amufement of pofterity, even in the fummary of a biographical dictionary. Dr. Johnson is not one of these infignificants. The public, when he hath ceafed to act his part on this earthly ftage, will be impatiently inquifitive after the perfonal hiftory of a man, who hath figured fo varioufly in the wide range of authorship; and when his panegyrifts have exhaufted every topic of praise and adulation to grace his monument, among thofe of the worthies of antient days, Somebody may take a fancy to gratify the public with a new narra. tive of his progrefs and employments in life.

That SOMEBODY may be a true conftitutional friend to the civil and reli

gious liberties of Englishmen, and dif pofed to try what figure Dr. Johnson's political maxims and conduct will make, in contraft with fuch part of Milton's hiftory and principles as he hath attempted to disparage by the most invenomed infinuations..

A man of genius and erudition cannot more effectually difgrace himself, than by hiring out his talents to thofe vile politicians whofe eftimation with the public depends on ridiculing and de bafing the foundeft principles of free government, and on their humiliating, and to their power fcandalifing the wife and upright men who efpouse them; and it is not impoffible that,, with fuch an idea of Dr. Johnfon's merit, fome L 2 humorous

humorous drole, furveying the fuperb decorations of emblematic feulpture, furrounding the commemoration of the Doctor's vaft exploits in Parian marble, may add, with a homely pencil of char

coal:

HERE LYES THE GRAND EXEMPLAR OF

LITERARY PROSTITVTION.

And here we fhould have ended our ftrictures on the new narrative, did not the candor of a worthy friend call upon us to temper the feverity (as he calls it). of this monumental infcription.

We are not deaf to the feasonable admonitions of our friends; but unwilling to deprive our hero of his blushing ho nours, fo hardily earned, and fo richly deferved,

deferved, we rather choose to add a fhort explanation, than to expunge a characteriftic which contributes fo much to the brilliancy of his reputation.

Prostitution hath, generally speaking, two principal motives, filthy lucre, and inordinate appetite. Thefe motives are frequently compounded, particularly when indigence, and a warmth of bodily conftitution, happen to meet in the fame individual.

Which of thefe motives had the predominant fimulus in the habit of the great critic in his connections with Lauder, or of the great politician, when, FILMER before, SACHEVERELL in his rear*,

* Sce an Effay on the King's Friends, printed for Almon, 776, p.19.

he fpeculated upon virtual representation, tyranny, taxation, &c. in favour of a government de facto, which, till a certain period, he is faid to have held to be de jure an ufurpation, we fhall not pofitively determine. This we know in common with the rest of mankind, that fuch fervices have not been without confiderable emolument; and that, on the other hand, the performance of them hath afforded to the author an opportunity of affwaging his itch of defaming certain friends of public liberty, with whom he could have no quarrel, but on account of their political principles and attachments.

We could add fome remarkable inftances from the Life of Savage. The

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