Samuel Johnson: Selected Works: The Yale Edition

853 Pages·2021·5.549 MB·English

by  Samuel Johnson, Robert DeMaria, Jr., Stephen Fix, and Howard D. Weinbrot

S a m u e l J o h n S o n
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S A M U E L
J O H N S O N
�
S elected Works
EditEd by
RobERt dEMaRia, JR.
StEphEn Fix
howaRd d. wEinbRot
t h E ya l E E d i t i o n
New Haven and London
Published with assistance from the Annie Burr Lewis Fund.
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Editorial Committee of The Yale Edition
of the Works of Samuel Johnson
Robert DeMaria, Jr., General Editor and Chair
Stephen Fix, Secretary
Thomas F. Bonnell
James Engell
Gerald M. Goldberg
Benjamin B. Hoover
Thomas Kaminski
Bruce Redford
Loren Rothschild
Howard D. Weinbrot
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C o n t e n t S
Biographical Sketch xiii
Chronology xxi
Short Titles and Abbreviations xxiii
Suggestions for Further Reading xxv
A Note on the Text xxix
Acknowledgments xxxi
Periodical Essays
BegInnIngS and endIngS 3
Rambler, No. 1, Difficulty of the first address 3
Rambler, No. 2, The necessity and danger of looking into futurity 8
Rambler, No. 207, The folly of continuing too long upon the stage 12
Rambler, No. 208, The Rambler’s reception 16
Idler, No. 103, Horror of the last 20
the ConduCt of lIfe: PaSSIonS and haBItS 22
Rambler, No. 24, The duties of common life 22
Rambler, No. 32, Patience under suffering 26
Rambler, No. 47, Alleviating sorrow 30
Rambler, No. 72, The necessity of good humor 34
Idler, No. 23, On friendship 38
Rambler, No. 134, Miseries of idleness 40
Idler, No. 27, The power of habits 44
the ConduCt of lIfe: moral ChoICeS 46
Rambler, No. 8, The thoughts to be brought under regulation as they
respect the past, present, and future 46
vii
Rambler, No. 28, On self­ delusion 51
Rambler, No. 31, Defense of error is culpable 55
Adventurer, No. 50, On lying 60
Rambler, No. 76, How bad men are reconciled to themselves 64
Rambler, No. 131, Desire of gain 67
lIterature, learnIng, and authorShIP 70
Rambler, No. 14, Authors and writing 70
Rambler, No. 16, Literary eminence 75
Rambler, No. 125, “Definition is not the province of man” 79
Rambler, No. 137, The necessity of literary courage 84
Adventurer, No. 107, Different opinions equally plausible 88
Adventurer, No. 115, The age of authors 92
Adventurer, No. 138, The author’s happiness and unhappiness 96
Idler, No. 63, The progress of language 100
marrIage, men, and Women 102
Rambler, No. 18, Marriage and misery 102
Rambler, No. 35, A marriage of prudence without affection 107
Rambler, No. 45, Disagreements in marriage 111
Idler, No. 12, Why marriages are advertised 115
CrItICal theory and PraCtICe 118
Rambler, No. 4, The necessity of characters morally good 118
Rambler, Nos. 36 and 37, Pastoral poetry 123 and 127
Rambler, No. 60, Biography 132
Idler, Nos. 84 and 102, Autobiography 136 and 138
Rambler, No. 94, On the relation of sound and sense in poetry 140
Rambler, No. 168, Poetic language 147
Rambler, No. 158, The role of critics and rules of writing 151
Rambler, No. 176, Directions to authors attacked by critics 155
War and ImPerIalISm 158
Idler, No. 20, Two versions of the Battle of Louisbourg 158
Idler, [No. 22], A vulture views Europeans in North America 161
Idler, No. 81, An Indian in Quebec 164
viii CONTENTS
Fiction
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia 169
The Fountains: A Fairy Tale 254
Poetry
London: A Poem in Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal 266
To Miss ____ On her Playing upon the Harpsichord 275
An Epitaph on Claudy Phillips, A Musician 277
Prologue Spoken by Mr. Garrick at the Opening of the Theatre in Drury­
Lane, 1747 278
The Vanity of Human Wishes: The Tenth Satire of Juvenal Imitated 281
A Short Song of Congratulation 293
On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet 295
Writings on Law and Society
Rambler, No. 114, Capital punishment 298
Rambler, Nos. 170 and 171, On prostitution 302 and 306
From Boswell’s Life of Johnson, A legal brief against slavery 310
Political Writings
From An Introduction to the Political State of Great Britain (1756) 315
Observations on the Present State of Affairs (1756) 322
The Bravery of the English Common Soldiers (1760) 330
Introduction to Proceedings of the Committee on French Prisoners
(1760) 333
The Patriot (1774) 335
Religious Writings
Sermon 1 (On Marriage) 344
Sermon 25 (On the Death of Elizabeth Johnson) 352
From A Review of Soame Jenyns’s A Free Inquiry into the Nature and
Origin of Evil (1757) 359
CONTENTS ix