256 



JOHNSON. 



the arguments of the American colonists, relative to 

 the power claimed by the mother country to tax them 

 at pleasure. This pamphlet, although vigorously 

 composed, was more dictatorial than argumentative, 

 and abounding, as it did, with irritating sarcasm, did 

 little service to the cause thus espoused. At this 

 time, Johnson was encouraged in a view of obtaining 

 a seat in parliament, but, meeting with no encourage- 

 ment from the ministry, the scheme was dropped. 

 (n 1773, he made a tour to the Western Isles of 

 Scotland, in company with his friend Boswell, of 

 which he gives a highly instructive account in his 

 Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland. In this 

 production, he pronounced decidedly against the 

 authenticity of Ossian, which sentence involved him 

 in a broil with Macphersoii. In 1775, he received 

 the diploma of LL. D. from the university of Oxford, 

 and soon after visited France, in company with the 

 Thrales and Baretti. His last literary undertaking 

 was his Lives of the Poets, which was completed in 

 1781 ; they were written to prefix to an edition of 

 the works of the principal English poets, and, in a 

 separate form, comprise 4 vols., 8vo. With an oc- 

 casional exhibition of political bias, and strong pre- 

 judices, a conspicuous instance of which is supplied 

 by the life of Milton, they form a valuable addition 

 to English biography and criticism. The concluding 

 portion of the life of this eminent man was saddened 

 by the loss of many old friends, and by declining 

 health, rendered doubly distressing in his case by a 

 morbid apprehension of death, which neither his 

 religion nor philosophy could enable him to bear 

 with decent composure. In 1783, he was greatly 

 alarmed by a paralytic stroke, and his health never 

 wholly recovered the shock, although he lived to the 

 13th December, 1784. For some days previously, 

 he retained all his horror of dissolution ; but he 

 finally died with devotional composure. This event 

 took place in his seventy-fifth year, and his remains 

 were interred in Westminster abbey, with great 

 solemnity, being attended by a respectable body of 

 eminent characters, and his statue has been placed 

 in St Paul's cathedral. 



From the numerous and copious biographical 

 tributes to the memory of doctor Johnson, and espe- 

 cially that of Boswell, few persons have been made 

 so well known to the public, either as authors 

 or men. In the former capacity, he is more to be 

 admired for vigour and strength, than for novelty 

 of conception. No writer delivers moral maxims 

 and dictatorial sentences with more force, or lays 

 down definitions with more grave precision. He also 

 excels in giving point to sarcasm, and magnificence 

 to imagery and abstraction. His critical acumen, 

 setting aside personal and political prejudices, was 

 likewise very great ; but he is utterly averse to the 

 easy and familiar, both in his style and sentiment ; 

 the former of which made an era in English composi-, 

 tion. The admiration of its exuberance of words of 

 Latin etymology, and its sonorous rotundity of 

 phrase, after having betrayed some able writers into 

 injudicious imitation, has subsided, and the share of 

 influence which remains has indisputably improved 

 the general language. 



As a man, doctor Johnson was, in mind as in per- 

 son, powerful and rugged, but he was capable of acts 

 of benevolence and of substantial generosity, which 

 do honour to human nature. His strong prejudices 

 have been already mentioned, and it is to be regretted 

 that his admirable conversational and argumentative 

 powers were sullied by dictatorial arrogance, and 

 the most offensive impatience of contradiction quali- 

 ties that were unhappily heightened by the extreme 

 deference and lavish admiration with which he was 

 treated on arriving at the summit of his reputation. 



The effect was more injurious to himself than his 

 h<';iriTs, as it evidently fostered the seeds of bigotry 

 and intolerance, with which he set out in life. Upon 

 tin- whole, however, both the moral and intellectual 

 character of doctor Johnson stands very high, and he 

 may be regarded, without hesitation, as one of the 

 most eminent of the distinguished writers of the 

 eighteenth century. His works were published col- 

 lectively, in 11 vols., with a life of the author, by 

 Sir John Hawkins, 1787, and in 12 vols., by Murphy, 

 in 1792. See his life by Boswell, Hawkins, Murphy, 

 &c. 



JOHNSON, SAMUEL, first president of King's col- 

 lege, New York, was born at Guilford, Connecticut. 

 He entered the college at Saybrook at about fourteen 

 years of age, and was graduated in 1714. In 1716, 

 a college was established, by the general court of the 

 colony, at New Haven, and Mr Johnson was appoint- 

 ed tutor, though not more than twenty years old. In 

 1720, he became a preacher at West Haven. A 

 short time afterwards, he became an Episcopalian, 

 and, in 1722, went to England to obtain ordination. 

 Here he received the degree of master of arts at Ox- 

 ford and Cambridge. In 1723, he returned, and 

 settled at Stratford, where he preached to about 

 thirty Episcopal families in the place, and about 

 forty in the neighbouring towns. He was treated, by 

 the people at large, as a schismatic and apostate, 

 and continually thwarted, the object being to drive 

 him from the country. This treatment he endured 

 with patience and firmness. In 1743, the university 

 of Oxford made him a doctor of divinity. In 1754, 

 he was chosen president of the college just establish- 

 ed at New York, and filled the office, with much 

 credit, until 1763, when he resigned and returned to 

 Stratford, where he resumed his pastoral functions, 

 and continued them till his death, January, 1772, in 

 the seventy-sixth year of his age. He was a man of 

 great learning, quickness of perception, soundness of 

 judgment, and benevolence. While bishop Berke- 

 ley was residing in Rhode Island, which he did two 

 years and a half from the time of his arrival, in 1729, 

 doctor Johnson became acquainted with him, and 

 embraced his theory of Idealism. Doctor Johnson's 

 publications were chiefly controversial. He also 

 published a Hebrew and an English Grammar. 



JOHNSON, SIR WILLIAM ; a British military 

 officer, who served with distinction in North America, 

 in the middle of the last century. He was a native 

 of Ireland, and was descended from a good family 

 long settled in that country. Early in life, he came 

 to America, under the care of his uncle, Sir Peter 

 Warren, K. B., and, entering into the army, he gra- 

 dually rose to the rank of colonel. In 1755, he was 

 appointed to the command of an expedition fitted out 

 against the French fort of Crown Point, when, 

 though the main object of the undertaking was not 

 effected, the colonel defeated a body of Indian Cana- 

 dian and French troops, commanded by baron Die- 

 skau, who was taken prisoner. The British general 

 was rewarded for his conduct on this occasion by a 

 baronetcy, and a gratuity from parliament of 5000. 

 He had settled on the Mohawk river, acquired a 

 considerable estate, and ingratiated himself both with 

 the American settlers and the neighbouring Indians. 

 His ability as a negotiator was displayed in his in- 

 tercourse with the latter, with whose manners and 

 customs he was intimately acquainted. He made a 

 treaty with the Senecas, which was concluded at his 

 house at Johnson's hall, where he appeared April 3, 

 1764, as British agent and superintendent of Indian 

 affairs for the northern parts of America, and colonel 

 of the six united nations. He died at the same place 

 in 1774, much regretted for his private worth as well 

 as for his abilities, which had been so usefully exerted 



