At about the age of forty, he commenced a work which added to his rep utation, and gave him, with no inconsiderable degree of justice, the name of the English moralist.

With very little assistance, he completed, in a course of two years, the publication of the "Rambler," giving to the world, on stated days, two papers in a week. It appears, that, though those essays amounted to two hundred and eight, he received but ten numbers from the pens of his friends.

The disadvantages under which an author labors, in periodical publica tions, whose frequency leaves little time for the interruptions of recreation or necessity, he has most feelingly described. "He that condemns himself to compose on a stated day, will often bring to his task an attention dissipated, a memory embarrassed, an imagination overwhelmed, a mind dis tracted with anxieties, a body languishing with disease; he will labor on a barren topic till it is too late to change it; or, in the ardor of invention, diffuse his thoughts into wild exuberance, which the present hour cannot suffer judgment to examine or reduce."

For depth of moral reflection, the "Ramblers" of Johnson must ever be preeminent. The ethics of the ancients are not stored with a more val uable mass of moral instruction; and in vain may we search for the prin ciples of the purest philosophy, so beautifully blended with the loveliness of virtue. It was not probable that the frailties or peculiarities of mankind could escape his acute penetration, which was ever on the alert,

"To mark the age, shoot folly as it flies.

And catch the manners living as they rise."

From an early period, he had accustomed himself to a habit of close think mg. His active and vigorous mind always first matured what he had to advance, and his confidence in his assertions was owing to deductions which resulted from the deepest reasoning.

The moralizing "Rambler" is always dignified in his sentiments, logical in his inferences, and energetic in his style. Though many of his papers assume a gravity which forbids trifling, his remarks are sententious and forcible. They do not always partake of the sombre shades of melancholy, and seldom seem to participate of a cynical severity. The strain of morality which flows from his pen, discovers a mind at times under the influence of gloomy reflections, and inclined to indulge in the sober feelings of a man prone to look upon the darkest side. Instruction and sublimity may be found in his papers. The majority of mankind will admire them in the retirement of the closet, when the mind is inclined to serious advice; and the friends of virtue will ever rejoice that the great learning of the critic and scholar has so successfully labored in her service. The papers of the "Idler," and those of the "Adventurer," written by Johnson, exhibit the same powers of mind, and fewer of his peculiar faults.

As a Latin poet, he can only be ranked with other admired writers, who attempted metrical excellence in a language that allows no new expressions. The most successful writer can do no more than imitate the flowers which he has discovered on classic ground, and display to the world his acquaintance with its productions. He may heat his mind with the spirit with which the poets of antiquity have written. He may imbibe a portion of their taste, and, as far as he is able, copy their style. His productions, in their language, will still fail of originality, and savor of imitation.

There can be little doubt but that the affair in which Johnson was con nected with Lauder, was always to himself a source of regret. His integ rity, it may safely be presumed, would have withholden him from giving countenance to an attempt to injure the reputation of the immortal Milton, had he been at first, as he afterwards was, convinced of the injustice of the cause in which he engaged. The recantation he extorted from the person

who had thus inveigled him into this infamous plan, made honorable amends to the injured character of the poet. That he had been made a dupe to the duplicity of the enemy of Milton, could, in his own feelings, be but little alleviated by an acknowledgment of his crime. As he harboured po malevolence of feeling towards this sublime writer, posterity have little of which to accuse him; as the best men may at times be deceived, especially when the influence of party feelings fosters their prejudices, and gives to the judgment, for a moment, a bias, which calm reflection, and dispassionate examination, afterwards perceives, acknowledges, and cor

rects.

His "English Dictionary" will long remain a lasting record of the powerful mind of Dr. Johnson. By it, he has fixed the standard of our language, and, with the most indefatigable labor and acuteness, given precision to the meaning of our words, which, hitherto, had been too much neglected by the lexicographers who preceded him. He has pruned of their excrescences the indeterminate signification of many terms, and placed in appro priate gradations the fluctuating import of many expressions. Until his time there had been no author upon whose judgment the world seemed implicitly to rely; and time has since proved, that the stupendous labor, and powerful talents of Johnson have left nothing for succeeding lexico graphers to do in defining the English language.

