206] A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



formerly neglected Sam. Johnson. Such is human nature, such has 

 it ever been, and ever will continue, while self-love is the predomi- 

 nant passion of man. 



Notwithstanding the avowed partiality of Dr. Johnson to Ox- 

 ford, he now visited Cambridge ; and the following amusing ac- 

 count of that visit, narrated by Dr. Sharp, contains several illus- 

 trations of the most remarkable traits of our author : 



" Cambridge, March 1, 1765. 



" As to Johnson, you will be surprised to hear that I have had 

 him in the chair in which I am now writing. He has ascended 

 my aerial citadel. He came down on a Saturday evening, with a 

 Mr. Beauclerk, who has a friend at Trinity. Caliban, you may be 

 sure, was not roused from his lair before next day noon, and his 

 breakfast probably kept him till night. I saw nothing of him, nor 

 was he heard of by any one, till Monday afternoon, when I was 

 sent for home to two gentlemen unknown. In conversation I 

 made a strange faux pas about Barnaby Greene's poem, in which 

 Johnson is drawn at full length. He drank his large potations of 

 tea with me, interrupted by many an indignant coitradiction, and 

 many a noble sentiment. He had on a better wig than usual, but 

 one, whose curls were not, like Sir Cloudesley's, formed for 'eternal 

 buckle/ Our conversation was chiefly on books you may be sure. 

 He was much pleased with a small Milton of mine, published iu 

 the author's life-time, and with the Greek epigram on his own 

 effigy, of its being the picture, not of him, but of a bad painter. 

 There are many manuscript stanzas, for aught I know, in Milton's 

 own hand-writing, and several interlined hints and fragments. We 

 were puzzled about one of the sonnets, which we thought was not 

 to be found in Newton's edition, and differed from all the printed 

 ones. But Johnson cried, No! no! repeated the whole sonnet 

 instantly, memoriter, and shewed it us in Newton's book ; after 

 which he learnedly harangued on sonnet-writing, and its different 

 numbers. He tells me he will come hither again quickly, and is 

 promised ' an habitation' in Emmanuel college. He went back 

 to town next morning ; but, as it began to be known that he was 

 in the University, several persons got into his company the last 

 evening at Trinity, where, about twelve, he began to be very great, 

 stripped poor Mrs. Macauley to the very skin, then gave her for 

 his toast, and drank her in two bumpers. 



"J. S. 



In 1765, Dr. Johnson became an inmate in the family of Mr. 



