the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第21章

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y　Teutonic　language　except　English；　which　indeed；　as　he　wrote　it；　was　scarcely　a　Teutonic　language；　and　thus　he　was　absolutely　at　the　mercy　of　Junius　and　Skinner。　The　Dictionary；　though　it　raised　Johnson's　fame；　added　nothing　to　his　pecuniary　means。　　The　fifteen　hundred　guineas　which　the　booksellers　had　agreed　to　pay　him　had　been　advanced　and　spent　before　the　last　sheets　issued　from　the　press。　　It　is　painful　to　relate　that；　twice　in　the　course　of　the　year　which　followed　the　publication　of　this　great　work；　he　was　arrested　and　carried　to　spunging…houses；　and　that　he　was　twice　indebted　for　his　liberty　to　his　excellent　friend　Richardson。　　It　was　still　necessary　for　the　man　who　had　been　formally　saluted　by　the　highest　authority　as　Dictator　of　the　English　language　to　supply　his　wants　by　constant　toil。　　He　abridged　his　Dictionary。　　He　proposed　to　bring　out　an　edition　of　Shakspeare　by　subscription；　and　many　subscribers　sent　in　their　names　and　laid　down　their　money；　but　he　soon　found　the　task　so　little　to　his　taste　that　he　turned　to　more　attractive　employments。　　He　contributed　many　papers　to　a　new　monthly　journal；　which　was　called　the　Literary　Magazine。　　Few　of　these　papers　have　much　interest；　but　among　them　was　the　very　best　thing　that　he　ever　wrote；　a　masterpiece　both　of　reasoning　and　of　satirical　pleasantry；　the　review　of　Jenyn's　Inquiry　into　the　Nature　and　Origin　of　Evil。　In　the　spring　of　1758　Johnson　put　forth　the　first　of　a　series　of　essays；　entitled　the　Idler。　　During　two　years　these　essays　continued　to　appear　weekly。　　They　were　eagerly　read；　widely　circulated；　and　indeed；　impudently　pirated；　while　they　were　still　in　the　original　form；　and　had　a　large　sale　when　collected　into　volumes。　　The　Idler　may　be　described　as　a　second　part　of　the　Rambler；　somewhat　livelier　and　somewhat　weaker　than　the　first　part。　While　Johnson　was　busied　with　his　Idlers；　his　mother；　who　had　accomplished　her　ninetieth　year；　died　at　Lichfield。　　It　was　long　since　he　had　seen　her；　but　he　had　not　failed　to　contribute　largely；　out　of　his　small　means；　to　her　comfort。　　In　order　to　defray　the　charges　of　her　funeral；　and　to　pay　some　debts　which　she　had　left；　he　wrote　a　little　book　in　a　single　week；　and　sent　off　the　sheets　to　the　press　without　reading　them　over。　　A　hundred　pounds　were　paid　him　for　the　copyright；　and　the　purchasers　had　great　cause　to　be　pleased　with　their　bargain；　for　the　book　was　Rasselas。　The　success　of　Rasselas　was　great；　though　such　ladies　as　Miss　Lydia　Languish　must　have　been　grievously　disappointed　when　they　found　that　the　new　volume　from　the　circulating　library　was　little　more　than　a　dissertation　on　the　author's　favourite　theme；　the　Vanity　of　Human　Wishes；　that　the　Prince　of　Abyssinia　was　without　a　mistress；　and　the　princess　without　a　lover；　and　that　the　story　set　the　hero　and　the　heroine　down　exactly　where　it　had　taken　them　up。　　The　style　was　the　subject　of　much　eager　controversy。　　The　Monthly　Review　and　the　Critical　Review　took　different　sides。　　Many　readers　pronounced　the　writer　a　pompous　pedant；　who　would　never　use　a　word　of　two　syllables　where　it　was　possible　to　use　a　word　of　six；　and　who　could　not　make　a　waiting　woman　relate　her　adventures　without　balancing　every　noun　with　another　noun；　and　every　epithet　with　another　epithet。　　Another　party；　not　less　zealous；　cited　with　delight　numerous　passages　in　which　weighty　meaning　was　expressed　with　accuracy　and　illustrated　with　splendour。　　And　both　the　censure　and　the　praise　were　merited。　About　the　plan　of　Rasselas　little　was　said　by　the　critics；　and　yet　the　faults　of　the　plan　might　seem　to　invite　severe　criticism。　　