/ 
46 ANNUAL. REGISTER, t707. 
Soon after the publication of his 
firft feven difcourfes, collectively, 
*¢ He had the honour to receive 
from the late Emprefs of Rufha, a 
pols box with a deff relieve of her 
mperial. Majefty in the lid, fet 
round with diamonds, accompani- 
ed with a note within, written with 
her, own hand, containing thefe 
temoignage du contentment que j'ai reffens 
tie @ la lecture de Jes excellens Difcours 
Sur la Peinture.’ Before he received 
this mark of her Imperial Majefty’s, 
fayour, he had been commitlioned 
to paint an hiftorical picture for her, 
on any fubject that he thought fit. 
The fubject which he chote.was, 
the infant Hercules ftrangling the. 
-words :—‘ Pour Je Chevalier Reynalds,en ferpents. For this picture, which: 
the confidence of truth. Fortunately I am able to give a more decifive teftimony 
on this fubjeét than would reafonably be expeéted from any one man concerning 
the wtitings of another, ( 
«To the queftion, then, whether I haye not found among my late friend’s papers, 
feveral of his ditcourfes in the hand-writing of Mr. Burke, or of fome other uz- 
named perfon, I anfwer that I never faw any one of his difcourfes in the hand- 
writing of that illuftrious ttatefinan, ‘or of ay other perfon whatfoever, except Sir 
Jofhua Reynolds: and, fecondly, I fay, that I ani as firmly perfuaded that the 
whule body of thofe admirable difcourfes was compofed by Sir Jofhua Reynolds, 
as Iam certain that I am at this moment employing my pen in vindication of his 
fame. I do not mean to affert that he did not avail himfelf of the judgment of his 
critical friends, to render them as peifeét as he could; or that he was above receiv= 
ing from them that fpecies of literary atfiftance which every candid literary man ig “ 
willing to receive, and which even that tranfcendant genius Mr. Burke, in fome 
spftances, did not ditdain to accept. Of the early difcourfes, tierefore, I have no 
doubt that fomé were fubmitted to Dr. Johnfon, and fome to Mr. Burke, for their 
examination and revifion; and probably each of thofe perfons fuggefted to their 
author fome minute verbal improvements. Four of the latter difcourfes, in his own 
hand-writing, and warm from the brain, the author did me the honour to fubmit 
to my perufal ; and with great freedom J fuggefted to him fome verbal alterations, 
and fome.new arrangements in each of them, which he very readily adopted, .Of 
one, I well remember, he gave me the general outline in converfation as we re- 
turned together from an excurfion to the country, and before it was yet committed 
- to paper. He foon afterwards compofed that difcourfe, conformably to the plan 
which he had crayoned out, and fent it to me for fuch remarks on the language of 
it as fhould occurto me. When he wrote his laftdifcourte, I was not in London 5 
and that difcourfe, I know, was fubmitted to the critical examination of another 
friend; and that friend was not Mr. Burke. Such was the mighty aid that our 
author received from thofe whom he honoured with his confidence and efteem ! 
“ The reader has before him the teftimony of Sir Jothua Reynolds bimfelf, ag 
far as this calumny relates to Dr. Johnfon; he has the decilive teftimony of Mr. 
Burke, both in a paflage already quoted, and in a further extract from one of his 
Jetters to the editor, which will be found in a fubfequent page; and if fuch high 
authorities can admit of any additional confirmation, he has (whatever it may be 
worth) the teftimony of the editor alfo. Ler this plain tale, therefore, for ever feal 
up the lips af thofe who have prefumed moft unjuftly ro fully and depreciate the 
literary reputation of a man who is acknowledged, by the unanimous voice of his 
’ contemporaries, to have been a fignal ornament of the age in which he lived; who 
was not lefs profound in the theory than excellent in the praciice of his art; and 
whofe admirable works of cach kind, will tranfinjt his namie, with unfading luttre, 
to the lateft pofterity.” : 
i : 15 
