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vantage. Particular lines are not to be regarded, the power is in the whole, and in the whole there is a magnificence like that ascribed to Chinese plantation, the magnificence of vast extent and endless diversity."

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: Mr. Boswell goes on to remark, "But there is in this Poem not only all that Johnson so well brings in view, but a power of the pathetick beyond almost any example that I have seen. who does not feel his nerves shaken, and his heart pierced by many passages in this extraordinary work, particularly by that most affecting one which describes the gradual torment suffered by the contemplation of an object of affectionate attachment visibly and certainly decaying into dissolution, must be of a hard and obstinate frame. To all the other excellencies of Night Thoughts' let me add the great and peculiar one, that they contain not only the noblest sentiments of virtue and contemplations on immortality, but the Christian Sucrifice, the Divine Propitiation, with all its interesting circumstances, and consolations to a wounded spirit, solemnly and poetically displayed in such imagery and language as cannot fail to exalt, animate, and soothe the truly pious. No book whatever can be recommended to young persons with better hopes of seasoning their minds with vital religion than Young's Night Thoughts.'

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Johnson said, that the description of the tem ple, in The Mourning Bride,' was the finest poetical passage he had ever read; he recollected none in Shakspeare equal to it. "But," said Garrick (who was present, all-alarmed for the God of his idolatry'), "we know not the extent and variety of his powers. We are 'to suppose there are such passages in his works. Shakspeare must not suffer from the badness of our memories."-Johnson, diverted by this enthusiastic jealousy, went on with greater ardour: "No, Sir; Congréve has nature," (smiling on the tragick eagerness of Garrick); but composing himself, he added, "Sir, this is not comparing Congreve on the whole, with Shakspeare on the whole; but only maintaining that Congreve has one finer passage than any that can be found in Shakspeare. Sir, a man may have no more than ten guineas in the world, but he may have those ten guineas in one piece; and so may have a finer piece than a man who has ten thousand pounds; but then he has only one ten-guinea piece. What I mean is, that you can shew me no passage where there is simply a description of material objects, without any intermixture of moral notions, which produces such an effect." Mr. Murphy mentioned Shakspeare's description of the night before the battle of Agincourt; but it was observed, it had men in it. Mr. Davies

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suggested the speech of Juliet, in which she figures herself awaking in the tomb of her an cestors. Some one mentioned the description of Dover Cliff-JOHNSON. "No, Sir; it should be all precipice, all vacuum. The crows impede your fall. The diminished appearance of the boats, and other circumstances, are all very good description; but do not impress the mind at once with the horrible idea of immense height. The impression is divided; you pass on by com putation from one stage of the tremendous space to another. Had the girl in The Mourning Bride' said she could not cast her shoe to the top of one of the pillars in the temple, it would not have aided the idea, but weakened it." Again adverting to the passage in Congreve with high commendation, he said, Shakspeare never has six lines together without a fault. Perhaps you may find seven; but it does not refute my general assertion. If I come to an orchard, and there's no fruit here, and then comes a poring man who finds two apples and three pears, and tells me, Sir, you are mistaken, I have found both apples and pears,' I should laugh at him; what would that be to the purpose?".

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Talking of Shakspeare's witches, Johnson said, "They are beings of his own creation; they are a compound of malignity and meanness, without any abilities; and are quite different from the

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Italian magician. King James says, in his Dæmonology,' Magicians command the devils; witches are their servants.' The Italian magicians are elegant beings."-RAMSAY." Opera witches, not Drury-lane witches."

"Colman (said Johnson) in a note on his translation of Terence, talking of Shakspeare's learning, asks, What says Farmer to this? What says Johnson?" Upon this he observed,

Sir, let Farmer answer for himself: I never engaged in this controversy. I always said Shakspeare had Latin enough to grammaticise his English."

The character of Mallet having been introduced, and spoken of slightingly by Goldsmith, Johnson said "Why, Sir, Mallet had talents enough to keep his literary reputation alive as long as he himself lived; and that, let me tell you, is a good deal."-GOLDSMITH." But I cannot agree that it was so. His literary reputation was dead long before his natural death. I consider an author's literary reputation to be alive only while his name will ensure a good price for his copy from the booksellers. I'will get you (to Johnson) a hundred guineas for any thing whatever that you shall write, if you put your name to it."

Mr. Boswell mentioned Mallet's tragedy of

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Elvira,' which had been acted the preceding winter at Drury-lane, and that the Honourable Andrew Erskine, Mr. Dempster, and himself, had joined in writing a pamphlet, entitled Critical Strictures' against it. That the mildness of Dempster's disposition had, however, , relented; and he had candidly said, "We have hardly a right to abuse this tragedy; for bad as it is, how vain should either of us be to write one not near so good!"-JOHNSON. "Why no, Sir; this is not just reasoning. You may abuse a tragedy, though you cannot write one. You may scold a carpenter who has made you a bad table, though you cannot make a table. It is not your trade to make tables."

Of Mr. Mallet he usually spoke with no great respect; he said, that he was ready for any dirty job; that he had wrote against Byng at the instigation of the ministry, and was equally ready to write for him, provided he found his account in it. "Mallet's Life of Bacon (said he) has no inconsiderable merit as an acute and elegant dissertation relative to its subject; but Mallet's mind was not comprehensive enough to embrace the vast extent of Lord Verulam's genius and research. Dr. Warburton therefore observed with witty justness, "that Mallet in his Life of Bacon had forgotten that he was a philosopher;

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