New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-11


! habitually, and intoxication was regarded good
humoredly, and hardly at all fault. Thack-
eray In his lectures on the Georges cites memoirs
! OF the time showing that when Fanny Burney was
| o Maid of Honor IL was not uncommon for the
| members of the ROYAL family to get drunk at
dinner and to exhibit themselves in that condition
without the least dindence. Boswell unfor-
tunately for himself, was lax in other matters;
in fact il can only be admitted that he led loose
life But Mr.. Fitzgerald calls attention to many
passages in the Life which indicate that poor
| Boyzy" carried uneasy conscience, and that he
was in the habit Of seeking from Johnson, by in
direction. hints Of exculpation which he could
| apply to his own case. He was naturally what
his present biographer terms pious,' but what to
us seems more like superstitious lie pretended the
greatest reverence for religion. Though he did not
frequently 60 to church. he would remove his hat
when passing one Though far too weak Of pur-
pose to reform his mode of living. he constantly
sought sophistical excuses for the latter All his
| life he was most anxious TO be able to feel that
| there was hope for him in the future; and oil
his life he was unable SO to restrain himself as to
| furnish ground for such hope according to the
religious doctrines which lie professed, but could
| not bring himself to follow.
He was perpetually at odds with his father
queer, dour, old Scotch judge. while the latter
| lived The family eccentric. though In esti-
| mating such eccentricties it must be re,nem-
bered that what is called progress his in the last
century done much to smooth down those indi-
l-viduaities which formerly differentiated men
strongly from one another. and gave much EN-
phasis to character Boswell however, was par
| ticularly un-Scotch in many of his qualities. He
was the reverse Of thrifty and he the reverse
| of prudent, for example. He could not stOop
to conquer. He must utter his opinions at all
| hazards Even when with DR.. johnson he fire.
guenty brought himself into disgrace by this habit,
and sometimes riitated his irascible master to the
verge of frenzy and evoked burst OF anger which
| silenced him for several days Almost any other
man would have finally become discouraged, but
| Boswell was indomitabie and no doubt partly be-
cause he was pachydcrmatous. Even ON an oc-
| cason when his ilI-timed attempts to draw out
| the Doctor-who was not in the humor for eXhib-
iting himself-fairly drove the old man from the
company and the house. Boswell is totally blind
to his responsibility for the event, and calmly
observes that that evening johnson did not seem
inclined to talk. He must have been heavy cross
to bear sometimes but it is mere nonsense pre-
tend that Johnson did not tolerate him largely for
the prospective benefits anticipated from his
porting About the latter and its purpose. there
| never was the least conccalment. as these volumes
amply prove. Boswell was accustomed to take
out his note book at the beginning of the evening,
and when the conversation was expected to be
peculiarly interesting significant he would post
himself close possible to the Doctor, as
not to lose word that fell from those revered lips.
| There was insincerity about the reporters pro-
| LESSONS Of enthusiastic esteem for johnson. and
| neither there any misunderstanding between
| them as to the use that was TO be made OF the
literary material accumulated by Boswell. Both
knew perfectly well that it was copy
| Mr.. Fitzgerald has some interesting chapters
| on the methods upon Which the Life" was
actually written, including Boswells system of
notes and the authorizations which he. used. Al
though he had no knowledge Of any stenographic
syCtcm, and employed a rough Get of abbrevia-
tions and omissions OF his own devsing he looked
| upon his notes infallible authorities. If any
statement in the Lifc' controvcred, he would
| refer TO the original notes, and OH finding his
| text cOrroborated would calmly declare that the
original notes. said so and so, and there was an
end of the question. 1t never occurred TO him that
| he might possibly have misread his own abbrevia-
| tions, and nothing could move him from this alb
sOlute confidence in the integrity and accuracy Of
his own interpretations. He had plenty of OPP
portunites to test this faith for the storm raised
by the publication OF the Life" was fierce and
| persistent. Mr.. Fitzgerald wonders that Bos-
| ment, and it does seem odd, for the injuries
showered everywhere by him were of the crucllest
and most aggravating character, and some of the
wronged people were anything but patient and
| forbearing. 1t may be that lis immunity was due
TO the fact that the NEST savage things appeared
| being said by johnson, who OF course beyond
| the reach of human vengeance; though Boswell
made himself responsible for plenty of offensive
remarks. He had to make corrections in several
| instances, and once twice he cut out cOntro-
verted statements, but not often. To the last he
stood by the authenticity of his notes, and seemed
almost to ascribe inspiration TO those documents
After Johnsons death the Life" was Bos-
| wells principal occupation, and when. after six
years, it given to the public, its revision
tinued to engage his attention. Two editions only
| appeared in the lifetime of the author. He was
| interrupted by death while preparing the third!
| That his end was FASTENED by excuses cannot be
doubted, but it Is not less clear that he retained
| the power TO work hard to the last, and that
consequently he cannot have fallen into the con-
dition of absolute degradation sometimes asserted
of his closing years. Mr.. Fitzgerald's sympathy
for bis subject has led him TO advance an ingenious
speculation as TO the true character Of the man.
This will repay perusal, and its pIausibility will
be felt, though, of course it is purely conectural
| The theory that Boswell was insane may be dis
| missed at once as preposterous With the evil
dence before us more can safely be vcntured
| than that his was remarkably mixed nature,
peculiarly rich in contradictions, but informed by
Intellectual qualities of so high kind that it
might be rash to deny hm some share of positive
| genius. The present biography may, perhaps, be
pardoned it's reproduction Of familiar matter for
the pleasure which its abundant eighteenth.
century "reminiscences and illustrations afford.
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