to his magazine. Though now engaged with Cave, Johnfon thought himself at liberty to look for other employment. Accordingly in 1736, he made overtures to the Rev. Mr. Budworth, mafter of a grammar fchool at Brerewood, in Staffordhire, and formerly a pupil of Mr. Blackwall, at Market Bofworth, to become his affiftant. This propofition did not fucceed. Mr. Budworth apprehended that the convulfive motions, to which Johnfon was even at that time subject, might be an object of ridicule to his fcholars, and of courfe leffen their refpect for the mafter. Johnfon being now about the age of 27, married Mrs. Porter, the widow of a mercer, at Birmingham. She was worth about 800l., which to a perfon in Johnson's circumftances made it a defirable match beauty and perfonal charms Johnfon was an admirer, though his biographer doubts whether he ever faw "the human face divine." He certainly was very fhort-fighted, but it may be prefumed that he approached near enough to his wife, and, when young, perceived diftinctly. Garrick and others reprefented her as a painted doll, of little value, and difguifed with affecta

tion.

Of her

To turn his wife's fortune to the beft advantage, Johnfon now projected the fcheme of an academy of literature. In this he was encouraged by Mr. Gilbert Walmsley, regifter of the ecclefiaftical court of the bishop of Lichfield. Of this gentleman's character Johnfon has left a handfome teftimonial at the end of the life of Edmund Smith. It appears that, under fuch patronage, he took a houfe at a place called Edial, near Lichfield. The celebrated Garrick, whofe father, captain Garrick, lived at Lichfield, was placed under Johnfon's care, by the advice of Walmfley. Garrick was then about the age of eighteen. An acceffion, however, of feven or eight pupils was the moft that could be obtained. To remedy this want of fuccefs, the following advertisement was published: "At Edial, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, young Gentlemen are boarded, and taught the Latin and Greek languages, by Samuel Johnfon." Vide Gentleman's Magazine 1736, p. 418. The plan, notwithstanding, proved abortive.

It appears, upon good authority, that in March 1737, Johnfon and Garrick were fellow-travellers on noricback, and arrived in London together. A letter from Mr. Walmfley, though it has not the date of the year, bears every appearance of being written upon this occafion. It is directed to the Rev. Mr. Colfon, a celebrated mathematician, and is in the following terms:

DEAR SIR,

Lichfield, March 2.

I had the favour of yours, and am extremely obliged to you; but cannot fay, I had a greater affection for you upon it, than I had before,

U 4

before, being long fince fo much endeared to you, as well by an early friendship, as by your many excellent and valuable qualifications. And, had I a fon of my own, it would be my ambition, inftead of fending him to the univerfity, to difpofe of him as this young gentleman is.

He and another neighbour of mine, one Mr. S. Johnson, set out this morning for London together. Davy Garrick is to be with you early the next week, and Mr. Johnfon to try his fate with a tragedy, and to fee to get him felf employed in fome tranflation either from the Latin or the French. Johnfon is a very good scholar and a poet, and, I have great hopes, will turn out a fine tragedy writer. If it fhould any ways lay in your way, doubt not but you would be ready to recommend and affift your countrymen.

G. WALMSLEY.'

The tragedy above mentioned was, most probably, Mahomet and Irene, which was acted at Drury-lane in January or February 1749. It is founded upon a paffage in Knolles's Hiftory of the Turks, a book, which the Reader will recollect, has. been fince highly praifed and recommended in the Rambler.

It does not appear that Mrs. Johnson attended her husband in this his firft vifit to the metropolis. The flock of money which Johnfon and Garrick brought with them, was foon exhaufted. For immediate relief, they borrowed of Mr. Wilcox, a bookfeller in the Strand, five pounds upon their joint note. The money was punctually repaid. Johnfon now wished to engage more closely with Cave, the publisher of the Gentleman's Magazine. For this purpofe he wrote the following letter:

'Greenwich, next door to the Golden Heart, SIR, Church treet, July 12, 1737Having obferved in your papers very uncommon offers of encouragement to men of letters, I have chofen, being a stranger in London, to communicate to you the following defign, which, I hope, if you join in it, will be of advantage to both of us.

