little or nothing for him to do. A system of morals next was proposed \ But perhaps he chose to promise nothing more. He thought, as, like the running horse in Horace 2 , he had done his best, he should give up the race and the chase. His dependent Levett died suddenly under his roof. He preserved his name from oblivion, by writing an epitaph for him, which shows that his poetical fire was not extinguished, and is so appropriate, that it could belong to no other person in the world 3 . Johnson said, that the remark of appropriation was just criticism: his friend was induced to pronounce, that he would not have so good an epitaph written for himself 4 . Pope has nothing to equal it in his sepulchral poetry. When he dined with Mr. Wilkes, at a private table in the city, their mutual altercations were forgot, at least for that day 5 . Johnson did not remember the sharpness of a paper against his description or definition of an alphabetical point animadverted upon in his dictionary by that man of acuteness 6 ; who, in his turn, forgot the severity of a pamphlet of Johnson 7 . All was, during this meal, a reciprocation of wit and good humour. During the annual contest in the city, Johnson con fessed, that Wilkes would make a very good Chamberlain 8 . When Johnson (who had said that he would as soon dine with
1 Johnson had at one time of 4 For Parr's epitaph on Johnson
his life projected 'A Comparison of see Life, iv. 424; and for his vanity
Philosophical and Christian Mo- about it, ib. 444.
rality, by sentences collected from the 5 Ib. iii. 64. Wilkes, a year later,
moralists and fathers? Life, iv. attacked Johnson in Parliament. Ib.
381, n. i. iii. 79, n. i. 'Lord Mansfield, we
3 ' Solve senescentem mature are informed on the unquestionable
sanus equum.' authority of Mr. Andrew Strahan,
' Loose from the rapid car your was of opinion that " Mr. Wilkes
aged horse.' was the pleasantest companion, the
FRANCIS, HORACE, Epis. i. i. 8. politest gentleman, and the best
3 Life,\v. 137. scholar he ever knew.'" Nichols's
- The difficulty in writing epitaphs Lit. Anec. ix. 479 n. See ib. for
is to give a particular and appro- ' Wilkes's Life of himself. It was
priate praise. This, however, is not not forthcoming. The covers of the
always to be performed, whatever be book remained ; but the leaves were
the diligence or ability of the writer ; all cut out.'
for the greater part of mankind have 6 Life, i. 300.
no character at all.' Works, viii. 7 Ib. ii. 135, n. i ; iii. 64.
355. 8 Ib. iv. 101, n. 2 ; Letters, i. 408.
Jack
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