the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第17章

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law　of　gravitation　which　Newton　discovered；　and　which　was　not　fully　received　even　at　Cambridge　till　the　eighteenth　century。　　What　a　real　company　of　Abyssinians　would　have　been　may　be　learned　from　Bruce's　Travels。　　But　Johnson；　not　content　with　turning　filthy　savages；　ignorant　of　their　letters；　and　gorged　with　raw　steaks　cut　from　living　cows；　into　philosophers　as　eloquent　and　enlightened　as　himself　or　his　friend　Burke；　and　into　ladies　as　highly　accomplished　as　Mrs　Lennox　or　Mrs　Sheridan；　transferred　the　whole　domestic　system　of　England　to　Egypt。　　Into　a　land　of　harems；　a　land　of　polygamy；　a　land　where　women　are　married　without　ever　being　seen；　he　introduced　the　flirtations　and　jealousies　of　our　ball…rooms。　　In　a　land　where　there　is　boundless　liberty　of　divorce；　wedlock　is　described　as　the　indissoluble　compact。　　〃A　youth　and　maiden　meeting　by　chance；　or　brought　together　by　artifice；　exchange　glances；　reciprocate　civilities；　go　home；　and　dream　of　each　other。　　Such；〃　says　Rasselas；　〃is　the　common　process　of　marriage。〃　　Such　it　may　have　been；　and　may　still　be；　in　London；　but　assuredly　not　at　Cairo。　　A　writer　who　was　guilty　of　such　improprieties　had　little　right　to　blame　the　poet　who　made　Hector　quote　Aristotle；　and　represented　Julio　Romano　as　flourishing　in　the　days　of　the　oracle　of　Delphi。　By　such　exertions　as　have　been　described；　Johnson　supported　himself　till　the　year　1762。　　In　that　year　a　great　change　in　his　circumstances　took　place。　　He　had　from　a　child　been　an　enemy　of　the　reigning　dynasty。　　His　Jacobite　prejudices　had　been　exhibited　with　little　disguise　both　in　his　works　and　in　his　conversation。　　Even　in　his　massy　and　elaborate　Dictionary；　he　had；　with　a　strange　want　of　taste　and　judgment；　inserted　bitter　and　contumelious　reflections　on　the　Whig　party。　　The　excise；　which　was　a　favourite　resource　of　Whig　financiers；　he　had　designated　as　a　hateful　tax。　　He　had　railed　against　the　commissioners　of　excise　in　language　so　coarse　that　they　had　seriously　thought　of　prosecuting　him。　　He　had　with　difficulty　been　prevented　from　holding　up　the　Lord　Privy　Seal　by　name　as　an　example　of　the　meaning　of　the　word　〃renegade。〃　　A　pension　he　had　defined　as　pay　given　to　a　state　hireling　to　betray　his　country；　a　pensioner　as　a　slave　of　state　hired　by　a　stipend　to　obey　a　master。　　It　seemed　unlikely　that　the　author　of　these　definitions　would　himself　be　pensioned。　　But　that　was　a　time　of　wonders。　　George　the　Third　had　ascended　the　throne；　and　had；　in　the　course　of　a　few　months；　disgusted　many　of　the　old　friends　and　conciliated　many　of　the　old　enemies　of　his　house。　　The　city　was　becoming　mutinous。　　Oxford　was　becoming　loyal。　　Cavendishes　and　Bentincks　were　murmuring。　　Somersets　and　Wyndhams　were　hastening　to　kiss　hands。　　The　head　of　the　treasury　was　now　Lord　Bute；　who　was　a　Tory；　and　could　have　no　objection　to　Johnson's　Toryism。　　Bute　wished　to　be　thought　a　patron　of　men　of　letters；　and　Johnson　was　one　of　the　most　eminent　and　one　of　the　most　needy　men　of　letters　in　Europe。　　A　pension　of　three　hundred　a　year　was　graciously　offered；　and　with　very　little　hesitation　accepted。　This　event　produced　a　change　in　Johnson's　whole　way　of　life。　　For　the　first　time　since　his　boyhood　he　no　longer　felt　the　daily　goad　urging　him　to　the　daily　toil。　　He　was　at　liberty；　after　thirty　years　of　anxiety　and　drudgery；　to　indulge　his　constitutional　indolence；　to　lie　in　bed　till　two　in　the　afternoon；　and　to　sit　up　talking　till　four　in　the　morning；　without　fearing　either　the　printer's　devil　or　the　sheriff's　officer。　One　laborious　task　indeed　he　had　bound　himself　to　perform。　　He　had　received　large　subscriptions　for　his　promised　edition　of　Shakspeare；　he　had　lived　on　those　subscriptions　during　some　years：　　and　he　could　not　without　disgrace　omit　to　perform　his　part　of　the　contract。　　His　friends　repeatedly　exhorted　him　to　make　an　effort；　and　he　repeatedly　resolved　to　do　so。　　But；　notwithstanding　their　exhortations　and　his　resolutions；　month　followed　month；　year　followed　year；　and　nothing　was　done。　　He　prayed　fervently　against　his　idleness；　he　determined；　as　often　as　he　received　the　sacrament；　that　he　would　no　longer　doze　away　and　trifle　away　his　time；　but　the　spell　under　which　he　lay　resisted　prayer　and　sacrament。　　His　private　notes　at　this　time　are　made　up　of　self…reproaches。　　〃My　indolence；〃　he　wrote　on　Easter　Eve　in　1764；　〃has　sunk　into　grosser　sluggishness。　　A　kind　of　strange　oblivion　has　overspread　me；　so　that　I　know　not　what　has　become　of　the　last　year。〃　　Easter　1765　came；　and　found　him　still　in　the　same　state。　　〃My　time；〃　he　wrote；　〃has　been　unprofitably　spent；　and　seems　as　a　dream　that　has　left　nothing　behind。　　