the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第19章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


on　without　the　mask　of　patriotism；　and　had　heard　the　prime　minister　roar　with　laughter　and　tell　stories　not　over　decent。　　During　some　months　Savage　lived　in　the　closest　familiarity　with　Johnson；　and　then　the　friends　parted；　not　without　tears。　　Johnson　remained　in　London　to　drudge　for　Cave。　　Savage　went　to　the　West　of　England；　lived　there　as　he　had　lived　everywhere；　and　in　1743；　died；　penniless　and　heart…broken；　in　Bristol　gaol。　Soon　after　his　death；　while　the　public　curiosity　was　strongly　excited　about　his　extraordinary　character；　and　his　not　less　extraordinary　adventures；　a　life　of　him　appeared　widely　different　from　the　catchpenny　lives　of　eminent　men　which　were　then　a　staple　article　of　manufacture　in　Grub　Street。　　The　style　was　indeed　deficient　in　ease　and　variety；　and　the　writer　was　evidently　too　partial　to　the　Latin　element　of　our　language。　　But　the　little　work；　with　all　its　faults；　was　a　masterpiece。　　No　finer　specimen　of　literary　biography　existed　in　any　language；　living　or　dead；　and　a　discerning　critic　might　have　confidently　predicted　that　the　author　was　destined　to　be　the　founder　of　a　new　school　of　English　eloquence。　The　life　of　Savage　was　anonymous；　but　it　was　well　known　in　literary　circles　that　Johnson　was　the　writer。　　During　the　three　years　which　followed；　he　produced　no　important　work；　but　he　was　not；　and　indeed　could　not　be；　idle。　　The　fame　of　his　abilities　and　learning　continued　to　grow。　　Warburton　pronounced　him　a　man　of　parts　and　genius；　and　the　praise　of　Warburton　was　then　no　light　thing。　　Such　was　Johnson's　reputation　that；　in　1747；　several　eminent　booksellers　combined　to　employ　him　in　the　arduous　work　of　preparing　a　Dictionary　of　the　English　language；　in　two　folio　volumes。　　The　sum　which　they　agreed　to　pay　him　was　only　fifteen　hundred　guineas；　and　out　of　this　sum　he　had　to　pay　several　poor　men　of　letters　who　assisted　him　in　the　humbler　parts　of　his　task。　The　prospectus　of　the　Dictionary　he　addressed　to　the　Earl　of　Chesterfield。　　Chesterfield　had　long　been　celebrated　for　the　politeness　of　his　manners；　the　brilliancy　of　his　wit；　and　the　delicacy　of　his　taste。　　He　was　acknowledged　to　be　the　finest　speaker　in　the　House　of　Lords。　　He　had　recently　governed　Ireland；　at　a　momentous　conjuncture；　with　eminent　firmness；　wisdom；　and　humanity；　and　he　had　since　become　Secretary　of　State。　　He　received　Johnson's　homage　with　the　most　winning　affability；　and　requited　it　with　a　few　guineas；　bestowed　doubtless　in　a　very　graceful　manner；　but　was　by　no　means　desirous　to　see　all　his　carpets　blackened　with　the　London　mud；　and　his　soups　and　wines　thrown　to　right　and　left　over　the　gowns　of　fine　ladies　and　the　waistcoats　of　fine　gentlemen；　by　an　absent；　awkward　scholar；　who　gave　strange　starts　and　uttered　strange　growls；　who　dressed　like　a　scarecrow；　and　ate　like　a　cormorant。　　During　some　time　Johnson　continued　to　call　on　his　patron；　but　after　being　repeatedly　told　by　the　porter　that　his　lordship　was　not　at　home；　took　the　hint；　and　ceased　to　present　himself　at　the　inhospitable　door。　Johnson　had　flattered　himself　that　he　should　have　completed　his　Dictionary　by　the　end　of　1750；　but　it　was　not　till　1755　that　he　at　length　gave　his　huge　volumes　to　the　world。　　During　the　seven　years　which　he　passed　in　the　drudgery　of　penning　definitions　and　making　quotations　for　transcription；　he　sought　for　relaxation　in　literary　labour　of　a　more　agreeable　kind。　　In　1749　he　published　the　Vanity　of　Human　Wishes；　an　excellent　imitation　of　the　Tenth　Satire　of　Juvenal。　　It　is　in　truth　not　easy　to　say　whether　the　palm　belongs　to　the　ancient　or　to　the　modern　poet。　　