For this stupendous labour Johnson received the sum of 1575l. a very inadequate price, when we consider the space of time it occupied, and the expenses which he incurred in its prosecution. Its merits and defects it is not my province here to discuss. During the period that he was engaged upon his Dictionary he relaxed from the dry pursuits of lexicography, by occasional compositions of a more imaginative kind. 'The Vision of Theodore, the Hermit of Teneriffe,' a beautiful allegory of the life of man, which he himself thought the best of his writings, was published in Dodsley's preceptor, in 1748. The Vanity of Human Wishes,' being the tenth satire of Juvenal imitated, was published in 1749. It breathes a strain of calm and dignified philosophy more pleasing to the mind than the party exaggeration of the prior satire.' His adaptation of the poem to modern times and manners is happy and judicious, his selection of characters and examples peculiarly so; that of Charles of Sweden, for terseness and vigour of thought and elegance of expression, stands unrivaled, The conclusion of the poem is in a noble strain of moral pathos. In the same year Garrick kindly offered to produce his tragedy of Irene' on the stage, and after some alterations, unwillingly permitted by the author, it appeared; but was received with no great favour by the public, lingered a few nights, and was then withdrawn. Johnson's genius was by no means of a dramatic character. Irene' is rather a series of moral dialogues than a tragedy; the plot is uninteresting, the incidents such as scarcely command attention in the closet; and he who could point out in Cato and the tragedies of the French school how Declamation roar'd while Passion slept, knew not how to avoid the same defect: his own lines are remarkably applicable : Yet still did Virtue deign the stage to tread, There are fine philosophical sentiments in his tragedy; but the versification has not a natural and harmonious flow, and it is even a frigid dramatic poem. The Rambler' was commenced on the twentieth of March, 1750, and continued every Tuesday and Saturday for two years. It was not very successful at first, but gradually gained ground in public estimation; and he had the satisfaction of living to see ten large editions dispersed in England alone, besides those printed in Ireland and Scotland. No more striking proof of the energy and fertility of Johnson's mind can be required than the recollection that this admirable work was written in the intervals snatched from his lexicographical labours, at a time too when he was afflicted by ill health and other impediments to mental exertion. Soon after the termination of this paper he sustained a loss which overwhelmed him with the most poignant grief. His wife died in March, 1752. He had manifested the most sincere affection for her upon all occasions, and of the defects of her person or of her conduct he does not seem to have been sensible. She is said to have been unworthy of his sincere attachment: she by no means treated him with that complacency which is the most engaging quality of a wife; was negligent of economy in her domestic affairs, and indulged in country air and nice living, at an unsuitable expense, while her husband was drudging in the smoke of London.' It has been justly remarked, that love is not a subject of reasoning, but of feeling.' It is believed that Johnson married her for love, the impression which her imaginary beauty had originally made upon his imagination had not been effaced, and he had a high opinion of N her understanding. At her death he was agonized, and cherished her image as the companion of his most solemn moments. The world is sufficiently acquainted with the singularity of his prayers for Tetty, as he endearingly called her, from that time to the end of his life. A childless widower, a prey to sorrow in a solitary home, Johnson sought a remedy for his deprivation, abroad, in the society of his extensive circle of acquaintance. One adventure, which contrasts agreeably with his more habitual gloomy view of life, has been recorded, which may serve to show that his conduct was not always so solemn as his essays. He reckoned among his more intimate companions two young men of elegant manners, who had conceived the most sincere esteem for him, Bennet Langton and Topham Beauclerk. They had supped one night at a tavern, and sat till about three o'clock in the morning, when it came into their heads to go and knock up Johnson, and see if they could prevail on him to join them in a ramble. They rapped violently at the door of his chambers in the Temple, till, at last, he appeared in his shirt, with his little black wig on the top of his head, instead of a night cap, and a poker in his hand; imagining, probably, that some ruffians were coming to attack him. When he discovered who they were, and was told their errand, he smiled, and with great good humour agreed to their proposal. What! is it you, ye dogs! I'll have a frisk with you.' He was soon dressed; and they sallied forth together into Covent Garden, where the green grocers and fruiterers were beginning to arrange their hampers. Johnson made some attempts to help them; but the honest gardeners stared so at his figure and manner, and odd interference, that he soon saw his services were not relished. They then repaired to one of the neighbouring taverns, and made a bowl of that liquor called bishop, which Johnson had always liked; while in joyous contempt of sleep, from which he had been roused, he repeated the festive lines, Short, oh, short then be thy reign, And give us to the world again. They did not stay long, but walked down to the Thames, took a boat and rowed to Billingsgate. Beauclerk and Johnson were so well pleased with their amusement that they resolved to persevere in dissipation for the rest of the day; but Langton deserted them, being engaged to breakfast with some young ladies. Johnson scolded him for leaving his social friends, to go and sit with a set of wretched 'un-idea'd girls!' Among his acquaintance was one for whom he had conceived a singular predilection, and who now became so necessary to him that he was hardly able to live without him. Robert Levet was an apothecary, whose practice lay among the lower order of people, Johnson held his abilities in such estimation as to consult him in all that related to his health. This humble friend he now drew into a closer intimacy, and gave him an apartment in his house, where he continued to reside during the remainder of his life. He waited upon him every morning at breakfast, and was frequently seen no more by him till midnight. Levet was a man of strange grotesque appearance, stiff and formal in his manner, and seldom said a word while any company was present. He requited the friendship of Johnson by repeated proofs of tenderness and affection. On his death Johnson paid a just tribute to his memory in some lines which are well known, and which do no less honour to his own feeling heart than to the subject of his panegyric. They are above all praise. When the time for publishing the Dictionary drew ncar, Chesterfield, who had treated Johnson with un pardonable neglect, courted a reconciliation, in hopes of figuring in a dedication. He therefore wrote in praise of the undertaking in the periodical paper called "The World,' and made other overtures; but Johnson rejected his advances and spurned his patronage, in a letter which he addressed to him; and which is justly considered as a model of courtly sarcasm and manly reprehension, couched in respectful but cutting terms. The University of Oxford, at the solicitation of Thomas Warton, conferred upon Johnson the degree of M. A. which was considered as an honour of considerable importance at this juncture, in order to grace the title page of the Dictionary. The sum which he was to receive for this laborious work had been expended during the course of its compilation, and at its completion he found himself obliged to use unremitted exertions to provide for his immediate necessities. An edition of Shakspeare, with notes, was announced by subscription; this, and the profits arising from his miscellaneous essays, were his only sources, and they did not suffice to keep him out of embarrassment; for he was under arrest for the small sum of five pounds eighteen shillings in March, 1756; and applied to Richardson, the printer, for a loan to that amount to set him free, which was immediately sent to him. He was at this time a contributor to "The Universal Visitor' and 'The Literary Magazine,' two periodical publications, for which he wrote many essays and articles of criticism. He also wrote the Life of Sir Thomas Browne,' which was prefixed to an edition of the Christian Morals' of that interesting and original writer, whose works had long been a favourite study with Johnson. 6 He had been offered a living of considerable value by the father of his friend Mr. Langton, but he did not think proper to take orders. In April, 1758, he began "The Idler,' which was published every Satur |