"You may, if you please, put the inscription thus. "Maria Scotorum Regina nata 15—, a suis in exilium acta 15—, ab hospita neci data 15-. You must find the years. "Of your second daughter you certainly gave the account yourself, though you have forgotten it. While Mrs. Boswell is well, never doubt of a boy. Mrs. Thrale brought, I think, five girls running, but while I was with you she had a boy. "I am obliged to you for all your pamphlets, and of the last I hope to make some use. I made some of the former. I am, dear sir, your most affectionate servant, "SAM. JOHNSON. "My compliments to all the three ladies." "TO BENNET LANGTON, ESQ. AT LANGTON. "5th July, 1774. "DEAR SIR,-You have reason to reproach me that I have left your last letter so long unanswered, but I had nothing particular to say. Chambers, you find, is gone far, and poor Goldsmith is gone much further. He died of a fever, exasperated, as I believe, by the fear of distress. He had raised money and squandered it, by every artifice of acquisition and folly of expense. But let not his frailties be remembered; he was a very great man, "I have just begun to print my Journey to the Hebrides, and am leaving the press to take another journey into Wales, whither Mr. Thrale is going, to take possession of, at least, five hundred a year, fallen to his lady. All at Streatham, that are alive, are well. "I have never recovered from the last dreadful illness', but flatter myself that I grow gradually better; much, however, yet remains to mend. Κύριε ελέησον 2. "If you have the Latin version of Busy, curious, thirsty fly,' be so kind as to transcribe and send it; but you need not be in haste, for I shall be I know not where, for at least five weeks. I wrote the following tetrastick on poor Goldsmith: “ Τὸν τάφον ἐισοράας τον Ολιβάροιο, κονίην [Although his Letters and his Prayers and Meditations speak of his late illness as merely "a cold and cough, which he went to Mrs. Thrale to get taken care of," it would seem by this use of the word "dreadful," that it had, at some time, taken a more serious character. We have no trace of any illness since that of 1766, which could be called dreadful.—Ed.] 2 [The Greek for "Lord have mercy upon us" in the Litany.-ED.] ED. "Please to make my most respectful compliments to all the ladies, and remember me to young George and his sisters. I reckon George begins to show a pair of heels. 66 back. Do not be sullen now, but let me find a letter when I come This tour to Wales, which was made in company with Mr. Mrs. [and Miss] Thrale, though it no doubt contributed to his health and amusement, did not give an occasion to such a discursive exercise of his mind as our tour to the Hebrides **1 All that I heard him say of it was, that " instead of bleak and barren mountains, there were green and fertile ones; and that one of the castles in Wales would contain all the castles that he had seen in Scotland.” 3 [He, however, kept a kind of diary of this journey, which was afterwards published in a separate form by Mr. Duppa, and is now, by his liberal permission, [Mr. Boswell had here added, “I do not find that he kept any journal or notes of what he saw there."- ED.] 2 [This diary fell into the possession of Barber, who disposed of it to the Rev. Mr. White; but how it escaped Mr. Boswell's researches, who seems to have had access to all Barber's papers, does not appear.-ED.] 3 ["A Diary of a Journey into North Wales, in the Year 1774; by Samuel Johnson, LL. D. Edited, with illustrative Notes, by R. Duppa, LL. B., Barrister at Law. London, for Jennings in the Poultry, 1816, 12mo." Of this work, Mr. Duppa says, in his Dedication to Mr. Edward Swinburne: "This fragment, as a literary curiosity, I hope will not disappoint you; for although it may not contain any striking and important facts, or luminous passages of fine writing, it cannot be uninteresting to know how the mind of such a man as Johnson received new impressions, or contemplated, for the first time, scenes and occupations unknown to him before." And, in his Preface, he observes, "This Journal of Dr. Johnson exhibits his mind when he was alone, when no one was looking on, and when no one was expected to adopt his thoughts, or to be influenced by them in this respect, it differs from the conversations and anecdotes already published: it has also another value, highly