particularly in the line, "But how the
devil," &c.
[dd] See Johnson's letters from Ashbourne, in this volume.

POEMS.

PREFATORY OBSERVATIONS

TO THE IMITATIONS OF THE

THIRD AND TENTH SATIRES OF JUVENAL.

We will not examine here Johnson's poetical merits, since that
discussion will more properly introduce his Lives of the Poets, but
merely offer some few biographical remarks. In the poem of London, Mr.
Boswell was of opinion, that Johnson did not allude to Savage, under the
name of Thales, and adds, for his reason, that Johnson was not so much
as acquainted with Savage when he _wrote_ his London. About a month,
however, before he _published_ this poem, he addressed the following
lines to him, through the Gentleman's Magazine, for April, 1738.

AD RICARDUM SAVAGE.

Humanani studium generis cui pectore fervet
O colat humanum te, foveatque, genus!

We cannot certainly infer, from this, an intimacy with Savage, but it is
more probable, that these lines flowed from a feeling of private
friendship, than mere admiration of an author, in a public point of
view; and they, at any rate, give credibility to the general opinion,
that, under the name of Thales, the poet referred to the author of the
Wanderer, who was, at this time, preparing for his retreat to Wales,
whither he actually went in the ensuing year.

The names of Lydiat, Vane, and Sedley, which are brought forward in the
poem on the Vanity of Human Wishes, as examples of inefficiency of
either learning or beauty, to shield their possessors from distress,
have exercised inquiry. The following is the best account of them we can
collect:

THOMAS LYDIAT was born in 1572. After passing through the studies of the
university of Oxford, with applause, he was elected fellow of New
college; but his defective utterance induced him to resign his
fellowship, in order to avoid entering holy orders, and to live upon a
small patrimony. He was highly esteemed by the accomplished and
unfortunate prince Henry, son of James the first. But his hopes of
provision in that quarter were blasted by that prince's premature death;
and he then accompanied the celebrated Usher into Ireland. After two or
three years, he returned to England, and poverty induced him now to
accept the rectory of Okerton, near Banbury, which he had before
declined. Here he imprudently became security for the debts of a
relation, and, being unable to pay, was imprisoned for several years. He