terised Voltaire to Freron the journalist: "Vir est acerrimi ingenii et paucarum literarum."

"TO DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON.

"Edinburgh, 5th Dec. 1775.

"MY DEAR SIR,-Mr. Alexander Maclean, the young laird of Col, being to set out to-morrow for London, I give him this letter to introduce him to your acquaintance. The kindness which you and I experienced from his brother, whose unfortunate death we sincerely lament, will make us always desirous to show attention to any branch of the family. Indeed, you have so much of the true Highland cordiality, that I am sure you would have thought me to blame if I had neglected to recommend to you this Hebridean prince, in whose island we were hospitably entertained. I ever am with respectful attachment, my dear sir, your most obliged and most humble servant, "JAMES BOSWELL."

Mr. Maclean returned with the most agreeable accounts of the polite attention with which he was received by Dr. Johnson.

In the course of the year Dr. Burney informs me that "he very frequently met Dr. Johnson at Mr. Thrale's, at Streatham, where they had many long conversations, often sitting up as long as the fire and candles lasted, and much longer than the patience of the servants subsisted."

A few of Johnson's sayings, which that gentleman recollects, shall here be inserted.

"I never take a nap after dinner but when I have Burney. had a bad night, and then the nap takes me.'

"The writer of an epitaph should not be considered as saying nothing but what is strictly true.

"Sénéque voulant dire qu'il profitait de ce qu'il y avait de bon dans les auteurs dit, Solon sæpe in aliena castra transire; non tanquam transfuga, sed tanquam explorator ;" and this is rendered the more probable because in the same volume of the Menagiana, and within a few pages of each other, are found two other Latin quotations, which Johnson has made use of, the one from Thuanus, "Fami non fama scribere existimatus Xylandrus." See ante, vol. i. p. 182, n. The other from J. C. Scaliger, "Homo ex alieno ingenio poeta, ex suo tantum versificator:" which is the motto Johnson prefixed to his version of the Messiah: ante, v. i. p. 33.—ED.]

Burney. Allowance must be made for some degree of exaggerated praise. In lapidary inscriptions a man is not upon oath."

“There is now less flogging in our great schools than formerly, but then less is learned there; so that what the boys get at one end they lose at the other."

"More is learned in publick than in private schools, from emulation; there is the collision of mind with mind, or the radiation of many minds pointing to one centre. Though few boys make their own exercises, yet if a good exercise is given up, out of a great number of boys, it is made by somebody."

"I hate by-roads in education. Education is as well known, and has long been as well known as ever it can be. Endeavouring to make children prematurely wise is useless labour. Suppose they have more knowledge at five or six years old than other children, what use can be made of it? It will be lost before it is wanted, and the waste of so much time and labour of the teacher can never be repaid. Too much is expected from precocity, and too little performed. Miss was an instance of early cultivation, but in what did it terminate? In marrying a little presbyterian parson, who keeps an infant boarding-school, so that all her employment now is,

'To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer.'

She tells the children, 'This is a cat, and that is a dog, with four legs, and a tail; see there! you are much better than a cat or a dog, for you can speak.' If I had bestowed such an education on a daughter, and had discovered that she thought of marrying such a fellow, I would have sent her to the Congress."

[Miss Letitia Aiken, who married Mr. Barbauld, and published "Easy Lessons for Children."-ED.]

1

"After having talked slightingly of musick, he Burney. was observed to listen very attentively while Miss Thrale played on the harpsichord; and with eagerness he called to her, 'Why don't you dash away like Burney?' Dr. Burney upon this said to him, 'I believe, sir, we shall make a musician of you at last.' Johnson with candid complacency replied, 'Sir, I shall be glad to have a new sense given to me.””

"He had come down one morning to the breakfast-room, and been a considerable time by himself before any body appeared. When on a subsequent day he was twitted by Mrs. Thrale for being very late, which he generally was, he defended himself by alluding to the extraordinary morning, when he had been too early. Madam, I do not like to come down to vacuity."

"Dr. Burney having remarked that Mr. Garrick was beginning to look old, he said, 'Why, sir, you are not to wonder at that; no man's face has had more wear and tear.'

999

[Mrs. Montagu's recent kindness to Miss Williams ED. was not lost on Johnson. His letters to that lady became more elaborately respectful, and his subsequent mention of her took, as we shall see, a high tone of panegyric'.]

["DR. JOHNSON TO MRS. MONTAGU.

15th Dec. 1775.

