"Who would lose
Though full of pain this intellectual being?"'
Johnson, the year before, at a time when he thought that he must submit
to the surgeon's knife (_ante_, p. 240), wrote to Mrs. Thrale:--'You
would not have me for fear of pain perish in putrescence. I shall, I
hope, with trust in eternal mercy lay hold of the possibility of life
which yet remains.' _Piozzi Letters_, ii. 312. Hawkins records (_Life_,
p. 588) that one day Johnson said to his doctor:--'How many men in a
year die through the timidity of those whom they consult for health! I
want length of life, and you fear giving me pain, which I care not for.'
Another day, 'when Mr. Cruikshank scarified his leg, he cried out,
"Deeper, deeper. I will abide the consequence; you are afraid of your
reputation, but that is nothing to me." To those about him, he said,
"You all pretend to love me, but you do not love me so well as I myself
do." '_Ib_. p. 592. Windham (_Diary_, p. 32) says that he reproached
Heberden with being _timidorum timidissimus_. Throughout he acted up to
what he had said:--'I will be conquered, I will not capitulate.'
_Ante_, P. 374.
[1226] Macbeth, act v. sc. 3.
[1227] Satires, x. 356. Paraphrased by Johnson in The Vanity of Human
Wishes, at the lines beginning:--
'Pour forth thy fervours for a healthful mind,
Obedient passions and a will resigned.'
[1228] Johnson, three days after his stroke of palsy (ante, p. 230),
wrote:--'When I waked, I found Dr. Brocklesby sitting by me. He fell to
repeating Juvenal's ninth satire; but I let him see that the province
was mine.' _Piozzi Letters_, ii. 274.
[1229] Johnson, on his way to Scotland, 'changed horses,' he wrote, 'at
Darlington, where Mr. Cornelius Harrison, a cousin-german of mine, was
perpetual curate. He was the only one of my relations who ever rose in
fortune above penury, or in character above neglect.' _Piozzi Letters_,
i. 105. Malone, in a note to later editions, shews that Johnson shortly
before his death was trying to discover some of his poor relations.
[1230] Mr. Windham records (_Diary_, p. 28) that the day before Johnson
made his will 'he recommended Frank to him as to one who had will and
power to protect him.' He continues, 'Having obtained my assent to this,
he proposed that Frank should be called in; and desiring me to take him
by the hand in token of the promise, repeated before him the
recommendation he had just made of him, and the promise I had given to
attend to it.
[1231] Johnson wrote five years earlier to Mrs. Thrale about her
husband's will:--'Do not let those fears prevail which you know to be
unreasonable; a will brings the end of life no nearer.' _Piozzi
Letters_, ii. 72.
[1232] 'IN THE NAME OF GOD. AMEN. I, SAMUEL JOHNSON, being in full
possession of my faculties, but fearing this night may put an end to my
life, do ordain this my last Will and Testament. I bequeath to GOD, a
soul polluted with many sins, but I hope purified by JESUS CHRIST. I
leave seven hundred and fifty pounds in the hands of Bennet Langton,
Esq.; three hundred pounds in the hands of Mr. Barclay and Mr. Perkins,
brewers; one hundred and fifty pounds in the hands of Dr. Percy, Bishop
of Dromore; one thousand pounds, three _per cent._ annuities, in the
publick funds; and one hundred pounds now lying by me in ready money:
all these before-mentioned sums and property I leave, I say, to Sir
Joshua Reynolds, Sir John Hawkins, and Dr. William Scott, of Doctors
Commons, in trust for the following uses:--That is to say, to pay to the
representatives of the late William Innys, bookseller, in St, Paul's
Church-yard, the sum of two hundred pounds; to Mrs. White, my female
servant, one hundred pounds stock in the three _per cent_. annuitites
aforesaid. The rest of the aforesaid sums of money and property,
together with my books, plate, and household furniture, I leave to the
before-mentioned Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir John Hawkins, and Dr. William
Scott, also in trust, to the use of Francis Barber, my man-servant, a
negro, in such a manner as they shall judge most fit and available to
his benefit. And I appoint the aforesaid Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir John
Hawkins, and Dr. William Scott, sole executors of this my last will and
testament, hereby revoking all former wills and testaments whatever. In
witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name, and affix my seal, this
eighth day of December, 1784.
'Sam Johnson, (L.S.)
'Signed, scaled, published, declared,
and delivered, by the
said testator, as his last will
and testament, in the presence
of us, the word two being first
inserted in the opposite page.
'GEORGE STRAHAN
'JOHN DESMOULINS
'By way of Codicil to my last Will and Testament, I, SAMUEL JOHNSON,
give, devise, and bequeath, my messuage or tenement situate at
Litchfield, in the county of Stafford, with the appertenances, in the
tenure or occupation of Mrs. Bond, of Lichfield aforesaid, or of Mr.
Hinchman, her under-tenant, to my executors, in trust, to sell and
dispose of the same; and the money arising from such sale I give and
bequeath as follows, viz. to Thomas and Benjamin, the sons of Fisher
Johnson, late of Leicester, and ----- Whiting, daughter of Thomas
Johnson [F-1], late of Coventry, and the grand-daughter of the said
Thomas Johnson, one full and equal fourth part each; but in case there
shall be more grand-daughters than one of the said Thomas Johnson,
living at the time of my decease, I give and bequeath the part or share
of that one to and equally between such grand-daughters. I give and
bequeath to the Rev. Mr. Rogers, of Berkley, near Froom, in the county
of Somerset, the sum of one hundred pounds, requesting him to apply the
same towards the maintenance of Elizabeth Herne, a lunatick [F-2]. I also
give and bequeath to my god-children, the son and daughter of Mauritius
Lowe [F-3], painter, each of them, one hundred pounds of my stock in the
three _per cent_, consolidated annuities, to be applied and disposed of
by and at the discretion of my Executors, in the education or settlement
in the world of them my said legatees. Also I give and bequeath to Sir
John Hawkins, one of my Executors, the Annales Ecclesiastici of
Baronius, and Holinshed's and Stowe's Chronicles, and also an octavo
Common Prayer-Book. To Bennet Langton, Esq. I give and bequeath my
Polyglot Bible. To Sir Joshua Reynolds, my great French Dictionary, by
Martiniere, and my own copy of my folio English Dictionary, of the last
revision. To Dr. William Scott, one of my Executors, the Dictionnaire de
Commerce, and Lectius's edition of the Greek poets. To Mr. Windham [F-4],
Poetae Graeci Heroici per Henricum Stephanum. To the Rev. Mr. Strahan,
vicar of Islington, in Middlesex, Mill's Greek Testament, Beza's Greek
Testament, by Stephens, all my Latin Bibles, and my Greek Bible, by
Wechelius. To Dr. Heberden, Dr. Brocklesby, Dr. Butter, and Mr.
