In the same year that he received his pension, he accom panied Sir Joshua Reynolds in a visit which he paid to his native county, Devonshire ; was much delighted with his jaunt, and declared that he had derived from it a great accession of new ideas. He was entertained at the seats of several noblemen and gentlemen in the West of England ; -but the greatest part of his time was passed at Plymouth, where, according to Mr. Boswell, the magnificence of the navy, the ship-building, and all its circumstances, afforded him a grand subject of contemplation. While at Ply mouth, he saw many of its inhabitants, and was not sparing of his entertaining conversation. It was here that he made a frank confession, that ignorance, pure ignorance, was the cause of a wrong definition in his Dictionary of the word pastern, to the no small surprise of the lady who put the question to him.
Ile now took a house in Johnson's Court, Fleet Street, and allotted an apartment in it for Mrs. Williams.
A fondness for liberal and cultivated conversation was one of Johnson's strongest propensities ; and he had sought it, as we have before mentioned, in a club of literary men, soon after his settling in the metropolis. His advanced reputation and amended circumstances, now enabled him to indulge it in a higher style ; and he became member of a weekly club in Gerard Street, composed of persons emi nent for various talents, and occupying distinguished situa tions in society. Ile.also acquired an additional source of enjoyment, both social and intellectual, by his introduction, in 1765, to the acquaintance of Mr. Thrale, an opulent brewer, whose lady possessed a lively mind, highly accom plished by an enlarged education. In their hospitable re treat at Streatham,. Johnson was for a considerable time domesticated, receiving every attention that could flatter his pride, and accommodated with every convenience and gratification that wealth could bestow. His shattered spi rits were recruited, and his habits of life were rendered more regular in this agreeable residence.
In the October nf this year, lie at length gave to the world his edition of Shakspeare. His biographer Bos well's eulogy of this edition we forbear to quote, as we cannot agree with it. Undoubtedly there is much of John son's manliness and perspicuity shewn, both in the notes and in the preface ; but the latter is written with the judg ment of one who had reflected on the opinions of others, rather than felt deep impressions of his own respecting Shakspeare ; and there is little or no depth of knowledge in the literature of Shakspeare's age. The edition, up on the whole, disappointed expectation. Its most valuable part is the summary views of the respective plays. In
1766 he furnished the preface, and some of the pieces, to a volume of poetical miscellanies by Mrs. Anna Williams. This lady was still an inmate in his house, and was indeed absolute mistress. Although her temper was far from pleasant, she had gained an ascendancy over him, which she often maintained with peevishness; but he forgot her fretfulness in her distresses. His house was filled with other dependants besides Mrs. Williams, whose perverse tempers frequently drove him out of it ; yet nothing that he suffered from them could induce him to relieve him self at their expellee. His noble expression was, " If I dismiss them, who will receive them ?" In 1767, he had the honour to be admitted to a personal interview with his Majesty in the library of the Queen's palace. Of the con versation which passed, Mr. Boswell has given a very la teresting and authentic account. On the institution of the Royal Academy of Arts, Johnson was appointed Professor in Ancient Literature, and probably at one time had some design of delivering a course of lectures ; but, if he ever had the intention, he never fulfilled it. In 1770 he pub lished a political pamphlet, entitled The False Alarm, in tended to justify the conduct of ministry, and their majori ty in the House of Commons, for having virtually assumed it as an axiom, that the expulsion of a member of parlia ment was equivalent to exclusion, and thus having declar ed Colonel Lutterel to be duly elected for the county of Middlesex, notwithstanding Mr. Wilkes had a great ma jority of votes. This being justly considered as a great violation of the right of election, an alarm for the constitu tion extended itself all over the kingdom. To prove this alarm to be false, was the purpose of Johnson's pamphlet ; but even his great powers were inadequate to cope with constitutional truth and reason, and his arguments failed of effect. The Howse of Commons were ultimately obliged to retrace their steps, and to expunge the offensive resolu tion from their journals. That the House of Commons might have expelled Mr. Wilkes repeatedly, and as often as he should be rechosen, was not denied; but incapacita tion cannot be pronounced bat by an act of the whole legis lature. It was wonderful to see how a prejudice in favour of government in general, and an aversion to popular cla mour, could blind and contract such an understanding as Johnson's in this particular case. That it endeavoured to Intuse a narcotic indifference as to public concerns into the minds of the people, and that it broke sometimes into an extreme coarseness of contemptuous abuse, is acknowledg ed cv en by his most partial biographer.