that manuscript, then and still unprinted (though use was made of it
by Baltazar Tellez in his History of 'Ethiopia-Coimbra,' 1660), the Abbe
Legrand, Prior of Neuville-les-Dames, and of Prevessin, published a
translation into French. The Abbe Legrand had been to Lisbon as
Secretary to the Abbe d'Estrees, Ambassador from France to Portugal. The
negotiations were so long continued that M. Legrand was detained five
years in Lisbon, and employed the time in researches among documents
illustrating the Portuguese possessions in India and the East. He
obtained many memoirs of great interest, and published from one of them
an account of Ceylon; but of all the manuscripts he found none interested
him so much as that of Father Lobo. His translation was augmented with
illustrative dissertations, letters, and a memoir on the circumstances of
the death of M. du Roule. It filled two volumes, or 636 pages of forty
lines. This was published in 1728. It was on the 31st of October, 1728,
that Samuel Johnson, aged nineteen, went to Pembroke College, Oxford, and
Legrand's 'Voyage Historique d'Abissinie du R. P. Jerome Lobo, de la
Compagnie de Jesus, Traduit du Portugais, continue et augmente de
plusieurs Dissertations, Lettres et Memoires,' was one of the new books
read by Johnson during his short period of college life. In 1735, when
Johnson's age was twenty-six, and the world seemed to have shut against
him every door of hope, Johnson stayed for six months at Birmingham with
his old schoolfellow Hector, who was aiming at medical practice, and who
lodged at the house of a bookseller. Johnson spoke with interest of
Father Lobo, whose book he had read at Pembroke College. Mr. Warren, the
bookseller, thought it would be worth while to print a translation.
Hector joined in urging Johnson to undertake it, for a payment of five
guineas. Although nearly brought to a stop midway by hypochondriac
despondency, a little suggestion that the printers also were stopped, and
if they had not their work had not their pay, caused Johnson to go on to
the end. Legrand's book was reduced to a fifth of its size by the
omission of all that overlaid Father Lobo's personal account of his
adventures; and Johnson began work as a writer with this translation,
first published at Birmingham in 1735.

H.M.

THE PREFACE

The following relation is so curious and entertaining, and the
dissertations that accompany it so judicious and instructive, tha