Let me not be forgetful of the honour done to him by Colonel Myddleton, of Gwaynynog, near Denbigh; who, on the banks of a rivulet in his park, where Johnson delighted to stand and repeat verses, erected an urn with the following inscription:
‘This spot was often dignified by the presence of
SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.
Whose moral writings, exactly conformable to the precepts of Christianity, Give ardour to Virtue and confidence to Truth.’
As no inconsiderable circumstance of his fame, we must reckon the extraordinary zeal of the artists to extend and perpetuate his image. I can enumerate a bust by Mr. Nollekens, and the many casts which are made from it; several pictures by Sir Joshua Reynolds, from one of which, in the possession of the Duke of Dorset, Mr. Humphry executed a beautiful miniature in enamel; one by Mrs. Frances Reynolds, Sir Joshua’s sister; one by Mr. Zoffani; and one by Mr. Opie; and the following engravings of his portrait: 1. One by Cooke, from Sir Joshua, for the Proprietors’ edition of his folio Dictionary. – 2. One from ditto, by ditto, for their quarto edition. – 3. One from Opie, by Heath, for Harrison’s edition of his Dictionary. – 4. One from Nollekens’ bust of him, by Bartolozzi, for Fielding’s quarto edition of his Dictionary. – 5. One small, from Harding, by Trotter, for his Beauties. – 6. One small, from Sir Joshua, by Trotter, for his Lives of the Poets. – 7. One small, from Sir Joshua, by Hall, for The Rambler. – 8. One small, from an original drawing, in the possession of Mr. John Simco, etched by Trotter, for another edition of his Lives of the Poets. – 9. One small, no painter’s name, etched by Taylor, for his Johnsoniana. – 10. One folio whole-length, with his oak-stick, as described in Boswell’s Tour, drawn and etched by Trotter. – 11. One large mezzotinto, from Sir Joshua, by Doughty. – 12. One large Roman head, from Sir Joshua, by Marchi. – 13. One octavo, holding a book to his eye, from Sir Joshua, by Hall, for his Works. – 14. One small, from a drawing from the life, and engraved by Trotter, for his Life published by Kearsley. – 15. One large, from Opie, by Mr. Townley, (brother of Mr. Townley, of the Commons,) an ingenious artist, who resided some time at Berlin, and has the honour of being engraver to his Majesty the King of Prussia. This is one of the finest mezzotintos that ever was executed; and what renders it of extraordinary value, the plate was destroyed after four or five impressions only were taken off. One of them is in the possession of Sir William Scott. Mr. Townley has lately been prevailed with to execute and publish another of the same, that it may be more generally circulated among the admirers of Dr. Johnson. – 16. One large, from Sir Joshua’s first picture of him, by Heath, for this work, in quarto. – 17. One octavo, by Baker, for the octavo edition. – 18. And one for Lavater’s Essay on Physiognomy, in which Johnson’s countenance is analysed upon the principles of that fanciful writer. – There are also several seals with his head cut on them, particularly a very fine one by that eminent artist, Edward Burch, Esq. R.A., in the possession of the younger Dr. Charles Burney.
Let me add, as a proof of the popularity of his character, that there are copper pieces struck at Birmingham, with his head impressed on them, which pass current as half-pence there, and in the neighbouring parts of the country.
a It is not yet published. – In a letter to me, Mr. Agutter says, ‘My sermon before the University was more engaged with Dr. Johnson’s moral than his intellectual character. It particularly examined his fear of death, and suggested several reasons for the apprehension of the good, and the indifference of the infidel in their last hours; this was illustrated by contrasting the death of Dr. Johnson and Mr. Hume: the text was Job xxi. 22–26.’
a The Reverend Dr. Parr, on being requested to undertake it, thus expressed himself in a letter to William Seward, Esq.:
‘I leave this mighty task to some hardier and some abler writer. The variety and splendour of Johnson’s attainments, the peculiarities of his character, his private virtues, and his literary publications, fill me with confusion and dismay, when I reflect upon the confined and difficult species of composition, in which alone they can be expressed, with propriety, upon his monument.’
But I understand that this great scholar, and warm admirer of Johnson, has yielded to repeated solicitations, and executed the very difficult undertaking. [Dr. Johnson’s Monument, consisting of a colossal figure leaning against a column, has since the death of our authour been placed in St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Epitaph was written by the Rev. Dr. Parr, and is as follows:
A
SAMVELI · JOHNSON
GRAMMATICO · ET · CRITICO
SCRIPTORVM · ANGLICORVM · LITTERATE · PERITO
POETAE · LVMINIBVS · SENTENTIARVM
ET · PONDERIBVS · VERBORVM · ADMIRABILI
MAGISTRO · VIRTVTIS · GRAVISSIMO
HOMINI · OPTIMO · ET · SINGVLARIS · EXEMPLI
QVI · VIXIT · ANN · lxxv · MENS · iI. · DIEB · xiiiI
DECESSIT · IDIB · DECEMBR · ANN · CHRIST · cI· · Icc · lxxxiiiI
SEPVLT · IN · AED · SANCT · PETR · WEST MONASTERIENS ·
xiiI · KAL · IANVAR · ANN · CHRIST · cI· · bcc · lxxxv
AMICI · ET · SODALES · LITTERARII
PECVNIA · CONLATA
H · M · FACIVND · CVRAVER.1291
On a scroll in his hand are the following words:
EMLAJAQERRIPOMXMAMSANIOREIGALOIBG.1292
On one side of the Monument – FACIEBAT JOHANNES BACON SCVLPTOR ANN. CHRIST. M.DCC.LXXXXV.1293
The Subscription for this monument, which cost eleven hundred guineas, was begun by the Literary Club and completed by the aid of Dr. Johnson’s other friends and admirers.]
b To prevent any misconception on this subject, Mr. Malone, by whom these lines were obligingly communicated, requests me to add the following remark: –
‘In justice to the late Mr. Flood, now himself wanting, and highly meriting, an epitaph from his country, to which his transcendent talents did the highest honour, as well as the most important service; it should be observed that these lines were by no means intended as a regular monumental inscription for Dr. Johnson. Had he undertaken to write an appropriated and discriminative epitaph for that excellent and extraordinary man, those who knew Mr. Flood’s vigour of mind, will have no doubt that he would have produced one worthy of his illustrious subject. But the fact was merely this: In Dec. 1789, after a large subscription had been made for Dr. Johnson’s monument, to which Mr. Flood liberally contributed, Mr. Malone happened to call on him at his house, in Berners-street, and the conversation turning on the proposed monument, Mr. Malone maintained that the epitaph, by whomsoever it should be written, ought to be in Latin. Mr. Flood thought differently. The next morning, in the postscript to a note on another subject, he mentioned that he continued of the same opinion as on the preceding day, and subjoined the lines above given.’