SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709-1784)

Publisher Robert Dodsley suggested to Johnson that a dictionary of the English language might be a successful venture and proposed the Earl of Chesterfield as a patron. Johnson addressed this thirtyfour page pamphlet to the Earl, who did little to support the effort.

Johnson's query, "Is not a patron, my lord, one who looks with unconcern upon a man struggling for life in the water, and when he has reached ground encumbers him with help?" recalls the dependency of authors on patronage throughout the eighteenth century. This system only began to change with the rise of the periodical press that led to a profession of authorship, a transition in which Johnson was a major figure. Johnson embarked on his Plan alone, although what he had projected to be the work of three years required eight, and the Dictionary only appeared in 1755.