exerted themselves to promote his interest; and, in the mean time, he
engaged in a new periodical production, called The Idler. The first
number appeared on Saturday, April 15, 1758 and the last, April 5, 1760.
The profits of this work, and the subscriptions for the new edition of
Shakespeare, were the means by which he supported himself for four or
five years. In 1759, was published Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia. His
translation of Lobo's Voyage to Abissinia, seems to have pointed out
that country for the scene of action; and Rassela Christos, the general
of sultan Sequed, mentioned in that work, most probably suggested the
name of the prince. The author wanted to set out on a journey to
Lichfield, in order to pay the last offices of filial piety to his
mother, who, at the age of ninety, was then near her dissolution; but
money was necessary. Mr. Johnston, a bookseller, who has, long since,
left off business, gave one hundred pounds for the copy. With this
supply Johnson set out for Lichfield; but did not arrive in time to
close the eyes of a parent whom he loved. He attended the funeral,
which, as appears among his memorandums, was on the 23rd of January,
1759.

Johnson now found it necessary to retrench his expenses. He gave up his
house in Gough square. Mrs. Williams went into lodgings. He retired to
Gray's inn, and soon removed to chambers in the Inner Temple lane, where
he lived in poverty, total idleness, and the pride of literature: "Magni
stat nominis umbra." Mr. Fitzherbert, the father of lord St. Helens, the
present minister at Madrid, a man distinguished, through life, for his
benevolence and other amiable qualities, used to say, that he paid a
morning visit to Johnson, intending, from his chambers, to send a letter
into the city; but, to his great surprise, he found an author by
profession, without pen, ink, or paper. The present bishop of Salisbury
was also among those who endeavoured, by constant attention, to sooth