Dictionary Johnson

One of the many intellectual achievements of the Dictionary is the dazzling array of quotations from literature used to illustrate the meaning and proper use of words, a reflection of Johnson's voracious appetite for reading. Johnson annotated this edition of Virgil in preparation for the 1773 revised edition of the Dictionary, marking passages to be quoted in the text and giving the first letter of the key word in the margin. These would later be compiled by his amanuenses, or assistants, for integration into the manuscript. This manuscript fragment contains quotations from King John and Richard II, transcribed by Alexander Macbean (d. 1784) for the 1755 first edition. Johnson ultimately decided to use Dryden's translation of Virgil as his source instead of this one, but the quotations from Shakespeare ended up in the definitions of almsman and figure.