aEhi DA 501 >J*0 O JSP v> > > > > > "3 -r> ^> > r» 5»ii>j3S f LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I <&ty. SA.SQL j |> ; r- J I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, f sag > 2>~*y > ■.)»» jwarmor Mmrfolttenge ; AN ESSAY ON AN ANCIENT PROPHETICAL INSCRIPTION, LATELY DISCOVERED NEAR LYNN, IN NORFOLK. BY PROBUS BRITANICUS, LONDON: PRINTED FOR J. BRETT, AT THE GOLDEN BALL, OPPO- SITE st. Clement's church, in the strand. ¥ MDCCXXXIX. SJ Vr yr 9* e 9* A o MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE ; AN ESSAY BY SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D. [This very curious and scarce Tract, by Dr. Samuel Johnson, (under the assumed name of Probus Britani- cus,) has never appeared in any edition of the works of that celebrated writer, — Its authenticity is fully established by Boswell, (vol. i. p. 74 — 75, 4to, 1791,) and by Hawkins, (8vo, p. 70 — 71, 2nd edit.) to which the reader is referred.] LONDON : Printed for J. M. RICHARDSON, Cornhill. 1820. Maurice, Printer, Fenchurch-street M ARMOR NORFOLCIENSE, 8fC fyc. In Norfolk, near the town of Lynn, in a field which an antient tradition of the country affirms to have been once a deep lake or meer, and which appears from authentic records to have been called, about two hundred years ago, Palus, or the Marsh, was discovered not long since a large square stone, which is found upon an exact inspection to be a kind of coarse mar- ble, of a substance not firm enough to admit of being polished, yet harder than our common quarries afford, and not easily susceptible of injuries from weather or outward accidents. It was brought to light by a farmer, who, observ- ing his plough obstructed by something, through 2 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE, which the share could not make its way, ordered his servants to remove it. This was not effected without some difficulty, the stone being three feet four inches deep, and four feet square in the superficies, and consequently of a weight not easily manageable. However, by the applica- tion of levers, it was at length raised, and con- veyed to a corner of the field, where it lay for some months entirely unregarded : nor, perhaps, had we ever been made acquainted with this venerable relique of antiquity, had not our good fortune been greater than our curiosity. A gentleman, well known to the learned world, and distinguished by the patronage of the Mcecenas of Norfolk, whose name, was I per- mitted to mention it, would excite the attention of my reader, and add no small authority to my conjectures, observing, as he was walking that way, that the clouds began to gather and threaten him with a shower, had recourse for shelter to the trees under which this stone happened to lie, and sat down upon it in expectation of fair weather. At length, he began to amuse himself in his con- finement, by clearing the earth from his seat with the point of his cane ; and had continued this employment some time, when he observed several tracer of letters antique and irregular, MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. O which, by being very deeply engraven, were still easily distinguishable. This discovery so far raised his curiosity, that, going home immediately, he procured an instru- ment for cutting out the clay that filled up the spaces of the letters, and with very little labour made the inscription legible, which is here ex- hibited to the public. POST-GENITIS. Cunr Lapidem hum, magni Qui nuncjacet hicola stagni, Vel Pede Equus ta?iget, Vel Arator vomerefranget, Sentiet ccgra Metus, Effundet P atria Fletus, Littoraque ut Fluctu, Resonabunt Oppida Luctu: Namfacunda rubri Serpent per Prat a Colubri, Gramina vastantes, Flores Fructusque vorantes, Omnia fxdantes, Vitiantes, et spoliantes ; Quanquam haud pugnaces, Ibunt per cuncta Minaces, Fures absque Timore, Etpingues absque Labore, 4 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. Horrida dementes Rapiet Discordia Gentes, Plurima tunc Leges Mutabit, plurima Reges Natio, conversd In Rabiem tunc contremet Ursa Cynthia, tunc latis Florebunt Lilia Pratis, Necfremere audebit Leo, sed violare timebit, Omnia consuetus Populari Pascua lotus. Ante Oculos Natos Calceatos et Cruciatos. Jamferet ignavus, Vetitaque Libidine pravus. En quoque quod Mirum, Quod dicas denique dirum, Sanguinem Lquus sugit, Neque Bellua victa remugit. These lines he carefully copied, accompanied, in his Letter of July 19, with the following translation : TO POSTERITY. Whene'er this stone, now hid beneath the lake, The horse shall trample, or the plough shall break, MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. O Then, O my Country ! shalt thou groan distrest, Grief swell thine eyes, and terror chill thy breast. Thy streets with violence of zcoe shall sound, Loud as the billozes bursting on the ground. Then thro' thy fields shall scarlet reptiles stray, And Rapine and Pollution mark their zcay. Their hungry szvarms the peaceful vale shall fright, Still fierce to threaten, still afraid to fight ; The teeming years zchole product shall devour, Insatiate pluck the fruit, and crop thefiozvW : Shall glutton on the industrious peasant's spoil, Rob zoithout fear, and fatten zvithout toil.** Then o'er the world shall Discord stretch her wings, Kings change their laws, and kingdoms change their kings. The bear, enrag'd, tti affrighted moon shall dread ; The lilies o'er the vales triumphant spread ; Nor shall the lion, zvont of old to reign Despotic o'er the desolated plain, Henceforth tK inviolable bloom invade, Or dare to murmur in the flow' ry glade ; His tortured sons shall die before his face, While he lies melting in a lezod embrace ; And yet, more strange ! his veins a horse shall drain, Nor shall the passive coward once complain. I make not the least doubt, but that this learn- ed person has given us, as an antiquary, a true and uncontrovertible representation of the wri- 6 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. ter's meaning, and am sure he can confirm it by innumerable quotations from the authors of the middle age, should he be publicly called upon by any man of eminent rank in the republic of letters ; nor will he deny the world that satisfac- tion, provided the animadverter proceeds with that sobriety and modesty, with which it be- comes every learned man to treat a subject of such importance. Yet, with all proper deference to a name so justly celebrated, I will take the freedom of observing that he has succeeded better as a scholar than a poet; having fallen below the strength, the conciseness, and at the same time below the perspicuity, of his author. I shall not point out the particular passages in which this disparity is remarkable, but content myself with saying in general, that the criticisms, which there is room for on this translation, maybe almost an incitement to some lawyer, studious of antiquity, to learn Latin, The inscription which I now proceed to con- sider, wants no arguments to prove its antiquity, to those among the learned, who are versed in the writers of the darker ages, and know that the Latin poetry of those times was of a pecu- liar cast and air, not easy to be understood, and MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 7 very difficult to be imitated ; nor can it be con- ceived that any man would lay out his abilities on a way of writing, which, though attained with much study, could gain him no reputation, and engrave his chimaeras on a stone to astonish posterity. Its antiquity therefore is out of dispute ; but how high a degree of antiquity is to be assigned it, there is more ground for inquiry than deter- mination. How early Latin rhymes made their appearance in the world is yet undecided by the critics. Verses of this kind were called Leonine; but whence they derived that appellation, the learned Camden confesses himself ignorant, so that the stile carries no certain marks of its age. I shall only observe farther on this head, that the characters are nearly of the same form with those on King Arthur's coffin ; but whether from their similitude we may venture to pronounce them of the same date, I must refer to the de- cision of better judges. Our inability to fix the age of this inscription necessarily infers our ignorance of its author, with relation to whom many controversies may be started, worthy of the most profound learning and most indefatigable diligence. The first question that naturally arises is, 8 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. whether he was a Briton or a Saxon. I had at first conceived some hope, that in this question, in which not only the idle curiosity of virtuosos, but the honor of two mighty