itfelf to fight! In a fimilar manner Dr. Towers re jecting all extraneous matter in the biography of this fingular perfonage exhibits to the reader an exact and ftriking portraiture of Dr. Samuel Johnson. We fhall here transcribe the conclufion of this Biographical Effay, which gives a very faithful picture of JOHNSON: "With a flight sketch of fome of the principal features of his character, I fhall conclude this Effay. "He poffeffed extraordinary powers of understanding, which were much cultivated by ftudy, and still more by meditation and reflection. His memory was remarkably retentive, his imagination uncommonly vigorous, and his judg ment keen and penetrating. He had a firong fenfe of the importance of religion; his piety was fincere, and fometimes ardent; and his zeal for the interefts of virtue was often manifested in his converfation and in his writings. The fame energy which was difplayed in his literary productions, was exhibited alfo in his converfation, which was various, ftriking, and inftructive; and, perhaps, no man ever equalled him for nervous and pointed repartees. "The great originality which fometimes appeared in his conceptions, and the perfpicuity and force with which he delivered them, greatly enhanced the value of his converfation; and the remarks that he delivered received additional weight from the ftrength of his voice, and the folemnity of his manner. He was confcious of his own fuperiority; and, when in company with literary men, or with thofe with whom there was any poffibility of rivalfhip or competition, this consciousness was too apparent. With inferiors, and those who readily admitted all his claims, he was often mild and gentle : but to others, fuch was often the arrogance of his manners, that the endurance of it required no ordinary degree of patience. He was very dexterous at argumentation; and, when his reasonings were not folid, they were at least artful and plaufible. His retorts were fo powerful, that his friends and acquaintance were generally cautious of entering the lifts. against him; and the ready acquiefcence of those with whom he affociated, in his opinions and affertions, probably ren dered him more dogmatic than he might otherwife have been. With those, however, whom he loved, and with whom he was familiar, he was fometimes cheerful and sprightly, and fometimes indulged himself in fallies of wit and pleasantry. He spent much of his time, efpecially in his latter years, in conversation; and feems to have had such an averfion to being left without company, as was fomewhat extraordinary in a man poffeffed of fuch intellectual powers, and whofe understanding had been fo highly cultivated. "He fometimes difcovered much impetuofity and irritability of temper, and was too ready to take offence at others; but when conceffions were made, he was easily appealed. For thofe from whom he had received kindness in the earlier part of his life, he seemed ever to retain a particular regard, and manifefted much gratitude towards those by whom he had at any time been benefited. He was foon offended with pertnefs, or ignorance: but he fometimes feemed to be conscious of having answered the queftions of others with too much roughness; and was then defirous to discover more gentleness of temper, and to communicate information with more fuavity of manners*. When not under the influence of perfonal pique, of pride, or of religious or political prejudices, he feems to have had great ardour of benevolence; and, on fome occafions, he gave very fignal proofs of generofity and humanity. "He was naturally melancholy, and his views of human life appear to have been habitually gloomy. This appears in his RASSELAS, and in many paffages of his writings. It was alfo a ftriking part of the character of Dr. Johnson, that with powers of mind that did honour to human nature, he had weakneffes and prejudices that seemed fuited only to the lowest of the fpecies. His piety was ftrongly tinctured with fuperftition; and we are aftonifhed to find the author of the Rambler expreffing ferious concern, because he had put milk into his tea on a Good Friday+. His cuftom of praying for the dead, though unfupported by reafon or by fcripture, was a lefs irrational fuperftition. Indeed, one of the great features of Johnfon's character, was a degree of bigotry, both in politics and in religion, which is now feldom to be met * Vid. Piozzi's Anecdotes, p. 96, 97. Meditations, p. 140. with with in perfons of a cultivated understanding. Few other men could have been found, in the prefent age, whose political bigotry would have led them to style the celebrated JOHN HAMPDEN "the zealot of rebellion*; and the religious bigotry of the man, who, when at Edinburgh, would not go to hear Dr. Robertfon preach, because he would not be present at a Prefbyterian affembly, is not eafily to be paralleled in this age, and in this country. His habitual incredulity with refpect to facts, of which there was no reasonable ground for doubt, as stated by Mrs. Piozzit, and which was remarked by Hogarth, was alfo a fingular trait in his character; and efpecially when contrafted with his fuperftitious credulity on other occafions. To the clofe of life, he was not only occupied in forming schemes of religious reformation, but even to a very late period of it, he feems to have been folicitous to apply himself to ftudy with renewed diligence and vigour. It is remarkable, that, in his fixty-fourth year, he attempted to learn the Low Dutch