Page:Johnsonian Miscellanies I.djvu/431

 He was again reduced to the expedient of short compositions for the supply of the day. The writer of this narrative has now before him a letter in Dr. Johnson's hand-writing, which shews the distress and melancholy situation of the man, who had written the Rambler, and finished the great work of his Dictionary. The letter is directed to Mr. Richardson (the author of Clarissa), and is as follows :

'SIR,

I am obliged to entreat your assistance. I am now under an arrest for five pounds eighteen shillings. Mr. Strahan, from whom I should have received the necessary help in this case, is not at home; and I am afraid of not finding Mr. Millar. If you will be so good as to send me this sum, I will very gratefully repay you, and add it to all former obligations. I am Sir, Your most obedient

and most humble servant,

SAMUEL JOHNSON.

Gough Square, 16 March V

In the margin of this letter there is a memorandum in these words: 'March 16, 1756. Sent six guineas. Witness, Wm. Richardson. 5 For the honour of an admired writer it is to be regretted, that we do not find a more liberal entry. To his friend in distress he sent eight shillings more than was wanted. Had an incident of this kind occurred in one of his Romances, Richardson would have known how to grace his hero ; but in fictitious scenes generosity costs the writer nothing.

About this time Johnson contributed several papers to a periodical Miscellany, called The VISITOR, from motives which are highly honourable to him, a compassionate regard for the late Mr. Christopher Smart 2. The criticism on Pope's Epitaphs appeared in that work 3. In a short time after, he became a reviewer in the Literary Magazine 4, under the auspices

1 Life, i. 303, n. I ; Letters, i. 61. 3 They were afterwards added first Strahan was the printer and Millar to his Idler and later on to his Life one of the publishers of the Dictionary, of Pope. Life, i. 287 ; iv. 321. 4 Life, i. 307.

a Ib. ii. 345. See ante, p. 320.

of

�� �