A

CHRONOLOGICAL CATALOGUE

OF THE

PROSE WORKS' OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.

[N. B. To those which he himself acknowledged is added acknowl. To those which may be fully believed to be his from internal evidence, is added intern. evid.]

1735. ABRIDGEMENT and translation of Lobo's Voyage to Abyssinia. acknowl.

1738. Part of a translation of Father Paul Sarpi's History of the Council of Trent. acknowl.

[N. B. As this work after some sheets were printed, suddenly stopped, I know not whether any part of it is now to be found.]

For the Gentleman's Magazine.

Preface. intern. evid.

Life of Father Paul. acknowl.

1739. A complete vindication of the Licenser of the Stage from the malicious and scandalous aspersions of Mr. Brooke, authour of Gustavus Vasa, acknowl.

I

Marmor Norfolciense: or, an Essay on an ancient prophetical

I do not here include his Poetical Works; for, excepting his Latin Translation of Pope's Messiah, his London, and his Vanity of Human Wishes imitated from Juvenal; his Prologue on the opening of DruryLane Theatre by Mr. Garrick, and his Irene, a Tragedy, they are very numerous, and in general short; and I have promised a complete edition of them, in which I shall with the utmost care ascertain their authen

ticity, and illustrate them with notes and various readings. BOSWELL. Boswell's meaning, though not well expressed, is clear enough. Mr. Croker needlessly suggests that he wrote 'they are not very numerous.' Boswell a second time (post, under Aug. 12, 1784, note) mentions his intention to edit Johnson's poems. He died without doing it. See also post, 1750, Boswell's note on Addison's style.

inscription

A Chronological Catalogue of the Prose Works, &c. 17

inscription in monkish rhyme, lately discovered near Lynne in Norfolk; by PROBUS BRITANNICUS. acknowl.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.

Life of Boerhaave. acknowl.

Address to the Reader. intern. evid.

Appeal to the Publick in behalf of the Editor. intern. evid. Considerations on the case of Dr. Trapp's Sermons; a plausible attempt to prove that an authour's work may be abridged without injuring his property. acknowl.

A free translation of the Jests of Hierocles, with an introduction. intern. evid.

Debate on the Humble Petition and Advice of the Rump Parliament to Cromwell in 1657, to assume the Title of King; abridged, methodized and digested. intern. evid.

Translation of Abbé Guyon's Dissertation on the Amazons. intern, evid.

Translation of Fontenelle's Panegyrick on Dr. Morin. intern.

evid.

1742.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.

Preface. intern, evid.

Essay on the Account of the Conduct of the Duchess of
Marlborough. acknowl.

An Account of the Life of Peter Burman. acknowl.

The Life of Sydenham, afterwards prefixed to Dr. Swan's Edition of his Works. acknowl.

Proposals for printing Bibliotheca Harleiana, or a Catalogue of
the Library of the Earl of Oxford, afterwards prefixed to the
first Volume of that Catalogue, in which the Latin Accounts
of the Books were written by him. acknowl.

Abridgement intitled, Foreign History, intern. evid.
Essay on the Description of China, from the French of Du Halde.
intern, evid.

VOL. I.

C

1743 18

A Chronological Catalogue of the

1743. Dedication to Dr. Mead of Dr. James's Medicinal Dictionary. intern, evid.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.

Preface. intern. evid.

Parliamentary Debates under the Name of Debates in the Senate of Lilliput, from Nov. 19, 1740, to Feb. 23, 1742-3, inclusive. acknowl.

Considerations on the Dispute between Crousaz and Warburton on Pope's Essay on Man. intern. evid.

A Letter announcing that the Life of Mr. Savage was speedily to be published by a person who was favoured with his Confidence. intern. evid.

Advertisement for Osborne concerning the Harleian Catalogue. intern, evid.

1744. Life of Richard Savage. acknowl.

Preface to the Harleian Miscellany. acknowl.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.

Preface. intern. evid.

1745. Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth, with remarks on Sir T. H.'s (Sir Thomas Hanmer's) Edition of Shakspeare, and proposals for a new Edition of that Poet. acknowl.

1747. Plan for a Dictionary of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE, addressed to Philip Dormer, Earl of Chesterfield. acknowl.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.

1748. Life of Roscommon. acknowl.

Foreign History, November. intern. evid.

For Dodsley's PRECEPTOR.

Preface. acknowl.

Vision of Theodore the Hermit. acknowl.

1750. The RAMBLER, the first Paper of which was published 20th of March this year, and the last 17th of March 1752, the day on which Mrs. Johnson died. acknowl.