nations, is concern- ed, some information might be drawn from the word P atria, (my country,) in the third line ; England being not in propriety of speech the country of the Saxons; at least, not at their first arrival. But upon farther reflection this argu- ment appeared not conclusive, since we find that, in all ages, foreigners have affected to call Eng- land their country, even when, like the Saxons of old, they came only to plunder it. An argument, in favour of the Britons, may indeed be drawn from the tenderness, with which the author seems to lament his country, and the compassion he shows for its approaching calamities. I, who am a descendant from the Saxons, and therefore unwilling to say any thing derogatory from the reputation of my forefathers, must yet allow this argument its full force : for it has been rarely, very rarely, known, that fo- reigners, however well treated, caressed, enrich- ed, flattered, or exalted, have regarded this country with the least gratitude or affection, till the race has, by long continuance, after many generations, heen naturalized and assimilated. MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 9 They have been ready upon all occasions to prefer the petty interests of their own country, though perhaps only some desolate and worth- less corner of the world. They have employed the wealth of England in paying troops to de- fend mud-wall towns, and uninhabitable rocks, and in purchasing barriers for territories of which the natural sterility secured them from invasion. This argument, which wants no particular in- stances to confirm it, is, I confess, of the greatest weight in this question, and inclines me strongly to believe that the benevolent author of this prediction must have been born a Briton. The learned discoverer of the inscription was pleased to insist with great warmth upon the ety- mology of the word Patria, which signifying, says he, the land of my father, could be made use of by none, but such whose ancestors had resided here; but in answer to this demonstration, as he called it, I only desired him to take notice, how common it is for intruders of yesterday, to pre- tend the same title with the antient proprietors ; and, having just received an estate by voluntary grant, to erect a claim of hereditary right. Nor is it less difficult to form any satisfactory conjecture concerning the rank or condition of the writer, who, contented with a consciousness c 10 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. of having done his duty, in leaving this solemn warning to his country, seems studiously to have avoided that veneration, to which his knowledge of futurity undoubtedly entitled him, and those honors which his memory might justly claim from the gratitude of posterity ; and has therefore left no trace, by which the most sagacious and diligent inquirer can hope to discover him. This conduct alone ought to convince us, that the prediction is of no small importance to man- kind, since the author of it appears not to have been influenced by any other motive, than that noble and exalted philanthropy which is above the narrow views of recompense or applause. That interest had no share in this inscription, is evident beyond dispute, since the age in which he lived received neither pleasure nor instruction from it. Nor is it less apparent, from the sup- pression of his name, that he was equally a stranger to that wild desire of fame, which has sometimes infatuated the noblest minds. His modesty, however, has not been able wholly to extinguish that curiosity, which so naturally leads us, when we admire a perform- ance, to inquire after the author. Those whom I have consulted on this occasion, and my zeal for the honor of this benefactor of my country MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 11 has not suffered me to forget a single antiquary of reputation, have almost unanimously deter- mined, that it was written by a king. For, where else, said they, are we to expect that greatness of mind, and that dignity of expression, so eminently conspicuous in this inscription ? It is with a proper sense of the weakness of my own abilities, that I venture to lay before the public the reasons which hinder me from con- curring with this opinion, which I am not only inclined to favor by my respect for the authors of it, but by a natural affection to monarchy, and a prevailing inclination to believe that every excellence is inherent in a king. To condemn an opinion so agreeable to the reverence due to the regal dignity, and counte- nanced by so great authorities, without a long and accurate discussion, would be a temerity justly liable to the severest censures. A super- cilious and arrogant determination of a contro- versy of such importance, would, doubtless, be treated by the impartial and candid with the utmost indignation. But as I have too high an idea of the learning of my contemporaries, to obtrude any crude, hasty, orindigested, notions on the public, I have proceeded with the utmost degree of diffidence 12 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. and caution ; I have frequently reviewed all my arguments, traced them backwards to their first principles, and used every method of examina- tion to discover whether all the deductions were natural and just, and whether I was not imposed on by some specious fallacy ; but, the farther I carried my inquiries, and the longer I dwelt upon this great point, the more was 1 convinced, in spite of all my prejudices, that this wonderful prediction was not written by a king. For, after a laborious and attentive perusal of Histories, Memoirs, Chronicles, Lives, Charac- ters, Vindications, Panegyrics, and Epitaphs, I could find no sufficient authority for ascribing to any of our English Monarchs, however gracious or glorious, any prophetical knowledge or prescience of futurity; which, when we con- sider how rarely regal virtues are forgotten, how soon they are discovered, and how loudly they are celebrated, affords a probable argument, at least, that none of them have laid any claim to this character. For why should historians have omitted to embellish their accounts with such a striking circumstance ; or, if the histories of that age are lost by length of time, why was not so uncommon an excellence transmitted to posterity in the more lasting colors of poetry ? Was that MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 13 unhappy age without a laureat? Was there then no Young or Philips, no Ward or Mitchel, to snatch such wonders from oblivion, and im- mortalize a prince of such capacities ? If this were really the case,letus congratulate ourselves upon being reserved for better days, days so fruitful of happy writers, that no princely virtue can shine in vain. Our monarchs are surround- ed with refined spirits, so penetrating that they frequently discover in their masters great quali- ties invisible to vulgar eyes, and which, did not they publish them to mankind, would be unob- served for ever. Nor is it easy to find, in the lives of our mo- narchs,many instances of that regard for posterity, which seems to have been the prevailing temper of this venerable man. I have seldom, in any of the gracious speeches delivered from the throne, and received with the highest gratitude and satisfaction by both houses of parliament, dis- covered any other concern than for the current year, for which supplies are generally demanded in very pressing terms, and sometimes such as imply no remarkable solicitude for posterity. Nothing indeed can be more unreasonable and absurd, than to require that a monarch, dis- tracted with cares and surrounded with enemies, 14 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. should involve himself in superfluous anxieties by an unnecessary concern about future genera- tions. Are not pretenders, mock patriots, mas- querades, operas, birth-nights, treaties, conven- tions, reviews, drawing rooms, the births of heirs and the deaths of queens, sufficient to over- whelm any capacity but that of a king ? Surely, he that acquits himself successfully of such af- fairs, may content himself with the glory he ac- quires, and leave posterity to his successors. That this has been the conduct of most princes, is evident from the accounts of all ages and nations, and therefore I hope it will not be thought that I have, without just reasons, deprived this inscription of the veneration it might demand as the work of a king. With what laborious struggles against pre- judice and inclination, with what efforts of reasoning, and pertinacity of self-denial, I have prevailed upon myself to sacrifice the honor of this monument to the love of truth, none who are