The Life of Samuel Johnson Volume 1
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1816 edition. Excerpt: ...The part which depends on the imagination is very well supplied, as you will find when you read the paper; for descriptions of life, there is now a treaty almost made with an authour and an authoress; and the province of criticism and literature they are very desirous to 1753. assign to the commentator on Virgil. bv--' It is not improbable, that the " authour and authouress, with whom a treaty was almost made, --for descriptions of life," and who are mentioned in a manner that seems to indicate some connexion between them, were Henry, and his sister Sally, Fielding, as she was then popularly called. Fielding had previously been a periodical essayist, and certainly was well acquainted with life in all its varieties, more especially within the precincts of London; and his sister was a lively and ingenious vrriter. To this notion perhaps it may be objected, that no papers in The Adventurer are known to be their productions. But it should be remembered, that of several of the Essays in that work the authours are unknown; and some of these may have been written by the persons here supposed to be alluded to. Nor would the objection be decisive, even if it were ascertained that neither of them contributed any thing to The Advekturer; for the treaty above-mentioned wight afterwards have been broken off. The negotiator, doubtless, was Hawkesworth, and not Johnson.--Fielding was at this time in the highest reputation; having, in 1751, produced his Amelia, of which the whole impression was sold off on the day of its publication. Ma Lone. " I hope this proposal will not be rejected, and that the next post will bring us your compliance. I speak as one of the fraternity, though I have no part in the paper, beyond now and then a motto; but two of the...