"THE RAMBLER."

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CHAPTER VI.

'THE RAMBLER"-JOHNSON'S STYLE-HIS WIFE'S DEATH.

(1750-1752.)

SINCE the death of Steele's "Guardian" in 1712, periodical writing in this country had been directed almost exclusively towards political subjects. But, in 1750, Johnson made an effort to bring it back to literature once more by the publication of the first number of "The Rambler," which appeared on Tuesday, the 20th of March, that year. In this publication he put forth his first decided claim to a distinct place among British Essayists. The title of the work scarcely suits its matter; for "The Rambler" is anything but rambling, either as regards the subjects chosen or the manner in which they are treated. Not crinolines, patches on ladies' faces, fans, and trifling little fashions are here discussed; but solemn figures, like Ambition, Revenge, Life, Death, move over its pages, and with a kind of gloomy grandeur in their air, which is the direct outcome of one portion, and that not the least imposing portion, of Johnson's noble nature. There are, indeed, lighter papers interspersed; but even these are, most of them, only stately moral essays trying to fancy themselves easy, genial reading. Notwithstanding the rollicking title of these papers, let not him that runs try to read them, and never let any one dream of opening a Rambler in a railway carriage. Johnson was conscious of this misnomer himself: he once said to Sir Joshua Reynolds, "What must be done, Sir, will be done. When I was to begin publishing that paper, I was at a loss how to name it. I sat down at night upon my bedside, and resolved that I would not go to sleep till I had fixed its title. The 'Rambler' seemed the best that occurred, and I took it." The Italians have uncon

ously put the absurdity of the name in its strongest light by

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"THE RAMBLER."

their translation of it into their own language in the form of "Il Vagabondo."

But all this seems mere trifling and wretched quibbling in the face of a grand fact like the following: "Almighty God, the giver of all good things, without whose help all labour is ineffectual, and without whose grace all wisdom is folly: grant, I beseech Thee, that in this undertaking thy Holy Spirit may not be withheld from me, but that I may promote thy glory, and the salvation of myself and others: grant this, O Lord, for the sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ. Amen." Here is a man who dare not write an essay even, except in the name of the Lord! It is a most beautiful and refreshing fact. For this is a strong man, and no sentimentalist; a broad man, and no bigot; a religious man, and no fanatic and this prayer of his is well worth recording.

"The Rambler" was published twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and went on without interruption till the 14th of March, 1752-when it breathed its last. Before he undertook the work at all the author had no doubt collected materials for many of the future papers, arranging them in the form of notes. The following specimen of these Notanda may interest the reader: it is a rough draft of the 196th number of "The Rambler" :

Youth's Entry, &c.

"Baxter's account of things in which he had changed his mind as he grew up. Voluminous.-No wonder.-If every man was to tell, or mark, on how many subjects he has changed, it would make vols. but the changes not always observed by man's self.— From pleasure to bus. [business] to quiet; from thoughtfulness to reflect. to piety; from dissipation to domestic. by impercept. gradat. but the change is certain. Dial non progredi progress. esse conspicimus. Look back, consider what was thought at some dist. period.

"Hope predom. in youth. Mind not willingly indulges unpleasing thoughts. The world lies enamelled before him, as a distant prospect sun-gilt;-the qualities only found by coming to it. Love is to be all joy-children excellent-Fame to be constantcaresses of the great-applauses of the learned-smiles of Beauty.

"THE RAMBLER.”

43:

"Fear of disgrace-Bashfulness-Finds things of less importance. Miscarriages forgot like excellencies ;-if remembered, of no import. Danger of sinking into negligence of reputation ;-lest the fear of disgrace destroy activity. "Confidence in himself. Long tract of life before him.-No thought of sickness.-Embarrassment of affairs.-Distraction of family. Public calamities.-No sense of the prevalence of bad habits. Negligent of time-ready to undertake-careless to pursue all changed by time.

"Confident of others-unsuspecting as unexperienced-imagining himself secure against neglect, never imagines they will venture to treat him ill. Ready to trust; expecting to be trusted. Convinced by time of the selfishness, the meanness, the cowardice, the treachery of men.

"Youth ambitious, as thinking honours easy to be had.

"Different kinds of praise pursued at different periods. Of the gay in youth. dang. hurt, &c., despised.

