530 
JOHNSON. 
emotion which alone can be relied upon for dramatic 
effefl. Johnfon felt that he was not formed to excel in 
this fpecies of compofition, and made no farther trials. 
The variety of topics on which he had exercifed his 
thoughts and his pen probably fuggelfed to him the next 
work in which he engaged, and on which a large fhare of 
his reputation is founded. This was his periodical paper 
entitled The Rambler, which commenced in March 1750, 
and was continued at the late of two papers a week till 
March 1752. When it is confidered that the contribu¬ 
tions of other writers did not amount to more than ten 
papers, the reader will rather admire the fertility of the 
author’s mind in producing fo much that is excellent, 
than criticife the general famenefs of ftyle and matter, and 
the occafional tritenefs of fentiment, difguifed by pom¬ 
pous didtion. Johnfon, in this performance, appears as 
the warm and ftedfaft friend of religion and morality ; 
and the Engliih language does not afford compolitions in 
which practical ethics are treated with more acutenefs of 
obfervation, richnefs of illuftratio'n, and dignity of ex- 
preflion, than in many of thefe effays. In the walk of li¬ 
terary criticifm he has alfo difplayed much fagacity and 
found judgment. Thefe are the points in which the ex¬ 
cellence of the Rambler confifts: whenever the writer 
aims at reprefenting actual life and manners, he betrays 
the very limited fphere of his knowledge, and his inca¬ 
pacity of adapting his ftyle to light and gay topics. The 
folemnity of this paper prevented it at lirft from attaining 
an extenfive circulation; but, after it was collected into 
volumes, it continually rofe in the public efteem ; and 
the author had the fatisfaclion of feeing a tenth edition. 
It has taken a fecure place among the feleft works of its 
clafs, and will probably yield to none of them in duration. 
A fhort time before the commencement of the Ram¬ 
bler, Johnfon incurred fome diferedit by haftily adopting 
the impoiture by which Lauder attempted to fix a charge 
of plagiarifm upon Milton ; nor will it be ealily believed, 
that the poetical enmity with which he regarded that 
great poet, and which he afterwards difplayed in his Life 
of Milton, did not give him a bias towards a hoftile cre¬ 
dulity on this occafion. He decorated Lauder’s attack 
with a preface and poftfeript, the ftyle of which betrayed 
the writer. That he was really deceived in the matter 
cannot be doubted ; and, after Dr. Douglas’s detection of 
the fraud, he drew up for Lauder’s fignature a recanta¬ 
tion in the moft exprefs terms, which he infifted upon his 
making public. It may be regarded as an amende honora¬ 
ble , that he wrote a prologue to Comus v'hen afled at 
Drury-lane theatre for the benefit of Milton’s grand¬ 
daughter. 
The death of his wife, in 1752, was a fevere affliction 
to him. He had been too little accuftomed to elegant fe¬ 
male fociety to receive difguft from her defects, and he 
feems always to have recollected her with tendernefs and 
gratitude. To the end of his life fhe was a frequent fub- 
jett of his prayers ; for he agreed with the Roman-catho¬ 
lic church in conceiving that prayer might properly and 
ufefully be offered for the dead. Not long afterwards he 
took into his houfe as an inmate Mrs. Anne Williams, 
the daughter of a phyfician in South Wales, who had con- 
fumed his time and fortune in purfuit of the longitude. 
Her deftitute condition, aggravated by blindnefs, with her 
talents for writing and converfation, recommended her to 
the benevolence of Johnfon. 
The Adventurer, conduced by Dr. Hawkefworth, fuc- 
ceeded the Rambler as a periodical work ; and Johnfon, 
through friendfhip to the editor, interefted himfelf in its 
fuccefs. He fupplied it with feveral papers of his own 
writing, and obtained the contributions of the Rev. Tho¬ 
mas Warton. The year 1755 was diftinguifhed by the 
fir ft publication of his Dictionary. As the author of a 
work of fo much confequence, he thought it advifable to 
appear under literary title, and accordingly, through the 
means of Mr. Warton, procured a diploma for the degree 
©f M. A. from Oxford. The approaching publication of 
this work had been favourably annmmeed fome-months 
before in two papers of The World, by lord Chefterneld. 