Cruikshank, the surgeon who attended me, Mr. Holder, my apothecary,
Gerard Hamilton, Esq., Mrs. Gardiner [F-5], of Snow-hill, Mrs. Frances
Reynolds, Mr. Hoole, and the Reverend Mr. Hoole, his son, each a book at
their election, to keep as a token of remembrance. I also give and
bequeath to Mr. John Desmoulins [F-6], two hundred pounds consolidated
three _per cent_, annuities: and to Mr. Sastres, the Italian
master [F-7], the sum of five pounds, to be laid out in books of piety
for his own use. And whereas the said Bennet Langton hath agreed, in
consideration of the sum of seven hundred and fifty pounds, mentioned in
my Will to be in his hands, to grant and secure an annuity of seventy
pounds payable during the life of me and my servant, Francis Barber, and
the life of the survivor of us, to Mr. George Stubbs, in trust for us;
my mind and will is, that in case of my decease before the said
agreement shall be perfected, the said sum of seven hundred and fifty
pounds, and the bond for securing the said sum, shall go to the said
Francis Barber; and I hereby give and bequeath to him the same, in lieu
of the bequest in his favour, contained in my said Will. And I hereby
empower my Executors to deduct and retain all expences that shall or may
be incurred in the execution of my said Will, or of this Codicil
thereto, out of such estate and effects as I shall die possessed of. All
the rest, residue, and remainder, of my estate and effects, I give and
bequeath to my said Executors, in trust for the said Francis Barber, his
Executors and Administrators. Witness my hand and seal, this ninth day
of December, 1784.
'SAM. JOHNSON, (L. S.)
'Signed, sealed, published, declared,
and delivered, by the
said Samuel Johnson, as, and
for a Codicil to his last Will and
Testament, in the presence of
us, who, in his presence, and at
his request, and also in the
presence of each other, have
hereto subscribed our names as
witnesses.
'JOHN COPLEY.
'WILLIAM GIBSON.
'HENRY COLE.'
Upon these testamentary deeds it is proper to make a few observations.
His express declaration with his dying breath as a Christian, as it had
been often practised in such solemn writings, was of real consequence
from this great man; for the conviction of a mind equally acute and
strong, might well overbalance the doubts of others, who were his
contemporaries. The expression _polluted_, may, to some, convey an
impression of more than ordinary contamination; but that is not
warranted by its genuine meaning, as appears from _The Rambler_, No.
42[F-8]. The same word is used in the will of Dr. Sanderson, Bishop of
Lincoln [F-9], who was piety itself.
His legacy of two hundred pounds to the representatives of Mr. Innys,
bookseller, in St. Paul's Church-yard [F-10], proceeded from a very
worthy motive. He told Sir John Hawkins, that his father having become a
bankrupt, Mr. Innys had assisted him with money or credit to continue
his business. 'This, (said he,) I consider as an obligation on me to be
grateful to his descendants [F-11].'
The amount of his property proved to be considerably more than he had
supposed it to be. Sir John Hawkins estimates the bequest to Francis
Barber at a sum little short of fifteen hundred pounds, including an
annuity of seventy pounds to be paid to him by Mr. Langton, in
consideration of seven hundred and fifty pounds, which Johnson had lent
to that gentleman. Sir John seems not a little angry at this bequest,
and mutters 'a caveat against ostentatious bounty and favour to
negroes [F-12].' But surely when a man has money entirely of his own
acquisition, especially when he has no near relations, he may, without
blame, dispose of it as he pleases, and with great propriety to a
faithful servant. Mr. Barber, by the recommendation of his master,
retired to Lichfield, where he might pass the rest of his days
in comfort.
It has been objected that Johnson has omitted many of his best friends,
when leaving books to several as tokens of his last remembrance. The
names of Dr. Adams, Dr. Taylor [F-13], Dr. Burney, Mr. Hector, Mr.
Murphy, the Authour of this Work, and others who were intimate with him,
are not to be found in his Will. This may be accounted for by
considering, that as he was very near his dissolution at the time, he
probably mentioned such as happened to occur to him; and that he may
have recollected, that he had formerly shewn others such proofs of his
regard, that it was not necessary to crowd his Will with their names.
Mrs. Lucy Porter was much displeased that nothing was left to her; but
besides what I have now stated, she should have considered, that she had
left nothing to Johnson by her Will, which was made during his
life-time, as appeared at her decease.
His enumerating several persons in one group, and leaving them 'each a
book at their election,' might possibly have given occasion to a curious
question as to the order of choice, had they not luckily fixed on
different books. His library, though by no means handsome in its
appearance, was sold by Mr. Christie, for two hundred and forty-seven
pounds, nine shillings [F-14]; many people being desirous to have a book
which had belonged to Johnson. In many of them he had written little
notes: sometimes tender memorials of his departed wife; as, 'This was
dear Tetty's book:' sometimes occasional remarks of different sorts. Mr.
Lysons, of Clifford's Inn, has favoured me with the two following:
In _Holy Rules and Helps to Devotion_, by Bryan Duppa, Lord Bishop of
Winton, '_Preces quidam (? quidem) videtur diligenter tractasse; spero
non inauditus (? inauditas).'_
In _The Rosicrucian infallible Axiomata_, by John Heydon, Gent.,
prefixed to which are some verses addressed to the authour, signed Ambr.
Waters, A.M. Coll. Ex. Oxon. '_These Latin verses were written to Hobbes
by Bathurst, upon his Treatise on Human Nature, and have no relation to
the book.--An odd fraud_.'--BOSWELL. [Note: See Appendix F for notes on
this footnote.]
[1233] 'He burned,' writes Mrs. Piozzi, 'many letters in the last week,
I am told, and those written by his mother drew from him a flood of
tears. Mr. Sastres saw him cast a melancholy look upon their ashes,
which he took up and examined to see if a word was still
legible.'--_Piozzi Letters_, ii. 383.