interesting; it shows how his mind was influenced by the impression of external things, and in what way he recorded those facts, which he laid up for future reflection. "His Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland' was probably composed from a diary not more ample: for of that work he says, I deal more in notions than in facts;' and this is the general character of his mind; though when Boswell expressed a fear, lest his journal should be encumbered with too many minute particulars, he said, There is nothing, sir, too little for so little a creature as man. It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as possible.' "For its authenticity will pledge myself: but if there should be any who are desirous to gratify their curiosity, or to satisfy their judgment, the original MS., in the handwriting of Dr. Johnson, is in the possession of the publisher, incorporated into this work, for the purpose of "filling up (to use Mr. Duppa's own words) that chasm in the Life of Dr. Johnson which Mr. Boswell was unable to supply."] Tuesday, 5th July.-We left Streatham 11 A. M. Tour to -Price of four horses two shillings a mile. Wednesday, 6th July.-Barnet 1. 40′. P. M.On the road I read Tully's Epistles-At night at Dunstable - To Lichfield, eighty-three miles -To the Swan'. Thursday, 7th July.--To the cathedral-To Mrs. Porter's-To Mrs. Aston's-To Mr. Green'sMr. Green's museum was much admired, and Mr. Newton's china 3. Friday, 8th July.-To Mr. Newton's-To Mrs. Cobb's' Dr. Darwin's-I went again to Mrs. Aston's-She was very sorry to part. where it may at any time be seen. The Editor acknowledges his obligation to Mrs. Piozzi, for her kind assistance in explaining many facts in this diary, which could not otherwise have been understood." Mr. Duppa, having applied to Mrs. Piozzi for information on some topics of this diary, received several explanatory letters from that lady, some of which, however, came too late for Mr. Duppa's use. He, however, with continued courtesy, has, by communicating these letters to the Editor, enabled him to explain some obscure points, not only of the Welsh tour, but of other portions of Dr. Johnson's history. The notes, extracted from these letters (which are all dated between the 31st July and 17th December, 1816,) will be distinguished -Piozzi MS.-Ed.] [When at this place, Mrs. Thrale gives an anecdote of Johnson, to show his minute attention to things which might reasonably have been supposed out of the range of his observation. "When I came down to breakfast at the inn, my dress did not please him, and he made me alter it entirely before he would stir a step with us about the town, saying most satirical things concerning the appearance I made in a riding-habit; and adding, 'Tis very strange that such eyes as yours cannot discern propriety of dress: if I had a sight only half as good, I think I should see to the centre.'"-DUPPA ] 2 [Mr. Richard Green was an apothecary, and related to Dr. Johnson. He had a considerable collection of antiquities, natural curiosities, and ingenious works of art. He had all the articles accurately arranged, with their names upon labels, and on the staircase leading to it was a board, with the names of contributors marked in gold letters. A printed catalogue of the collection was to be had at a bookseller's.-DUPPA.] 3 [Mr. Newton was a gentleman, long resident in Lichfield, who had acquired a large fortune in the East Indies.-DUPPA.] 4 [Mrs. Cobb was a widow lady who lived at a place called the Friary, close to Lichfield.-DUPPA.] 5 [Dr. Erasmus Darwin: at this time he lived at Lichfield, where he had Wales. Tour to Saturday, 9th July.-Breakfasted at Mr. Garrick's'-Visited Miss Vyse-Miss Seward 3-Went to Dr. Taylor's [at Ashbourn]-I read a little on the road in Tully's Epistles and Martial-Mart. 8th, 44, lino pro limo*. Sunday, 10th July.-Morning, at church-Company at dinner. Monday, 11th July.-At Ilam-At Oakover 6 -I was less pleased with Ilam than when I saw it first, but my friends were much delighted. Tuesday, 12th July.-At Chatsworth-The water willow-The cascade, shot out from many spouts -The fountains-The water tree-The smooth floors in the highest rooms-Atlas, fifteen hands inch and half —River running through the park— practised as a physician from the year 1756, and did not settle at Derby till after his second marriage with Mrs. Pool, in the year 1781. Miss Seward says, that although Dr. Johnson visited Lichfield while Dr. Darwin lived there, they had only one or two interviews, and never afterwards sought each other. Mutual and strong dislike subsisted between them. Dr. Darwin died April 18th, 1802, in the sixty-ninth year of his age.