This civility was by Johnfon regarded as an advance from 
that nobleman for the purpofe of obtaining from him a 
dedication as patron of the work. Confcious that during 
its progrels he had experienced none of the benefits of 
patronage, although, from his lordfhip’s declared appro¬ 
bation of the undertaking, he might have expected it, 
Johnfon determined to repel the fuppofed advance ; and 
accordingly wrote a letter to lord Chefterfield, in which 
lie employed all the force of pointed farcafm and manly 
difdain to make him afhamedof his conduct. It would, per¬ 
haps, have been more dignified to have paffed the matter 
over in filence; the letter, however, remains an admirable 
leflon of reproof to thofe who, prefuming upon fortune 
and title, think they can maintain the character of pa¬ 
trons of literature, while they treat its profeffors with the 
haughtinefs of diftant notice, and the indifference of cold 
neglect. The Dictionary was received by the public with 
general applaufe, and its author was ranked among the 
greateft benefactors of his native tongue. It underwent 
fome ridicule on accohnt of pompofity, and fome criti- 
cilm on account of errors; but was in general judged to 
be as free from imperfections as could be expeCted in a 
work of fuch extent, conducted by one man. Modern 
accuracy has rendered its defeCts more apparent; and, 
though it ftiil ftands as the capital work of the kind in 
the language, its authority as a ftandard is fomewhat de¬ 
preciated. In a pecuniary light the author received only 
a temporary benefit from it, for at the time of publica¬ 
tion he had been paid more than the ftipulated fum. He 
was therefore ftiil entirely dependent upon the exertion* 
of the day for its fupport; and it is melancholy to find 
that a writer, efteemed an honour to his country, was un¬ 
der an arreft for 5I. iSs. in the fubfequent year. It is no 
wonder that his conftitutional melancholy fhould at this 
time have exerted peculiar fway over his mind. 
An edition of Shakefpeare, another periodical work en¬ 
titled the Idler, and occafional contributions to a literary 
Magazine or Review, were the defultory occupation of 
fome years. Upon the laft illnefs of his aged mother, in. 
i759> for the purpofe of vifiting her, and defraying the 
expence of her funeral, he wrote his romance of Raffelas, 
Prince of Abyffinia. According to his own account, he 
compofed it in the evenings of one week, fent it to the 
prefs in portions as it was written, and never re-perufed it 
when finifhed. It is, however, one of the moft fplendid 
performances, elegant in language, rich in imagery, and 
weighty in fentiment; its views of human life are indeed 
deeply ringed with the gloom which overfhaded the au¬ 
thor’s mind, nor can it be praifed for moral effeCt. It 
was much admired at home, and has been tranflated into 
feveral foreign languages. Such, at this period, was the 
ftate of his finances', that he was obliged to break up 
houfekeeping, and retire to chambers, where he lived, fays 
his biographer Mr. Murphy, “in poverty, total idlenels, 
and the pride of literature.” From this unhappy ftate he 
was at length refeued by the grant of a penfion of 300I. 
per annum from his majefty, in 1762, during the miniftry 
of lord Bute. When the liberal offer was made, a fhort 
ftruggle of repugnance to accept a favour from the houfe 
of Hanover, and become that character, a penfioner, on 
which he had bellowed a farcaftic definition in his Dic¬ 
tionary, was overcome by a ienfe of the honour and fub- 
ftantial benefit conferred by it. Much obloquy attended 
this circuinffance of his life, which, in the enjoyment of 
independence, he might well defpife ; nor, indeed, cant 
any good reafon be affigned, why he fhould not, as a lite¬ 
rary benefaCtor to his country, accept a reward from a 
public functionary, and iffuing in effeCt from a public 
purfe. 
A fondnefs for liberal and cultivated converfation was 
one of Johnfon’s ftrongeft propenfities, and lie had fought 
it in a club of literary men foon after his fettling in the 
metropolis. His advanced reputation and amended cir- 
1 cumftances 
