JOHNSON. 27 



behind the scenes but in the side boxes, from an absurd 

 notion that some such finery was suited to a dramatic 

 author. Certainly, if the feelings of the house in that 

 day resembled those of our own times, this proceeding 

 considerably increased the risk which he ran from his 

 plot, his verse, and his bowstring. A pleasant story is 

 related of his shewing the first two acts of his tragedy 

 to a friend of his settled at Lichfield, and holding an 

 office in the Consistory there, Mr. Walmsley, a man 

 of much learning, and who being greatly his superior 

 in age as well as station, had patronised him in his 

 early years. When he made the natural objection, 

 that the heroine was already as much overwhelmed 

 with distress as she well could be in the result, 

 "Can't I," asked Johnson archly, "put her in the 

 spiritual court T 



The 'Rambler' was another of the more permanently 

 known works with which this ever active period of his 

 life was diversified. It was published twice a-week 

 during the years 1750 and 1751. The ' Idler/ a similar 

 work, appeared in Newbury's ' Universal Chronicle/ a 

 weekly paper, in 1758 and 1759. Both these works 

 were conducted by Johnson with hardly any assistance 

 from the contributions of friends ; and the papers were 

 written with extraordinary facility, being generally finished 

 each at one sitting, and sent to the press without even 

 being read over by the author. It is indeed related of 

 the ' Idler/ that being at Oxford when a paper was re- 

 quired, he asked how long it was before the post went, 

 and being told half an hour, he said, " Then we shall do 

 very well ;" and sitting down, wrote a number, which he 

 would not let Mr. Langtou read, saying, " Sir, you shall 