unacquainted with the fondness of a commentator will be able to conceive. But this instance will be, I hope, sufficient to con- vince the public that I write with sincerity, and that, whatever my success maybe, my intentions are good. MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 15 Where we are to look for our author it still remains to be considered, whether in the high road of public employments, or the by-paths of private life. It has always been observed of those that frequent a court, that they soon, by a kind of contagion, catch the regal spirit of neglecting futurity. The minister forms an expedient to suspend or perplex an inquiry into his measures for a few months, and applauds and triumphs in his own dexterity. The peer puts off his cre- ditor for the present day, and forgets that he is ever to see him more. The frown of a prince and the loss of a pension have indeed been found of wonderful efficacy, to abstract men's thoughts from the present time, and fill them with zeal for the liberty and welfare of ages to come. But I am inclined to think more favourably of the author of this prediction, than that he was made a patriot by disappointment or disgust. If he ever saw a court, I would willingly believe, that he did not owe his concern for posterity to his ill reception there, but his ill reception there to his concern for posterity. However, since truth is the same in the mouth of a hermit, or a prince ; since it is not reason but weakness, that makes us rate counsel by our 16 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. esteem for the counsellor; let us at length desist from this inquiry, so useless in itself, in which we have room to hope for so little satisfaction. Let us show our gratitude to the author, by answer- ing his intentions, by considering minutely the lines which he has left us, and examining their import without heat, precipitancy, or party-pre- judices; let us endeavour to keep the just mean, between searching ambitiously for far-fetched interpretations, and admitting such low meaning, and obvious and low sense, as is inconsistent with those great and extensive views, which it is reasonable to ascribe to this excellent man. It may be yet farther asked, whether this in- scription, which appears in the stone, be an ori- ginal, and not rather a version of a traditional prediction in the old British tongue, which the zeal of some learned man prompted him to translate and engrave in a more known language for the instruction of future ages ; but, as the lines carry at the first view a reference both to the stone itself, and very remarkably to the place where it was found, I cannot see any foundation for such a suspicion. It remains now that we examine the sense and import of the inscription, which, after having long dwelt upon it with the closest and most MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 17 laborious attention, I must confess myself not yet able fully to comprehend. The following explications, therefore, are by no means laid down as certain and indubitable truths, but as conjectures not always wholly satisfactory even to myself, and which I had not dared to propose to so enlightened an age, an age which abounds with those great ornaments of human nature, sceptics, auti-moralists, and infidels, but with hopes that they would excite some person of greater abilities, to penetrate farther into the ora- culous obscurity of this wonderful prediction. Not even the four first lines are without their difficulties, in which the time of the discovery of the stone seems to be the time assigned for the events foretold by it. Cum Lapidem hum, magni Qui nuncjacet Incola stagni, Vel Pede Equus tanget, Vel Arator vomerefranget, Sentiet cegra Metus, Effundet P atria Fief us, Littoraque ut Fluctu, Resonabunt Oppida Luctu. Whene'er this stone, noxo hid beneath the lake, The horse shall trample, or the plough shall break, D 18 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. Then, O my country! shalt thou groan distrest, Grief in thine eyes, and terror in thy breast ; Thy streets zoith violence of woe shall sound, Loud as the billozos bursting on the ground. When this stone, says he, which now lies hid beneath the waters of a deep lake, shall be struck upon by the horse or broken by the plough, then shalt thou, my country, be astonished with terrors, and drowned in tears ; then shall thy towns sound with lamentations, as thy shores with the roarings of the waves. These are the words literally rendered, but how are they verified ? The lake is dry, the stone is turned up ; but there is no appearance of this dismal scene. Is not all at home satisfaction and tranquility? all abroad, submission and compliance ? Is it the in- terest or inclination of any prince or state to draw a sword against us ? and are we not never- theless secured by a numerous standing army, and a king who is himself an army? Have our troops any other employment than to march to a review ? have our fleets encountered any thing but winds and worms ? To me, the present state of the nation seems so far from any resemblance to the noise and agitation of a tempestuous sea, that it may be much more properly compared to the dead stillness of the waves before a storm. MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 19 Namfacunda rubri Serpent per Patria Colubri, Gr amino, vast antes, Flores Fructusque vorantes, Omnia f&dantcs, Vitiantes, et spoliantes ; Quanquam haud pugnaces i Ibunt per cuncta Minaces, Fures absque Timore, Et pingues absque JLabore, Then through thy fields shall scarlet reptiles stray. And rapine and pollution mark their zvay. Their hungry swarms the peaceful vale shall fright, Still fierce to threaten, still afraid to fight ; The teemiug year's whole product shall devour, Insatiate pluck the fruit, and crop thefiow 9 r ; Shall glutton on the industrious peasant' 's spoil, Rob without fear, and fatten without toil. He seems in these verses to descend to a par- ticular account of this dreadful calamity ; but his description is capable of very different senses with almost equal probability. Med Serpents, says he, (rubri colubri are the Latin words, which the poetical translator has rendered scarlet reptiles, using a general term for a particular, in my opinion, too licentiously,) Red Serpents shall wander o'er her meadows and 20 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSK. pillage and pollute, fyc. The particular mention of the color of this destructive viper may be some guide to us in this labyrinth, through which, I must acknowledge, I cannot yet have any cer- tain path. I confess, that when, a few days after my perusal of this passage, I heard of the mul- titude of lady-birds seen in Kent, I began to imagine that these were the fatal insects, by which the Island was to he laid waste ; and therefore looked over all accounts of them with uncommon concern. But, when my first terrors began to subside, I soon recollected that these creatures, having both wings and feet, would scarcely have been called serpents ; and was quickly convinced, by their leaving the country without doing any hurt, that they had no quality, but the color, in common with the ravagers here described. As I am not able to determine any thing on this question, I shall content myself with collect- ing, into one view, the several properties of this pestiferous brood, with which we are threatened, as hints to more sagacious and fortunate readers, who, when they shall find any red animal that ranges uncontrouled over the country, and de- vours the labours of the trader, and the husband- man; that carries with it corruption, rapine, MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 21 pollution, and devastation ; that threatens with- out courage, robs without fear, and is pampered without labour; — they may know that the predic- tion is completed. Let me only remark farther, that, if the stile of this as of all other predictions is figurative, the serpent, a wretched animal that crawls upon the earth, is a proper emblem of low views and self-interest, base submission, as well as of cruelty, mischief, and malevolence. I cannot forbear to observe in this place, that, as it is of no advantage to mankind to be fore- warned of inevitable and insurmountable mis- fortunes, the author probably intended to hint to his countrymen, the proper remedies for the evils he describes. In this calamity, on which he dwells longest, and which he seems to deplore with the deepest sorrow, he points out one cir- cumstance which may be of great use to dis- perse our apprehensions, and awaken us from that panic which the reader must necessarily feel, at the first transient view of this dreadful