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.' BOSWELL. Cowper also composed an
epitaph for Johnson--though not one of much merit. See Southey's
_Cowper_, v. 119.
[1285] As I do not see any reason to give a different character of my
illustrious friend now, from what I formerly gave, the greatest part of
the sketch of him in my _Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides_, is here
adopted.
Pages:
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
999
1000
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1006
1007
1008