The Life of Samuel Johnson

In 1766, Johnson expresses his opinion on a matter relating to Scotland and its native language. Some Scottish leaders have proposed translating the Bible into Scottish Gaelic, but others oppose this on the grounds that it will perpetuate the social divide between Gaelic speakers (Highlanders) and other North Britons. Johnson writes a letter to a prominent Edinburgh bookseller arguing forcefully that the translation should go forward, because knowledge must advance and because Christianity should not be obscured for political reasons.

This letter shows several of Johnson’s abiding interests: his strong religious spirit, his belief in the advancement of knowledge, and his “zeal for languages” (374)—in particular to preserve native languages and dialects from extinction. In part thanks to Johnson’s letter, the Scottish leaders allow the “pious scheme” to go forward.

During one of Johnson’s visits to “the library at the Queen’s house” (379), King George III pays him a visit and converses with him. The conversation turns on literary topics and is “courteously easy,” with the king complimenting Johnson on his talents as a writer. Later, Johnson delights in recounting the incident to his club friends, who are very impressed. Oliver Goldsmith, however, feels some “chagrin and envy” (384) for Johnson, feelings he will display later on as well.

Johnson’s meeting with the king “[gratifies] his monarchical enthusiasm” (379); yet Johnson acts in a cool, dignified, and level-headed manner before King George—a monarch whom Johnson’s circle respects as a patron of literature and the arts. Johnson respects the king, but he also has enough self-respect to realize his own status as a man of genius. Thus, the king and Johnson meet almost on an equal footing.

Boswell makes this incident a climactic moment by describing it in great detail and labeling it “one of the most remarkable incidents of Johnson’s life” (379). On Pages 379–380, Boswell carefully sets up the entrance of the king so as to create suspense about whom Johnson is about to meet. Boswell also carefully reconstructs the conversation between the king and Johnson. As presented by Boswell, the king’s visit shows paradoxically Johnson’s reverence for monarchy and his love of his own independence.

Back at Lichfield, Johnson says goodbye to his longtime friend, Catherine Chambers, who is terminally ill. They pray together with great emotion, and Johnson expresses his faith and hope in eternal life: “I humbly hope to meet again, and to part no more” (386). Boswell reports this “tender and affectionate scene” (386) to demonstrate Johnson’s exceptional “warmth of heart, and grateful kindness” (386), a side of him many people do not know about. Here again Boswell chooses to include an incident seemingly not central to the narrative, simply because it underlines the benevolent, feeling side of Johnson.

Having traveled in Corsica and published a book about his experiences there, Boswell returns to London and meets with Johnson at Oxford. There they discuss legal philosophy, a topic of particular concern to Boswell as a new lawyer. Regarding the relationship between morality and the practice of law, Johnson opines that a lawyer must submit to the verdict of the judge as to whether a case is good or bad; all the lawyer can do is state the case in the best way he can on behalf of his client. In the legal discussions in the Life, Boswell presents Johnson as a self-taught legal expert whose opinions carry weight; to this end, he reproduces several of Johnson’s written legal opinions.

Some tension arises between Johnson and Boswell when the latter publishes a fragment of one of Johnson’s letters without his permission. Boswell defends his action; this is one of several tense moments between Johnson and Boswell in the Life, which Boswell includes to highlight his independence from Johnson. He also expresses bewilderment to Johnson about the latter’s dismissal of the independence movement in Corsica, “an oppressed nation bravely struggling to be free” (396). Later on, Johnson and Boswell will also disagree about the growing independence movement in the North American colonies, with Johnson taking the Tory position and Boswell sympathizing with the American patriots.

Boswell underlines Johnson’s “humane attention” toward Francis Barber. Born enslaved in Jamacia, Barber was brought to England and was eventually granted freedom. He entered Johnson’s service as a valet in 1752 and served him until his death, with brief periods away at school and at sea as a sailor. Boswell describes their connection as “early” and “lasting.”

Johnson arranges to have Barber sent to a school to be educated at a time when few Black people had this opportunity. Boswell reproduces several letters from Johnson to Barber, in which he shows a tone of fatherly care and encourages him to read and study. Boswell also mentions the help that Johnson provided to Mrs. Anna Williams, the blind woman who stayed in his home for many years. As relayed by Boswell, these instances demonstrate Johnson’s charitable activity toward a variety of people.

In May 1769 Johnson is appointed Professor of Ancient Literature at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. This honorary position, like Johnson’s honorary Master’s and Doctor’s degrees, reflects the accumulated prestige that Johnson now has.

In the Fall of 1769, Boswell tells Johnson that he is getting married. Boswell realizes that from now on he will be spending most of his time in Scotland and will not be able to see Johnson as much. Therefore, for the next several years Boswell will try to convince Johnson to visit him in Scotland. In the meantime, Boswell takes advantage of Johnson’s company as much as he can, and in October the two men meet with General Pasquale Paoli.

A remarkable conversation takes place on the evening of October 26, 1769, at a large gathering in Johnson’s home. The discussion turns on various topics, eventually settling on religion and theology. Johnson argues for the existence of human free will against the claims of predestination. He also defends some of the doctrines of Roman Catholicism, which was unusual in Britain at this time when the Church of England was the established religion.

These religious debates eventually lead Boswell to broach the subject of Melancholy and Fear of Death. After pursuing the question at some length, Johnson becomes upset, exclaims to Boswell, “Give us no more of this” (427), and tells him that they should not meet tomorrow. Leaving the company, Boswell himself feels “exceedingly uneasy” about the incident. The next morning, he sends Johnson a note to make peace. The two men meet with some other friends later that day in Johnson’s study, and Johnson is much calmer.

This “incidental quarrel and reconciliation” (429) shows tension in the Boswell/Johnson friendship as well as Johnson’s volatile temperament. After being rebuffed by Johnson, Boswell is upset; however, the friends finally reconcile. This incident emerges as a climactic emotional moment in the Life, and Boswell’s suspenseful narration leads us to wonder momentarily if the friendship will break up. Boswell’s narration emphasizes the psychology of his feelings after the incident, and particularly his crisis of confidence about Johnson. Although troubled at Johnson’s behavior, such is Boswell’s respect for Johnson that he does not give up on his socially maladroit friend. Boswell implies that he cannot feel at peace until he is reconciled with Johnson, indicating that the friendship is central to his life.

One also sees a characteristic social side of Johnson in Boswell’s portrayal. As Boswell describes, when Johnson is aware that he has been “rough” with anyone, he tries to make amends in an indirect way by including the other person in conversation or drinking. Thus, Johnson is sensitive to his friends’ feelings and to the effect of his behavior on other people, yet at the same time he maintains a certain emotional distance. Boswell thus gives an honest account of Johnson’s relationships with people—another marker of the biography’s seeming authenticity and lack of bias.