Boswell's Life of Johnson (1904)/Volume 1/1740—1741

by James Boswell

1740^[1]:ÆTAT. 31.]—In 1740 he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine the 'Preface^[2],'† 'Life of Sir Francis Drake,'* and the first parts of those of 'Admiral Blake^[3],'* and of 'Philip Baretier^[4],* both which he finished the following year. He

also wrote an 'Essay on Epitaphs^[5],'† and an 'Epitaph on Philips, a Musician,'* which was afterwards published with some other pieces of his, in Mrs. Williams's Miscellanies. This Epitaph is so exquisitely beautiful, that I remember even Lord Kames^[6] strangely prejudiced as he was against Dr. Johnson, was compelled to allow it very high praise. It has been ascribed to Mr. Garrick, from its appearing at first with the signature G; but I have heard Mr. Garrick declare, that it was written by Dr. Johnson, and give the following account of the manner in which it was composed. Johnson and he were sitting together; when, amongst other things, Garrick repeated an Epitaph upon this Philips by a Dr. Wilkes, in these words:

'Exalted soul! whose harmony could please
The love-sick virgin, and the gouty ease;
Could jarring discord, like Amphion, move
To beauteous order and harmonious love;
Rest here in peace, till angels bid thee rise,
And meet thy blessed Saviour in the skies.'

Johnson shook his head at these common-place funereal lines, and said to Garrick, 'I think, Davy, I can make a better.' Then, stirring about his tea for a little while, in a state of meditation, he almost extempore produced the following verses:

<poem>'Philips, whose touch harmonious could remove

The pangs of guilty power or^[7] hapless love; Rest here, distress'd by poverty no more, Here find that calm thou gav'st so oft before;

Sleep, undisturb'd, within this peaceful shrine,

Till angels wake thee with a note like thine^[8]!'</poem>

At the same time that Mr. Garrick favoured me with this anecdote, he repeated a very pointed Epigram by Johnson, on George the Second and Colley Gibber, which has never yet appeared, and of which I know not the exact date^[9]. Dr. Johnson afterwards gave it to me himself^[10]:

'Augustus still survives in Maro's strain,
And Spenser's verse prolongs Eliza's reign;
Great George's acts let tuneful Gibber sing;
For Nature form'd the Poet for the King.'

In 1741^[11] he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine 'the Preface,'* 'Conclusion of his lives of Drake and Baretier,'† 'A free translation of the Jests of Hierocles^[12], with an Introduction;'† and, I think, the following pieces: 'Debate on the Proposal of Parliament to Cromwell, to assume the Title of King, abridged, modified, and digested^[13];'† 'Translation of Abbé Guyon's Dissertation on the Amazons;'† 'Translation of Fontenelle's Panegyrick on Dr. Morin.'† Two notes upon this appear to me undoubtedly his. He this year, and the two following, wrote the Parliamentary Debates. He told me himself, that he was the sole composer of them for those three years only. He was not, however, precisely exact in his statement, which he mentioned from hasty recollection; for it is sufficiently evident, that his composition of them began November 19, 1740, and ended February 23, 1742-3^[14]. It appears from some of Cave's letters to Dr. Birch, that Cave had better assistance for that branch of his Magazine, than has been generally supposed; and that he was indefatigable in getting it made as perfect as he could.

Thus, 21st July, 1735. 'I trouble you with the inclosed, because you said you could easily correct what is here given for Lord C——Id's^[15] speech. I beg you will do so as soon as you can for me, because the month is far advanced.'

And 15th July, 1737. 'As you remember the debates so far as to perceive the speeches already printed are not exact, I beg the favour that you will peruse the inclosed, and, in the best manner your memory will serve, correct the mistaken passages, or add anything that is omitted. I should be very glad to have something of the Duke of N——le's^[16] speech, which would be particularly of service.

'A gentleman has Lord Bathurst's speech to add something to.'

And July 3, 1744. 'You will see what stupid, low, abominable stuff is put^[17] upon your noble and learned friend's^[18] character, such as I should quite reject, and endeavour to do something better towards doing justice to the character. But as I cannot expect to attain my desires in that respect, it would be a great satisfaction, as well as an honour to our work to have the favour of the genuine speech. It is a method that several have been pleased to take, as I could show, but I think myself under a restraint. I shall say so far, that I have had some by a third hand, which I understood well enough to come from the first; others by penny-post^[19], and others by the speakers themselves, who have been pleased to visit St. John's Gate, and show particular marks of their being pleased^[20].'

