THE NORFOLK PROPHECY¿ 777 author; who, though he had forborne to subscribe his name to the pamphlet, the vigilance of those in pursuit of him had discovered;" and we are informed, that he lay concealed in Lambeth-marsh till the scent after him grew cold. This, however, is altogether without foundation; for Mr. Steele, one of the Secretaries of the Treasury, who amidst a variety of important business, politely obliged me with his attention to my inquiry, informed me, that "He directed every possible search to be made in the records of the Treasury and Secretary of State's Office, but could find no trace whatever of any warrant having been issued to apprehend the author of this pamphlet.' it. "Marmor Norfolciense" became exceedingly scarce, so that I, for many years endeavoured in vain to procure a copy of At last I was indebted to the malice of one of Johnson's numerous petty adversaries, who in 1775, published a new edition of it, "with Notes and a Dedication to SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D. by TRIBUNUS;" in which some puny scribbler invidiously attempted to found upon it a charge of inconsistency against its author, because he had accepted of a pension from his present Majesty, and had written in support of the measures of government. As a mortification to such impotent malice, of which there are so many instances towards men of eminence, I am happy to relate that this telum imbelle did not reach its exalted object till about a year after it thus appeared, when I mentioned it to him, supposing that he knew of the republication. To my surprise, he had not yet heard of it. He requested me to go directly and get it for him, which I did. He looked at it and laughed, and seemed to he much diverted with the feeble efforts of his unknown adversary, who, I hope, is alive to read this account. "Now," said be, "here is somebody who thinks he has vexed me sadly; yet, if it had not been for you, you rogue, I should probably never have seen it. As Mr. Pope's note concerning Johnson, alluded to in a former page, refers both to his "London," and his "Marmor 45 Norfolciense," I have deferred inserting it till now. I am indebted for it to Dr. Percy, the Bishop of Dromore, who permitted me to copy it from the original in his possession. It was presented to his Lordship by Sir Joshua Reynolds, to whom it was given by the son of Mr. Richardson the painter, the person to whom it is addressed. I have transcribed it with minute exactness, that the peculiar mode of writing, and imperfect spelling of that celebrated poet, may be exhibited to the curious in literature. It justifies Swift's epithet of "paper-sparing Pope,"1 for it is written on a slip no larger than a common message-card, and was sent to Mr. Richardson, along with the imitation of Juvenal. for a Publick-school in Shropshire,2 but was dis- and Sir Joshua Reynolds informed him appeared to me also, as I have elsewhere3 1 "Get all your verses printed fair, Then let them well be dried, "Send these to paper-sparing Pope; Could give him more delight." The manuscript of Pope's translations of the Iliad and Odyssey, which are preserved in the British Museum, is mostly written on the backs of letters. 2 See note on p. 40. B. 3 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 8. B. observed, to be of the convulsive kind, and of the nature of that distemper called St. Vitus's dance; and in this opinion I am confirmed by the description which Sydenham gives of that disease. "This disorder is a kind of convulsion. It manifests itself by halting or unsteadiness of one of the legs, which the patient draws after him like an idiot. If the hand of the same side be applied to the breast, or any other part of the body, he cannot keep it a moment in the same posture, but it will be drawn into a different one by a convulsion, notwithstanding all his efforts to the contrary." Sir Joshua Reynolds, however, was of a different opinion, and favoured me with the following paper. "Those motions or tricks of Dr. Johnson are improperly called convulsions. He could sit motionless, when he was told so to do, as well as any other man. My opinion is, that it proceeded from a habit which he had indulged himself in, of accompanying his thoughts with certain untoward actions, and those actions always appeared to me as if they were meant to reprobate some part of his past conduct. Whenever he was not engaged in conversation, such thoughts were sure to rush into his mind; and, for this reason, any company, any employment whatever, he preferred to being alone. The great business of his life, he said, was to escape from himself; this disposition he considered as the disease of his mind, which nothing cured but company. "One instance of his absence and particularity, as it is characteristic of the man, may be worth relating. When he and I took a journey together into the West, we visited the late Mr. Banks, of Dorsetshire; the conversation turning upon pictures, which Johnson could not well see, he retired to a corner of the room, stretching out his right leg as far as he could reach before him, then bringing up his left leg, and, stretching his right still further on. The old gentleman observing him, went up to him, and in a very courteous manner assured him, though it was not a new house, the flooring was perfectly safe. The Doctor started from his reverie, like a person waked out of his sleep, but spoke not a word." While we are on this subject, my readers may not be displeased with