In 1757 he was offered, but declined taking orders, a church-living of considerable value; and in 1758, he commenced the Idler, which was continued till 1760.

The death of his mother in 1759, led to the production of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, which Johnson wrote for the express purpose of defraying the expense of her funeral. He received for the copy £100, and £25 when it came to the second edition.* Eulogy on a work which is so well known in our own country, and has been translated into most, if not all of the modern languages, would be superfluous; but the following notice of Rasselas, by Boswell, will be read with pleasure:

"This tale, with all the charms of oriental imagery, and all the force and beauty of which the English language is capable, leads us through the most important scenes of human life, and shows us that this stage of our being is full of vanity and vexation of spirit.' To those who look no farther than the present life, or who maintain that human nature has not fallen from the state in which it was created, the instruction of this sublime story will be of no avail. But they who think justly and feel with strong sensibility will listen with eagerness and admiration to its truth and wisdom.

"It may be considered as a more enlarged and more deeply philosophical discourse in prose, upon the interesting truth, which, in his Vanity of Human Wishes, he had so successfully enforced in verse.

"The fund of thinking which this work contains is such that almost every sentence of it may furnish a subject of long meditation. I am not satisfied if a year passes without my having

* Johnson told Sir Joshua Reynolds that he composed Rasselas in the evenings of one week, sent it to press in portions as it was written, and had never since read it over.

read it through; and at every perusal, my admiration of the mind which produced it is so highly raised, that I can scarcely believe that I had the honor of enjoying the intimacy of such a

man.

"I restrain myself from quoting passages from this excellent work, or even referring to them, because I should not know what to select, or rather what to omit.

Notwithstanding my high admiration of Rasselas, I will not maintain that the 'morbid melancholy' in Johnson's constitution may not, perhaps, have made life appear to him more insipid and unhappy than it generally is; for I am sure that he had less enjoyment from it than I have. Yet, whatever additional shade his own particular sensations may have thrown on his representation of life, attentive observation and close inquiry have convinced me that there is too much reality in the gloomy picture. The truth, however, is, that we judge of the happiness and misery of life differently at different times, according to the state of our changeable frame. I always remember a remark made to me by a Turkish lady educated in Erance: 'Ma foi Monsieur, notre bon. heur depend de la façon que notre sang circule.' This I have learned from a pretty hard course of experience, and would, from sincere benevolence, impress upon all who honour this book with a perusal, that, until a steady conviction is obtained, that the present life is an imperfect state, and only a passage to a better, if we comply with the divine scheme of progressive improvement; and also that it is a part of the mysterious plan of Providence that intellectual beings must be made perfect through suffering;' there will be a continual recurrence of disappointment and uneasiness. But if we walk with hope in the 'mid-day sun' of revelation, our temper and disposition will be such that the comforts and enjoyments in our way will be relished, while we patiently support the inconveniences and pains."

In 1762, Johnson accepted, with reluctance, a pension of £300 per annum; and in 1764-5 he was engaged in preparing his edition of Shakspeare. In 1767, he had the honour of a personal interview

with George the Third, and about the same period he was introduced to the house of Mr. Thrale, at Streatham. In 1773, he took a tour to the Hebrides; in 1775, he published an account of his journey; and in the same year he received the degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Oxford. In 1779, he undertook, for £210, to write the Lives of the Poets, which he completed in 1781. In the same year his friend Mr. Thrale died, who left him a legacy of £200. In 1783, he was seized with a paralytic stroke, which, for some time, rendered him speechless. He gradually grew worse, and it was evident to his physician that his end was fast approaching. On being told that nothing but a miracle could save him, he observed: "Then I will take no more physic, not even my opiates; for I have prayed that I may render up my soul to God unclouded." His aversion to the prospect of death operated so strongly, that it was some time before he could be prevailed on to make his will, or even to hear the subject mentioned with patience. As his end drew near, he expressed his firm belief in the Christian. religion, and grew gradually calmer; and at length he expired on the 13th of December, 1785, in the 75th year of his age. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, and a monument has since been erected to his memory in St. Paul's Cathedral.

As an author, Johnson was more distinguished than any other literary character which this country ever produced. His great works, and those on which his reputation chiefly rests, are his Dictionary, Rambler, Lives of the Poets, and Rasselas. In

his Rasselas and his Rambler he is in his peculiar element.

Of the Doctor's general character, Bishop Gleig has drawn an able summary, who says: "Without claiming for Johnson the highest place among his contemporaries, we may use his own expression, 'that he brought more mind to every subject, and had a greater variety of knowledge ready for all occasions than almost any other man.' Though religious to superstition, he was in every other respect so remarkably incredulous, that Hogarth said, while Johnson firmly believed the Bible, he seemed determined to believe nothing else. The same energy which was displayed in his literary productions, was exhibited also in his conversation, which was various, striking, and instructive. But he had a roughness in his manner which subdued the saucy, and terrified the meek: it was only, however, in his manner; for no man was more beloved than Johnson, and his works will be read with veneration for their author, as long as the language in which they are written shall be understood."

Johnson's figure was large, robust, and unwieldy from corpulency. His appearance was rendered strange and somewhat uncouth by sudden emotions, which appeared to be involuntary and convulsive. He had the use of only one eye, yet his visual perceptions, as far as they extended, were uncommonly quick and accurate. In his dress he was singularly slovenly; and so morbid was his temperament, that he never enjoyed the free and vigorous use of his limbs.

xii

MEMOIR OF SAMUEL JOHNSON.

The flattery of friends, and the homage paid to his abilities, made him dictatorial, arrogant, and rude, and caused him sometimes to exceed the bounds of politeness; but when he discovered that he had given real cause for offence, he was always ready to make reparation. "But there was no occasion (said Bishop Howe) that Johnson should teach us to dance, to make a bow, or to turn a compliment: he could teach us better things."

Dr. Johnson was above equivocation, and scorned to convey the language of truth, however unpleasant to those who heard him, by any of those circumlocutory channels which are the medium of discussion in polite society. Laconic and sensible in his conversation, he despised verbosity amd frivolity in others. He was fond of good living and good company. 'Many a day did he fast (says Mr. Boswell), many a year did he refrain from wine; but when he did eat, it was voraciously; when he did drink, it was copiously." No man, however, possessed more of the milk of human kindness; was more ready to assist distress; or conferred a benefit in a more generous and delicate manner.