description. These serpents, says the original, are hand pugnaces, of no fighting race : they will threaten, indeed, and hiss, and terrify the weak, and timorous, and thoughtless ; but have no real courage or strength. So that the mis- chief done by them, their ravages, devastations, 22 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. and robberies, must be only the consequences of cowardice in the sufferers, who are harassed and oppressed only because they suffer it with- out resistance. We are therefore to remember, whenever the pest here threatened shall invade us, that submission and tameness will be certain ruin, and that nothing but spirit, vigilance, acti- vity, and opposition, can preserve us from the most hateful and reproachful misery, that of be- ing plundered, starved, and devoured, by vermin and by reptiles. Horrida dementes Rapiet Discordia gentes, Plurima tunc Leges Mutabit, plurima Reges, Natioy Then o'er the world shall discord stretch her wings, Kings change their laws, and kingdoms change their kings. Here the author takes a general survey of the state of the world, and the changes that were to happen about the time of the discovery of this monument, in many nations. As it is not likely that he intended to touch upon the affairs of other countries, any farther than the advantage of his own made it necessary, we may reason- ably conjecture, that he had a full and distinct MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 23 view of all the negotiations, treaties, confedera- cies, of all the triple and quadruple alliances, and all the leagues offensive and defensive, in which we were to be engaged, either as principals, ac- cessories, or guarantees, whether by policy, or hope, or fear, or our concern for preserving the balance of power, or our tenderness for the liber- ties of Europe. He knew that our negotiators would interest us in the affairs of the whole earth, and that no state could either rise or decline in power, either extend or lose its dominions, with- out affecting our politics and influencing our councils. This passage will bear an easy and natural ap- plication to the present time, in which so many revolutions have happened, so many nations have changed their masters, and so many dis- putes and commotions are embroiling almost in every part of the world. That almost every state in Europe and Asia, that is, almost every country then known, is com- prehended in this prediction, may be easily con- ceived ; but whether it extends to regions at that time undiscovered, and portends any alteration of government in Carolina and Georgia, let more able or more daring expositors determine. 24 M ARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. Conversa In Rabiem tunc contremet Ursa Cynthia, The bear, enrag'd, th' affrighted moon shall dread; The terror created to the moon by the anger of the bear, is a strange expression ; but may per- haps relate to the apprehensions raised in the Turkish empire, of which a crescent, or new moon, is the imperial standard, by the increasing power of the empress of Russia, whose domi- nions lie under the northern constellation called the bear. Tunc latis Florebunt Lilia Pratis, The lilies o'er the vales triumphant spread ; The lilies, borne by the kings of France, are an apt representation of that country ; and their flourishing over wide extended valleys, seems to regard the new increase of the French power, wealth, and dominions, by the advancement of their trade, and the accession of Lorain. This is at the first view an obvious, but perhaps for that very reason not the true, inscription. How ^can we reconcile it with the following passage ? MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 25 Necfremere audebit Leo, sed violare timebit, Omnio consuetus Populari Pascua latus. Nor shall the lion, wont of old to reign Despotic o'er the desolated plain, Henceforth th* inviolable bloom invade, Or dare to murmur in theflozdry glade ; In which the lion, that used at pleasure to lay the pastures waste, is represented as not daring to touch the lilies, or murmur at their growth ; the lion, it is true, is one of the supporters of the arms of England, and may therefore figure our countrymen, who have in antient times made France a desert. But can it be said, that the lion dares not murmur or rage (for fr enter e may import both,) when it is evident that, for many years, this whole kingdom has murmured ! how- ever, it may be at present calm and secure, by its confidence in the wisdom of our politicians, and the address of our negociators. Ante Oculos Natos Calceatoset Cruciatos. Jamferet ignavus, Fetitdque Libidine pravus, E 26 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. His tortur'd sons shall die before his face, While he lies melting in a lezod embrace. Here are other things mentioned of the lion, equally unintelligible, if we suppose them to be spoken of our nation ; as, that she lies sluggish, and depraved with unlawful lusts, while his off- spring is trampled and tortured before his eyes. But in what place can the English be said to be trampled or tortured ? Where are they treated with injustice or contempt? What nation is there, from pole to pole, that does not reverence the nod of the British king? Is not our com- merce unrestrained ■? Are not the riches of the world our own, do not our ships sail unmolested, and our merchants traffic in perfect security? Is not the very name of England treated by fo- reigners, in a manner never known before ? Or, if some slight injuries have been offered, if some of our petty traders have been stopped, our pos- sessions threatened, our effects confiscated, our flag insulted, or our ears cropped, have we lain sluggish and unactive ? Have not our fleets been seen in triumph, at Spithead ! did not Hosier visit the Bastimentos, and is not Haddock now stationed at Port Mahon ? MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 27 En quoque quod Mirum, Quod dicas denique dirum, Sanguiuem Equus sugit, Neque Bellua Dicta remugit. And yet , more strange ! his veins a horse shall drain, Nor shall the passive coward once complain. It is farther asserted, in the concluding lines, that the horse shall suck the lion's blood. This is still more obscure than any of the rest ; and, indeed, the difficulties I have met with ever since the first mention of the lion, are so many and great, that I had, in utter despair of surmounting them, once desisted from my design of publish- ing any thing upon this subject ; but was pre- vailed upon by the importunity of some friends, to whom I can deny nothing, to resume my de- sign ; and I must own, that nothing animated me so much as the hope they flattered me with, that my essay might be inserted in the gazetteer, and so become of service to my country. That a weaker animal should suck the blood of a stronger without resistance, is wholly im- probable, and inconsistent, with the regard for self-preservation, so observable in every order and species of beings. We must therefore ne- 28 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. cessarily endeavour after some figurative sense* not liable to so insuperable an objection. Were I to proceed in the same tenor of inter- pretation, by which I explained the moon and the lilies, I might observe that a horse is borne in the arms of the house of H — — -. But, how then does the horse suck the lion's blood? Mo- ney is the blood of the body politic. — But my zeal for the present happy establishment will not suffer me to pursue a train of thought that leads to such shocking conclusions. The idea is de- testable, and such as, it ought to be hoped, can enter into the mind of none but a violent repub- lican, or bloody Jacobite. There is not one honest man in the nation, unconvinced how weak an attempt it would be to endeavour to confute this insinuation. An insinuation which no par- ty will dare to abet, and of so fatal and destruc- tive a tendency, that it may prove equally dan- gerous to the author, whether true or false. As, therefore, I can form no hypothesis on which a consistent interpretation may be built, I must leave these loose and unconnected hints entirely to the candour of the reader ; and con- fess that I do not think my scheme of explication just, since I cannot apply it throughout the whole, without involving myself in difficulties MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 29 from which the ablest interpreter would find it no easy matter to get free. Being therefore convinced, upon an attentive and deliberate review of these observations, and a consultation with my friends, of whose abilities I have the highest esteem, and whose impartia- lity, sincerity, and