another anecdote, communicated to me by the same friend, from the relation of Mr. Hogarth. Johnson used to be a pretty frequent visitor at the house of Mr. Richardson, author of "Clarissa," and other novels of extensive reputation. Mr. Hogarth came one day to see Richardson, soon after the 1 execution of Dr. Cameron, for having taken arms for the House of Stuart in 1745-6; and being a warm partisan of George the Second, he observed to Richardson, that certainly there must have been some very unfavourable circumstances lately discovered in this particular case, which had induced the King to approve of an execution for rebellion so long after the time when it was committed, as this had the appearance of putting a man to death in cold blood, and was very unlike his Majesty's usual clemency. While he was talking, he perceived a person standing at a window in the room, shaking his head, and rolling himself about in a strange ridiculous manner. He concluded that he was an idiot, whom his relations had put under the care of Mr. Richardson, as a very good man. To his great surprise, however, this figure stalked forwards to where he and Mr. Richardson were sitting, and all at once took up the argument, and burst out into an invective against George the Second, as one, who, upon all occasions, was unrelenting and barbarous; mentioning many instances, particularly, that when an officer of high rank had been acquitted by a Court Martial, George the Second had with his own hand struck his name off the list. short, he displayed such a power of eloquence, that Hogarth looked at him with astonishment, and actually imagined that this idiot had been at the moment inspired. Neither Hogarth nor Johnson In 1 Impartial posterity may, perhaps, be as little inclined as Dr. Johnson was, to justify the uncommon rigour exercised in the case of Dr. Archibald Cameron. He was an amiable and truly honest man; and his offence was owing to Being obliged, after 1746, to give up his profession a generous, though mistaken principle of duty. as a physician, and to go into foreign parts, he was honoured with the rank of Colonel, both in the French and Spanish service. He was a son of the ancient and respectable family of Cameron of Lochiel; and his brother, who was the Chief of that brave clan, distinguished himself by moderation and humanity, while the Highland army marched victorious through Scotland. It is remarkable of this Chief, that though he had earnestly remonstrated against the attempt as hopeless, he was of too heroic a spirit not to venture his life and fortune in the cause, when personally asked by him whom he thought his Prince. See the Introduction to Redgauntlet. Cameron was executed June 7, 1753. B. WORK FOR THE "GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZIN were made known to each other at this interview. 66 66 In 1740 he wrote for the "Gentleman's Magazine" the "Preface," + "The Life of Admiral Blake," "* and the first parts of those of "Sir Francis Drake, "* and "Philip Barretier," both which he finished the following year. He also wrote an Essay on Epitaphs,' "* and an Epitaph on Phillips, 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, 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 Phillips by a Dr. Wilkes, in these words: "Exalted soul! whose harmony could please 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: "Phillips, whose touch harmonious could remove 1 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 him the admiration of all that knew him. He was born in Wales, made the tour of Europe, and, after the experience of both kinds 47 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 Cibber, which has never yet appeared, and of which I know not the exact date. Dr. Johnson afterwards gave it to me himself: "Augustus still survives in Maro's strain, 66 In 1741 he wrote for the "Gentleman's of his lives of Drake and Barretier," * Magazine" the Preface,† "Conclusion A free translation of the Jests of Hierocles 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;" + "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. 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. " of fortune, Died in 1732.' Mr. Garrick appears not to have recited the verses correctly, the original being as follows. One of the various readings, is remarkable, as it is the germ of Johnson's concluding line: "Exalted soul, thy various sounds could please From a note contributed to the 3rd edition by the Rev. J. B. Blakeway, of Shrewsbury. Consort would now be spelled concert. Thus, 21st July, 1735, "I trouble you with the enclosed, because you said you could easily correct what is here given for Lord Chesterfield's 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 enclosed, and, in the best manner your memory will serve, correct the mistaken passages, or add any thing that is omitted. I should be very glad to have something of the Duke of Newcastle's speech, which would be particularly of service. having been the author of fictions, which had passed for realities. He nevertheless agreed with me in thinking, that the Debates which he had framed were to be valued as orations upon questions of public 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. 