To literature he now mainly turned his attention. In 1756 he produced “The Apprentice,” a farce, for Garrick; in 1758 “The Upholsterer,” and in the ensuing two years “The Orphan of China,” “The Desert Island,” and “The Way to Keep Him;” and in 1761 he published “All in the Wrong,” “The Citizen,” and “The Old Maid.” In the year 1757 he applied for admission to the Middle Temple, but, on the ground of being an actor, was refused; he, however, induced Lord Mansfield to interfere on his behalf, and through this influence he entered Lincoln’s Inn. He was called to the Bar in 1762, and eventually became leader of the Norfolk Circuit. Lord Loughborough also gave him a Commissionership of Bankrupts—an office he held till his death. The study of “Coke upon Littleton” was not, however, sufficiently attractive to wean him from his literary pursuits, and several plays, all of which were highly popular, appeared in rapid succession. Among these were his celebrated “Grecian Daughter” and “Know your own Mind.” This latter piece, published in 1777, was written for Mr. Harris, and was the last he brought on the stage. Besides these he also published an edition of Fielding’s works, with a preliminary essay on his life and writings, an “Essay on the Life and Genius of Dr. Johnson,” a translation of Tacitus, and various others. In 1788 he retired to Hammersmith, where he resided till 1800; he then came to Knightsbridge, and here, with the exception of a short time in Brompton Row, he resided till his death. In this house his “Life of Garrick” was written; he appears to have been happy and comfortable in it, occupying the first and second floors, and having a neat and intelligent landlady, whose interest he secured by procuring her son a presentation to Christ’s Hospital. He died June 18th, 1805, frequently repeating during the day the couplet of Pope— “Taught half by reason, half by mere decay, To welcome Death, and calmly pass away.” It was to Murphy, Johnson owed his introduction to Mr. Thrale. “I question,” says Madame D’Arblay, “if Mr. Thrale loved any man so well.” With Reynolds and Burke, too, he was intimate, and reviewed the latter’s “Essay on the Sublime and Beautiful.” At Knightsbridge he became intimate with Maurice Morgann; but from the singular construction put by the latter on the characters of Shakespeare’s plays, silence on these points was bespoke in their interviews. Morgann died before Murphy, who deeply regretted, Mr. Foote tells us, his friend’s death. {175}