-DUPPA.] 1 ["Peter Garrick, the elder brother of David, strongly resembling him in countenance and voice, but of more sedate and placid manners. See post, 21st March, 1775.-Ed. "I think Peter Garrick was an attorney, but he seemed to lead an independent life, and talked all about fishing. Dr. Johnson recommended him to read Walton's Angler, repeating some verses from it.”—Piozzi MS.] 2 [A daughter of the Rev. Archdeacon Vyse, of the diocese of Lichfield and Coventry. Duppa.] 3 ["Dr. Johnson would not suffer me to speak to Miss Seward." - Piozzi MS. So early was the coolness between them.-ED.] 4 [In the edition of Martial, which he was reading, the last word of the line "Defluat, et lento splendescat turbida limo," was, no doubt, misprinted lino.-ED.] 5 [See observations on Ilam, post, 24th July, 1774, and 22d September, 1777. -ED.] 6 [Oakover is the seat of a very ancient family of the same name, a few miles from Ilam.-ED.] 7 ["There was a water-work at Chatsworth with a concealed spring, which, upon touching, spouted out streams from every bough of a willow-tree. I remember Lady Keith (Miss Thrale), then ten years old, was the most amused by it of any of the party."-Piozzi MS.] 8 ["Old oak floors polished by rubbing. Johnson, I suppose, wondered that they should take such pains with the garrets."-Piozzi MS.] 9 [This was a race-horse, which was very handsome and very gentle, and attracted so much of Dr. Johnson's attention, that he said, "of all the duke's possessions, I like Atlas best."-DUPEA.] Wales. The porticoes on the sides support two galleries for Tour to the first floor-My friends were not struck with the house-It fell below my ideas of the furniture-The staircase is in the corner of the house-The hall in the corner', the grandest room, though only a room of passage-On the ground-floor, only the chapel and the breakfast-room, and a small library; the rest, servants' rooms and offices-A bad inn. Wednesday, 13th July.-At Matlock. Thursday, 14th July.-At dinner at Oakover; too deaf to hear, or much converse-Mrs. GellThe chapel at Oakover-The wood of the pews grossly painted-I could not read the epitaphWould learn the old hands. Friday, 15th July.-At Ashbourn-Mrs. Dyott and her daughters came in the morning-Mrs. Dyott dined with us-We visited Mr. Flint. “ Τὸ πρῶτον Μῶρος, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον εἷλεν Ελασμός, Τὸ τριτὸν εκ Μεσῶν στέμμα Μίκυλλος ἔχει 5. Saturday, 16th July.-At Dovedale, with Mr. [Quere, whether these words are not an erroneous repetition of the same words in the preceding line.-ED.] [This was the second time Johnson had visited Chatsworth. See ante, 26th November, 1772; and his letter to Mrs. Thrale. The friend, mentioned in that extract, was, it appears, from Mrs. Piozzi's MS., Dr. Percy, and the allusion was sarcastic. Mrs. Piozzi writes, " Bishop Percy's lady lived much with us at Brighthelmstone, and used (foolishly enough perhaps) to show us her husband's letters: in one of these he said, 'I am enjoying the fall of a murmuring stream, but to you who reside close to the roaring ocean such scenery would be insipid.' At this Dr. Johnson laughed as a ridiculous affectation, and never forgot it."-Piozzi MS.-ED.] 3 [There is no chapel at Oakover, but a small parish church close to the house, which, however, has no pulpit, and thence perhaps Dr. Johnson calls it a chapel. ED.] 4 [The Dyotts were a respectable and wealthy Staffordshire family. The person who shot Lord Brook, when assaulting St. Chad's cathedral in Lichfield, on St. Chad's day, in 1643, is said to have been a Mr. Dyott.-ED.] >["More bore away the first crown of the Muses, Erasmus the second, and Micyllus has the third."-ED.] [Jacobus Micyllus, whose real name was Melchor, died 1558, aged 55. In the MS. Johnson has introduced gs by the side of a, as if he were doubtful whether that tense ought not to have been adopted.-DUPPA. It does not appear whether these verses are Johnson's. Micyllus's real name was Moltzer; see his article in Bayle. His best work was " De re Metrica."-En.] |