The son,though in affluent circumstances,had good sense enough to carry on his father's trade,which was of such extent,that Iremember he once told me,he would not quit it for an annuity of ten thousand a year;'Not (said he,)that I get ten thousand a year by it,but it is an estate to a family.'Having left daughters only,the property was sold for the immense sum of one hundred and thirty-five thousand pounds;a magnificent proof of what may be done by fair trade in no long period of time.
Mr.Thrale had married Miss Hesther Lynch Salusbury,of good Welsh extraction,a lady of lively talents,improved by education.That Johnson's introduction into Mr.Thrale's family,which contributed so much to the happiness of his life,was owing to her desire for his conversation,is very probable and a general supposition:but it is not the truth.Mr.Murphy,who was intimate with Mr.Thrale,having spoken very highly of Dr.Johnson,he was requested to make them acquainted.This being mentioned to Johnson,he accepted of an invitation to dinner at Thrale's,and was so much pleased with his reception,both by Mr.and Mrs.Thrale,and they so much pleased with him,that his invitations to their house were more and more frequent,till at last he became one of the family,and an apartment was appropriated to him,both in their house in Southwark,and in their villa at Streatham.
Johnson had a very sincere esteem for Mr.Thrale,as a man of excellent principles,a good scholar,well skilled in trade,of a sound understanding,and of manners such as presented the character of a plain independent English Squire.As this family will frequently be mentioned in the course of the following pages,and as a false notion has prevailed that Mr.Thrale was inferiour,and in some degree insignificant,compared with Mrs.Thrale,it may be proper to give a true state of the case from the authority of Johnson himself in his own words.
'I know no man,(said he,)who is more master of his wife and family than Thrale.If he but holds up a finger,he is obeyed.It is a great mistake to suppose that she is above him in literary attainments.She is more flippant;but he has ten times her learning:he is a regular scholar;but her learning is that of a school-boy in one of the lower forms.'My readers may naturally wish for some representation of the figures of this couple.Mr.
Thrale was tall,well proportioned,and stately.As for Madam,or my Mistress,by which epithets Johnson used to mention Mrs.Thrale,she was short,plump,and brisk.She has herself given us a lively view of the idea which Johnson had of her person,on her appearing before him in a dark-coloured gown:'You little creatures should never wear those sort of clothes,however;they are unsuitable in every way.What!have not all insects gay colours?'Mr.Thrale gave his wife a liberal indulgence,both in the choice of their company,and in the mode of entertaining them.He understood and valued Johnson,without remission,from their first acquaintance to the day of his death.Mrs.Thrale was enchanted with Johnson's conversation,for its own sake,and had also a very allowable vanity in appearing to be honoured with the attention of so celebrated a man.
Nothing could be more fortunate for Johnson than this connection.
He had at Mr.Thrale's all the comforts and even luxuries of life;his melancholy was diverted,and his irregular habits lessened by association with an agreeable and well-ordered family.He was treated with the utmost respect,and even affection.The vivacity of Mrs.Thrale's literary talk roused him to cheerfulness and exertion,even when they were alone.But this was not often the case;for he found here a constant succession of what gave him the highest enjoyment:the society of the learned,the witty,and the eminent in every way,who were assembled in numerous companies,called forth his wonderful powers,and gratified him with admiration,to which no man could be insensible.
In the October of this year he at length gave to the world his edition of Shakspeare,which,if it had no other merit but that of producing his Preface,in which the excellencies and defects of that immortal bard are displayed with a masterly hand,the nation would have had no reason to complain.
In 1764and 1765it should seem that Dr.Johnson was so busily employed with his edition of Shakspeare,as to have had little leisure for any other literary exertion,or,indeed,even for private correspondence.He did not favour me with a single letter for more than two years,for which it will appear that he afterwards apologised.
He was,however,at all times ready to give assistance to his friends,and others,in revising their works,and in writing for them,or greatly improving their Dedications.In that courtly species of composition no man excelled Dr.Johnson.Though the loftiness of his mind prevented him from ever dedicating in his own person,he wrote a very great number of Dedications for others.
Some of these,the persons who were favoured with them are unwilling should be mentioned,from a too anxious apprehension,as I think,that they might be suspected of having received larger assistance;and some,after all the diligence I have bestowed,have escaped my enquiries.He told me,a great many years ago,'he believed he had dedicated to all the Royal Family round;'and it was indifferent to him what was the subject of the work dedicated,provided it were innocent.He once dedicated some Musick for the German Flute to Edward,Duke of York.In writing Dedications for others,he considered himself as by no means speaking his own sentiments.