The Life of Samuel Johnson

On June 2, Boswell returns to Scotland and, on the way, visits the country mansion of Mr. Dilly, accompanied by Johnson. This visit is notable for some intense and serious religious discussion, after Johnson and Boswell attend church. Johnson commends Boswell for receiving communion at church, implying that Johnson takes the sacrament only on certain occasions. This, for Boswell, points to Johnson’s morally conscientious nature, since he only receives communion when he feels morally worthy.

Believing Johnson to be a moral person, Boswell asks him for advice in being “a good man.” Johnson advises him not to trust mere impressions about the state of his soul but to examine his conscience to find out how he truly stands before God. Johnson then defends the theological idea of vicarious atonement. Divine punishment is necessary so that human beings get a full idea of how much evil displeases God; however, God ultimately sent his Son, Jesus, to bear the brunt of sin and evil and suffer in our place. In Jesus’ sacrifice, the “highest and purest nature”—divinity itself—suffered “a painful death” and thus showed how incompatible evil is with God. In this way, Christ’s sacrifice enables our “obedience” and “repentance” so that we may cancel out the effects of our sins.

In suffering, Jesus “satisfied” God’s “justice”; he thus distinguished himself from previous prophets, who only told of God’s will and anger toward sin but did not do anything further.

Boswell takes down Johnson’s religious thoughts by dictation, thus showing the importance he places on Johnson’s opinions on this subject. In this scene, as portrayed by Boswell, Johnson becomes almost akin to a priest or preacher, his temperament very different from his sarcastic and argumentative side at the Literary Club. This religious conversation serves Boswell’s larger scheme in the Life as a sort of prelude to Johnson’s eventual disease.

The remainder of the Life is clouded over by Johnson’s persistent health problems and melancholy occasioned by the deaths of his friends. In December 1782, Mr. Thrale dies, after which Mrs. Thrale remarries to Mr. Piozzi, an Italian musician, much to Johnson’s disapproval. Mrs. Williams dies in September 1783, making Johnson sad for the loss of his domestic companion. Johnson is also affected by the death of another of his housemates, Mr. Levett, a traveling doctor who treated impoverished people for little pay.

Johnson himself has a stroke in July 1783 that momentarily deprives him of speech; he quickly recovers, but subsequently undergoes a major surgery.

Despite these illnesses and losses, the latter part of Johnson’s life is also filled with companionship and good cheer. In March 1783, Boswell visits Johnson for the first time in a long time and announces that he has succeeded to his family estate of Auchinleck; he has thus become a laird, or Scottish land proprietor. Johnson receives companionship from his cat, Hodge, and continues to enjoy dinner and conversation with Boswell, Mrs. Thrale, and his other friends.