[1234] Boswell in his _Hebrides_ (_post_, v. 53) says that Johnson,
starting northwards on his tour, left in a drawer in Boswell's house
'one volume of a pretty full and curious _Diary of his Life_, of which I
have,' he continues, 'a few fragments.' The other volume, we may
conjecture, Johnson took with him, for Boswell had seen both, and
apparently seen them only once. He mentions (_ante_, i. 27) that these
'few fragments' had been transferred to him by the residuary legatee
(Francis Barber). One large fragment, which was published after Barber's
death, he could never have seen, for he never quotes from it (_ante_, i.
35, note 1).
[1235] One of these volumes, Sir John Hawkins informs us, he put into
his pocket; for which the excuse he states is, that he meant to preserve
it from falling into the hands of a person whom he describes so as to
make it sufficiently clear who is meant; 'having strong reasons (said
he,) to suspect that this man might find and make an ill use of the
book.' Why Sir John should suppose that the gentleman alluded to would
act in this manner, he has not thought fit to explain. But what he did
was not approved of by Johnson; who, upon being acquainted of it without
delay by a friend, expressed great indignation, and warmly insisted on
the book being delivered up; and, afterwards, in the supposition of his
missing it, without knowing by whom it had been taken, he said, 'Sir, I
should have gone out of the world distrusting half mankind.' Sir John
next day wrote a letter to Johnson, assigning reasons for his conduct;
upon which Johnson observed to Mr. Langton, 'Bishop Sanderson could not
have dictated a better letter. I could almost say, _Melius est sic
penituisse quam non errâsse_.' The agitation into which Johnson was
thrown by this incident, probably made him hastily burn those precious
records which must ever be regretted. BOSWELL. According to Mr. Croker,
Steevens was the man whom Hawkins said that he suspected. Porson, in his
witty _Panegyrical Epistle on Hawkins v. Johnson_ (_Gent. Mag._ 1787,
pp. 751-3, and _Porson Tracts_, p. 341), says:--'I shall attempt a
translation [of _Melius est_, &c.] for the benefit of your mere English
readers:--_There is more joy over a sinner that repenteth than over a
just person that needeth no repentance_. And we know from an authority
not to be disputed (Hawkins's _Life_, p. 406) that _Johnson was a great
lover of penitents_.
"God put it in the mind to take it hence,
That thou might'st win the more thy [Johnson's] love,
Pleading so wisely in excuse of it."
[1236] _Henry IV_, act iv. sc. 5.
[1237] 'Tibullus addressed Cynthia in this manner:--
"_Te spectem, suprema, mihi cum venerit hora,
Te teneam moriens deficiente mamu.
Lib. i. El. I. 73.
Before my closing eyes dear Cynthia stand,
Held weakly by my fainting, trembling hand."'
Johnson's Works, iv. 35.
[1238] Windham was scarcely a statesman as yet, though for a few months
of the year before he had been Chief Secretary for Ireland (_ante_, p
200). He was in Parliament, but he had never spoken. His _Diary_ shews
that he had no 'important occupations.' On Dec. 12, for instance, he
records (p. 30):--'Came down about ten; read reviews, wrote to Mrs.
Siddons, and then went to the ice; came home only in time to dress and
go to my mother's to dinner.' See _ante_, p. 356, for his interest
in balloons.
[1239] 'My father,' writes Miss Burney, 'saw him once while I was away,
and carried Mr. Burke with him, who was desirous of paying his respects
to him once more in person. He rallied a little while they were there;
and Mr. Burke, when they left him, said to my father:--"His work is
almost done, and well has he done it."' Mme. D'Arblay's _Diary_, ii.
333. Burke, in 1792, said in Parliament that 'Dr. Johnson's virtues were
equal to his transcendent talents, and his friendship he valued as the
greatest consolation and happiness of his life.' _Parl. Debates_,
xxx. 109.
[1240] On the same undoubted authority, I give a few articles, which
should have been inserted in chronological order; but which, now that
they are before me, I should be sorry to omit:--
'In 1736, Dr. Johnson had a particular inclination to have been engaged
as an assistant to the Reverend Mr. Budworth, then head master of the
Grammar-school, at Brewood, in Staffordshire, "an excellent person, who
possessed every talent of a perfect instructor of youth, in a degree
which, (to use the words of one of the brightest ornaments of
literature, the Reverend Dr. Hurd, Bishop of Worcester,) has been rarely
found in any of that profession since the days of Quintilian." Mr.
Budworth, "who was less known in his life-time, from that obscure
situation to which the caprice of fortune oft condemns the most
accomplished characters, than his highest merit deserved," had been bred
under Mr. Blackwell [Blackwall], at Market Bosworth, where Johnson was
some time an usher [_ante_, i. 84]; which might naturally lead to the
application. Mr. Budworth was certainly no stranger to the learning or
abilities of Johnson; as he more than once lamented his having been
under the necessity of declining the engagement, from an apprehension
that the paralytick affection, under which our great Philologist
laboured through life, might become the object of imitation or of
ridicule, among his pupils.' Captain Budworth, his grandson, has
confirmed to me this anecdote.
'Among the early associates of Johnson, at St. John's Gate, was Samuel
Boyse [G-1], well known by his ingenious productions; and not less noted
for his imprudence. It was not unusual for Boyse to be a customer to the
pawnbroker. On one of these occasions, Dr. Johnson collected a sum of
money to redeem his friend's clothes, which in two days after were
pawned again. "The sum, (said Johnson,) was collected by sixpences, at a
time when to me sixpence was a serious consideration [G-2]."
'Speaking one day of a person for whom he had a real friendship, but in
whom vanity was somewhat too predominant, he observed, that "Kelly [G-3]
was so fond of displaying on his side-board the plate which he possessed,
that he added to it his spurs. For my part, (said he,) I never was
master of a pair of spurs, but once; and they are now at the bottom of
the ocean. By the carelessness of Boswell's servant, they were dropped
from the end of the boat, on our return from the Isle of Sky [G-4]."'
The late Reverend Mr. Samuel Badcock [G-5], having been introduced to Dr.
