Page:Biographia Hibernica volume 2.djvu/422

 4.18 MALONE. last appeared; and was sought after and read with the greatest avidity. In 1791, appeared Mr. Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson, a work in which Mr. Malone felt at a l l times a very lively interest, and gave every assistance t o i t s author during its progress which i t was i n his power t o bestow. His ac quaintance with this gentleman commenced i n 1785, when, happening accidentally, a t Mr. Baldwin's printing house, t o be shewn a sheet o f the Tour t o the Hebrides, which contained Johnson's character, he was s o much struck with the spirit and fidelity o f the portrait, that h e requested t o b e introduced t o i t s writer. From this period a friendship took place between them, which ripened into the strictest and most cordial intimacy, and lasted without interruption a s long a s Mr. Boswell lived. After his death, i n 1795, Mr. Malone continued t o shew every mark o f affectionate attention towards his family; and i n every successive edition o f Johnson's Life, took the most un wearied pains t o render i t a s correct and perfect a s pos sible. I n 1795, h e was again called forth t o display his zeal i n defence o f Shakspeare, against the contemptible fabrica tions with which the Irelands endeavoured t o delude the public. Mr. Malone saw through the falsehood o f the whole from i t s commencement; and laid bare the fraud, i n a pamphlet, which was written i n the form o f a letter t o his friend Lord Charlemont. I n 1792, h e had the misfortune t o lose his admirable friend Sir Joshua Reynolds; and his executors, o f whom Mr. Malone had the honour t o b e one, having determined, i n 1797, t o give the world a complete collection o f his works, h e superin tended the publication, and prefixed t o i t a very pleasing biographical sketch o f their author. He collected toge ther, and published i n 1800, the prose works o f Dryden; which, a s they had lain scattered about, and were some o f them appended t o works which were little known, had never impressed the general reader with that opinion o f their excellence which they deserved. The narrative