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a shoemaker thinks of the skin, out of which the piece of leather, of which he is making a pair of shoes, is cut."

On Saturday, May 8, I dined with him at Mr. Thrale's, where we met the Irish Dr. Campbell. Johnson had supped the night before at Mrs. Abington's, with some fashionable people whom he named; and he seemed much pleased with having made one in so elegant a circle.1

Mrs. Thrale, who frequently practised a coarse mode of flattery, by repeating his bon mots in his hearing, told us that he had said, a certain celebrated actor was just fit to stand at the door of an auction-room, with a long pole, and cry, "Pray, gentlemen, walk in;" and that a certain authour, upon hearing this, had said, that another still more celebrated actor was fit for nothing better than that, and would pick your pocket after you came out. JOHNSON. Nay, my dear lady, there is no wit in what our friend added; there is only abuse. You may as well say of any man that he will pick a pocket. Besides, the man who is stationed at the door does not pick people's pockets: that is done within, by the auctioneer."

66

Mrs. Thrale told us, that Tom Davies repeated, in a very bald manner, the story of Dr. Johnson's first repartee to me, which I have related exactly." He made me say, "I was born in Scotland," instead of "I come from Scotland;" so that Johnson's saying, "That, Sir, is what a great many of your countrymen cannot help," had no point, or even meaning: and that upon this being mentioned to Mr. Fitzherbert, he observed, "It is not every man that can carry a bon mot.”2

a Vol. I., page 241.

"read" April."

Cor. et Ad.-Line 3: For " May" Ibid.-Line 7: After "circle read, "Nor did he omit to pique his mistress a little with jealousy of her housewifery; for he said, (with a smile,) 'Mrs. Abington's jelly, my dear lady, was better than yours." "

1 66 'Mrs. Abington," says Baretti in his Marginalia, "invited Johnson to dinner, and took pains to distinguish him above all her guests, who were all people of the first distinction." No wonder that the sage was gratified.

2 Boswell's report of this evening is again meagre, and it would almost seem that at these large dinners he grew too convivial to carry out his duties. Dr. Campbell's diary supplies some characteristic details: "Dined with Thrale, where Dr. Johnson was, and Boswell (and Baretti as usual). The Doctor was not in as good spirits as he was at

Dilly's. He had supped the night before with Lady Miss Jeffreys, one of the maids of honour, Sir J. Reynolds, &c., at Mrs. Abington's. He said Sir C. Thompson, and others who were there, spoke like people who had seen good company, and so did Mrs. Abington herself, who could not have seen good company. . . . When Dr. Goldsmith was mentioned, and Dr. Percy's intention of writing his life, he expressed his approbation strongly, adding that Goldsmith was the best writer he ever knew upon every subject he wrote upon. He said that Kenrick had borrowed all his

On Monday, April 10, I dined with him at General Oglethorpe's, with Mr. Langton and the Irish Dr. Campbell, whom the General had obligingly given me leave to bring with me. This learned gentleman was thus gratified with a very high intellectual feast, by not only being in company with Dr. Johnson, but with General Oglethorpe, who had been so long a celebrated name both at home and abroad.

I must, again and again, intreat of my readers not to suppose that my imperfect record of conversation contains the whole of what was said by Johnson, or other eminent persons who lived with him. What I have preserved, however, has the value of the most perfect authenticity.

He this day enlarged upon Pope's melancholy remark,

"Man never is, but always to be blest."

He asserted, that the present was never a happy state to any human being; but that, as every part of life, of which we are conscious, was at some point of time a period yet to come, in which felicity

Soon

Let me here be allowed to pay my tribute of most sincere gratitude to the memory of that excellent person, my intimacy with whom was the more valuable to me, because my first acquaintance with him was unexpected and unsolicited. after the publication of my "Account of Corsica," he did me the honour to call on me, and approaching me with a frank courteous air, said, “My name, Sir, is Oglethorpe, and I wish to be acquainted with you." I was not a little flattered to be thus addressed by an eminent man, of whom I had read in Pope, from my early years,

"Or, driven by strong benevolence of soul,

Will fly, like OGLETHORPE, from pole to pole."

I was fortunate enough to be found worthy of his good opinion, insomuch, that I not only was invited to make one in the many respectable companies whom he entertained at his table, but had a cover at his hospitable board every day when I happened to be disengaged; and in his society I never failed to enjoy learned and animated conversation, seasoned with genuine sentiments of virtue and religion.

