The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and
Instruction, Vol. 20, Issue 572, October 20, 1832, by Various
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 20,
Issue 572, October 20, 1832
Author: Various
Release Date: April 1, 2004 [eBook #11863]
Language: English
Character set encoding: US-ASCII
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE,
AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION, VOL. 20, ISSUE 572, OCTOBER 20, 1832***
E-text prepared by Jonathan Ingram, Gregory Margo, and Project Gutenberg
Distributed Proofreaders
Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
file which includes the original illustrations.
See 11863-h.htm or 11863-h.zip:
(http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/1/8/6/11863/11863-h/11863-h.htm)
or
(http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/1/8/6/11863/11863-h.zip)
THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.
Vol. 20 No. 572.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1832. [PRICE 2d.
* * * * *
BIRTHPLACE OF DR. JOHNSON, AT LICHFIELD.
[Illustration]
In the large corner house, on the right of the Engraving, SAMUEL
JOHNSON was born on the 18th of September, N.S. 1709. We learn from
Boswell, that the house was built by Johnson's father, and that the
two fronts, towards Market and Broad Market-street stood upon waste
land of the Corporation of Lichfield, under a forty years lease; this
expired in 1767, when on the 15th of August, "at a common hall of the
bailiffs and citizens, it was ordered, (and that without any
solicitation,) that a lease should be granted to Samuel Johnson,
Doctor of Laws, of the incroachments at his house, for the term of
ninety-nine years, at the old rent, which was five shillings. Of
which, as town clerk, Mr. Simpson had the honour and pleasure of
informing him, and that he was desired to accept it, without paying
any fine on the occasion, which lease was afterwards granted, and the
doctor died possessed of this property."[1]
[1] Note to Boswell's Life of Johnson, 2nd edition, vol. iii.
p. 646.
In the above house, the doctor's father Michael Johnson, a na
|