letter to the right honorable the earl of chesterfield
                                      --Samuel Johnson
背景介绍
塞缪尔·约翰逊（英文：Samuel Johnson，1709年9月7日－1784年12月3日[1]），常称为约翰逊博士（Dr. Johnson），英国历史上最有名的文人之一，集文评家、诗人、散文家、传记家于一身，前半生名不经传，但他花了九年时间独力编出的《约翰逊字典》（A Dictionary of the English Language），为他赢得了文名及“博士”的头衔，博斯韦尔（James Boswell）后来为他写的传记《约翰逊传》记录了他后半生的言行，使他成为家喻户晓的人物。
《致切斯特菲尔德大人函》是约翰逊于1755年2月7日写给切斯特菲尔德伯爵菲力浦·多墨·斯坦厚甫(Philip Dormer Stanhope) 的一封信。切斯特菲尔德伯爵开始对约翰逊编辞典一事冷眼相看。约翰逊艰辛奋斗7年，终于独立完成辞典编写，出版在即。这时，切斯特菲尔德伯爵在当时的《世界报》上连写两篇文章，对约翰逊的辞典大加吹捧，希望约翰逊将来能把英国的第一部英语辞典献给他。约翰逊得知此事后，义愤填膺，挥笔写下了这篇名传千秋的著名信函。信中数落了伯爵对他的冷淡，嘲讽了伯爵的傲慢与专横，对比了约翰逊自己对伯爵的热情与诚恳，从而宣布了约翰逊的辞典与伯爵无关，是他独立完成的，对伯爵无恩可感，无情可载。约翰逊的信是一个穷作家对大人物的控诉状，表现了作家对权贵的蔑视，有着我国著名诗人李白一样的“安能摧眉折腰事权贵”的反叛精神。在实质上，约翰逊的这种精神代表了英国新兴的资产阶级对封建权势的反抗。人们将约翰逊的这封信比做是“作家的独立宣言”。事实上，此后，英国文坛上的保护人制度（Patronage）在英国，在欧洲大陆逐渐消失了。

约翰逊的信不仅思想性深刻，而且文笔优美、语句典雅，不长的信中，三联排比的结构被两次运用。文中的反语、讽刺、幽默含义加强了语句的感染力，而且约翰逊所用的比喻含有高深的典故性和哲理性。为了表达自己对伯爵“一往情深”的仰慕，约翰逊引用了古罗马诗人维吉尔诗中的牧童“发现爱神只不过是荒山野岭中的野蛮人”的故事，用以喻指伯爵的铁石心肠，是不通情理的人。

这封信中的句子结构上，约翰逊还显示了他高超的安排技巧，信正文的最后一段是一个句子，在末尾的一个定语从句中，作者把书信中的客套结尾语和签名巧妙地变成了这个句子的组成部分。

To The Right Honourable The Earl Of Chester

                                                                                                  7th February, 1755.

My Lord,

I have been lately informed, by the proprietor of The World, that two papers, in which my Dictionary is recommended to the public, were written by your lordship. To be so distinguished is an honour which, being very little accustomed to favours from the great, I know not well how to receive, or in what terms to acknowledge.

When, upon some slight encouragement, I first visited your lordship, I was overpowered, like the rest of mankind, by the enchantment of your address, and could not forbear to wish that I might boast myself Le vainqueur du vainqueur de la terre;—that I might obtain that regard for which I saw the world contending; but I found my attendance so little encouraged, that neither pride nor modesty would suffer me to continue it. When I had once addressed your Lordship in public, I had exhausted all the art of pleasing which a retired and uncourtly scholar can possess. I had done all that I could; and no man is well pleased to have his all neglected, be it ever so little.
 
Seven years, my lord, have now passed, since I waited in your outward rooms, or was repulsed from your door; during which time I have been pushing on my work through difficulties, of which it is useless to complain, and have brought it, at last, to the verge of publication, without one act of assistance , one word of encouragement, or one smile of favour. Such treatment I did not expect, for I never had a patron before.

The shepherd in Virgil grew at last acquainted with Love, and found him a native of the rocks.