Lives Of The Poets, Vol. 1 (fiscle part-III) by Samuel Johnson (best beach reads TXT) 📖

Four Years. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 167: Addison'S Father, Who Was Then Dean Of Lichfield, Died in

April, 1703; A Circumstance Which Should Have Been Mentioned on His Tomb

At Lichfield: He Is Said To Have Been Seventy-One.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 168: Rosamond Was First Exhibited, March 4Th, 1707, And, After

Three Representations, Was Laid Aside. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 169: Thomas _Earl_ Of Wharton Was Constituted lord Lieutenant

Of Ireland Dec. 4, 1708, And Went There In april, 1709. He Was Not Made A

_Marquis_ Till Dec. 1714. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 170: The First Number Of The Tatler Was Published april 12,

1709. The Last (271) Jan. 2, 1710-11. The First Number Of The Spectator

Appeared march 1, 1710-11, And N Deg.. 555, Which Is The Last Of The Seventh

Volume, Was Published dec. 6, 1712. The Paper Was Then Discontinued, And

Was Recommenced, June 18, 1714, When N Deg.. 556 Appeared. From Thence, To

N Deg.. 635 Inclusive, Forms The Eighth Volume. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 171: This Particular Number Of The Spectator, It Is Said, Was

Not Published till Twelve O'Clock, That It Might Come Out Precisely At

The Hour Of Her Majesty'S Breakfast, And That No Time Might Be Left

For Deliberating about Serving it Up With That Meal, As Usual. See The

Edition Of The Tatler With Notes, Vol. Vi. No. 271, Note; P. 462, Sec. N.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 172: Newspapers Appear To Have Had An Earlier Date Than Here

Assigned. Cleiveland, In his Character Of A London Diurnal, Says, "The

Original Sinner Of This Kind Was Dutch; Gallo-Belgicus The Protoplast,

And The Modern Mercuries But Hans En Kelders." Some Intelligence Given By

Mercurius Gallo-Belgicus Is Mentioned in carew'S Survey Of Cornwall, P.

126, Originally Published in 1602. These Vehicles Of Information Are

Often Mentioned in the Plays Of James And Charles The First. R.

 

 

 

See Idler, N. 7, And Note; And Idler, N. 40, And Note. Ed.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 173: The Errors In this Account Are Explained at Considerable

Length In the Preface To The Spectator, Prefixed to The Edition In the

British Essayists. The Original Delineation Of Sir Roger Undoubtedly

Belongs To Steele.

 

 

 

See, However, Addisoniana, Vol. I.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 174: That This Calculation Is Not Exaggerated, That It Is Even

Much Below The Real Number, See The Notes On The Taller, Edit. 1786, Vol.

Vi. 452. N--See Likewise Prefatory Notice To The Rambler, Vol. Ii. P.

Viii. Of The Present Edition. Ed.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 175: Tickell Says, "He Took Up A Design Of Writing a Play Upon

This Subject When He Was At The University, And Even Attempted something

In It Then, Though Not A Line As It Now Stands. The Work Was Performed by

Him In his Travels, And Retouched in england, Without Any Formed design

Of Bringing it On The Stage." Cibber (Apol. 377.) Says, That In 1704 He

Had The Pleasure Of Reading the First Four Acts Of Cato (Which Were All

That Were Then Written) Privately With Sir Richard Steele; And Steele

Told Him They Were Written In italy. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 176: The Story About Hughes Was First Told By Oldmixon, In his

Art Of Criticism, 1728. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 177: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 178: Alluding to The Duke Of Marlborough, At That Time

Suspected of An Ambitious Aim To Obtain The Post Of General In chief For

Life. Ed.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 179: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 180: The Guardian Was Published in the Interval Between The

Spectator'S Being laid Down And Taken Up Again. The First Number Was

Published march 12, 1713; And The Last Appeared october 1St, 1713. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 181: From A Tory Song In vogue At The Time, The Burden Whereof

Is,

 

 

 

  And He, That Will This Health Deny,

  Down Among The Dead Men Let Him Lie.

 

 

 

H.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 182: Addison Wrote Twenty-Three Papers Out Of Forty-Five, Viz.

Numbs. 556, 557, 558, 559, 561, 562. 565. 567, 568, 569. 571. 574, 575.

