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 Trie Rambler may be considered as Johnson's great work. It w,as the basis of that high reputation which went on increasing ta the end of his days. The circulation of those periodical essays was not, at first, equal to their merit. They had not, like the Spectators, the art of charming by variety ; and indeed how could it be expected? The wits of queen Anne's reign sent their contributions to the Spectator ; and Johnson stood alone. A stage-coach, says Sir Richard Steele, must go forward on stated days, whether there are passengers or not x. So it was with the Rambler, every Tuesday and Saturday, for two years. Itf this collection Johnson is the great moral teacher of his /countrymen ; his essays form a body of ethics ; the observations on life and manners are acute and instructive ; and the papers, Wofessedly critical, serve to promote the cause of literature. It must, however, be acknowledged, that a settled gloom hangs over the author's mind ; and all the essays, except eight or ten 2 , coming from the same fountain-head, no wonder that they have the raciness of the soil from which they sprung. Of this uni formity Johnson was sensible. He used to say, that if he had joined a friend or two, who would have been able to intermix papers of a sprightly turn, the collection would have been more miscellaneous, and, by consequence, more agreeable to the generality of readers. This he used to illustrate by repeating two beautiful stanzas from his own Ode to Cave, or Sylvanus

Non ulla Musis pagina gratior, Quam quas severis ludicra jungere Novit, fatigatamque nugis

Utilibus recreare mentem. Texente nymphis serta Lycoride, Rosae ruborem sic viola adjuvat

Immista, sic Iris refulget /^,

^thereis variata fucis.

1 ' When a man has engaged to number of words, whether there be

keep a stage-coach he is obliged, any news in it or not. They may

whether he has passengers or not, to likewise be compared to a stage-

set out. Thus it fares with us weekly coach, which performs constantly the

historians.' The Tatter, No. 12. same course, empty as well as full.'

' Such histories as these do in Tom Jones, bk. ii. c. I.

reality very much resemble a news- 2 Ante, p. 392.

paper, which consists of just the same 3 Life, i. 113 ', ante, p. 377-

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