The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: The Rambler

Front Cover
W. Pickering, 1825
 

Contents

The necessity of proportioning punishments to crimes
39
The sequel of Hymenæuss courtship
44
The young traders attempt at politeness
49
The advantages of living in a garret
54
The narrowness of fame
60
Tranquillas account of her lovers opposed to Hymenæus
64
The history of Almamoulin the son of Nouradin
70
The dangers of imitation The impropriety of imitating Spenser 754
80
The young trader turned gentleman
84
The ladys misery in a summer retirement
89
The difficulty of defining comedy Tragick and comick sentiments confounded
93
The universality of cowardice The impropriety of extorting praise The impertinence of an astronomer
98
Diligence too soon relaxed Necessity of perseverance 103
103
NUMB PAGE 128 Anxiety universal The unhappiness of a wit and a fine lady
107
The folly of cowardice and inactivity
111
The history of a beauty
116
Desire of gain the general passion
119
The difficulty of educating a young nobleman 125
125
The miseries of a beauty defaced
130
Idleness an anxious and miserable state 134
134
The folly of annual retreats into the country
138
The meanness and mischief of indiscriminate dedication
143
The necessity of literary courage 147
147
Original characters to be found in the country The character of Mrs Busy
152
A critical examination of Samson Agonistes
157
The criticism continued
162
NUMB PAGE 165 The impotence of wealth The visit of Scrotinus to the place of
165
The danger of attempting wit in conversation The character of Papilius 168
172
An account of squire Bluster
173
The criterions of plagiarism
178
The difficulty of raising reputation The various species of de tractors
184
Petty writers not to be despised 188
188
An account of an author travelling in quest of his own character The uncertainty of fame 192
192
The courtiers esteem of assurance
196
The cruelty of parental tyranny
201
NUMB PAGE
203
Benefits not always entitled to gratitude
206
Adversity useful to the acquisition of knowledge 211
211
The climactericks of the mind 215
215
Criticism on epistolary writings 220
220
The treatment incurred by loss of fortune
224
The inefficacy of genius without learning
229
The usefulness of advice The danger of habits The necessity of reviewing life
234
Praise universally desired The failings of eminent men often imitated
274
nativity
278
Favour not easily gained by the poor
283
The marriage of Hymenæus and Tranquilla
287
Poetry debased by mean expressions An example from Shake speare
291
Labour necessary to excellence
295
The history of Misella debauched by her relation
299
Misellas description of the life of a prostitute
304
The effect of sudden riches upon the manners 309
309
Unreasonable fears of pedantry
313
The mischiefs of unbounded raillery History of Dicaculus
317
The majority are wicked
322
Directions to authors attacked by criticks The various degrees of critical perspicacity 326
326
An account of a club of antiquaries
329
Many advantages not to be enjoyed together
333
The awkward merriment of a student 337
337
The study of life not to be neglected for the sake of books 341
341
The history of an adventurer in lotteries
345
The history of Leviculus the fortunehunter
350
The influence of envy and interest compared
354
The subject of essays often suggested by chance Chance equally prevalent in other affairs
358
The prohibition of revenge justifiable by reason The meanness of regulating our conduct by the opinions of men
362
Anningait and Ajut a Greenland history
367
The history of Anningait and Ajut concluded
371
Favour often gained with little assistance from understanding
375
The mischiefs of falsehood The character of Turpicula
379
The history of Abouzaid the son of Morad
383
The busy life of a young lady
387
Love unsuccessful without riches
392
The authors art of praising himself 396
396
A young noblemans progress in politeness
400
A young noblemans introduction to the knowledge of the town
405
Human opinions mutable The hopes of youth fallacious
409
The history of a legacyhunter
413
The legacyhunters history concluded
417
The virtues of Rabbi Abrahams magnet
422
Aspers complaint of the insolence of Prospero Unpoliteness not always the effect of pride
427
The importance of punctuality
432
The different acceptations of poverty Cynicks and Monks not poor
436
fame uncertain
440
The history of Seged concluded
448
The folly of continuing too long upon the stage
457

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Page 182 - This modest stone, what few vain marbles can, May truly say, Here lies an honest man : A Poet, blest beyond the Poet's fate, Whom Heaven kept sacred from the Proud and Great : Foe to loud praise, and friend to learned ease, Content with science in the vale of peace. Calmly he look'd on either life, and here Saw nothing to regret, or there to fear ; From Nature's...
Page 143 - Who dares think one thing, and another tell, My heart detests him as the gates of hell.
Page 242 - Is it not certain that the tragick and comick R, II. B affections have been moved alternately with equal force, and that no plays have oftener filled the eye with tears, and the breast with palpitation, than those which are variegated with interludes of mirth ? I do not, however, think it safe to judge of works of genius merely by the event.
Page 183 - Venus, take my votive glass, Since I am not what I was , What from this day I shall be, Venus let me never see.
Page 293 - You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry " Hold, hold !
Page 25 - What better can we do, than, to the place Repairing where he judged us, prostrate fall Before him reverent, and there confess Humbly our faults, and pardon beg, with tears Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign Of sorrow unfeign'd and humiliation meek?
Page 160 - But will arise and his great name assert : Dagon must stoop, and shall e're long receive Such a discomfit, as shall quite despoil him Of all these boasted Trophies won on me, And with confusion blank his Worshippers.
Page 164 - To live a life half dead, a living death, And buried; but O yet more miserable! Myself my sepulchre, a moving grave, Buried, yet not exempt By privilege of death and burial From worst of other evils, pains and wrongs, But made hereby obnoxious more To all the miseries of life, Life in captivity Among inhuman foes.
Page 78 - When ./Eneas is sent by Virgil to the shades, he meets Dido the queen of Carthage, whom his perfidy had hurried to the grave ; he accosts her with tenderness and excuses ; but the lady turns away like Ajax in mute disdain. She turns away like Ajax ; but she resembles him in none of those qualities which give either dignity or propriety to silence.
Page 292 - We are all offended by low terms, but are not disgusted alike by the same compositions, because we do not all agree to censure the same terms as low. .No word is naturally or intrinsically meaner than another ; our opinion therefore of words, as of other things arbitrarily and capriciously established, depends wholly upon accident and custom.

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