MADAM,--Having, after my return from a little ramble to France, passed some time in the country, I did not hear, till I was told by Miss Reynolds, that you were in town; and when I did hear it, I heard likewise that you were ill. To have you detained among us by sickness is to enjoy your presence at too dear a rate. I suffer myself to be flattered with hope that only half the intelligence is now true, and that you are now so well as to be able to leave us, and so kind as not to be willing.I am, madam, your most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."]

1

[See ante, v. i. 339, and v. ii. p. 468, n. and post, sub 26th April, 1776.ED.]

Montag.

MSS.

MSS.

Montag, omafie {1}{“ DR. JOHNSON TO MRS, MONTAGU.LI VIK 20 6 I into y agen wu dara nov otur “17th Dec, 1775. “MADAM,—All that the esteem and reverence of mankind can give you has been long in your possession, and the little that I can add to the voice of nations will not much exalt; of that little, however, you are, I hope, very certain..red tour.

Montag.
MSS.

"I wonder, madam, if you remember Col in the Hebrides? The brother and heir of poor Col has just been to visit me, and I have engaged to dine with him on Thursday. I do not know his lodging, and cannot send him a message, and must therefore suspend the honour which you are pleased to offer to, madam, your most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."]

["DR. JOHNSON TO MRS. MONTAGU.

"Thursday, 21st Dec. 1775. “MADAM,—I know not when any letter has given me so much pleasure or vexation as that which I had yesterday the honour of receiving. That you, madam, should wish for my company is surely a sufficient reason for being pleased;-that I should delay twice, what I had so little right to expect even once, has so bad an appearance, that I can only hope to have it thought that I am ashamed.

66

You have kindly allowed me to name a day. Will you be pleased, madam, to accept of me any day after Tuesday? Till I am favoured with your answer, or despair of so much condescension, I shall suffer no engagement to fasten itself upon me.—I am, madam, your most obliged and most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."]

Not having heard from him for a longer time than I supposed he would be silent, I wrote to him Dec. 18, not in good spirits:

"Sometimes I have been afraid that the cold which has gone over Europe this year like a sort of pestilence has seized you severely sometimes my imagination, which is upon occasions prolifick of evil, hath figured that you may have somehow taken offence at some part of my conduct."

DEAR SIR,--Never dream of any offence. How should you offend me? I consider your friendship as a possession, which I intend to hold till you take it from me, and to lament if ever

by my fault I should lose it. However, when such suspicions find their way into your mind, always give them vent; I shall make haste to disperse them; but hinder their first ingress if you can. Consider such thoughts as morbid.

Such illness as may excuse my omission to Lord Hailes, I cannot honestly plead. I have been hindered, I know not how, by a succession of petty obstructions. I hope to mend immediately, and to send next post to his lordship. Mr. Thrale would have written to you if I had omitted; he sends his compliments, and wishes to see you.nors min brygge Jong Rao..

You and your lady will now have no more wrangling about feudal inheritance. How does the young Laird of Auchinleck? I suppose Miss Veronica is grown a reader and discourser. "I have just now got a cough, but it has never yet hindered me from s sleeping; I have had quieter nights than are common

with me.

"I cannot but rejoice that Joseph has had the wit to find the way back. He is a fine fellow, and one of the best travellers the world.

**** "Young Col brought me your letter. He is a very pleasing youth. "I took him two days ago to the Mitre, and we dined together. I was as civil as I had the means of being.

I have had a letter from Rasay, acknowledging, with great appearance of satisfaction, the insertion in the Edinburgh paper. I am very glad that it was done.

My compliments to Mrs. Boswell, who does not love me; and of all the rest, I need only send them to those that do; and I am afraid it will give you very little trouble to distribute them. -I am, my dear, dear sir, your affectionate humble servant, "6 SAM. JOHNSON."

["DR. JOHNSON TO MR. GRANGER 2.

(About 1775, but has no date.) 66 SIR, When I returned from the country I found your letter; and would very gladly have done what you desire, had it been in my power. Mr. Farmer is, I am confident, mistaken in supposing that he gave me any such pamphlet or cut. I should as soon have suspected myself, as Mr. Farmer, of forgetfulness; but that I do not know, except from your letter, the name of Arthur O'Toole, nor recollect that I ever heard of it before. I

Joseph Ritter, a Bohemian, who was in my service many years, and attended Dr. Johnson and me in our tour to the Hebrides. After having left me for some time, he had now returned to me.-BOSWELL.

66

2 [The author of the “ Biographical History of England.”—ED.]