H.P. Lovecraft - A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson

H.P. LOVECRAFT
WRITING AS "HUMPHREY LITTLEWIT. ESQ."

A REMINISCENCE OF
DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON

Written in 1917
First published in The United Amateur, November 1917,
under the pseudonym "Humphrey Littlewit. Esq."
"A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson" ... is a spoof of Lovecraft's
antiquarian affectations. Littlewit, the narrator, is born August 20, 1690—200
years to the day before Lovecraft's birthdate—making him nearly 228 years old
as he writes a memoir. — Wikipedia

A REMINISCENCE OF DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON

The Privilege of Reminiscence, however rambling or tiresome, is one generally
allow'd to the very aged; indeed, 'tis frequently by means of such
Recollections that the obscure occurrences of History, and the lesser Anecdotes
of the Great, are transmitted to Posterity.

Tho' many of my readers have at times observ'd and remark'd a Sort of antique
Flow in my Stile of Writing, it hath pleased me to pass amongst the Members of
this Generation as a young Man, giving out the Fiction that I was born in 1890,
in America. I am now, however, resolv'd to unburthen myself of a Secret which I
have hitherto kept thro' Dread of Incredulity; and to impart to the Publick a
true knowledge of my long years, in order to gratifie their taste for
authentick Information of an Age with whose famous Personages I was on familiar
Terms. Be it then known that I was born on the family Estate in Devonshire, of
the 10th day of August, 1690 (or in the new Gregorian Stile of Reckoning, the
20th of August), being therefore now in my 228th year. Coming early to London,
I saw as a Child many of the celebrated Men of King William's Reign, including
the lamented Mr. Dryden, who sat much at the Tables of Will's Coffee-House.
With Mr. Addison and Dr. Swift I later became very well acquainted, and was an
even more familiar Friend to Mr. Pope, whom I knew and respected till the Day
of his Death. But since it is of my more recent Associate, the late Dr.
Johnson, that I am at this time desir'd to write; I will pass over my Youth for
the present.

I had first Knowledge of the Doctor in May of the year 1738, tho' I did not at
that Time meet him. Mr. Pope had just compleated his Epilogue to his Satires
(the Piece beginning: "Not twice a Twelvemonth you appear in Print."), and had
arrang'd for its Publication. On the very Day it appear'd, there was also
publish'd a Satire in Imitation of Juvenal, intitul'd "London", by the then
unknown Johnson; and this so struck the Town, that many Gentlemen of Taste
declared, it was the Work of a greater Poet than Mr. Pope. Notwithstanding what
some Detractors have said of Mr. Pope's petty jealousy, he gave the Verses of
his new Rival no small Praise; and having learnt thro' Mr. Richardson who the
Poet was, told me, 'that Mr. Johnson wou'd soon be deterre'.

I had no personal Acquaintance with the Doctor till 1763, when I was presented
to him at the Mitre Tavern by Mr. James Boswell, a young Scotchman of excellent
Family and great Learning, but small Wit, whose metrical Effusions I had
sometimes revis'd.

Dr. Johnson, as I beheld him, was a full, pursy Man, very ill drest, and of
slovenly Aspect. I recall him to have worn a bushy Bob-Wig, untyed and without
Powder, and much too small for his Head. His cloaths were of rusty brown, much
wrinkled, and with more than one Button missing. His Face, too full to be
handsom, was likewise marred by the Effects of some scrofulous Disorder; and
his Head was continually rolling about in a sort of convulsive way. Of this
Infirmity, indeed, I had known before; having heard of it from Mr. Pope, who
took the Trouble to make particular Inquiries.

