concerningthepublicationofwhichSirJohnHawkinsguessesvaguelyandidly，insteadofhavingtakenthetroubletoinformhimselfwithauthentickprecision。NottotroublemyreaderswitharepetitionoftheKnight’sreveries，Ihavetomention，thatthelateMr。Strahantheprintertoldme，thatJohnsonwroteit，thatwiththeprofitshemightdefraytheexpenceofhismother’sfuneral，andpaysomelittledebtswhichshehadleft。HetoldSirJoshuaReynoldsthathecomposeditintheeveningsofoneweek，sentittothepressinportionsasitwaswritten，andhadneversincereaditover。Mr。Strahan，Mr。Johnston，andMr。Dodsleypurchaseditforahundredpounds，butafterwardspaidhimtwenty-

　　fivepoundsmore，whenitcametoasecondedition。

　　Voltaire’sCandide，writtentorefutethesystemofOptimism，whichithasaccomplishedwithbrilliantsuccess，iswonderfullysimilarinitsplanandconducttoJohnson’sRasselas；insomuch，thatI

　　haveheardJohnsonsay，thatiftheyhadnotbeenpublishedsocloselyoneaftertheotherthattherewasnottimeforimitation，itwouldhavebeeninvaintodenythattheschemeofthatwhichcamelatestwastakenfromtheother。Thoughthepropositionillustratedbyboththeseworkswasthesame，namely，thatinourpresentstatethereismoreevilthangood，theintentionofthewriterswasverydifferent。Voltaire，Iamafraid，meantonlybywantonprofanenesstoobtainasportivevictoryoverreligion，andtodiscreditthebeliefofasuperintendingProvidence；Johnsonmeant，byshewingtheunsatisfactorynatureofthingstemporal，todirectthehopesofmantothingseternal。Rasselas，aswasobservedtomebyaveryaccomplishedlady，maybeconsideredasamoreenlargedandmoredeeplyphilosophicaldiscourseinprose，upontheinterestingtruth，whichinhisVanityofHumanWisheshehadsosuccessfullyenforcedinverse。

　　IwouldascribetothisyearthefollowinglettertoasonofoneofhisearlyfriendsatLichfield，Mr。JosephSimpson，Barrister，andauthourofatractentitledReflectionsontheStudyoftheLaw。

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