Litchfield enquirer., 1880-12-23

DR.. JoHNsoA's Wire. Lord Macar az
writes 'sMany people nad been surprise, to
zee man of his genius and learning stool ing
to every drudgery, and denying himself al
most every comfort, for the purpose of sup
plying silly, affected old woman with super.
duities, which she accepted with but little
gratitude 4 = n Bat is the picture TAT
self laid on the color tbickly, and addt d GER
use where, perhaps, there was already Cruise
enough? What are the authorities to which
he has had access None of Johnson's biog-s
raphers had ever seen the lady. All the de-
scriptions, therefore, that we have Of her are
secondhand, except, indeed, q few passages
In which johnson himself has described her.
What is known OF her, however, is chiefly
from the anecdotes johnson told about
her, and from the accounts gwen
of her to the various biegraphers by
her daughter, Miss Porter, by Garrick,
Hector, Hawkesworth, blind Miss Williams,
Mrs. Deshoulins, and old Mr.. Leyett. She
belonged TO an old country family. In the
register of her BIRTH her father is entered
Esquire at a time, too, when this title was
not lightly given. johnson, on her tombstone,
describes her as 'sAntiqua Jarvisiorum genie
orta" Her family had once possessed nearly
the whole lordship of Great Peatling, ,(abo0t
1900 acres, in Leicester shire. She was torn /
IN February, 1889. She had married mer-
Ger at Birmingham, named Peter When
johnson made her acquaintancehe her husband
was still living HeA had an opportunity
therefore, of studying her character at time
when he could never have dreamed of mar
rying her. Nor, in all 3 likelihood was his 4
Judgment about women so unframed as Ma
caulay says. Likely enough he chad seldom
orynever been 10 the same room with woman
of real fashion, I'VE may 10 passing, raise q
doubt whether the son of a country tradesman
who had inherited from his father just EGO,
and had to make bis way in life, would have
been guided in his choice of wife by the
sight even of half score of women OF fashion
However, he had, as we know, from his earli-
est years always met with "a kind reception
in the best families at Litchfeld.a Among
his friends he reckoned his godfather, DR.
Swinfen, who is described as being gentle
men of landed property; Mr.. Levett, another
gentleman of fortune Capt. Garrick, the
father of the great actor; Mr.. Howard aproc-
tor in the. Ecclesiastical Court; and Mr. Wal
mesley, the Registrar. Mr. sWalmesleyis
father had been Chancellor of The diocese and
member Of the city SIN most Of these fami-
lies" writes Boswell, che was in the compa-
ny of INDEPENDENTLY at Mr.. Walmesley's, |
whose wife and sIster-in-law, daughters OF
baronet were remarkable for good breeding"
Johnson was not, likely ever in. life to have
TO do with the Queensberrys and Lepels. It
nattered little to him, therefore, what might
be their airs and graces. But provincial airs
and kraces-the airs and graces, that Is to say,
which as much became ladies who spent their
whole life in the country, as courtly airs and
graces became the ladies of st. James's-'were
surely not unknown to him.. But it nay he
urged we are making the case still worse. II
Johnson were not ha f blind if he had mixed
with ladies of birth and breeding, how great
must the infatuation nave been which led him
to marry a tawdry, painted grandmother !
We must first ask tlatit shall be settled at
what age woman wlo has no grandchildren |
is properly called a grandmother. Mrs. John |
son was 46'at' the date of her second marriage. |
She was born in ebruary. 1889, and was
married 10 July, 1885, Her case is certainly |
somewhat hard. She was but year beyond !
the age of the Duchess of Cleveland, when
that famous beauty is described by Macaulay |
as mo longer young, but still retaining some
traces OF that superb and voluptuous loveiDess
which 20 years before overcame The hearts OF Il
all men," Does the not widow of Duke, we |
may fairly ask, become grandmother at the
age of 46 as we'll as the widow of mercer
johnson himself was on his marriage day two
months short of 20. The difference in age
was certainly great enough, but surely not SO
great as to justify Macaulay's rhetoric. Meth
er is it true, we believe, that she hah chill
dren as old as himself. There are only two
children of whom anything certain seems to
known. Her daughter Lucy was six years
younger than johnson. ''She reverenced
him." writes Boswell, land he had a parental
tenderness for her." Lucy had brother who
became Captain in the Royal Navy. He
was, we believe more than two years her
Junior, and, therefore. eight years younger
than johnson. The COr,ahiU Magazine.