flightingly of Sheridan's Art. Sheridan had acquired a high reputation, and was much sought after, as an adept in the institution of youth; a department in which, however kept a fecret, Dr. Johnson had been tried and found wanting.* Nay poffibly, very poffibly, for Sheridan was no fycophant, and had a touch of his own condition, the Good Man might refuse subscription to the Great Man's dogmatic opinions, and prefuming to think for himself, a way he had, disputed the Doctor's infallibility. These are not infifted upon as matters of importance; but it was known Sheridan had in contemplation an ENGLISH DICTIONARY, and the establishment of a NATIONAL ACADEMY upon the fame principle, for which he was at the time foliciting patronage. That was an unequivocal avowal, and, in Johnson's imagination, an encroachment on his dictatorial confequence, which, connected with the reft, though they purfued very different routes, rankled in his mind, I thank thee, Boswell! for teaching me that word,' and manifeftly gave offence; for in the Preface to his Dictionary, fo early as the year 1755, Johnson steps out of his way, and even makes a temporary facrifice of his political principles to have a wipe at Sheridan. Sheridan, more just to Johnson's literary reputation, overlooked the inuendo; cultivated his acquaintance, and had him at his table a conftant gueft. In the year 1762, Sheridan's scheme for a new English Dictionary was published. That memorable year he was nominated for a pension,† and, no way envious of his friend's celebrity, he feized the favourable opportunity; fuggested the propriety of a provision for Johnson, and was the firft who communicated to him the Royal Intention. § The return Dr. Johnson made Found wanting.-See this topic farther illuftrated in the Appendix No.2. + See Bofwell's Johníon, vol. i. p. 349... § Ibid. pp. 343, 4. made him, and fome part of Mr. Bofwell's ingenious commentary, we have already feen; but for a more explicit detail we refer to the work itself. In the interim, as we are on the fubject of penfions, it may not be improper to add a few words by way of elucidation, in which we fhall endeavour to follow our elaborate precurfor, baud paffibus æquis, who, notwithstanding the mighty pother he makes to perfuade us of the pains he has been at in procuring the most authentic teftimony, has not been altogether exact. He has indeed been minutely circumftantial in what relates to Dr. Johnson; in what relates to Sheridan he appears not fo fedulously inquifitive. Mr. Sheridan's pension was granted to him, as that writer correctly fays, 'not as a player;' nor, as he incorrectly states, as a fufferer in the cause of government.' He was in that respect at least on a footing with Johnson. The penfion was granted to Sheridan, without folicitation, as the reward of his literary merit.'* Besides, Mr. Boswell should have recollected, that Sheridan was not only taken by the hand and encouraged to proceed in his Scheme of Education and his Dictionary, by his countryman, the Earl of Bute, who was then Prime Minister; but that on the fame account he was recommended to his Sovereign by the Duke of Northumberland, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whose fon, the brave Earl Percy, was his pupil, and by the powerful conuections of the Hon. George Grenville, now Marquis of Buckingham, and his brother, who, under the care of their private Tutor, now an English Bishop,t made a visit to Dublin for the fole purpose of D * See Mrs. Sheridan's letters annexed, particularly that dated London, November 29th, 1762... See alfo Mr. Boswell, vol. i. p. 350. + Few are the tutors in the fifter kingdom who can boast of fuch comfortable terminations to their pains and folicitudes in difcharge of their laborious and momentous occupation, of profiting by Sheridan's inftructions, which in a very eminent degree they confeffedly did, and during their stay there were frequently his guests. His Majefty's Bounty in like manner, about the fame time, was extended to a Scotch gentleman, I think Dr. Douglas, or the Rev. Mr. Home, author of the Tragedy of that name. These marks of Royal Encouragement to literary merit were not in the intention fimply confined to the individuals, happily felected for the occafion, on his Majefty's Acceflion to the Throne; but on an impartial fcale to be confidered as national compliments and earnests of Sovereign Protection to Genius in the several kingdoms of which those gentlemen were respectively natives; and were not a tax upon the national coffers, as in the cafe of ordinary pensions; but paid out of his Majesty's privy purse.So ends the chapter