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each other, and rendered both abortive. Twelve quarto fheets of Johnfon's were printed off; but what became of the other is not known. This dif appointment, however mortifying, did not hinder Johnson from profecuting a part of his original defign, and writing the life of the author, which, with the affiftance of a life of him, written by an Italian nobleman, whofe name I could never learn, and published in a clofely printed duodecimo, he was enabled to complete, and in an abridgment to infert in Cave's Magazine.

Various other projects about this time did he form of publications on literary fubjects, which, in a fubfequent page, by the help of a lift in his own handwriting, I have enumerated, but they were either blafted by other publications of a fimilar nature, or abandoned for want of encouragement.

However, that he might not be totally unemployed, Cave engaged him to undertake a tranflation of an Examen of Pope's Effay on Man, written by Mr. Croufaz, a profeffor in Switzerland, who had acquired fome eminence by a treatise on Logic of his writing, and alfo, by his Examen de Pyrrhonifine; and of whom Johnson, after obferving that he was no mean antagonist, has given this character:- His mind was one of those in which philofophy and piety are happily united. He was accustomed to argument and difquifition, and perhaps was grown too defirous ⚫ of detecting faults, but his intention was always right, his opinions were folid, and his religion pure. His inceffant vigilance for the promotion of piety difpofed him to look with diftruft upon all metaphysical systems of Theology, and all schemes of virtue and happiness purely rational; and there'fore,

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fore, it was not long before he was perfuaded that 'the pofitions of Pope, as they terminated for the 'most part in natural religion, were intended to draw ' mankind away from Revelation, and to represent the whole courfe of things as a neceffary concate⚫nation of indiffoluble fatality; and it is undeniable, that in many paffages, a religious eye may easily discover expreffions not very favourable to morals ' or to liberty.'

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The reputation of the Effay on Man foon after its publication invited a tranflation of it into French, which was undertaken and completed by the Abbé Refnel, and falling into the hands of Croufaz, drew from him first a general cenfure of the principles maintained in the poem, and afterwards, a commentary thereon containing particular remarks on every paragraph. The former of these it was that Johnson tranflated, as appears by the following letter of his to Cave, which is rendered fomewhat remarkable by his ftiling himself Impranfus.

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Dear SIR,

I am pretty much of your opinion, that the Commentary cannot be profecuted with any appearance of fuccefs; for, as the names of the authors con<cerned are of more weight in the performance than its own intrinfic merit, the public will be foon fatisfied with it. And I think the Examen fhould be pufhed forward with the utmost expedition. Thus, "This day, &c. An Examen of Mr. Pope's effay, "&c. containing a fuccinct account of the philofo"phy of Mr. Leibnitz on the fyftem of the Fatalifts, "with a confutation of their opinions, and an ilLife of Pope among the poets. "luftration

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luftration of the doctrine of Free-will," with what elfe you think proper.

It will, above all, be neceffary to take notice, that it is a thing diftinct from the Commentary.

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I was fo far from imagining they [the compofitors] ftood ftill, that I conceived them to have a good deal ⚫ beforehand, and therefore was lefs anxious in providing them more. But if ever they ftand ftill on my account, it must doubtless be charged to me; and whatever elfe will be reafonable I fhall not opi pofe; but beg a fufpenfe of judgment till morning, when I must intreat you to fend me a dozen propofals, and you shall then have copy to spare.

I am, Sir, your's, impranfus,

SAM. JOHNSON.'

Johnfon's tranflation of the Examen was printed by Cave, and came abroad, but without a name, in November, 1738, bearing the title of, An Examination

of Mr. Pope's Effay on Man, containing a fuccinct ⚫ view of the fyftem of the Fatalifts, and a confutation of their opinions; with an illuftration of the doctrine of Free-Will, and an enquiry what view Mr. Pope might have in touching upon the Leibnitzian Philofophy and Fatalifm. By Mr. Croufaz, profeffor of Philofophy and Mathematics at Laufanne, &c.'

All the world knows that the Effay on Man was compofed from the dictamen of Lord Bolingbroke, and it is little lefs notorious that Pope was but meanly skilled in that fort of learning to which the subject of his poem related: he had not been converfant with the writings or opinions of the different fects of philofophers of whom fome maintained and others de

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nied the freedom of the will, and knew little more of the arguments for and against human liberty in oppofition to what is called Neceffity, than he was able to gather from the controversy between Anthony Collins and his opponents, or that between Dr. Clarke and Leibnitz. He was therefore unable to defend what he had written, and ftood a dead mark for his adverfaries to fhoot at. Fortunate for him it was, that at this crifis there was living such a person as Mr. Warburton; and Pope had for all the remainder of his life reason to reflect with pleasure on the circumstances that brought them acquainted, and which I will presently relate.

Warburton's origin and rife into literary reputation are pretty well known. He had ferved a clerkship to an attorney the town-clerk of Newark upon Trent, and for a fhort time was himself a practifer in that profeffion; but having a ftrong propenfity to learning, he determined to quit it, and pursue a course of study such as was neceffary to qualify him for the minifterial function, and having completed it, got admitted into holy orders, and fettled in London, where, upon his arrival, he became acquainted with fome of the inferior wits, Concannen, Theobald, and others the enemies of Pope, and adopted many of their fentiments. In a letter to the former of these he writes, Dryden I observe borrows for want of leifure, and Pope for want of genius; Milton out of pride, and Addifon out of modefty;' further he affifted Theobald with notes on many paffages in his edition of Shakespeare, which charge Mr. Pope with ignorance, and incapacity for the office of an editor.

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But leaving literal criticism to thefe his first affociates, Warburton betook himself to studies of greater importance, and before the publication of the Examen of the Effay on Man, had made himself known, aș an original thinker, by his Divine Legation of Mofes, a work which, as it met with great oppofition, gave him occafion to display a fingular talent in controversy.

It appears, however, that he repented of his conduct with respect to Mr. Pope, and that he afterwards fought his friendship and obtained it.

The means by which this connexion was formed were thefe: Warburton had diftinguished himself as a man of parts and an original thinker by the publication of the Divine Legation of Mofes, and being acquainted with Jacob Robinfon, a bookfeller in Ludgate-street, who by a monthly pamphlet containing extracts from and obfervations on the works of the learned, gave rife to the publications now called Reviews, made his ufe of him. This man held a correfpondence with Mr. Pope, which Warburton knowing, he folicited Robinson to bring them together, and Robinfon undertook the office, but found it a business of fome difficulty, Mr. Pope being at first fhy of the propofal; at length, however, he yielded to it, and Warburton teftified his thanks in a letter to Robinson for his mediation *.

This tranfaction may be confidered as a remarkable epoch in the life of Warburton, and was the leading circumftance to an acquaintance with Mr. Allen of Bath, a marriage with his niece, the fubfequent poffeffion of a fair eftate, and his promotion to a bishopric.

• For this information I am indebted to Mr. Kearfley the bookfeller, founded on fundry letters, which were once in his poffeffion, but are now loft, from Warburton to Robinfon, who was his great uncle.

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