probity, I have long known and frequently experienced, that my conjectures are in general very uncertain, often improbable, and sometimes little less than apparently false, I was long in doubt, whether I ought not entirely to suppress them, and content myself with pub- lishing, in the Gazetteer, the inscription, as it stands engraven on the stone, without translation or commentary, unless that ingenious and learn- ed society should favor the world with their own remarks. To this scheme, which I thought extremely well calculated for the public good, and there- fore very eagerly communicated to my acquaint- ance and fellow students, some objections were started, which, as I had not foreseen, I was un- able to answer. It was observed, first, that the daily disserta- tions published by that fraternity are written with such profundity of sentiment, and filled with such uncommon modes of expression, as to 30 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. be themselves sufficiently unintelligible to vulgar readers, and that therefore the venerable obscu- rity of this prediction would much less excite the curiosity and awaken the attention of man- kind, than if it were exhibited in any other paper, and placed in opposition to the clear and easy stile of an author generally understood. To this argument, formidable as it was, I an- swered, after a short pause, that, with all proper deference to the great sagacity and advanced age of the objector, I could not but conceive that his position confuted itself; and that a reader of the Gazetteer, being, by his own confession, ac- customed to encounter difficulties, and search for meaning where it was not easily to be found, must be better prepared than any other man, for the perusal of these ambiguous expressions. And that, besides, the explication of this stone, being a task, which nothing could surmount but the most acute penetration, joined with indefati- gable patience, seemed in reality reserved for those who have given proofs of both in the high- est degree, by reading and understanding the Gazetteer. This answer satisfied every one but the ob- jector, who, with an obstinacy not very uncom- mon, adhered to his own opinion, though he MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 81 could not defend it ; and not being able to make any reply, attempted to laugh away my argu- ment, but found the rest of my friends so little disposed to jest upon this important question, that he was forced to restrain his mirth, and con- tent himself with a sullen and contemptuous si- lence. Another of my friends, whom I had assembled on this occasion, having owned the solidity of my answer to the first objection, offered a second, which in his opinion could not be so easily de- feated. " I have observed "says he," that the essays in the Gazetteer, though written on very important subjects, by the ablest hands which ambition can incite, friendship engage, or money procure, have never, though circulated through the king- dom with the utmost application, had any re- markable influence upon the people. I know many persons of no common capacity, that hold it sufficient to peruse these papers four times a year ; and others who receive them regularly, and without looking upon them, treasure them under ground for the benefit of posterity. So that the inscription may, by being inserted there, sink once more into darkness and oblivion, in- stead of informing the age, and assisting our 32 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. present ministry in the regulation of their mea- sures." Another observed, that nothing was more un- reasonable than my hope, that any remarks or elucidations would be drawn up by that frater- nity, since their own employments do not allow them any leisure for such attempts. Every one knows, that panegyric is in its own nature no easy task, and that to defend is much more dif- ficult than to attack ; consider, then, says he, what industry, what assiduity, it must require, to praise and vindicate a ministry like ours. It was hinted by another, that an inscription which had no relation to any particular set of men amongst us, but was composed many ages before the parties, which now divide the nation, had a being, could not be so properly conveyed to the world by means of a paper, dedicated to political debates. Another, to whom I had communicated my own observations in a more private manner, and who had inserted some of his own arguments, declared it as his opinion, that they were, though very controvertible and unsatisfactory, yet too valuable to be lost : and that, though to insert the inscription in a paper, of which such numbers are daily distributed at the expense of MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 33 the public, would doubtless be very agreeable to the generous design of the author, yet he hoped, that, as all the students, either of politics or antiquities, would receive both pleasure and improvement from the dissertation with which it is accompanied, none of them would regret to pay for so agreeable an entertainment. It cannot be wondered, that I at last have yielded to such weighty reasons, and such insi- nuating compliments, and chosen to gratify at once the inclination of friends and the vanity of an author. Yet, I should think I had very im- perfectly discharged my duty to my country, did I not warn all, whom either interest or curio- sity shall incite to the perusal of this treatise, not to lay any stress uponlny explications. How a more complete and indisputable inter- pretation may be obtained, it is not easy to say. This will, I suppose, be readily granted, that it is not to be expected from any single hand, but from the joint inquiries and united labors of a numerous society of able men, instituted by au- thority, selected with great discernment and impartiality, and supported at the charge of the nation. I am very far from apprehending, that any proposal for the attainment of so desirable an 34 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. end will be rejected by this inquisitive and en- lightened age, and shall therefore lay before the public, the project which I have formed and ma tured by long consideration, for the institutioi of a society of commentators upon this inscrip- tion. A I humbly propose, that thirty, of the most dis- tinguished genius, be chosen for this employment, half from the inns of court, and half from the army, and be incorporated into a Society for five years, under the name of the SOCIETY OF COMMENTATORS. That great undertakings can only be executed by a great number of hands, is too evident to require any proof; and 1 am afraid all that read this scheme, will think that it is chiefly de- fective in this respect, and that, when they re- flect how many commissioners were thought ne- cessary at Seville, and that even their negocia- tions entirely miscarried, probably for want of more associates, they will conclude that I have proposed impossibilities, and that the ends of the institution will be defeated by an injudici- ous and ill-timed frugality. But if it be considered, how well the persons I recommend must have been qualified, by their education and profession, for the provinces as- MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 35 signed them, the objection will grow less weighty than it appears. It is well known to be the con- stant study of the lawyers, to discover, in acts of parliament, meanings which escaped the com- mittees that drew them up, and the senates that passed them into laws, and to explain wills into a sense wholly contrary to the intention of the testator. How easily may an adept in these ad- mirable and useful arts, penetrate into the most hidden import of this prediction ? A man accus- tomed to satisfy himself with the obvious and natural meaning of a sentence, does not easily shake off his habit, but a true-bred lawyer never contents himself with one sense, when there is another to be found. Nor will the beneficial consequences of this scheme terminate in the explication of this mo- nument : they will extend much farther; for, the commentators having sharpened and improved their sagacity by this long and difficult course of study, will, when they return into public life, be of wonderful service to the government, in ex- amining pamphlets, songs, and journals, and in drawing up informations, indictments, and in- structions for special juries. They will be won- derfully fitted for the posts of attorney and so- 36 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. licitor general, but will excel, above all, as licen- sers for the stage. The gentlemen of the army will equally adorn the province, to which I