Letter in the General Advertiser to excite the attention of the
Publick to the Performance of Comus, which was next day to
be acted at Drury-Lane Playhouse for the Benefit of Milton's
Grandaughter. acknowl.

Preface and Postscript to Lauder's Pamphlet intitled, 'An Essay
on Milton's Use and Imitation of the Moderns in his Paradise
Lost.' acknowl.

Prose Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. 19

1751. Life of Cheynel in the Miscellany called 'The Student.' acknowl.

Letter for Lauder, addressed to the Reverend Dr. John Douglas, acknowledging his Fraud concerning Milton in Terms of suitable Contrition. acknowl.

Dedication to the Earl of Middlesex of Mrs. Charlotte Lennox's 'Female Quixotte.' intern. evid.

1753. Dedication to John Earl of Orrery, of Shakspeare Illustrated, by Mrs. Charlotte Lennox. acknowl.

During this and the following year he wrote and gave to his much loved friend Dr. Bathurst the Papers in the Adventurer, signed T. acknowl.

1754. Life of Edw. Cave in the Gentleman's Magazine. acknowl. 1755. A DICTIONARY, with a Grammar and History, of the ENGLISH

LANGUAGE. acknowl.

An Account of an Attempt to ascertain the Longitude at Sea, by an exact Theory of the Variations of the Magnetical Needle, with a Table of the Variations at the most remarkable Cities in Europe from the year 1660 to 1860. acknowl. This he wrote for Mr. Zachariah Williams, an ingenious ancient Welch Gentleman, father of Mrs. Anna Williams whom he for many years kindly lodged in his House. It was published with a Translation into Italian by Signor Baretti. In a Copy of it which he presented to the Bodleian Library at Oxford, is pasted a Character of the late Mr. Zachariah Williams, plainly written by Johnson. intern. evid.

1756. An Abridgement of his Dictionary. acknowl.

Several Essays in the Universal Visitor, which there is some
difficulty in ascertaining. All that are marked with two
Asterisks have been ascribed to him, although I am confident
from internal Evidence, that we should except from these
'The Life of Chaucer,' 'Reflections on the State of
Portugal,' and 'An Essay on Architecture:' And from
the same Evidence I am confident that he wrote 'Further
Thoughts on Agriculture,' and 'A Dissertation on the State
of Literature and Authours.' The Dissertation on the Epi-
taphs written by Pope he afterwards acknowledged, and added
to his 'Idler.'

Life of Sir Thomas Browne prefixed to a new Edition of his
Christian Morals, acknowl.

The Female Quixote was published in 1752. See post, 1762, note.

20

A Chronological Catalogue of the

In the Literary Magazine ; or, Universal Review, which began in

January 1756.

His Original Essays are

Preliminary Address. intern. evid.

An introduction to the Political State of Great Britain. intern. evid.

Remarks on the Militia Bill. intern. evid.

Observations on his Britannick Majesty's Treaties with the
Empress of Russia and the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel. intern.
evid.

Observations on the Present State of Affairs. intern. evid.
Memoirs of Frederick III. King of Prussia. intern. evid.

In the same Magazine his Reviews are of the following Books :

on

'Birch's History of the Royal Society.' - 'Browne's Christian Morals.'' Warton's Essay on the Writings and Genius of Pope, Vol. I.'-' Hampton's Translation of Polybius.' 'Sir Isaac Newton's Arguments in Proof of a Deity.'-' Borlase's History of the Isles of Scilly.'-'Home's Experiments on Bleaching.'-' Browne's History of Jamaica.'-' Hales Distilling Sea Waters, Ventilators in Ships, and curing an ill Taste in Milk.'-' Lucas's Essay on Waters.''Keith's Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops.' - 'Philosophical Transactions, Vol. XLIX.'—‘Miscellanies by Elizabeth Harrison.' -'Evans's Map and Account of the Middle Colonies in America.''The Cadet, a Military Treatise.''The Conduct of the Ministry relating to the present War impartially examined.' intern. evid.

'Mrs. Lennox's Translation of Sully's Memoirs.'-' Letter on the Case of Admiral Byng.'-'Appeal to the People concerning Admiral Byng.'-' Hanway's Eight Days' Journey, and Essay on Tea.'-'Some further Particulars in Relation to the Case of Admiral Byng, by a Gentleman of Oxford.' acknowl.

Mr. Jonas Hanway having written an angry Answer to the
Review of his Essay on Tea, Johnson in the same Collection
made a Reply to it. acknowl. This is the only Instance, it is
believed, when he condescended to take Notice of any Thing
that had been written against him; and here his chief Intention
seems to have been to make Sport.

Dedication to the Earl of Rochford of, and Preface to, Mr. Payne's
Introduction to the Game of Draughts. acknowl.

Introduction