Being nearly seventy-three, full nineteen Years older than Dr. Johnson (I say
Doctor, tho' his Degree came not till two Years afterward), I naturally
expected him to have some Regard for my Age; and was therefore not in that Fear
of him, which others confess'd. On my asking him what he thought of my
favourable Notice of his Dictionary in The Londoner, my periodical Paper, he
said: Sir, I possess no Recollection of having perus'd your Paper, and have not
a great Interest in the Opinions of the less thoughtful Part of Mankind." Being
more than a little piqued at the Incivility of one whose Celebrity made me
solicitous of his Approbation, I ventur'd to retaliate in kind, and told him, I
was surpris'd that a Man of Sense shou'd judge the Thoughtfulness of one whose
Productions he admitted never having read. "Why, Sir," reply'd Johnson, "I do
not require to become familiar with a Man's Writings in order to estimate the
Superficiality of his Attainments, when he plainly skews it by his Eagerness to
mention his own Productions in the first Question he puts to me." Having thus
become Friends, we convers'd on many Matters. When, to agree with him, I said I
was distrustful of the Authenticity of Ossian's Poems, Mr. Johnson said: "That,
Sir, does not do your Understanding particular Credit; for what all the Town is
sensible of, is no great Discovery for a Grub-Street Critick to make. You might
as well say, you have a strong Suspicion that Milton wrote Paradise Lost!"

I thereafter saw Johnson very frequently, most often at Meetings of The
Literary Club, which was founded the next Year by the Doctor, together with Mr.
Burke, the parliamentary Orator, Mr. Beauclerk, a Gentleman of Fashion, Mr.
Langton, a pious Man and Captain of Militia, Sir J. Reynolds, the widely known
Painter, Dr. Goldsmith, the prose and poetick Writer, Dr. Nugent, father-in-law
to Mr. Burke, Sir John Hawkins, Mr. Anthony Charmier, and my self. We assembled
generally at seven o'clock of an Evening, once a Week, at the Turk's-Head, in
Gerrard-Street, Soho, till that Tavern was sold and made into a private
Dwelling; after which Event we mov'd our Gatherings successively to Prince's in
Sackville-Street, Le Tellier's in Dover-Street, and Parsloe's and The Thatched
House in St. James's-Street. In these Meetings we preserv'd a remarkable Degree
of Amity and Tranquillity, which contrasts very favourably with some of the
Dissensions and Disruptions I observe in the literary and amateur Press
Associations of today. This Tranquillity was the more remarkable, because we
had amongst us Gentlemen of very opposed Opinions. Dr. Johnson and I, as well
as many others, were high Tories; whilst Mr. Burke was a Whig, and against the
American War, many of his Speeches on that Subject having been widely
publish'd. The least congenial Member was one of the Founders, Sir John
Hawkins, who hath since written many misrepresentations of our Society. Sir
John, an eccentrick Fellow, once declin'd to pay his part of the Reckoning for
Supper, because 'twas his Custom at Home to eat no Supper. Later he insulted
Mr. Burke in so intolerable a Manner, that we all took Pains to shew our
Disapproval; after which Incident he came no more to our Meetings. However, he
never openly fell out with the Doctor, and was the Executor of his Will; tho'
Mr. Boswell and others have Reason to question the genuineness of his
Attachment. Other and later Members of the CLUB were Mr. David Garrick, the
Actor and early Friend of Dr. Johnson, Messieurs Tho. and Jos. Warton, Dr. Adam
Smith, Dr. Percy, Author of the Reliques, Mr. Edw. Gibbon, the Historian, Dr.
Burney, the Musician, Mr. Malone, the Critick, and Mr. Boswell. Mr. Garrick
obtain'd Admittance only with Difficulty; for the Doctor, notwithstanding his
great Friendship, was for ever affecting to decry the Stage and all Things
connected with it. Johnson, indeed, had a most singular Habit of speaking for
Davy when others were against him, and of arguing against him, when others were
for him. I have no Doubt that he sincerely lov'd Mr. Garrick, for he never
alluded to him as he did to Foote, who was a very coarse Fellow despite his
comick Genius. Mr. Gibbon was none too well lik'd, for he had an odious
sneering Way which offended even those of us who most admir'd his historical
Productions. Mr. Goldsmith, a little Man very vain of his Dress and very
deficient in Brilliancy of Conversation, was my particular Favourite; since I
was equally unable to shine in the Discourse. He was vastly jealous of Dr.
Johnson, tho' none the less liking and respecting him. I remember that once a
Foreigner, a German, I think, was in our Company; and that whilst Goldsmith was
speaking, he observ'd the Doctor preparing to utter something. Unconsciously
looking upon Goldsmith as a mere Encumbrance when compar'd to the greater Man,
the Foreigner bluntly interrupted him and incurr'd his lasting Hostility by
crying, "Hush, Toctor Shonson iss going to speak!"

