EARLY STRUGGLES. 23 have got at the very man; let Johnson once come to see that a thing is wrong, and he and it never shake hands again in this world. During the intervals when he was not engaged in such literary hack-work, Johnson must have found some relief in the composition of "London," a poem in imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal, which was published in May, 1738. Although greatly inferior to his other and later Satire, which will be noticed in due time, "London" is nevertheless understood to be one of the best existing imitations of any classic author. The poet Gray, a competent judge, has pronounced the verdict that it "has all the ease and all the spirit of an original." Poetry, however, as such, formed so small a portion of the history of Johnson's mind and heart, that to us in these days the interest and significance of this whole work turn upon one or two lines in which the Man himself seems to come to the surface: the Man, with all his clear integrity of soul, his rugged independence of spirit, his strong consciousness of deserving a better place in the world than had then been apportioned him, and his stern determination, at the same time, to repress all unmanly cries of distress. Here are a few of those lines, which, whatever may be their value as poetry, are infinitely suggestive as little delicate disclosures of the author's inner life: "The cheated nation's happy fav'rites see; Mark whom the great caress, who frown on me." No pathless waste, or undiscover'd shore? "This mournful truth is every where confess'd, SLOW RISES WORTH, BY POVERTY DEPRESS'D!" True genius is not, indeed, self-conscious, as some understand the word, and moral worth is perhaps even less so; yet it ever holds good that, 24 EARLY STRUGGLES. And may it not be obtuseness of vision on our part that prevents us from seeing how much real feeling has often gone to the composition of one of those poor rhymed couplets which it is now the fashion to despise? It is in the light of a belief like this that we recognize "London" as marking an era in its author's life. The thoughts with which his soul was big, and the feelings with which his heart was charged, found relief in song-a song which, if not marching to the grand music that now fires us, was yet, what poetry ever is, the finest utterance of the singer's highest self. The Satire was a great success; and, in the first burst of novelty and surprise, a sort of awed whisper went round the literary circle: "here is an unknown poet, greater even than Pope." Pope himself was so much pleased with the work as to make strict inquiry about the author of it-a complimentary curiosity which Johnson always remembered with honest pride. The poem reached a second edition in the course of a week. It was published by Robert Dodsley, who ultimately bought the copyright for ten guineas. "I might," says Johnson, "perhaps have accepted of less; but that Paul Whitehead had a little before got ten guineas for a poem; and I would not take less than Paul Whitehead." This rather makes us stare in these days, knowing, as we do, that hundreds of pounds are now given for poems which, in their way, create only the same sort of sensation as that produced by "London" in 1738. But if the praise bestowed upon the work was unlimited, not so was the supply of money it brought. Man cannot live by praise alone; and if "London" made some of the great court the author, the great required to be courted by the author in their turn. To this Johnson's stern pride could not submit ; so, sick of the sort of drudgery in which he had been hitherto chiefly employed, and despairing of the production of many more such works as his last, he began to let his thoughts wander once again to teaching, as a kind of forlorn hope. He was offered the mastership of the school of Appleby, in Leicestershire, provided he could obtain the degree of Master of Arts. He wrote to Dr. Adams, to ascertain if that could be given by the University of Oxford, as a kind of excep tional favour. It was decided, however, that it was too great a EARLY STRUGGLES. 25 favour to expect to receive from that University. Pope therefore recommended Johnson to Lord Gower, who immediately wrote to a friend of Dean Swift's, in the hope that through the Dean's influence the degree might be obtained from the University of Dublin. The letter is worth quoting : "SIR, 66 Trentham, August 1, 1739. "Mr. Samuel Johnson (author of 'London, a Satire,' and some other poetical pieces) is a native of this country, and much respected by some worthy gentlemen in his neighbourhood, who are trustees of a charity-school now vacant; the certain salary is sixty pounds a year, of which they are desirous to make him master; but, unfortunately, he is not capable of receiving their bounty, which would make him happy for life,' by not being 'a Master of Arts ;' which, by the statutes of this school, the master of it must be. "Now these gentlemen do me the honour to think that I have interest enough in you, to prevail upon you to write to Dean Swift, to persuade the University of Dublin to send a diploma to me, constituting this poor man Master of Arts in their University. They highly extol the man's learning and probity; and will not be persuaded, that the University will make any difficulty of conferring such a favour upon a stranger, if he is recommended by the Dean. They say, he is not afraid of the strictest examination, though he is of so long a journey; and will venture it, if the Dean thinks it necessary; choosing rather to die upon the road, ‘than be starved to death in translating for booksellers;' which has been his only subsistence for some time past. "I fear there is more difficulty in this affair, than those goodnatured gentlemen apprehend; especially as their election cannot be delayed longer than the 11th of next month. If you see this matter in the same light that it appears to me, I hope you will burn this, and pardon me for giving you so much trouble about an impracticable thing; but, if you think there is a probability of obtaining the favour asked, I am sure your humanity, and propensity to relieve merit in distress, will incline you to serve the poor man, without my adding any more to the trouble I have 26 EARLY STRUGGLES. already given you, than assuring you that I am, with great truth, Sir. “Your faithful servant, "GOWER." The favour not being granted, Johnson thought of trying Civil Law; but the want of a degree stood effectually in his way here also. He had no help for it, then, but to return to the dreary, ill-paid, grinding toil of working for the booksellers. One of his letters to Cave, written about this period, ends thus : "I am, Sir, yours impransus, Think of that! "Yours, without a dinner, "SAM. JOHNSON." "SAM. JOHNSON." There is no peculiar merit, indeed, in being "without a dinner;" but to be dinnerless and say nothing about it, or only to refer to the fact thus delicately at the end of a letter, couching the mention of it in Latin, too: that is well worth noting. Yet, though struggling in this way to keep the wolf from his own door, and barely succeeding, he was at the very same time busily interesting himself in the welfare of a young Scotchman, whose fortunes he was labouring to advance. This is shown by his next letter to Cave, which we give, not on its own account, but because of the testimony it bears to the fact that the pressure of Johnson's own sorrows did not render him callous to the sufferings of others : "DEAR SIR, "TO MR. CAVE. [No date.] "You may remember I have formerly talked with you about a Military Dictionary. The eldest Mr. Macbean, who was with Mr. Chambers, has very good materials for such a work, which I have seen, and will do it at a very low rate. I think the terms of war and navigation might be comprised, with good explanations, in one 8vo pica, which he is willing to do for twelve. shillings a sheet, to be made up a guinea at the second impression. If you think on it I will wait on you with him. "I am, Sir, your humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." EARLY STRUGGLES. 27 Among Johnson's early associates at St. John's Gate was one Samuel Boyse; of some note by reason of his cleverness, but of still greater notoriety by reason of his imprudence. Boyse was a good customer to the pawnbroking establishments; and on one occasion Johnson collected a sum of money to redeem his friend's clothes, which in two days after were pawned again. "The sum," said Johnson, when telling the story, "was collected by sixpences, at a time when to me sixpence was a serious consideration." No need of a long history of poor Johnson's sufferings at this period to those who can read the full meaning of one or two facts like the above. Nobody reads now-perhaps few will ever read again-" Irene," which its author called, and believed to be, "a Tragedy: " but the picture of this great and good man fighting so hard for his daily bread, and only snatching a mouthful now and then, and even that much with difficulty, is the real Tragedy, and will never cease to interest until sorrow shall have come to be known among men not as a sad fact, but merely as an ugly name. Thousands who can claim no kindred with Johnson's genius, and would shrink from comparison with his moral worth, may yet extend to him the right hand of fellowship on the ground of some common grief; for "Trouble makes us kin." |