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dictionary from him. Why,' says Boswell, every man who writes a dictionary must borrow.' 'Not he,' says Johnson; that is not necessary.' 'Why,' says Boswell, have you not a great deal in common with those who wrote before you?' 'Yes, Sir,' says Johnson, I have the words, but my business was not to make words, but to explain them.' Talking of Garrick and Barry, he said he always abused Garrick himself, but when any body else did so he fought for the dog like a tiger: as to Barry, he supposed he could not read. And how does he get his part?' says one. Why somebody reads it to him; and yet I know,' says he, that he is very much admired.' Mrs. Thrale then

This

took him by repeating a repartee of
Murphy's" (this was the speech about
the "long pole "). "Johnson said that
Murphy spoke nonsense, for that people's
pockets were not picked at the door, but
in the room. Then,' said I, 'he was
worse than the pick-pocket, forasmuch
as he was a pandar to them.'
went off with a laugh." Mr. Croker, who
was often very happy in his guesses,
rightly supposed the "still more cele-
brated actor" to be Garrick, and the
"certain author" Murphy, both of whose
names Campbell supplies. He was
wrong, however, in his guess at the
"certain celebrated actor," which was
Barry, not Sheridan, as he fancied.

was expected, there was some happiness produced by hope. Being pressed upon this subject, and asked if he really was of opinion that though, in general, happiness was very rare in human life, a man was not sometimes happy in the moment that was present, he answered, "Never, but when he is drunk."

He urged General Oglethorpe to give the world his Life. He said, “I know no man whose Life would be more interesting. If I were furnished with materials, I should be very glad to write it."a

Mr. Scott of Amwell's Elegies were lying in the room. Dr. Johnson observed, "They are very well; but such as twenty people might write." Upon this I took occasion to controvert Horace's maxim,

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Non Di, non homines, non concessere columnæ.” for here (I observed,) was a very middle-rate poet, who pleased

The General seemed unwilling to enter upon it at this time; but upon a subsequent occasion he communicated to me a number of particulars, which I have Committed to writing; but I was not sufficiently diligent in obtaining more from him, not apprehending that his friends were so soon to lose him; for notwithstanding his great age, he was very healthy and vigorous, and was at last carried off by a violent fever, which is often fatal at any period of life.

"The old man," says Dr. Campbell, "excused himself, saying the life of a private man was not worthy public notice. . . . Boswell told him to furnish the skeleton, and Dr. Johnson would find the bones and muscles. He would be a good doctor,' says the general, who would do that.' 'Well,' says I, he is a good Doctor;' at which he, the Doctor, laughed very heartily. Talked of America, and that his works would not

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be admired there. 'No,' says Boswell, we shall soon hear of his being hung in effigy.' I should be glad of that,' says the Doctor, that would be a new source of fame,' alluding to some conversation on the fulness of his fame, which had gone before. 'And,' says Boswell, I wonder he has not been hung in effigy from the Hebrides to England.' I shall suffer them to do it corporeally,' says the Doctor, if they can find a tree to do it upon.' Boswell asked if he had ever been under the hands of a dancing-master. Aye, and a dancing-mistress too, but I own to you I never took a lesson, but one or two. My blind eyes showed me I never could make a proficiency.' Boswell led him

6

to give his opinion of Gray: he said there were but two good stanzas in all his works. Boswell, desirous of eliciting his opinion on too many subjects, as he thought, he rose up and took his hat. This was not noticed by any body, as it was nine o'clock; but after we got into Mr. Langton's coach, who gave us a set down, he said, Boswell's conversation consists entirely in asking questions, and it is extremely offensive." We defended it upon Boswell's eagerness to hear the Doctor speak."

"Boswell took up the defence of suicide for argument's sake, and the Doctor said that some cases were more excusable than others, but if it were excusable, it should be the last resource. 'For instance,' he says, if a man is distressed in circumstances (as in the case I mentioned of Denny) he ought to fly the country.' How can he fly,' says Boswell, if he has wife and children?' 'What, Sir,' says the Doctor, shaking his head as if to promote the fermentation of his wit, doth not a man fly from his wife and children if he murders himself?""

many readers, and therefore poetry of a middle sort was entitled to some esteem; nor could I see why poetry should not, like every thing else, have different gradations of excellence, and, consequently of value. Johnson repeated the common remark, that "as there is no necessity for our having poetry at all, it being merely a luxury, an instrument of pleasure, it can have no value, unless when exquisite in its kind." I declared myself not satisfied. "Why then, Sir, (said he,) Horace and you must settle it." He was not much in the humour of talking.