Johnson　has　frequently　blamed　Shakspeare　for　neglecting　the　proprieties　of　time　and　place；　and　for　ascribing　to　one　age　or　nation　the　manners　and　opinions　of　another。　　Yet　Shakspeare　has　not　sinned　in　this　way　more　grievously　than　Johnson。　　Rasselas　and　Imlac；　Nekayah　and　Pekuah；　are　evidently　meant　to　be　Abyssinians　of　the　eighteenth　century：　　for　the　Europe　which　Imlac　describes　is　the　Europe　of　the　eighteenth　century；　and　the　inmates　of　the　Happy　Valley　talk　familiarly　of　that　law　of　gravitation　which　Newton　discovered；　and　which　was　not　fully　received　even　at　Cambridge　till　the　eighteenth　century。　　What　a　real　company　of　Abyssinians　would　have　been　may　be　learned　from　Bruce's　Travels。　　But　Johnson；　not　content　with　turning　filthy　savages；　ignorant　of　their　letters；　and　gorged　with　raw　steaks　cut　from　living　cows；　into　philosophers　as　eloquent　and　enlightened　as　himself　or　his　friend　Burke；　and　into　ladies　as　highly　accomplished　as　Mrs　Lennox　or　Mrs　Sheridan；　transferred　the　whole　domestic　system　of　England　to　Egypt。　　Into　a　land　of　harems；　a　land　of　polygamy；　a　land　where　women　are　married　without　ever　being　seen；　he　introduced　the　flirtations　and　jealousies　of　our　ball…rooms。　　In　a　land　where　there　is　boundless　liberty　of　divorce；　wedlock　is　described　as　the　indissoluble　compact。　　〃A　youth　and　maiden　meeting　by　chance；　or　brought　together　by　artifice；　exchange　glances；　reciprocate　civilities；　go　home；　and　dream　of　each　other。　　Such；〃　says　Rasselas；　〃is　the　common　process　of　marriage。〃　　Such　it　may　have　been；　and　may　still　be；　in　London；　but　assuredly　not　at　Cairo。　　A　writer　who　was　guilty　of　such　improprieties　had　little　right　to　blame　the　poet　who　made　Hector　quote　Aristotle；　and　represented　Julio　Romano　as　flourishing　in　the　days　of　the　oracle　of　Delphi。　By　such　exertions　as　have　been　described；　Johnson　supported　himself　till　the　year　1762。　　In　that　year　a　great　change　in　his　circumstances　took　place。　　He　had　from　a　child　been　an　enemy　of　the　reigning　dynasty。　　His　Jacobite　prejudices　had　been　exhibited　with　little　disguise　both　in　his　works　and　in　his　conversation。　　Even　in　his　massy　and　elaborate　Dictionary；　he　had；　with　a　strange　want　of　taste　and　judgment；　inserted　bitter　and　contumelious　reflections　on　the　Whig　party。　　The　excise；　which　was　a　favourite　resource　of　Whig　financiers；　he　had　designated　as　a　hateful　tax。　　He　had　railed　against　the　commissioners　of　excise　in　language　so　coarse　that　they　had　seriously　thought　of　prosecuting　him。　　He　had　with　difficulty　been　prevented　from　holding　up　the　Lord　Privy　Seal　by　name　as　an　example　of　the　meaning　of　the　word　〃renegade。〃　　A　pension　he　had　defined　as　pay　given　to　a　state　hireling　to　betray　his　country；　a　pensioner　as　a　slave　of　state　hired　by　a　stipend　to　obey　a　master。　　It　seemed　unlikely　that　the　author　of　these　definitions　would　himself　be　pensioned。　　But　that　was　a　time　of　wonders。　　George　the　Third　had　ascended　the　throne；　and　had；　in　the　course　of　a　few　months；　disgusted　many　of　the　old　friends　and　conciliated　many　of　the　old　enemies　of　his　house。　　The　city　was　becoming　mutinous。　　Oxford　was　becoming　loyal。　　Cavendishes　and　Bentincks　were　murmuring。　　Somersets　and　Wyndhams　were　hastening　to　kiss　hands。　　The　head　of　the　treasury　was　now　Lord　Bute；　who　was　a　Tory；　and　could　have　no　objection　to　Johnson's　Toryism。　　Bute　wished　to　be　thought　a　patron　of　men　of　letters；　and　Johnson　was　one　of　the　most　eminent　and　one　of　the　most　needy　men　of　letters　in　Europe。　　A　pension　of　three　hundred　a　year　was　graciously　offered；　and　with　very　little　hesitation　accepted。　This　event　produced　a　change　in　Johnson's　whole　way　of　life。　　For　the