thought it worth their while to keep it quiet by a pension, which he enjoyed till his death. Johnson esteemed him enough to wish that his life should be written. The debates in Parliament, which were brought home and digested by Guthrie, whose memory, though surpassed by others who have since followed him in the same department, was yet very quick and tenacious, were sent by Cave to Johnson for his revision; and, after some time, when Guthrie had attained to greater variety of employment, and the speeches were more and more enriched by the accession of Johnson's genius, it was resolved that he should do the whole himself, from the scanty notes furnished by persons employed to attend in both houses of Parliament. Sometimes, however, as he himself told me, he had nothing more communicated to him than the names of the several speakers, and the part which they had taken in the debate. Thus was Johnson employed during some of the best years of his life, as a mere literary labourer " for gain, not glory," solely to obtain an honest support. He however indulged himself in occasional little sallies, which the French so happily express by the term jeux d'esprit, and which will be noticed in their order, in the progress of this work. But what first displayed his transcendent powers, and " gave the world assurance of the MAN," was his "LONDON, a Poem, in Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal :" which came out in May this year, and burst forth with a splendour, the rays of which will for ever encircle his name. Boileau had imitated the same satire with great success, applying it to Paris; but an attentive comparison will satisfy every reader, that he is much excelled by the English Juvenal. Oldham had also imitated it, and applied it to London; all which performances concur to prove, that great cities, in every age, and in every country, will furnish similar topicks of satire. Whether Johnson had previously read Oldham's imitation, I do not know; but it is not a little remarkable, that there is scarcely any coincidence found between the two performances, though upon the very same subject. The only instances are, in describing London as the sink of foreign worthlessness : "Where France does all her filth and ordure pour." "The common shore of Paris and of Rome.” OLDHAM. JOHNSON. and, "No calling or profession comes amiss, "All sciences a fasting monsieur knows." OLDHAM. JOHNSON. The particulars which Oldham has collected, both as exhibiting the horrours of London, and of the times, contrasted with better days, are different from those of Johnson, and in general well chosen, and well exprest. 8 There are, in Oldham's imitation, many prosaick verses and bad rhymes, and his poem sets out with a strange inadvertent blunder: * I own it pleased me to find amongst them one trait of the manners of the age in London, in the last century, to shield from "Tho' much concern'd to leave my dear old friend, "I must, however, his design commend "Of fixing in the country It is plain he was not going to leave his friend; his friend was going to leave him. A young lady at once corrected this with good critical sagacity, to "Tho' much concern'd to lose my dear old friend." There is one passage in the original, better transfused by Oldham than by Johnson : "Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in se, “Quàm quod ridiculos homines facit." which is an exquisite remark on the galling meanness and contempt annexed to poverty: JOHNSON'S imitation is, "Of all the griefs that harrass the distrest, "Sure the most bitter is a scornful jest." OLDHAM's, though less elegant, is more just; Nothing in poverty so ill is borne, "As its exposing men to grinning scorn. Where, or in what manner this poem was composed, I am sorry that I neglected to ascertain with the sneer of English ridicule, what was some time ago too common a practice in my native city of Edinburgh : "If what I've said can't from the town affright, "When brickbats are from upper stories thrown, precision, from Johnson's own authority. He has marked upon his corrected copy of the first edition of it, "Written in 1738;" and, as it was published in the month of May in that year, it is evident that much time was not employed in preparing it for the press. The history of its publication I am enabled to give in a very satisfactory manner; and judging from myself, and many of my friends, I trust that it will not be uninteresting to my readers. We may be certain, though it is not expressly named in the following letters to Mr. Cave, in 1738, that they all relate to it: 66 SIR, 66 TO MR. CAVE. "Castle-street, Wednesday Morning. [No date. 1738.] "WHEN I took the liberty of writing to you a few days ago, I did not expect a repetition of the same pleasure so soon; for a pleasure I shall always think it, to converse in any manner with an ingenious and candid man; but having the inclosed poem in my hands to dispose of for the benefit of the authour, (of whose abilities I shall say nothing, since I send you his performance,) I believed I could not procure more advantageous terms from any person than from you, who have so much distinguished yourself by your generous encouragement of poetry; and whose judgment of that art nothing but your commendation of my trifle can give me any occasion to call in question. I do not doubt but you will look over this poem with another eye, and reward it in a different manner, from a mercenary bookseller, who 9 9 His Ode" Ad Urbanum" probably, N. counts the lines he is to purchase, and considers nothing but the bulk. I cannot help taking notice, that, besides what the authour may hope for on account of his abilities, he has likewise another claim to your regard, as he lies at present under very disadvantageous circumstances of fortune. I beg, therefore, that you will favour me with a letter to-morrow, that I may know what you can afford to allow him, that he may either part with it to you, or find out, (which I do not expect,) some other way more to his satisfaction. "I have only to add, that as I am sensible I have transcribed it very coarsely, which, after having altered it, I was obliged to do, I will, if you please to transmit the sheets from the press, correct it for you; and take the trouble of altering any stroke of satire which you may you may dislike. "By exerting on this occasion your usual generosity, you will not only encourage learning, and relieve distress, but (though it be in comparison of the other motives of very small account) oblige in a very sensible manner, Sir, SIR, "Your very humble servant, "TO MR. CAVE. "Monday, No. 6, Castle-street. "I AM to return you thanks for the present you were so kind as to send by me, and to intreat that you will be pleased to inform me by the pennypost, whether you resolve to print the poem. If you please to send it me by the post, with a note to Dodsley, I will go and read the lines to him, that we may have his consent to put his name in the |