it.] om. 1791.

p. 828, 2 June 1781

1791 omits the letter to Perkins dated 2 June 1781.

pp. 837-8, 16 June

1781 Johnson’s charity… ‘June 23, 1781.’ ‘Sam. Johnson.’] om. 1791.

p. 850, 24 August 1782

1791 omits the letter to Perkins dated 28 July 1782.

p. 864–73, 1783

I heard him once… perpetuated his ancestry.] om. 1791, substantially om. 1793.

p. 884, 2 May 1783

1791 omits the letter to Sir Joshua Reynolds dated 2 May 1783.

p. 888, 17 June 1783

1791 and PCA omit the letter to Edmund Allen dated 17 June 1783.

p. 898, November 1783

in the parish… in The Idler.] om. 1791, PCA.

p. 905, 21 January 1784

1791 omits the letter to Perkins dated 21 January 1784.

p. 920, 3 June 1784

Indeed his… common rights of humanity.’] om. 1791.

p. 938, June 1784

1 have mentioned… lively conversation.] om. 1791.

p. 940, June 1784

A foppish… notice.] A foppish physician imagined that Johnson had animadverted on his wearing a fine coat, and mentioned it to him. “I did not notice you;” was his answer. The physician still insisted. 1791

p. 940, June 1784

At another… is a favour.] om. 1791, 1793, PCA.

p. 941, June 1784

When I observed… cannot inform.] om. 1791.

p. 965, 20 October 1784

1791 omits the letter to Perkins dated 4 October 1784.

pp. 967–9, 19 August 1784

1791 omits the four entries in the letter to Sir Joshua Reynolds dated 21 July, 2 September, 9 September and 2 October 1784; PCA omits the last three.

pp. 993–5, December 1784

The following particulars… could write.’] om. 1791.

p. 996, December 1784

Long-expected… drown at last.] om. 1791; 1793 gives an abbreviated account of the poem, and quotes only the final line.

p. 997, December 1784

Being pressed… inebriating substance.’] om. 1791.

p. 998, 13 December 1784

Having, as… took place.] om. 1791.

p. 999, 20 December 1784

Mr. Burke… bore his pall.] om. 1791.

p. 1001, 1784

but the Dean… to his memory:] om. 1791, PCA.

p. 1006, 1784

Such was… admiration and reverence.] and the more we consider his character, we shall be the more disposed to regard him with admiration and reverence. 1791