А

CHRONOLOGICAL CATALOGUE

OF THE

PROSE WORKS OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.

[N. B. To those which he himself acknowledged is added acknowl. To those which may be fully believed to be his from internal evidence, is added intern. evid.]

1735. ABRIDGEMENT and translation of Lobo's Voyage to Abys

sinia. acknowl. 1738. Part of a translation of Father Paul Sarpi's History of the

Council of Trent. acknowl. [N. B. As this work after some sheets were printed, suddenly stopped, I know not whether any part of it is now to be found.]

For the Gentleman's Magazine.
Preface. intern. evid.

Life of Father Paul. acknowl. 1739. A complete vindication of the Licenser of the Stage from

the malicious and scandalous aspersions of Mr. Brooke,

authour of Gustavus Vasa. acknowl. "I do not here include his Poetical Works; for, excepting his Latin Translation of Pope's Messiah, his London, and his Vanity of Human Wishes imitated from Juvenal; his Prologue on the opening of Drury-Lane Theatre by Mr. Garrick, and his Irene, a Tragedy, they are very numerous, and in general short; and I have promised a complete edition of them, in which I shall with the utmost care ascertain their authenticity, and illustrate them with notes and various readings. BOSWELL. Boswell's meaning, though not well expressed, is clear enough. Mr. Croker needlessly suggests that he wrote 'they are not very numerous.' Boswell a second time (post, under Aug. 12, 1784, note) mentions his intention to edit Johnson's poems. He died without doing it. See also post, 1750, Boswell's note on Addison's style.

Marmor

20

A Chronological Catalogue of the

Marmor Norfolciense: or, an Essay on an ancient prophetical

inscription in monkish rhyme, lately discovered near Lynne in Norfolk; by PROBUS BRITANNICUS. acknowl.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.
Life of Boerhaave. acknowl.
Address to the Reader, intern, evid.
Appeal to the Publick in Behalf of the Editor. intern, evid.
Considerations on the case of Dr. Trapp's Sermons; a

plausible attempt to prove that an authour's work may be
abridged without injuring his property. acknowl.

1740.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.
Preface. intern, evid.
Life of Admiral Drake. acknowl.
Life of Admiral Blake. acknowl.
Life of Philip Barretier, acknowl.
Essays on Epitaphs. acknowl.

1741.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.
Preface, intern. evid.
A free translation of the Jests of Hierocles, with an intro-

duction, intern. evid.
Debate on the Humble Petition and Advice of the Rump Par-

liament to Cromwell in 1657, to assume the Title of King ;

abridged, methodized and digested. intern. evid. Translation of Abbé Guyon's Dissertation on the Amazons.

intern. evid. Translation of Fontenelle's Panegyrick on Dr. Morin. in

tern, evid.

1742.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.
Preface. intern. evid.
Essay on the Account of the Conduct of the Duchess of

Marlborough. acknowl.
An Account of the Life of Peter Burman. acknowl.
The Life of Sydenham, afterwards prefixed to Dr. Swan's

edition of his works. acknowl.
Proposals for printing Bibliotheca Harleiana, or a Catalogue
of the Library of the Earl of Oxford, afterwards prefixed

to

Prose Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.

21

to the first Volume of that Catalogue, in which the Latin

Accounts of the Books were written by him. acknowl.
Abridgement intitled, Foreign History. intern, evid.
Essay on the Description of China, from the French of Du

Halde. intern, evid. 1743. Dedication to Dr. Mead of Dr. James's Medicinal Diction

ary. intern. evid.

For the Gentleman's Magazine.
Preface. intern, evid.
Parliamentary Debates under the Name of Debates in the

Senate of Lilliput, from Nov. 19, 1740, to Feb. 23, 1742–3,

inclusive. acknowl. Considerations on the Dispute between Crousaz and War

burton on Pope's Essay on Man. intern. evid. A Letter announcing that the Life of Mr. Savage was speed

ily to be published by a person who was favoured with

his Confidence intern. evid. Advertisement for Osborne concerning the Harleian Cata

logue. intern. evid. 1744. Life of Richard Savage. acknowl.

Preface to the Harleian Miscellany. acknowl.

For the Gentleman's Magazine. Preface, intern. evid. 1745. Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth,

with remarks on Sir T. H.'s (Sir Thomas Hanmer's) Edition of Shakspeare, and proposals for a new Edition

of that Poet. acknowl. 1747. Plan for a Dictionary of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE, addressed

to Philip Dormer, Earl of Chesterfield. acknowl.

