Evidence: | 'Lord Hailes had sent him a present of a curious little printed poem, on repairing the University of Aberdeen, by David [italics] Malloch [end italics], which he thought would please Johnson, as affording clear evidence that Mallet had appeared even as a literary character by the name of Malloch; his changing which to one of softer sound, had given Johnson occasion to introduce him into his "Dictionary", under the article [italics] Alias[end italics]. This piece was, I suppose, one of Mallet's first essays. It is preserved in his works, with several variations. Johnson having read aloud, from the beginning of it, where there were some common-place assertions as to the superiority of ancient times;--"How false (said he) is all this, to say that in ancient times learning was not a disgrace to a Peer as it is now. In ancient times a Peer was as ignorant as any one else. He would have been angry to have it thought he could write his name. Men in ancient times dared to stand forth with a degree of ignorance with which nobody would dare now to stand forth".'
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Century: | 1700-1799 | ||||||||||
Date: | 1 May 1783 | ||||||||||
Country: | England | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | city: London | ||||||||||
Type of Experience (Reader): |
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Type of Experience (Listener): |
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Reader: | Samuel Johnson |
Age | Adult (18-100+) |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | 18 Sep 1709 |
Socio-economic group: | Professional / academic / merchant / farmer |
Occupation: | writer |
Religion: | Anglican |
Country of origin: | England |
Country of experience: | England |
Listeners present if any: (e.g. family, servants,
friends, workmates) |
Boswell |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Author: | David Mallet |
Title: | [a poem about Aberdeen] |
Genre: | Poetry |
Form of Text: | Print: Unknown |
Publication details: | n/a |
Provenance: | owned or borrowed - sent by Lord Hailes |
Record ID: | 22248 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | James Boswell | |
Editor: | R.W. Chapman | |
Title: | Life of Johnson | |
Place of Publication: | Oxford | |
Date of Publication: | 1980 | |
Vol: | n/a | |
Page: | 1233 | |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Citation: | James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson (Oxford, 1980), p. 1233, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=22248, accessed: 19 April 2024 |
Originally published 1791. Mallet was the adopted name of David Malloch. |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)