the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第14章

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ode　beefshops；　was　far　from　delicate。　　Whenever　he　was　so　fortunate　as　to　have　near　him　a　hare　that　had　been　kept　too　long；　or　a　meat　pie　made　with　rancid　butter；　he　gorged　himself　with　such　violence　that　his　veins　swelled；　and　the　moisture　broke　out　on　his　forehead。　　The　affronts　which　his　poverty　emboldened　stupid　and　low…minded　men　to　offer　to　him　would　have　broken　a　mean　spirit　into　sycophancy；　but　made　him　rude　even　to　ferocity。　　Unhappily　the　insolence　which；　while　it　was　defensive；　was　pardonable；　and　in　some　sense　respectable；　accompanied　him　into　societies　where　he　was　treated　with　courtesy　and　kindness。　　He　was　repeatedly　provoked　into　striking　those　who　had　taken　liberties　with　him。　　All　the　sufferers；　however；　were　wise　enough　to　abstain　from　talking　about　their　beatings；　except　Osborne；　the　most　rapacious　and　brutal　of　booksellers；　who　proclaimed　everywhere　that　he　had　been　knocked　down　by　the　huge　fellow　whom　he　had　hired　to　puff　the　Harleian　Library。　About　a　year　after　Johnson　had　begun　to　reside　in　London；　he　was　fortunate　enough　to　obtain　regular　employment　from　Cave；　an　enterprising　and　intelligent　bookseller；　who　was　proprietor　and　editor　of　the　〃Gentleman's　Magazine。〃　　That　journal；　just　entering　on　the　ninth　year　of　its　long　existence；　was　the　only　periodical　work　in　the　kingdom　which　then　had　what　would　now　be　called　a　large　circulation。　　It　was；　indeed；　the　chief　source　of　parliamentary　intelligence。　　It　was　not　then　safe；　even　during　a　recess；　to　publish　an　account　of　the　proceedings　of　either　House　without　some　disguise。　　Cave；　however；　ventured　to　entertain　his　readers　with　what　he　called　〃Reports　of　the　Debates　of　the　Senate　of　Lilliput。〃　　France　was　Blefuscu；　London　was　Mildendo：　　pounds　were　sprugs：　　the　Duke　of　Newcastle　was　the　Nardac　secretary　of　State：　　Lord　Hardwicke　was　the　Hurgo　Hickrad：　　and　William　Pulteney　was　Wingul　Pulnub。　　To　write　the　speeches　was；　during　several　years；　the　business　of　Johnson。　　He　was　generally　furnished　with　notes；　meagre　indeed；　and　inaccurate；　of　what　had　been　said；　but　sometimes　he　had　to　find　arguments　and　eloquence　both　for　the　ministry　and　for　the　opposition。　　He　was　himself　a　Tory；　not　from　rational　convictionfor　his　serious　opinion　was　that　one　form　of　government　was　just　as　good　or　as　bad　as　anotherbut　from　mere　passion；　such　as　inflamed　the　Capulets　against　the　Montagues；　or　the　Blues　of　the　Roman　circus　against　the　Greens。　　In　his　infancy　he　had　heard　so　much　talk　about　the　villanies　of　the　Whigs；　and　the　dangers　of　the　Church；　that　he　had　become　a　furious　partisan　when　he　could　scarcely　speak。　　Before　he　was　three　he　had　insisted　on　being　taken　to　hear　Sacheverell　preach　at　Lichfield　Cathedral；　and　had　listened　to　the　sermon　with　as　much　respect；　and　probably　with　as　much　intelligence；　as　any　Staffordshire　squire　in　the　congregation。　　The　work　which　had　been　begun　in　the　nursery　had　been　completed　by　the　university。　　Oxford；　when　Johnson　resided　there；　was　the　most　Jacobitical　place　in　England；　and　Pembroke　was　one　of　the　most　Jacobital　colleges　in　Oxford。　　