There is no reason, I believe, to doubt the veracity of Cave. It is, however, remarkable, that none of these letters are in the years during which Johnson alone furnished the Debates, and one of them is in the very year after he ceased from that labour, Johnson told me that as soon as he found that the speeches were thought genuine, he determined that he would write no more of them; for 'he would not be accessary to the propagation of falsehood.' And such was the tenderness of his conscience, that a short time before his death he expressed his regret for having been the authour of fictions, which had passed for realities^[21].

He nevertheless agreed with me in thinking, that the debates which he had framed were to be valued as orations upon questions of publick importance. They have accordingly been collected in volumes, properly arranged, and recommended to the notice of parliamentary speakers by a preface, written by no inferior hand^[22]. I must, however, observe, that although there is in those debates a wonderful store of political information, and very powerful eloquence, I cannot agree that they exhibit the manner of each particular speaker, as Sir John Hawkins seems to think. But, indeed, what opinion can we have of his judgement, and taste in publick speaking, who presumes to give, as the characteristicks of two celebrated orators, 'the deep-mouthed rancour of Pulteney^[23], and the yelping pertinacity of Pitt^[24].'

This year I find that his tragedy of Irene had been for some time ready for the stage, and that Irene necessities made him desirous of getting as much as he could for it, without delay; for there is the following letter from Mr. Cave to Dr. Birch. in the same volume of manuscripts in the British Museum, from which I copied those above quoted. They were most obligingly pointed out to me by Sir William Musgrave, one of the Curators of that noble repository.

 

'Sept. 9, 1741.

'I have put Mr. Johnson's play into Mr. Gray's^[25] hands, in order to sell it to him, if he is inclined to buy it ; but 1 doubt whether he will or not. He would dispose of the copy, and whatever advantage may be made by acting it. Would your society^[26] or any gentleman, or body of men that you know, take such a bargain? He and I are very unfit to deal with theatrical persons. Fleetwood was to have acted it last season, but Johnson's diffidence or ^[27] prevented it.'

I have already mentioned that Irene was not brought into publick notice till Garrick was manager of Drury-lane theatre.

was refused, merely because the Judge, Willes, 'was attached to the Prince of Wales.' It is very likely that this was one of Johnson's 'instances,' as it had happened about four years earlier, and as an account of the young man had been published by an Oxonian. Walpole's Memoirs of the Reign of George II, i. 175.

1. On October 29 of this year James Boswell was born.
2. In this preface is found the following lively passage:—'The Roman Gazetteers are defective in several material ornaments of style. They never end an article with the mystical hint, this occasions great speculation. They seem to have been ignorant of such engaging introductions as, we hear it is strongly reported; and of that ingenious, but thread-bare excuse for a downright lie, it wants confirmation.'
3. The Lives of Blake and Drake were certainly written with a political aim. The war with Spain was going on. and the Tory party was doing its utmost to rouse the country against the Spaniards. It was 'a time.' according to Johnson. 'when the nation was engaged in a war with an enemy, whose insults, ravages, and barbarities have long called for vengeance.' Johnson's Works, vi. 293.
4. Barretier's childhood surpassed even that of J. S. Mill. At the age of nine he was master of live languages, Greek and Hebrew being two of them. 'In his twelfth year he applied more particularly to the study of the fathers.' At the age of fourteen he published Anti-Artemonius; sive initium evangelii S. Joannis adversus Artemonium vindicahim. The same year the University of Halle offered him the degree of doctor in philosophy. 'His theses, or philosophical positions, which he printed, ran through several editions in a few weeks.' He was a deep student of mathematics, and astronomy was his favourite subject. His health broke down under his studies, and he died in 1740 in the twentieth year of his age. Johnson's Works, vi. 376.
5. He wrote also wrote in 1756 Dissertation on the Epitaphs written by Pope.
6. See Post, Oct. 16, 1769.
7. In the original and. Gent. Mag. x. 464. The title of this poem as there given is:—'An epitaph upon the celebrated Claudy Philips, Musician, who died very poor.'
8.  The epitaph of Phillips is in the porch of Wolverhampton Church. The prose part of it is curious:—
   'Near this place lies
   Charles Claudius Phillips,
   Whose absolute contempt of riches
   and inimitable performances upon the violin
   made the admiration of all that knew him.
   He was born in Wales,
   made the tour of Europe,
   and, after the experience of both kinds of fortune,
   Died in 1732.'
   