His benevolent feelings often engaged him in the service of many for whom he had little friendship, and who could lay no claim to the assistance of his pen. The number of dedications, prologues, and recommendatory effusions which issued from it, in behalf of indigent merit, or unaspiring modesty, at once illustrates the kindness of his heart, and the disinterestedness of his motives.

During a season, in which his mind was oppressed with the gloomy reflections of affliction, occasioned by the loss of his aged mother, to whom he was tenderly and affectionately attached, it is related, that he wrote his "Rasselas." This elegant specimen of Oriental in agery, we are told, was written during the evenings of a single week, to enable him to defray the funeral expenses of his deceased parent. Perhaps there is no prosaic effusion, in which the exuberance and harmony of our language has been more artfully combined, or more fully displayed. It is here that he discovers those surprising powers of imagination, which were the astonishment and admiration of mankind. Though the strain of moralizing reflection, which pervades the whole story, seems to partake of the gloomy shades which oc casionally overshadowed his mind, it may yet be questioned, if the world will again soon be favored with a trifle, from any pen, in which it may be, at the same time, more delighted and improved.

In the poetry of Dr. Johnson, if we do not discover the harmony which delights a musical ear, we are fully compensated by an energy of expression, a lofty style, and a critical elegance of diction. The majesty of his numbers resembles the tones of a powerful instrument, not discordant by the strength of their parts. His versification cannot boast of an unbroken melody, but his measures flow like the slow and solemn progress of a mighty river, rather than like the graceful glidings of a shallow stream. If he does not possess the smoothness of poetical numbers, the ear is not fatigued by the sameness of his style; and we may continue to be delighted with the variety and dignity of his expressions, when we should be glad to be relieved from the monotonous harmony of poets of more musical ears. Johnson had for some time been solicited by his bookseller to undertake the editorial department in a splendid edition of the British Poets. This was the last great effort of his mind. His reputation needed not, at this period, an accession to give permanency to his fame; yet another laurel was added to grace his brow.

This stupendous publication, which was to be comprised in seventy volames, in the course of a few years was offered to the world, with the lives

of each author prefixed, containing critical observations on their writings. These prefaces were afterwards republished in four separate volumes, to which was given the title of Johnson's "Lives of the Poets." It is here that the philosophical talents of this great man were fully developed. If a vigorous understanding, a sound judgment, a scrutinizing penetration, com prehensive knowledge, and a discriminating sagacity, were qualifications for such an undertaking, it would have been difficult to discover an indi vidual whose native energy of mind, and critical talents, more peculiarly fitted him than Johnson. He possessed the ability to discern, the judgment to commend, and the taste to admire the excellences of his authors, while, at the same time, he had the independence to condemn their failings, even should his animadversions be in opposition to public opinion. The man who would singly dispute the admiration of his contemporaries, chooses for himself a hazardous undertaking. But the mind of Johnson did not deign to stoop to vulgar prejudices, and his nobleness of spirit spurned at oppos ing the dictates of truth and sound judgment, though error was popular in the best of company. When we compare the decision of his criticisms with the rules of taste, and the learned Institutes of Aristotle and Quintil ian, we are irresistibly compelled to revere his opinions. The "Lives of the English Poets" may justly be considered as the noblest specimen of elegant and solid criticism which any age has produced. It is, however, a matter of surprise, that he should have included many in his list of Eng lish Poets, who are much less entitled to this distinction, than others, who are omitted. In all his work he gives no excuse for excluding the admired author of the Fairy Queen.

His enemies accuse him of writing, in his life of Milton, with a mind warped by unmanly prejudice, and mingling the feelings of party spirit and bigotry in his delineation of the poet. If he has not bestowed the just meed of panegyric as the biographer of Milton, all must allow that he ha done him ample justice as his commentator. His criticism of "Paradise Lost" would have done honor to any pen. As that poem is a production which the genius of Milton only could have produced, so the criticism of Johnson is such as only Johnson could have written.

