This study was not pursued.
Transcribed June 26, 1768.
The Year 1756
NEW YEAR’S PRAYER
Malone, in a footnote to the ‘Life,’ explains the reference in this prayer by quoting from a letter of Johnson to Dr. Joseph Wharton, as follows ‘For my part, I have not lately done much. I have been ill in the winter, and my eye has been inflamed.’ Johnson’s scrofula caused him continuous trouble with his eyes, and so affected one eye that he practically lost the sight of it. See the prayer on ‘When my Eye was Restored to its Use.’
January 1, afternoon.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, in whom we live, and move, and have our being; glory be to Thee for my recovery from sickness, and the continuance of my life. Grant, O my God, that I may improve the year which I am now beginning, and all the days which Thou shalt add to my life, by serious repentance and diligent obedience; that, by the help of thy Holy Spirit, I may use the means of grace to my own salvation, and at last enjoy thy presence in eternal happiness, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
HILL BOOTHBY’S DEATH
Mrs. Hill Boothby was the sister of Sir Brook Boothby. Johnson formed her acquaintance at Mr. Meynell’s, at Bradley, near Ashbourne, in the thirties, and the friendship continued until her death at the age of forty-seven.
January, 1756.
O LORD God, almighty disposer of all things, in whose hands are life and death, who givest comforts and takest them away, I return Thee thanks for the good example of Hill Boothby, whom Thou hast now taken away, and implore thy grace, that I may improve the opportunity of instruction which Thou hast afforded me, by the knowledge of her life, and by the sense of her death; that I may consider the uncertainty of my present state, and apply myself earnestly to the duties which Thou hast set before me, that living in thy fear, I may die in thy favour, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I commend, etc., W. and H. B.
Transcribed June 26, 1768.
WHEN MY EYE WAS RESTORED TO ITS USE
‘The pious gratitude with which he acknowledges mercies upon every occasion is very edifying: as is the humble submission which he breathes, when it is the will of the heavenly Father to try him with afflictions.’ Boswell.
February 15, 1756.
ALMIGHTY God, who hast restored light to my eye, and enabled me to pursue again the studies which Thou hast set before me; teach me, by the diminution of my sight, to remember that whatever I possess is thy gift, and by its recovery, to hope for thy mercy: and, O Lord, take not thy Holy Spirit from me; but grant that I may use thy bounties according to thy will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
INTRODUCTORY PRAYER
Evidently intended as a preface to any other prayer, or prayers, he might desire to offer.
March 25, 1756.
O GOD, who desirest not the death of a sinner, look down with mercy upon me, now daring to call upon Thee. Let thy Holy Spirit so purify my affections, and exalt my desires, that my prayer may be acceptable in thy sight, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
IN MEMORY OF HIS WIFE
There is a suggestive attraction in this prayer. At first Johnson wrote ‘that however solitary,’ where we now read ‘however bereft of worldly comforts.’ Did the alteration point to his unswerving conviction of the Divine presence?
March 28, about 2 in the morning.
ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, whose judgments terminate in mercy, grant, I beseech Thee, that the remembrance of my wife, whom Thou hast taken from me, may not load my soul with unprofitable sorrow, but may excite in me true repentance of my sins and negligences; and, by the co-operation of thy grace, may produce in me a new life, pleasing to Thee. Grant, that the loss of my wife may teach me the true use of the blessings which are yet left me; and that, however bereft of worldly comforts, I may find peace and refuge in thy service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Year 1757
NEW YEAR’S PRAYER
According to Boswell 1757 was a quiet, and, so far as literary work was concerned, an almost fruitless year.
Jan. 1, at 2 in the morning.
ALMIGHTY God, who hast brought me to the beginning of another year, and by prolonging my life invitest to repentance, forgive me that I have misspent the time past; enable me, from this instant, to amend my life according to thy holy word; grant me thy Holy Spirit, that I may so pass through things temporal, as not finally to lose the things eternal. O God, hear my prayer for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
EASTER EVE
ALMIGHTY God, heavenly Father, who desirest not the death of a sinner, look down with mercy upon me, depraved with vain imaginations, and entangled in long habits of sin. Grant me that grace, without which I can neither will nor do what is acceptable to Thee. Pardon my sins; remove the impediments that hinder my obedience; enable me to shake off sloth, and to redeem the time misspent in idleness and sin, by a diligent application of the days yet remaining, to the duties which thy providence shall allot me. O God, grant me thy Holy Spirit, that I may repent and amend my life; grant me contrition, grant me resolution, for the sake of Jesus Christ, to whose covenant I now implore admission, of the benefits of whose death I implore participation. For his sake have mercy on me, O God; for his sake, O God, pardon and receive me. Amen.