No more of his conversation for some days appears in my journal, except that when a gentleman told him he had bought a suit of laces for his lady. He said, "Well, Sir, you have done a good thing, and a wise thing." "I have done a good thing, (said the gentleman,) but I do not know that I have done a wise thing." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir; no money is better spent than what is laid out for domestick satisfaction. A man is pleased that his wife is drest as well as other people; and a wife is pleased that she is drest."

On Friday, April 14, being Good-Friday, I repaired to him in the morning, according to my usual custom on this day, and breakfasted with him. I observed that he fasted so very strictly, that he did not even taste bread, and took no milk with his tea, I suppose because it is a kind of animal food.

He entered upon the state of the nation, and thus discoursed: "Sir, the great misfortune now is, that government has too little power. All that it has to bestow, must of necessity be given to support itself; so that it cannot reward merit. No man, for instance, can now be made a Bishop for his learning and piety; his only chance for promotion is his being connected with somebody who has parliamentary interest. Our several ministries in this reign have outbid each other in concessions to the people. Lord Bute, though a very honourable man,—a man who meant well,—a man who had his blood full of prerogative,—was a theoretical statesman, -a book-minister,-and thought this country could be governed by the influence of the Crown alone. Then, Sir, he gave up a great deal. He advised the King to agree that the Judges should hold their places for life, instead of losing them at the accession of a new King. Lord Bute, I suppose, thought to make the King popular by this concession; but the people never minded it; and it was a most impolitick measure. There is no reason why a Judge

a From this too just observation there are some eminent exceptions.

should hold his office for life, more than any other person in publick trust. A Judge may be partial otherwise than to the Crown: we have seen Judges partial to the populace. A Judge may become corrupt, and yet there may not be legal evidence against him. A Judge may become froward from age. A Judge may grow unfit for his office in many ways. It was desirable that there should be a possibility of being delivered from him by a new King. That is now gone by an act of parliament ex gratiâ of the Crown. Lord Bute advised the King to give up a very large sum of money," for which nobody thanked him. It was of consequence to the King, but nothing to the publick, among whom it was divided. When I say Lord Bute advised, I mean, that such acts were done when he was minister, and we are to suppose that he advised them.Lord Bute shewed an undue partiality to Scotchmen. He turned out Dr. Nichols, a very eminent man, from being physician to the King, to make room for one of his countrymen, a man very low in his profession. He had *********** and **** to go on errands for him. He had occasion for people to go on errands for him; but he should not have had Scotchmen; and, certainly, he should not have suffered them to have access to him before the first people in England."

I told him, that the admission of one of them before the first people in England, which had given the greatest offence, was no more than what happens at every minister's levee, where those who attend are admitted in the order that they have come, which is better than admitting them according to their rank; for if that were to be the rule, a man who has waited all the morning might have the mortification to see a peer, newly come, go in before him, and keep him waiting still. JOHNSON. "True, Sir; but **** should not have come to the levee, to be in the way of people of consequence.. He saw Lord Bute at all times; and could have said what he had

The money arising from the property of the prizes taken before the declaration of war, which were given to his Majesty by the peace of Paris, and amounted to upwards of 700,000l. and from the lands in the ceded islands, which were estimated at 200,000l. more. Surely, there was a noble munificence in this gift from a Monarch to his people. And let it be remembered, that during the Earl of Bute's administration, the King was graciously pleased to give up the hereditary revenues of the Crown, and to accept, instead of them, of the limited sum of 800,000l. a year; upon which Blackstone observes, that "The hereditary revenues, being put under the same management as the other branches of the publick patrimony, will produce more, and be better collected than heretofore; and the publick is a gainer of upwards of 100,000l. per annum, by this disinterested bounty of his Majesty." Book I. Chap. 8. p. 330.

a

It is easy to fill up these blanks, Boswell always giving his readers clue by scrupulously setting down the

proper number of stars.
and Home are alluded to.

Wedderburne

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