Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

"Thus I have answered your letter, and have not answered it negligently. I love you too well to be careless when you are serious.

"I think I shall be very diligent next week about our travels, which I have too long neglected. I am, dear Sir,

"Compliments to Madam and Miss."

"DEAR SIR,

"Your most, &c.

TO THE SAME.

"SAM. JOHNSON."

"THE lady who delivers this has a lawsuit, in which she desires to make use of your skill and eloquence, and she seems to think that she shall have something more of both for a recommendation from me; which, though I know how little you want any external incitement to your duty, I could not refuse her, because I know that at least it will not hurt her, to tell you that I wish her well. I am Sir, "Your most humble servant.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

·

"Edinburgh, May 12, 1774. "LORD HAILES has begged of me to offer you his best respects, and to transmit to you specimeus of Annals of Scotland, from the Accession of Malcolm Kenmore to the Death of James V.' in drawing up which, his Lordship has been engaged for some time. His Lordship writes to me thus: If I could procure Dr. Johnson's criticisms, they would be of great use to me in the prosecution of my work, as they would be judicious and true. I have no right to ask that favour of him. If you could, it would highly oblige me.'

"Dr. Blair requests you may be assured that he did not write to London what you said to him, and that neither by word nor letter has he made the least complaint of you; but on the contary has a high respect for you, and loves you much more since he saw you in Scotland. It would both divert and please you to see his eagerness about this matter."

"DEAR SIR,

"TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ.

[ocr errors]

Streatham, June 12, 1774. "YESTERDAY I put the first sheet, of the 'Journey to the Hebrides' to the press. I have endeavoured to do you some justice in the first paragraph. It will be one volume in octavo, not thick.

You shall

"It will be proper to make some presents in Scotland. tell me to whom I shall give; and I have stipulated twenty-five for you to give in your own name. Some will take the present better from me, others better from you. In this, you who are to live in the place ought to direct. Consider it. Whatever you can get for my purpose send me: and make my compliments to your lady and both the young ones.

"I am, Sir, your, &c.

"SAM. JOHNSON."

"MR. BOSWELL TO DR. JOHNSON.

66

Edinburgh, June 24, 1774.

"You do not acknowledge the receipt of the various packets which I have sent to you. Neither can I prevail with you to answer my letters, though you honour me with returns. You have said nothing to me about poor Goldsmith, nothing about Langton.

"I have received for you, from the Society for propagating Christian Knowledge in Scotland, the following Erse books: The New Testament;'- Baxter's Call;'- The Confession of Faith of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster;'- The Mother's Catechism ;'-' A Gaelick and English Vocabulary."||

“ DEAR SIR,

"TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ.

"I WISH you could have looked over my book before the printer, but it could not easily be. I suspect some mistakes: but as I deal, perhaps, more in nations than in facts, the matter is second edition will be mended, if any such there be.

not great, and the

The press will go

on slowly for a time, because I am going into Wales to morrow.

"I should be very sorry if I appeared to treat such a character as Lord Hailes otherwise than with high respect. I return the sheets,§ to which I have done what mischief I could; and finding it so little, thought not much of sending thein. The narrative is clear, lively, and short.

"I have done worse to Lord Hailes than by neglecting his sheets: I have run him in debt. Dr. Horne, the President of Magdalen College in Oxford, wrote to me about three months ago, that he purposed to reprint Walton's Lives, and desired me to contribute to the work: my answer was, that Lord Hailes intended the same publication; and Dr. Horne has resigned it to him. His Lordship must now think seriously about it. "Of poor dear Dr. Goldsmith there is little to be told, more than the papers have made publick. He died of a fever, made, I am afraid, more violent by uneasiness of mind. His debts began to be heavy, and his resources were exhausted. Sir Joshua is of opinion that he owed not less than two thousand pounds. Was ever poet so trusted before?

You may, if you please, put the inscription thus:

"Maria Scotorum Regina nata 15—, a suis in exilium acta 15—, ab hospitâ neci data 15-. You must find the years.

Of your second daughter you certainly gave the account yourself, though you have forgotten it. While Mrs. Boswell is well, never doubt of a boy. Mrs. Thrale brought, I think, five girls running, but while I was with you she had a boy.

t Dr Goldsmith died April 4, this year.

|| These books Dr. Johnson presented to the Bodleian Library.

f On the cover enclosing them, Dr. Johnson wrote, “If my delay has given any reason for supposing that I have not a very deep sense of the honour done me by asking my judgement, I am very sorry."

"I am obliged to you for all your pamphlets, and of the last I hope to I made some of the former. I am, dear Sir, "Your most affectionate servant,

make some use.

66 July 4, 1774.

"SAM. JOHNSON."

"My compliments to all the three ladies."

"TO BENNET LANGTON, ESQ. AT LANGTON, NEAR SPILSBY, Lincoln

"DEAR SIR.

SHIRE.

"You have reason to reproach me that I have left your last letter so long unanswered, but I had nothing particular to say. Chambers, you find, is gone far, and poor Goldsmith is gone much further. He died of a fever, exasperated, as I believe, by the fear of distress. He had raised money and squandered it, by every artifice of acquisition and folly of expence. But let not his frailties be remembered; he was a very great men.

"I have just begun to print my journey to the Hebrides, and am leaving the press to take another journey into Wales, whither Mr. Thrale is going, to take possession of, at least, five hundred a year, fallen to his lady. All at Streatham, that are alive, are well.

"I have never recovered from the last dreadful illness, but flatter myself that I grow gradually better; much, however, yet remains to mend. Κύριε ἐλέησον.