His "Life of Pope" is a masterly effort of acute judgment and critical skill. He was, perhaps, as justly able to estimate the genius and poetical talents of that English bard, as any man living. Friendship had induced him to write the "Life of Savage," which is prized as one of the finest pieces of biography now extant. His other lives more or less partake of the genius of a writer, who, for nervous elegance and justness of sentiment, has scarcely a competitor. His two prefaces, the one to his "English Dictionary," the other to an edition of Shakspeare, which was published under his superintendence, will long remain the astonishment and admiration of mankind. Few writers have obtained any approach to competition with these pieces. Though entirely different in their subject, the same closeness of thought, purity of diction, nervous strength, and dignity of style, in each are equally conspicuous. Never had an estimate of the genius and merits of Shakspeare been given to the world, to which it would have been safe to yield implicit credence. The truth was, no cne had perfectly un derstood him. He threw light upon parts of his character, which had never before been exposed to view. Learned investigation enabled Johnson to see his author in an aspect which previous commentators had either never noticed, or never had the sagacity to discern. He compares his perform ances with the rules which the genius of antiquity had discovered and il lustrated, and not with the prejudices of modern arrogance and imbecility. He gave the most exalted commendation to a mind, whose intuitive intelligence rendered the laborious acquirement of knowledge, and the culture of study, as but a secondary assistance to its operations; and, though mankind should place but little value upon his commentaries on the text, they may justly feel indebted for his development of the genius of Shakspeare. It is

not a matter of wonder, that the exquisitely beautiful preface to the edition of Shakspeare's plays, should lay claim to such superlative merit. Whether we regard the abundance and classical selection of its allusions, the ac curacy and justice of the criticisms, or its just appreciation of the excellences and defects of the poet, it is equally the subject of admiration.

The literary character of Dr. Johnson, may, perhaps, receive illustration by examining his life, as well as by criticising his writings. That prejudice should have found no place in a mind of such astonishing energy, would seem as wonderful as it must have been rare. It would seem equally strange, if his antipathies were not sometimes manifested in the heat of passion, or in the ardor of debate. The Scotch and Dissenters, the scholars of Cambridge and the Whigs, were often mentioned with more acrimony than discretion. There was, perhaps, no man who more strenuously advocated the principles of subordination, and few who displayed them less in practice. The tempers of men are more under the influence of external circumstances than moral writers in general are disposed to allow. Dr Johnson too severely felt the weight of disappointment and penury in his early years. At a later period, he was gratified by applause and universal adulation. Can it be wonderful, then, that, with the strong feelings of vigorous passions, and the common failings of human nature, he should, at times, be carried away in conversation, and in hasty compositions, farther than his maturer judgment would sanction, or the better feelings of his heart approve. There were few men whose colloquial powers could give more delight to those around him, and scarcely another whose insulted feelings were more awfully dreaded. Though he might not pass for a scientific scholar, the world can have little reason to doubt the extent of his learning, or the unbounded range of his information. His desultory manner of reading made his knowledge more comprehensive than minute; and his quickness of perception gave him an astonishing facility in grasping the ideas of an author without tiring his patience by perusing a whole book. His extraordinary powers of understanding were much cultivated by study, and still more by reflection. The accuracy of his observations, and the justness of his remarks, were the result of mature deliberation and depth of meditation, before he uttered his sentiments; and his memory furnished him with an inexhaustible fund, from which his reasonings were assisted and enforced. The aptness of his illustrations was a strong evidence of the sagacity of his perceptions, and the soundness of his judgment. His observations received additional weight from the loudness of his voice, and the solemnity with which they were delivered. The sophistry of an antagonist always fell a prey to the piercing glance of his penetration; and he became the more elated by triumph when his opponents had been most decided. The great originality which appeared in his writings, resulted from an activity of mind, which habit had accustomed to reason with precision. His conceptions of things sprang not from idle thought or indolent reflection, but from the keen energies of a vigorous intellect, assisted by the efforts of a soaring imagination. His conversation was striking, interesting, and instructive, and required no exertion to be understood, from the perspicuity and force of his remarks; and his zeal for the interests of religion and virtue was often manifested in his discourse. He was expert at argumentation, and the schools of declamation could not boast of a more subtle reasoner, or a more artful sophist, when his side was a bad one; for he often disputed as much for the sake of victory as of truth. His answers were so powerful, that few dared to engage with him. Universal submission, it is likely, gave an apparent dogmatism which he otherwise might not have possessed. If there was an aspect of harsh severity in his retorts, it should be remembered, how fre quently they were provoked by the insults of impertinence and the conceit of ignorance. The specious garb of dissimulation he despised. A noble spirit of indepedence actuated his demeanor. He did not violate the integrity of his feelings by stooping to gratify the pride of rank, when unaccompanied

