eeptionably excellent; and never was there a more dignified ftrain of compliment. than that in which he courts the atten tion of Chesterfield, who was very ambibitious of literary diftinction, and who, upon being informed of the defign, had expreffed himself in terms very favourable to its fuccefs. The way in which it came to be infcribed to Chesterfield was this: "I had neglected," fays he, to write it by the time appointed. Dodfley fuggefted a defire to have it addreffed to Lord Chesterfield. I laid hold of this as a pretext for delay, that it might be better done, and let Dodfley have his defire." The Plan itself, however, proves that the Earl not only favoured the defign, but that there had been a particular communication with his Lordfhip concerning it.

To enable him to complete this vaft undertaking, he hired a house in GoughSquare, Fleet-Street, fitted up one of the

upper rooms after the manner of a counting-houfe, and employed fix amanuenfes there in transcribing; five of whom were natives of North Britain, Mr. Macbean, author of " A Syftem of Ancient Geography," &c. Mr. Shiels, the principal collector and digefter of the materials for the "Lives of the Poets 1753," to which the name of Mr. Theo. Cibber is prefixed; Mr. Stewart, fon of Mr. George Stewart, bookfeller in Edinburgh; and a Mr. Maitland: the fixth was Mr. Peyton, a French mafter, who published fome elementary tracts. The words, partly taken from other dictionaries, and partly fupplied by himfelf, having been firft written down, with fpaces left between them, he delivered in writing their etymologies, definitions, and various fignifications. The authorities were copied from the books themselves, in which he had marked the

paífages with a black lead pencil, the traces of which could easily be effaced.

This year he contributed to the " Gentleman's Magazine," for May, five short poetical pieces. "A tranflation of a La

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tin Epitaph on Sir Thomas Hanmer,' 'To Mifs, on her giving the author a gold and filk net-work purse of her own weaving," ""Stella in Mourning," The Winter's Walk," "An Ode," and " To Lyce, an elderly Lady," diftinguished by three afterisks. In the Magazine for December, he inferted an Ode on Winter, which is one of the best of his lyric compofitions.

In September, this year, his fortunate pupil, Garrick, having become joint-patentee and manager of Drury-lane theatre, he furnished him with a Prologue at the opening of it, which, for just and manly criticism, as well as for poetical excellence, is unrivalled in that fpecies of compofi

tion.

1

In 1748, while he was employed in his Dictionary, he exerted his talents in occafional compofition, very different from lexicography, and formed a club that met at Horfeman's chop-house in Ivy-lane, Pater-nofter Row, every Tuesday evening, with a view to enjoy literary difcuffion, and the pleasure of animated relaxation. The members affociated with him in this little fociety, were his beloved friend, Dr. Richard Bathurft, a physician, Dr. Hawkefworth, Dr. Salter, father of the late mafter of the charter-houfe, Mr. Ryland, a merchant, Mr. John Payne, then a bookfeller in Pater-nofter Row, Mr. Samuel Dyer, a learned young man, intended for the diffenting ministry, Dr. William M'Ghie, a Scotch phyfician, Dr. Edmund Barker, a young phyfician, and Sir John Hawkins. The endowments of Mr. Dyer are reprefented by Sir John Hawkins as of such a fuperior kind, "that in fome inftances

Johnfon might almost be faid to have look ed up to him." They used to dispute in this club, about the moral fenfe and the fitnefs of things, but Johnson was not uniform in his opinions; contending as often for victory as truth. him through life.

This infirmity attended

In this year he published, in the “ Gentleman's Magazine" for May, The Life of Rofcommon, which has fince been inferted in his "Lives of the Poets." He wrote also the Preface to Dodfley's "Preceptor," and the Vifion of Theodore, the Hermit of Teneriffe, found in his cell, a most beautiful allegory of human life, under the figure of afcending the mountain of existence, which he himself thought the best of his writings.

In January 1749, he published The Vanity of Human Wishes, being the tenth Satire of Juvenal imitated, with his name. Of this poem, he compofed feventy lines in one