579, 580. 582,583, 584, 585. 590. 592. 598. 600; So That He Produced more

Than One Half.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 183: When Lord Sunderland Was Appointed lord Lieutenant Of

Ireland, In 1714, Addison Was Appointed his Secretary. Johnson Has

Omitted another Step In his Promotions. He Was, In 1715, Made A Lord Of

Trade. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 184: August 2.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 185: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 186: It Has Been Said, That Addison First Discovered his

Addresses To The Countess Of Warwick Would Not Be Unacceptable, From The

Manner Of Her Receiving such An Article In the Newspapers, Of His Own

Inserting, At Which, When He Read It To Her, He Affected to Be Much

Astonished. Many Anecdotes Are On Record Of Addison'S Tavern Resorts When

Holland-House Was Rendered disagreeable By The Haughty Caprices Of His

Aristocratic Bride. When He Had Suffered any Vexation From Her, He Would

Propose To Withdraw The Club From Button'S, Who Had Been A Servant In the

Countess'S Family. Ed.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 187: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 188: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 189: This Is Inaccurately Stated. Pope Does Not Mention The

Conjecture Of Tonson At All. Spence Himself Has Mentioned it From

Tonson'S Own Information; For He Has Subscribed the Name Of Tonson To The

Paragraph In question, According to His Constant Practice Of Stating the

Name Of His Informer. M.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 190: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 191: This Account Of Addison'S Death Is From Dr. Young, Who

Calls Lord Warwick A Youth Finely Accomplished; And Does Not Give The

Least Ground For The Representation In the Text, That He Was Of Irregular

Life, And That This Was A Last Effort Of Addison'S To Reclaim Him.

M.--Dr. Young Was Far Too Much Of A Courtier To See The Vices Of A

Peer, But Even His Guarded statement Does Give Ground For Dr. Johnson'S

Conclusion. His Words Are, "Finely Accomplished, But Not Above Being the

Better For Good Impressions From A Dying friend." Ed.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 192: Who Died at Bilton, In warwickshire, At A Very Advanced

Age, In 1797. See Gent. Mag. Vol. Lxvii. P. 256. 385. N.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 193: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 194: Tonson And Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 195: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 196: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 197: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 198: "Paint Means," Says Dr. Warton, "Express, Or Describe

Them."]

 

 

 

[Footnote 199: But, According to Dr. Warton, "Ought Not To Have

Intended."]

 

 

 

[Footnote 200: Spence.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 201: The Person Meant By The Initials, J.G. Is Sir John Gibson,

Lieutenant-Governor Of Portsmouth In the Year 1710, And Afterwards. He

Was Much Beloved in the Army, And By The Common Soldiers Called johnny

Gibson. H.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 202: Taste Must Decide. Warton.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 203: Far, In dr. Warton'S Opinion, Beyond Dryden.]

 

 

 

[Footnote 204: But, Says Dr. Warton, He Sometimes Is So; And, In another

Manuscript Note, He Adds, Often So.]

 

 

 

 

 

Hughes

John Hughes, The Son Of A Citizen Of London, And Of Anne Burgess, Of An

Ancient Family In wiltshire, Was Born At Marlborough, July 29, 1677. He

Was Educated at A Private School; And Though His Advances In literature

Are In the Biographia Very Ostentatiously Displayed, The Name Of His

Master Is Somewhat Ungratefully Concealed[205].

 

 

 

At Nineteen He Drew The Plan Of A Tragedy; And Paraphrased, Rather Too

Diffusely, The Ode Of Horace Which Begins "Integer Vitas." To Poetry

He Added the Science Of Musick, In which He Seems To Have Attained

Considerable Skill, Together With The Practice Of Design, Or Rudiments Of

Painting.

 

 

 

His Studies Did Not Withdraw Him Wholly From Business, Nor Did Business

Hinder Him From Study. He Had A Place In the Office Of Ordnance; And Was

Secretary To Several Commissions For Purchasing lands Necessary To Secure

The Royal Docks At Chatham And Portsmouth; Yet Found Time To Acquaint

Himself With Modern Languages.

 

 

 

In 1697 He Published a Poem On The Peace Of Ryswick: And, In 1699,

Another Piece, Called the Court Of Neptune, On The Return Of King

William, Which He Addressed to Mr. Montague, The General Patron Of The

Followers Of The Muses. The Same Year He Produced a Song On The Duke Of

Gloucester'S Birthday.

 

 

 

He Did Not Confine Himself To Poetry, But Cultivated other Kinds Of

Writing with Great Success; And About This Time Showed his Knowledge Of

Human Nature By An Essay On The Pleasure Of Being deceived. In 1702, He

Published, On The Death Of King william, A Pindarick Ode, Called the

House Of Nassau; And Wrote Another Paraphrase On The "Otium Divos" Of

Horace.

