150 
tracted.-—He had invited Colman and me 
by letter, and forgotit. We furprifed him, 
in the ftricteft fenfe of the word, at the 
country-feat of Mr. Thrale, whofe lady, 
a genteel agreeable Welfli- woman, by way 
of amufement reads and tranflates Greek 
authors. Here Johnfon lives and reigns 
(for he is fond of acting the dominator) 
as if he were in the midft of his own 
family. He received us ina friendly man- 
ner, though a certain air of folemmefs and 
pompofity never left him, which is inter- 
woven with his manners as well as with 
his ftyle. In converfation he rounds his 
periods, and fpeaks with a tone almoft 
theatrical : but whatever he fays, becomes 
interefting by a certain peculiar character 
with which it is ftamped.—We [poke of 
the Englifh language: and I remarked, 
© that it pafled through its different epochs 
quicker than other languages: there is a 
greater difference (faid 1) between your 
prefent writers and the celebrated club of 
authors in the reign of queen Ann, than 
between the French of the prefent and the 
Yaft century» They make incurfions into 
foreign ground, and lavifhly fyuander the 
eafily acquired plunder; for they follow 
not the counfel of Swift, to adopt, indeed, 
_ new words, but never after to rejeét them.’ 
«© We conquer,’ interrupted me one of 
the guefts, ‘* new words in a fit of en- 
thufiafm, and give them back again in 
cold blood, as we do our ceaquelts on the 
making of peace.” § But are you not 
(afked I) thus Jofers with regard to pof- 
terity? For your writings will be fcarcely 
intelligible to the third fucceeding gene- 
ration."— ** New words,’” replied John- 
fon, ** are well-earned riches. When a 
nation enlarges it, ftock of knowledge and 
acquires new ideas, it mutt neceflarily have 
a fuitable velture for them. Foreign 
idioms, on the contrary, have been decried 
as dangerous ; and the critics daily object 
tome my Latinifms, which, they fay, alter: 
tne character of our language: but it is 
ferioufly my opinica, that every language 
mult be fervilely formed after the model 
of fome one of the ancient, if we with to 
give durability to our works.”—Do you 
not think that there 1s fome truth in this 
fophiftry ? A dead language, no longer 
fubje&t to change, may well ferve as a fit 
ftandard for a living one. It is an old 
fterling weight, dccording to which the 
value of the current coin is eftimated.—- 
£ The greateft confufion in languages (con- 
tinued I, addrefling myfelf to Johnfon) is 
caufed by a kind of original géniufes, who 
inyent their own Sanitrit, that they may 
eloche their ideas in holy obicurity; and 
From the Port-Folio of a Man of Letters. , 
[March 1, 
yet we willingly liften to their oracular 
fayings, and at length are ourfelves ins 
fected with the difeafe.’— Singularity 
(exclaimed one of the guefts) is often 2 
mark of genius.” ‘* Then,” anfwered 
Johnfon, ‘ there exift few greater genius” 
than Wilton in Chelfea*. His manner of 
writing is the moft fingular in the world ; 
Le fince the laft war, he writes with his 
ects? Bg 
Colman fpoke of the Rehear/al, which 
was formerly fo much-admired as a maftér- 
piece; but which nobody had patience now 
to read through.—*‘* There was too little 
falt in it, to keep it {weet,” faid Johnfon. 
—Hume was mentioned. —* Prieftley,® 
faid I, * objects to this hiftorian the fre- 
onene ufe. of Galliciims.-—“* And I,” 
aid Johnfon, ‘¢ that his whole hiftory is 
a Gallicifm.” Johnfon eagerly feizes ever 
opportunity of giving vent to his haty€d 
againft the Scots. —Even in his Diétionary 
we find the following article: « Oats, 
a grain, which in England is generally 
given to horfes, but in Scotland fupports 
the people.” 
Not recolleéting his edition of Shake- 
{pear, which was fo far from anfwerine 
the expectations of the critics, I unthink- 
ingly and precipitately enough afked him, 
‘which edition of that poet he moft ef. 
teemed ?” «* Eh!”’ replied he with a finile 5 
** *tis what we call an unlucky queftion.” 
I inquired after Bofwell. ~ Jchnfon 
feems to love him much; he is fenfible 
of, but forgives him his enthufiafm. 
Bofwell is a fiery young man, who firmly 
believes in heroic virtue ; and who, in the 
Intoxication of his heart, would have fown 
with equal ardour to Iceland as to Corfica 
in purfuit of a demi-god. B 
You are acquainted with Johnfon’s 
works, The Rambler, the Idler ; Lon- 
don, a Satire; and the excellent Bio- 
graphy of Savage, are well known in Ger- 
many. But we hear lefs in our country 
of Prince Raffelas, a mafterly, cold, poli- 
tical romance, as all of the kind are; for 
a teacher of the art of government, who, 
remate from and unprattifed ia affairs, 
writes for kings, can {pin out of his brain 
A texture only of general principles. Irene, 
a tragedy by Johnfon, full of the fineit ” 
{peeches, was hifled, and is forgotten. 
This celebrated man had long to con- 
tend with poverty ; for you muift not ima- 
gine, that England always rewards her 
authors in proportion to the general ad- 
miration they excite. Often was he ob- 
eee en NNT MG Sear meno eS 
* An old foldier, whofe arms had been 
faot off. . 
. liged © 
