Note 1235 — THE LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D. (continued 7)

One of these volumes, Sir John Hawkins informs us, he put into his pocket; for which the excuse he states is, that he meant to preserve it from falling into the hands of a person whom he describes so as to make it sufficiently clear who is meant; 'having strong reasons (said he,) to suspect that this man might find and make an ill use of the book.' Why Sir John should suppose that the gentleman alluded to would act in this manner, he has not thought fit to explain. But what he did was not approved of by Johnson; who, upon being acquainted of it without delay by a friend, expressed great indignation, and warmly insisted on the book being delivered up; and, afterwards, in the supposition of his missing it, without knowing by whom it had been taken, he said, 'Sir, I should have gone out of the world distrusting half mankind.' Sir John next day wrote a letter to Johnson, assigning reasons for his conduct; upon which Johnson observed to Mr. Langton, 'Bishop Sanderson could not have dictated a better letter. I could almost say, Melius est sic penituisse quam non errâsse.' The agitation into which Johnson was thrown by this incident, probably made him hastily burn those precious records which must ever be regretted. BOSWELL. According to Mr. Croker, Steevens was the man whom Hawkins said that he suspected. Porson, in his witty Panegyrical Epistle on Hawkins v. Johnson (Gent. Mag. 1787, pp. 751-3, and Porson Tracts, p. 341), says:—'I shall attempt a translation [of Melius est, &c.] for the benefit of your mere English readers:—There is more joy over a sinner that repenteth than over a just person that needeth no repentance. And we know from an authority not to be disputed (Hawkins's Life, p. 406) that Johnson was a great lover of penitents.