In this luminous Company I was tolerated more because of my Years than for my
Wit or Learning; being no Match at all for the rest. My Friendship for the
celebrated Monsieur Voltaire was ever a Cause of Annoyance to the Doctor; who
was deeply orthodox, and who us'd to say of the French Philosopher: "Vir est
acerrimi Ingenii et paucarum Literarum."

Mr. Boswell, a little teazing Fellow whom I had known for some Time
previously, us'd to make Sport of my aukward Manners and old-fashion'd Wig and
Cloaths. Once coming in a little the worse for Wine (to which he was addicted)
he endeavour'd to lampoon me by means of an Impromptu in verse, writ on the
Surface of the Table; but lacking the Aid he usually had in his Composition, he
made a bad grammatical Blunder. I told him, he shou'd not try to pasquinade the
Source of his Poesy. At another Time Bozzy (as we us'd to call him) complain'd
of my Harshness toward new Writers in the Articles I prepar'd for The Monthly
Review. He said, I push'd every Aspirant off the Slopes of Parnassus. "Sir," I
reply'd, "you are mistaken. They who lose their Hold do so from their own Want
of Strength; but desiring to conceal their Weakness, they attribute the Absence
of Success to the first Critick that mentions them." I am glad to recall that
Dr. Johnson upheld me in this Matter.

Dr. Johnson was second to no Man in the Pains he took to revise the bad Verses
of others; indeed, 'tis said that in the book of poor blind old Mrs. Williams,
there are scarce two lines which are not the Doctor's. At one Time Johnson
recited to me some lines by a Servant to the Duke of Leeds, which had so amus'd
him, that he had got them by Heart. They are on the Duke's Wedding, and so much
resemble in Quality the Work of other and more recent poetick Dunces, that I
cannot forbear copying them:

"When the Duke of Leeds shall marry'd be
To a fine young Lady of high Quality
How happy will that Gentlewoman be
In his Grace of Leeds' good Company."

I ask'd the Doctor, if he had ever try'd making Sense of this Piece; and upon
his saying he had not, I amus'd myself with the following Amendment of it:

When Gallant LEEDS auspiciously shall wed
The virtuous Fair, of ancient Lineage bred,
How must the Maid rejoice with conscious Pride
To win so great an Husband to her Side!

On shewing this to Dr. Johnson, he said, "Sir, you have straightened out the
Feet, but you have put neither Wit nor Poetry into the Lines."

It wou'd afford me Gratification to tell more of my Experiences with Dr.
Johnson and his circle of Wits; but I am an old Man, and easily fatigued. I
seem to ramble along without much Logick or Continuity when I endeavour to
recall the Past; and fear I light upon but few Incidents which others have not
before discuss'd. Shou'd my present Recollections meet with Favour, I might
later set down some further Anecdotes of old Times of which I am the only
Survivor. I recall many things of Sam Johnson and his Club, having kept up my
Membership in the Latter long after the Doctor's Death, at which I sincerely
mourn'd. I remember how John Burgoyne, Esq., the General, whose Dramatick and
Poetical Works were printed after his Death, was blackballed by three Votes;
probably because of his unfortunate Defeat in the American War, at Saratoga.
Poor John! His Son fared better, I think, and was made a Baronet. But I am very
tired. I am old, very old, and it is Time for my Afternoon Nap.

THE END