have assigned them, of setting the discoveries and sentiments of their associates in a clear and agreeable light. The lawyers are well known not to be very happy in expressing their ideas, being for the most part able to make themselves understood by none but their own fraternity. But the geniuses of the army have sufficient opportunities, by their free access to the levee and the toilet, their con- stant attendance at balls and assemblies, and that abundant leisure which they enjoy beyond any other body of men, to acquaint themselves with every new word and prevailing mode of expres- sion, and to attain the utmost nicety and most polished prettiness of language. It will be necessary, that, during their attend- ance upon the society, they be exempt from any obligation to appear on Hyde- Park ; and that upon no emergency, however pressing, they be called away from their studies, unless the nation be in immediate danger, by an insurrection of weavers, colliers, or smugglers. There may not, perhaps, be found in the army such a number of men, who have ever conde- MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 37 scended to pass through the labors and irksome forms of education, in use among the lower classes of people, or submitted to learn the mer- cantile and plebeian arts of writing and reading : I must own, that though 1 entirely agree with the notions of the uselessness of any such trivial accomplishments in the military profession, and of their inconsistency with more valuable attain- ments ; — though I am convinced, that a man who can read and write becomes, at least, a very dis- agreeable companion to his brother soldiers, if he does not absolutely shun their acquaintance ; that he is apt to imbibe, from his books, odd no- tions of liberty and independency, and even sometimes of morality and virtue, utterly incon- sistent with the desirable character of a pretty gentleman; — though writing frequently stains the whitestfinger, and reading has a natural tendency to cloud the aspect, and depress that airy and thoughtless vivacity, which is the distinguishing characteristic of a modern warrior; — yet, on this single occasion, I cannot but heartily wish, that by a strict search there may be discovered, in the army, fifteen men who can write and read. I know that the knowledge of the alphabet is so disreputable among these gentlemen, that those who have by ill fortune formerly been 88 MARM0R NORFOLCIENSE. taught it, have partly forgot it by disuse, and partly concealed it from the world, to avoid the railleries and insults to which their education might make them liable. I propose, therefore, that all the officers of the army may be examined upon oath, one by one ; and that, if fifteen cannot be selected, who are at present so qualified, the deficiency may be supplied out of those who, having once learned to read, may perhaps, with the assistance of a master, in a short time refresh their memories. It may be thought, at the first sight of this pro- posal, that it might not be improper to assign to every commentator, a reader and secretary; but it may be easily conceived, that not only the public might murmur at such an addition of expense, but that, by the unfaithfulness or negligence of their servants, the discoveries of the society may be carried to foreign courts, and made use of to the disadvantage of our own country. For the residence of this society, I cannot think any place more proper than Greenwich Hospital, in which they may have thirty apart- ments fitted up for them, that they may make their observations in private, and meet once a day, in the painted hall, to compare them. ■ MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 39 If the establishment of this society be thought a matter of too much importance to be deferred till the new buildings are finished, it will be ne- cessary to make room for their reception, by the expulsion of such of the seamen as have no pretensions to the settlements there, but fractur- ed limbs, loss of eyes, or decayed constitutions, who have lately been admitted in such numbers, that it is now scarce possible to accommodate a nobleman's groom, footman, or postilion, in a manner suitable to the dignity of his profession, and the original design of the foundation. The situation of Greenwich will naturally dispose them to reflection and study; and par^ ticular caution ought to be used, lest any inter- ruption be suffered to dissipate their attention, or distract their meditations : for this reason, all visits and letters from ladies are strictly to be prohibited ; and, if any of the members shall be detected with a lap-dog, pack of cards, box of dice, draught table, snuff-box, or looking-glass, he shall, for the first offence, be confined for three months to water gruel, and for the second, be expelled the society. Nothing now remains, but that an estimate be made of the expenses necessary for carrying on this noble and generous design. The salary to I 40 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. be allowed each professor cannot be less than ,£2000 a year, which is indeed more than the regular stipend of a commissioner of excise ; but it must be remembered, that the commenta- tors have a much more difficult and important employment, and can expect their salaries but for the short space of five years ; whereas a com- missioner (unless he imprudently suffers himself to be carried away by a whimsical tenderness for his country) has an establishment for life. It will be necessary to allow the society in general, ,£30,000 yearly, for the support of the public table, and ,£40,000 for secret service. Thus will the ministry have a fair prospect of obtaining the full sense and import of the predic- tion, without burthening the public with more than <£650,000, which may be paid out of the sinking fund ; or, if it be not thought proper to violate that sacred treasure, by converting any part of it to uses not primarily intended, may easily be raised by a general poll-tax, or excise upon bread. Having now completed my scheme, a scheme calculated for the public benefit, without regard to any party, I entreat all sects, factions, and distinctions of men among us, to lay aside for a time their party-feuds and petty animosities, and MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 41 by a warm concurrence on this urgent occasion, teach posterity to sacrifice every private interest to the advantage of their country. [The preceding Pamphlet, by Dr. Samuel Johnson, was republished, in the year 1775 with the following Preface and Notes, under the signature of " Tribunus ;" which will be found an useful appendage at this distant period.] PREFACE. To Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Sir, I had lately the following curious essay put into my hands, by a particular friend ; which, on ac- count of its great singularity and scarcity, I wish to rescue from oblivion ; and I know not how I can more effectually do this, than by connecting it with so great and illustrious a name, as your own ; which I hope will not excite your anger, or incur your resentment, as it is my intention to vindicate you from a charge, that, considering the contents of the essay itself, and your parti- cular political connections at this time, may be of infinite service, if not in augmenting your well earned Pension, (if that word give not offence,) yet in preventing any diminution or total abo- lition of it. 44 MARM0R NORFOLCIENSE. So extraordinary a performance as the follow- ing is, could not fail to excite a very eager de- sire of knowing the author ; when, to my great surprise, it was positively asserted to be the pro- duction of the masterly pen of Dr. Samuel Johnson. — I remonstrated, again and again, with my friend, upon the absurdity of the sur- mise; and pointed out innumerable passages, which I thought served to destroy his positive assertions. This only tended to increase his prejudices in favour of his own preconceptions, and confirm me in the resolution of republishing the essay, with such remarks as should invalidate every argument, and remove every suspicion, that savoured of its being the production of your pen : and, indeed, I flatter myself, that a shadow of doubt will not appear of your being the au- thor of it, when the whole has been perused, and compared with those two inimitable and unan- swerable pamphlets, with which you have obliged your royal master and our most graci- ous sovereign, and his able ministers ; I mean, the " False Alarm f and that most excellent vindication, entitled " Taxation no tyranny," of what the faction or whigs (which, by your excellent Dictionary, we are taught to be one and the same) call the most