1754. Johnfon this year found an interval of leifure to make an excurfion to Oxford, for the purpose of confulting the libraries there. Of this, and of many inteEtat. 45. resting circumstances concerning him, during a part of his life when he converfed but little with the world, I am enabled to give a particular account, by the liberal communications of the Reverend Mr. Thomas Warton, who has obligingly furnished me with several of our common friend's letters, which he has illuftrated with notes. These I shall infert in their proper places. "SIR, To the Reverend Mr. THOMAS WARTON. "IT is but an ill return for the book with which you were pleased to favour me', to have delayed my thanks for it till now. I am too apt to be negligent; but I can never deliberately fhew my disrepect to a man of your character and I now pay you a very honeft acknowledgement, for the advancement of the literature of our native country. You have fhewn to all, who shall hereafter attempt the study of our ancient authours, the way to fuccefs; by directing them to the perufal of the books which thofe authours had read. Of this method, Hughes, and men much greater than Hughes, seem never to have thought. The reason why the authours, which are yet read, of the fixteenth century, are fo little understood, is, that they are read alone; and no help is borrowed from those who lived with them, or before them. Some part of this ignorance I hope to remove by my book, which now draws towards its end; but which I cannot finish to my mind, without visiting the libraries of Oxford, which I, therefore, hope to see in a fortnight. I know not how long I fhall stay, or where I fhall lodge; but shall be sure to look for you at my arrival, and we shall easily settle the rest. I am, dear Sir, "Your moft obedient, &c. "[London,] July 16, 1754. SAM. JOHNSON." Of his converfation while at Oxford at this time, Mr. Warton has preferved and communicated to me the following memorial, which, though not written 3 Obfervations on Spenfer's Fairy Queen, the first edition of which was now juft published." 6" He came to Oxford within a fortnight, and stayed about five weeks. He lodged at a houfe called Kettel-hall, near Trinity College. But during this vifit at Oxford, he collected nothing in the libraries for his Dictionary.” with all the care and attention which that learned and elegant writer bestows 1754. on those compofitions which he intends for the publick eye, is fo happily Etat. 45. expreffed in an eafy ftyle, that I fhould injure it by any alteration: This was the first time of his "When Johnson came to Oxford in 1754, the long vacation was beginning, and most people were leaving the place. being there, after quitting the University. arrival, he wished to fee his old College, Pembroke. I went with him. He was highly pleased to find all the College-fervants which he had left there still remaining, particularly a very old butler; and expreffed great satisfaction at being recognised by them, and converfed with them familiarly. He waited on the mafter, Dr. Radcliffe, who received him very coldly. Johnfon at leaft expected, that the master would order a copy of his Dictionary, now near publication: but the mafter did not choose to talk on the subject, never afked Johnfon to dine, nor even to vifit him, while he stayed at Oxford. After we had left the Lodgings, Johnson faid to me, There lives a man, who lives by the revenues of literature, and will not move a finger to fupport it. If I come to live at Oxford, I fhall take up my abode at Trinity.' We then called on the Reverend Mr. Meeke, one of the fellows, and of Johnson's standing. Here was a most cordial greeting on both sides. On leaving him, Johnson faid, I used to think Meeke had excellent parts, when we were boys together at the College: but, alas! Loft in a convent's folitary gloom!' I remember, at the claffical lecture in the Hall, I could not bear Meeke's fuperiority, and I tried to fit as far from him as I could, that I might not hear him construe.' "As we were leaving the College, he faid, Meffiah. Which do you think is the best line in it? Here I tranflated Pope's • Vallis aromaticas fundit Saronica nubes.' I told him, I thought it a very sonorous hexameter. I did not tell him, it was I expected a 1754. Etat. 45. to tell me, he was not angry with me for miffing his lecture. This was, in fact, a most severe reprimand. Some more of the boys were then fent for, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon.' Befides Mr. Meeke, there was only one other Fellow of Pembroke now refident: from both of whom Johnfon received the greatest civilities during this vifit, and they preffed him very much to have a room in the College. "In the course of this vifit (1754), Johnson and I walked, three or four times, to Ellsfield, a village beautifully fituated about three miles from Oxford, to see Mr. Wife, Radclivian librarian, with whom Johnson was much pleased. At this place, Mr. Wife had fitted up a house and gardens, in a fingular manner, but with great taste. Here was an excellent library; particularly, a valuable collection of books in Northern literature, with which Johnson was often very bufy. One day Mr. Wife read to us a differtation which he was preparing for the prefs, intitled, A History and Chronology of the fabulous Ages. Some old divinities of Thrace, related to the Titans, and called the CABIRI, made a very important part of the theory of this piece; and in converfation afterwards, Mr. Wife talked much of his CABIRI. As we returned to Oxford in the evening, I out-walked Johnson, and he cried out Sufflamina, a Latin word which came from his mouth with peculiar grace, and was as much as to fay, Put on your drag-chain. Before we got home, I again walked too fast for him; and he now cried out, Why, you walk as if you were purfued by all the CABIRI in a body.' In an evening, we frequently took long walks from Oxford into the country, returning to supper. Once, in our way home, we viewed the ruins of the abbies of Ofeney and Rewley, near Oxford. After at least half an hour's filence, Johnson faid, 'I viewed them with indignation!' We had then a long conversation on Gothick buildings; and in talking of the form of old halls, he faid, In these halls, the fire-place was anciently always in the middle of the room, till the Whigs removed it on one fide.'