to a widely extending taste for critical disquisitions. From the usual tenour of his style it was not to be expected that our great moralist would excel as an EPISTOLARY WRITER. The letters of Johnson, however, though sometimes not entirely free from his customary elaboration, are, in general, graceful, easy, and perspicuous. They fully develope the character of the man ; some are gloomy, some pathetic and beautifully moral, others lively, domestic, and interesting. If they cannot be said to rival the letters of Cowper, yet will they still take their station among the best epistolary collections in our language. The opinions and principles of the Doctor as a THEOLOGIAN are chiefly to be gathered from his conversation, as preserved by Mr. Boswell, and from his prayers. He appears from these to have been a zealous High-churchman, with a strong bias towards some of the Roman Catholic tenets. His piety and devotion were warm and sincere; and his prayers, the language of which is altogether plain, simple, and unadorned, teach us, that his faith, his humility, and gratitude, were great. From an ardent desire of further evidence with regard to the state of the departed, he was solicitous to ascertain the possibility of the re-appearance of the dead. His anxiety on this subject rendered him superstitious, though not credulous; for he was, in a very extraordinary degree, minute and cautious in examining the supposed proofs, and was, more than once, instrumental in detecting their fallacy, and exposing the arts of imposture. To many of his Sermons much praise is due for their perspicuity of style, their felicity of illustration, and their sound practical morality. We may, indeed, close this summary, with the affirmation, that, if Addison be excepted, no writer of the eighteenth century can be said to have contributed so highly, so copiously, and so permanently, to the improvement of our literature and language as JOHNSON. Whether considered as a BIOGRAPHER, an ESSAYIST, a LEXICOGRAPHER, or a CRITIC, he is alike entitled to the gratitude of his country and of mankind.* There were two works that Johnson had long wished to carry into execution, and which, if health had been allowed him, would most probably have seen the light; namely, a Translation of Thuanus, and a Life of Oliver Cromwell. APPENDIX, No. 1, THOUGH HOUGH all the works upon which the reputation of Dr. Johnson rests, have been amply noticed in the preceding Life; yet many small fugitive pieces, such as Prefaces, Dedications, Introductions, Proposals, &c. &c. have been purposely omitted. To give a catalogue of these will afford proof of the Doctor's versatility of talent, and of his readiness to oblige those who petitioned for his assistance. So altogether temporary or local, however, are the chief of these contributions, that to introduce them in a regular edition of our author's produc tions, would be to most readers uselessly to enhance its bulk. To record that they have existed, is sufficient for our present purpose. 1738. Preface to the Gentleman's Magazine, 1739. Address to the Reader of the Gentleman's Magazine. Appeal to the Public in behalf of the Considerations on the case of Dr. Trapp's 1740 Preface to the Gentleman's Magazine. 1741, Preface to the Gentleman's Magazine. Abridged Debate on the Humble Petition and Advice of the Rump Parliament to Cromwell. Translation of Abbe Guyon's Dissertation on the Amazons. 1742. Preface to the Gentleman's Magazine. Essay on the Account of the Conduct of the Duchess of Marlborough. Foreign History for the Gentleman's Mag azine. 1743. Preface to the Gentleman's Magazine. Advertisement for Osborne concerning the Harleian Catalogue. Dedication to Dr. Mead of James's Medical Dictionary. 1744. Preface to the Gentleman's Magazine. 1748. Foreign History for the Gentleman's Magazine. 1751. Dedication to the Earl of Middlesex of Mrs. Lennox's Female Quixotte. 1753. Dedication to Lord Orrery of Mrs. Lennox's Shakspeare Illustrated. 1756. Preliminary Address to the Literary Magazine. Dedication and Preface to Payne's Game of Draughts. 1760. Address of the Painters to George the IIId. on his Accession to the Throne. Dedication of Baretti's Italian and English Introduction to the Proceedings of the 1762. Dedication to the King of Dr. Kennedy's System of Astronomical Chronology. Preface to the Catalogue of the Artist's 1763. Dedication to the Earl of Shaftesbury of Roger Ascham's English Works. Dedication to the Queen of Hoole's Tasso. Account of the Detection of the Imposture of the Cock-Lane Ghost. 1767. Dedication to the King of Adams's Treatise on the Globes. 1773. Preface to Macbean's Dictionary of Ancient Geography. 1775. Proposals for publishing the Works of Mrs. Charlotte Lennox. Preface to Baretti's Easy Lessons in 1776. Proposals for publishing an Analysis of the Scotch Celtick Language, by the Rev. William Shaw. |