ing, and begin one of his exercifes, in which he purpofely left fome faults, in order to gain time to finish ⚫ the rest.

I never knew him corrected at fchool, unless it was for talking and diverting other boys from their business, by which, perhaps, he might hope to keep his afcendancy. He was uncommonly inquifitive, and his memory fo tenacious, that whatever he read or heard he never forgot. I remember rehearsing to him eighteen verfes, which after a little paufe he repeated verbatim, except one epithet, which improv ⚫ed the line.

After a long abfence from Lichfield, when he returned I was apprehenfive of fomething wrong in his conftitution, which might either impair his intellect ⚫ or endanger his life, but, thanks to Almighty God, my fears have proved falfe.'

In the autumn of the year 1725, he received an invitation from his uncle, Cornelius Ford, to fpend a few days with him at his houfe, which I conjecture to have been on a living of his in one of the counties bordering upon Staffordshire; but it seems that the uncle, discovering that the boy was poffeffed of uncommon parts, was unwilling to let him return, and to make up for the lofs he might sustain by his absence from school, became his instructor in the claffics, and farther aflisted him in his studies; fo that it was not till the Whitfuntide following, that Johnson went back to Lichfield. Whether Mr. Hunter was difpleafed to find a vifit of a few days protracted into a vacation of many months, or that he resented the interference of another perfon in the tuition of one of his scholars, and he one of the moft promifing of any under his care, cannot now be known; but, it seems, that at Johnson's return to Lichfield, he was not received into the school of that city; on the contrary, I am informed, by a per

fon

fon who was his fchool-fellow there, that he was placed in one at Stourbridge in Worcestershire, under the care of a mafter named Winkworth, but who, affecting to be thought allied to the Strafford family, affumed the name of Wentworth.

When his school education was finifhed, his father, whofe circumftances were far from affluent, was for fome time at a lofs how to difpofe of him; he took him home, probably with a view to bring him up to his own trade; for I have heard Johnfon fay, that he himself was able to bind a book. This fufpenfe continued about two years, at the end whereof, a neighbouring gentleman, Mr. Andrew Corbet, having a fon, who had been educated in the fame school with Johnfon, whom he was about to fend to Pembroke college in Oxford, a propofal was made and accepted, that Johnfon fhould attend this fon thither, in quality of affiftant in his ftudies; and accordingly, on the 31st day of October, 1728, they were both entered, Corbet as a gentleman-commoner, and Johnson as a com

moner.

The college tutor, at that time, was a man named Jordan, whom Johnson, though he loved him for the goodness of his nature, fo contemned for the meannefs of his abilities, that he would oftener rifque the pay-ment of a small fine than attend his lectures; nor was he ftudious to conceal the reafon of his abfence. Upon occafion of one fuch impofition, he said to Jordon, Sir, ་ you have fconced me two-pence for non-attendance at a lecture not worth a penny.'

Whether it was this difcouragement in the outfet of their ftudies, or any other ground of difinclination that moved him to it, is not known, but this is certain, that young Corbet could not brook fubmiffion to a man who seemed to be little more learned than himself, and that having a father living, who was able to dispose of

him in various other ways, he, after about two years ftay, left the college, and went home.

But the cafe of Johnfon was far different: his fortunes were at fea; his title to a stipend was gone, and all that he could obtain from the father of Mr. Corbet, was, an agreement, during his continuance at college, to pay for his commons. With no exhibition, or other means of fupport in the prosecution of his studies, he had nothing to depend on, fave the affistance of a kind and indulgent parent. At that time the trade of a country bookfeller, even in a city where there was a cathedral and an incorporation of ecclefiaftics, was lefs profitable than it is now; for though it may be faid, that during the reign of Queen Anne, multitudes of controverfial books and pamphlets were publifhing, yet thefe yielded but fmall advantage to the mere venders of them; there were then no fuch publications for the mere amufement of young readers or idle perfons as the prefs now daily fends forth; nor had any bookseller entertained in his mind the project of a circulating library: from hence it is evident, that his father, having no other means of fubfifting himself and his children, than the ordinary income of his fhop, was but little able to afford him any other than a fcanty main

tenance.

The want of that affiftance, which fcholars in general derive from their parents, relations, and friends, foon became vifible in the garb and appearance of Johnfon, which, though in fome degree concealed by a fcholar's gown, and that we know is never deemed the lefs honourable for being old, was fo apparent as to excite pity in fome that faw and noticed him. Shall I be particular, and relate a circumftance of his diftrefs, that cannot be imputed to him as an effect of his own extravagance or irregularity, and confequently reflects

no

no difgrace on his memory? He had scarce any change of raiment, and, in a short time after Corbet left him, but one pair of fhoes, and those fo old, that his feet were feen through them: a gentleman of his college, the father of an eminent clergyman now living, directed a fervitor one morning to place a new pair at the door of Johnson's chamber, who, feeing them upon his first going out, fo far forgot himself and the spirit that must have actuated his unknown benefactor, that, with all the indignation of an infulted man, he threw them

away.

He may be supposed to have been under the age of twenty, when this imaginary indignity was offered him, a period of life at which, fo far as concerns the knowledge of mankind, and the means of improving adverse circumstances, every one has much to learn: he had, doubtlefs, before this time, experienced the, proud ⚫ man's contumely;' and in this school of affliction might have first had reason to say,

• Slow rifes worth by poverty depreft.'

his fpirit was, nevertheless, too great to fink under this depreffion. His tutor, Jordan, in about a year's fpace, went off to a living which he had been presented to, upon giving a bond to refign it in favour of a minor, and Johnson became the pupil of Mr. Adams, a person of far fuperior endowments, who afterwards attained a doctor's degree, and is at this time head of his college. Encouraged, by a change fo propitious to his ftudies, he profecuted them with diligence, attended both public and private lectures, performed his exercifes with alacrity, and in fhort, neglected no means or opportunities of improvement. He had at this time a great emulation, to call it by no worse a name, to excel his competitors in literature. There was a young gentleman of his college, named Meekes, whofe exer

cifes he could not bear to hear commended; and whenever he declaimed or difputed in the hall, Johnfon would retire to the farthest corner thereof, that he might be out of the reach of his voice.

In this course of learning, his favourite objects were claffical literature, ethics, and theology, in the latter whereof he laid the foundation by ftudying the Fathers. If we may judge from the magnitude of his Adverfaria, which I have now by me, his plan for ftudy was a very extenfive one. The heads of science, to the extent of fix folio volumes, are copioufly branched thoughout it; but, as is generally the cafe with young ftudents, the blank far exceed in number the written leaves.

To fay the truth, the courfe of his ftudies was far from regular: he read by fits and starts, and, in the intervals digefted his reading by meditation, to which he was ever prone. Neither did he regard the hours of study, farther than the difcipline of the college compelled him. It was the practice in his time, for a fervitor, by order of the mafter, to go round to the rooms. of the young men, and knocking at the door, to enquire if they were within, and, if no anfwer was returned, to report them abfent: Johnson could not endure this intrufion, and would frequently be filent, when the utterance of a word would have insured him from cenfure; and, farther to be revenged for being difturbed when he was as profitably employed as perhaps he could be, would join with others of the young men in the college in hunting, as they called it, the fervitor, who was thus diligent in his duty; and this they did with the noise of pots and candlesticks, finging to the tune of Chevy-chace, the words in that old ballad,

To drive the deer with hound and horn,' &c. not feldom to the endangering the life and limbs of the unfortunate victim.

Thefe,