by a superiority of intellect commensurate with its dignity. His utter abhorrence of flattery and adulation lost him that patronage of the great, which he otherwise might probably sooner have acquired; and he rose to eminence rather by the unassisted efforts of his own genius, than the encouragements of the rich and the learned. He was little indelted to the assistance of his friends for his great reputation. The irresistible energy of his character carried him through all his difficulties with an unbroken spirit, and an unblemished fame. If he paid not his court to the noble, it was not from disrespect to the subordinations of rank in society, but a dislike to the arts of dissimulation, and an aversion to the degradation of science at the shrine of patronage. His sarcastic letter to the Earl of Chesterfield is a noble specimen of his independence of spirit, and his contempt of the ser vile arts of adulation. It is a feeling exposition of the hardships he had endured, until royal munificence placed him beyond the boundaries of want, and smoothed his descent to the grave.

His knowledge of the Greek language, in comparison with his acquaint ance with the Latin, was superficial. In his early years, he had devoted himself so closely to the study of the ancient poets, that it may be questioned, if his familiarity with them in his own times could find a superior. His decisive denunciations against the genuineness of Ossian's poems, created him many opponents, upon a subject, respecting which, "truth had never been established, or fallacy detected."

It is not a little strange, that, in many instances, the biographers of Johnson have appeared like enemies. It may, however, be observed, that few men could have stood the ordeal to which the minuteness of Boswell exposed him, with so much honor to the reputation of their heart and their head. This mighty Caliban of literature is here stripped of every disguise, and held up to public view. Though the world has been delighted and improved by the record of his converation, in which his learning, his genius, and his undisguised sentiments have so conspicuously shone forth, it cannot but be allowed, that it is informed of much, which it was not important, and, perhaps, was not proper for it to know; and that the coloring which the painter has given to his portrait, will admit of many different shades, from which the partiality of friendship should have guarded his pencil. It is here, however, that we may trace the incredible vastness of an intellect, destined to become the glory of his country, and the pride of English literature.

We may contemplate the gigantic powers of Johnson's mind with feelings similar to those sublime emotions with which we view the boundless expanse of the ocean, fathomless to human measurement, and whose ca pacity exceeds our conception. In his writings appears more conspicuously than in his conversation the compass and extent of his understanding. His faculties were vigorous, his curiosity and avidity for knowledge insatiable and unlimited, his mind vehement and ardent, the combinations of his fancy various and original, and his imagination neither clouded or depressed by the discipline of study, or the misfortunes of life. His readers are delighted and astonished at the wonderful beauty of his conceptions, and the depth of reflection which his opinions discover. In his style he is dignified and forcible, in his language elegant and copious. He gives to every word its true meaning, and its illustrative purport. His epithets are used with judgment and discrimination. Every thing which he says has a determinate significancy, and his words convey no more than the import of his conceptions. If he introduces hard words, their peculiar adaptation to his meaning should atone for his grandiloquism. It should also be remembered, that Cicero introduced Greek terms, when treating upon learned subjects, to supply the deficiency of the Roman language, and that the "great and comprehensive conceptions of Johnson could not easily be expressed by common words."

Should it be thought that the style of this learned author has injured our