Life of Johnson, Volume 2 1765-1776 — A Closer Reading

The Ghostwriter's Art

Johnson's facility with dedications is a recurring motif. Boswell reports that Johnson 'wrote a very great number of Dedications for others,' including one for music for the German flute addressed to Edward, Duke of York. The subject mattered little to Johnson, provided it was 'innocent.' This willingness to lend his voice to any cause, while maintaining inner distance, suggests a deliberate compartmentalization of his authorial identity.

Boswell notes that some recipients were 'unwilling should be mentioned' as having received such help, fearing suspicion of 'larger assistance.' Johnson himself, though he never dedicated in his own person, claimed to have 'dedicated to all the Royal Family round.' The excerpts thus present a writer who could produce courtly prose on demand, yet kept his own name off the dedication page—a subtle form of authorship that blurs the line between sincere praise and professional service.

Inheritance, Conscience, and Legal Argument

A substantial portion of the excerpts concerns a legal dispute over female inheritance in Boswell's family. Johnson, disclaiming knowledge of Scottish law, offers 'immethodical and deliberative' thoughts on general principles. He poses a series of rhetorical questions: 'by what right do you require them to be excluded?' and notes that 'women have natural and equitable claims as well as men.' His reasoning is cautious, acknowledging that 'manners make laws' and that the military rationale for excluding females no longer applies.

Boswell also consults Lord Hailes, who provides a contrasting opinion grounded in Scottish legal history. Hailes argues that 'the succession of heirs general was the succession, by the law of Scotland, from the throne to the cottage.' He gently chides Boswell's conscience, observing that 'self and she ought on this occasion to be of a side.' The exchange reveals Johnson's willingness to engage with unfamiliar legal questions, while deferring to local expertise—a pattern that reflects his broader intellectual humility.

Epistolary Delays and the Shape of Friendship

The volume's opening emphasizes the irregular rhythm of Johnson and Boswell's correspondence. Johnson did not write to Boswell for 'more than two years,' yet later apologized. Boswell, for his part, 'never omitted to write' and kept copies of his letters. This asymmetry—one party diligent, the other sporadic—shapes the documentary record. Johnson preserved Boswell's letters carefully, sealing them in bundles before his death, a gesture that suggests retrospective value placed on the exchange.

One letter from Boswell, written from Corsica in 1765, is described as 'full of generous enthusiasm.' Johnson's reply, found upon Boswell's arrival in Paris, is not quoted in the excerpts, but the context implies a continued, if uneven, dialogue. The friendship, as captured here, is built not on constant intimacy but on intermittent, weighty communications—each letter a preserved artifact of a relationship that thrived on distance and reflection.

Readers of this volume will find a Johnson who is both public and private: a writer of dedications who never dedicates in his own name, a moralist who hesitates to pronounce on Scottish law, and a correspondent who falls silent for years yet treasures the letters he receives. Boswell's method—preserving his own letters alongside Johnson's—creates a layered record of a friendship conducted partly in absence. The legal dispute over inheritance offers a concrete case study of Johnson's reasoning on equity and custom, while the epistolary frame reminds us that this biography is itself a product of careful curation.