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。