publish an edition of Shakspeare, without having ever in his
life, as far as can be discovered, read a single scene of
Massinger, Ford, Decker, Webster, Marlow, Beaumont, or Fletcher.
His detractors were noisy and scurrilous. Those who most loved
and honoured him had little to say in praise of the manner in
which he had discharged the duty of a commentator. He had,
however, acquitted himself of a debt which had long lain on his
conscience; and he sank back into the repose from which the sting
of satire had roused him. He long continued to live upon the
fame which he had already won. He was honoured by the University
of Oxford with a Doctor's degree, by the Royal Academy with a
professorship, and by the King with an interview, in which his
Majesty most graciously expressed a hope that so excellent a
writer would not cease to write. In the interval, however,
between 1765 and 1775 Johnson published only two or three
political tracks, the longest of which he could have produced in
forty-eight hours, if he had worked as he worked on the life of
Savage and on Rasselas.

But, though his pen was now idle, his tongue was active. The
influence exercised by his conversation, directly upon those with
whom he lived, and indirectly on the whole literary world, was
altogether without a parallel. His colloquial talents were
indeed of the highest order. He had strong sense, quick
discernment, wit, humour, immense knowledge of literature and of
life, and an infinite store of curious anecdotes. As respected
style, he spoke far better than he wrote. Every sentence which
dropped from his lips was as correct in structure as the most
nicely balanced period of the Rambler. But in his talk there was
no pompous triads, and little more than a fair proportion of