The Sun.
London, England, 1821-09-14 00:00:00

LITERARY REVIEW.

THE RISE and PROGRESS of the GENTLEMAN'S
MAGAZINE, with Anecdotes of the Projector. and hie
early Associates. By JOHN. I.%;jcnoLs, F.S.A. Lund. Edin.
and Perth.

The GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE is not only
highly interesting on account of its long and es-
tablished reputation, owing to the vast mass of
miscellaneous and valuable matter which it has
afforded, but because it led to the introduction
of Dr. JOHNSON'S stupendous powers, which have
since been employed so much to the advantage of
mankind. This tract abounds with interesting
anecdotes respecting the early days of that great
Moralist, which are new to the Public, as well
as many others relating to the several men of
talents and learning who were engaged in aiding
the progress of the Magazine to the high charac-
ter which it had acquired, and has hitherto duly
maintained. The indefatigable zeal of Mr.
Nichols in literary inquiries, and the conscien-
tious accuracy with which he records them, arc
two well known to require any euloglum from us.
There are many anecdotes respecting Edward
Cave, the intelligent, industrious and provident
founder of the Magazine, which do not appear in
the life of him, written by Dr. Johnson.—The
work altogether is compiled with great care, and
will be read with much pleasure. It is not cal-
culated to admit of extracts in this place, and
therefore we shall only subjoin an anecdote of
Dr. Johnson, which skews that though, as he says,

Slow.rises worth, by poverty dcprchs'd,"
yet that genius, when combined with diligence
and morality, need not despair, but will generally
in time break through all obstructions and reach
its proper elevation.—" Soon after the publica-
tion of this life (the life of Savage) which was
anonymous, Mr. Walter Harte, dining with Mr.
Cave at St. John's Gate, took occasion to speak
very handsomely of the work. Cave told Ilarte,
when they next met, that lie had made a man
very happy the other day at his house, by she
encomiums he bestowed on the author of Savage's
Life. " How could that be ?" Cave replied,
" You might observe I sent a plate of victuals
behind the skreen. There skulked the Biogra-
pher, one Johnson, whose dress was so shabby
that he durst not make his appearance. He
overheard our conversation ; and your applaud-
ing his performance delighted him exceedingly."
—Who could have thought at the period when
this event happened, that Walter Ilarte, who
was then in high estimation as a writer, and in
affluent circumstances, would have been in time
so overshadowed by the poor shabby man ap-
peasing his hunger behind the skreen, as to sink
into comparative obscurity, if not oblivion, while
the latter has soared to the height of literary
fame, and his works will exist as long as vir-
tue, genius, and learning shall be held in rever-
ence by mankind ?

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SOLEM QUIS DICERE FALSUM AUDEAT?

LONDON,
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER-14, 1821.