The　couplets　in　which　the　fall　of　Wolsey　is　described；　though　lofty　and　sonorous；　are　feeble　when　compared　with　the　wonderful　lines　which　bring　before　us　all　Rome　in　tumult　on　the　day　of　the　fall　of　Sejanus；　the　laurels　on　the　doorposts；　the　white　bull　stalking　towards　the　Capitol；　the　statues　rolling　down　from　their　pedestals；　the　flatterers　of　the　disgraced　minister　running　to　see　him　dragged　with　a　hook　through　the　streets；　and　to　have　a　kick　at　his　carcase　before　it　is　hurled　into　the　Tiber。　　It　must　be　owned　too　that　in　the　concluding　passage　the　Christian　moralist　has　not　made　the　most　of　his　advantages；　and　has　fallen　decidedly　short　of　the　sublimity　of　his　Pagan　model。　　On　the　other　hand；　Juvenal's　Hannibal　must　yield　to　Johnson's　Charles；　and　Johnson's　vigorous　and　pathetic　enumeration　of　the　miseries　of　a　literary　life　must　be　allowed　to　be　superior　to　Juvenal's　lamentation　over　the　fate　of　Demosthenes　and　Cicero。　For　the　copyright　of　the　Vanity　of　Human　Wishes　Johnson　received　only　fifteen　guineas。　A　few　days　after　the　publication　of　this　poem；　his　tragedy；　begun　many　years　before；　was　brought　on　the　stage。　　His　pupil；　David　Garrick；　had；　in　1741；　made　his　appearance　on　a　humble　stage　in　Goodman's　Fields；　had　at　once　risen　to　the　first　place　among　actors；　and　was　now；　after　several　years　of　almost　uninterrupted　success；　manager　of　Drury　Lane　Theatre。　　The　relation　between　him　and　his　old　preceptor　was　of　a　very　singular　kind。　　They　repelled　each　other　strongly；　and　yet　attracted　each　other　strongly。　　Nature　had　made　them　of　very　different　clay；　and　circumstances　had　fully　brought　out　the　natural　peculiarities　of　both。　　Sudden　prosperity　had　turned　Garrick's　head。　　Continued　adversity　had　soured　Johnson's　temper。　　Johnson　saw　with　more　envy　than　became　so　great　a　man　the　villa；　the　plate；　the　china；　the　Brussels　carpet；　which　the　little　mimic　had　got　by　repeating；　with　grimaces　and　gesticulations；　what　wiser　men　had　written；　and　the　exquisitely　sensitive　vanity　of　Garrick　was　galled　by　the　thought　that；　while　all　the　rest　of　the　world　was　applauding　him；　he　could　obtain　from　one　morose　cynic；　whose　opinion　it　was　impossible　to　despise；　scarcely　any　compliment　not　acidulated　with　scorn。　　Yet　the　two　Lichfield　men　had　so　many　early　recollections　in　common；　and　sympathised　with　each　other　on　so　many　points　on　which　they　sympathised　with　nobody　else　in　the　vast　population　of　the　capital；　that；　though　the　master　was　often　provoked　by　the　monkey…like　impertinence　of　the　pupil；　and　the　pupil　by　the　bearish　rudeness　of　the　master；　they　remained　friends　till　they　were　parted　by　death。　　Garrick　now　brought　Irene　out；　with　alterations　sufficient　to　displease　the　author；　yet　not　sufficient　to　make　the　piece　pleasing　to　the　audience。　　The　public；　however；　listened　with　little　emotion；　but　with　much　civility；　to　five　acts　of　monotonous　declamation。　　After　nine　representations　the　play　was　withdrawn。　　It　is；　indeed；　altogether　unsuited　to　the　stage；　and；　even　when　perused　in　the　closet；　will　be　found　hardly　worthy　of　the　author。　　He　had　not　the　slightest　notion　of　what　blank　verse　should　be。　　A　change　in　the　last　syllable　of　every　other　line　would　make　the　versification　of　the　Vanity　of　Human　Wishes　closely　resemble　the　versification　of　Irene。　　The　poet；　however；　cleared；　by　his　benefit　nights；　and　by　the　sale　of　the　copyright　of　his　tragedy；　about　three　hundred　pounds；　then　a　great　sum　in　his　estimation。　About　a　year　after　the　representation　of　Irene；　he　began　to　publish　a　series　of　short　essays　on　morals；　manners；　and　literature。　　This　species　of　composition　had　been　brought　into　fashion　by　the　success　of　the