610 
where it rose, and Lichfield receive his 
“pale and stern remains. 
DR, DARWIN. 
Almost five years are elapsed since Dr. 
Darwin left Lichfield. A handsome 
young widow, relict of Colonel Pool, by 
whom she had three children, drew from 
us, in the hymeneal chain, our celebrated 
physician, our poetic and witty friend. 
The doctor was in love like a #ery 
Celadon, and a numerous young family 
are springing up in consequence of a 
union, which was certainly a little unac- 
countable; not that there was any won- 
der that a fine, graceful, and affluent, 
young woman, should fascinate a grave 
philosopher; but that a sage of no elegant 
external, and sunk into the vale of years, 
should, by so gay a lady, be preferred to 
younger, richer, and handsomer, suitors, 
was the marvel; especially since, oval 
lively, benevolent, and by no means defi- 
cient in native wit, she was never sus- 
pected of a taste for science, or works of 
imagination. Yet so it was; and she 
makes her ponderous spouse a very at- 
tached, and indeed devoted, wife! The 
poetic philosopher, in return, transfers 
the amusement of his leisure hours, from 
the study of botany and mechanics, and 
the composition of odes and_ heroic 
verses, to fabricating riddles and, cha- 
rards!) Vhus employed, his. mind is 
somewhat in the same predicament with 
Hercules’s body, when he sat amongst the 
women, and handled the distaff. 
Dr. Darwin finds himself often sum- 
moned to Lichfield; indeed, whenever 
symtoms of danger arise in the diseases 
of those whose fortunes are at all compe- 
tent to the expence of employing a dis- 
tant physician. When I see him, he 
shall certainly be informed how kindly 
your ladyship enquires after his welfare, 
and that of his family. His eldest son 
by his. first wife, who was one of the 
most enlightened and charming of wo- 
men, died of a putrid fever, while he was 
studying physic. at Edinburgh, with the 
most sedulous attention, and the most 
promising ingenuity. His second is an 
attorney at, Derby, of very distinguished 
merit, both as to intellect and virtue ;— 
and your play-fellow, Robert, grown to 
an uncommon height, gay and blooming 
aS & morn of summer, pursues medical 
studies in Scotland, under happier 
auspices, [ hope, than his poor brother. 
CHARACTER OF JONNSON. 
If Dr. Johnson's heart had been as 
Letters of Anna Seward. 
comprehensively berevolent as his genius 
was comprehensive, the excess of unqua- 
_ lified praise, now poured upon his tomb, 
had been deserved. Unhappily for his 
own peace, as for the posthumous fame 
of our English classics, his adherence to 
truth was confined to trivial occurrences, 
and abstract morality, his generosity to 
giving alms, his sincerity to those he 
hated, and his devotion to the gloom of 
religious terror. ‘Truth, from Dr. John- 
son’s lip, yielded to misrepresentation in 
his rage of casting rival-exeellence inta 
shade. That generosity, which loves te 
place exalted genius and virtue in their 
fairest point of view, was a stranger to 
Dr. Johnson’s heart. His violent desire 
of life, while he was continually expatia- 
ting upon its infelicity, the unphilosophie 
and coward horror with which he shrunk 
from the approach of death, proved that 
his religion was not of that amiable spe= 
cies, which smooths the pillow of the 
dying man, and sheds upon it the light of 
religious hope. 
If the misleading force of his eloquence: 
had not blighted the just pretensions of . 
others, both to moral and intellectual 
excellence, I should not regret to see 
Johnson’s character invested with this 
ideal splendour; since I always thought 
it for the interest of morality and litera- 
ture, to believe exalted genius good as 
great, and, in a considerable degree, 
exempt from human deprayity ; such be- 
lief having a natural teadency to inspirit 
the pursuit of excellence, and give force 
to the precept of the moralist. But 
since he has industriously labonred to 
expose the defects, and defame the vir- 
tues and talents, of his brethren in the 
race of literary glory, it is sacrificing the 
many to an individual, when, to exalt 
him, truth is thus involved, and hid in 
hyperbolic praise. ' 
O England! not less ungrateful thar 
partial is this thy boundless incense. 
Investing the gloomy devotion and merely 
pecuniary donations of Johnson with the 
splendour of faultless excellence, thou 
sacrificest an hecatomb of characters, - 
most of them more amiable, and some of 
them yet greater in points of genius, to 
his manes ! ; 
BOSWELL. 
Mr. Boswell bas applied to me for 
Johnsonian. records for his life of the 
despot. If he inserts them unmutilated, 
as I have arranged them, they will con« 
tribute to display Johnson’s real cha’ 
racter to the public; that strange com,‘ 
pound of great talenis, weak and absurd 
1 prejudices» 
: 
