had by this time, by the ftudy of the best of our old English writers, fuch as Sir Thomas More, Afcham, Hooker, Spenfer, archbishop Sandys, Jewell Chillingworth, Hales of Eton, and others, formed a new one, confifting in original phrases and new combinations of the intergal parts of fentences, which, with the infufion of words derived from the Latin, and accommodated to our idiom, were fuch an improvement of the lan guage as greatly tended to enrich it; Cave, therefore, thought him a fit perfon to conduct this part of his monthly publication, and, difmiffing Guthrie, committed the care of it to Johnson.' On Johnson's private character it may be proper to felect our biographer's remarks.

Though his character through life was marked with a roughnefs that approached to ferocity, it was in the power of almoft every one to charm him into mildnefs, and to render him gentle and placid, and even courteous, by fuch a patient and respectful attention as is due to every one, who, in his difcourfe, fignifies a defire either to inftruct or delight. Bred to no profeffion, without relations, friends, or intereft, Johnfon was an adventurer in the wide world, and had his fortunes to make the arts of infinuation and addrefs were, in his opinion, too flow in their operation to answer his purpofe; and he rather chofe to difplay his parts to all the world, at the rifque of being thought arrogant, than to wait for the affiftance of fuch friends as he could make, or the patronage of fome individual that had power or influence, and who might have the kindness to take him by the hand, and lift him into notice. With all that af

perity of manners with which he has been charged, and which kept at a distance many, who, to my knowledge, would have been glad of an intimacy with him, he poffeffed the affections of pity and compaffion in a most eminent degree.

To a perfon of this kind, the restraints which private focieties neceffarily impofe must have been irkfome; the general attention which polished manners require could not have, been agreeable. Dr. Johnfon found himself, therefore, at his eafe in a tavern ; and a tavern chair was, in his opinion, the throne of human felicity.' Johnson was not fingular; and, if taverns are now lefs frequented than formerly, we must impute it to the general improvement of manners and goodbreeding, which makes the decorum of private fociety even pleafing to an cafe of manners, which renders the practice of a proper attention, not merely the study of ceremonies.

To Johnfon's fondness for the fociety of taverns, we may impute his acquaintance with people whom he would other wife have rejected. The infinuating manners of Savage, in thefe moments of relaxation, had great influence, and led him to overlook that laxity of conduct, which Johnson's ftera morality

morality would not otherwife have tolerated. To Dr. Levett he could not have been introduced at the fame time; but the editor has found a better reafon for this connection than the fecret tranfgreffions,' of which he thinks Johnson felt the We shall felect the knight's obfervations on these

fubjects.

It may be conjectured, that Johnfon was captivated by the addrefs and demeanour of Savage, at his first approach; for it most be noted of him, that, though he was always an admirer of genteel manners, he at this time had not been accustomed to the converfation of gentlemen; and Savage, as to his exterior, was, to a remarkable degree, accomplished; he was a handfome, well made man, and very courteous in the modes of falutation. I have been told, that in the taking off his hat and difpofing it under his arm, and in his bow, he displayed as much grace as thofe actions were capable of; and that he underflood the exercife of a gentleman's weapon, may be inferred from the ufe he made of it in that rafh encounter which is related in his life, and to which his greatest misfortunes were owing. Thefe accomplishments, and the eafe and pleasantry of his converfation, were probably the charms that wrought on Johnfon, and hid from his view thofe bafer qualities of Savage, with which, as his hiftorian, he has nevertheless been neceffimark his character. The fimilarity of their circumftances might farther conduce to beget an unreserved confidence in each other; they had both felt the pangs of poverty, and the want of patronage: Savage had let loofe his refentment against the poffeffors of wealth, in a collection of poems, printed about the year 1727, and Johnfon was ripe for an avowal of the fame fentiments: they feemed both to agree in the vulgar opinion, that the world is divided into two claffes, of men of merit without riches, and men of wealth without merit never confidering the poffibility that both might concenter in the fame person; juft as when, in the comparison of woman, we say, that virtue is of more value than beauty, we forget that many are poffeffed of both.

:

In fpeculations of this kind, and a mutual condolence of their fortunes, they paffed many a melancholy hour, and thofe at a time when, it might be fuppofed, the reflection on them had made repofe defirable: on the contrary, that very reflection is known to have interrupted it. Johnson has told me, that whole nights have been spent by him and Savage in converfations of this kind, not under the hofpitable roof of a tavern, where warmth might have invigorated their fpirit and wine difpelled their care; but in a perambulation round the fquares of Westminster, St. James's in particular, when all the money they could bath raife was lefs than fufficient to purchafe for them the fhelter and fordid comforts of a night cellar.

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Of the refult of their converfations little can now be known, fave, that they gave rife to thofe principles of patriotifm, that both, for fome years after, avowed; they both with the fame eye faw, or believed they faw, that the then minifter meditated the ruin of this country; that excife laws, standing armies, and penal ftatutes, were the means by which he meant to effect it; and, at the rifque of their liberty, they were bent to oppofe his meafures; but Savage's fpirit was broken by the fenfe of his indi gence, and the preffure of thofe misfortunes which his imprudence had brought on him, and Johnfon was left alone to maintain the conteft.

The character and manners of Savage were fuch, as leave us little room to think, that Johnfon could profit by his converfation: whatever were his parts and accomplishments, he had no reading, and could furnish no intelligence to fuch a mind as Johnfon's: his vagrant courfe of life had made him acquainted with the town and its vices; and though I am not warranted to fay, that Johnfon was infected with them, I have reafon to think, that he reflected with as little approbation on the hours he spent with Savage as on any period of his life.'

