furpaffed him. He who could difplay eloquence and wit in defence of the decifion of the Houfe of Commons upon Mr. Wilkes's election for Middlefex, and of the unconstitutional taxation of our fellow fubjects in America, must have been a powerful advocate in any caufe. But here, also, the want of a degree was an infurmountable bar, He was, therefore, under the neceffity of perfevering in that course, into which he had been forced; and we find, that his propofal from Greenwich to Mr. Cave, for a translation of Father Paul Sarpi's History, was accepted". Some sheets of this tranflation were printed off, but the defign was dropt; for it happened, oddly enough, that another perfon of the name of Samuel Johnfon, Librarian of St.. Martin's in the Fields, and Curate of that parish, engaged in the fame undertaking, and was patronised by the Clergy, particularly by Dr. Pearce, afterwards Bishop of Rochester. Several light fkirmishes paffed between the rival tranflators, in the newspapers of the day; and the confequence was, that they deftroyed each other, for neither of them went on with the work. It is much to be regretted, that the able performance of that celebrated genius FRA PAOLO, loft the advantage of being incorporated into British literature by the masterly hand of Johnson. I have in my poffeffion, by the favour of Mr. John Nichols, a paper in Johnson's hand-writing, entitled "Account between Mr. Edward Cave and. Sam. Johnson, in relation to a verfion of Father Paul, &c. begun August the 2d, 1738;" by which it appears, that from that day to the 21st of April, 7 In the Weekly Mifcellany, October 21, 1738, there appeared the following advertisement : Juft published, Propofals for printing the Hiftory of the Council of Trent, tranflated from the Italian of Father Paul Sarpi; with the Authour's Life, and Notes theological, historical, and critical, from the French edition of Dr. Le Courayer. To which are added, Obfervations on the History, and Notes and Illuftrations from various Authours, both printed and manuscript. By S. Johnfon. 1. The work will confift of two hundred sheets, and be two volumes in quarto, printed on good paper and letter. 2. The price will be 18s. each volume, to be paid, half a guinea. at the time of fubfcribing, half a guinea at the delivery of the first volume, and the reft at the delivery of the fecond volume in fheets. 3. Two-pence to be abated for every sheet lefs than two hundred. It may be had on a large paper, in three volumes, at the price of three guineas; one. to be paid at the time of fubfcribing, another at the delivery of the firft, and the reft at the delivery of the other volumes. The work is now in the prefs, and will be diligently profecuted. Subfcriptions are taken in by Mr. Dodsley in Pall-Mall, Mr. Rivington in St. Paul's Church-yard,, by E. Cave at St. John's Gate,, and the Tranflator, at No. 6 in Cattle-ftreet, by CavendishSquare." Johnfor 1738. Etat. 29. 1738. Etat. 29. Johnfon received for this work 491. 75. in fums of one, two, three, and fome- "SIR, To Mr. CAVE. Wednesday. " I DID not care to detain your fervant while I wrote an answer to your letter, in which you seem to infinuate that I had promifed more than I am ready to perform. If I have raised your expectations by any thing that may have escaped my memory, I am forry; and if you remind me of it, shall thank you for the favour. If I made fewer alterations than ufual in the Debates, it was only because there appeared, and still appears to be, less need of alteration. The verfes to Lady Firebrace may be had when you please, for you know that such a subject neither deserves much thought, nor requires it. "The Chinese Stories may be had folded down when you pleafe to fend, in which I do not recollect that you defired any alterations to be made. "An answer to another query I am very willing to write, and had confulted with you about it last night if there had been time; for I think it the most proper way of inviting fuch a correspondence as may be an advantage to the paper, not a load upon it. "As to the Prize Verfes, a backwardness to determine their degrees of merit is not peculiar to me. You may, if you pleafe, ftill have what I can say; but I shall engage with little spirit in an affair, which I fhall hardly end to my own fatisfaction, and certainly not to the fatisfaction of the parties concerned'. "As to Father Paul, I have not yet been juft to my propofal, but have met with impediments, which, I hope, are now at an end; and if you find They afterwards appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine with this title, "Verfes to Lady Firebrace, at Bury Affizes." 