in the writings of these men, and the point at which free-thinking was likely to terminate; and taking up the defence of religion where Mr. Addison left it, he made it a part of his defign as well to adduce new arguments for its fupport, and to enforce the practice of virtue, as to correct thofe errors in the smaller concerns and occupations of life, the ridiculing which rendered his paper an amusement.

In this fituation and state of public manners Johnfon formed the plan of his Rambler, and with what spirit he entered upon it may be inferred from the following folemn addrefs, which he compofed and offered up to the divine Being for a bleffing on the undertaking:

Almighty God, the giver of all good things, without whofe help all labour is ineffectual, and without whose grace all wisdom is folly; grant, I befeech Thee, that in this undertaking thy holy fpirit may not be with-held from me, but that I may promote thy glory, and the falvation of myself and others; grant this, O Lord, for the fake of thy fon Jefus Chrift. Amen.'

The work was undertaken without the communication of his defign to any of his friends, and confequently without any defire of affiftance from them; it was from the ftores of his own mind alone that he hoped to be able to furnish that variety of matter which it would require; which, that it might at no time fail him, he kept up by noting in a commonplace book that he carried about him, such incidents, fentiments, and remarks on familiar life and manners as were for his purpose. This method of accumulat

ing intelligence had been practised by Mr. Addifon, and is humourously described in one of the Spectators, wherein he feigns to have dropped his paper of Notanda, confifting of a divirting medley of broken fentences and loose hints, which he tells us he had collected, and had meant to make ufe of. Much of the fame kind is Johnson's Adverfaria, as will appear by the following fpecimens:

• HEREDIPETA born heir prefumptive to great 'fortune.-Had two unkles and an aunt.-Eldest • un. squire and fox-hunter; other a fea captain grown rich, Mother a citizen's daughter.-Father an attorney, always told me of the riches to be gotten by pleafing unk.-Made a fycophant early-Hunted, found hares, caught fish, with the elder-afked the other his adventures, foreign countries. Wifhed I was bred to fea-taken at word " no land lubber "should" [have] "his money." Went to fea. During voyage eldest fell in hunting died.-Eftate came to his brother- He married aunt's maid, the groffness of his behaviour cutting off from equals. Only aunt remains-now haunted by a half pay ' officer, or officer of the guards, a young gentleman with a place at court, a rich widower without children, &c.-The time fpent in which I should have acquired the means of living-Folly of this 'kind of dependence-Every man fhould live by his own powers. Flattery-flavery defeated at length by footman-chambermaid-or peevishness or caprice of age. Ideas - - hunting *failing-failors fate any manfion. Thus from 3 fortunes uncertain of any, indeed difabled from

cards

* getting with credit or enjoying with dignity. Parents folly who inftead of animating children initiate ' them in servility. N.

Vive tibi, nam moriere tibi.

Aunt a card-player-when not at hunting play'd at cards.'

In the above article we difcern the rudiments of two most excellent papers, in the Rambler, number 197, and 198, the defign whereof is to defcribe and ridicule the folly of legacy-hunting.

Here follows another, in which is contained the hints from which he formed that humorous relation, of a Journey in a Stage Coach, given in the Adventurer, Number 84.

Each

At Gravefend waiting for the coaches-Adventures not of five hours but half one entered the room with haughtiness -Each fat filent not with reverence but contempt-At laft the red coat, what o'clock - Watch- not go 'well-coft 401.- Grave man calls for the news ? -Price of stocks, fold out 40,000l. Red coat

filent -Only one that escaped contempt, a young ! woman who wanted a fervice, was going down ⚫ and was very officious to ferve the company. Red coat wondered at our filence, told us how much he loved to be on a level with his company.-1 Woman, hard for women of any condition to wait fo long in public-informed that she was a fer⚫yant maid married to a trader. Another observed how frequently people of great figure were in such

' places

places in difguife, and the pleasure of fometimes appearing below ourselves.

Jam vaga profiliet frænis natura remotis.

'How hard (dixit quædam) for people used to their own coaches to ride in mixed company

*

The collection above-mentioned contains also Johnson's own opinions, fentiments on several subjects, and among them the fol lowing on writers for bread, from whence we learn his genuine fentiments of that profeffion;

Reasons of writing, benevolence, defire of fame, vanity, hunger, curiofity to know the rate of a man's own understanding. Which moft juftifiable. All may be forgiven if not perfifted in, but writing for bread moft, Rich talk without excufe, Rofc. If write well, not lefs innocent or laudable than prefcribing-pleadingjudging-fighting, tranfacting public affairs, much better than cringing, carrying a white ftaff or voting, If ill, fails with lefs hazard to the public than others. The prescriber pleader - judge hurt others. He only bookfeller who will not venture much upon a new name. Controversy fufpicious, if more to be got on one fide yet argument the fame.

The greatest writers have' [written] for bread-Homer-· Shakespeare-Dryden-Pope. Fatui non fame-Degente de fatu et affame d'argent.

Inconveniences of this life. To the public; the prefs is crouded with many books, yet this may diffuse knowledge, and leaves lefs room for vanity, fometimes it may choak the way to letters, ⚫ and hinder learning but rarely. To themselves most inconven. feldom above want, endless labour, always a new work, fubfcriptions folicited, fhameless importunity, meanness, patrons and encouragers to be got, wretched obfequioufnefs, companions of polite follies, vices, dedication, hateful flattery, utmoft ambition or hope fmall place, youth of labour, old age of dependence. This place often not got, Gay.

Being thus ftored with matter, Johnfon proceeded to publish his paper; and the first number came abroad on Tuesday the twentieth day of March, 1750.

It was the office of a cenfor of manners to curb the irregularities into which, in these new modes of living, the youthful of both fexes were apt to fall, and this he endeavoured to effect by gentle exhortation, by fober reproof, and, not feldom, by the powers of wit and ridicule; but with what fuccefs, others are as well able to tell as myfelf; however, if that is to be judged of by the fale of the paper, it was doubtless great, for though its reception was at firft cool, and its progress flow, the world were too wife to fuffer it to fink into oblivion: it was collected into volumes, and it would be too much for any one to fay, that ten impreffions of twelve hundred and fifty each, of a book fraught with the foundeft precepts of œconomical wildom, have been diffeminated in vain.

On the first publication of the Rambler it met with a few readers who objected to it for certain particula-. rities in the style, which they had not been used to in papers of the like kind, new and original combinations of words, fentences of an unusual form, and words derived from other languages, though accommodated to the genius of our own; but for thefe fuch reasons are affigned in the clofe of the laft paper, as not only are a defence of them, but fhew them to be improvements of our language.

Of fingularity it may be obferved, that, in general, it is originality, and therefore not a defect, and that all is not tumidity which men of little and confined reading pleafe to call fo. It is from a fervile'

imitation