Changes

In June 1735, while working as a tutor for Thomas Whitby's children, Johnson had applied for the position of headmaster at Solihull School .<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=153–154}}</ref> Although Walmesley gave his support, Johnson was passed over because the school's directors thought he was "a very haughty, ill-natured gent., and that he has such a way of distorting his face (which though he can't help) the gent[s] think it may affect some lads".<ref name="Bate p. 154">{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=154}}</ref> With Walmesley's encouragement, Johnson decided that he could be a successful teacher if he ran his own school.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=153}}</ref> In the autumn of 1735, Johnson opened Edial Hall School as a private academy at Edial, near Lichfield. He had only three pupils: Lawrence Offley, George Garrick, and the 18-year-old David Garrick, who later became one of the most famous actors of his day.<ref name="Bate p. 154"/> The venture was unsuccessful and cost Tetty a substantial portion of her fortune. Instead of trying to keep the failing school going, Johnson began to write his first major work, the historical tragedy ''Irene''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=156}}</ref> Biographer Robert DeMaria believed that Tourette syndrome likely made public occupations like schoolmaster or tutor almost impossible for Johnson to hold; this may have led Johnson to "the invisible occupation of authorship".<ref name="Demaria pp. 5-6"/>

In June 1735, while working as a tutor for Thomas Whitby's children, Johnson had applied for the position of headmaster at Solihull School .<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=153–154}}</ref> Although Walmesley gave his support, Johnson was passed over because the school's directors thought he was "a very haughty, ill-natured gent., and that he has such a way of distorting his face (which though he can't help) the gent[s] think it may affect some lads".<ref name="Bate p. 154">{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=154}}</ref> With Walmesley's encouragement, Johnson decided that he could be a successful teacher if he ran his own school.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=153}}</ref> In the autumn of 1735, Johnson opened Edial Hall School as a private academy at Edial, near Lichfield. He had only three pupils: Lawrence Offley, George Garrick, and the 18-year-old David Garrick, who later became one of the most famous actors of his day.<ref name="Bate p. 154"/> The venture was unsuccessful and cost Tetty a substantial portion of her fortune. Instead of trying to keep the failing school going, Johnson began to write his first major work, the historical tragedy ''Irene''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=156}}</ref> Biographer Robert DeMaria believed that Tourette syndrome likely made public occupations like schoolmaster or tutor almost impossible for Johnson to hold; this may have led Johnson to "the invisible occupation of authorship".<ref name="Demaria pp. 5-6"/>

Johnson left for London with his former pupil David Garrick on 2 March 1737, the day Johnson's brother had died. He was penniless and pessimistic about their travel, but fortunately for them, Garrick had connections in London, and the two were able to stay with his distant relative, Richard Norris.<ref name="Bate p. 16465">{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=164–165}}</ref> Johnson soon moved to Greenwich near the Golden Hart Tavern to finish ''Irene''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boswell|1986|pp=168–169}}</ref> On 12 July 1737 he wrote to Edward Cave with a proposal for a translation of Paolo Sarpi 's ''The History of the Council of Trent'' (1619), which Cave did not accept until months later.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wain|1974|p=81}}; {{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=169}}</ref> In October 1737 Johnson brought his wife to London, and he found employment with Cave as a writer for '' The Gentleman's Magazine ''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boswell|1986|pp=169–170}}</ref> His assignments for the magazine and other publishers during this time were "almost unparalleled in range and variety", and "so numerous, so varied and scattered" that "Johnson himself could not make a complete list".<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1955|p=14}}</ref> The name '' Columbia (name)|Columbia '', a poetic name for America coined by Johnson, first appears in a 1738 weekly publication of the debates of the British Parliament in the Magazine.<ref>[http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/ilej/image1.pl?item=page&seq=5&size=1&id=gm.1738.6.x.8.x.x.285a The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 8, June 1738, p. 285] Retrieved 22 August 2009</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=_DoJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR13 ''Debates in Parliament'', Samuel Johnson.] Retrieved 22 August 2009</ref>

