Letter to Lord Chesterfield

What it is

This is a letter written by Samuel Johnson to Lord Chesterfield on 7 February 1755, shortly before the publication of Johnson's Dictionary. Chesterfield had written essays praising the forthcoming dictionary, but Johnson had waited years earlier for his support and patronage, which never came.

Why it matters

The letter is famous as a sharp, dignified rebuke of a powerful aristocrat by a writer who had once sought his patronage. It marks a turning point in English literary history: the shift away from writers depending on wealthy patrons and towards writers supporting themselves through their own published work. It reveals Johnson's pride and independence as well as the social gap between struggling authors and the nobility.

Look closer

• Why might Johnson have waited seven years before confronting Chesterfield?
• What tone does Johnson use, and what does that suggest about his feelings?
• What does this letter suggest about how writers were expected to be supported in the 1700s?