The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes, Volume 03: The Rambler, Volume II

In Short

This third volume collects periodic essays offering a moral, critical, and psychological examination of eighteenth-century English life. Through fictional letters, character sketches, and direct philosophical reflection, the text investigates human vanity, the delusions of fame, the anxieties of ambition, and the necessity of virtue. It spans diverse subjects, including criminal justice reform, literary criticism, the psychology of envy, and the mechanics of social pretense. Enduring across centuries, it remains a monument of English prose because it pairs incisive psychological realism with an unwavering ethical standard, treating everyday social folly and existential anxiety with equal gravity and precision.

The Story

The volume opens with an inquiry into human frailty and the universal necessity of divine mercy, establishing that moral life relies on the hope of forgiveness rather than an unyielding demand for perfection. From this theological baseline, the narrative turns to society, exposing how human beings sabotage their own happiness through unreasonable expectations, social posturing, and uncontrolled passions.

It moves through the domestic and economic spheres, contrasting real human needs with the false demands of fashion and prestige. Skirmishes over social standing are presented through vivid personal histories. A young man inherits wealth and immediately alienates his neighbours through vulgar displays of financial dominance; a beauty whose identity was built on her physical appearance faces the psychological devastation of lost youth and altered features; a nephew constructs an elaborate, feigned illness to avoid a sea voyage arranged by an overbearing relative. Alongside these personal accounts, the work offers systemic critiques of contemporary institutions. It forcefully argues against the disproportionate cruelty of capital punishment for minor property crimes, demonstrating that excessive severity defeats its own purpose by exciting public pity, encouraging concealment, and cutting off the offender from any possibility of repentance.

As the thematic progression shifts toward intellectual and creative pursuits, the commentary scrutinizes the world of letters and scholarship. It exposes the narrow vanity of specialized academics, the absurdity of antiquarian obsessives who value obscure relics over living human concerns, and the folly of writers who sacrifice their integrity to pursue fleeting fame or flatter wealthy patrons. Critical essays evaluate classical and contemporary literature, dissecting the structural requirements of drama, criticizing the improper mixing of tragic and comic elements in playwriting, and warning against the mechanical imitation of archaic poetic styles.

Toward its conclusion, the work addresses the universal struggle against time, age, and mortality. It highlights the futility of seeking immortality through secular renown, explaining how the finite capacity of human memory inevitably forces past achievements into oblivion. The narrative trajectory concludes with a quiet, dignified reflection on the authorial enterprise itself. Rejecting the temptation to provide mere entertainment or flatter current fashions, the final papers affirm a dedication to moral truth, religious duty, and the steady encouragement of virtue, leaving the ultimate judgment of the work not to worldly applause, but to higher principles.

How It Unfolds

The foundation of mercy The text establishes that human moral progress depends entirely on the belief in divine forgiveness, warning that an inexorable standard of judgment produces only despair and deeper vice.

The folly of disproportionate laws An analysis of the penal system demonstrates that executing thieves is both morally unjust and socially counterproductive, as extreme severity prevents the detection and reform of crime.

Sketches of social pretense Narratives trace the misadventures of individuals attempting to navigate social elevation, including a former shop-man who discovers that expensive tailored clothes cannot grant real dignity or authority.

The vanity of public fame Reflections on human ambition reveal how small a space any individual occupies in the wider world, showing that most people are far too absorbed in their own affairs to notice the achievements of others.

Critique of literary forms Essays on drama and poetry argue for clear structural principles, warning writers against blindly following conventional rules or diluting dramatic impact through mixed genres.

The trap of eternal competition An examination of social malice shows that envy inflicts more damage on human happiness than direct self-interest, as people frequently destroy the joy of others without gaining anything themselves.

The final accountability The closing papers review the purpose of writing itself, rejecting light entertainment in favour of moral instruction and placing the final value of the work on its adherence to virtue and truth.

The People

The Rambler The central narrative persona and moral observer. He seeks to instruct his readers in wisdom, virtue, and self-knowledge, standing against the prevailing levity and corruption of his age. Obstacles to his mission include the natural resistance of readers to stern instruction and the fleeting nature of literary reputation. He ends with a clear conscience, satisfied that his efforts were dedicated to moral truth rather than trivial entertainment.

Squire Bluster A wealthy landowner raised without discipline by a fond grandmother. He wants to exert absolute dominion over his neighbourhood, using his immense fortune to intimidate his peers through absurd wagers and aggressive legal suits over minor manorial rights. His unchecked arrogance transforms him into a tyrannical figure, completely isolated from genuine human affection and surrounded only by fear and resentment.

Hymenæus and Tranquilla A couple whose courtship and eventual marriage serve as an ideal model of rational union. They seek a lasting partnership based on mutual respect rather than romantic delusion or financial ambition. By acknowledging each other's flaws beforehand and refusing to indulge in impossible expectations of perfection, they successfully achieve a stable, harmonious life together.

Leviculus A man who spends his entire youth and middle age in a futile, superficial pursuit of a wealthy marriage. His efforts are repeatedly thwarted by his own lack of substance and the caprice of the women he courts. He ends his life old, disappointed, and unaccomplished, condemned to recount stories that nobody cares to hear.

In Its Own Voice

"Whatever may be urged by casuists or politicians, the greater part of mankind, as they can never think that to pick the pocket and to pierce the heart is equally criminal, will scarcely believe that two malefactors so different in guilt can be justly doomed to the same punishment..."

In a critique of the criminal justice system, the author argues that excessive legal severity violates natural conscience and fails to deter crime.

"If, therefore, he that imagines the world filled with his actions and praises, shall subduct from the number of his encomiasts, all those who are placed below the flight of fame... he will find his renown straitened by nearer bounds than the rocks of Caucasus..."

A sobering analysis of human ambition illustrates how quickly individual fame dissolves when measured against the vastness of human indifference.

"It had therefore been of advantage, if such of our writers as have excelled in the art of decorating insignificance, had supplied us with a few sallies of innocent gaiety, effusions of honest tenderness, or exclamations of unimportant hurry."

Reflecting on the art of letter-writing, the essay notes the utility of learning to treat minor daily events with grace and charm.

What It's Really About

At its core, the volume explores the psychological gap between human desire and earthly reality. It argues that most human misery stems from self-delusion—whether through the pursuit of unearned status, the expectation of perfect happiness in romance, or the longing for lasting fame. The text constantly interrogates the motives behind social interaction, uncovering the subtle ways envy, vanity, and fear dictate human behavior.

Against these destructive patterns, the work champions rigorous self-examination, practical utility, and moral discipline. It asserts that true dignity is not found in public applause or material excess, but in the quiet fulfillment of duty, the practice of compassion, and an unflinching acceptance of human mortality.

Why Read It Today

This work speaks directly to the modern reader because its observations on human nature remain extraordinarily sharp. Long before contemporary discussions on social posturing, the anxiety of public perception, or the relentless pursuit of personal branding, these essays identified how easily people surrender their authentic lives to manage the opinions of strangers. Reading it feels like sitting across from a deeply experienced, unsentimental mentor who sees through every pretense, yet remains invested in your moral growth.

The prose demands patience; it moves with measured, formal balance and uses a expansive, Latinate vocabulary typical of eighteenth-century formal English. There are no sudden plot twists or light narrative payoffs. Instead, its reward lies in the weight and precision of its thought. The commentary on legal overreach, the empty nature of status seeking, and the quiet tragedies of unfulfilled lives feel as immediate now as when they were first written. It stays with you not as a collection of quaint historical anecdotes, but as a permanent, steadying framework for evaluating character, society, and oneself.