9 Du Halde's Defcription of China was then publishing by Mr. Cave in weekly numbers, whence Johnson was to felect pieces for the embellishment of the Magazine. N. The premium of forty pounds propofed for the best poem on the Divine Attributes is here alluded to. N. the the progress hereafter not fuch as you have a right to expect, you can easily ftimulate a negligent tranflator. "If any or all of these have contributed to your difcontent, I will endeavour to remove it; and defire you to propose the question to which you wish for an answer. I am, Sir, 1738. Etat. 29: "Your humble fervant, "SAM. JOHNSON." To Mr. CAVE. [No date.] « SIR, "I AM pretty much of your opinion, that the Commentary cannot be profecuted with any appearance of fuccefs; for as the names of the authours concerned are of more weight in the performance than its own intrinsick merit, the publick will be foon fatisfied with it. And I think the Examen fhould be pushed forward with the utmoft expedition.. Thus, This day, &c.. An Examen of Mr. Pope's Effay, &c. containing a fuccinct Account of the Philosophy of Mr. Leibnitz on the System of the Fatalifts, with a Confutation of their Opinions, and an Illustration of the Doctrine of Free-will;' [with what else you think proper]. "It will, above all, be neceffary to take notice, that it is a thing diftinct from the Commentary. "I was fo far from imagining they ftood ftill, that I conceived them to have a good deal beforehand, and therefore was lefs anxious in providing them more. But if ever they stand still on my account, it must doubtless be charged to me; and whatever else shall be reasonable, I fhall not oppose; but beg a fufpenfe of judgement till morning, when I must intreat you to fend me a dozen propofals, and you fhall then have copy to fpare.. I am, Sir, "Your's, impranfus, "SAM. JOHNSON." "Pray mufter up the Propofals if you can, or let the boy recall them from the bookfellers." But although he correfponded with Mr. Cave concerning a translation of Croufaz's Examen of Pope's Effay on Man, and gave advice as one anxious for its fuccefs, I was long ago conivnced by a perufal of the Preface, 2 The compofitors in Mr. Cave's printing-office, who appear by this letter to have then waited for copy. N.. that 1738. that this translation was erroneously afcribed to him; and I have found this Atat. 29. point afcertained, beyond all doubt, by the following article in Dr. Birch's Manuscripts in the British Museum: "ELISIA CARTERÆ. S. P. D. THOMAS BIRCH. Verfionem tuam Examinis Croufaziani jam perlegi. Summam ftyli et elegantiam. et in re difficillima proprietatem, admiratus. "Dabam Novemb. 27° 1738'." Indeed Mrs. Carter has lately acknowledged to Mr. Seward, that she was the tranflator of the Examen. It is remarkable, that Johnson's laft quoted letter to Mr. Cave concludes with a fair confession that he had not a dinner; and it is no less remarkable, that, though in this state of want himself, his benevolent heart was not infenfible to the neceffities of an humble labourer in literature, as appears from the very next letter: To Mr. CAVE. "DEAR SIR, [No date.] "YOU may remember I have formerly talked with you about a Military Dictionary. The eldest Mr. Macbean, who was with Mr. Chambers, has very good materials for fuch a work, which I have feen, and will do it at a very low rate. I think the terms of War and Navigation might be comprifed, with good explanations, in one 8vo. Pica, which he is willing to do for twelve fhillings a fheet, to be made up a guinea at the second impreffion. you think on it, I will wait on you with him. I am, Sir, "Your humble fervant, If "Pray lend me Topfel on Animals.' " "SAM. JOHNSON." I must not omit to mention, that this Mr. Macbean was a native of Scotland. * In the Gentleman's Magazine of this year, Johnson gave a Life of Father Paul; and he wrote the Preface to the Volume,† which, though prefixed to it when bound, is always published with the Appendix, and is therefore the last compofition belonging to it. The ability and nice adaptation with which he could draw up a prefatory addrefs, was one of his peculiar excellencies. 3 Birch MSS. Brit. Muf. 4320. It appears too, that he paid a friendly attention to Mrs. Elizabeth Carter, for, in a letter from Mr. Cave to Dr. Birch, November 28, this year, I find "Mr. Johnson advises Mifs C. to undertake a tranflation of Boethius de Cons. because there is profe and verfe, and to put her name to it when published." This advice was not followed, probably from an apprehenfion that the work was not fufficiently popular for an extensive fale. How well Johnson himself could have executed a tranflation of this philofophical poet, we may judge from a specimen which he has given in the Rambler : "O qui perpetuâ mundum ratione gubernas, "Disjice terrenæ nubulas et pondera molis, "With filent confidence and holy reft; "From thee, great GOD! we fpring, to thee we tend, In 1739, befide the affiftance which he gave to the Parliamentary Debates, his writings in the Gentleman's Magazine were, "The Life of Boerhaave,*” in which it is to be observed, that he difcovers that love of chymiftry which never forfook him; "An Appeal to the Publick in behalf of the Editor;+" "An Address to the Reader ;+" "An Epigram both in Greek and Latin to Eliza,*" and alfo English verses to her; and, "A Greek Epigram to Dr. Birch.*" It has been erroneously supposed, that an Effay published in that Magazine this year, entitled "The Apotheofis of Milton," was written by Johnson; and on that fuppofition it has been improperly inferted in the edition of his works by the bookfellers, after his decease. Were there no positive testimony as to this point, the style of the performance, and the name of Shakspeare not being mentioned in an Effay profeffedly reviewing the principal English poets, would ascertain it not to be the production of Johnson. But 1739. Etat. 30 |