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 "A gentleman has Lord Bathurst's seems to think. But, indeed, what speech to add something to." opinion can we have of his judgment, and And July 3, 1744, "You will see what taste in public speaking, who presumes to stupid, low abominable stuff is put upon give, 1 as the characteristics of two your noble and learned friend's 2 charac- celebrated orators, "The deep-mouthed ter, such as I should quite reject, and rancour of Pulteney, and the yelping perendeavour to do something better towards tinacity of Pitt." 5" doing justice to the character. But as I cannot expect to attain my desire 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 shew, 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, and others by the speakers themselves, who have been pleased to visit St. John's Gate, and shew particular marks of their being pleased."3 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 accessory 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 his 1 I suppose in another compilation of the same kind. B. 2 Doubtless, Lord Hardwicke. B. This year I find that his tragedy of IRENE had been for some time ready for the stage, and that his 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. 4 I am assured that the editor is Mr. George Chalmers, whose commercial works are wellknown and esteemed. B. 5 Hawkins's Life of Johnson, p. 100. B. The authorship of these debates was not known outside Cave's office, and according to Murphy (Essay on the Life and Genius of Dr. Johnson) was first avowed by Johnson himself at a dinner given by Foote. The company were praising a Walpole's administration as equal to anything in speech delivered by Pitt towards the close of the orations of Demosthenes. "That speech,' said Johnson, "I wrote in a garret in Exeter Street," and then proceeded to explain how it was done. One of the company praised his impartiality, observing that he dealt out reason and eloquence with an equal hand to both parties. "That is not quite true," was the answer. saved "I that the Whig dogs should not have the best of appearances tolerably well; but I took care it." According to Hawkins, the sale of The Gentleman's Magazine increased from 10,000 to 15,000 copies a month while Johnson wrote the 3 Birch's MSS, in the British Museum, 4302. B. | Debates. JOHNSON AND THE BOOKSELLER "Sept. 9, 1741. "I HAVE put Mr. Johnson's play into Mr. Gray's hands, in order to sell it to him, if he is inclined to buy it; but I doubt whether he will or not. He would dispose of the copy, and whatever advantage may be made by acting it. Would your society," 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 prevented it."3 I have already mentioned that "Irene' was not brought into publick notice till Garrick was manager of Drury-lane theatre. 49 accounts of books were written by him. 66 In 1742 he wrote for the "Gentleman's Magazine" the Preface,* the “Parliamentary Debates, ,"*"Essay on the Account of the Conduct of the Duchess of Marlborough,' ,"* then the popular topic of A very diligent observer may trace him conversation. This Essay is a short but where we should not easily suppose him masterly performance. We find him in No. to be found. I have no doubt that he 13 of his "Rambler," censuring a profli- wrote the little abridgment entitled gate sentiment in that "" Account; and Foreign History," in the Magazine for again insisting upon it strenuously in con- December. To prove it, I shall quote versation. + "An Account of the Life of the Introduction. "As this is that season Peter Burman," I believe chiefly taken of the year in which Nature may be said from a foreign publication; as, indeed, to command a suspension of hostilities, he could not himself know much about and which seems intended, by putting a Burman ; "Additions to his Life of short stop to violence and slaughter, to Barretier; "*"The Life of Sydenham,' afford time for malice to relent, and aniafterwards prefixed to Dr. Swan's edition mosity to subside; we can scarce expect of his works; "Proposals for printing any other account than of plans, negotiaBibliotheca Harleiana, or a Catalogue of tions, and treaties, of proposals for peace, the Library of the Earl of Oxford."* and preparations for war. As also this His account of that celebrated collection passage: "Let those who despise the of books, in which he displays the import- capacity of the Swiss, tell us by what wonance to literature, of what the French derful policy, or by what happy concilia'call a catalogue raisonné, when the tion of interests, it is brought to pass, that subjects of it are extensive and various, in a body made up of different communiand it is executed with ability, cannot fail ties and different religions, there should to impress all his readers with admiration | be no civil commotions, though the people of his philological attainments. It was are so warlike, that, to nominate and raise afterwards prefixed to the first volume an army is the same. of the Catalogue, in which the Latin 1 A bookseller of London. B. 2 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. B. 3 There is no erasure here, but a mere blank; to fill up which may be an exercise for ingenious conjecture. B. Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 167. B. I am obliged to Mr. Astle for his ready permission to copy the two following letters of which the originals are in his possession. Their contents shew that they 5 See The Dunciad (ii. 167), and Lives of the Poets (Pope). 6 Thomas Astle was for many years Keeper of the Records in the Tower, one of the Keepers of the Paper Office, and a Trustee of the British Museum. Horace Walpole (Letters, vi. 299) calls him, "A wight who lives like moths on old parch ments. E |