Johnson, by Mr. Nichols, some years before his death, thus expressed
himself in a letter to that gentleman:--
'How much I am obliged to you for the favour you did me in introducing
me to Dr. Johnson! _Tantùm vìdi Virgilium_ [G-6]. But to have seen him,
and to have received a testimony of respect from him, was enough. I
recollect all the conversation, and shall never forget one of his
expressions. Speaking of Dr. P---- [Priestley], (whose writings, I
saw, he estimated at a low rate,) he said, "You have proved him as
deficient in _probity_ as he is in learning [G-7]." I called him an
"Index-scholar [G-8];" but he was not willing to allow him a claim even
to that merit. He said, that "he borrowed from those who had been
borrowers themselves, and did not know that the mistakes he adopted had
been answered by others." I often think of our short, but precious,
visit to this great man. I shall consider it as a kind of an _aera_ in
my life.' BOSWELL. [Note: See Appendix G for notes on this footnote.]
[1241] See _ante_, i. 152, 501.
[1242] He wrote to Dr. Taylor on Feb. 17, 1776:--'Keep yourself
cheerful. Lie in bed with a lamp, and when you cannot sleep and are
beginning to think, light your candle and read. At least light your
candle; a man is perhaps never so much harrassed (_sic_) by his own mind
in the light as in the dark.' _Notes and Queries_, 6th S. v. 423.
[1243] Mr. Croker records 'the following communication from Mr. Hoole
himself':--'I must mention an incident which shews how ready Johnson was
to make amends for any little incivility. When I called upon him, the
morning after he had pressed me rather roughly to read _louder_, he
said, "I was peevish yesterday; you must forgive me: when you are as old
and as sick as I am, perhaps you may be peevish too." I have heard him
make many apologies of this kind.'
[1244] 'To his friend Dr. Burney he said a few hours before he died,
taking the Doctor's hands within his, and casting his eyes towards
Heaven with a look of the most fervent piety, "My dear friend, while you
live do all the good you can." Seward's _Biographiana,_ p. 601
[1245] Mr. Hoole, senior, records of this day:--'Dr. Johnson exhorted me
to lead a better life than he had done. "A better life than you, my dear
Sir:" I repeated. He replied warmly, "Don't compliment not." Croker's
_Boswell_, p. 844
[1246] See _ ante_, p. 293
[1247] The French historian, Jacques-Auguste de Thou, 1553-1617, author
of _Historia sui Temporis_ in 138 books.
[1248] See _ante,_ ii. 42, note 2.
[1249] Mr. Hutton was occasionally admitted to the royal breakfast-table.
"Hutton," said the King to him one morning, "is it true that you
Moravians marry without any previous knowledge of each other?" "Yes, may
it please your majesty," returned Hutton; "our marriages are quite
royal" Hannah More's _Memoirs_, i. 318. One of his female-missionaries
for North American said to Dr. Johnson:--'Whether my Saviour's service
may be best carried on here, or on the coast of Labrador, 'tis Mr.
Hutton's business to settle. I will do my part either in a brick-house
or a snow-house with equal alacrity.' Piozzi's _Synonymy_, ii. 120. He
is described also in the _Memoirs of Dr. Burney_, i. 251, 291.
[1250] _Ante_, ii. 402.
[1251] Burke said of Hussey, who was his friend and correspondent, that
in his character he had made 'that very rare union of the enlightened
statesman with the ecclesiastic.' Burke's _Corres_. iv. 270.
[1252] Boswell refers, I believe, to Fordyce's epitaph on Johnson in the
_Gent. Mag._ 1785, p. 412, or possibly to an _Ode_ on p. 50 of
his poems.
[1253] 'Being become very weak and helpless it was thought necessary
that a man should watch with him all night; and one was found in the
neighbourhood for half a crown a night.' Hawkins's _Life of Johnson_,
p. 589.
[1254] It was on Nov. 30 that he repeated these lines. See Croker's
_Boswell_, p. 843.
[1255] _British Synonymy_, i. 359. Mrs. Piozzi, to add to the wonder,
says that these verses were 'improviso,' forgetting that Johnson wrote
to her on Aug 8, 1780 (_Piozzi Letters_, ii. 175):--'You have heard in
the papers how --- is come to age. I have enclosed a short song of
congratulation which you must not shew to anybody. It is odd that it
should come into anybody's head. I hope you will read it with candour;
it is, I believe, one of the author's first essays in that way of
writing, and a beginner is always to be treated with tenderness.' That
it was Sir John Lade who had come of age is shewn by the entry of his
birth, Aug. 1, 1759, in the _Gent. Mag._ 1759, p. 392. He was the nephew
and ward of Mr. Thrale, who seemed to think that Miss Burney would make
him a good wife. (Mme. D'Arblay's _Diary_, i. 79.) According to Mr.
Hayward (_Life of Piozzi_, i. 69) it was Lade who having asked Johnson
whether he advised him to marry, received as answer: 'I would advise no
man to marry, Sir, who is not likely to propagate understanding.' See
_ante_, ii. 109, note 2. Mr. Hayward adds that 'he married a woman of
the town, became a celebrated member of the Four-in-Hand Club, and
contrived to waste the whole of a fine fortune before he died.' In
Campbell's _Chancellors_ (ed. 1846, v. 628) a story is told of Sir John
Ladd, who is, I suppose, the same man. The Prince of Wales in 1805 asked
Lord Thurlow to dinner, and also Ladd. 'When "the old Lion" arrived the
Prince went into the ante-room to meet him, and apologised for the party
being larger than he had intended, but added, "that Sir John was an old
friend of his, and he could not avoid asking him to dinner," to which
Thurlow, in his growling voice, answered, "I have no objection, Sir, to
Sir John Ladd in his proper place, which I take to be your Royal
Highness's coach-box, and not your table."'
[1256] _British Synonymy_ was published in 1794, later therefore than
Boswell's first and second editions. In both these the latter half of
this paragraph ran as follows:--"From the specimen which Mrs. Piozzi has
exhibited of it (_Anecdotes_, p. 196) it is much to be wished that the
world could see the whole. Indeed I can speak from my own knowledge; for
having had the pleasure to read it, I found it to be a piece of
exquisite satire conveyed in a strain of pointed vivacity and humour,
and in a manner of which no other instance is to be found in Johnson's
writings. After describing the ridiculous and ruinous career of a wild
spendthrift he _consoles_ him with this reflection:--
"You may hang or drown at last."'
[1257] Sir John.
[1258]'"Les morts n'écrivent point," says Madame de Maintenon.' Hannah
More's _Memoirs_, i. 233. The note that Johnson received 'was,' says Mr.
Hoole, 'from Mr. Davies, the bookseller, and mentioned a present of some
pork; upon which the Doctor said, in a manner that seemed as if he
thought it ill-timed, "too much of this," or some such expression.'
