SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709-1784)

The Rambler.... London:... 1753. (1750-1752.) fol. The Idler.... London,... 1761. 12 mo. [This is the

first collected edition; the paper appeared 1758-60.] The method of Johnson's characters is closer to that of the Theophrastians of the seventeenth century, than to that of the followers of La Bruyère in his own time. His characters have the effect of set descriptions, and where they are most successful—as in ‘Eriphile' in the Rambler, or 'Jack Whirler' and 'Minim' in the Idler-they are written with the conciseness and point of the early character-sketch, forming a decided contrast to the style of the surrounding passages. There are more characters in the Idler than in the Rambler, and they are in harmony with the lighter tone of that paper. Their English names, which replace the Latin ones in the Rambler, mark this change.

Under the title of The Peevish' are included Johnson's two examples of that quality. Those who have grown old in a single State are generally found to be morose, fretful, and captious. . . . Such is the Effect of having lived without the Necessity of consulting any Inclinations but their own.'

Only the end of Minim' is given here, about one-sixth of the complete essay, but it is enough to illustrate the admirably balanced style of the whole, a blend of the wisdom that is a continual delight in Johnson's work and of a pleasantly satiric wit that is more rare.

·

'Mr. Sober' is a portrait of Johnson himself, and too personal to be a true character,' but it is, on that account, the more precious to Johnson's friends. A passage may be quoted: But there is one time at night when he must go home, that his friends may sleep; and another time in the morning, when all the world agrees to shut out interruption. These are the moments of which poor

Sober trembles at the thought. But the misery of these tiresome intervals, he has many means of alleviating.. his daily amusement is Chemistry. He has a small furnace, which he employs in distillation, and which has long been the solace of his life. . . . [He] sits and counts the drops as they come from his retort, and forgets that, while a drop is falling, a moment flies away.'

The Peevish

THE Irascibility of this Class of Tyrants, is generally exerted upon petty Provocations, such as are incident to Understandings not far extended beyond the Instincts of animal Life. But unhappily he that fixes his Attention on Things always before him, will never have long Cessations of Anger, because every Hour will subject him to new Disturbance. There are many Veterans of Luxury, upon whom every Noon brings a Paroxysm of Violence, Fury, and Execration; who never sit down to their Dinner without finding the Meat so injudiciously bought, or so unskilfully dressed, such Blunders in the seasoning, or such Improprieties in the Sauce, as can scarcely be expiated without Blood; and who, in the Transports of Resentment, make very little Distinctions between Guilt and Innocence, but let fly their Menaces, or growl out their Discontent upon all whom Fortune puts in their Way.

Eriphile has employed her Eloquence for twenty Years upon the Degeneracy of Servants, the Nastiness of her House, the Ruin of her Furniture, the Difficulty of preserving Tapestry from the Moths, and the Carelesness of the Sluts whom she employs

in brushing it. It is her Business every Morning to visit all the Rooms, in Hopes of finding a Chair without its Cover, a Window shut or open contrary to her Orders, a Spot on the Hearth, or a Feather on the Floor, that the rest of the Day may be justifiably spent in Taunts of Contempt and Vociferations of Anger. She lives for no other Purpose but to preserve the Neatness of a House and Gardens, and feels neither Inclination to Vice, nor Aspiration after Virtue, while she is engrossed by the great Employment of keeping Gravel from Grass, and Wainscot from Dust. Of three amiable Nieces she has declared herself an irreconcileable

Enemy to one, because she broke off a Tulip with her Hoop; to another, because she spilt her Coffee on a Turkey Carpet; and to the third, because she let a wet Dog run into the Parlour. She has broken off her Intercourse of Visits because Company makes a House dirty, and resolves to confine herself more to her own Affairs, and to live no longer in Mire by foolish Lenity and Indulgence.

Jack Whirler

Jack Whirler, whose business keeps him in perpetual motion, and whose motion always eludes his business; who is always to do what he never does, who cannot stand still because he is wanted in another place, and who is wanted in many places because he stays in none.

Jack has more business than he can conveniently transact in one house, he has therefore one habitation near Bow-Church, and another about a mile distant. By this ingenious distribution of himself between two houses, Jack has contrived to be found

at neither. Jack's trade is extensive, and he has many dealers; his conversation is spritely, and he has many companions; his disposition is kind, and he has many friends. Jack neither forbears pleasure for business, nor omits business for pleasure, but is equally invisible to his friends and his customers; to him that comes with an invitation to a club, and to him that waits to settle an account.

When you call at his house, his Clerk tells you, that Mr. Whirler was just stept out, but will be at home exactly at two; you wait at a Coffee-house till two, and then find that he has been at home, and is gone out again, but left word that he should be at the Half-moon Tavern at seven, where he hopes to meet you. At seven you go to the Tavern. At eight in comes Mr. Whirler to tell you that he is glad to see you, and only begs leave to run for a few minutes, to a Gentleman that lives near the Exchange, from whom he will return before supper can be ready. Away he runs to the Exchange to tell those who are waiting for him, that he must beg them to defer the business till to-morrow, because his time is come at the Half

moon.

Jack's chearfulness and civility rank him among those whose presence never gives pain, and whom all receive with fondness and caresses. He calls often on his friends, to tell them that he will come again to-morrow; on the morrow he comes again to tell them how an unexpected summons hurries him away. When he enters a house, his first declaration is, that he cannot sit down; and so short are his visits, that he seldom appears to have come for any other reason but to say He must go. . .

But overwhelmed as he is with business, his chief desire is to have still more. Every new proposal takes possession of his thoughts, he soon ballances probabilities, engages in the project, brings it almost to completion, and then forsakes it for another, which he catches with some alacrity, urges with the same vehemence, and abandons with the same coldness.

Every man may be observed to have a certain strain of lamentation, some peculiar theme of complaint on which he dwells in his moments of dejection. Jack's topic of sorrow, is the want of Time. Many an excellent design languishes in empty theory for want of Time. For the omission of any civilities, want of Time is his plea to others; for the neglect of any affairs, want of Time is his excuse to himself. That he wants Time he sincerely believes; for he once pined away many months with a lingering distemper, for want of Time to attend his health.

Thus Jack Whirler lives in perpetual fatigue without proportionate advantage, because he does

not consider that no man can see all with his own eyes, or do all with his own hands; that whoever is engaged in multiplicity of business must transact much by substitution, and leave something to hazard; and that he who attempts to do all, will waste his life in doing little.

A Critick

MINIM is not so confident of his rules of Judgment as not very eagerly to catch new light from the name of the author. He is commonly so