   

   Mr. Garrick appears not to have recited the verses correctly, the original being as follows:—

   'Exalted soul, thy various sounds could please
   The love-sick virgin and the gouty ease;
   Could jarring crowds, like old Amphion, move
   To beauteous order and harmonious love;
   Rest here in peace, till Angels bid thee rise.
   And meet thy Saviour's consort in the skies.'
   Blakeway. 
   
   

   Consort is defined in Johnson's Dictionary as a Number of instruments playing together.

9.  I have no doubt that it was written in 1741; for the second line is clearly a parody of a line in the chorus of Cibber's Birthday Ode for that year. The chorus is as follows:
   'While thou our Master of the Main
   Revives Eliza's glorious reign.
   The great Plantagenets look down,
   And see your race adorn your crown.
   Gent. Mag. xi. 549. 
   
   

   In the Life of Barretier Johnson has also this fling at George II:—'Princes are commonly the last by whom merit is distinguished.' Johnson's Works, vi. 381.

10. See Boswell's Hebrides. Oct. 23 and Nov, 21, 1773.
11. Hester Lynch Salusbury. afterwards Mrs. Thrale, and later on Mrs. Piozzi, was born on Jan. 27, 1741
12. This piece is certainly not by Johnson. It contains more than one ungrammatical passage. It is impossible to believe that he wrote such a sentence as the following:—'Another having a cask of wine sealed up at the top, but his servant boring a hole at the bottom stole the greatest part of it away; sometime after, having called a friend to taste his wine, he found the vessel almost empty,' &c.
13. Mr. Carlyle, by the use of the term 'Imaginary Editors' (Cromwell's Letters and Speeches, iii. 229), seems to imply that he does not hold with Boswell in assigning this piece to Johnson. I am inclined to think, nevertheless, that Boswell is right. If it is Johnson's it is doubly interesting as showing the method which he often followed in writing the Parliamentary Debates. When notes were given him, while for the most part he kept to the speaker's train of thoughts, he dealt with the language much as it pleased him. In the Gent. Mag. Cromwell speaks as if he were wearing a flowing wig and were addressing a Parliament of the days of George II. He is thus made to conclude Speech xi.:—'For my part, could I multiply my person or dilate my power, I should dedicate myself wholly to this great end, in the prosecution of which I shall implore the blessing of God upon your counsels and endeavours.' Gent. Mag. xi. 100. The following are the words which correspond to this in the original:—'If I could help you to many, and multiply myself into many, that would be to serve you in regard to settlement. . . . But I shall pray to God Almighty that He would direct you to do what is according to His will. And this is that poor account I am able to give of myself in this thing.' Carlyle's Cromwell, iii. 255.
14. See Appendix A.
15. Lord Chesterfield.
16. Duke of Newcastle.
17. I suppose in another compilation of the same kind. Boswell.
18. Doubtless, Lord Hardwick. Boswell.
19. The delivery of letters by the penny-post 'was originally confined to the cities of London and Westminster, the borough of Southwark and the respective suburbs thereof.' In 1801 the postage was raised to two-pence. The term 'suburbs' must have had a very limited signification, for it was not till 1831 that the limits of this delivery were extended to all places within three miles of the General Post Office. Ninth Report of the Commissioners of the Post Office, 1837, p. 4.
20. Birch's MSS. in the British Museum, 4302. Boswell.
21. See Post, Dec. 1784, in Nichols's Anecdotes. If we may trust Hawkins, it is likely that Johnson's 'tenderness of conscience' cost Cave a good deal; for he writes that, while Johnson composed the Debates, the sale of the Magazine increased from ten to fifteen thousand copies a month. 'Cave manifested his good fortune by buying an old coach and a pair of older horses.' Hawkins's Johnson, p. 123.
22. I am assured that the editor is Mr. George Chalmers, whose commercial works are well known and esteemed. Boswell.
23. The characteristic of Pulteney's oratory is thus given in Hazlitt's Northcote's Conversations (p. 288):—'Old Mr. Tolcher used to say of the famous Pulteney—"My Lord Bath always speaks in blank verse."'
24. Hawkins's Life of Johnson, p. 100. Boswell.
25. A bookseller of London. Boswell.
26. Not the Royal Society; but the Society for the encouragement of learning, of which Dr. Birch was a leading member. Their object was to assist authors in printing expensive works. It existed from about 1735 to 1746, when having incurred a considerable debt, it was dissolved. Boswell.
27. There is no erasure here, but a mere blank; to fill up which may be an exercise for ingenious conjecture. Boswell.