The calamities which enfue from the stagnation of commerce, are many and grievous, and, when these begin to be felt, as they fhortly may, thofe good people of this country, who have of late been fo clamorous for liberty, may recover their wits, and be half perfuaded, that a finking trade, empty warehouses and unfurnished fhops are greater evils than any loyal and peaceable fubject need fear from the operation of a general warrant.

The publication of Johnfon's political tracts, exhibited him to the world in a new character: he ceafed now to be confidered as one who, having been occupied in literary ftudies, and more converfant with books than with men, knew little of active life, the views of parties, or the artifices of defigning men: on the contrary, they discovered that he had, by the force of his own genius, and the obfervations he had made on the hiftory of our own and other countries, attained to fuch skill in the grand leading principles of political fcience, as are feldom acquired by thofe in the most active and important stations, even after long experience; and that, whatever opinions he might have formed on this fubject, he had ability by strong reasoning to defend, and by a manly and convincing eloquence to enforce.

Mr. Thrale, a man of flow conceptions, but of a found judgment, was not one of the laft that dif cerned in his friend this talent, and believing, that the exercise of it might redound to the benefit of the public, entertained a defign of bringing Johnfon into parliament. We must fuppofe that he had previously determined to furnish him with a legal qualification, and Johnson, it is certain, was willing to accept the

truft,

truft. Mr. Thrale had two meetings with the minifter, who, at first, seemed inclined to find him a seat; but, whether upon converfation he doubted his fitnefs for his purpose, or that he thought himself in no need of his affiftance, the project failed.

Had it fucceeded, and Johnfon become a member of the house of Commons, as he was one of the most correct fpeakers ever known *, he would undoubtedly have exhibited to that affembly a perfect model of fenatorial eloquence; and might probably have prevented the introduction therein of a great number of words, phrafes, and forms of speech, to which neither dictionaries, nor the example of any English writer of authority, have given a fanction †.

Johnson was a little foured at this disappointment: he spoke of lord North in terms of afperity, as indeed he did of all thofe minifters whofe councils indicated a want of fpirit to carry into action the measures which were refolved on as expedient: in which particular, the above minister must surely

This all who knew him can atteft. His written compofitions were also fo correct, that he, in general, trufted them to the prefs without a revifal. Raffelas he never red till it was printed; and having written at Mr. Langton's room at Oxford, an Idler, while the poft was preparing to fet out, that gentleman would have perufed it; but Johnfon would not fuffer him, faying You fhall ⚫ not do more than I have done myself.'

Such as thefe: a truifm-reciprocity living in habits of friendship-a fhade of difference--that line of conduct-fentiments in unifon-blinking the queftion-I am bold to fay Ifhould then commit myfelfand others equally affected and fingular. See the fpeeches in the public papers for the laft feven years.

VOL. I.

LI

be

be exculpated, whofe defigns, it is too well known, were blafted by thofe to whom the execution of them was committed. Of the abilities of Mr. Grenville, he alfo entertained but a mean opinion, for his giving up the Manila ranfom.-Grenville,' he would fay, 'if he • could have got the Manila ranfom, was able to have counted the money, but he knew not how to enforce the payment of it.' Of Sir Robert Walpole, notwithstanding that he had written against him in the early part of his life, he had a high opinion: he faid of him, that he was a fine fellow, and that his very enemies deemed him fo before his death: he honoured his memory for having kept this country in peace many years, as alfo for the goodness and placability of his temper; of which Pulteney, earl of Bath, thought fo highly, that, in a converfation with Johnfon, he faid, that Sir Robert was of a temper fo calm and equal, and fo hard to be provoked, that he was very sure he never felt the bittereft invectives againft him for half an hour*. To the fame purpose, Johnson related the following anecdote, which he faid he had

*To this motive for honouring him he might have added others; namely, the pains he took to extend the commerce of this country. Dean Tucker has enumerated the many ftatutes which he procured to be paffed for this purpofe, and has both afcertained their number, and demonftrated the benefits which, for a series of years, we have been deriving from them. By the good understanding which he kept up with cardinal Fleury, he drew the attention of that minifter from the marine of France, and the confequence thereof was, that in our fea-engagements with the French, under Anfon, Warren, Hawke, and other commanders, their fleets proved an easy conqueft; for which reason, the memory of cardinal Fleury is execrated, even to this day, by the French, who fay, he was cajoled by the English minifter.

from

from lord North: Sir Robert having got into his hands fome treasonable letters of his inveterate enemy, Will. Shippen, one of the heads of the Jacobite faction, he sent for him, and burned them before his face. Some time afterwards, Shippen had occafion to take the oaths to the government in the house of commons, which, while he was doing, Sir Robert, who stood next him, and knew his principles to be the fame as ever, fimiled: Egad Robin,' faid Shippen, who had obferved him,

that's hardly fair.'

It is not a little wonderful, that Sir Robert Walpole could preferve fuch an equanimity under the greatest provocations, as he is known to have done, or that he could entertain a kindness for any one, seeing he is known to have afferted, that every man has his price; to which I will add, from unqueftionable authority, that fome time before his death, he uttered this fentiment that fo great is the depravity of the human heart, that minifters, who only 'could know it, were, in charity to mankind, bound to keep it a fecret.'--Agreeable to this of Dr. Young,

Heav'n's Sovereign faves all Beings but himself,
That hideous fight a naked human heart."
Night Thoughts, Narciffa.

In the year 1775, Johnson received from the univerfity of Oxford the higheft teftimony of efteem, which that learned body could confer, in a diploma creating him a doctor in the faculty of law. The inftrument bears date the thirtieth day of March, in the above year, recites the motives for this honourable diftinction in

L12

and

the

the following eulogium :- Sciatis, virum illuftrem, Samuelem Johnson, in omni humaniorum literarum genere eruditum, omniumque fcientiarum comprehenfione feliciffimum, fcriptis fuis, ad popularium mores formandos fummâ verborum elegantiâ ac ⚫ fententiarum gravitate compofitis, ita olim inclaruiffe, ut dignus videretur cui ab academiâ fuâ eximia quædam laudis præmia deferrentur, quique ⚫ in venerabilem magiftrorum ordinem fummâ cum dignitate co-optaretur. . Cum vero eundem clariffimum virum tot poftea tantique labores, in patriâ præfertim linguâ ornandâ et ftabiliendâ feliciter impenfi, ita infigniverint, ut in literarum republicâ princeps jam et primarius jure habeatur, Nos Cancellarius, &c.'

In the fummer of the fame year, Johnson accepted of an invitation from his friend Mr. Thrale, to make one of a party with him and his wife, in a tour to Paris. No memoirs of this journey, in his own hand-writing, are extant; nor is the want thereof to be regretted, unlefs it were certain, that he was enough mafter of the French language to be able to converse in it*, and that he had noted down the reflections he may be fuppofed to have made in a visit to a strange country, and a refidence among a people whofe national character differs from our own., His garb and mode of dreffing, if it could be called dreffing, had long been fo inflexibly determined, as

I have some reason to think, that at his firfl coming to town, and while he had lodgings in the Strand, he frequented Slaughter's coffee-house, with a view to acquire a habit of speaking French, but he never could attain to it. Lockman used the fame method, and fucceeded, as Johnson himself once told me.

to