Edited by Bliss Perry

SAMUEL JOHNSON

ESSAYS FROM

The Rambler and The Idler

With Passages from

The Lives of the Poets

Prayers and Meditations

and Other Writings

NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

1903

Copyright, 1901, by

DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY

CONTENTS

EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION,

THE RAMBLER.

Difficulty of the First Address,

The Dignity and Usefulness of Biog--

raphy,

PAGE

vii

3

11

Prejudices and Caprices of Criticism, 18

The Advantages of Living in a

Garret,

Idleness a Miserable State,

An Authour in Quest of his Char-

acter,

Valedictory,

34

41

48

THE IDLER.

Salutatory,

Discourses on the Weather,

On the Death of a Friend (John-

son's Mother),

Books Fall into Neglect,

Sufficiency of the English Language, 75

181356

THE ENGLISH DICTIONARY.

PAGE

The Plan of an English Dictionary, 83

Letter to Lord Chesterfield,

100

Preface to the English Dictionary, 102

LIVES OF THE POETS.

Milton as a Schoolmaster,

115