The Hillory of the Council of Trent, having been lately tranflated into French, and publifhed with large notes by Dr. Le Courayer, the reputation of that book is fo much revived in EngJand, that it is prefumed a new tranflation of it from the Italian, together with Le Courayer's notes from the French, could not fail of a favourable reption.

If it be answered that the history is already in English, it must be remembered that there was the fame objection against Le Courayer's undertaking, with this difadvantage, that the French had a verfion by one of their best tranflators, whereas you cannot read three pages of the English hiftory without difcovering that the ftyle is capable of great improvements; but whether thofe improvements are to be expected from this attempt, you must judge from the fpecimen, which, if you approve the propofal, I fhall fubmit to your examination.

Suppofe the merit of the verfions equal, we may hope that the addition of the notes will turn the balance in our favour, confidering the reputation of the annotator.

Be pleased to favour me with a speedy answer, if you are not willing to engage in this scheme; and appoint me a day to wait on you, if you are. I am, Sir, your humble fervant,

SAM. JOHNSON.'

In confequence of this letter, Johnfon and Cave were drawn into a clofer intimacy. Garrick now profeffed his intention to embark as an actor, and, to give Cave a fpecimen of his talents, acted in the room over St. John's Gate (where Cave lived) the character of the Mock Doctor.

Of Cave's character it is unneceflary to fay any thing in this place, as doctor Johnson has given the life of that extraordinary man. Bred to no profeffion, without relations, friends, or intereft, Johnson was now an adventurer in the wide world. The arts of infinuation he did not underftand: with his natural roughness, approaching to ferocity, he rather chofe to display his parts, at the rifk of being thought arrogant, than to wait either for patronage, or the recommendation of friends. With all the afperity of his manners, from which many revolted, he felt the tender fenfations of pity, friendship, and compaffion, in a most eminent degree. He related to a mixed company the fingular fate of doctor Nicholas Hodges, who, during the plague in London, in 1665, was almoft the only phyfician who ftaid in London, and offered his art to the fpreading contagion. After this extraordinary effort of virtue, that very man died a prifoner for debt in Ludgate. His biographer heard him tell this anecdote with tears ready to ftart from his eyes: "Such a man, he faid, would not have been fuffered to perish in these times."

Johnson had been commended by Pope for his tranflation of the Meffiah into Latin verfe: but he knew no approach to fo eminent a man. With one, however, who was connected with Pope, he became acquainted at St. John's Gate, and that person was no other than the well-known Richard Savage. Of this man, Johnfon has written the life with great elegance, and depth of moral reflection. Sir John Hawkins tells us that Savage took off his hat with a good air, and made a graceful bow. These charms, he fays, might operate upon Johnfon, who had not been used to genteel company; but if, according to the biographer's notion, he never raw the face of his wife, how fhould he perceive the graces of Savage? Johnson commenced an intimacy with this extraordinary perfon. Both had great parts, and they were equally under the preffure of They had a fellow-feeling, and fympathy united them clofer. Johnfon has been often heard to tell, that he and Savage walked round Grofvenor- fquare till four in the morning, in the courfe of their converfation reforming the world, dethroning princes, eftablifhing new forms of government,

want.

giving laws to different ftates; and when at laft fatigued with their legislative office, they wanted refreshment, both together could not make up more than the fum of fourpence halfpenny. With this man, Johnfon lived in intimacy till the beginning of 1738, when Savage, upon the ftrength of a fubfcription raifed by his friends (chiefly by Mr. Pope), was to retire from the vices of the metropolis to Swanfea in Wales. About this time Johnfon finished his Imitation of the third fatire of Juvenal; the first lines anticipate the retreat of his friend Savage: Refolv'd at length from vice and London far To breathe in diftant fields a purer air, And fix'd on Cambria's folitary fhore,

Give to St. David one true Briton more.

