1738. Etat. 29. Ad URBANUM.* URBANE, nullis feffe laboribus, Juxta animo ftudiifque felix. Lingue procacis plumbea fpicula, Intende nervos, fortis, inanibus Non ulla Mufis pagina gratior, Utilibus recreare mentem. Texente Nymphis ferta Lycoride, A tranflation of this Ode, by an unknown correfpondent, appeared in the Magazine for the month of May following: "Hail URBAN! indefatigable man, "Unwearied yet by all thy useful toil! "Whom num'rous flanderers affault in vain ; Flourishes fair, and shall for ever grow. "What Etat. 29. It appears that he was now enlisted by Mr. Cave as a regular coadjutor in 1738. his magazine, by which he probably obtained a tolerable livelihood. At what time, or by what means, he had acquired a competent knowledge both of French and Italian, I do not know; but he was fo well skilled in them, as to be fufficiently qualified for a translator. That part of his labour which confifted in emendation and improvement of the productions of other contributors, like that employed in levelling ground, can be perceived only by thofe who had an opportunity of comparing the original with the altered copy. What we certainly know to have been done by him in this way, was the Debates in both houfes of Parliament, under the name of "The Senate of "Unheeded pafs: and tho' they mean thee wrong, "By manly filence difappoint their rage. "Affiduous diligence confounds its foes, "Exert thy powers, nor flacken in the course, Thy labours fhall be crown'd with large fuccefs; "No page more grateful to th' harmonious nine "Where folemn themes in fuller fplendour shine, "Thus when the nymphs in fome fair verdant mead, 1738. Aiat. 29. Lilliput," fometimes with feigned denominations of the feveral speakers, fometimes with denominations formed of the letters of their real names, in the manner of what is called anagram, fo that they might eafily be decyphered. Parliament then kept the prefs in a kind of mysterious awe, which made it neceffary to have recourfe to fuch devices. In our time it has acquired an unreftrained freedom, fo that the people in all parts of the kingdom have a fair, open, and exact report of the actual proceedings of their reprefentatives and legiflators; which in our conftitution is highly to be valued, though, unquestionably, there has of late been too much reason to complain of the petulance with which obfcure fcribblers have prefumed to treat men of the moft refpectable character and fituation. This important article of the Gentleman's Magazine was, for feveral years, executed by Mr. William Guthrie, a man who deferves to be refpectably recorded in the literary annals of this country. He was defcended of an ancient family in Scotland; but having a small patrimony, and being an adherent of the unfortunate houfe of Stuart, he could not accept of any office in the state; he therefore came to London, and employed his talents and learning as an "Authour by profeffion." His writings in history, criticism, and politicks, had confiderable merit. He was the first English historian who had recourfe to that authentick fource of information, the Parliamentary Journals; and fuch was the power of his political pen, that, at an early period, government thought it worth their while to keep it quiet by a penfion, which he enjoyed till his death. Johnson esteemed him enough to wish that his life fhould be written. The debates in Parliament, which were brought home and digested by Guthrie, whofe memory, though furpaffed by others who have fince followed him in the fame department, was yet very quick and tenacious, were fent by Cave to Johnson for his revifion; and, after fome time, when Guthrie had attained to greater variety of employment, and the speeches were more and more enriched by the acceffion of Johnson's genius, it was refolved that he fhould do the whole himself, from the fcanty notes furnished by perfons employed to attend in both houses of Parliament. Sometimes, however, as he himself told me, he had nothing more communicated to him but the names of the feveral speakers, and the part which they had taken in the debate, 7 How much poetry he wrote, I know not; but he informed me, that he was the authour of the beautiful little piece, "The Eagle and Robin Redbreast," in the collection of poems entitled "THE UNION," though it is there faid to be written by Archibald Scott, before the year 1600. Thus was Johnfon employed, during fome of the best years of his life, as a mere literary labourer "for gain, not glory," folely to obtain an honest fupport. He however indulged himself in occafional little fallies, which the French fo happily exprefs by the term jeux d'esprit, and which will be noticed in their order, in the progrefs of this work. But what firft difplayed his tranfcendent powers, and "gave the world. affurance of the MAN," was his "LONDON, a Poem, in Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal," which came out in May this year, and burft forth with a fplendour, the rays of which will for ever encircle his name. Boileau had imitated the fame fatire with great fuccefs, applying it to Paris; but an attentive comparison will fatisfy every reader, that he is much excelled by the English Juvenal. Oldham had also imitated it, and applied it to London; all which performances concur to prove, that great cities, in every age, and in every country, will furnifh fimilar topicks of fatire. Whether Johnson had previously read Oldham's imitation, I do not know; but it is not a little remarkable, that there is fcarcely any coincidence found between the two performances, though upon the very fame fubject. The only instances are, in defcribing London as the fink of foreign worthleffhefs: the common fhore, "Where France does all her filth and ordure pour." 1738. Ætat. 29. The particulars which Oldham has collected, both as exhibiting the horrours of London, and of the times, contrafted with better days, are different from thofe of Johnson, and in general well chofen, and well exprest*. There * I own it pleafed me to find amongst them one trait of the manners of the age in Londor, in the last century, to shield from the fncer of English ridicule, what was fome time ago too common a practice in my native city of Edinburgh: "If what I've faid can't from the town affright, "Confider other dangers of the night; 1 2 * When 1738. Etat. 29. There are, in Oldham's imitation, many profaick verfes and bad rhymes, and his poem fets out with a strange inadvertent blunder: It is plain he was not going to leave his friend; his friend was going to leave him. A young lady at once corrected this with good critical fagacity to "Tho' much concern'd to lose my dear old friend.” There is one paffage in the original, better transfufed by Oldham than by Johnson: "Nil habet infelix paupertas durius in fe, which is an exquifite remark on the galling meannefs and contempt annexed "Of all the griefs that harrafs the distrest, OLDHAM's, though less elegant, is more just: "Nothing in poverty fo ill is borne, "As its expofing men to grinning fcorn." Where, or in what manner this poem was compofed, I am forry that I neglected to ascertain with precifion, from Johnson's own authority. He has marked upon his corrected copy of the first edition of it, "Written in 1738" and, as it was published in the month of May in that year, it is evident that much time was not employed in preparing it for the prefs. The hiftory of its publication I am enabled to give in a very fatisfactory manner; and judging from myfelf, and many of my friends, I truft that it will not be uninterefting to my readers. "When brickbats are from upper ftories thrown, "And emptied chamberpots come pouring down << From garret windows.” We |