perfon than for any estimable qualities*; the other an eminent painter now living. These were inftructed to apologize for his lordship's treatment of him, and to make him tenders of his future friendship and patronage. Sir Thomas, whofe talent was flattery, was profufe in his commendations of Johnson and his writings, and declared that were his circumstances other than they were, himself would fettle five hundred pounds a year on him. And who are you,' asked Johnson, that talk thus liberally?' 'I am,' faid the other, Sir Thomas Robinfon, a Yorkshire baronet.' Sir,' replied Johnson, if the first peer of the realm ' were to make me fuch an offer, I would fhew him the way down stairs.'

No one will commend this manner of declining an intentional kindness, even where the fincerity of the intention might be doubtful, but the rejecting it with a menace was both unneceffary and infolent. The pride of independence

* This person who is now at reft in Westminster-abbey, was, when living, diftinguished by the name of long Sir Thomas Robinfon. He was a man of the world or rather of the town, and a great pest to persons of high rank or in office. He was very troublesome to the late duke of Newcastle, and when in his vifits to him he was told that his Grace was gone out, would defire to be admitted to look at the clock, or to play with a monkey that was kept in the hall, in hopes of being fent for in to the duke. This he had fo frequently done, that all in the house were tired of him. At length it was concerted among the fervants that he fhould receive a fummary answer to his ufual questions, and accordingly at his next coming, the porter as foon as he had opened the gate and without waiting for what he had to say, dismissed him with these words, Sir, his Grace is gone out, the clock stands, and the monkey is dead.'

was

was moft ftrong in Johnfon at thofe periods of his life when his wants were greateft, and though at other times he would fubject himself to great obligations, he was uniform, except only in one inftance, in an opinion that an offer of pecuniary affiftance was an infult, and not seldom rejected it with fuch indignation, that were I to characterife it more particularly, I should do it by an allufion to the following apologue: A gardener's dog had fallen into a well and was unable to get out his mafter pafling by, and seeing his distress, put down his arm to fave him: the dog bit his hand, and the gardener left him to drown.

The uneafinefs which Johnfon felt, at the time when he wrote the above-mentioned letter, gave way to a call of his friend Garrick, who in the fame year, 1747, was, by a feries of occurrences, become mafter of Drury-lane theatre. I was never much converfant with the hiftory of the stage, and therefore can give but a flight account of an event, which, at that time, interested many, and was deemed a very important one. Mr. Fleetwood's extravagance had reduced him to the neceffity of feeking out for fome one or more perfons to whom, for an adequate confideration, he might relinquifh his intereft in the patent. At that time a man of the name of Lacy had attracted the notice of the town by a competition. with orator Henley, which he began at the great room in York buildings, with a fatirical difcourfe of great licence, which he advertifed by the name of Peter's vifitation. The liberties he had taken with the clergy and the principal officers of state in this judicrous difcourfe gave great VOL. I. offence:

offence he was feized, dealt with as a vagrant, and, in fhort, filenced. This man had lived among players, and was fuppofed to understand stage-management, and had fome friends. Mr. Garrick had many, and thofe opulent men: three of them, Mr. Draper the partner of Mr. Tonfon the bookfeller, Mr. Clutterbuck a mercer, and Mr. Samuel Sharpe one of the furgeons of Guy's hofpital, negociated a partnership between those two perfons, and by purchafing of them and affifting them to difpofe of what are called renters' shares, enabled them to buy out Fleetwood, and before the commencement of the acting feafon, they were become joint-patentees of the theatre above-mentioned.

Mr. Garrick's province in the management was to appoint the plays and to caft the parts; Lacy's was to fuperintend the workmen and fervants, to order the scenery, and, with the affiftance of artists, to adjust the ornaments and decorations. It was their refolution to banish from their stage, pantomimes and all grotefque reprefentations, and to exhibit fuch only as a rational and judicious audience might be fuppofed inclined to approve.

To notify this their intention to the town, it feemed to them that a prologue was neceffary: Johnfon was eafily prevailed upon by Mr. Garrick to write one, and at the opening of the theatre in 1747, it was fpoken by the latter in a manner that did equal honour

to the author and himself.

Prologues are addreffes from the stage to the people, and either respect merely the drama that is to follow, or are of more general import fetting forth to the audience the views and defigns of managers,

their anxiety to please, and the methods by which they hope to obtain the favour of the public; thefe latter are for the most part occasional, and adapted to such circumstances as the opening a new theatre, a change theatrical of management, or any other of those great revolutions in which the players affect to think all men as much interested as themselves. In the addreffes of this kind the powers of wit seem to have been nearly exhausted: fometimes the audience has been cajoled, at others, betrayed into good humour; and by the help of allegory, the ftage has been made to refemble every thing unlike it. One poet feigns that the town is a fea, the playhouse a ship, the manager the captain, the players failors, and the orange-girls powder-monkies; and Mr. Garrick, in one of his prologues, would make his audience believe, that his theatre is a tavern, himself the mafter, the players waiters, and his entertainment wines fuited to all palates: one of his liquors, in particular, he strongly recommends, and calls Shakespeare, which that he may be conftantly able to fupply, he says it is

his wifh, his plan,

To lofe no drop of that immortal man.'

And, to be more particular, that

to delight ye,

Bardolph is gin, and Piftol aqua-vitæ.' †

Johnson's prologue is of a very different caft. It is a fober, rational, and manly appeal to the good

Prologue to the Winter's Tale and Catherine and Petruchio.

fenfe and candour of the audience, and contains a brief history of theatric representations from the time of Shakespeare and Jonfon to their decline, when, as he fays, the writers of pantomime and fong had confirmed the fway of folly. It ftates the hardships which those lye under, whofe bufinefs it is to furnish entertainment for the public, in being obliged to watch the wild viciffitudes of taste, and exhorts the hearers to patronize virtue and reviving fenfe.

To juftify the above character of this nervous compofition I here insert it:

When Learning's triumph o'er her barb'rous foes First rear'd the ftage, immortal Shakespeare rofe; < Each change of many-colour'd life he drew, Exhausted worlds, and then imagin'd new: Existence faw him fpurn her bounded reign, And panting Time toil'd after him in vain. His powerful strokes prefiding Truth impress'd, And unrefifted Paffion storm'd the breast. "Then Jonfon came, inftructed from the school To please in method, and invent by rule; His ftudious patience, and laborious art, By regular approach, effay'd the heart: Cold approbation gave the lingering bays; For those who durft not cenfure, fcarce could praife.. A mortal born, he met the general doom,

(

But left, like Egypt's kings, a lafting tomb.

The wits of Charles found easier ways to fame, Nor wifh'd for Jonfon's art, or Shakespeare's flame. Themfelves they ftudied; as they felt, they writ:Intrigue was plot, obfcenity was wit.