HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. [217 



" He talked often to me about the necessity of faith in the sa- 

 crifice of Jesus, as necessary, beyond all good works whatever, 

 for the salvation of mankind. 



" Johnson having thus in his mind the true Christian scheme, 

 at once rational and consolatory, uniting justice and mercy in the 

 Divinity, with the improvement of human nature, while the Holy 

 Sacrament was celebrated in his apartment, fervently uttered this 

 prayer : 



" ' Almighty and most merciful Father, I am now as to human 

 eyes it seems, about to commemorate, for the last time, the death 

 of thy Son Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer. Grant, O 

 Lord, that my whole hope and confidence may be in his merits and 

 thy mercy; enforce and accept my imperfect repentance; make 

 this commemoration available to the confirmation of my faith ; 

 the establishment of my hope, and the enlargement of my charity; 

 and make the death of thy Son Jesus Christ effectual to my re- 

 demption. Have mercy upon me, and pardon the multitude of my 

 offences. Bless my friends ; have mercy upon all men. Support 

 me, by thy Holy Spirit, in the days of weakness, and at the hour 

 of death ; and receive me, at my death, to everlasting happiness, 

 for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.' 



" The Doctor, from the time he was certain his death was near, 

 appeared to be perfectly resigned, was seldom or never out of tem- 

 per or fretful, and often said to his faithful servant, ' Attend, 

 Francis, to the salvation of your soul, which is an object of the 

 greatest importance/ 



" On Monday the 13th of December, the day on which he died, 

 Miss Morris, the daughter of a particular friend of his, called, 

 and said to Francis, that she begged to be permitted to see the 

 Doctor, that she might earnestly request him to give her his bless- 

 ing. Francis went into the room, followed by the young lady, and 

 delivered the message. The Doctor tunie I himself in the bed and 

 said, ' God bless you, my dear !' These were the last words he 

 spoke. His difficulty of breathing increased till about seven 

 o'clock in the evening, when Francis Barber, and Mrs. Des Mou- 

 lins, who were sitting in the room, observed that the noise he 

 made in breathing had ceased, went to the bed, and found he was 

 dead/' 



On Monday the 20th December 1784, his body was interred in 

 Westminster Abbey, at the foot of Shakspeare's monument, in the 

 Poet's Corner, near the grave of his friend Garrick. His pall was 



