he would give him 100l. Johnson was perfectly contented, but insisted on part of the money being paid immediately, and accordingly received 70l. Any other person with the degree of reputation he then possessed would have got 400l. for that work, but he never understood the art of making the most of his productions.
“Baretti made a translation of Rasselas into French, which is I believe in print. He never, however, could satisfy himself with the translation of the first sentence, which is uncommonly lofty. Mentioning this to Johnson, the latter said after thinking two or three minutes, ‘Well, take up the pen, and if you can understand my pronunciation, I will see what I can do.’ He then dictated the sentence to the translator, which proved admirable, and was immediately adopted.
“Baretti used sometimes to walk with him through the streets at night, and occasionally entered into conversation with the unfortunate women who frequent them, for the sake of hearing their stories. It was from a history of one of these, which a girl told under a tree in the King’s Bench Walk in the Temple to Baretti and Johnson, that he formed the story of Misella in the Rambler.”
The introduction by Burke to the occupier of Hillbarn, procured an invitation for Malone to revisit it, and run over again more at leisure those objects, chiefly portraits and books, which had been the property of the poet.
“Saturday, July 3rd, 1789.—I went to Hill-barn near Beaconsfield, the seat of Waller the poet, and
