Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-03-06

p~rpasns. REQ hsi fega lie il =. IL ,5.-s. -.
frnstea among hile tibsuds n 81 !nu''S . -,
and had lain sitb httv pounds "s'sh. Tn,
hs legs, in the condemned ward Of Hs"sh,s. rrr
man had, after many vicissitudes oi i"E!nns; G ~"
NJ last into abiect and hopeless poTee's. -
had failed him. His patrons had been thseh III
! by death, or estrnbged by The r!otous p.E.uI .n.-a,a
which he sGuau.errd :hc:r bounty. @nd ne ui-."'
,r' iusolence with witch b. received Their "tt''s
all now lived by begging. lie dir"d on .t.a.N.
ond champagne whenever he had been 50 - a"
as To borrow G guinea. II hi qn.=:ih- 4. ~ ",.n,
successful, be cppea.ed the raSeot hu"ce' w.. md
screp. OF broken meat, and lay down 10 re- " naj
the Piazza Of Ccvent Garden IN warm "sn''6', O "n
in cold weather, as near a. lie could GO. u .oI nm
of d glass house. Yet. in his misery ne was W" ~
agreeable companion. He had an lnt2ha"N''"" ,.",,
of anecdotes about that gay aud orlii!hnt VI. ,ba
which b. vas now an ouIcast. He he'd observes ,ne
great men Of both parties i'll hours OF csleIeas n.:,n"m,
lion, had seen the leaders Of the opposl,lon .Hp
the mask Of patriotism, and hsd healu Wv 80
minister rear with laughter and tell s'o,r.e - ,ba
decent. During some months Savage Il'eu ~ ..
closest familiarity with Jvtusou: and tiieu Inc itls"G'
parted, not without tear. johnson r.,,
| London 10 drudge for Cave. Savage "sH'
of England lived there as be had !ivet eEr'1 ~
and in l143 dled. pennies and hear'-ofoheu. :"
Rris,ol gaol. Soon after HI. death, while the puohc
curiosity Was strongly excited about hs eItrsoruin".,
character, and his not less extraordinary aaseL.", -
q life Of bin appeared widely dlhereht Lon' ,han
catchpenny lives Of eminent men which I! IN
r. B!hDl6 article OF THhHu!hciuIS III SiH' -
r,yle was indeed d.fcien: in ease end variety ~
the writer was evidently TOO partial 10 lne LII nmL
| element OF our language. But the iittle VIVA wv
all its faults, was a masterpiece. No Hnel peT 80
Of literary biography existed i'll any ianeuase' IS
mr. dpad; and a Discerning critic might nave conL-
da,.i- nrsdic,ed that the author was destined 10 ue
| the founder of q new school OF EEgiish e'o4us".a
Agains; this picsITc 80 viii .adS anotEe.' sNr,sII
ed with equal ease and care-a picture often pn.u'I -,
in words and in colVrs, and never oe"cr ''An "
Mr. Macaulay: . ~;
10 discuss questions Of taste, OF learning, D.
casuistry, in Language go exact and go iorclOe ."as
il might have been printed without inc ai'eta''ou :.
q word. was 10 lin no %eIertion, but q pipasu,e. i =.
loved, as he said, to fold his legs anu nave MS an
ont. He wns ready to bestow the overnoWines VI n's
full mind on ANYBODY who would start a subject, on
u fellow passenger 10 q stage coach, or on Inc pe.sou
who sat AT the SANS table with MN IN d u Co.'S
house. But his conversation was bo"isie ~ I'm
liant and striking as when he WAS surrounded ofa
few friends. whose abilities and knowledge enabled
them, as he once EXPRESSED ii, to send nm Dack every
bsll thst be threw. Some OF these, IN lio4' ioTr'e" ~!
selves into 4 GLIB, which gradually became d iurIn''
dable power in the Commonwealth oil letters. lhe
verdicts pronounced by this cnnclare on rs" ooohs
were speedily known over all London, and were SUI
tcient to sell off q whole edition II g day, or 10 coh
d.un the sheets to the service OF the trunk 'lhakeI'
and the paa;rycock. Nor shall We think ms strange
when we con.ider what CTsat aud various taieh,s Anh
requirements p,et in the little fraternity, Go!csnhh
was the representative Of poetry aud iiXl.t H'e'
nature, REYNOLDS of tue Arts, Burke ci poi
lica! elo1uence and political ph'iosopAy. ipete;
too. were Gibuou, :he greatest fis'or'an' u
Jones, the gr.etest Lingu!st u tho sgs. tfarrlck
brought 10 The meetings bs ine1haustibie pieasahry'
his Incompatible nimicry, and his con'uhuHe
knowledge o. stsge effect. Among The most cons'an'
attendants were two high boru and high ored gem.
