his whole attention to his office; and it is very proper that he should employ what time he has to himself, to his own advantage, in the most profitable manner."" Then, Sir (said Mr. Davies, who enlivened the dispute by making it somewhat dramatic), he may become an insurer; and when he is going to the bench he may be stopped- Your Lordship cannot go yet; here is a bunch of invoices; several ships are about to sail."-J." Sir, you may as well say a Judge should not have a house; for they may come and tell him, 'Your Lordship's house is on fire;' and so, instead of minding the business of his court, he is to be occupied in getting the engine with the greatest speed. There is no end of this. Every Judge, who has land, trades to a certain extent in corn or in cattle; and in the land itself undoubtedly. His steward acts for him, and so do clerks for a great merchant. A Judge may be a farmer; but he is not to castrate his own pigs. A Judge may play a little at cards for his amusement; but he is not to play at marbles, or at chuck-farthing in the Piazza. No, Sir; there is no profession to which a man gives a very great proportion of his time. It is wonderful when a calculation is made, how little the mind is actually employed in the discharge of any profession. No man would be a Judge, upon the condition of being totally a Judge. The best employed lawyer has his mind

at work but for a small proportion of his time: a great deal of his occupation is merely mechanical. -I once wrote for a Magazine: I made a calculation, that if I should write but a page a day, at the same rate, I should in ten years write nine volumes in folio of an ordinary size and print.". BOSWELL. "Such as Carte's History?"—J. "Yes, Sir. When a man writes from his own mind, he writes very rapidly. The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book."

Mr. Boswell argued warmly against the Judges trading, and mentioned Hale as an instance of a perfect Judge, who devoted himself entirely to his office.-J. "Hale, Sir, attended to other things beside law: he left a great estate."-B. "That was, because what he got accumulated without any exertion and anxiety on his part."

Johnson at another time observed, that abilities might be employed in a narrow sphere, as in getting money, which he said he believed no man could do without vigorous parts, though concen→ trated to a point. RAMSAY. "Yes, like a strong horse in a mill; he pulls better."

Mr. Strahan talked of launching into the great ocean of London in order to have a chance for rising into eminence; and, observing that many men were kept back from trying their fortunes

there, because they were born to a competency, said, "Small certainties are the bane of men of talents;" which Johnson confirmed. Mr. Strahan put Johnson in mind of a remark which he had made to him; "There are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money." "The more one thinks of this (said Strahan) the juster it will appear."

Talking of expence, Johnson observed with what munificence a great merchant will spend his money, both from his having it at command, and from his enlarged views by calculation of a good effect upon the whole. "Whereas (said he) you will hardly ever find a country gentleman who is not a good deal disconcerted at an unexpected occasion for his being obliged to lay out ten pounds."

Of an acquaintance whose manners and every thing about him, though expensive, were coarse, he said, "Sir, you see in him vulgar prosperity."

Upon a visit to Mr. Boswell at a country lodging near Twickenham, he asked what sort of society he had there. Mr. B. told him but indifferent; as they chiefly consisted of opulent traders, retired from business. Johnson said, he never much liked that class of people; "For (said he) they have lost the civility of tradesmen, without acquiring the manners of gentlemen."

Being once solicited to compose a funeral ser

mon for the daughter of a tradesman, he naturally enquired into the character of the deceased; and being told she was remarkable for her humility and condescension to inferiors, he observed, that those were very laudable qualities, but it might not be so easy to discover who the lady's inferiors were.

He made the common remark on the unhappiness which men who have led a busy life experience when they retire in expectation of enjoying themselves at ease, and that they generally languish for want of their habitual occupation, and wish to return to it. He mentioned as strong an instance of this as can well be imagined. "An eminent tallow-chandler in London, who had acquired a considerable fortune, gave up the trade in favour of his foreman, and went to live at a country house near town. He soon grew weary, and paid frequent visits to his old shop, where he desired they might let him know their meltingdays, and he would come and assist them; which he accordingly did. Here, Sir, was a man, to whom the most disgusting circumstance in the business to which he had been used, was a relief from idleness *.".

* The COMPILER has been informed of a living instance of the truth of this remark of Dr. Johnson's.

A tavern keeper in the neighbourhood of Holborn having saved money enough to retire from business, parted with his lease and

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TRAVELLING.

JOHNSON once talked with uncommon animation of travelling into distant countries; that the mind was enlarged by it, and that an acquisition of dignity of character was derived from it. He expressed a particular enthusiasm with respect to visiting the wall of China. Mr. Boswell caught it for the moment, and said he really believed he should go and see the wall of China, had he not children, of whom it was his duty to take care."Sir (said Johnson), by doing so, you would do what will be of importance in raising your children to eminence. There would be a lustre reflected upon them from your spirit and curiosity. They would be at all times regarded as the children of a man who had gone to view the wall of China. I am serious, Sir."

stock to his principal servant. Things went on well with the new proprietor, and for a short time the retired citizen endured the change; but ennui at length attacked him, and drove him to make very liberal offers to his successor to restore the concern. These, however, were refused: he then solicited to be admitted to a partnership; but this was not complied with. At length, so strong was the force of habit, he begged to be allowed to act as a waiter; in which occupation, it is said, he continues at the present day, in the very house where he acquired a fortune as