^93. The Dietionarp — and Rambler*

During the printing of his Dictionary, the Ramblers
came out periodically ; for he could do more than one
thing at a time. He declared, that he wrote them by
way of relief from his application to his Dictionary, and
for the reward. He told me, that he had no expect-
ation they would have been so much read and admired.
What was amusement to him was instruction to others.
Goldsmith declared, that a system of morals might be
drawn from these essays : this idea has been taken up
and executed by a publication in an alphabetical series
of moral maxims. Q)

294. Levett'e Epitaph,

His dependant, Levett, died suddenly under his roof.
He preserved his name from oblivion, by writing an
epitaph for him (^), which i^ws that his poetical fire

The Beauties of Johnson.** See ant^t VoL I. p. 250.]
See ant^f Vol. Vlll. p. 122.]



(2)[S



172 JOHNSONIANA.
was not extinguished^ and is so appropriate^ that it
could belong to no other person in the world. Johnson
said^ that the remark of appropriation was just criti-
cism : his friend was induced to pronounce^ that he
would not have so good an epitaph written for himself.
Pope has notiiing equal to it in his sepulchral poetry.