That Levett had no learning, it may be too much to affert; yet concealed learning is fcarcely fuperior to ignorance; fince the candle is of little ufe that is not allowed to give light. The language of this paffage is tinctured with the peculiarities of our author's ftyle, yet we infert it on account of its conclufion.

The fincere and lafting friendship that fubfifted between Johnson and Levett may ferve to fhew, that although a fimilarity of difpofitions and qualities has a tendency to beget affection, or fomething very nearly refembling it, it may be contracted and fubfift where this inducement is wanting; for hardly were ever two men lefs like each other, in this refpect, than were they. Levett had not an understanding capable of comprehending the talents of Johnfon: the mind of Johnfon was therefore, as to him, a blank; and Johnson, had the eye of his mind been more penetrating than it was, could not difcern, what did not exist, any particulars in Levett's character that at all refembled his own. He had no learning, and confequently was an unfit companion for a learned man; and though it may be faid, that having lived fome years abroad, he muft have feen and remarked many things that would have afforded entertainment in the relation, this advantage was counterballanced by an utter inability for continued conversation, taci turnity being one of the most obvious features in his character. the confideration of all which particulars almoft compel me to fay, that Levett admired Johnfon because others admired him, and that Johnfon in pity loved Levett, becaufe few others could find any thing in him to love.

It is the common failing of biographers to magnify the virtues of their fubject. The knight is not fo complaifant as fome authors of the fame kind; he brings Johnfon's failings into open day-light; and, as we have hinted, magnifies them. There is one inftance which we must infert, to brand our author's uncharitable mifreprefentations with the infamy which they deferve.

He once mentioned to me a faying of Dr. Nicholls, and highly commended it, viz. that it was a point of wisdom to form intimacies, and to choofe for our friends only perfons of known worth and integrity, and that to do fo had been the rule of his life. It is, therefore, difficult to account for the conduct of Johnfon in the choice of many of his affociates, and particularly of those who, when his circumftances became eafy, he fuffered to intrude on him. Of thefe he had fome at bed and board, who had elbowed through the world, and fubfifted by lying, begging, and shifting, all which he knew, but feemed to think never the worfe of them. In his endeavours to promote the interests of people of this clafs he, in fome inftances, avent fuch lengths as were hardly confiftent with that integrity which "he manifefted on all other occafions; for he would frequently, by letters, recommend thofe to credit, who could obtain it by no other means, and thereby enabled them to contract debts, which he had good reafon to fufpect, they neither could nor ever would pay.'

Sir John Hawkins has, unintentionally we believe, for the man who could write the former fentence must have felt no fincere regard for his friend, or retained no respect for his memory: we may be, therefore, allowed to fay, that he has unintentionally given a better eulogium on the native powers. of Johnson's mind than any of his other panegyrifts, by pointing out his indolence, and his numerous avocations of amufement. His comprehenfion must have been uncommonly clear and ftrong, his difcrimination acute, and his judgment found.

We have already obferved, that Johnfon makes the fmalleft part of the History of his own Life; like the lady who, when full-dreffed, was herself the leaft part of the whole figure. In a future article we must fay fomething of Johnfon's friends, and speak more particularly of the knight's peculiar ftyle. In examining the Life of Johnson, we have brought his biographer forward in the most advantageous manner. Those who have read his whole work may follow Sylvanus Urban, who, with no great urbanity, once faid to an author, You have publifhed a book, fir, and I hear there is a very good paragraph in it did you write that yourself.'

A Hiftory

A Hiftory of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the Souther Provinces of North America. By Lieutenant-colonel Tarleton. 410. 11. 65. Cadell.

THIS Hiftory is, in general, a compilation of the official

letters of the British officers, both in the fea and land fervice; of the American and French commanders, which have appeared in the news-papers, with lord Rawdon's much admired campaign, from the Remembrancer and Annual Regifter. The military tranfactions are collected into a regular order the author, lieutenant-colonel Tarleton, enters into a very minute detail of his own fervices, and makes a very free comment on those of others, and in particular of lord Cornwallis. His conclufions are not, however, always logically deduced, nor, as we conceive, warranted by military fcience. We must examine colonel Tarleton's opinions in general, and his criticisms on others, particularly on lord Rawdon and lord Cornwallis; for we do not find any information very interesting or uncommon in the tranfactions themfelves. The plans are useful and correctly executed.

The detail of military actions is feldom of importance to any but thofe of the profeffion, and they neceffarily make the greatest part of a publication of this nature. As an hiftory,

it ought to be authenticated by public papers, but, as a work of general information, it is not pleafing to hear the most trifling circumftances digefted by a minute hiftorian, and to read them again in the official letters of the commanders. As a fpecimen of our author's manner, and his reasoning, we fhall felect the paffage commenting on the action of the Cowpens. Colonel Tarleton relates the hiftory of the action, nearly as it is described in the marquis de Chaftellux's Travels; if there had been an effential difference we fhould have pointed it out, according to our promife.

On the 14th earl Cornwallis informed Tarleton that Leslie had furmounted his difficulties, and that he imagined the enemy would not pass the Broad-river, though it had fallen very much. Tarleton then anfwered, that he would try to cross the Pacolet, to force them, and defired earl Cornwallis to acquire as high a station as poffible, in order to ftop their retreat. No letter, order, or intelligence, from head-quarters reached Tarleton after this reply, previous to the defeat on the 17th, and af ter that event he found earl Cornwallis on I urkey-creek, near twenty-five miles below the place where the action had happened. The diftance between Wynnefborough and King's-mountain, or Wynne fborough and Little Broad-river, which would have answered the fame purpose, does not exceed fixty-five miles; earl Cornwallis commenced his march on the 7th or 8th of Ja

nuary.