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sufficient compensation for so much spleen and ill humour. Never was any biographer more sparing of his praise, or more abundant in his censures. He seemingly delights more in exposing blemishes, than in recommending beauties; slightly passes over excellencies, enlarges upon imperfections, and not content with his own severe reflections, revives old scandal, and produces large quotations from the forgotten works of former criticks. His reputation was so high in the republick of letters, that it wanted not to be raised upon the ruins of others. But these Essays, instead of raising a higher idea than was before entertained of his understanding, have certainly given the world a worse opinion of his temper. – The Bishop was therefore the more surprized and concerned for his townsman, for he respected him not only for his genius and learning, but valued him much more for the more amiable part of his character, his humanity and charity, his morality and religion.’ The last sentence we may consider as the general and permanent opinion of Bishop Newton; the remarks which precede it must, by all who have read Johnson’s admirable work, be imputed to the disgust and peevishness of old age. I wish they had not appeared, and that Dr. Johnson had not been provoked by them to express himself, not in respectful terms, of a Prelate, whose labours were certainly of considerable advantage both to literature and religion.

a Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3rd edit. p. 371 {25 Oct.}.

b The Rev. Mr. Agutter has favoured me with a note of a dialogue between Mr. John Henderson and Dr. Johnson on this topick, as related by Mr. Henderson, and it is evidently so authentick that I shall here insert it: – Henderson. ‘What do you think, Sir, of William Law?’ JOHNSON. ‘William Law, Sir, wrote the best piece of Parenetick Divinity;1161 but William Law was no reasoner.’ Henderson. ‘Jeremy Collier, Sir?’ JOHNSON. ‘Jeremy Collier fought without a rival, and therefore could not claim the victory.’ Mr. Henderson mentioned Kenn and Kettlewell; but some objections were made; at last he said, ‘But, Sir, what do you think of Lesley?’ JOHNSON. ‘Charles Lesley I had forgotten. Lesley was a reasoner, and a reasoner who was not to be reasoned against.’

a I have inserted the stanza as Johnson repeated it from memory; but I have since found the poem itself, in The Foundling Hospital for Wit, printed at London, 1749. It is as follows: –

‘Epigram, occasioned by a religious dispute at Bath.

On Reason, Faith, and Mystery high,

Two wits harangue the table;

B–y believes he knows not why.

N– swears ’tis all a fable.

Peace, coxcombs, peace, and both agree,

N–, kiss thy empty brother;

Religion laughs at foes like thee,

And dreads a friend like t’other.’1164

a Waller, in his Divine Poesie, Canto first, has the same thought finely expressed: –

‘The Church triumphant, and the Church below,

In songs of praise their present union show;

Their joys are full; our expectation long,

In life we differ, but we join in song;

Angels and we assisted by this art,

May sing together, though we dwell apart.’

b The Sermon thus opens: – ‘That there are angels and spirits good and bad; that at the head of these last there is one more considerable and malignant than the rest, who, in the form, or under the name of a serpent, was deeply concerned in the fall of man, and whose head, as the prophetick language is, the son of man was one day to bruise; that this evil spirit, though that prophecy be in part completed, has not yet received his death’s wound, but is still permitted, for ends unsearchable to us, and in ways which we cannot particularly explain, to have a certain degree of power in this world hostile to its virtue and happiness, and sometimes exerted with too much success; all this is so clear from Scripture, that no believer, unless he be first of all spoiled by philosophy and vain deceit,1165 can possibly entertain a doubt of it.’

Having treated of possessions, his Lordship says, ‘As I have no authority to affirm that there are now any such, so neither