of penfions. us. To return: Sheridan is blamed for persevering resentment; we are by no means advocates for perfevering refentment; but if justifiable in any cafe, it furely was in the cafe before Sheridan's refentment was an open honeft indignation, arifing from a proper sense of injurious treatment; it was spirited, not vindictive; it was repulsive, not mean. Was he again to run his head into the lion's mouth? and what was his fecurity against favage attacks? His refentment was a measure of felf-defence. Mr. Bofwell fays, he informed Sheridan, that Johnson would be glad to meet him amicably: on what authority he did fo inform him does not appear. Where was his commiffion? There is no note thereof in his Diary, circumstantial as it is; no trace of any fuch conversation on the subject is to be found; had any thing of the kind taken place it would have been recorded. He would have made a merit of it, and, though it might have been an error in the costume, he would have marked it as an amiable trait ́in the character of his illustrious friend. His good intention fhall fhall not be difputed; but the step was unwarranted, and the confequence at best problematical; there is no playing with edge tools. He acted officiously and deserved, what he was not unaccustomed to, a rebuff: It would not have been the first in cafes very fimilar. The affair was Johnson's; did he ever retract his malicious infinuations? and what overtures in his own person appear towards a reconciliation? was it not rather prohibited by reiterated provocation? Bofwell, kind foul! would impute it to an effect of vanity. Dr. Johnson does not fimply attack his friend Sheridan's vanity; he ties him to the stake; "He feeds fat the ancient grudge he bears, him"; he way-lays him; he affails him behind his back, and takes illiberal advantage of his abfence to traduce and fport away his character; he attacks him in his profeffion; he endeavours to fap the foundation of his hard-earned fame, and to depreciate his juft claims to public favour; but-" he allows him to be a good man:" that is, he indulges his fpleen at Sheridan's expence, and “after a pause,” to give his farcasms their full effect, he bethinks him of a falvo. "But Brutus is an honourable man." In his own cafe he might have thought it a fubdolous evasion; a forced conceffion wholly nugatory on the footing of worldly fuccefs. Goodness, as virtue, is its own reward, and feldom the ground of competitorship. Dr. Johnfon's pension was not granted him on account of his goodness; "the penfion was granted to Johnfon folely as the reward of his literary merit.” * To what then did his negative compliment amount? The Jew may help Sheridan to an answer; his obfervation comes home to the occafion, though, even Johnson must admit, Sheridan was in no refpect a Brother of the Tribe. * Lord Loughborough's words... Bofwell, vol. i. p. 342. Nay, Nay, take my life and all, pardon not that When you do take the means whereby I live. Sheridan had a family to provide for; his means were in fuppofition, and, we may fay, altogether depended on his estimation with the Public, which the ftrictures of Johnson were certainly not calculated to improve. Mr. Sheridan had great energy of mind; he was an enthufiaft in the caufe of Education; it was the favourite study of his life, and all his exertions ultimately tended to that one great object: fo clofely was it interwoven in his heart, that I have heard him in conversation on the fubject declare to my Father, and I believe he was fincere in the declaration, however paradoxical it may feem, that he would rather fee his two fons. at the head of respectable Academies, as a fituation the most beneficial to mankind, than one of them Prime Minister of Britain, and the other at the head of affairs in Ireland* might be over fanguine in his projects, and, on that head it must be confeffed, fomewhat fingular in his notions; yet they did not spring from the littleness of a felfish ambition; but were founded on the broad basis of public good: they might not, in vulgar acceptation, be very splendid or fublime; they might not exactly square with the politics of his children; but they were not, for that reason, criminal; and to fay nothing of ingratitude, was it the part of a friend fo looked up to, fo converfant in matters of juvenile institution as Johnfon was fuppofed to be, to thwart his benevolent Hoft's generous ftruggles for independence? to treat him, whom He The eldeft, Charles-Francis, was at that time Secretary at War and Member of the House of Commons in Ireland; and the youngest Richard-Brinley, Representative for Stafford in England. |