"Of the fancy in manhood. Ambit.-stocks-bargains.—Of the wise and sober in old age-seriousness-formality-maxims, but general-only of the rich, otherwise age is happy-but at last everything referred to riches-no having fame, honour, influence, without subjection to caprice.

"Horace.

"Hard it would be if men entered life with the same views with which they leave it, or left as they enter it.-No hope-no undertaking no regard to benevolence-no fear of disgrace, &c.

"Youth to be taught the piety of age-age to retain the honour of youth."

The sale of "The Rambler" was slow at first, and its circulation limited; but it was highly valued by a select few from the beginning, and ultimately spread very widely. Mrs. Johnson, whose verdict went for much with her devoted husband, said to him, after she had read a few numbers, "I thought very well of you before but I did not imagine you could have written anything equal to this." An edition of the essays was published almost simultaneously at Edinburgh, under the superintendence of

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JOHNSON'S STYLE.

Mr. James Elphinstone-a circumstance for which Johnson felt very grateful, and by which he was not a little flattered.

Of the matter of these essays we have incidentally spoken already, and there is perhaps little diversity of opinion as to its sterling worth. Objections to the "Rambler," and, indeed, to Johnson's prose-works generally, we have observed to turn chiefly upon the alleged defects of his style. It is not his matter, but his manner, which is declared to be at fault. Nothing was more common in his own time, or is more common now, than for people to talk scornfully of "insufferable Johnsonese," "Johnsonian periods," "swelling sentences," and so forth. We are not careful to defend our Author's style against such charges: some one has said that the character which needs defending is hardly worth defence, and the same may be said of much else, style included. Johnson's style, at its best estate, is big, like the heart of the man; strong, like his understanding; robust, like his bodily frame; massive and full, like his whole nature. It carries well the sound good sense, the manly morality, the copious information, the firm thought, with which it is generally charged. At the same time, it must not be forgotten that many of the subjects on which he wrote were given to him by others, or forced upon him by the necessities of authorship: it thus happens that the matter is often unworthy of the dress he made it wear. But when he was allowed freely to choose his own subjects and to take his own time, both matter and style were alike admirable. And we may be pardoned for hinting that objections to the Johnsonian style come with a very bad grace from persons who have never, all their life long, been guilty of a single Johnsonian thought. As to those who remain aloof from Johnson's works because they cannot get over his style, we can only say it is a pity-for them chiefly. Johnson was himself quite aware that he often wrote, and occasionally talked, "too big" for the occasion. "Sir," said he once to Boswell, "if Robertson's style be faulty, he owes it to me; that is, having too many words, and those too big ones." But he was not always quite so ready to admit this defect, and would sometimes defend himself with characteristic shrewdness. Sir Joshua Reynolds once remarked to him that he had been talking above the

JOHNSON'S STYLE.

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capacity of his hearers on one occasion. "No matter, Sir," said Johnson, "they consider it as a compliment to be talked to as if they were wiser than they are. So true is this, Sir, that Baxter made it a rule in every sermon that he preached to say something that was above the capacity of his audience." Almost always, however, his conversational style was perfect: straightforward and direct for no time was to be lost; clear and decided-for there was to be no mistake about his meaning; downright and forcible, for he must remain champion of the field. It is but right to add that the objections to our Author's style, such as they are, apply with more force to "The Rambler" than to any of his subsequent works, which were all easier and less weighty in their carriage. On the whole, however, it is absurd to take exception to Johnson's style (as is often done) because it is not that of Swift or Addison. His way of thinking was not theirs; his subjects were not theirs ; above all, he himself was not they.

On the 5th of April, 1750, Milton's "Comus" was to be acted at Drury Lane, for the benefit of the poet's grand-daughter. Johnson wrote a Prologue for the entertainment; and, on the day previous to the performance, published the following letter on the subject in the "General Advertiser." The letter is characteristic and very creditable to the writer's heart ::

"SIR,

"That a certain degree of reputation is acquired merely by approving the works of genius, and testifying a regard for the memory of authors, is a truth too evident to be denied; and therefore to ensure a participation of fame with a celebrated poet, many, who would, perhaps, have contributed to starve him when alive, have heaped expensive pageants upon his grave.

"It must, indeed, be confessed, that this method of becoming known to posterity with honour, is peculiar to the great, or at least to the wealthy; but an opportunity now offers for almost every individual to secure the praise of paying a just regard to the illustrious dead, united with the pleasure of doing good to the living. To assist industrious indigence, struggling with distress