ominous system of MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 45 despotism, that this or any other free state ever saw planned, and which their fanatical zeal most religiously reprobates. I urged in your vindication, learned sir, that it was impossible so pointed an attack on the glorious revolution; such bitter reflections, keen sarcasms, and personal invectives, against the illustrious House of Hanover, which are to be found in the following essay ; could proceed from the pen of the now renowned champion for the honour and glory of one of the house of Bruns- wick ; whose exaltation to the throne of these realms has ever been matter of the greatest dis- tress, trouble, and disappointment, to Tories and Jacobites ; neither of whom can ever dis- cover zeal or attachment to any reigning monarch, unless the maxims of his government should be the same with those, which, in their warmest wishes, they would desire to see the cursed and expelled race of the Stuarts adopt and pursue. This, indeed, may gain a temporary allegiance, and procure an outward show of obedience, as it would not only gratify their high-flown extra- vagant notions of hereditary right and unlimited authority, but afford some distant prospect and hope, that a deviation from all principles and maxims, that first, in the opinion of the whigs, 46 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. vindicated the deposition of the Stuarts, and elevation of the house of Hanover, might, by a happy train of political consequences, restore the imperial diadem to that head, round which, every Jacobite would wish to see it cast its here- ditary splendour, No man can be hardy enough to impute to Dr. Johnson, wishes or expecta- tions of such a nature, — more extravagant to his enlightened mind and loyal heart, than the doc- trine of ghosts and phantoms, or the pretensions to second sight in the Highlands of Scotland ; a country, whose poverty and barrenness you have, as a faithful historian, described and exposed, though treated with lettered hospi- tality, and partaking of every convenience that such a country could afford. Nor could you, sir, had you those predelictions in favour of the house of Stuart, that some would suggest, have missed so fair an opportunity of crediting that country, for those illustrious names that swayed the sceptre in this. The surmise, sir, that you are the author of the following essay, could only be designed to tarnish your unblemished reputation, or preju- dice you in the opinion of your royal master, the friendly rays of whose favor and protection have beneficently shone upon your merit ; not indeed MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 47 by its irradiations to make it more conspicuous; — that were impossible, so unrivalled is your fame ; but to afford his affectionate subjects, indubita- ble proofs of his discernment and justice, of which, indeed, the far greater part of them re- quire no other evidences than what his Majesty has already afforded. And though the unsatisfied humours of some false pretenders to patriotism, have risen into ferments of opposition ; and they have more than hinted at a breach of the royal oath, solemn- ly sworn at his Majesty's coronation ; and talk- ed of the absolute treason of ministers against the state, — representing the measures, respecting America,aSi open, violent, and audacious breaches of the most sacred part of the Constitution; augmenting the utter destruction of Freedom, and establishment of Despotism : yet of these ominous fears and disastrous conjectures, we are happily freed by the late able vindication of these measures and ministers, in the late celebrated piece, entitled " Taxation no Tyranny ;" — wherein the charge of Rebellion is brought home against the Americans ; and their strug- gles for what they call Liberty, proved to be the froward opposition of disobedient children, and rebellious insurrections against the Parent 48 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. State. — We see all their pretended claims as natural free-born subjects, refuted. — We are pe- remptorily told by Dr. Johnson, that the Ame- ricans resigned all right and title to the name, character, and immunities, of true-born English- men, when they insolently fled from opposition and tyranny, which here they complained of, and would not patiently endure ; and that they denuded themselves of all rights and just claims to privilege and protection, when their inflex- ible and pertinacious folly led them to a desert ; and, that the Atlantic washed clear away every relict of free subjects. We must now cease to pity their oppression, because you, sir, have proved them slaves ; their complaints must be deemed the voice of sedition, because Dr. Johnson declares their resistance Rebellion.— Let us leave, then, America to mourn her fate, which the high-born spirit of her yet untamed sons seems determined, if possible, to retard by resolute opposition and bold encoun- ter, in which some turbulent and equally rebel- lious sons at home, with anxious and forward zeal, wish them success ; and congratulate our native country, that has such a pious and ever watchful guardian on the throne, and such mi- nisters surrounding it, who are determined at all MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 49 events, and at every desperate hazard, to sacri- fice all, even our own children, before one branch of the royal prerogative shall be lost, the omni- potence of parliament questioned, or the gran- deur of the British empire impaired. Can it remain a question, that the strenuous vindicator of the honour of the English crown, now worn by one of the illustrious house of Ha- nover, is the author of the essay in debate? or that you, sir, would receive a pension from that hand, which, according to the essayist, must sway the sceptre of Usurpation ? The degene- racy of the present times, though the dregs of Rome, will not allow of a suspicion that implies such a profligacy of mind, corruption of manners, and destitution of principles. The arguments I farther urged to disprove the assertion that you, sir, was the author of the following essay, were, that from the direct attack upon the Hanover succession, and invectives against the illustrious progenitors of our most gracious sovereign, it is manifest that the essayist was a high-flown Jacobite, and really wrote upon principle ; which he seems openly to avow, by the signature he assumes, of PROBUS BRI- TANICUS. Now, said I, can the very enemies of Dr. Johnson suppose that he could have H 50 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. been the author of the essay, and yet, in so pub- lic and daring a manner, renounce every princi, pie therein adopted and inferred? Can it be imagined, that his probity and honor were so un- stable and pliable, as to become the easy pur- chase of the first state corrupter that should assail his virtue ? Or is it probable that he should revolt from the glaring principles of jacobitism, (if ever he had adopted them,) which your staunch tories hold with equal faith as they do their bibles, and which they defend with apos- tolic zeal ?— If, said I, the doctor had ever taken up this creed, T am thoroughly convinced that no consideration in the world would ever have induced him to discard it; he is pertinacious al- most to a fault ; and so fully convinced of his own tenets, that his best friends cannot produce one instance of his conviction. All the insinua- tions, that the doctor's former political principles leaned towards jacobitism, are refuted by the forward zeal he has shewn, and affection he has discovered, for his present Majesty and the righteous administration of his government. And if the story be true, (which I think much to be questioned,) that Dr. Johnson once refused to walk in the royal gardens, because in posses- sion of an Usurper, yet it does not appear to MARM0R NORFOLCIENSE. 51 have been in the present reign ; and the elegant poem of London, the production of this learn- ed man, gives us a true picture of his mind, at least in the last. Here let those reign whom Pensions can invite To vote a Patriot black, a Courtier white ; Explain their Country'* s dear-bought rights away, And 'plead for Pirates in the face of day; With slavish tenets taint our poisoned youth, And lend a lie the confidence of truth. Thus driven out of every strong hold of argument and defence, my friend, sir, had re- course to those definitions of Pension and Pensioner, which have been so often bandied about, and to be found inscribed on that collos- sean column of fame, your Dictionary; and gravely read from it, the two following articles of your impeachment. PENSION. — An allowance made to any one without an equivalent : in England, it is generally understood to mean, pay given to a state-hireling for treason to his country. PENSIONER.