20 
Beneath Johnson’s rugged exterior beat a responsive and 
sympathetic heart. “ He has nothing of the bear but his 
skin,” said Goldsmith. 
His love and consideration for the poor have been often 
remarked. His house, during his later years, was the home 
of five or six dependants, who quarrelled continually among 
themselves and tormented their benefactor with complaints 
that a better table was not provided for them. Johnson 
was a long-suffering patron, and when driven past the bounds 
of his endurance, would take refuge in flight to Southwark 
or Streatham, whither the clamour of his unruly mansion 
could not pursue him, and where the amiable Mrs. Thrale 
would sit up till four o’clock in the morning to make him his 
twentieth cup of tea. 
# 
Henry Thrale died in 1781, when to Johnson remained 
less than four years of life. Short as that period was, it 
outlasted, unhappily, the friendship of Thrale’s widow, who 
offended her “dear Dr. Johnson” by a second marriage, 
improvident but unrepented. 
After much suffering, borne with patience and relieved by 
the attentions of his many friends, Johnson died in 1784. 
He was buried in Westminster Abbey. 
A man of strong and tender heart, with a mind of great 
natural power enriched by the study of men and books ; 
one striving at all times to do his best, though hampered by 
constitutional defect and narrow prejudice ; a writer none 
the less known by reason that his books are unpopular and 
unread was Dr. Samuel Johnson. Few there be of whom 
we could know so much and regret so little. 
The paper of which an epitome is here given, was illustrated 
by extracts from Johnson’s books and correspondence, and 
from Boswell’s reports of his conversation. 
