Record Number: 22097
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'shall insert as a literary curiosity. [The letter is given. It begins as follows] "TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ. DEAR SIR, In the year 1763, being at London, I was carried by Dr. John Blair, Prebendary of Westminster, to dine at old Lord Bathurst's; where we found the late Mr. Mallet, Sir James Porter, who had been Ambassadour at Constantinople, the late Dr. Macaulay, and two or three more. The conversation turning on Mr. Pope, Lord Bathurst told us, that "The Essay on Man" was originally composed by Lord Bolingbroke in prose, and that Mr. Pope did no more than put it into verse: that he had read Lord Bolingbroke's manuscript in his own hand-writing; and remembered well, that he was at a loss whether most to admire the elegance of Lord Bolingbroke's prose, or the beauty of Mr. Pope's verse..."'
Century:Date:
10 Oct 1779
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:city: London
other location: Johnson's house
(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Male
Date of Birth:29 Oct 1740
Socio-Economic Group:Professional / academic / merchant / farmer
Occupation:writer and lawyer
Religion:n/a
Country of Origin:Scotland
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
Dr Johnson
Additional Comments:
n/a
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:[letter concerning Pope and Bolingbroke]
Genre:letter
Form of Text:Manuscript: Letter
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceowned
Source Information:
Record ID:22097
Source:James Boswell
Editor:R.W. Chapman
Title:Life of Johnson
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1980
Vol:n/a
Page:1032
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 1032, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=22097, accessed: 22 November 2024
Additional Comments:
Originally published 1791.