Croker's _Boswell_, p. 844.
[1259] Sir Walter Scott says that 'Reynolds observed the charge given
him by Johnson on his death-bed not to use his pencil of a Sunday for a
considerable time, but afterwards broke it, being persuaded by some
person who was impatient for a sitting that the Doctor had no title to
exact such a promise.' Croker's _Corres_. ii. 34. 'Reynolds used to say
that "the pupil in art who looks for the Sunday with pleasure as an idle
day will never make a painter."' Northcote's _Reynolds_, i. 119. 'Dr.
Johnson,' said Lord Eldon, 'sent me a message on his death-bed, to
request that I would attend public worship every Sunday.' Twiss's
_Eldon_, i. 168. The advice was not followed, for 'when a lawyer, a warm
partisan of the Chancellor, called him one of the pillars of the Church;
"No," said another lawyer, "he may be one of its buttresses; but
certainly not one of its pillars, for he is never found within it."'
_Ib_. iii. 488. Lord Campbell (_Lives of the Chancellors_, vii. 716)
says:--Lord Eldon was never present at public worship in London from one
year's end to the other. Pleading in mitigation before Lord Ellenborough
that he attended public worship in the country, he received the rebuke,
"as if there were no God in town.'"
[1260] Reynolds records:--'During his last illness, when all hope was at
an end, he appeared to be quieter and more resigned. His approaching
dissolution was always present to his mind. A few days before he died,
Mr. Langton and myself only present, he said he had been a great sinner,
but he hoped he had given no bad example to his friends; that he had
some consolation in reflecting that he had never denied Christ, and
repeated the text, "Whoever denies me, &c." [_St. Matthew_ x. 33.] We
were both very ready to assure him that we were conscious that we were
better and wiser from his life and conversation; and that so far from
denying Christ, he had been, in this age, his greatest champion.'
Taylor's _Reynolds_, ii. 459.
[1261] Hannah More (_Memoirs_ i. 393) says that Johnson, having put up a
fervent prayer that Brocklesby might become a sincere Christian, 'caught
hold of his hand with great earnestness, and cried, "Doctor, you do not
say _Amen_." The Doctor looked foolishly, but after a pause cried
"_Amen_"' Her account, however, is often not accurate.
[1262] Windham records (_Diary_, p. 30) that on the night of the 12th he
urged him to take some sustenance, 'and desisted only upon his
exclaiming, "It is all very childish; let us hear no more of it."' On
his pressing him a second time, he answered that 'he refused no
sustenance but inebriating sustenance.' Windham thereupon asked him to
take some milk, but 'he recurred to his general refusal, and begged that
there might be an end of it. I then said that I hoped he would forgive
my earnestness; when he replied eagerly, "that from me nothing would be
necessary by way of apology;" adding with great fervour, in words which
I shall (I hope) never forget--"God bless you, my dear Windham, through
Jesus Christ;" and concluding with a wish that we might meet in some
humble portion of that happiness which God might finally vouchsafe to
repentant sinners. These were the last words I ever heard him speak. I
hurried out of the room with tears in my eyes, and more affected than I
had been on any former occasion.' It was at a later hour in this same
night that Johnson 'scarified himself in three places. On Mr. Desmoulins
making a difficulty of giving him the lancet he said, "Don't you, if you
have any scruples; but I will compel Frank," and on Mr. Desmoulins
attempting to prevent Frank from giving it to him, and at last to
restrain his hands, he grew very outrageous, so much so as to call Frank
"scoundrel" and to threaten Mr. Desmoulins that he would stab him.'
_Ib_. p. 32.
[1263] Mr. Strahan, mentioning 'the anxious fear', which seized Johnson,
says, that 'his friends who knew his integrity observed it with equal
astonishment and concern.' He adds that 'his foreboding dread of the
Divine justice by degrees subsided into a pious trust and humble hope in
the Divine mercy.' _Pr. and Med._ preface, p. xv.
[1264] The change of his sentiments with regard to Dr. Clarke, is thus
mentioned to me in a letter from the late Dr. Adams, Master of Pembroke
College, Oxford:--'The Doctor's prejudices were the strongest, and
certainly in another sense the weakest, that ever possessed a sensible
man. You know his extreme zeal for orthodoxy. But did you ever hear what
he told me himself? That he had made it a rule not to admit Dr. Clarke's
name in his _Dictionary_. This, however, wore off. At some distance of
time he advised with me what books he should read in defence of the
Christian Religion. I recommended Clarke's _Evidences of Natural and
Revealed Religion_, as the best of the kind; and I find in what is
called his _Prayers and Meditations_, that he was frequently employed in
the latter part of his time in reading Clarke's _Sermons_. BOSWELL. See
_ante_, i. 398.
[1265] The Reverend Mr. Strahan took care to have it preserved, and has
inserted it in _Prayers and Meditations_, p. 216. BOSWELL.
[1266] See _ante_, iii. 433.
[1267] The counterpart of Johnson's end and of one striking part of his
character may be found in Mr. Fearing in _The Pilgrim's Progress_, part
ii. '"Mr. Fearing was," said Honesty, "a very zealous man. Difficulty,
lions, or Vanity Fair he feared not at all; it was only sin, death, and
hell that were to him a terror, because he had some doubts about his
interest in that celestial country." "I dare believe," Greatheart
replied, "that, as the proverb is, he could have bit a firebrand, had it
stood in his way; but the things with which he was oppressed no man ever
yet could shake off with ease."' See _ante_, ii. 298, note 4.
[1268] Her sister's likeness as Hope nursing Love was painted by
Reynolds. Northcote's _Reynolds_, i. 185.
[1269] The following letter, written with an agitated hand, from the
very chamber of death, by Mr. Langton, and obviously interrupted by his
feelings, will not unaptly close the story of so long a friendship. The
letter is not addressed, but Mr. Langton's family believe it was
intended for Mr. Boswell.
'MY DEAR SIR,--After many conflicting hopes and fears respecting the
event of this heavy return of illness which has assailed our honoured
friend, Dr. Johnson, since his arrival from Lichfield, about four days
ago the appearances grew more and more awful, and this afternoon at
eight o'clock, when I arrived at his house to see how he should be going
on, I was acquainted at the door, that about three quarters of an hour
before, he breathed his last. I am now writing in the room where his
venerable remains exhibit a spectacle, the interesting solemnity of
which, difficult as it would be in any sort to find terms to express, so
to you, my dear Sir, whose own sensations will paint it so strongly, it
would be of all men the most superfluous to attempt to--.'--CROKER.
