Johnson at that time lodged at Greenwich x . He there fixes the scene, and takes leave of his friend ; who. he says in his Life, parted from him with tears in his eyes 2 . The poem, when finished, was offered to Cave 3 . It happened, however, that the late Mr. Do.dsley was the purchaser at the price often guineas 4 . It was published in 7 738 ; and Pope, we are told, said, ' The author, whoever he is, will not be long concealed ; ' alluding to the passage in Terence, Ubi, ubi est, diu celari non potest 5 . Notwithstanding that prediction, it does not appear that, besides the copy-money, any advantage accrued to the author of a poem, written with the elegance and energy of Pope. Johnson, in August I738 6 , went, with all the fame of his poetry, to offer himself a candidate for the mastership of the school at Appleby, in Leicestershire. The statutes of the place required, that the person chosen should be a master of arts. To remove this objection, the late Lord Gower was induced to write to a friend, in order to obtain for Johnson a master's degree in the Univer sity of Dublin, by the recommendation of Dr. Swift 7 .
This scheme miscarried. There is reason to think, that Swift declined to meddle in the business ; and to that circumstance Johnson's known dislike of Swift has been often imputed 8 .
1 He had lodged at Greenwich a art, thou canst not long be con- year earlier. Life, i. 107. He was cealed." ' Hawkins, p. 60. Per- living in Castle Street, Cavendish haps he recollected the line in Le Square, when he wrote London. Ib. Misanthrope, Act iii. sc. 8 :
p. 1 20. * Un merite e*clatant se de'terre
2 'Savage left London in July, lui-meme.'
1739, having taken leave with great Johnson never saw Pope, as the fol-
tenderness of his friends, and parted lowing note by Mr. Hussey shows :
from the author of this narrative with ' Asking Johnson if he had ever been
tears in his eyes.' Works, viii. 173. in Mr. Pope's company he replied,
3 Life, i. 120. " No, Sir, I never saw Pope." ' Yet
4 Id. p. 124. Pope lived seven years after John-
5 Eunuchus, ii. 3, 4. * Pope said, son's first visit to London.
" he will soon be de"terreV' ' Life, i. 6 It was in 1739 that Johnson went
129. ' Pope recollected perhaps a pas- to Appleby. Life, i. 132, n. I ; Let-
sage recorded of Milton, who, seeing a ters, i. 3, n. I .
beautiful young lady pass him whom 7 For Lord Gower's letter, which
he never had seen before, turned to I omit, see Life, i. 133.
look at her and said, " Whoever thou 8 ' I once took the liberty to ask
It
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