men, closely bound together by friendship, u, -
widely different characters ard habits; bennet hauS
ton, distinguished by bis skill! in Greek literature, oJ
! the orthodoxy Of bis opinions, and by the sanctiy VI
| his life: and Tophnn Bsaaclsrk, folcwEeu 10. Hs
amours, his knowledge OF The gay Ioria' re !.
dious taste, and bis sarcastic VIII. 10 preu"'', ".r
over such q society wss NOT ensy. Yet evel over
ouch a society Johnson p:ed0ul!nsted. Dalhe mig
Indeed have disputed the supremacy 10 "h'ch o.ne.s
/ we're under Inc -ecessity OF submitting utpu,se,
though not generally u ?ery pat,len' ,s.rus,, 80 wa.
! content to take the second part wEe: Johnson was
/ prerer,; and the club Itself, combating OF 90 .lsns
! eminent mea, IS 70 this day popularity des'sna'e3 L ;
Jonnson'g Club" .o, ,r.;
Mr.. Maoaulsy very freely %cri:ici1es johnsons VII.
tinss, prais'ng warmly aud ibusinR "N''y, % .
! specimen from Tie remarks on Johnson eu''ou "
Shakespeare -
"Ih;. publication saved Johnson's chsrec'e7 ior
honesty, but sddsd nolIins 10 the lame OF hs so'a'
ties and learning. The preface taouSal i c'h'aihs oo W"
good passages, is not in his best manner. Ahe nos'
! Valuable notes are those 10 which he had an oppoftn'
p.y Of showing bow atienlively he had dur!nH many
years obasssea h:csn He end human nature; IRE
best specimen Is the motto OF TIE character VI III
MUS: Nothing az good 10 10 be iJund s7t. IL VIZ,
nslm M.;stsr's admirable examination Of Hamlet.
But aere prise must end. II woaid be ditlcnit ~
name a mure siOyeEl7, g more worthless edition Of
any great classic. The reader r.ey turn over play
aftos play without finding one happy c0njscls.hl
srusndsiioD, or Gee ingenious and satisfactory e1pia'
nstion of q passage Hbion had bsthed preceding com
mentators. Johnson had, .a hIs prospectus toid !he
world that he wss peculiarly fitted for ms .2ss Hn!ch
ne had undertaken, because be had, as q lexicogra'
p!ler, been under the necessity Of taking O WIDER vie"
Of he English language than any OF his preoeces'
.ora. That lis knowledge OF our literature was eA
iensive is ind;sputa5ie. Blu, unfortunately. he ita
altogether neglected that very pert OF our literature
w.:h which il is especially desirable ii1at 81 edi-
dangerous 10 assert C negative. fet iuie "n
be risked by the assertion, that 10 tpe Two
folio volumes Of the English Dictionary there IS not
a single passage quoted from any drainat'st o. lne
Eizabethsn age, except Shakespeare ana Ben Even
from Ben tho quotations are few. Johnson m'gnt
easily, in 6 few months, have made himself well &C.
qualified with every old play that was e2'apt' But
Il never sssr,s to have occurred to hiGl that thie was
q uece.ary preparation for the work he lad under
taken. lie woald doubtless lave admitted 'nat u
would he the height of cbsurdity N o t-sn "h3 was
not familiar with the works OF Ascn!ius aug !
pidss 10 publish an edition 10 oophocles. 1es ne
y.u,ured 10 publish an edition Of Shakespeare WIN
OFT hay,pS ever in his life, as far 81 can be discover
sd. read a s;uyis scene ut MassiDger, Ford, decker,
Webster, MARROW, Beaumont. or Fletcher. jas ae
trecturs we're noisy and scurr'lous. khooe VINO Illus.
loved and honored him had little TO say IN praIeso U,
the manner - whlch no heo oischeiS"o
a cnmneptator.' -
Poor Boswell fares iudifeTently at the hands OF ms
old sssallant. Indeed, IL cur opinion, Mr. 1iacatlay
lie az much too harsh as Mr.. Carlyle ls 100 ichieut y!
his treaimen. CT the weak aud gsrru!ous, DIT reVef'
eu:isl aud devoted Bowel