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ness in the earlier part of his life, he seemed ever to retain a particular regard, and manifested much gratitude towards thofe by whom he had at any time been benefited. He was foon offended with pertnefs or ignorance; but he fometimes feemed to be conscious of having answered the queftions of others with too much roughnefs, and was then defirous to difcover more gentleness of temper, and to communicate information with more fuavity of manners. When not under the influence of perfonal pique, of pride, or of religious or political prejudices, he feems to have had great ardour of benevolence; and, on fome occafions, he gave fignal proofs of generofity and humanity:

"He was naturally melancholy, and his views of human life appear to have been habitually gloomy. This appears from his Raffelas, and in many paffages of his writings. It was also a ftriking part of the cha

racter of Johnson, that with powers of mind that did honour to human nature, he had weakneffes and prejudices that seemed fuited only to the lowest of the species. His piety was strongly tinctured with superstition; and we are aftonished to find the author of the Rambler expreffing ferious concern, because he had put milk into his tea on a Good-Friday. His cuftom of praying for the dead, though unfupported by reafon or by Scripture, was a less irrational fuperftition. Indeed, one of the great features of Johnson's character, was a degree of bigotry, both in politics and in religion, which is now feldom to be met with in perfons of a cultivated understanding. Few other men could have been found in the present age, whofe political bigotry would have led them to ftyle the celebrated John Hampden the zealot of rebellion;" and the religious bigotry of the man, who, when at Edinburgh, would not go to hear

Dr. Robertfon preach, because he would not be prefent at a Prefbyterian assembly, is not easily to be paralleled in this age and in this country. His habitual incredulity with refpect to facts, of which there was no reasonable ground for doubt, as stated by Mrs. Piozzi, and which was remarked by Hogarth, was alfo a fingular trait in his character, and especially when contrary to his fuperftitious credulity on other occafions. To the clofe of life he was not only occupied in forming schemes of religious reformation; but, even to a very late period of it, he seems to have been folicitous to apply himself to study with renewed diligence and vigour. It is remarkable, that in his fixty-fourth year, he attempted to learn the low Dutch language; and in his fixty-seventh year he made a resolution to apply himself vigorously to study, particularly the Greek and Italian tongues.

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"The faults and the foibles of Johnson, whatever they were, are now defcended with him to the grave; but his virtues fhould be the object of our imitation. His works, with all their defects, are a most valuable and important acceffion to the literature of England. His political writings will probably be little read on any other account, than for the dignity and energy of his ftyle; but his Dictionary, his Moral Effays, and his productions in polite literature, will convey useful inftruction and elegant entertainment, as long as the language in which they are written fhall be understood, and give him a juft claim to a distinguished rank among the best and ableft writers that England has produced."

The estimate of his literary character given by Mr. Murphy in his " Effay," is, with a very few exceptions, fair, candid, and juft. He fometimes admits his errors, and fometimes endeavours to apologize for

them. His comparison between Johnfon and Addison is excellent; and, though long, is of too much value to be withheld.

"Like Milton and Addison, Dr. Johnfon feems to have been fond of his Latin poetry. Those compofitions fhow that he was an early scholar; but his verses, have not the graceful eafe that gave fo much fuavity to the poems of Addison. The tranflation of the Meffiah labours under two disadvantages; it is firft to be compared with Pope's inimitable performance, and afterwards with the Pollio of Virgil. It may appear trifling to remark, that he has made the letter o, in the word Virgo, long and fhort in the fame line; Virgo, Virgo parit. But the tranflation has great merit, and fome admirable lines. In the Odes there is a sweet flexibility, particularly To bis Worthy Friend Dr. Laurence, on Himfelf at the Theatre, March 8, 1771, the Ode in

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