JOHNSON’S BIRTHDAY
Sept. 18, 1757.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, by whose providence my life has been prolonged, and who hast granted me now to begin another year of probation, vouchsafe me such assistance of thy Holy Spirit, that the continuance of my life may not add to the measure of my guilt; but that I may so repent of the days and years passed in neglect of the duties which Thou hast set before me, in vain thoughts, in sloth, and in folly, that I may apply my heart to true wisdom, by diligence redeem the time lost, and by repentance obtain pardon, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Year 1758
EASTER DAY
‘In 1758 we find him, it should seem, in as easy and pleasant a state of existence as constitutional unhappiness ever permitted him to enjoy.’ — Boswell.
March 26.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, who hast created me to love and to serve Thee, enable me so to partake of the sacrament in which the death of Jesus Christ is commemorated, that I may henceforward lead a new life in thy faith and fear. Thou, who knowest my frailties and infirmities, strengthen and support me; grant me thy Holy Spirit, that, after all my lapses, I may now continue steadfast in obedience, that, after long habits of negligence and sin, I may, at last, work out my salvation with diligence and constancy; purify my thoughts from pollutions, and fix my affections on things eternal.
Much of my time past has been lost in sloth; let not what remains, O Lord, be given me in vain; but let me, from this time, lead a better life, and serve Thee with a quiet mind, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
IN MEMORY OF HIS WIFE
This is the last recorded prayer of Johnson’s in memory of his wife. She had now been dead six years. Though he henceforth ceases, so far as we know, to compose new prayers to her memory, he never ceased to remember and mourn her to the last day of his life.
March 28, 1758.
ALMIGHTY and eternal God, who givest life and takest it away, grant that while Thou shalt prolong my continuance on earth, I may live with a due sense of thy mercy and forbearance, and let the remembrance of her whom thy hand has separated from me, teach me to consider the shortness and uncertainty of life, and to use all diligence to obtain eternal happiness in thy presence. O God, enable me to avoid sloth, and to attend heedfully and constantly to thy word and worship. Whatever was good in the example of my departed wife, teach me to follow; and whatever was amiss, give me grace to shun, that my affliction may be sanctified, and that remembering how much every day brings me nearer to the grave, I may every day purify my mind, and amend my life, by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit, till at last I shall be accepted by Thee, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
J
OHNSON’S BIRTHDAY
‘Whether to see life as it is will give us much consolation, I know not; but the consolation to be drawn from truth, if any there be, is solid and durable; that which may be derived from error, must be, like its original, fallacious and fugitive.’ — Letter to Bennet Langton, Sept. 21, 1758. Horâ primâ matutinâ — at one o’clock in the morning.
Sept. 18, horâ primâ matutinâ.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, who yet sparest and yet supportest me, who supportest me in my weakness, and sparest me in my sins, and hast now granted to me to begin another year, enable me to improve the time which is yet before me, to thy glory and my own salvation. Impress upon my soul such repentance of the days misspent in idleness and folly, that I may henceforward diligently attend to the business of my station in this world, and to all the duties which Thou hast commanded. Let thy Holy Spirit comfort and guide me, that in my passage through the pains or pleasures of the present state, I may never be tempted to forgetfulness of Thee. Let my life be useful, and my death be happy; let me live according to thy laws, and die with just confidence in thy mercy, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This year I hope to learn diligence.
The Year 1759
PRAYER ON HIS MOTHER’S DEATH
‘In 1759, in the month of January, his mother died (at Lichfield), at the great age of ninety, an event which deeply affected him. His reverential affection for her was not abated by years, as indeed he retained all his tender feelings even to the latest period of his life.’ — Boswell.
‘Repeated on my fast, with the addition.’ The addition, really a separate prayer, comes after the ‘Amen’ of the first prayer. The ‘fast’ is evidently on the day commemorated in the next prayer.
Jan. 23.
The day on which my dear mother was buried.
Repeated on my fast, with the addition.
ALMIGHTY God, merciful Father, in whose hands are life and death, sanctify unto l me the sorrow which I now feel. Forgive me whatever I have done unkindly to my mother, and whatever I have omitted to do kindly. Make me to remember her good precepts and good example, and to reform my life according to thy holy word, that I may lose no more opportunities of good. I am sorrowful, O Lord; let not my sorrow be without fruit. Let it be followed by holy resolutions, and lasting amendment, that when I shall die like my mother, I may be received to everlasting life.
I commend, O Lord, so far as it may be lawful, into thy hands, the soul of my departed mother, beseeching Thee to grant her whatever is most beneficial to her in her present state.
O Lord, grant me thy Holy Spirit, and have mercy upon me for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
And, O Lord, grant unto me that am now about to return to the common comforts and business of the world, such moderation in all enjoyments, such diligence in honest labour, and such purity of mind, that, amidst the changes, miseries, or pleasures of life, I may keep my mind fixed upon Thee, and improve every day in grace, till I shall be received into thy kingdom of eternal happiness.
I returned thanks for my mother’s good example, and implored pardon for neglecting it.
I returned thanks for the alleviation of my sorrow. The dream of my brother I shall remember.