The　prejudices　which　he　brought　up　to　London　were　scarcely　less　absurd　than　those　of　his　own　Tom　Tempest。　　Charles　II。　and　James　II。　were　two　of　the　best　kings　that　ever　reigned。　　Laud；　a　poor　creature　who　never　did；　said；　or　wrote　anything　indicating　more　than　the　ordinary　capacity　of　an　old　woman；　was　a　prodigy　of　parts　and　learning　over　whose　tomb　Art　and　Genius　still　continued　to　weep。　　Hampden　deserved　no　more　honourable　name　than　that　of　〃the　zealot　of　rebellion。〃　　Even　the　ship　money；　condemned　not　less　decidedly　by　Falkland　and　Clarendon　than　by　the　bitterest　Roundheads；　Johnson　would　not　pronounce　to　have　been　an　unconstitutional　impost。　　Under　a　government；　the　mildest　that　had　ever　been　known　in　the　worldunder　a　government；　which　allowed　to　the　people　an　unprecedented　liberty　of　speech　and　actionhe　fancied　that　he　was　a　slave；　he　assailed　the　ministry　with　obloquy　which　refuted　itself；　and　regretted　the　lost　freedom　and　happiness　of　those　golden　days　in　which　a　writer　who　had　taken　but　one…tenth　part　of　the　license　allowed　to　him　would　have　been　pilloried；　mangled　with　the　shears；　whipped　at　the　cart's　tail；　and　flung　into　a　noisome　dungeon　to　die。　　He　hated　dissenters　and　stockjobbers；　the　excise　and　the　army；　septennial　parliaments；　and　continental　connections。　　He　long　had　an　aversion　to　the　Scotch；　an　aversion　of　which　he　could　not　remember　the　commencement；　but　which；　he　owned；　had　probably　originated　in　his　abhorrence　of　the　conduct　of　the　nation　during　the　Great　Rebellion。　　It　is　easy　to　guess　in　what　manner　debates　on　great　party　questions　were　likely　to　be　reported　by　a　man　whose　judgment　was　so　much　disordered　by　party　spirit。　　A　show　of　fairness　was　indeed　necessary　to　the　prosperity　of　the　Magazine。　　But　Johnson　long　afterwards　owned　that；　though　he　had　saved　appearances；　he　had　taken　care　that　the　Whig　dogs　should　not　have　the　best　of　it；　and；　in　fact；　every　passage　which　has　lived；　every　passage　which　bears　the　marks　of　his　higher　faculties；　is　put　into　the　mouth　of　some　member　of　the　opposition。　A　few　weeks　after　Johnson　had　entered　on　these　obscure　labours；　he　published　a　work　which　at　once　placed　him　high　among　the　writers　of　his　age。　　It　is　probable　that　what　he　had　suffered　during　his　first　year　in　London　had　often　reminded　him　of　some　parts　of　that　noble　poem　in　which　Juvenal　had　described　the　misery　and　degradation　of　a　needy　man　of　letters；　lodged　among　the　pigeons'　nests　in　the　tottering　garrets　which　overhung　the　streets　of　Rome。　　Pope's　admirable　imitations　of　Horace's　Satires　and　Epistles　had　recently　appeared；　were　in　every　hand；　and　were　by　many　readers　thought　superior　to　the　originals。　　What　Pope　had　done　for　Horace；　Johnson　aspired　to　do　for　Juvenal。　　The　enterprise　was　bold　and　yet　judicious。　　For　between　Johnson　and　Juvenal　there　was　much　in　common；　much　more　certainly　than　between　Pope　and　Horace。　Johnson's　London　appeared　without　his　name　in　May　1738。　　He　received　only　ten　guineas　for　this　stately　and　vigorous　poem；　but　the　sale　was　rapid；　and　the　success　complete。　　