Speeches." Being asked, "if he ever had any person whom he kept in pay, to make Speeches for him?" he said, "he never had." o The Report proceeds to state, that Astley had been also brought before them; and a former examination of the 8th of April having been read to him, he said, "that contained all the information he was able to give their Lordships *." In consequence of this Report, Mr. Astley in regard of his lameness with the gout as not to be able * At this examination, Mr. Astley owned that he had published the London Magazine, but was not apprehensive it was a breach of privilege, being compiled chiefly from Newspapers. He was then examined, as to the Debates contained in those pamphlets, and how he came by them; and said, "they were generally sent him by the penny post, or by messengers, pursuant to advertisements frequently inserted, inviting persons to furnish him with matters of that nature." But, being more strictly inquired of touching that affair, he acquainted the House, "that he was supplied with a great many Speeches by one Mr. Clarke, who he supposed was an attorney, and died in May last; but whether they were fictitious or genuine, he knew not; and, for aught he knew, they might be made by himself." Being asked, "what gratuity he made him?" said, "he had given him ten guineas at a time; and has received no Speech since Clarke's death, but by the post." The said Astley further acquainted the House, "he was the first who printed Magazines;" and acknowledged, "that of late the Debates have been inserted, under the notion of an imaginary Club." Being further asked, "whether the letters, mentioned in his said examination to be sent him by the penny post, had any mark by which he could know from whom they came?" he said, "they had no such mark; that he does not know from whom they came; and he supposes, upon such an occasion, the persons would disguise their common handwriting." Being asked, whether he believes the Speeches, which he mentions in his said examination to be furnished him by Mr. Clarke, were made by the said Clarke ?" he said, "he believes some of them may; but Clarke has told him he has had helps from his friends." Being asked, "whether he thinks any of the Speeches which Clarke furnished him with were the Speeches of the Members?" he said," he did sometimes believe that some of them were the Members' Speeches; that Clarke represented them as such to him." Being asked, "whether he knows that the said Clarke used to attend the House upon Debates?" he said, " he believes Clarke sometimes got into the House, behind the Throne." to to walk, was discharged out of custody, paying his fees; and Mr. Cave was ordered to be brought up for the same purpose on the following day; which was accordingly done, and he was also discharged, with a reprimand, on paying his fees *. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1784, only six days before his death, Dr. Johnson requested to see the Editor of these Anecdotes: from whom he had borrowed some of the early volumes of the Magazine, with a professed intention to point out the pieces which he had written in that collection. The books lay on the table, with many leaves doubled down, particularly those which contained his share in the Parliamentary Debates; and such was the goodness of Johnson's heart, that he solemnly declared, "that the only part of his writings which then gave him any compunction, was his account of the Debates in the Gentleman's Magazine; but that, at the time he wrote them, he did not think he was imposing on the world. The mode," he said, "was to fix upon a Speaker's name; then to make an argument for him; and to conjure up an answer. He wrote those Debates with more velocity than any other of his productions; often three columns of the Magazine within the hour. He once wrote ten pages in one day, and that not a long one, beginning perhaps at noon, and ending early in the evening. Of the Life of Savage he wrote forty-eight octavo pages in one day; but that day included the night, for he sat up all the night to do it." His portion of the Parliamentary Debates was collected into two octavo volumes; to which the Editor has substituted the real for the fictitious speakers. "The illuminations of Johnson's Oratory," it is observed, "were obscured by the jargon which Cave thought it prudent to adopt, to avoid Parliamentary indignation. These Debates, like * Journals of the House of Lords, vol. XXVII. pp. 94, 100, 101, 107, 108, 109. the the Orations of Cicero and Demosthenes, ought to be studied by the British youth, as specimens of splendid eloquence, nervous argument, and Parliamentary decorum. Though few can hope to rival Johnson's performances, every youth, who from his birth or fortune expects to sit in Parliament, ought to aim, by studious perusal, at Johnson's perfection in oratory and reasoning. those Debates may be usefully inspected by every public man, for felicities of expression, for the struc ture of sentences, happy at once for point, dignity, and elegance. And "Few of the collections of Parliamentary Debates can be justly regarded as much more authentic than Johnson's Orations. The most antient are probably the most authentic. D'Ewes's Journals of Elizabeth's Parliaments, as they contain the oldest Parliamentary speeches, are assuredly the most curious. The first volume of the Commons' Journals contains several important Debates during the interesting period from the accession of James I. till the cessation of Parliaments under his unhappy Son. The authentic Debates of the Session 1621 were published in 1766 from a Member's manuscript. The collections of Rushworth contain many of the Parliamentary Debates during the Civil Wars. To these follow Gray's Debates, which are still more authentic. But as to those various collections, which profess to give the Parliamentary Debates during that disputatious period, from the Restoration till late times, they can be deemed of little more authority than the speeches of Johnson. "It was the Revolution which finally unshackled the press. But it was still criminal, at least dangerous, to publish Parliamentary proceedings without Parliamentary permission. During King William's reign, the Newspapers sometimes gave a detached speech of a particular speaker, who wished, by contributing the outlines, to gratify his vanity, or secure his seat. "It was in the factious times which immediately succeeded, when Parliamentary Debates were first distributed through the land in monthly pamphlets. Then it was that Boyer's* zeal propagated the Political State. This was succeeded, on the accession of George I. by the Historical Registers, which were published by soberer men, and may be supposed therefore to contain more satisfactory information. "The Gentleman's Magazine seon after furnished the publick with still more finished Debates, which were first compiled by Guthrie, then by Johnson, and afterwards by Hawkesworth. The success of this far-famed Miscellany prompted many competitors for public favour, who all found an interest in propagating what the people read, however contrary to Parliamentary resolves. And these resolves have at length given way to the spirit of the people, who, as they enjoy the right of instructing their Repre sentatives, seem to have established the privilege of knowing what their Representatives say." The Lilliputian names were continued in the Magazine till 1745; in which year, p. 135, Mr. Cave very fully announced his plan of publishing Mr. Anchitell Grey's Debates, from 1669 to 1694; and gave the particular subject of each Debate. After which no Debate occurs till November 1749, when they were given in the form of a Letter from a Member of Parliament to his Country Friend. In 1752 the Proceedings in Parliament were reported briefly in the Magazine, in the shape of a letter thus introduced; "The following heads of Speeches in the H of C were given me by a gentleman, who is of opinion, that Members of Parliament are accountable to their Constituents for what they say, as well as what they do, in their Legislative capacity; that no honest man, who is * Abel Boyer, the well-known political writer. VOL. V. C intrusted intrusted with the liberties and purses of the people, will be ever unwilling to have his whole conduct laid before those who so intrusted him, without disguise; that if every gentleman acted upon this just, this honourable, this constitutional principle, the Electors themselves only would be to blame, if they re-elected a person guilty of a breach of so important a trust. But let the arguments speak for themselves. Thus much only may be necessary to premise, that as the state of public affairs was, in a great measure, the same both last year and this, I send you a speech, in the Committee of Supply, upon the number of Standing Forces for the year 1751, and also another in the lest Session of Parliament, for the year 1752. You may be assured they are really genuine, and not such an imposition upon the speakers and the publick, as some that have appeared in other Monthly Collections." From the above period, the Debates were regularly given as formerly, with the initial letters of the several speakers, till the end of 1782; subsequent to which, they have been printed without the least affectation of disguise; and form, in the whole, a complete and impartial report for more than seventy years. The tenor of this narrative, and the intimate connexion which subsisted between Mr. Cave and Dr. Johnson, seem to render it necessary that I should here reclaim the following correspondence*, which was first through my intervention communicated to the publick. It is too honourable to both the parties to be omitted in a professed Life of either of them. 1. "SIR, Nov. 25, 1734. "As you appear no less sensible than your Readers of the defects of your Poetical Article, you *Of these eleven letters, nine of the originals are in the pos session of Miss Cave, great-niece of Edward. The other two were given by Mr. Henry to Thomas Astle, esq. and by him communicated to Mr. Boswell. |