��I have heard Mr. Murphy x relate a very singular story, while he was present, greatly to the credit of his uncommon skill and knowledge of life and manners : When first the Ramblers came out in separate numbers, as they were the objects of attention to multitudes of people, they happened, as it seems, particularly to attract the notice of a society who met every Saturday evening during the summer at Rumford in Essex, and were known by the name of The Bowling-green club. These men seeing one day the character of Leviculus the fortune-hunter, or Tetrica the old maid : another day some account of a person who spent his life in hoping for a legacy, or of him who is always prying into other folks affairs 2 , began sure enough to think they were betrayed ; and that some of the coterie sate down to divert himself by giving to the Public the portrait of all the rest. Filled with wrath against the traitor of Rumford, one of them resolved to write to the printer and enquire the author's name ; Samuel Johnson, was the reply. No more was necessary ; Samuel John son was the name of the curate 3 , and soon did each begin to load him with reproaches for turning his friends into ridicule in a manner so cruel and unprovoked. In vain did the guiltless curate protest his innocence ; one was sure that Aliger meant Mr. Twigg, and that Cupidus was but another name for neigh bour Baggs 4 : till the poor parson, unable to contend any longer, rode to London, and brought them full satisfaction con cerning the writer, who from his own knowledge of general
articles which sold wonderfully cheap, Sir Henry Irving informs me that
particularly the following a folio he paid a hundred pounds for it.
edition of Shakespeare, the second, Lort, the antiquary, sending a
with a large number of notes, MS., pamphlet to Bishop Percy, says :
in the margin, Johnson's own hand- ' You will observe it, in Tom Os-
writing. The book has the further borne's phrase, paululum spoliatum
incidental circumstances enhancing in margined Nichols's Lit. Hist. vii.
its value, that it had been the pro- 458.
perty of Theobald, and had many " Life, i. 215.
notes also written by him. The title a These characters are in Nos. 74,
and part of another leaf were wanting. 103, 182, and 197.
These were the only articles on the 3 A curate of that name is men-
per contra side ; and the book, thus tioned in the Life, i. 135.
extremely curious, sold for only a 4 Aliger is in No. 201, and Cupidus
guinea ! ' in No. 73.
VOL. I. X manners,
�� �
