• About Dr. Johnson
  • About This Blog

Samuel Johnson's Essays

~ republished 260 years later

Samuel Johnson's Essays

Category Archives: The Idler

No. 43. Monitions on the flight of time.

February 10, 1759

Let who purposes his own happiness,reflect, that while he forms his purpose the day rolls on, and the night cometh when no man can work.

No. 42. Perdita’s complaint of her father.

February 3, 1759

There is a cause of misery, which, though certainly known both to you and your predecessors, has been little taken notice of in your papers.

No. 41. Serious reflections on the death of a friend.

January 27, 1759

Misfortune, indeed, he may yet feel; for where is the bottom of the misery of man?

No. 40. The art of advertising exemplified.

January 20, 1759

The true pathos of advertisements must have sunk deep into the heart of every man.

No. 39. The various uses of the bracelet.

January 13, 1759

Yet I know not whether it is the interest of the husband to solicit very earnestly a place on the bracelet. If his image be not in the heart, it is of small avail to hang it on the hand.

No. 38. Cruelty shown to debtors in prison.

January 6, 1759

Let us, therefore, coolly inquire what is the sum of evil which the imprisonment of debtors brings upon our country.

No. 37. Useful things easy of attainment.

December 30, 1758

Let us gratefully acknowledge that goodness which grants us ease at a cheap rate.

No. 36. The terrific diction ridiculed.

December 23, 1758

All this, my dear reader, is very strange; but though it be strange, it is not new.

No. 35. Auction-hunter described and ridiculed.

December 16, 1758

No engagement, no duty, no interest, can withhold her from a sale, from which she always returns congratulating herself upon her bargain.

No. 34. Punch and conversation compared.

December 9, 1758

The qualities requisite to conversation are very exactly represented by a bowl of punch.

← Older posts
Newer posts →

♣ Essays By Publication

    Published in:
  • The Rambler
  • The Adventurer
  • The Idler



♣ The Best Collection of Samuel Johnson’s Essays



It's not all of them, but here's the most accessible collection of Johnson's most popular and influential essays: Johnson's Collected Essays.


♣ Archives

  • April 1760 (1)
  • March 1760 (5)
  • February 1760 (4)
  • January 1760 (4)
  • December 1759 (5)
  • November 1759 (4)
  • October 1759 (4)
  • September 1759 (5)
  • August 1759 (4)
  • July 1759 (4)
  • June 1759 (5)
  • May 1759 (4)
  • April 1759 (4)
  • March 1759 (5)
  • February 1759 (4)
  • January 1759 (4)
  • December 1758 (5)
  • November 1758 (4)
  • October 1758 (4)
  • September 1758 (5)
  • August 1758 (4)
  • July 1758 (5)
  • June 1758 (4)
  • May 1758 (4)
  • April 1758 (3)
  • March 1754 (1)
  • February 1754 (2)
  • January 1754 (2)
  • December 1753 (3)
  • November 1753 (3)
  • October 1753 (3)
  • September 1753 (1)
  • August 1753 (3)
  • July 1753 (2)
  • June 1753 (2)
  • May 1753 (2)
  • April 1753 (2)
  • March 1753 (4)
  • March 1752 (4)
  • February 1752 (9)
  • January 1752 (8)
  • December 1751 (9)
  • November 1751 (9)
  • October 1751 (9)
  • September 1751 (8)
  • August 1751 (9)
  • July 1751 (9)
  • June 1751 (9)
  • May 1751 (8)
  • April 1751 (9)
  • March 1751 (9)
  • February 1751 (8)
  • January 1751 (9)
  • December 1750 (9)
  • November 1750 (8)
  • October 1750 (9)
  • September 1750 (9)
  • August 1750 (8)
  • July 1750 (9)
  • June 1750 (9)
  • May 1750 (10)
  • April 1750 (8)
  • March 1750 (4)
  • July 1416 (1)

♣ An Overview of Johnson’s Major Works



Here's a collection of the most influential and popular writing by Dr. Johnson: Samuel Johnson - the Major Works.


♣ Read More Samuel Johnson

  • The Major Works
  • Selected Writings
  • The History of Rasselas
  • Journey to the Western Isles
  • Selected Essays
  • Johnson's Dictionary


♣ More Info

  • About Dr. Johnson
  • About This Blog

♣ Samuel Johnson on Twitter

  • Stay up to date with these essays by following @JohnsonEssays
  • Find a humorous version of Johnson on Twitter at @DrSamuelJohnson


Samuel Johnson's Collected Essays




Samuel Johnson's Major Works, Oxford Classics



James Boswell's Life of Johnson



Samuel Johnson: A Biography



Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784. Find Samuel Johnson's work and writings online.