My　memory　grows　confused；　and　I　know　not　how　the　days　pass　over　me。〃　　Happily　for　his　honour；　the　charm　which　held　him　captive　was　at　length　broken　by　no　gentle　or　friendly　hand。　　He　had　been　weak　enough　to　pay　serious　attention　to　a　story　about　a　ghost　which　haunted　a　house　in　Cock　Lane；　and　had　actually　gone　himself　with　some　of　his　friends；　at　one　in　the　morning；　to　St　John's　Church；　Clerkenwell；　in　the　hope　of　receiving　a　communication　from　the　perturbed　spirit。　　But　the　spirit；　though　adjured　with　all　solemnity；　remained　obstinately　silent；　and　it　soon　appeared　that　a　naughty　girl　of　eleven　had　been　amusing　herself　by　making　fools　of　so　many　philosophers。　　Churchill；　who；　confidant　in　his　powers；　drunk　with　popularity；　and　burning　with　party　spirit；　was　looking　for　some　man　of　established　fame　and　Tory　politics　to　insult；　celebrated　the　Cock　Lane　Ghost　in　three　cantos；　nicknamed　Johnson　Pomposo；　asked　where　the　book　was　which　had　been　so　long　promised　and　so　liberally　paid　for；　and　directly　accused　the　great　moralist　of　cheating。　　This　terrible　word　proved　effectual；　and　in　October　1765　appeared；　after　a　delay　of　nine　years；　the　new　edition　of　Shakspeare。　This　publication　saved　Johnson's　character　for　honesty；　but　added　nothing　to　the　fame　of　his　abilities　and　learning。　　The　preface；　though　it　contains　some　good　passages；　is　not　in　his　best　manner。　　The　most　valuable　notes　are　those　in　which　he　had　an　opportunity　of　showing　how　attentively　he　had　during　many　years　observed　human　life　and　human　nature。　　The　best　specimen　is　the　note　on　the　character　of　Polonius。　　Nothing　so　good　is　to　be　found　even　in　Wilhelm　Meister's　admirable　examination　of　Hamlet。　　But　here　praise　must　end。　　It　would　be　difficult　to　name　a　more　slovenly；　a　more　worthless　edition　of　any　great　classic。　　The　reader　may　turn　over　play　after　play　without　finding　one　happy　conjectural　emendation；　or　one　ingenious　and　satisfactory　explanation　of　a　passage　which　had　baffled　preceding　commentators。　　Johnson　had；　in　his　prospectus；　told　the　world　that　he　was　peculiarly　fitted　for　the　task　which　he　had　undertaken；　because　he　had；　as　a　lexicographer；　been　under　the　necessity　of　taking　a　wider　view　of　the　English　language　than　any　of　his　predecessors。　　That　his　knowledge　of　our　literature　was　extensive　is　indisputable。　　But；　unfortunately；　he　had　altogether　neglected　that　very　part　of　our　literature　with　which　it　is　especially　desirable　that　an　editor　of　Shakspeare　should　be　conversant。　　It　is　dangerous　to　assert　a　negative。　　Yet　little　will　be　risked　by　the　assertion；　that　in　the　two　folio　volumes　of　the　English　Dictionary　there　is　not　a　single　passage　quoted　from　any　dramatist　of　the　Elizabethan　age；　except　Shakspeare　and　Ben。　　Even　from　Ben　the　quotations　are　few。　　Johnson　might　easily；　in　a　few　months；　have　made　himself　well　acquainted　with　every　old　play　that　was　extant。　　But　it　never　seems　to　have　occurred　to　him　that　this　was　a　necessary　preparation　for　the　work　which　he　had　undertaken。　　He　would　doubtless　have　admitted　that　it　would　be　the　height　of　absurdity　in　a　man　who　was　not　familiar　with　the　works　of　Aeschylus　and　Euripides　to　publish　an　edition　of　Sophocles。　　Yet　he　ventured　to　publish　an　edition　of　Shakspeare；　without　having　ever　in　his　life；　as　far　as　can　be　discovered；　read　a　single　scene　of　Massinger；　Ford；　Decker；　Webster；　Marlow；　Beaumont；　or　Fletcher。　His　detractors　were　noisy　and　scurrilous。　　Those　who　most　loved　and　honoured　him　had　little　to　say　in　praise　of　the　manner　in　which　he　had　discharged　the　duty　of　a　commentator。　　He　had；　however；　acquitted　himself　of　a　debt　which　had　long　lain　on　his　conscience；　and　he　sank　back　into　the　repose　from　which　the　sting　of　satire　had　roused　him。　　He　long　continued　to　live　upon　the　fame　which　he　had　already　won。　　He　was　honoured　by　the　University　of　Oxford　with　a　Doctor's　degree；　by　the　Royal　Academy　with　a　professorship；　and　by　the　King　with　an　interview；　in　which　his　Majesty　most　graciously　expressed　a　hope　that　so　excellent　a　writer　would　not　cease　to　write。　　In　the　interval；　however；　between　1765　and　1775　Johnson　published　only　two　or　three　political　tracks；　the　longest　of　which　he　could　have　produced　in　forty…eight　hours；　if　he　had　worked　as　he　worked　on　the　life　of　Savage　and　on　Rasselas。　But；　though　his　pen　was　now　idle；　his　tongue　was　active。　　The　influence　exercised　by　his　conversation；　directly　upon　those　with　whom　he　lived；　and　indirectly　on　the　whole　literary　world；　was　altogether　without　a　parallel。　　His　colloquial　talents　were　indeed　of　the　highest　order。　　He　had　strong　sense；　quick　discernment；　wit；　humour；　immense　knowledge　of　literature　and