For the Gentleman's Magazine. 1748. Life of Roscommon, acknowl.

Foreign History, November, intern. evid.

For Dodsley's PRECEPTOR.
Preface. acknowl.

Vision of Theodore the Hermit. acknowl. 1750. The RAMBLER, the first Paper of which was published zoth

of

22

A Chronological Catalogue of the

of March this year, and the last 17th of March, 1752, the

day on which Mrs. Johnson died. acknowl. Letter in the General Advertiser to excite the attention of

the Publick to the Performance of Comus, which was
next day to be acted at Drury-Lane Playhouse for the

Benefit of Milton's Grandaughter. acknowl.
Preface and Postscript to Lauder's Pamphlet intitled, 'An

Essay on Milton's Use and Imitation of the Moderns in

his Paradise Lost,' acknowi. 1751. Life of Cheynel in the Miscellany called “The Student.'

acknowi. Letter for Lauder, addressed to the Reverend Dr. John

Douglas, acknowledging his Fraud concerning Milton in

Terms of suitable Contrition. acknowl.
Dedication to the Earl of Middlesex of Mrs. Charlotte Len-

nox's 'Female Quixotte.' intern. evid.' 1753. Dedication to John Earl of Orrery, of Shakspeare Illus

trated, by Mrs. Charlotte Lennox. acknowl. During this and the following year he wrote and gave to

his much loved friend Dr. Bathurst the Papers in the Ad

venturer, signed T. acknowl. 1754. Life of Edw. Cave in the Gentleman's Magazine. acknowl. 1755. A DICTIONARY, with a Grammar and History, of the ENG

LISH LANGUAGE. acknowl.
An Account of an Attempt to ascertain the Longitude at

Sea, by an exact Theory of the Variations of the Magnet-
ical Needle, with a Table of the Variations at the most
remarkable Cities in Europe from the year 1660 to 1680.
acknowl. This he wrote for Mr. Zachariah Williams, an
ingenious ancient Welch Gentleman, father of Mrs. Anna
Williams whom he for many years kindly lodged in his
House. It was published with a Translation into Italian
by Signor Baretti. In a Copy of it which he presented
to the Bodleian Library at Oxford, is pasted a Character
of the late Mr. Zachariah Williams, plainly written by

Johnson, intern. Evid. 1756. An Abridgement of his Dictionary. acknowl.

Several Essays in the Universal Visitor, which there is

1 The Female Quixote was published in 1752. See post, 1762, note.

some

Prose Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.

23

some difficulty in ascertaining. All that are marked with two Asterisks have been ascribed to him, although I am confident from internal Evidence, that we should except from these “The Life of Chaucer,' 'Reflections on the State of Portugal,' and ' An Essay on Architecture :' And from the same Evidence I am confident that he wrote

Further Thoughts on Agriculture,' and ' A Dissertation on the State of Literature and Authours.' The Dissertation on the Epitaphs written by Pope he afterwards

acknowledged, and added to his ‘Idler.' Life of Sir Thomas Browne prefixed to a new Edition of

his Christian Morals. acknowl.

6

In the Literary Magazine ; or, Universal Review, which began in

January, 1756.

His Original Essays are
Preliminary Address. intern, evid.
An introduction to the Political State of Great Britain.

intern, evid.
Remarks on the Militia Bill. intern. evid.
Observations on his Britannick Majesty's Treaties with the

Empress of Russia and the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel.

intern. evid. Observations on the Present State of Affairs. intern, evid. Memoirs of Frederick III. King of Prussia, intern. evid.

In the same Magazine his Reviews are of the following books :

Birch's History of the Royal Society.' - Browne's Chris-
tian Morals.'-'Warton's Essay on the Writings and
Genius of Pope, Vol. I.' -'Hampton's Translation of
Polybius.'-'Sir Isaac Newton's Arguments in Proof of
a Deity.'— Borlase's History of the Isles of Scilly.'—
'Home's Experiments on Bleaching.'—'Browne's His-
tory of Jamaica.' -— Hales on Distilling Sea Waters,
Ventilators in Ships, and curing an ill Taste in Milk.'—
‘Lucas's Essay on Waters.'— Keith's Catalogue of the
Scottish Bishops.' – Philosophical Transactions, Vol.
XLIX.'—'Miscellanies by Elizabeth Harrison.'—Evans's
Map and Account of the Middle Colonies in America.'

The