Write the summary of the essay entitled "Letter to Lord Chesterfield

Write the summary of the essay entitled “Letter to Lord Chesterfield”.

Ans.

Summary of the Essay

LETTER

Background to the Letter: Dr. Johnson wrote this letter to Lord Chesterfield in 1755. At that time he was 45 years old.

Dr. Johnson had been writing his famous dictionary for eight years. A coalition of seven London booksellers had commissioned the project eight years previously. Johnson got only $ 1,575. return of his hard labour. Dr. Johnson wanted some more money. On the advice of a bookseller, he published the plan of the dictionary and dedicated it to Lord Chesterfield in the hope of getting some monetary help from him. He personally visited the Lord but met with disappointment. The Lord helped him with much less money than Johnson had expected.

But when the Dictionary was published after 13 years (delayed by five years). Lord Chesterfield published an advance review of it in a magazine named. The World, presenting himself as principal patron of the Word. This excited Dr. Johnson’s anger and he wrote the following letters to his Lordship. This is one of the great letters of all time.

SUMMARY OF THE LETTER

To, The Right Honourable the Earl of Chesterfield

February 7, 1755.

My Lord,

I have been recently informed by the proprietor of The World that you wrote two papers to the magazine recommending my Dictionary to the public. This is such a distinguished honour and favour shown by the Great which I am not accustomed of. In other words no Great man ever shown any favour to me. I, therefore, fail to understand how I should receive it and in what terms to acknowledge.

When upon some slight encouragement I first visited your Lordship. I was so enamoured by the beauty of your residence and was so pleased with the idea of meeting you that I considered myself the conqueror of the world. But I was so much neglected there that neither pride nor modesty would suffer me to center it. Once, I addressed you in public, I tried my best to please you with all my oratory, but of no avail, I was ignored and I got nothing.

My Lord, Seven years ago, I waited for you in your outer rooms and 1 repulsed from there empty handed. There is no use of complaining of these adverse circumstance in which I continued my work during those seven years. Finally, I have brought it to the verge of publication without any assistance, without any encouragement and without any favour did not expect such treatment for I never had a Patron before.

My Lord, Does it suit to a Patron to look with unconcern on a Man struggling for life in the water and when he reaches ground, the patron burdens him with help. I wish you had taken notice of my labours seven years before and been kind to me. Now it has been so much delayed that I am indifferent to it and cannot enjoy it. I am alone and cannot share this honour with my wife has died, now I am known to the world and I do not used the favour of anyone.

In my opinion, there is no harshness in being cynical to a favour which does not bring any benefit. I am unwilling that the public should consider me as having a patron, while actually I have none. God alone enabled me to complete my work all alone.

Though, I carried on my work with little obligation to any favourer of the learned man, I shall not be disappointed. if I get the least support and encouragement from them, for I have wakened from that Dream of hope of which I once boasted with utmost joy.