Young Sam Johnson
Samuel Johnson. Letter to Gregory Hickman. Oct. 30, 1731. Manuscript. MS Hyde 1 (48) |
In this, his earliest surviving letter, Johnson writes to his cousin Gregory Hickman (1688-1748), who had unsuccessfully tried to secure Johnson a schoolmaster's position a few months earlier. At the time, Johnson was (unhappily) living at home, and his father Michael's health was rapidly failing. "As I am yet unemploy'd, I hope You will, if anything should offer, remember and recommend, Sir, Your humble servant." |