clerk talks of going to Bath. I am to set out on Monday; so there is nothing but dispersion. "I have returned Lord Hailes's entertaining sheets, but must stay till I come back for more, because it will be inconvenient to send them after me in my vagrant state. 1 "I promised Mrs. Macaulay that I would try to serve her son at Oxford. I have not forgotten it, nor am unwilling to perform it. If they desire to give him an English education, it should be considered whether they cannot send him for a year or two to an English school. If he comes immediately from Scotland, he can make no figure in our Universities. The schools in the north, I believe, are cheap; and when I was a young man, were eminently good. There are two little books published by the Foulis, Telemachus and Collins's Poems, each a shilling; I would be glad to have them. "Make my compliments to Mrs. Boswell, though she does not love me. You see what perverse things ladies are, and how little fit to be trusted with feudal estates. When she mends and loves me, there may be more hope of her daughters. "I will not send compliments to my friends by name, because I would be loth to leave any out in the enumeration. Tell them, as you see them, how well I speak of Scotch politeness, and Scotch hospitality, and Scotch beauty, and of every thing Scotch, but Scotch oat-cakes and Scotch prejudices: "Let me know the answer of Rasay, and the decision relating to Sir Allan 2. I am, my dearest sir, with great affection, your most obliged and most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." 965 [In the latter end of May he set out on what he ED. called "his annual ramble into the middle counties," of which his letters to Mrs. Thrale give a kind of journal. He had, it seems, previous to his departure, a kind of fit, which, as well as Mr. Thrale's care for his personal appearance, he thus notices :] [" TO MRS. THRALE. "London, 25th May, 1775. Letters, "The fit was a sudden faintness, such as I have had I know vol. i. p. I Wife of the Reverend Mr. Kenneth Macaulay, anthour of "The History of St. Kilda."-BOSWELL. 2 A lawsuit carried on by Sir Allan Maclean, chief of his clan, to recover certain parts of his family estates from the Duke of Argyle.-Bosweli.. 222. Letters, not how often; no harm came of it, and all is well, I cannot vol. i. p. go [to Oxford] till Saturday, and then go I will if I can. My clothes, Mr. Thrale says, must be made like other people's, and they are gone to the tailor's." 222.75 P. 223. P. 226. P. 229. 1 66 Oxford, 1st June, 1775. "I did not make the epitaph before last night, and this morning I have found it too long; I send it to you as it is to pacify you, and will make it shorter * *. Don't suppose that I live here as we live at Streatham. I went this morning to the chapel at six, and if I were to stay would try to conform to all wholesome rules **. Mr. Coulson 2 is well, and still willing to keep me, but I delight not in being long here. Mr. Smollett, of Loch-Lomond3, and his lady have been here--we were glad to meet." "6th June, 1775. "Such is the uncertainty of all human things, that Mr. [Coulson] has quarrelled with me. He says I raise the laugh upon him, and he is an independent man, and all he has is his own, and he is not used to such things. And so I shall have no more good of Coulson], of whom I never had any good but flattery, which my dear mistress knows I can have at home. "Here I am, and how to get away I do not see, for the power of departure, otherwise than in a post-chaise, depends upon accidental vacancies in passing coaches, of which all but one in a week pass through this place at three in the morning. After that one I have sent, but with little hope; yet I shall be very unwilling to stay here another week." "[Oxford], 7th June, 1775. Coulson] and I am pretty well again. I grudge the cost of going to Lichfield-Frank and I-in a post-chaise-yet I think' of thundering away to-morrow. So dear letter to Lichfield." you will write your next P. 230. "Lichfield, 10th June, 1775. "On Thursday I took a post-chaise, and intended to have passed a day or two at Birmingham, but Hector had company [On Mrs. Salisbury.-ED.] 2 [Mr. Coulson, of University College. See ante, p. 159.—Ep.] in his house, and I went on to Lichfield, where I know not how Letters, 1 long I shall stay." vol. i. p. 230. "Lichfield, 11th June, 1775. Lady Smith is settled here at last, and sees company in her P. 231. new house. I went on Saturday. Poor Lucy Porter has her hand in a bag, so unabled by the gout that she cannot dress herself. I go every day to Stowehill: both the sisters' are now at home. I sent Mrs. Aston a Taxation 2,' and sent it to nobody else, and Lucy borrowed it. Mrs. Aston, since that, inquired by a messenger when I was expected. 