. The life of Samuel Johnson, , comprehending an account of his studies and numerous works, in chronological order; a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons. wned he hadborrowed it from thence. Sir, continued he, there is all the differencein the world between characters of nature and characters of manners ;and there is the difference between the characters of Fielding and those of Kichardson. Characters of man-ners are very entertaining ; but theyare to be understood by a more super-ficial observer than characteis of na-ture, where a man must
. The life of Samuel Johnson, , comprehending an account of his studies and numerous works, in chronological order; a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons. wned he hadborrowed it from thence. Sir, continued he, there is all the differencein the world between characters of nature and characters of manners ;and there is the difference between the characters of Fielding and those of Kichardson. Characters of man-ners are very entertaining ; but theyare to be understood by a more super-ficial observer than characteis of na-ture, where a man must dive into therecesses of the human heart. It always appeared to me that heestimated the compositions of Richard-son too highly, and that he had anunreasonable prejudice against Field-ing. In comparing those two writershe used this expression : that therewas as great a difference between themas between a man who knew how aFiBLL>i.\G. watch was made and a man who could tell the hour by looking on thedial-plate. This was a short and figurative state of his distinction See The of a Tour to the Hebrides, 4th edit. p. 11, where Johnson has•niil)ortcd tlic stme arjjiiment.—J. Boswkli,, Ageo9.] BOSWELLs LIFE OF JOHNSON, 31 between drawing cliaiacters of nature and characters only of I cannot help being of opinion, that the neat watches of Fieldingare as well constructed as the large clocks of Eichardson, and that hisdial-plates are brighter. Fielding s characters, though they do notexpand themselves so widely in dissertation, are as just pictures of humannature, and I will venture to say, have more striking features, andnicer touches of the pencil; and though Johnson used to quote withapprobation a saying of Eichardsons, -that the virtues of Fieldingsheroes were the vices of a truly good man, I will venture to add, thatthe moral tendency of Fieldings writings, though it does not encouragea strained and rarely possible virtue, is ever favourable to hon
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