Johnson left for London with his former pupil David Garrick on 2 March 1737, the day Johnson's brother had died. He was penniless and pessimistic about their travel, but fortunately for them, Garrick had connections in London, and the two were able to stay with his distant relative, Richard Norris.<ref name="Bate p. 16465">{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=164–165}}</ref> Johnson soon moved to Greenwich near the Golden Hart Tavern to finish ''Irene''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boswell|1986|pp=168–169}}</ref> On 12 July 1737 he wrote to Edward Cave with a proposal for a translation of Paolo Sarpi 's ''The History of the Council of Trent'' (1619), which Cave did not accept until months later.<ref>{{Harvnb|Wain|1974|p=81}}; {{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=169}}</ref> In October 1737 Johnson brought his wife to London, and he found employment with Cave as a writer for '' The Gentleman's Magazine ''.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boswell|1986|pp=169–170}}</ref> His assignments for the magazine and other publishers during this time were "almost unparalleled in range and variety", and "so numerous, so varied and scattered" that "Johnson himself could not make a complete list".<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1955|p=14}}</ref> The name '' Columbia (name)|Columbia '', a poetic name for America coined by Johnson, first appears in a 1738 weekly publication of the debates of the British Parliament in the Magazine.<ref>[http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/ilej/image1.pl?item=page&seq=5&size=1&id=gm.1738.6.x.8.x.x.285a The Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 8, June 1738, p. 285] Retrieved 22 August 2009</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_DoJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR13 ''Debates in Parliament'', Samuel Johnson.] Retrieved 22 August 2009</ref>

In May 1738 his first major work, the poem '' London (1738 poem)‎|London '', was published anonymously.<ref name="Lynch p. 5">{{Harvnb|Lynch|2003|p= 5}}</ref> Based on Juvenal's Satires of Juvenal#Satire III: There is no Room in Roma for a Roman|Satire III, it describes the character Thales leaving for Wales to escape the problems of London,<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=172}}</ref> which it portrays as a place of crime, corruption, and neglect of the poor. Johnson could not bring himself to regard the poem as earning him any merit as a poet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1955|p=18}}</ref> Alexander Pope claimed that the author "will soon be déterré" (brought to light, become well known), but this would not happen until 15 years later.<ref name="Lynch p. 5"/>

In May 1738 his first major work, the poem '' London (1738 poem)‎|London '', was published anonymously.<ref name="Lynch p. 5">{{Harvnb|Lynch|2003|p= 5}}</ref> Based on Juvenal's Satires of Juvenal#Satire III: There is no Room in Roma for a Roman|Satire III, it describes the character Thales leaving for Wales to escape the problems of London,<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=172}}</ref> which it portrays as a place of crime, corruption, and neglect of the poor. Johnson could not bring himself to regard the poem as earning him any merit as a poet.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1955|p=18}}</ref> Alexander Pope claimed that the author "will soon be déterré" (brought to light, become well known), but this would not happen until 15 years later.<ref name="Lynch p. 5"/>

On 3 May 1777, while Johnson was trying to save Reverend William Dodd from execution, he wrote to Boswell that he was busy preparing a "little Lives" and "little Prefaces, to a little edition of the English Poets".<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=525}}</ref> Tom Davies, William Strahan and Thomas Cadell had asked Johnson to create this final major work, the '' Lives of the English Poets '', for which he asked 200 guineas, an amount significantly less than the price he could have demanded.<ref name="Bate p. 526">{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=526}}</ref> The ''Lives'', which were critical as well as biographical studies, appeared as prefaces to selections of each poet's work, and they were quite larger than originally expected.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=527}}</ref> The work was finished in March 1781 and the whole collection was published in six volumes. As Johnson justified in the advertisement for the work, "my purpose was only to have allotted to every Poet an Advertisement, like those which we find in the French Miscellanies, containing a few dates and a general character."<ref>{{Harvnb|Clingham|1997|p=161}}</ref>

