HIS REPORTS OF DEBATES

103

more of them; "For he would not be accessory to the propagation of falsehood." And such was the tenderness of his conscience, that a short time before his death, he expressed his regret for his having been the author of fictions, which had passed for realities.

He nevertheless agreed with me in thinking, that the Debates which he had framed were to be valued as orations upon questions of public importance. They have accordingly been collected in volumes, properly arranged, and recommended to the notice of parliamentary speakers by a preface, written by no inferior hand.1 I must, however, observe, that although there is in those Debates a wonderful store of political information, and very powerful eloquence, I cannot agree that they exhibit the manner of each particular speaker, as Sir John Hawkins seems to think. But, indeed, what opinion can we have of his judgment, and taste in public speaking, who presumes to give, as the characteristics of two celebrated orators, "The deep-mouthed rancour of Pulteney, and the yelping pertinacity of Pitt." 2

This year I find that his tragedy of IRENE had been for some time ready for the stage, and that his necessities made him desirous of getting as much as he could for it, without delay; for there is the following letter from Mr.

1 I am assured that the editor is Mr. George Chalmers, whose commercial works are well-known and esteemed.

B.

2 Hawkins's Life of Johnson, p. 100. B. The authorship of these Debates was not known outside Cave's office, and according to Murphy (Essay on the Life and Genius of Dr. Johnson) was first avowed by Johnson himself at a dinner given by Foote. The company were praising a speech delivered by Pitt towards the close of Walpole's administration as equal to anything in the orations of Demosthenes. "That speech," said Johnson, “I wrote in a garret in Exeter Street," and then proceeded to explain how it was done. One of the company praised his impartiality, observing that he dealt out reason and eloquence with an equal hand to both parties. "That is not quite true," was the answer. "I saved appearances tolerably well; but I took care that the Whig dogs should not have the best of it." According to Hawkins, the sale of the Gentleman's Magazine increased from 10,000 to 15,000 copies a month while Johnson wrote the Debates.

Cave to Dr. Birch, in the same volume of manuscripts in the British Museum, from which I copied those above quoted. They were most obligingly pointed out to me by Sir William Musgrave, one of the Curators of that noble repository.

"Sept. 9, 1741.

"I HAVE put Mr. Johnson's play into Mr. Gray's1 hands, in order to sell it to him, if he is inclined to buy it; but I doubt whether he will or not. He would dispose of the copy, and whatever advantage may be made by acting it. Would your society,2 or any gentleman, or body of men that you know, take such a bargain? He and I are very unfit to deal with theatrical persons. Fleetwood was to have acted it last season, but Johnson's diffidence or prevented it." 8

I have already mentioned that " Irene" was not brought into publick notice till Garrick was manager of Drury-lane

theatre.

In 1742 he wrote for the "Gentleman's Magazine" the Preface, the Parliamentary Debates,* "Essay on the Account of the Conduct of the Duchess of Marlborough,' then the popular topic of conversation. This Essay is a short but masterly performance. We find him in No. 13 of his "Rambler," censuring a profligate sentiment in that "Account"; and again insisting upon it strenuously in conversation. "An Account of the Life of Peter Burman, "I believe chiefly taken from a foreign publication; as, indeed, he could not himself know much about Burman; "Additions to his Life of Barretier; "The Life of Sydenham,"* afterwards prefixed to Dr. Swan's edition of his works; "Proposals for printing Bibliotheca Har1 A bookseller of London. B.

? Not the Royal Society; but the Society for the encouragement of learning, of which Dr. Birch was a leading member. Their object was to assist authors in printing expensive works. It existed from about 1735 to 1746, when, having incurred a considerable debt, it was dissolved. B.

? There is no erasure here, but a mere blank ; to fill up which may be an exercise for ingenious conjecture. B. 4 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3rd edit. p. 167. B.

JOHNSON AND OSBORNE

105

leiana, or a Catalogue of the Library of the Earl of Oxford."* His account of that celebrated collection of books, in which he displays the importance to literature, of what the French call a catalogue raisonné, when the subjects of it are extensive and various, and it is executed with ability, cannot fail to impress all his readers with admiration of his philological attainments. It was afterwards prefixed to the first volume of the Catalogue, in which the Latin accounts of books were written by him. He was employed in this business by Mr. Thomas Osborne the bookseller,' who purchased the library for 13,000l., a sum which Mr. Oldys says, in one of his manuscripts, was not more than the binding of the books had cost; yet, as Dr. Johnson assured me, the slowness of the sale was such, that there was not much gained by it. It has been confidently related, with many embellishments, that Johnson one day knocked Osborne down in his shop, with a folio, and put his foot upon his neck. The simple truth I had from Johnson himself. "Sir, he was impertinent to me, and I beat him. But it was not in his shop: it was in my own chamber."

