The Life of Samuel Johnson - James Boswell [816]
Young, Frederick (b. c. 1732), son of the above: 829–30 and n. a
Young, Prof. John (c. 1746–1820), professor of Greek, Glasgow: 984
Zeck, George and Luke: 264
Zelide, see Zuylen, Isabella de
Zon, Mr (fl. 1754), Venetian resident in London: 149
Zuylen, Isabella de (1740–1805), ‘Zelide’, Mme de Charriere: 292, 511
a See Mr. Malone’s Preface to his edition of Shakspeare.
a I do not here include his Poetical Works; for, excepting his Latin Translation of Pope’s Messiah, his London, and his Vanity of Human Wishes imitated from Juvenal; his Prologue on the opening of Drury-Lane Theatre by Mr. Garrick, and his Irene, a Tragedy, they are very numerous, and in general short; and I have promised a complete edition of them, in which I shall with the utmost care ascertain their authenticity, and illustrate them with notes and various readings.
a See Dr. Johnson’s letter to Mrs. Thrale, dated Ostick in Skie, September 30, 1773: – ‘Boswell writes a regular Journal of our travels, which I think contains as much of what I say and do, as of all other occurrences together; “for such a faithful chronicler is Griffith.””’
a Idler, No. 84.
b The greatest partofthis book was written while Sir John Hawkins was alive; andIavow, that one object of my strictures was to make him feel some compunction for his illiberal treatment of Dr. Johnson. Since his decease, I have suppressed several of my remarks upon his work. But though I would not ‘war with the dead’ offensively, I think it neces-sarytobe strenuous in defence of myillustrious friend, which I cannot bewithout strong animadversions upon a writer who has greatly injured him. Let me add, that though I doubt I should not have been very prompt to gratify Sir John Hawkins with any compliment in his life-time, I do now frankly acknowledge, that, in my opinion, his volume, however inadequate and improper as a life of Dr. Johnson, and however discredited by unpardonable inaccuracies in other respects, contains a collection of curious anecdotes and observations, which few men but its author could have brought together.
a Brit. Mus. 4320, Ayscough’s Catal., Sloane MSS.
a Rambler, No. 60.
a Plutarch’s Life of Alexander, Langhorne’s Translation.
a Rambler, No. 60.
a Bacon’s Advancement of Learning, Book 1.
a Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3rd edit. p. 213 {16 Sept.}.
b Extract of a letter, dated ‘Trentham, St. Peter’s day, 1716,’ written by the Rev. George Plaxton, Chaplain at that time to Lord Gower, which may serve to show the high estimation in which the Father of our great Moralist was held: ‘Johnson, the Litchfield Librarian, is now here; he propagates learning all over this diocese, and advanceth knowledge to its just height; all the Clergy here are his Pupils, and suck all they have from him; Allen cannot make a warrant without his precedent, nor our quondam John Evans draw a recognizance sine directione Michaelis.’ Gentleman’s Magazine, October, 1791.
a Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson, by Hester Lynch Piozzi, p. 11. Life of Dr. Johnson, by Sir John Hawkins, p. 6.
b This anecdote of the duck, though disproved by internal and external evidence, has nevertheless, upon supposition of its truth, been made the foundation of the following ingenious and fanciful reflections of Miss Seward, amongst the communications concerning Dr. Johnson with which she has been pleased to favour me: ‘These infant numbers contain the seeds of those propensities which through his life so strongly marked his character, of that poetick talent which afterwards bore such rich and plentiful fruits; for, excepting his orthographick works, every thing which Dr. Johnson wrote was Poetry, whose essence consists not in numbers, or in jingle, but in the strength