The interruption of the note was perhaps due to a discovery made by
Langton. Hawkins says, 'at eleven, the evening of Johnson's death, Mr.
Langton came to me, and in an agony of mind gave me to understand that
our friend had wounded himself in several parts of the body.' Hawkins's
_Life_, p. 590. To the dying man, 'on the last day of his existence on
this side the grave the desire of life,' to use Murphy's words (_Life_,
p. 135), 'had returned with all its former vehemence.' In the hope of
drawing off the dropsical water he gave himself these wounds (see
_ante_, p. 399). He lost a good deal of blood, and no doubt hastened his
end. Langton must have suspected that Johnson intentionally
shortened his life.
[1270] Servant to the Right Honourable William Windham. BOSWELL.
[1271] Sir Joshua Reynolds and Paoli were among the mourners. Among the
Nichols papers in the British Museum is preserved an invitation card to
the funeral.
[1272] Dr. Burney wrote to the Rev. T. Twining on Christmas Day,
1784:--'The Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey lay all the blame on
Sir John Hawkins for suffering Johnson to be so unworthily interred. The
Knight's first inquiry at the Abbey in giving orders, as the most acting
executor, was--"What would be the difference in the expense between a
public and private funeral?" and was told only a few pounds to the
prebendaries, and about ninety pairs of gloves to the choir and
attendants; and he then determined that, "as Dr. Johnson had no music in
him, he should choose the cheapest manner of interment." And for this
reason there was no organ heard, or burial service sung; for which he
suffers the Dean and Chapter to be abused in all the newspapers, and
joins in their abuse when the subject is mentioned in conversation.'
Burney mentions a report that Hawkins had been slandering Johnson.
_Recreations and Studies of a Country Clergyman of the XVIII Century_,
p. 129. Dr. Charles Burney, jun., had written the day after the
funeral:--'The executor, Sir John Hawkins, did not manage things well,
for there was no anthem or choir service performed--no lesson--but
merely what is read over every old woman that is buried by the parish.
Dr. Taylor read the service but so-so.' Johnstone's _Parr_, i. 535.
[1273] Pope's _Essay on Man_, iv. 390. See _ante_, iii. 6, and iv. 122.
[1274] On the subject of Johnson I may adopt the words of Sir John
Harrington, concerning his venerable Tutor and Diocesan, Dr. John Still,
Bishop of Bath and Wells; 'who hath given me some helps, more hopes, all
encouragements in my best studies: to whom I never came but I grew more
religious; from whom I never went, but I parted better instructed. Of
him therefore, my acquaintance, my friend, my instructor, if I speak
much, it were not to be marvelled; if I speak frankly, it is not to be
blamed; and though I speak partially, it were to be pardoned.' _Nugoe
Antiquoe_, vol. i. p. 136. There is one circumstance in Sir John's
character of Bishop Still, which is peculiarly applicable to Johnson:
'He became so famous a disputer, that the learnedest were even afraid to
dispute with him; and he finding his own strength, could not stick to
warn them in their arguments to take heed to their answers, like a
perfect fencer that will tell aforehand in which button he will give the
venew, or like a cunning chess-player that will appoint aforehand with
which pawn and in what place he will give the mate.' _Ibid_. BOSWELL.
[1275] The late Right Hon. William Gerard Hamilton. MALONE.
[1276] 'His death,' writes Hannah More (_Memoirs_, i. 394), 'makes a
kind of era in literature.' 'One who had long known him said of
him:--'In general you may tell what the man to whom you are speaking
will say next. This you can never do of Johnson.' Johnson's _Works_
(1787), xi. 211.
[1277] Beside the Dedications to him by Dr. Goldsmith [_ante_, ii. 216],
the Reverend Dr. Francklin [_ante_, iv. 34], and the Reverend Mr. Wilson
[_ante_, iv. 162], which I have mentioned according to their dates,
there was one by a lady, of a versification of _Aningait and Ajut_, and
one by the ingenious Mr. Walker [_ante_, iv. 206], of his _Rhetorical
Grammar_. I have introduced into this work several compliments paid to
him in the writings of his contemporaries; but the number of them is so
great, that we may fairly say that there was almost a general tribute.
Let me not be forgetful of the honour done to him by Colonel Myddleton,
of Gwaynynog, near Denbigh; who, on the banks of a rivulet in his park,
where Johnson delighted to stand and repeat verses, erected an urn with
the following inscription:
'This spot was often dignified by the presence of
SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.
Whose moral writings, exactly conformable to the
precepts of Christianity,
Gave ardour to Virtue and confidence to Truth [H-1].'
As no inconsiderable circumstance of his fame, we must reckon the
extraordinary zeal of the artists to extend and perpetuate his image. I
can enumerate a bust by Mr. Nollekens, and the many casts which are made
from it; several pictures by Sir Joshua Reynolds, from one of which, in
the possession of the Duke of Dorset, Mr. Humphry executed a beautiful
miniature in enamel; one by Mrs. Frances Reynolds, Sir Joshua's sister;
one by Mr. Zoffani; and one by Mr. Opie [H-2]; and the following
engravings of his portrait: 1. One by Cooke, from Sir Joshua, for the
Proprietors' edition of his folio _Dictionary_.--2. One from ditto, by
ditto, for their quarto edition.--3. One from Opie, by Heath, for
Harrison's edition of his _Dictionary_.--4. One from Nollekens' bust of
him, by Bartolozzi, for Fielding's quarto edition of his
_Dictionary_.--5. One small, from Harding, by Trotter, for his
_Beauties_.--6. One small, from Sir Joshua, by Trotter, for his _Lives
of the Poets_.--7. One small, from Sir Joshua, by Hall, for _The
Rambler_.--8. One small, from an original drawing, in the possession of
Mr. John Simco, etched by Trotter, for another edition of his _Lives of
the Poets_.--9. One small, no painter's name, etched by Taylor, for his
_Johnsoniana_.--10. One folio whole-length, with his oak-stick, as
described in Boswell's _Tour_, drawn and etched by Trotter.--11. One
large mezzotinto, from Sir Joshua, by Doughty [H-3].--l2. One large Roman
head, from Sir Joshua, by Marchi.--13. One octavo, holding a book to his
eye, from Sir Joshua, by Hall, for his _Works_.--14. One small, from a
drawing from the life, and engraved by Trotter, for his _Life_ published
by Kearsley.--15. One large, from Opie, by Mr. Townley, (brother of Mr.
