a prospectus for a translation of this work into English by Johnson, who in fact completed a sizable portion of it. But a competing translation was announced, and Cave's project was abandoned. Johnson's succinct "Life" is presumably an attempt to salvage something from the project. Johnson's involvement with the History of the Council of Trent contradicts two legends about him, that he despised history and that his intellectual interests were the narrow ones of a "Little Englander," an archetypal John Bull. On the contrary, as his early dealings with Petrarch and Politian indicate, he was deeply interested in what happened in the rest of the world, and throughout his life was concerned to encourage his fellow countrymen to expand their intellectual horizons beyond the English Channel. But the outstanding publishing event in the Gentleman's Magazine after Johnson arrived there in 1738 was the inauguration of a feature that was to continue for seven years and was greatly to increase its circulation and establish its lasting prosperity and authority. This was no less than the project of publishing reports of the debates in the British Parliament. Their publication had long been forbidden, politicians then as later being reluctant to have their doings scrutinized too closely, and in the spring of 1738 the House of Commons passed a resolution threatening of fenders with "the utmost severity" if they attempted to do so. This was a blow to Cave. The prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, had held office for sixteen years, and was now beleaguered by opponents intent on ousting him. For four more years the atta...
