but useful Diligence will at laft prevail, and there can never be wanting fome who diftinguish defert." Among those who amufed themselves and the public on this occafion, Mr. Wilkes, in an Effay printed in the Public Advertiser, ridiculed the following paflage in the Grammar. "H feldom, perhaps never, begins any but the first fyllable." The pofition is undoubtedly expreffed with too much latitude; but Johnson never altered the paffage. Dr. Kenrick's threatened attack, feveral years after, in his Review of Johnfon's Shakspeare, never faw the light. Campbell's ridicule of his ftyle under the title of "Lexiphanes," 1767, and Callender's "Deformities of Dr. Johnfon," 1782, though laughable, from the application of Johnson's "words of large meaning" to infignificant matters, are fcarcely worthy of notice. His old pupil, Garrick, com 5 plimented him on its coming out firft, in the following" Epigram," alluding to the ill-fuccefs of the forty members of the French Academy employed in fettling their language. Talk of war with a Briton, he'll boldly advance Can their strength be compar'd to Locke, Newton, Let them rally their heroes, fend forth all their powers, with ours; Firft Shakspeare and Milton, like gods in the fight, In this year, he afforded his affiftance to Mr. Zechariah Williams, father of the blind lady whom he had humanely receiv ed under his roof, who had quitted his profeffion in hopes of obtaining the great parliamentary reward for the difcovering of the longitude; and benevolently wrote for him, "An account of an attempt to ascertain the longitude at sea, by an exact theory of the variation of the magnetical needle; with a table of the variations at the most remarkable cities in Europe, from the year 1660, to 1860, 4to, by Zachariah Williams." This pamphlet was published in English and Italian, the tranflation being the work, as is fupposed, of Mr. Baretti. Mr. Williams failed of fuccefs, and died July 12. 1755, in his 83d year. Johnson placed this pamphlet in the Bodleian library, and for fear of any omiffion or mistake, he entered, in the great catalogue, the title page of it, with his own hand. It appears from his correfpondence with Mr. Warton, that he "intended, in the winter 1755, to open a Biblio I theque, or Literary Journal, to be intituled, The Annals of Literature, Foreign as well as Domeftic, for which he had made fome provifion of materials; but the fcheme was dropped. Having fpent, during the progress of the work, the money for which he had contracted to write his Dictionary, he was ftill under the neceffity of exerting his talents, " in making provifion for the day that was paffing over him." The fubscriptions taken in for his edition of ShakSpeare, and the profits of his miscellaneous effays, were now his principal resource for subsistence; and it appears from the following letter to Richardfon, dated GoughSquare, March 16. 1756, that they were infufficient to ward off the diftress of an arreft, on a particular emergency. I am obliged to entreat your affiftance; I am now under an arreft for five pounds Mr. Strahan, from eighteen fhillings. H whom I fhould have received the neceffary help, in this cafe, is not at home, and I am afraid of not finding Mr. Millar. If you could be fo good as to fend me this fum, I will very gratefully repay you, and add it to all former obligations." In the margin of this letter, there is a memorandum in these words:-" March 16. 1756. Sent fix guineas. Witnefs William Richardfon." "For the honour of an admired writer," fays Mr. Murphy, it is to be regretted that we do not find a more liberal entry." This anecdote may appear to fupport the parfimony of the author, whose hero gives moft profufely; but fomething may still be faid in favour of Richardfon. All that Johnfon afked was a temporary supply; and that was granted. There was certainly no oftentatious liberality; but a kind action feems to have been done, without delay, and without grudging. |