himself in danger, fallen on evil days and evil tongues, with darkness and with dangers compassed round. This darkness, had his eyes been better employed, had undoubtedly deserved compassion; but to add the mention of danger, was ungrateful and unjust. He was fallen, indeed, on evil days; the time was come in which regicides could no longer boast their wickedness. But of evil tongues for Milton to complain, required impudence at least equal to his other powers; Milton, whose warmest advocates must allow, that he never spared any asperity of reproach, or brutality of insolence." I have, indeed, often wondered how Milton, "an acrimonious and surly Republican,"—" a man who in his domestick relations was so severe and arbitrary," and whose head was filled with the hardest and most dismal tenets of Calvinism, should have been such a poet; should not only have written with sublimity, but with beauty, and even gaiety; should have exquisitely painted the sweetest sensations of which our nature is capable; imaged the delicate raptures of connubial love; nay, seemed to be animated with all the spirit of revelry. It is a proof that in the human mind the departments of judgement and imagination, perception and temper, may sometimes be divided by strong partitions; and that the light and shade in the same character may be kept so distinct as never to be blended.7 In the Life of Milton, Johnson took occasion to maintain his own and the general opinion of the excellence of rhyme over blank verse, in English poetry; and 5 Johnson's Life of Milton. 6 Ibid. 7 Mr. Malone thinks it is rather a proof that he felt nothing of those cheerful sensations which he has described: that on these topicks it is the poet, and not the man, that writes. quotes this apposite illustration of it by " an ingenious critick," that it seems to be verse only to the eye.s The gentleman whom he thus characterises, is (as he told Mr. Seward) Mr. Lock, of Norbury Park, in Surrey, whose knowledge and taste in the fine arts is universally celebrated; with whose elegance of manners the writer of the present work has felt himself much impressed, and to whose virtues a common friend, who has known him long, and is not much addicted to flattery, gives the highest testimony. Various Readings in the Life of MILTON. "I cannot find any meaning but this which [his most bigoted advocates] even kindness and reverence can give. 66 [Perhaps no] scarcely any man ever wrote so much, and praised so few. "A certain [rescue] preservative from oblivion. "Let me not be censured for this digression, as [contracted] pedantick or paradoxical. "Socrates rather was of opinion, that what we had to learn was how to [obtain and communicate happiness] do good and avoid evil. "Its elegance [who can exhibit?] is less attainable.” I could, with pleasure, expatiate upon the masterly execution of the Life of DRYDEN, which we have seen was one of Johnson's literary projects at an early period, and which it is remarkable, that after desisting • One of the most natural instances of the effect of blank verse occurred to the late Earl of Hopeton. His Lordship observed one of his shepherds poring in the fields upon Milton's "Paradise Lost; " and having asked him what book it was, the man answered, "An't please your Lordship, this is a very odd sort of an authour: he would fain rhyme, but cannot get at it.” 9 See Vol. III. page 68. from it, from a supposed scantiness of materials, he should, at an advanced age, have exhibited so amply. His defence of that great poet against the illiberal attacks upon him, as if his embracing the Roman Catholick communion had been a time-serving measure, is a piece of reasoning at once able and candid. Indeed, Dryden himself, in his "Hind and Panther," hath given such a picture of his mind, that they who know the anxiety for repose as to the awful subject of our state beyond the grave, though they may think his opinion ill-founded, must think charitably of his senti ment: "BUT, gracious GOD, how well dost thou provide "For erring judgements an unerring guide! Thy throne is darkness in the abyss of light, "A blaze of glory that forbids the sight. "O! teach me to believe thee thus conceal'd, "Whom thou hast promis'd never to forsake. "My manhood long misled by wand'ring fires, "Follow'd false lights; and when their glimpse was gone, 66 My pride struck out new sparkles of her own. "Such was I, such by nature still I am; "Be thine the glory and be mine the shame. "Good life be now my task: my doubts are done; "What more could shock my faith than Three in One?" In drawing Dryden's character, Johnson has given, though I suppose unintentionally, some touches of his own. Thus: "The power that predominated in his intellectual operations was rather strong reason than quick sensibility. Upon all occasions that were presented, he studied rather than felt; and produced sentiments not such as Nature enforces, but meditation supplies. With the simple and elemental passions, as they spring separate in the mind, he seems not much acquainted. He is, therefore, with all his variety of excellence, not often pathetick2 and had so little sensibility of the power of effusions purely natural, that he did not esteem them in others."-It may indeed be observed, that in all the numerous writings of Johnson, whether in prose or verse, and even in his Tragedy, of which the subject is the distress of an unfortunate Princess, there is not a single passage that ever drew a tear. Various Readings in the Life of DRYDEN. "The reason of this general perusal, Addison has attempted to [find in] derive from the delight which the mind feels in the investigation of secrets. "His best actions are but [convenient] inability of wickedness. "When once he had engaged himself in disputation, [matter] thoughts flowed in on either side. "The abyss of an un-ideal [emptiness] vacancy. "These, like [many other harlots,] the harlots of other men, had his love though not his approbation. "He [sometimes displays] descends to display his knowledge with pedantick ostentation. "French words which [were then used in] had then crept into conversation." 3 The Life of Pope amore, both from the writer had taken of his was written by Johnson con early possession which that mind, and from the pleasure 2 [It seems to me, that there are many pathetick passages in Johnson's works, both prose and verse. KEARNEY.] 3 [Mr. D'Israeli, in the third Vol. of his "Literary Curiosities," has favoured the public with an original memorandum of Dr. Johnson's, of hints for the Life of Pope, written down as they were suggested to his mind, in the course of his researches. This is none of the least of those gratifications which Mr. D'Israeli has so frequently administered to the lovers of literary history. A. C.] which he must have felt, in for ever silencing all attempts to lessen his poetical fame, by demonstrating his excellence, and pronouncing the following triumphant eulogium:-" After all this, it is surely superfluous to answer the question that has once been asked, Whether Pope was a poet? otherwise than by asking in return, if Pope be not a poet, where is poetry to be found? To circumscribe poetry by a definition, will only shew the narrowness of the definer; though a definition which shall exclude Pope will not easily be made. us look round upon the present time, and back upon the past; let us enquire to whom the voice of mankind has decreed the wreath of poetry; let their productions be examined, and their claims stated, and the pretensions of Pope will be no more disputed." 66 Let I remember once to have heard Johnson say, Sir, a thousand years may elapse before there shall appear another man with a power of versification equal to that of Pope." That power must undoubtedly be allowed its due share in enhancing the value of his captivating composition. Johnson who had done liberal justice to Warburton in his edition of Shakspeare, which was published during the life of that powerful writer, with still greater liberality took an opportunity, in the life of Pope, of paying the tribute due to him when he was no longer in "high place," but numbered with the dead.1 4 Of Johnson's conduct towards Warburton, a very honourable notice is taken by the Editor of " Tracts by Warburton, and a Warburtonian, not admitted into the Collection of their respective Works." After an able and "fond, though not undistinguishing," consideration of Warburton's character, he says, "In two immortal works, Johnson has stood forth in the foremost rank of his admirers. By the testimony of such a man, impertinence must be abashed, and malignity itself must be softened. Of literary merit, Johnson, as we all know, was a sagacious but a most severe judge. Such was |