— A slave of state, hired by a stipend to obey his master. These read ; with an air of triumph, he ex- 52 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. claimed—" Now vindicate the doctor, if you can." The word equivalent gave the turn to my plea, and I peremptorily declared, that in the very sense of the lexicographer, his Majesty's boun- ty to you, sir, was not a pension ; since it must first be proved, that his Majesty is your master, and acknowledged such by you ; and that you obey him. — I next urged, that you had given him an ample equivalent for royal munificence.— " What !" replied he, with great quickness, " by giving up, in return, honour, character, consci- ence, and every thing that should distinguish a man!" To such the plunder of the land is given, When crimes inflame the wrath of angry heaven ! Poem of London. I answered this exclamatory interrogation, only with a smile of ineffable contempt.— As to the latter part of the description, viz. that a pen- sion is generally understood, in England, to mean pay given to a state-hireling for treason to his country, I replied — suppose Dr. John- son, or myself, choose to take the words in the Scotish acceptation of them ; and, if the idea of a state-hireling in that country doth MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 53 not materially differ from that received in our own, the idea of Treason doth, or at least hath done, most essentially. Thus, sir, having I hope fully and unanswer- ably confuted the invidious charge, that you are the author of the following essay, and put it out of all doubt, or even a question, that you can be PROBUS BRITANICUS, T humbly take my leave ; careless on whom the charge or guilt may fall, now I have exculpated you : for I had no other design in view, than to do justice to your super-eminent merit and abilities, and to shew you to the public in your true character ; nor am I conscious of the least tincture of pride, mixing itself with this pure design ; no, not even the distant emulation with our most gracious so- vereign, whose high example and illustrious vir- tues I hope I shall never have the temerity or daring ambition to imitate. In you, sir, his pre- sent Majesty finds a firm, steady, and able, ad- vocate for the House of Brunswick, and conse- quently deems you as good a friend as he him- self wishes to the glorious revolution ; — a period, the blessings of which we almost cease to rejoice at, as they are nearly eclipsed by those manifold blessings we enjoy, under the mild and auspici- ous reign of George the Third; a prince, who 54 . MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. hath concentered in himself such rare qualities, that I will be bold enough to declare, he hath such a possession of the affections of the good people of England, and all true friends of the constitution, that they cannot love and revere him more. I am, with the profoundest respect and highest veneration, very learned sir, your most obedient and most humble servant, TRIBUNUS. NOTES. Page 8, line 12. " Like the Saxons of old, they came only to plunder it." The Scotch affect this, under these circumstances, at this very time. Page 8, last line. " Been naturalized and assimilated." This, perhaps, will account for the extraordinary gratitude and affection, discovered by our present gracious sovereign : but the inuendo, and coarse compliment to his royal prede- cessors, plainly prove that this could not have been written by Dr. Johnson, who is so remarkable for politeness and courtly manners. Page 9, line 8. " Of which the natural sterility secured them from invasion.'' The Electorate of Hanover is not remarkable for well-built towns, fertile fields, or waving harvests. #56 MARIMOR NORFOLCIENSE. N.B. Dt\ Johnson has made ihe like observations on Scotland, in his voyage to the Hebrides. Page 9, line 24. " Claim of hereditary right.'' Could the defenders of the illustrious house of Hanover ever have pensioned such a jacobitical libeller of the first illustrious heroes of the Brunswick line ? Page 11, line 13. '«. Every excellence is inherent in a king." Without yielding, in the least, to the suspicion that Dr. Johnson is the author of this Essay, we may venture to suggest, that perhaps the doctor's loyalty may be owing to such a predilection in favour of monarchy. Page 12, line 6. " By some specious fallacy." I wish, said my friend, invidiously, that Dr. Johnson had proceeded with the same caution and diffidence, had re viewed his arguments, and traced out his first principles, &c. before he had sent forth into the world his " False Alarm," and " Taxation no Tyranny." Page 13, line 24. " No remarkable solicitude for posterity." j MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 57 Had the author lived in good George the Third's reign, he must have altered his opinion, as he would have seen such economy in the prince in the expenditure, and such modes- ty in the prime minister in raising the supplies, with such remarkable solicitude for posterity, that the happiness of the present age seems almost totally neglected. Page 15, line 16. " Zeal for the liberty and welfare of ages to come." This could never have been written by Dr. Samuel Johnson ; his experience would have set the remark in the following order : the smiles of a Prince, and the enjoyment of a pension, have been found of wonderful efficacy to fix men's thoughts on the present times and measures, be they ever so profligate and ruinous j and to fill them with zeal in support of them, regardless of ages to come. Page 22, line 10. " And devoured, by vermin and by reptiles." To impute such sentiments as these, so highly injurious to the gentlemen of the sword, from whose spirit and activity Dr. Johnson and Lord North expect the total subduction of America, to this ingenious writer, would be a manifest injus- tice and absurdity. I chuse to mention this particularly, because I should think the writer's nose, if not his life, would stand but a bad chance from some of our military gentry. 58 MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. Page 28, line 20. " Dangerous to the author, whether true or false." Could the author of the "False Alarm,'* and "Taxa- tion no Tyranny," be ever supposed to have written this virulent attack ?— *No ! Conjecture itself is put to flight. Page 32,line 12. " Vindicate a ministry like ours." If this had been written by Dr. Johnson, it could not have failed, long ago, to have been turned against him by some of his adversaries j and, indeed, it would have been a difficult thrust to have parried, or a hard stroke to have borne. Page 32, line 26. " Insert the inscription in a paper," The paper here alluded to, and so frequently mentioned in this pamphlet, was called the Gazetteer. It was published at a heavy and unpardonable public expense, for the base purpose of defending the measures of Sir Robert Walpole, in parliament. The best writers, the Johnsons of his time, were paid and pensioned by government, for their essays written in praise of a prostituted premier and his tools. Page 37, line 24. " In the army, fifteen men who can write and read." Considering the great dependence upon the army, and the frequent reviews which his Majesty delights to take of MARMOR NORFOLCIENSE. 59 his troops, together with Dr. Johnson's present pay and good quarters, I wish he would exculpate himself from the charge of being the writer of this pamphlet, under his own hand and proper signature. lam afraid, his reputation may suffer under my unskilful vindication. Page 40, line 17. " Which may be paid out of the sinking fund." I wonder, says my friend, from what fund the doctor's pension is derived ! — The privy purse, replied I. — From whence is that filled ? quoth he. — There is no end in answer- ing such questions, said I. — Thus disputing every inch of ground, and fighting all the lines through, of this extraordi- nary political field, I put my adversary to flight ; not with- out some distant hopes of being noticed by the learned and ingenious doctor in his next patriotic publication, or receiv- ing myself some beneficent token of royal favor and protec- tion, to which, with all modesty, I think myself as much en- titled, as some whom the king, in the exuberance of his bounty, hath delighted to honor* THE END, Maurice, Printer, Fenchurch-street. / c < c SC cc&c c <; -<_cc^'CCf c C'sevs fill ■ < - 5- «^ ( - ^ '■< cc -Clc*-^ J. c^'-^,^^ ' ^r- #&■ &£ < « «cc ££:^i£^ :51* C< T BT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 020 693 728 2 ■Ki