-About this time there had been an execution of two or three criminals at Oxford on a Monday. Soon afterwards, one day at dinner, I was faying that Mr. Swinton the chaplain of the gaol, and also a frequent preacher before the University, a learned man, but often thoughtless and abfent, preached the condemnation-fermon on repentance, before the convicts, on the preceding day, Sunday: and that in the close he told his audience, that he should give them the remainder of what he had to say on the fubject, the next Lord's Day. Upon which, one of our company, a Doctor of Divinity, and a plain matter-of-fact-man, by way of offering an apology for Mr. Swinton, gravely remarked, that he had probably preached the the fame fermon before the Univerfity: Yes, Sir, (fays Johnson) but the Univerfity were not to be hanged the next morning.' "I forgot to observe before, that when he left Mr. Meeke, (as I have told above) he added, About the fame time of life, Meeke was left behind at Oxford to feed on a Fellowship, and I went to London to get my living: now, Sir, fee the difference of our literary characters!" The following letter was written by Dr. Johnson to Mr. Chambers, of Lincoln College, now Sir Robert Chambers, one of the Judges in India7: "DEAR SIR, To Mr. CHAMBERS, of Lincoln College. "THE commiffion which I delayed to trouble you with at your departure, I am now obliged to send you; and beg that you will be fo kind as to carry it to Mr. Warton, of Trinity, to whom I should have written immediately, but that I know not if he be yet come back to Oxford. "In the Catalogue of MSS. of Gr. Brit. fee vol. I. pag. 18. MSS. Bodl. MARTYRIUM Xv. martyrum fub Juliano, auctore Theophylacto. "It is defired that Mr. Warton will inquire, and fend word, what will be the cost of tranfcribing this manufcript. "Vol. II. pag. 32. Num. 1022. 58. COLL. Nov.-Commentaria in Alla Apoftol.-Comment. in Septem Epiftolas Catholicas. "He is defired to tell what is the age of each of these manufcripts; and what it will cost to have a transcript of the two first pages of each. "If Mr. Warton be not in Oxford, you may try if you can get it done by any body else; or stay till he comes, according to your own convenience. It is for an Italian literato. "The answer is to be directed to his Excellency Mr. Zon, Venetian Refident, Soho-square. "I hope, dear Sir, that you do not regret the change of London for - Oxford. Mr. Baretti is well, and Mifs Williams; and we shall all be glad to hear from you, whenever you shall be so kind as to write to, Sir, 1754. Etat. 45. "Nov. 21, 1754. "Your most humble fervant, SAM. JOHNSON." The ? Communicated by the Reverend Mr. Thomas Warton, who has the original. 8" I presume she was a relation of Mr. Zachariah Williams, who died in his eighty-third year, July 12, 1755. When Dr. Johnfon was with me at Oxford, in 1755, he gave to the Bodleian 1754. Etat. 45. The degree of Master of Arts, which, it has been obferved, could not be obtained for him at an early period of his life, was now considered as an honour of confiderable importance, in order to grace the title-page of his Dictionary; and his character in the literary world being by this time deservedly high, his friends thought that if proper exertions were made, the University of Oxford would pay him the compliment. To the Reverend Mr. THOMAS WARTON. "DEAR SIR, "I AM extremely obliged to you and to Mr. Wife, for the uncommon care which you have taken of my interest: if you can accomplish your kind design, I fhall certainly take me a little habitation among you. "The books which I promised to Mr. Wife', I have not been able to procure but I fhall fend him a Finnick Dictionary, the only copy, perhaps, in England, which was prefented me by a learned Swede: but I keep it back, that it may make a set of my own books of the new edition, with which I shall accompany it, more welcome. You will affure him of my gratitude. "Poor dear Collins'!-Would a letter give him any pleasure? I have a mind to write. "I am glad of your hindrance in your Spenferian defign3, yet I would not have it delayed. Three hours a day ftolen from fleep and amusement will Bodleian Library a thin quarto of twenty-one pages, a work in Italian, with an English translation on the oppofite page. The English title-page is this: An Account of an Attempt to ascertain the Longitude at Sea, by an exact Variation of the Magnetical Needle, &c. By Zachariah Williams. London, printed for Dodfley, 1755. The English translation, from the strongest internal marks, is unquestionably the work of Johnson. In a blank leaf, Johnson has written the age, and time of death, of the authour Z. Williams, as I have faid above. On another blank leaf, is pasted a paragraph from a newspaper, of the death and character of Williams, which is plainly written by Johnson. He was very anxious about placing this book in the Bodleian: and, for fear of any omission or mistake, he entered, in the great Catalogue, the title-page of it, with his own hand." "In procuring him the degree of Master of Arts by diploma at Oxford." "Lately Fellow of Trinity College, and at this time Radclivian librarian, at Oxford. He was a man of very confiderable learning, and eminently skilled in Roman and Anglo-Saxon antiquities. He died in 1767.” 2" Collins (the poet) was at this time at Oxford, on a visit to Mr. Warton; but labouring under the most deplorable languor of body, and dejection of mind." 3" Of publishing a volume of Observations on the best of Spenfer's works. It was hindered by my taking pupils in this College." |