Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-03-06
MACACLAY On JOHNSON.
IN the E rcvclopcdia Britannica

1fr. Necsulay has no: renewed his attack on Mr..
Croker, and those lovers Ut sport who may have
looked for the Appearance OF Ia Asuoi! ~!;i the CO.
gerress di-plsyei by children for the practicn! jpkcs
o fine Christmas pantoniraes, wilt mice i.oIo ne pages
the s.rong spice of peraocal snirosiiy. Mr.. MacGH-
lay has cot, indeed, mentioned the name OF his an
Gent rival in lbs House OF Commons sad in the
| quarterly Reviews; nor hss hs once referred 10 tie
celebrated edition of Boswell. TIE biography gains
by the silence or the good huror OF the biograoher.
| IL Is grave, earnest end powerful-a miniature life.
/ we'll shaped and we'll written, worthy of the histo.
rian, not unworthy of the yoraist. Can we bestow
higher praleel
Of course, the facts of Johnson. lie ere known 70
every ore. Mr.. Maccu.ay Jas added nothing 10 the
store; but hp has told the old story aheciionately and
warmly, seeing with tie eye and marking w!tn Tue
hand of 8 muster these Dioute traits ead angles which
indiyiduallze character. As we close hi. page, al
though we know that we nave acquired no fresh in.
formation about johnson, yet We have somehow &C.
auired q hrner impression o! he man. we pave
seen our cd friend once more. We have looked into
his eyes, and touched his sids. No new .;ne In The
face, no new pulse of the heart, has broken The long
and tender recollec!iUGi but We come away with our
knowledge Of ,hs man freshly aud firmly runswed az
from a persona! interview.
Slr. Macaulay presents Johnson ct that middle pc
| rioa Of his career when his struggle was mcst iearfu!
and bis rewards were most scan!y:
The misery Of that struggle needed no sggrava.
| ton. But was aggravated by the snffsr;ngs OF al
! ursound body ard al unSUu;d mind. Before the young
| man left ine university, his hereditary m6:acy mad
broken forth in u singnlsrly cruel form. de bad be.
| come all iGcurable hypochondriGc. He said long at
ter tSg: he iad been mad ali his life, or at least not
perfectly sane and. in truth, ecceniricities less
strange than lis have Often been thought grounds
sufficient foI absolY!ng ie!ons, and Tor settling aside
wills. His grirlacus, his g"eturea, his Muiter'nga,
sometimes diverted and sometimes terrlhtd people
who did not know him. 1t a dinner table he would,
in n fit of absence, s;oop down emo TWEEN Oh a iGuys
ahoe. He woGld amaze n drawing room by suddenly
| .;eculef;up a clause Of ;he Lords Prayer. lie would
conceive an uninieiigible aversion 20 q particular
! alley, and perform Il great circuit rather IMAM see the
hatetu! place. Hs would set bis nesrt on touching
avery nos, in the streets through which he walked. Ii,
by any chance, he missed g post, be would go back a
hundred wards aud repair the omission. Under the
influences of his disease, bis senscs bscalne morbidiy
lorpid, and his imagination moreldiy active. Al one
fine h. would STAND porins on the town clock With
out being able TO tel! the hour. At another, he would
distinctly hear his mother, who was many miles of,
| calling him by his name. But this no; the worst. a
dsap melancholy took possession Of him, and gave u
nan destiny. Such wretchednsss es he endured has
driven many mel IA shoot themselves or drown them
selves, Bu; he wa under no temptation to commit
suicide. He was sick o. life; tut he was afraid of
death; and he shuddered at every sight or sound
which reminded hun Of The inevitable hour. n rei
gion he found on: little comfort during bis long aud
r.ouen, 6ts ri objection; Tor his religion paEtook OF
hi. own character. The light from heaven shown on
hin. indeed, oat not Ia a direct line, or with lie own
pure splcndor. TIE rays had 10 struggle through a
Disturbing rnsdiam they reached ann refracted,
dulled and dlsco!ored by the th:ck gloom which hind
se,tled on ms soul ard, though they might be sufs-
! gently clear TO guide htn, Ts-e 100 DIM to cheeT
him"
naturally Jorisl, and embit.ersa C heart naturally
kind
became almost ssvees. Being frequently under ;he
necessity Of wearing shabby coats and dirty shirts,
he became a confirmed siovcn. Being often very
huuv-y WHEN he sat down 10 his meals, he contracted
= - t.-.. r,,I 80 IL nnstsO m AnH, ~ ECatI n
the end of his ME, sud even atihe tables Of he great,
the sight nt food sf -cteG bin n. /; affects Wild beasts
and birds 1T prey. Lis taets IN cookery, iornn"d IL
subter-aaean ordinHries and ALAMEDA oeetshops, was
,ar from delicate. Whenever he was 30 fortunate as
"a have near bin r .are that had been KEEP; too long,
o. n meat pie made with rancid butter, he gorsed
hims. III with such vioence that his veias swsi!s0, END
-, moisture bfa 10 ou. on hs forehead. The sir"n:.
which HE poverty embroidered stupid and !ow minded
mcu TO offer to him would have broken n r1eGu spirit
| INTO sycophancy. lat made him rade even 10 !srcci!y.
Joharpjiy the ipsuieuco which, while II TGs oeten-
siye, was pafdonab!e, and in some Gems. respectable,
accompanied ain into 'ocle'ies ~nere az ~as rtes.eo
with courtesy and kindness. lie Tas repeatedly pro-
vok.d into striking iL"se who had taken liberties
with him. Al III. sufferers, however, were wise
caoa:h 10 abstain from taik;"E about ',elr nehtings
except Osburns, the most rapac'ous and oruial Of
booksellers, who proclaimed every here that he had
bsen Knocked down by the huge fellow whom he had
hired TO puff the Harleian Library
Mr.. Macau,av .wslls with satisfaction on the faot
tina, Pops was kind to johnson. though It Is not
known that the two men ever saw each otber,-and
the contrast between III old poet and tie young post
,i"-s MIN M opportunity 10 scraich N, With his
e,chias.meec!e, . group II lte CoGl MONS OF Joln.
so.:Is yuve.'c and s'ru.gies-
"Aunu.s Johnsnr's ASSOCIATES e. .ais time may be
MENTIONED bnyse, who, when HE shirts w.r" pledge:
srrawi od L4tiu versus .!....-Gp IN Tea With hs arms
through Two holes 10 lis blanket, who composed
vsry respectable sacred poetry when he was sober,
and who wa. at is.t ruu over by a hackney coach
when he was druas; Iioole, susn.med :he metapby
steal tailor. who, instead OF attending TO his measures.
used 10 trace geI,2..r!cs, diagrams on The board
! ter, George psalmannzar, VINO, after porting all day,
in n.humbls lodging, on the :c!!os OF jewish raebis
aud Christian fa;tuEs INDUCED, hirnselfat night with
literary sud ,beologics! conversation ct an slehouss
iu tho city. Bu. :ho m,st remarkable ef'he pefsons
gi,h whom IT this .inc johnson cou.oried, was
Richard Savage, d. eai.'s son, q shoemekers ap-