 

 

 

In 1703, His Ode On Musick Was Performed at Stationers' Hall; And He

Wrote Afterwards Six Cantatas, Which Were Set To Musick By The Greatest

Master Of That Time, And Seem Intended to Oppose Or Exclude The Italian

Opera, An Exotick And Irrational Entertainment, Which Has Been Always

Combated, And Always Has Prevailed.

 

 

 

His Reputation Was Now So Far Advanced, That The Publick Began To Pay

Reverence To His Name; And He Was Solicited to Prefix A Preface To The

Translation Of Boccalini, A Writer Whose Satirical Vein Cost Him His Life

In Italy, But Who Never, I Believe, Found Many Readers In this Country,

Even Though Introduced by Such Powerful Recommendation.

 

 

 

He Translated fontenelle'S Dialogues Of The Dead; And His Version Was,

Perhaps, Read At That Time, But Is Now Neglected; For By A Book Not

Necessary, And Owing its Reputation Wholly To Its Turn Of Diction, Little

Notice Can Be Gained but From Those Who Can Enjoy The Graces Of The

Original. To The Dialogues Of Fontenelle He Added two Composed by

Himself; And, Though Not Only An Honest But A Pious Man, Dedicated his

Work To The Earl Of Wharton. He Judged skilfully Enough Of His Own

Interest; For Wharton, When He Went Lord Lieutenant To Ireland, Offered

To Take Hughes With Him, And Establish Him; But Hughes, Having hopes Or

Promises From Another Man In power, Of Some Provision More Suitable To

His Inclination, Declined wharton'S Offer, And Obtained nothing from The

Other.

 

 

 

He Translated the Miser Of Moliere, Which He Never Offered to The Stage;

And Occasionally Amused himself With Making versions Of Favourite Scenes

In Other Plays.

 

 

 

Being now Received as A Wit Among The Wits, He Paid His Contributions

To Literary Undertakings, And Assisted both The Tatler, Spectator, And

Guardian. In 1712, He Translated vertot'S History Of The Revolution Of

Portugal; Produced an Ode To The Creator Of The World, From The Fragments

Of Orpheus; And Brought Upon The Stage An Opera, Called calypso And

Telemachus, Intended to Show That The English Language Might Be Very

Happily Adapted to Musick. This Was Impudently Opposed by Those Who

Were Employed in the Italian Opera; And, What Cannot Be Told Without

Indignation, The Intruders Had Such Interest With The Duke Of Shrewsbury,

Then Lord Chamberlain, Who Had Married an Italian, As To Obtain An

Obstruction Of The Profits, Though Not An Inhibition Of The Performance.

 

 

 

There Was, At This Time, A Project Formed by Tonson For A Translation Of

The Pharsalia By Several Hands; And Hughes Englished the Tenth Book.

But This Design, As Must Often Happen Where The Concurrence Of Many

Is Necessary, Fell To The Ground; And The Whole Work Was Afterwards

Performed by Rowe.

 

 

 

His Acquaintance With The Great Writers Of His Time Appears To Have Been

Very General; But Of His Intimacy With Addison There Is A Remarkable

Proof. It Is Told, On Good Authority, That Cato Was Finished and Played

By His Persuasion. It Had Long Wanted the Last Act, Which He Was Desired

By Addison To Supply. If The Request Was Sincere, It Proceeded from An

Opinion, Whatever It Was, That Did Not Last Long; For When Hughes Came

In A Week To Show Him His First Attempt, He Found Half An Act Written By

Addison Himself.

 

 

 

He Afterwards Published the Works Of Spenser, With His Life, A Glossary,

And A Discourse On Allegorical Poetry; A Work For Which He Was Well

Qualified as A Judge Of The Beauties Of Writing, But, Perhaps, Wanted an

Antiquary'S Knowledge Of The Obsolete Words. He Did Not Much Revive

The Curiosity Of The Publick; For Near Thirty Years Elapsed before His

Edition Was Reprinted. The Same Year Produced his Apollo And Daphne, Of

Which The Success Was Very Earnestly Promoted by Steele, Who, When The

Rage Of Party Did Not Misguide Him, Seems To Have Been A Man Of Boundless

Benevolence.

 

 

 

Hughes Had Hitherto Suffered the Mortifications Of A Narrow Fortune;

But, In 1717, The Lord Chancellor Cowper Set Him At Ease, By Making him

Secretary To The Commissions Of The Peace; In which He Afterwards, By A

Particular Request, Desired his Successor, Lord Parker, To Continue Him.

He Had Now Affluence; But Such Is Human Life,