ther, who kept the ring at Smithfield for a whole year, and
was never thrown or conquered. Here are uncles for you, Mistress, if
that is the way to your heart." Mr. Reade has supplemented this by
showing us that not only was Andrew Johnson a skilful wrestler, but that
he was a very good bookseller. For a time he assisted his brother in the
conduct of the business at Lichfield. Later, however, he settled as a
bookseller at Birmingham, which was to be his home until his death over
thirty years later. Here he published some interesting books; the title-
pages of some of these are given by Mr. Reade, who reproduces of course
his will. He had a son named Thomas who fell on evil days. You will
find certain letters to Thomas in Birkbeck Hill's edition; Dr. Johnson
frequently helped him with money.

Of more interest, however, than Andrew Johnson was Catherine, the one
sister of Michael and Andrew, an aunt of Samuel's, who was evidently for
some unknown reason ignored by her two brothers. Here we are not on
absolutely firm ground, but it seems to me clear that Catherine Johnson
married into a position far above her brothers. A fortnight before his
death Dr. Johnson wrote to the Rev. William Vyse, Rector of Lambeth; a
letter in which he asked him to find out "whether Charles Skrymsher"--he
misspelt it "Scrimshaw"--"of Woodseaves"--he misspelt it "Woodease"--"in
your neighbourhood, be now alive," and whether he could be found without
delay. He added that "it will be an act of great kindness to me,"
Charles Skrymsher being "very nearly related." Charles Skrymsher was not
found, and Johnson told Dr. Vyse that he was disappointed in the
inquiries that he had made for his relations. This particular relation,
indeed, had been twenty-two years dead when Dr. Johnson, probably with
the desire of leaving him something in his will, made these inquiries.
His mother, Mrs. Gerald Skrymsher, was Michael Johnson's sister. One of
her daughters became the wife of Thomas Boothby. Boothby was twice
married, and his two wives were cousins, the first, Elizabeth, being the
daughter of one Sir Charles Skrymsher, the second, Hester, as I have
said, of Gerald Skrymsher, Dr. Johnson's uncle. Hence Johnson had a
cousin by marriage who was a potentate in his day, for it is told of
Thomas Boothby of Tooley Park, grand-nephew of a powerful and wealthy
baronet, that he was one of the fathers of English sport. An issue of
_The Field_ newspaper for