'On Tuesday, July 18, I found tall Sir Thomas Robinson sitting with Johnson. Sir Thomas said, that the King of Prussia valued himself upon three things;—upon being a hero, a musician, and an author. Johnson. "Pretty well, Sir, for one man. As to his being an author, I have not looked at his poetry ; but his prose is poor stuff. He writes just as you may suppose Voltaire's footboy to do, who has been his amanuensis. He has such parts as the valet might have, and about as much of the colouring of the style as might be got by transcribing his works." [Boswell tells how he repeated this to Voltaire, who was amused as he was on bad terms with Frederick the great]. But I think the criticism much too severe; for the "Memoirs of the House of Brandenbergh" are written as well as many works of that kind. His poetry, for the style of which he himself makes a frank apology, "[italics] Jargonnant un francois barbare [end italics]", though fraught with pernicious ravings of infidelity, has, in many places, great animation, and in some a pathetick tenderness.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: Samuel Johnson Print: Book
'On Tuesday, July 18, I found tall Sir Thomas Robinson sitting with Johnson. Sir Thomas said, that the King of Prussia valued himself upon three things;—upon being a hero, a musician, and an author. Johnson. "Pretty well, Sir, for one man. As to his being an author, I have not looked at his poetry ; but his prose is poor stuff. He writes just as you may suppose Voltaire's footboy to do, who has been his amanuensis. He has such parts as the valet might have, and about as much of the colouring of the style as might be got by transcribing his works." [Boswell tells how he repeated this to Voltaire, who was amused as he was on bad terms with Frederick the great]. But I think the criticism much too severe; for the "Memoirs of the House of Brandenbergh" are written as well as many works of that kind. His poetry, for the style of which he himself makes a frank apology, "[italics] Jargonnant un francois barbare [end italics]", though fraught with pernicious ravings of infidelity, has, in many places, great animation, and in some a pathetick tenderness.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: James Boswell Print: Book
'On Tuesday, July 18, I found tall Sir Thomas Robinson sitting with Johnson. Sir Thomas said, that the King of Prussia valued himself upon three things;—upon being a hero, a musician, and an author. Johnson. "Pretty well, Sir, for one man. As to his being an author, I have not looked at his poetry ; but his prose is poor stuff. He writes just as you may suppose Voltaire's footboy to do, who has been his amanuensis. He has such parts as the valet might have, and about as much of the colouring of the style as might be got by transcribing his works." [Boswell tells how he repeated this to Voltaire, who was amused as he was on bad terms with Frederick the great]. But I think the criticism much too severe; for the "Memoirs of the House of Brandenbergh" are written as well as many works of that kind. His poetry, for the style of which he himself makes a frank apology, "[italics] Jargonnant un francois barbare [end italics]", though fraught with pernicious ravings of infidelity, has, in many places, great animation, and in some a pathetick tenderness.'
Century: 1700-1799 Reader/Listener/Group: James Boswell Print: Book