On 3 May 1777, while Johnson was trying to save Reverend William Dodd from execution, he wrote to Boswell that he was busy preparing a "little Lives" and "little Prefaces, to a little edition of the English Poets".<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=525}}</ref> Tom Davies, William Strahan and Thomas Cadell had asked Johnson to create this final major work, the '' Lives of the English Poets '', for which he asked 200 guineas, an amount significantly less than the price he could have demanded.<ref name="Bate p. 526">{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=526}}</ref> The ''Lives'', which were critical as well as biographical studies, appeared as prefaces to selections of each poet's work, and they were quite larger than originally expected.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=527}}</ref> The work was finished in March 1781 and the whole collection was published in six volumes. As Johnson justified in the advertisement for the work, "my purpose was only to have allotted to every Poet an Advertisement, like those which we find in the French Miscellanies, containing a few dates and a general character."<ref>{{Harvnb|Clingham|1997|p=161}}</ref>

Johnson was unable to enjoy this success because Henry Thrale, the dear friend with whom he lived, died on 4 April 1781.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=546–547}}</ref> Life changed quickly for Johnson, and Hester Thrale became interested in the Italian singing teacher Gabriel Mario Piozzi, which forced Johnson to move on from his previous lifestyle.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=557,&nbsp;561}}</ref> After returning home and then travelling for a short period, Johnson received word that his friend and tenant Robert Levet, had died on 17 January 1782.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=562}}</ref> Johnson was shocked by the death of Levet, who had resided at Johnson's London home since 1762.<ref>{{citation1|url=http://books.google.com/?id=qXHv5EClgZgC&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=wakefield+levett|title= The Samuel Johnson Encyclopedia|author=Rogers, Pat|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location= Westport, CT|year=1996|isbn=978-0-313-29411-2}}</ref> Shortly afterwards Johnson caught a cold which turned into bronchitis, lasting for several months, and his health was further complicated by "feeling forlorn and lonely" by Levet's death being accompanied by the deaths of Johnson's friend Thomas Lawrence and his housekeeper Williams.<ref>{{Harvnb|Martin|2008|pp=501–502}}</ref>  

Johnson was unable to enjoy this success because Henry Thrale, the dear friend with whom he lived, died on 4 April 1781.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=546–547}}</ref> Life changed quickly for Johnson, and Hester Thrale became interested in the Italian singing teacher Gabriel Mario Piozzi, which forced Johnson to move on from his previous lifestyle.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|pp=557,&nbsp;561}}</ref> After returning home and then travelling for a short period, Johnson received word that his friend and tenant Robert Levet, had died on 17 January 1782.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bate|1977|p=562}}</ref> Johnson was shocked by the death of Levet, who had resided at Johnson's London home since 1762.<ref>{{citation1|url=https://books.google.com/?id=qXHv5EClgZgC&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=wakefield+levett|title= The Samuel Johnson Encyclopedia|author=Rogers, Pat|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|location= Westport, CT|year=1996|isbn=978-0-313-29411-2}}</ref> Shortly afterwards Johnson caught a cold which turned into bronchitis, lasting for several months, and his health was further complicated by "feeling forlorn and lonely" by Levet's death being accompanied by the deaths of Johnson's friend Thomas Lawrence and his housekeeper Williams.<ref>{{Harvnb|Martin|2008|pp=501–502}}</ref>  

===Final years===

===Final years===

==Bibliography==

==Bibliography==

===Works===

===Works===

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=CxATAAAAYAAJ&ots=V-uf-Ec85P&dq=Samuel%20Johnson%20%22Dictionary%20of%20the%20English%20Language%22&pg=PP7#v=onepage&q=&f=false ''A Dictionary of the English Language''], 1755.  (Available online from Google Book Search.)

* [https://books.google.com/books?id=CxATAAAAYAAJ&ots=V-uf-Ec85P&dq=Samuel%20Johnson%20%22Dictionary%20of%20the%20English%20Language%22&pg=PP7#v=onepage&q=&f=false ''A Dictionary of the English Language''], 1755.  (Available online from Google Book Search.)

** ([http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5430 Preface available separately from Project Gutenberg])

** ([https://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5430 Preface available separately from Project Gutenberg])

* ''The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia'', 1759.

* ''The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia'', 1759.

* ''A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland'', 1775.

* ''A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland'', 1775.