• About Dr. Johnson
  • About This Blog

Samuel Johnson's Essays

~ republished 260 years later

Samuel Johnson's Essays

Monthly Archives: February 1751

No. 99. The pleasures of private friendship. The necessity of similar dispositions.

February 26, 1751

To be infected with the jargon of a particular profession, and to know only the language of a single rank of mortals, is indeed despicable.

No. 98. The necessity of cultivating politeness.

February 23, 1751

Life passes in petty transactions; there very seldom emerges any occasion that can call forth great virtue or great abilities.

No. 97. Advice to unmarried ladies.

February 19, 1751

I have lived to see such a change in the manners of women.

No. 96. Truth, Falsehood, and Fiction; an allegory.

February 16, 1751

Truth is, indeed, not often welcome for its own sake; it is generally unpleasing, because contrary to our wishes and opposite to our practice.

No. 95. The history of Pertinax the sceptick.

February 12, 1751

There are many diseases both of the body and mind, which it is far easier to prevent than to cure.

No. 94. An inquiry how far Milton has accommodated the sound to the sense.

February 9, 1751

The general resemblance of the sound to the sense is to be found in every language which admits of poetry.

No. 93. The prejudices and caprices of criticism.

February 5, 1751

To convince any man against his will is hard, but to please him against his will is above the reach of human abilities.

No. 92. The accommodation of sound to the sense, often chimerical.

February 2, 1751

It has been long observed, that the idea of beauty is vague and undefined, different in different minds, and diversified by time or place.

♣ Essays By Publication

    Published in:
  • The Rambler
  • The Adventurer
  • The Idler



♣ The Best Collection of Samuel Johnson’s Essays



It's not all of them, but here's the most accessible collection of Johnson's most popular and influential essays: Johnson's Collected Essays.


♣ Archives

  • April 1760 (1)
  • March 1760 (5)
  • February 1760 (4)
  • January 1760 (4)
  • December 1759 (5)
  • November 1759 (4)
  • October 1759 (4)
  • September 1759 (5)
  • August 1759 (4)
  • July 1759 (4)
  • June 1759 (5)
  • May 1759 (4)
  • April 1759 (4)
  • March 1759 (5)
  • February 1759 (4)
  • January 1759 (4)
  • December 1758 (5)
  • November 1758 (4)
  • October 1758 (4)
  • September 1758 (5)
  • August 1758 (4)
  • July 1758 (5)
  • June 1758 (4)
  • May 1758 (4)
  • April 1758 (3)
  • March 1754 (1)
  • February 1754 (2)
  • January 1754 (2)
  • December 1753 (3)
  • November 1753 (3)
  • October 1753 (3)
  • September 1753 (1)
  • August 1753 (3)
  • July 1753 (2)
  • June 1753 (2)
  • May 1753 (2)
  • April 1753 (2)
  • March 1753 (4)
  • March 1752 (4)
  • February 1752 (9)
  • January 1752 (8)
  • December 1751 (9)
  • November 1751 (9)
  • October 1751 (9)
  • September 1751 (8)
  • August 1751 (9)
  • July 1751 (9)
  • June 1751 (9)
  • May 1751 (8)
  • April 1751 (9)
  • March 1751 (9)
  • February 1751 (8)
  • January 1751 (9)
  • December 1750 (9)
  • November 1750 (8)
  • October 1750 (9)
  • September 1750 (9)
  • August 1750 (8)
  • July 1750 (9)
  • June 1750 (9)
  • May 1750 (10)
  • April 1750 (8)
  • March 1750 (4)
  • July 1416 (1)

♣ An Overview of Johnson’s Major Works



Here's a collection of the most influential and popular writing by Dr. Johnson: Samuel Johnson - the Major Works.


♣ Read More Samuel Johnson

  • The Major Works
  • Selected Writings
  • The History of Rasselas
  • Journey to the Western Isles
  • Selected Essays
  • Johnson's Dictionary


♣ More Info

  • About Dr. Johnson
  • About This Blog

♣ Samuel Johnson on Twitter

  • Stay up to date with these essays by following @JohnsonEssays
  • Find a humorous version of Johnson on Twitter at @DrSamuelJohnson


Samuel Johnson's Collected Essays




Samuel Johnson's Major Works, Oxford Classics



James Boswell's Life of Johnson



Samuel Johnson: A Biography



Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784. Find Samuel Johnson's work and writings online.