'I can tell nothing about it,' said Lucy: when he is to be here, I suppose she 'll know.' Every body remembers you all. You left a good impression behind you. I hope you will do the same at [Lewes]. Do not make them speeches. Unusual compliments, to which there is no stated and prescriptive answer, embarrass the feeble who do not know what to say, and disgust the wise, who, knowing them to be false, suspect them to be hypocritical. * * * You never told me, and I omitted to inquire, how you were entertained by Boswell's 'Journal.' One would think the man had been hired to be a spy upon me; he was very diligent, and caught opportunities of writing from time to time. You may now conceive yourself tolerably well acquainted with the expedition. Folks want me to go to Italy, but I say you are not for it." "Lichfield, 13th June, 1775. "I now write from Mrs. Cobb's, where I have had custard. P. 234. Nothing considerable has happened since I wrote, only I am sorry to see Miss Porter so bad, and I am not pleased to find that, after a very comfortable intermission, the old flatulence distressed me again last night. The world is full of ups and downs,' as, I think, I told you once before. "Lichfield is full of box-clubs. The ladies have one for their own sex. They have incorporated themselves under the appellation of the Amicable Society; and pay each twopence a week to the box. Any woman who can produce the weekly twopence is admitted to the society; and when any of the poor subscribers is in want, she has six shillings a week; and, I think, when she dies five pounds are given to her children. Lucy is not 1 [Mrs. Gastrell and Miss Aston.-ED.] 2 [A copy of his pamphlet, "Taxation no Tyranny."-ED.] ED. Mont. MS. ED. one, nor Mrs. Cobb. The subscribers are always quarrelling; and every now and then, a lady, in a fume, withdraws her name; but they are an hundred pounds beforehand. "Mr. Green has got a cast of Shakspeare, which he holds to be a very exact resemblance. "There is great lamentation here for the death of Col. Lucy is of opinion that he was wonderfully handsome. "Boswell is a favourite, but he has lost ground since I told them that he is married, and all hope is over."] [The history of Mrs. Williams belongs so inseparably to that of Dr. Johnson, that the Editor cannot omit here inserting the following letter, relating to a small annuity, which the charity of Mrs. Montagu had secured to Mrs. Williams, and which, as we shall see, was long afterwards a subject of acknowledgment from Dr. Johnson to that lady.] ["MRS. WILLIAMS TO MRS. MONTAGU. "Johnson's-court, 26th June, 1775. MADAM,-Often have I heard of generosity, benevolence, and compassion, but never have I known or experienced the reality of those virtues, till this joyful morning, when I received the honour of your most tender and affectionate letter with its most welcome contents. Madam, I may with truth say, I have not words to express my gratitude as I ought to a lady, whose [The following letter, addressed to Dr. Johnson, though it does not belong to his personal history, describes a scene of public amusement, and affords some details concerning the habits of society, which may amuse the reader, and in a work of this nature will hardly be considered as misplaced.] ["MRS. THRALE TO DR. JOHNSON. "24th June, 1775. "Now for the regatta, of which, Baretti says, the first notion was taken from Venice, where the gondoliers practise rowing against each other perpetually; and I dare say 'tis good diversion where the weather invites, and the water seduces to such entertainments. Here, however, it was not likely to answer; and I think nobody was pleased. "Well! Croesus promised a reward, you remember, for him who should produce a new delight; but the prize was never obtained, for nothing that was new proved delightful; and Dr. Goldsmith, three thousand years afterwards, found out that whoever did a new thing did a bad thing, and whoever said a new thing said a false thing. So yestermorning, a flag flying from some conspicuous steeple in Westminster gave notice of the approaching festival, and at noon the managers determined to hold it on that day. In about two hours the wind rose very high, and the river was exceedingly rough; but the lot was cast, and the ladies went on with their dresses. It had been agreed that all should wear white; but the ornaments were left to our own choice. I was afraid of not being fine enough; SO I trimmed my white lutestring with silver gauze, and wore black riband intermixed. We had obtained more tickets than I hoped for, though Sir Thomas Robinson1 gave us none at last; but he gives one such a profusion of words, and bows, and compliments, that I suppose he thinks every thing else superfluous. Mr. Cator2 was the man for a real favour at last, whose character is directly opposite, as you know; but if both are actuated by the spirit of kindness, let us try at least to love them both. "He wished Hester [Miss Thrale] to go, and she wished it too, and her father wished; so I would not stand out, though my fears for her health and safety lessened the pleasure her company always gives. The D'Avenants, then, Mr. Cator, Mr. Evans, Mr. Seward, and ourselves, set about being happy with all our might, and tried for a barge to flutter in altogether. The barges, however, were already full, and we were to be divided and put into separate boats. The water was rough, even seri 2 VOL. III. [Ante, v. i. p. 387.-ED.] A timber-merchant in the Borough. ED.] S Lett. v. i. p. 247. |