"If you have the Latin version of Busy, curious, thirsty fly, be so kind as to transcribe and send it; but you need not be in haste, for I shall be I know not where, for at least five weeks. I wrote the following tetrastick On poor Goldsmith :

« Τὸν τάφον ἐισοράας τον Όλιβαροιο, κονίην

“Αφροσι μὴ σεμνην, Ξεινε, πόδεσσι πάτει

* Οΐσι μέμηλε φύσις, μέτρων χαρις, ἔργα παλαιῶν
« Κλαίετε ποιητην, ἱστόρικον, φυσικόν.

"Please to make my most respectful compliments to all the ladies, and remember me to young George and his sisters. I reckon George begins to shew a pair of heels.

"Do not be sullen now, but let me find a letter when I come back. "Your affectionate, humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."

I am, dear Sir,

"July 5, 1774.

"To MR. ROBERT LEVET.

"DEAR SIR,

"Llewenny, in Denbighshire, August 16, 1774.

"MR. THRALE's affairs have kept him here a great while, nor do I know exactly when we shall come hence. I have sent you a bill upon Mr. Strahan.

"I have made nothing of the Ipecacuanha, but have taken abundance of pills, and hope that they have done me good.

"Wales, so far as I have yet seen of it, is a very beautiful and rich country, all enclosed, and planted. Denbigh is not a mean town.

Make my compliments to all my friends, and tell Frank I hope he remembers my advice. When his money is out let him have more. I am, Sir, "Your humble servant,

"SAM. JOHNSON."

"MR. BOSWELL TO DR. JOHNSON.

66

Edinburgh, Aug. 30, 1774.

"You have given me an inscription for a portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, in which you, in a short and striking manner, point out her hard fate. But you will be pleased to keep in mind, that my picture is a representation of a particular scene in history; her being forced to resign her crown, while she was imprisoned in the castle of Lochlevin. I must, therefore beg that you will be kind enough to give me an inscription suited to that particular scene; or determine which of the two formerly transmitted to you is the best; and at any rate, favour me with an English translation. It will be doubly kind if you comply with my request speedily.

"Your critical notes on the specimen of Lord Hailes's Annals of Scotland,' are excellent. I agreed with you on every one of them. He himself objected only to the alteration of free to brave, in the passage where he says that Edward departed with the glory due to the conqueror of a free people.' He says to call the Scots brave would only add to the glory of their conqueror. You will make allowance for the national zeal of our annalist. I now send a few more leaves of the Annals, which I hope you will peruse, and return with observations, as you did upon the for

mer occasion. Lord Hailes writes to me thus: Mr. Boswell will be pleased to express the grateful sense which Sir David Dalrymple has of Dr. Johnson's attention to his little specimen. The further specimen will show, that

Even in an Edward he can see desert.'

"It gives me much pleasure to hear that a republication of Isaac Walton's Lives is intended. You have been in a mistake in thinking that Lord Hailes had it in view. I remember one morning, while he sat with you in my house, he said, that there should be a new edition of Walton's Lives; and you said that “ they should be benoted a little." This was all that passed on that subject. You must, therefore, inforin Dr. Horne, that he may resume his plan. I enclose a note concerning it; and if Dr. Horne will write to me, all the attention that I can give shall be cheerfully bestowed, upon what I think a pious work, the preservation and elucidation of Walton, by whose writings I have been pleasingly edified.

"MR. BOSWELL TO DR. JOHNSON.

[ocr errors]

'Edinburgh, Sept. 16, 1774. "WALES has probably detained you longer than I supposed. You will have become quite a mountaineer, by visiting Scotland one year and Wales another. You must next go to Switzerland. Cambria will

complain, if you do not honour her also with some remarks. And I find concessere columnæ, the booksellers expect another book. I am impatient to see your Tour to Scotland and the Hebrides.' Might you not send me a copy by the post as soon as it is printed off?”

"DEAR SIR,

[ocr errors]

"To JAMES BOSWELL Esq.

"YESTERDAY I returned from my Welsh journey. I was sorry to leave my book suspended so long; but having an opportunity of seeing. with so much convenience, a new part of the island, I could not reject it. I have been in five of the six counties of North Wales; and have seen St. Asaph and Bangor, the two seats of their Bishops; have been upon Penmanmaur and Snowden, and passed over into Anglesea. But Wales is so little different from England, that it offers nothing to the traveller.

"When I came home, I found several of your papers, with some pages of Lord Hailes's Annals, which I will consider. I am in haste to give you some account of myself, lest you should suspect me of negligence in the pressing business which I find recommended to my care, and which I knew nothing of till now, when all care is vain.

"In the distribution of my books I purpose to follow your advice, adding such as shall occur to me. I am not pleased with your notes of remembrance added to your names, for I hope I shall not easily forget them.

"I have received four Erse books, without any direction, and suspect that they are intended for the Oxford library. If that is the intention, I think it will be proper to add the metrical psalms, and whatever else is printed in Erse, that the present may be complete. The donor's uame should be told.

"I wish you could have read the book before it was distance does not easily permit it.

printed, but our

"I am sorry Lord Hailes does not intend to publish Walton; I am afraid it will not be done so well, if it be done at all.

"I purpose now to drive the book forward. Make my compliments to Mrs. Boswell, and let me hear often from you. I am, dear Sir, "Your affectionate humble servant,

"SAM. JOHNSON."

"London, October, 1, 1774. This tour to Wales, which was made in company with Mr. and Mrs. Thrale, though it no doubt contributed to his health and amusement, did not give an occasion to such a discursive exercise of his mind as our tour to the Hebrides. I do not find that he kept any journal or notes of what he saw there. All that I heard him say of it was that "instead of bleak and barren mountains, there were green and fertile ones; and that one of the castles in Wales would contain all the castles that he had seen in Scotland."

Parliament having been dissolved, and his friend Mr. Thrale, who was a steady supporter of government, having again to encounter the

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »