presided at the trial, and he afterwards confessed that he had treated the prisoner with great harshness. A brief "Life of Savage," sometimes attributed to Defoe, with all the particulars of the unfortunate man's history, appeared shortly after the trial, and no doubt helped to influence public opinion in his favour. A pardon was at length granted, and after his release he gratified his feelings of revenge towards his unnatural mother by publishing "The Bastard; a Poem, incribed with all due reverence to Mrs. Bret, once Countess of Macclesfield. By Richard Savage, son of the late Earl Rivers."

It will probably never be known what foundation Savage had for his strange story. It was, at all events, believed by men like Steele and Johnson; and Lord Tyrconnel, himself a nephew of Lady Macclesfield, was one of Savage's kindest patrons, till he was disgusted with his protégé's brutality. This profligate woman, who survived till 1753, is stated by Boswell to have been of some assistance to Colley Cibber in his play of "The Careless Husband," and to have suggested to him the idea of one of its best scenes from an incident in her own life. Her eldest daughter by her second husband, Colonel Brett, was for a short time the mistress of George I., and, after the death of that sovereign, became the wife of Sir William Leman. In the announcement of the marriage which appeared in The Gentleman's Magazine, she is described as "Miss Bret, half-sister to Mr. Savage, son to the late Earl Rivers."

When Johnson first made acquaintance with Savage it is, as stated in the previous chapter, impossible to ascertain. Boswell declares it was not till after May, 1738,

but in that case, as Savage was never in London after July, 1739, their personal intercourse would have lasted little more than a year, which is scarcely consistent with the intimacy known to have existed between them.

Johnson's "Life of Savage" appeared in 1744. Boswell states that it was composed with great rapidity, and that forty-eight printed octavo pages were written at one sitting; but there could have been no valid reason for this haste, as the work was not published for six months after it had been announced. Though occasionally rather overlarded with moral sentiments, and not sufficiently precise in details, it is a delightful piece of biography, full of graphic descriptions and curious facts, many of which the writer must have related from personal knowledge. Reynolds

was told by Johnson that one night, "when Savage and he walked round St. James's Square, for want of a lodging, they were not at all depressed by their situation; but, in high spirits and brimful of patriotism, traversed the square for several hours, inveighed against the Ministry, and resolved they would stand by their country." Johnson had a strange partiality for Savage, whose claims to literary distinction were slight, and whose private life was disgraced by falsehood, rapacity, and ingratitude.

"The Life of Savage" was much admired, but its author was still miserably poor; and his appearance was so shabby that he was ashamed to be seen in public. A story is told of his dinner being sent to him behind a screen on an occasion when some friend was dining with Cave; but the conversation happened to turn on the new book, and Johnson had the pleasure of hearing his work highly commended.

For the next two years he appears to have assisted in editing The Gentleman's Magazine, and little is known to have been written by him, except the "Miscellaneous Observations on Macbeth," which were praised by Warburton, "at a time," as he said, "when praise was of value."

About this time he entered into an agreement with a syndicate of booksellers to compile an English Dictionary for the sum of fifteen hundred and seventy-five pounds, and the undertaking was announced to the public, in 1747, by his "Plan of a Dictionary of the English Language," addressed to the Earl of Chesterfield. Nothing could be more clear or scholarlike than the principles which he had laid down for carrying out his scheme, and he frequently illustrated his meaning, and showed the necessity of such a work, by passages from the best-known authors. But some years elapsed before the Dictionary appeared, of which there will be more to say hereafter.

In 1748 a visit was paid to Tunbridge Wells, and in a contemporary drawing, afterwards engraved for Mrs. Barbauld's "Life of Richardson," there are portraits of Johnson and his wife. She had been latterly in declining health, and a part of the summer was passed by them at Hampstead, where he wrote "The Vanity of Human Wishes," an imitation of the third "Satire of Juvenal," and it appeared early in the ensuing year. This poem has never been sufficiently known or appreciated. When first published, it was thought inferior to his "London," and Garrick pronounced it to be hard as Greek. It certainly lacks the sweetness of Goldsmith, and it never attains the polished versification of Pope,

54

LIFE OF JOHNSON.

but in its own manner it is unsurpassed. The tendency of the satire is perhaps mournful, but scarcely more so than the treatment which the subject requires. Every phase of "motley life" is passed in review, and the different careers of the churchman, the politician, the soldier, and the statesman are touched upon with great beauty and force. In each case the moral is the same, "The Vanity of Human Wishes." The description of the placid old age which rewards an innocent and a temperate life has an especial interest.

"An age that melts with unperceiv'd decay,
And glides in modest innocence away;
Whose peaceful day Benevolence endears,
Whose night congratulating Conscience cheers ;
The gen'ral fav'rite as the gen'ral friend :

Such age there is, and who shall wish its end?"

These touching lines refer to the poet's mother, who was then in her eightieth year. Those who are familiar with the literature of that period will easily recognize how much this poem must have influenced Goldsmith in his "Traveller" and "Deserted Village," though in tenderness and simplicity he undoubtedly far surpassed his model.

AN

CHAPTER IV.

N important event was now to occur in Johnson's life. His tragedy of "Irene" was at length to be produced on the stage by Garrick, who was then manager of Drury Lane Theatre. Some alterations were however necessary to render the play more suited for the stage, and these the author was very unwilling to allow, but Garrick insisted on their being carried out. "Sir," said Johnson, "the fellow wants me to make Mahomet run mad, that he may have an opportunity of tossing his hands and kicking his heels." But the difficulty was at length overcome through the intervention of their common friend, Dr. Taylor, and the piece was acted on Monday, February 6, 1749, under the title of "Mahomet and Irene." Everything had been done by the manager to obtain success; new decorations and costumes were supplied; Garrick played Demetrius and gave up the part of Mahomet to Mr. Barry, to ensure the more hearty co-operation of that celebrated actor; Mrs. Pritchard took the part of the heroine, and Aspasia was played by Mrs. Cibber, whose musical voice and classic beauty gave her great advantages in tragedy. The epilogue, which is bright and humorous, was said to be from the