A very diligent observer may trace him where we should not easily suppose him to be found. I have no doubt that he wrote the little abridgment entitled " Foreign History," in the Magazine for December. To prove it, I shall quote the Introduction. "As this is that season of the year in which Nature may be said to command a suspension of hostilities, and which seems intended, by putting a short stop to violence and slaughter, to afford time for malice to relent, and animosity to subside; we can scarce expect any other account than of plans, negotiations, and treaties, of proposals for peace, and preparations for war." As also this passage: "Let those who despise the capacity of the Swiss, tell us by what wonderful policy, or by what happy conciliation of interests, it is brought to pass, that in a body made up of different communities and different religions, there should be no civil commo

1See The Dunciad (ii. 167), and Lives of the Poets (Pope).

tions, though the people are so warlike, that, to nominate and raise an army is the same."

I am obliged to Mr. Astle1 for his ready permission to copy the two following letters of which the originals are in his possession. Their contents shew that they were written about this time, and that Johnson was now engaged in preparing an historical account of the British Parlia

ment.

"TO MR. CAVE.

[No date.]

"SIR, "I BELIEVE I am going to write a long letter, and have therefore taken a whole sheet of paper. The first thing to be written about is our historical design.

"You mentioned the proposal of printing in numbers, as an alteration in the scheme, but I believe you mistook, some way or other, my meaning; I had no other view than that you might rather print too many of five sheets, than of five-and-thirty.

"With regard to what I shall say on the manner of proceeding, I would have it understood as wholly indifferent to me, and my opinion only, not my resolution. Emptoris sit eligere.

"I think the insertion of the exact dates of the most important events in the margin, or of so many events as may enable the reader to regulate the order of facts with sufficient exactness, the proper medium between a journal, which has regard only to time, and a history which ranges facts according to their dependence on each other, and postpones or anticipates according to the convenience of narration. I think the work ought to partake of the spirit of history, which is contrary to minute exactness, and of the regularity of a journal, which is inconsistent with spirit. For this reason, I neither admit numbers nor dates, nor reject them.

"I am of your opinion with regard to placing most of the resolutions, &c., in the margin, and think we shall give the most complete account of parliamentary proceedings that can be contrived. The naked papers, without an historical treatise interwoven, require some other book to make them understood. I will date the succeeding facts with some exactness, but I think in the margin. You told me on Saturday that I had received money on

1 Thomas Astle was for many years Keeper of the Records in the Tower, one of the Keepers of the Paper Office, and a Trustee of the British Museum. Horace Walpole (Letters, vi. 299) calls him, "A wight who lives like moths on old parchments."

LETTERS TO CAVE

107

this work, and found set down 137. 2s. 6d. reckoning the halfguinea of last Saturday. As you hinted to me that you had many calls for money, I would not press you too hard, and therefore shall desire only, as I send it in, two guineas for a sheet of copy; the rest you may pay me, when it may be more convenient; and even by this sheet-payment I shall, for some time, be very expensive.

"The Life of Savage I am ready to go upon; and in Great Primer, and Pica notes, I reckon on sending in half a sheet a day; but the money for that shall likewise lie by in your hands till it is done. With the debates, shall not I have business enough? if I had but good pens.

I

"Towards Mr. Savage's Life what more have you got? would willingly have his trial, &c., and know whether his defence be at Bristol, and would have his collection of poems, on account of the Preface ;-"The Plain Dealer,"1-all the magazines that have any thing of his or relating to him.

"I thought my letter would be long, but it is now ended; and, I am, Sir, yours, &c.,

"SAM. JOHNSON.

"The boy found me writing this almost in the dark, when I could not quite easily read yours.

"I have read the Italian :-nothing in it is well.

"I had no notion of having any thing for the inscription. I hope you don't think I kept it to extort a price. I could think of nothing till to-day. If you could spare me another guinea for the history, I should take it very kindly, to-night; but if you do not, I shall not think it an injury.—I am almost well again.”

"SIR,

"TO MR. CAVE.

"You did not tell me your determination about the Soldier's Letter, which I am confident was never printed. I think it will not do by itself, or in any other place, so well as the Mag. Extraordinary. If you will have it all, I believe you do not think I set it high, and I will be glad if what you give, you will give quickly.

"You need not be in care about something to print, for I have got the State Trials, and shall extract Layer, Atterbury, and Macclesfield from them, and shall bring them to you in a fortnight; after which I will try to get the South Sea Report."

[No date, nor signature.]

1 The Plain Dealer was published in 1724, and contained some account of Savage.

B.

2 I have not discovered what this was. B.