Townley, of the Commons,) an ingenious artist, who resided some time at
Berlin, and has the honour of being engraver to his Majesty the King of
Prussia. This is one of the finest mezzotintos that ever was executed;
and what renders it of extraordinary value, the plate was destroyed
after four or five impressions only were taken off. One of them is in
the possession of Sir William Scott [H-4]. Mr. Townley has lately been
prevailed with to execute and publish another of the same, that it may
be more generally circulated among the admirers of Dr. Johnson.--16. One
large, from Sir Joshua's first picture of him, by Heath, for this work,
in quarto.--17. One octavo, by Baker, for the octavo edition.--18. And
one for Lavater's _Essay on Physiognomy_, in which Johnson's countenance
is analysed upon the principles of that fanciful writer.--There are also
several seals with his head cut on them, particularly a very fine one by
that eminent artist, Edward Burch, Esq. R.A. in the possession of the
younger Dr. Charles Burney.
Let me add, as a proof of the popularity of his character, that there
are copper pieces struck at Birmingham, with his head impressed on them,
which pass current as half-pence there, and in the neighbouring parts of
the country. BOSWELL. [Note: See Appendix H for notes on this footnote.]
[1278] It is not yet published.--In a letter to me, Mr. Agutter says,
'My sermon before the University was more engaged with Dr. Johnson's
_moral_ than his _intellectual_ character. It particularly examined his
fear of death, and suggested several reasons for the apprehension of the
good, and the indifference of the infidel in their last hours; this was
illustrated by contrasting the death of Dr. Johnson and Mr. Hume: the
text was Job xxi. 22-26.' BOSWELL. It was preached on July 23, 1786, and
not at Johnson's death. It is entitled _On the Difference between the
Deaths of the Righteous and the Wicked. Illustrated in the Instance of
Dr. Samuel Johnson and David Hume, Esq._ The text is from Job xxi. 23
(not 22)-26. It was published in 1800. Neither Johnson nor Hume is
mentioned in the sermon itself by name. Its chief, perhaps its sole,
merit is its brevity.
[1279] See _ante_, ii. 335, and iii. 375.
[1280] 'May 26, 1791. After the Doctor's death, Burke, Sir Joshua
Reynolds, and Boswell sent an ambling circular-letter to me begging
subscriptions for a monument for him. I would not deign to write an
answer; but sent down word by my footman, as I would have done to parish
officers, with a brief, that I would not subscribe.' Horace Walpole's
_Letters_, ix. 319. In Malone's correspondence are complaints of the
backwardness of the members of the Literary Club 'to pay the amounts
nominally subscribed by them.' Prior's _Goldsmith_, ii. 226.
[1281] It was, says Malone, owing to Reynolds that the monument was
erected in St. Paul's. In his _Journey to Flanders_he had lamented that
sculpture languished in England, and was almost confined to monuments to
eminent men. But even in these it had not fair play, for Westminster
Abbey was so full, that the recent monuments appeared ridiculous being
stuck up in odd holes and corners. On the other hand St. Paul's looked
forlorn and desolate. Here monuments should be erected, under the
direction of the Royal Academy. He took advantage of Johnson's death to
make a beginning with the plan which he had here sketched, and induced
his friends to give up their intention of setting up the monument in the
Abbey. Reynolds's _Works_, ed. 1824, ii. 248. 'He asked Dr. Parr--but in
vain--to include in the epitaph Johnson's title of Professor of Ancient
Literature to the Royal Academy; as it was on this pretext that he
persuaded the Academicians to subscribe a hundred guineas.' Johnstone's
_Parr_, iv. 686. See _ante_, ii. 239, where the question was raised
whose monument should be first erected in St. Paul's, and Johnson
proposed Milton's.
[1282] The Reverend Dr. Parr, on being requested to undertake it, thus
expressed himself in a letter to William Seward, Esq.:
'I leave this mighty task to some hardier and some abler writer. The
variety and splendour of Johnson's attainments, the peculiarities of his
character, his private virtues, and his literary publications, fill me
with confusion and dismay, when I reflect upon the confined and
difficult species of composition, in which alone they can be expressed,
with propriety, upon his monument.'
But I understand that this great scholar, and warm admirer of Johnson,
has yielded to repeated solicitations, and executed the very difficult
undertaking. BOSWELL. Dr. Johnson's Monument, consisting of a colossal
figure leaning against a column, has since the death of our authour been
placed in St. Paul's Cathedral. The Epitaph was written by the Rev. Dr.
Parr, and is as follows:
SAMVELI IOHNSON
GRAMMATICO ET CRITICO
SCRIPTORVM ANGLICORVM LITTERATE PERITO
POETAE LVMINIBVS SENTENTIARVM
ET PONDERIBVS VERBORVM ADMIRABILI
MAGISTRO VIRTVTIS GRAVISSIMO
HOMINI OPTIMO ET SINGVLARIS EXEMPLI
QVI VIXIT ANN LXXV MENS IL. DIEB XIII
DECESSIT IDIB DECEMBR ANN CHRIST cIo Iocc LXXXIIII
SEPVLT IN AED SANCT PETR WESTMONASTERIENS
XIII KAL IANVAR ANN CHRIST cIo Iocc LXXXV
AMICI ET SODALES LITTERARII
PECVNIA CONLATA
H M FACIVND CVRAVER.
On a scroll in his hand are the following words:
[Greek: ENMAKARESSIPONONANTAXIOSEIHAMOIBH].
On one side of the Monument--- FACIEBAT JOHANNES BACON SCVLPTOR ANN.
CHRIST. M.DCC.-LXXXXV.
The Subscription for this monument, which cost eleven hundred guineas,
was begun by the LITERARY CLUB. MALONE. See Appendix I.
[1283] '"Laetus sum laudari me," inquit Hector, opinor apud Naevium,
"abs te, pater, a laudato viro."' Cicero, _Ep. ad Fam_. xv. 6.
[1284] To prevent any misconception on this subject, Mr. Malone, by whom
these lines were obligingly communicated, requests me to add the
following remark:--
'In justice to the late Mr. Flood, now himself wanting, and highly
meriting, an epitaph from his country, to which his transcendent talents
did the highest honour, as well as the most important service; it should
be observed that these lines were by no means intended as a regular
monumental inscription for Dr. Johnson. Had he undertaken to write an
appropriated and discriminative epitaph for that excellent and
extraordinary man, those who knew Mr. Flood's vigour of mind, will have
no doubt that he would have produced one worthy of his illustrious
subject. But the fact was merely this: In Dec. 1789, after a large
subscription had been made for Dr. Johnson's monument, to which Mr.
