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following letter to a friend of Swift, dated Trentham, August 1, 1788, which has been often printed.

"Mr Samuel Johnson (author of London, a satire, and some other poetical pieces) is a native of this country, and much respected by some worthy gentlemen in his neighbourhood, who are trustees of a charity school, now vacant. The certain salary is sixty pounds ayear, of which they are desirous to make him master; but, unfortunately, he is not capable of receiving their bounty, which would make him happy for life, by not being a Master of Arts; which, by the statutes of this school, the master of it must be.

"Now, these gentlemen do me the honour to think that I have interest, enough in you, to prevail upon you to write to Dean Swift, to persuade the University of Dublin to send a diploma to me, constituting this poor man Master of Arts in their University. They highly extol the man's learning and probity: and will not be persuaded, that the University will make any difficulty of conferring such a favour upon a stranger, if he is recommended

by the Dean. They say he is not afraid of the strictest examination, though he is off so long a journey, and will venture it, if the Dean thinks it necessary; choosing rather to die upon the road than be starved to death in translating for booksellers; which has been his only subsistence for some time past.

"I fear there is more difficulty in this affair than those good-natured gentlemen apprehend; especially as their election cannot be delayed longer than the 11th of next month. If you see this matter in the same light that it appears to me, I hope you will burn this, and pardon me for giving you so much trouble about an impracticable thing; but if you think there is a probability of obtaining the favour asked, I am sure your humanity and propensity to relieve merit in distress, will incline you to serve the poor man, without my adding any more to the trouble I have already given you, than assuring you, that I am, with great truth," &c.

This expedient failed. There is reason to think that Swift declined to meddle in the business; and to this circumstance Johnson's

known dislike of Swift has been often im

puted *.

* The extraordinary prejudice and dislike of Swift, manifested on all occasions by Johnson, whose political opinions coincided exactly with his, has been difficult to account for; and is therefore attributed to his failing in getting a degree, which Swift might not chuse to solicit, for a reason given below. The real cause is believed to be as follows: The Rev. Dr Madden, who distinguished himself so laudably by giving premiums to the young students of Dublin College, for which he had raised a fund, by applying for contributions to the nobility and gentry of Ireland, had solicited the same from Swift, when he was sinking into that morbid idiocy which only terminated with his life, and was saving every shilling to found his hospital for lunatics; but his application was refused with so little delicacy, as left in Dr Madden a rooted dislike to Swift's character, which he communicated to Johnson, whose friendship he gained on the following occasion: Dr Madden wished to address some person of high rank, in prose or verse; and, desirous of having his composition examined and corrected by some writer of superior talents, had been recommended to Johnson, who was at that time in extreme indigence; and having finished his task, would probably have thought himself well rewarded with a guinea or two, when, to his great surprise, Dr Madden generously slipped ten guineas into his hand. This made such an impression on Johnson, as led him to adopt every opinion of Dr Madden, and to resent, as warmly as himself, Swift's rough refusal of the contribution; after which the latter could not decently request any favour from the University of Dublin.

F

BISHOP PERCY.

He made one other effort to emancipate himself from the drudgery of authorship, by endeavouring to be introduced to the bar at Doctor's Commons; but here the want of a Doctor's degree in Civil Law was also an insurmountable impediment.

He was, therefore, under the necessity of persevering in that course into which he was forced. We find him prosecuting his design of furnishing the English reader with a new translation of Father Paul's History of the Council of Trent, which was announced in the

66

Weekly Miscellany," October 21, to be published by subscription, in 2 vols. 4to, by Mess. Dodsley, Rivington, and Cave. After twelve sheets of this translation were printed off, for which he had received from Mr Cave, from August 2. 1738 to April 21. 1739, forty nine pounds seven shillings, in small sums of two and sometimes four guineas at a time *, the design was given up; for it happened that another Samuel Johnson, librarian of St Mar

* See Gentleman's Magazine for January 1785, p. 6.

tin's in the Fields, and curate of that parish, had engaged in the same undertaking, under the patronage of Dr Pearce, and the clergy; the consequence of which was, an opposition, which mutually destroyed each other's hopes of success. This accidental competition between the two translators is little to be regretted, as it compelled Johnson to change his employment, and engage in original composition; by which English literature has been more benefited than it could have been by the highest improvement he could bestow on the obsolete translation of the history of that memorable council. But in relinquishing a laborious undertaking, which might be spared, he prosecuted a part of his original design, in writing the life of the celebrated author of that able performance, for the "Gentleman's Magazine."

Besides his contributions to the "Gentleman's Magazine," for 1738, above mentioned, and the assistance he gave in writing the Parliamentary Debates, he contributed the Life of Father Paul Sarpi to the November Magazine,

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