This poem, when finifhed, was offered to Cave, as appears by the following letters:

SIR,

• When I took the liberty of writing to you a few days ago, I did not expect a repetition of the fame pleasure fo foon, for a pleasure I fhall always think it to converfe in any manner with an ingenious and candid man; but having the inclofed poem in my hands to difpofe of for the benefit of the Author (of whofe abilities I fhall fay nothing fince I fend you his performance), I believed I could not procure more advantageous terms from any perfon than from you, who have fo much diflinguished yourself by your generous encouragement of poetry, and whofe judgment of that art, nothing but your commendation of my trifle can give me any occafion to call in question. I do not doubt but you will look over this poem with another eye, and reward it in a different manner from a mercenary bookfeller, who cunts the lines he is to purchase, and confiders nothing but the bulk. I cannot help taking notice that, befides what the author may hope for on account of his abilities, he has likewife another claim to your regard, as he lies at prefent under very disadvantageous circumftances of fortune. I beg, therefore, that you will favour me with a letter to-morrow, that I may know what you can afford to allow him, that he may either part with it to you, or find out (which I do not expect) fome other way more to his fatisfaction.

I have only to add, that I am fenfible I have tranfcribed it very coarfely, which, after having altered it, I was obliged to do. I will, if you pleafe to tranfmit the fheets from the preis, correct it for you, and will take the trouble of altering any stroke of fatire which you may dislike.

By exerting on this occafion your ufual generofity, you will not only encourage learning, and relieve difirefs, but (though it be, in comparison of the other motives, of very fmall account) oblige, in a very fenfible manner, Sir, your very humble fervant, SAM. JOHNSON.' SIR, Monday, No. 6, Caftle-street. I am to return you thanks for the prefent you were fo kind to fend me, and to entreat that you will be pleafed to inform me,

by

If

by the penny-poft, whether you refolve to print the poem. you please to fend it me by the poft, with a note to Dodley, I will go and read the lines to him, that we may have his confent to put his name in the title-page. As to the printing, if it can be fet immediately about, I will be fo much the author's friend, as not to content myfelf with mere folicitations in his favour. I propofe, if my calculation be near the truth, to engage for the reimbursement of all that you fhall lofe by an impreffion of 500, provided, as you very generously propofe, that the profit if any, be fet afide for the Author's ufe, excepting the prefent you made, which, if he be a gainer, it is fit he fhould repay. I beg you will let one of your fervants write an exact account of the expence of fuch an impreffion, and fend it with the poem, that I may know what I engage for. I am very fenfible, from your generofity on this occafion, of your regard to learning, even in its unhappiest ftate; and cannot but think fuch a temper deferving of the gratitude of thofe, who fuffer fo often from a contrary difpofition. I am, Sir, your moft humble fervant,

SAM. JOHNSON.

It happened, however, that the late Mr. DodЛley became the purchafer, at the price, as his biographer thinks, of 501. If Pope was importunate to know the Author of the piece, the fecret, which Dodfley knew, would not have remained concealed, efpecially when the difcovery might have been of the greatest advantage to Mr. Johnfon: Pope, however, faid he would not be long concealed: for this remark he did not need to recollect what Milton faid of a beautiful woman, "Whoever thou art, thou canft not long be concealed;" because Terence had faid long before, Ubi, ubi est, diu celari non poteft. Sir John Hawkins adds, that Johnson, in this poem, has adopted the vulgar topics of the time, to gratify the malevolence of a faction: this is dogmatically faid, but we hope not to pay court to any perfon, or party, of the prefent day. Johnfon heated his mind with the ardour of Juvenal, and he wrote with the fpirit and energy of a fine poet, and a harp accufer of the times.

As Docfly kept the fecret, it is no wonder that Johnson gained no patronage by his poem. If he wrote for a faction, as his biographer thinks, that faction would have embraced, with open arms, a man fo eminently qualified to ferve their views. No fuch thing happened. Johnton, with all the fame of his poetry, went in Auguft 1738, to offer himself a candidate for the maftership of the fchool at Appleby in Leicesterhire, which happened then to be vacant. The ftatutes of the place required, that the perfon chofen, fhould be a master of arts. To remove this objection, he found means to obtain the intereft of the late lord Gower with a friend of his lordship's, in order to procure for Johnfon a mafter's degree in the uni

verfity