134, 212, and viii. 386.
[143] Horace Walpole (_Letters_, vii. 452) writes of Johnson's
'_Billingsgate on Milton_.' A later letter shows that, like so many of
Johnson's critics, he had not read the _Life_. _Ib_. p. 508.
[144] _Works_, vii. 108.
[145] Thirty years earlier he had written of Milton as 'that poet whose
works may possibly be read when every other monument of British
greatness shall be obliterated.' _Ante_, i. 230. See _ante_, ii. 239.
[146] Earl Stanhope (_Life of Pitt_, ii. 65) describes this Society in
1790, 'as a Club, till then of little note, which had a yearly festival
in commemoration of the events of 1688. It had been new-modelled, and
enlarged with a view to the transactions at Paris, but still retained
its former name to imply a close connection between the principles of
1688 in England, and the principles of 1789 in France.' The Earl
Stanhope of that day presided at the anniversary meeting on Nov. 4,
1789. Nov. 4 was the day on which William III. landed.
[147] See _An Essay on the Life, Character, and writings of Dr. Samuel
Johnson_, London, 1787; which is very well written, making a proper
allowance for the democratical bigotry of its authour; whom I cannot
however but admire for his liberality in speaking thus of my
illustrious friend:--
'He possessed extraordinary powers of understanding, which were much
cultivated by study, and still more by meditation and reflection.
Pages:
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615