CHANGE OF RESIDENCE
Referring to this prayer, Boswell says: ‘What particular new scheme of life Johnson had in view this year I have not discovered, but that he meditated one of some sort is clear from his private devotions.’ It is possible, however, that Johnson referred to his change of lodgings at that time from Gough Square to Staple Inn.
Iej, — Iejuaus, fasting.
Iej.
March 24, 1759, rather 25, after 12 at night.
A LMIGHTY God, heavenly Father, who hast graciously prolonged my life to this time, and by the change of outward things which I am now to make, callest me to a change of inward affections, and to a reformation of my thoughts, words, and practices; vouchsafe, merciful Lord, that this call may not be in vain. Forgive me whatever has been amiss in the state which I am now leaving, idleness, and neglect of thy word and worship. Grant me the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that the course which I am now beginning may proceed according to thy laws, and end in the enjoyment of thy favour. Give me, O Lord, pardon and peace, that I may serve Thee with humble confidence, and after this life, enjoy thy presence in eternal happiness.
And, O Lord, so far as it may be lawful for me, I commend to thy Fatherly goodness, my father, my brother, my wife, my mother. I beseech Thee to look mercifully upon them, and grant them whatever may most promote their present and eternal joy.
O Lord, hear my prayers for Jesus Christ’s sake, to whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, three persons and one God, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
O Lord, let the change which I am now making in outward things, produce in me such a change of manners, as may fit me for the great change through which my wife has passed.
The Year 1760
JOHNSON’S BIRTHDAY
‘Johnson was now either very idle, or very busy with his Shakespeare.... In this year I have not discovered a single private letter written by him to any of his friends. It should seem, however, that he had at this period a floating intention of writing a history of the recent and wonderful successes of the British arms in all quarters of the globe; for among his resolutions or memorandums, September 18, there is, “Send for books for Hist, of War.”’ — Boswell.
September 18.
RESOLVED, D[eo]j[uvante], To combat notions of obligation.
To apply to study.
To reclaim imaginations.
To consult the resolves on Tetty’s coffin.
To rise early.
To study religion.
To go to church.
To drink less strong liquors.
To keep a journal.
To oppose laziness by doing what is to be done to-morrow.
Rise as early as I can.
Send for books for History of War.
Put books in order.
Scheme of life.
O ALMIGHTY God, merciful Father, who hast continued my life to another year, grant that I may spend the time which Thou shalt yet give me in such obedience to thy word and will, that finally I may obtain everlasting life. Grant that I may repent and forsake my sins before the miseries of age fall upon me; and that while my strength yet remains, I may use it to thy glory and my own salvation, by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
The Year 1761
EASTER EVE
‘In 1761 Johnson appears to have done little. He was still, no doubt, proceeding in his edition of Shakespeare. He certainly was at this time not active: for in his scrupulous examination of himself on Easter Eve, he laments, in his too vigorous mode of censuring his own conduct, that his life since the communion of the preceding Easter had been “dissipated and useless.”’ — Boswell.
SINCE the communion of last Easter I have led a life so dissipated and useless, and my terrours and perplexities have so much increased, that I am under great depression and discouragement; yet I purpose to present myself before God to-morrow, with humble hope that he will not break the bruised reed.
Come unto me all ye that travail.
I have resolved, I hope not presumptuously, till I am afraid to resolve again. Yet, hoping in God, I steadfastly purpose to lead a new life. O God enable me for Jesus Christ’s sake.
My purpose is, To avoid idleness.
To regulate my sleep as to length and choice of hours.
To set down every day what shall be done the day following.
To keep a journal.
To worship God more diligently.
To go to church every Sunday.
To study the Scriptures.
To read a certain portion every week.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, look down upon my misery with pity; strengthen me that I may overcome all sinful habits; grant that I may, with effectual faith, commemorate the dea
th of thy son Jesus Christ, so that all corrupt desires may be extinguished, and all vain thoughts may be dispelled. Enlighten me with true knowledge, animate me with reasonable hope, comfort me with a just sense of thy love, and assist me to the performance of all holy purposes, that after the sins, errours, and miseries of this world, I may obtain everlasting happiness for Jesus Christ’s sake. To whom, etc. Amen.
I hope to attend on God in his ordinances tomorrow.
Trust in God, O my soul. O God, let me trust in Thee.
The Year 1762
IN MEMORY OF HIS WIFE
March 28.
GOD grant that I may from this day, Return to my studies.
Labour diligently.
Rise early.
Live temperately.
Read the Bible.
Go to church.
O GOD, giver and preserver of all life, by whose power I was created, and by whose providence I am sustained, look down upon me with tenderness and mercy, grant that I may not have been created to be finally destroyed, that I may not be preserved to add wickedness to wickedness; but may so repent me of my sins, and so order my life to come, that when I shall be called hence, like the wife whom Thou hast taken from me, I may die in peace and in thy favour, and be received into thine everlasting kingdom, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thine only Son our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
Complete Works of Samuel Johnson Page 362