Flood liberally contributed, Mr. Malone happened to call on him at his
house, in Berners-street, and the conversation turning on the proposed
monument, Mr. Malone maintained that the epitaph, by whomsoever it
should be written, ought to be in Latin. Mr. Flood thought differently.
The next morning, in the postscript to a note on another subject, he
mentioned that he continued of the same opinion as on the preceding day,
and subjoined the lines above given.' BOSWELL. Cowper also composed an
epitaph for Johnson--though not one of much merit. See Southey's
_Cowper_, v. 119.
[1285] As I do not see any reason to give a different character of my
illustrious friend now, from what I formerly gave, the greatest part of
the sketch of him in my _Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides_, is here
adopted. BOSWELL.
[1286] See _ante_, i. 41.
[1287] For his fox-hunting see _ante_, i. 446, note I.
[1288] _Lucretius_, i. 72.
[1289] See ante, i. 406.
[1290] 'He was always indulgent to the young, he never attacked the
unassuming, nor meant to terrify the diffident.' Mme. D'Arblay's
_Diary_ ii. 343.
[1291] In the _Olla Podrida_, a collection of Essays published at
Oxford, there is an admirable paper upon the character of Johnson,
written by the Reverend Dr. Home, the last excellent Bishop of Norwich.
The following passage is eminently happy: 'To reject wisdom, because the
person of him who communicates it is uncouth, and his manners are
inelegant;--what is it, but to throw away a pine-apple, and assign for a
reason the roughness of its coat?' BOSWELL. The _Olla Podrida_ was
published in weekly numbers in 1787 8. Boswell's quotation is from
No. 13.
[1292] 'The _English Dictionary_ was written ... amidst inconvenience
distraction, in sickness and in sorrow.' Preface to Johnson's
_Dictionary, Works_, v. 51.
[1293] 'For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much
required.' _Luke_, xii. 48.
[1294] 'If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men
most miserable.' I _Corinthians_, xv. 19.
[1295] See ante, ii. 262, note 2.
[1296] Though a perfect resemblance of Johnson is not to be found in any
age, parts of his character are admirably expressed by Clarendon in
drawing that of Lord Falkland, whom the noble and masterly historian
describes at his seat near Oxford;--'Such an immenseness of wit, such a
solidity of judgement, so infinite a fancy, bound in by a most logical
ratiocination.--His acquaintance was cultivated by the most polite and
accurate men, so that his house was an University in less volume,
whither they came, not so much for repose as study, and to examine and
refine those grosser propositions, which laziness and consent made
current in conversation.'
Bayle's account of Menage may also be quoted as exceedingly applicable
to the great subject of this work:--'His illustrious friends erected a
very glorious monument to him in the collection entitled Menagiana.
Those who judge of things aright, will confess that this collection is
very proper to shew the extent of genius and learning which was the
character of Menage. And I may be bold to say, that _the excellent works
he published will not distinguish him from other learned men so
advantageously as this_. To publish books of great learning, to make
Greek and Latin verses exceedingly well turned, is not a common talent,
I own; neither is it extremely rare, It is incomparably more difficult
to find men who can furnish discourse about an infinite number of
things, and who can diversify them an hundred ways. How many authours
are there, who are admired for their works, on account of the vast
learning that is displayed in them, who are not able to sustain a
conversation. Those who know Menage only by his books, might think he
resembled those learned men; but if you shew the MENAGIANA, you
distinguish him from them, and make him known by a talent which is given
to very few learned men. There it appears that he was a man who spoke
off-hand a thousand good things. His memory extended to what was ancient
and modern; to the court and to the city; to the dead and to the living
languages; to things serious and things jocose; in a word, to a thousand
sorts of subjects. That which appeared a trifle to some readers of the
_Menagiana_, who did not consider circumstances, caused admiration in
other readers, who minded the difference between what a man speaks
without preparation, and that which he prepares for the press. And,
therefore, we cannot sufficiently commend the care which his illustrious
friends took to erect a monument so capable of giving him immortal
glory. They were not obliged to rectify what they had heard him say;
for, in so doing, they had not been faithful historians of his
conversations.' BOSWELL. Boswell's quotation from Clarendon (ed. 1826,
iv. 242) differs somewhat from the original.
[1297] See _ante_, ii. 326, and iv. 236.
[1298] See _ante_, p. iii.
[1299] To this finely-drawn character we may add the noble testimony of
Sir Joshua Reynolds:--'His pride had no meanness in it; there was
nothing little or mean about him.' Taylor's _Reynolds_, ii. 457.
[1300] In Johnson's character of Boerhaave there is much that applies
equally well to himself. 'Thus died Boerhaave, a man formed by nature
for great designs, and guided by religion in the exertion of his
abilities. He was of a robust and athletick constitution of body, so
hardened by early severities and wholesome fatigue that he was
insensible of any sharpness of air, or inclemency of weather. He was
tall, and remarkable for extraordinary strength. There was in his air
and motion something rough and artless, but so majestick and great at
the same time, that no man ever looked upon him without veneration, and
a kind of tacit submission to the superiority of his genius.... He was
never soured by calumny and detraction, nor ever thought it necessary to
confute them; "for they are sparks," said he, "which, if you do not blow
them, will go out of themselves."... He was not to be overawed or
depressed by the presence, frowns, or insolence of great men; but
persisted, on all occasions, in the right with a resolution always
present and always calm.... Nor was he unacquainted with the art of
recommending truth by elegance, and embellishing the philosopher with
polite literature.... He knew the importance of his own writings to
mankind, and lest he might by a roughness and barbarity of style, too
frequent among men of great learning, disappoint his own intentions, and
make his labours less useful, he did not neglect the politer arts of
eloquence and poetry. Thus was his learning at once various and exact,
profound and agreeable.... He asserted on all occasions the divine
authority and sacred efficacy of the holy Scriptures; and maintained
that they alone taught the way of salvation, and that they only could
give peace of mind.' Johnson's _Works_, vi. 288.
[1301] Sir Joshua Reynolds, who was born at Plympton.
[1302] See _ante,_ iii. 43, note 3.