JOHNSON. 47 



the lot of the historian. In order to attain a clear and 

 a correct view of him in both capacities, nothing more 

 remains after carefully considering his life and his writ- 

 ings, than to pierce through the clouds which have been 

 raised by the exaggerated admiration of his followers, 

 and the almost equal injustice of those with whose 

 prejudices his prejudices came in conflict. And the 

 largest deduction that can be fairly made, whether from 

 the praise or the blame, will certainly leave a great deal 

 to extol, and not a little to lament or to condemn. 



The prevailing character of his understanding was the 

 capacity of taking a clear view of any subject presented 

 to it, a determination to ascertain the object of search, 

 and a power of swiftly perceiving it. His sound sense 

 made him pursue steadily what he saw was worth the 

 pursuit, piercing at once the husk to reach the kernel, 

 rejecting the dross which men's errors and defect of 

 perspicacity, or infirmity of judgment, had spread over 

 the ore, and rejecting it without ever being tempted by 

 its superficial and worthless hues to regard it with any 

 tolerance. Had he been as knowing as he was acute, 

 had his vision been as extensive as it was clear within 

 narrow limits, he would only have gained by this reso- 

 lute determination not to be duped, and would not have 

 been led into one kind of error by his fear of falling 

 into another. But it must be allowed, that even in his 

 most severe judgments he was far oftener right than 

 wrong ; and that on all ordinary questions, both of 

 opinion and of conduct, there were few men whom it 

 was more hopeless to attempt deceiving either by inac- 

 curate observation, by unreflecting appeals to the autho- 

 rity whether of great names or great numbers, by 