A　second　edition　was　required　within　a　week。　　Those　small　critics　who　are　always　desirous　to　lower　established　reputations　ran　about　proclaiming　that　the　anonymous　satirist　was　superior　to　Pope　in　Pope's　own　peculiar　department　of　literature。　　It　ought　to　be　remembered；　to　the　honour　of　Pope；　that　he　joined　heartily　in　the　applause　with　which　the　appearance　of　a　rival　genius　was　welcomed。　　He　made　inquiries　about　the　author　of　London。　　Such　a　man；　he　said；　could　not　long　be　concealed。　　The　name　was　soon　discovered；　and　Pope　with　great　kindness；　exerted　himself　to　obtain　an　academical　degree　and　the　mastership　of　a　grammar　school　for　the　poor　young　poet。　　The　attempt　failed；　and　Johnson　remained　a　bookseller's　hack。　It　does　not　appear　that　these　two　men；　the　most　eminent　writer　of　the　generation　which　was　going　out；　and　the　most　eminent　writer　of　the　generation　which　was　coming　in；　ever　saw　each　other。　　They　lived　in　very　different　circles；　one　surrounded　by　dukes　and　earls；　the　other　by　starving　pamphleteers　and　index　makers。　　Among　Johnson's　associates　at　this　time　may　be　mentioned　Boyse；　who；　when　his　shirts　were　pledged；　scrawled　Latin　verses　sitting　up　in　bed　with　his　arms　through　two　holes　in　his　blanket；　who　composed　very　respectable　sacred　poetry　when　he　was　sober；　and　who　was　at　last　run　over　by　a　hackney　coach　when　he　was　drunk：　　Hoole；　surnamed　the　metaphysical　tailor；　who；　instead　of　attending　to　his　measures；　used　to　trace　geometrical　diagrams　on　the　board　where　he　sate　cross…legged；　and　the　penitent　impostor；　George　Psalmanazar；　who；　after　poring　all　day；　in　a　humble　lodging；　on　the　folios　of　Jewish　rabbis　and　Christian　fathers；　indulged　himself　at　night　with　literary　and　theological　conversation　at　an　alehouse　in　the　city。　　But　the　most　remarkable　of　the　persons　with　whom　at　this　time　Johnson　consorted　was　Richard　Savage；　an　earl's　son；　a　shoemaker's　apprentice；　who　had　seen　life　in　all　its　forms；　who　had　feasted　among　blue　ribands　in　Saint　James's　Square；　and　had　lain　with　fifty…pounds'　weight　of　iron　on　his　legs　in　the　condemned　ward　of　Newgate。　　This　man　had；　after　many　vicissitudes　of　fortune；　sunk　at　last　into　abject　and　hopeless　poverty。　　His　pen　had　failed　him。　　His　patrons　had　been　taken　away　by　death；　or　estranged　by　the　riotous　profusion　with　which　he　squandered　their　bounty；　and　the　ungrateful　insolence　with　which　he　rejected　their　advice。　　He　now　lived　by　begging。　　He　dined　on　venison　and　champagne　whenever　he　had　been　so　fortunate　as　to　borrow　a　guinea。　　If　his　questing　had　been　unsuccessful；　he　appeased　the　rage　of　hunger　with　some　scraps　of　broken　meat；　and　lay　down　to　rest　under　the　Piazza　of　Covent　Garden　in　warm　weather；　and；　in　cold　weather；　as　near　as　he　could　get　to　the　furnace　of　a　glass　house。　　Yet；　in　his　misery；　he　was　still　an　agreeable　companion。　　He　had　an　inexhaustible　store　of　anecdotes　about　that　gay　and　brilliant　world　from　which　he　was　now　an　outcast。　　He　had　observed　the　great　men　of　both　parties　in　hours　of　careless　relaxation；　had　seen　the　leaders　of　opposition　without　the　mask　of　patriotism；　and　had　heard　the　prime　minister　roar　with　laughter　and　tell　stor