Memoirs of Fohnfon, Author of Hurlthrumbo. 
ne&tion, to fhew to your intelligent cor- 
re{pondent, who has favoured us witha 
feries of Gallic coins fubjequent to the 
revolution, that the earlieft medallic com- 
memoration of rifing freedom in that 
couriry, is a coin reprelenting the taking 
of the Baftille, and ttruck foon after that 
important event. he execution is good, 
and the piece deferves notice, as being 
the firttof a feries, deftined to record the 
birth, progrefs, and triumphs of liberty. 
a 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
MR. EDITOR, ~ 
OU may probably have feen or 
Jt heard of that renowned coinedy, or 
tragedy, or farce, or opera, or what you 
will, called Hurlothrumbo, or the Super- 
naturals, which, about 60 or 70 year's 
ago, made fuch a noife in this kingdom, 
and was the means of impofing a trick 
upon the public, fimilar to that of the 
memorable Bottle Conjuroy. Perhaps a 
few biographical fketches of Lord Flame, 
its eccentric author, and to know where 
the father of Harlothrumbo lies, may not 
be unacceptable to fome of your readers. 
His real name was Samuel Johnfon: a 
man, who though not equal, in folid fenfe 
and ftrength of underftanding, to his ce- 
Jebrated namefake, may at leaft contend 
with him on the {core of vivid fancy, ver- 
fatility of talent, and oddnefs of character. 
With the proteffian of a dancing-matter, 
in which he excelledvery much, he united 
that of a poet, of a mufician, and a 
player. In the firft or thefe chara€ters 
he was tutor to fome of the higheft ta- 
milies, and by that means became ac- 
quainted with many of the nobility. The 
Tate Duke of Montague (the reputed 
author of the Bottle Corjuror), finding 
Mr. Johnfon a proper inftrument for his 
favourite purpoie of ridiculing the cre- 
dulity and foolifh curiofity of the age, 
engaged him to write the play of Hurlo- 
thrumbo ; a compofition, which, for ab- 
furd bombaft and turgid nonfenfe, per- 
haps, ftands unrivalled in the Englifh 
‘language, infomuch that ‘* Hurlothrum- 
borant”’ is now become a proverbial ex- 
preffion. This play was extolled in the 
new({papers by the duke, as the moft {ub- 
lime effort of human genius which had 
for a long time appeared ;_ in confeguence 
of which, and the continued commenda- 
tions of it which were thus echged round, 
it was performed for m3ny fucceflive 
nights, till the whole town had had the 
fatistaction, or rather the mortification, 
of finding themfelves perlonally cuped, 
and of difcovering that unintelligible rant 
MONTHLY IMac. No, xxx, 
AIS, 
did not conftitute fublimity. The autho 
himfelf performed the part of Lord Flames 
one of the charactets, a title which he 
from thence obtained, and was faluted 
with by all ranks during the remainder 
of his lite. This extraordinary work 
was publifhed by fub{cription, in the year 
1729, and many names of the firtt rank 
and confequence then in the kingdom, 
are prefixed as fubicribers. The chara&er 
of the play is defcribed with great hu- 
mour in the epilogue annexed to it, 
written by Mr. Byrom, of which I quote 
from memory a few of the ideas. Hur- 
lothrumbo (another of the characters) is 
introduced upon the ftage,* quarrelling 
with a critic concerning the qualities of 
the drama, 

——“< Crit. Call this a play! 
Why there’s no p/or, or none that’s under- 
ftood. ; 
Hurr. There’s a rebellicon tho’, and that’s 
as good. 
No fpirit nor genius in it, 
What! don’t here 
A fpirit and a genius both appear ?” 
Crit. Hurt. 
In truth, and fo they do, Mr. Hur- 
lothrumbo, and as terrifying a {pirit as 
the beft of them; no lefs than death him- 
felf, who enters, arrayed ig all his ac- 
coutrements, mounted on a great black 
horfe, and attended by a genius as hor- 
rible as himfelf. But to proceed to the 
mention of Lord Flame’s other produc- 
tions ; foon after the publication of Hur- 
lothrumbo, encouraged, no doubt, by the 
extraordinary fuccefs of his laft perforni- 
ance, he wrote another play, called the 
Blazing Star, or the Beauties of the 
Poets, which was equally patronized with 
his laft performance, and which he de- 
dicated to the then Lady Delves and Lord 
Walpole. ‘The dedication, to which he 
fubferibed himfelf Lord Flame, is a mo- 
del for compofitions of this nature; and 
thofe who are at a lofs for the ftyle of 
dedicatorial adulation, need only retort 
to this {pecimen of his lordfhip, to be 
initiated into the whole art and myftery 
of it, The Blazing Star is by no means 
inferior in fublimity to Hurlothrumbo, 
and the common unpoetical reader will, 
doubtlefs, be a little furprized, when he 
hears not only the heroes, but even their 
very pages, venting: the moft lofty and 
‘founding paflages of Milton, and other 
authors, as familiar difcotrife. Lord 
Flame feems pertectly to have underitood 
the meaning of Longinus segs ups, for 
the dialogue foars fo conftantly in the 
fublime, that every one of the characters 
ranges at his eafe, through the digheft 
3H part 
