the day. The Idler is evidently the work of the same mind that produced the Rambler; but it is written with abated vigour of thought and expression, and greater ease and facility of language. In the Idler, he has exhibited his talents for dry and sarcastic humour to the greatest extent; the sketches of character, considering the shortness of the work, are more numerous than in the Rambler; and it displays a more intimate knowledge of familiar life. Among the grave papers, which shew more intense thinking and labour of language, may be enumerated, Nos. 14, 24, 41, 43, 51, 52, 58, and 89. Among the

papers of which vivacity and delicate irony are the prominent features, may be reckoned, Nos. 5, 6, 8, 10, 16, 19, 21, and 28. The character of Sober, No. 31, intended as a portrait of himself, is entitled to particular notice. The prominent features are faithfully pourtrayed, and easily recognisable. No man was ever more sensible of his own weaknesses. "Sober is a man of strong desires, and quick imagination, so exactly balanced by

the love of ease, that they can seldom stimulate him to any difficult undertaking; they bave, however, so much power, that they will not suffer him to be quite at rest; and though they do not make him sufficiently useful to others, they make him at least weary of himself.

"Mr Sober's chief pleasure is conversation; there is no end of his talk, or his attention; to speak or to hear is equally pleasing; for he still fancies that he is teaching or learning something; and is free, for the time, from his own reproaches.

"But there is one time at night when he must go home, that his friends may sleep; and another time in the morning, when all the world agrees to shut out interruption. These are the moments of which poor Sober trembles at the thought. But the misery of these tiresome intervals he has many means of alleviating. He has a small furnace which he employs in distillation, and which has long been the solace of his life. He draws oils,

1

and waters, and essences, and spirits, which

was written; and had never since read it over. It was published in March or April 1759, in 2 vols. 12mo, for Messrs Strahan, Johnston, and Dodsley, who gave him One hundred pounds for the copy, and Twenty-five pounds more when it came to a second edition.

The popularity of his oriental tales in the Rambler, probably induced him to undertake a work of fiction, on a larger scale, in which the grave lessons of preceptive wisdom, and the impressive reflections on human life and the dispensations of Providence, might be enlivened, and rendered more alluring, by a full display of the most splendid, distinct, and luxuriant imagery, and the most captivating harmony of language. The scene of the story is laid in a country that he had contemplated before in his translation of Lobo's Voyage; and Rassela Christos, the general of Sultan Sequed, mentioned in that narrative, probably suggested the name of the hero. Notwithstanding the deficiency of incident and character in the story, curiosity is invited forward by the discussion of interesting questions; and

expectation gratified throughout, by pictures of life, darkened by his constitutional melancholy, and profound moral reflections, forciably recommended by beauty and sublimity of description, and elegance and harmony of diction. The applause given by the world to the History of Rasselas, has been such as must satisfy an author the most avaricious of fame. It has been translated into various modern languages, and received the admiration of Europe.

According to Sir John Hawkins, the tale of Rasselas was left incomplete by Johnson, in order to admit of a continuation; and that he had, in fact, meditated a second part, in which he meant to marry his hero, and place him in a state of permanent felicity.* For such a continuation of a tale, which is undoubtedly both elegant and sublime, Johnson was in some measure disqualified, by his estimate of human life, as a state of existence in which all our enjoyments are fugacious, and permanent happiness unattainable. The

*Hawkins's Life, &c. p. 801.

design of exhibiting a contrast to the picture of the evils attendant on bumanity, has been executed with much felicity of performance, in a continuation of Rasselas, under the title of "Dinarbas," by Miss E. Cornelia Knight, * printed in the year 1790.

While he was employed in writing the Idler, and proceeding, though slowly, in his edition of Shakespeare, he found time, this year, to translate for Mrs Lennox's English version of Brumoy's Greek Theatre, “ A Diɛsertation on the Greek Comedy, and the General Conclusion of the work. f He wrote also, for

*The ingenious author of "Marcus Flaminius," "A Description of Latium," and other elegant and classica! compositions.

To the third volume of this work, the following advertisement is prefixed. In this volume, the Dis course on the Greek Comedy, and the General Conclusion, are translated by the celebrated author of the Rambler. The comedy of the Birds, and that of Peace, by a young gentleman. The comedy of the Frogs, by the learned and ingenious Dr Gregory Sharpe. The Discourse upon the Cyclops, by John Burryau, Esq. The Cyclops, by Dr Grainger, author of the translation of Tibullus."