��pain she ever felt was from the appearance of defrauding her subscribers x : ' but what can I do ? the Doctor [Johnson] always puts me off with <; Well, we'll think about it;" and Gold smith says : " Leave it to me 2 ." ' However, two of her friends under her directions, made a new subscription at a crown, the whole price of the work, and in a very little time raised sixty pounds. Mrs. Carter was applied to by Mrs. Williams's desire, and she, with the utmost activity and kindness procured a long list of names. At length the work was published, in which is a fine written but gloomy tale of Dr. Johnson 3 . The money (i5c/.) Mrs. Williams had various uses for, and a part of it was funded 4 .
Mrs. Williams's account of Johnson's wife was, that she had a good understanding and great sensibility, but inclined to be satirical. Her first husband died insolvent 5 ; her sons were much disgusted with her for her second marriage ; perhaps because they, being struggling to get advanced in life, were mortified to think she had allied herself to a man who had not any visible means of being useful to them. However, she always retained her affection for them. While they resided in Gough Court 6 , her son, the officer 7 , knocked at the door, and asked the maid if her mistress was at home? She answered,
1 In the Gentleman's Magazine his theatre, by which she got ^200. for September, 1750, p. 432, pro- Ib. i. 393, n. I ; Letters, i. 53. posals were issued for printing her Miss Hawkins, with a foolish inso- Essays in Verse and Prose by sub- lence unrivalled even by her father's, scription. The price was to be five writes (Memoirs, i. 152): 'Miss shillings, of which half was to be paid Williams being a gentlewoman, con- on subscribing. In 1759 Johnson ferred on her protector the character was signing ' receipts with her name of gentleman.' See ante, ii. 141, for for subscribers.' Letters, i. 87. The Miss Hawkins's description of her book was not published till 1766. dress.
Life, ii. 25. 5 If he died insolvent ' her settle-
2 In 1763 Goldsmith ' went with ment was secured.' Life, i. 95, Johnson, strutting away,' from the n. 3.
Mitre, and calling out to Boswell, 6 Gough Square.
'I go to Miss Williams.' Life, i. 7 A captain in the navy, who left
421. his sister a fortune of ,10,000. Life,
3 The Fountains. Ib. ii. 26. ii. 462. His name was Jarvis (ib. i.
4 In 1756 Garrick, at Johnson's 94), given him, no doubt, after his desire, gave her a benefit-night at mother's family.
'Yes,
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