language§; and, in his fixtyfeventh year, he made a refolution to apply himself "vigorously to study, particularly of the Greek and Italian tongues. "The faults and the foibles of JOHNSON, whatever they wele, are now defcended with him to the grave; but his virtues fhould be the object of our imitation. His werks, with all their defects, are a most valuable and important acceffion to the literature of England. His political writings will probably be little read, on any other account than for the dignity and energy of his ftyle; but his Dictionary, his moral effays, and his productions in polite literature, will convey useful instruction, and elegant entertainment, as long as the language in which they are written fhall be understood; and give him a juft claim to a diftinguished rank among the best and ablest writers that England has produced." The Review of the Genuine Doctrines of Chriftianity, manifefts a thinking mind and an excellent heart. The labyrinths of theological controverfy he had explored *Life of Waller, p. 1. Anecdotes, p. 137Meditations, p. 145. + Anecdotes, p. 140. with an induftrious eye, and though educated a Calvinift, appears to have entertained, as the refult of his fpeculations, juft and honourable views of the Chriftian religion. Of its happy effects to individuals and to fociety, he was firmly perfuaded, and, therefore, oppofed with a becoming firmnefs the fuperficial fcoffers of the day. The following remarks with which he clofes his piece, are not inapplicable to the prefent times, and are well deferving attention from the profeffors of Chriftianity: "The abfurd and inconfiftent reprefentations which have frequently been given of the Chriftian fyftem, by its mistaken friends, appear to have done it more real differvice than all the writings of the deifts. The oppofition of the deifts has in fome respects been very ferviceable to Chriflianity; it has occafioned the evidences of its divine origin to be more diligently inquired into, and more clearly pointed out. And it has fhewn, that the gofpel is fuperior to all the attacks of its keenest adverfaries. But the abfurd notions which have been propagated of the Chriftian religion, by many of its profeffors, have prevented it from having its proper effect upon many of those who did profess a belief in it; and have been a great means of adding ftrength to the attacks of its adverfaries. For, indeed, many of the arguments of the deiftical writers are levelled, not fo much against Christianity itfelf, as against fome mistaken reprefentations of it; but which they, as it beft anfwered their purpose, thought proper to regard as the real doctrines of Christianity. The "The religion of Jefus, when it is impartially examined, and diftinguished from those abfurd additions with which men have frequently obfcured and disfigured it, muft excite the approbation and the reverence of every man. Were it always reprefented in its genuine, in its native beauty, religion could never be made the fubject of raillery and ridicule. Christian revelation exhibits the deity in the most endearing and engaging characters; as the God of love, and the Father and Friend of the whole human race. It teaches a piety and devotion, not confined either to time or place, nor compofed of fuperftitious and external rites and ceremonies; but pure, Spiritual, and rational. Et enforces the utmost purity of heart, and ners. and the greateft fimplicity, integrity, and rectitude of manAnd it inculcates a benevolence not confined either to fects, or parties, or countries; but of the most diffufive and difinterested kind. In fhort, it is the defign of Christianity to promote whatsoever is really noble, excellent, amiable, and praife-worthy; whatsoever can refine, perfect, ennoble, and dignify humanity. "The profeffors of Chriftianity fhould be extremely careful not to corrupt the fimplicity of the gospel by human additions. It should ever be remembered, that all those who contribute any thing towards rendering its excellency and its reasonableness lefs apparent, do, in fact, however different may be their intentions, ftrengthen the cause of deifm, and sharpen the arrows of infidelity." After these extracts from the writings of Dr. TOWERS, the reader will form for himself an accurate idea both of his ftyle and fentiments. In the one there was a perfpicuity, and in the other a manlinefs which ftamp a confiderable degree of value upon his refpective productions. Upon the fubject of politics he expreffed himself, both in converfation and from the press, with a warmth, which, in his opinion, the importance of the fubject juftified. Certain it is, that he was a man of the utmoft integrity-and abhorred diffimulation or indifference, in matters where he thought the great interefts of mankind were concerned. He feems to have been uniformly ambitious of the character of a patriot, and the following paragraph, from his Tracts, fhews the eftimation in which he held that truly valuable character: "Whatever fentiments we may entertain of any individuals who have been applauded for their public fpirit, whether in ancient or modern times, it is fill our intereft and our duty to maintain with firmness and with ardour, THE RIGHTS OF OUR COUNTRY. Civil liberty will ever be confidered by generous and noble minds, as the greateft of all temporal bleffings; our ancestors have acquired it for us at an immenfe expence of blood and treasure, and if we inherit any portion of their wifdom, or of their |