1776. eminent proofs, and the esteem annexed to whofe character was increased Etat. 67. by knowing him perfonally. He had talked of publishing an edition of Walton's Lives, but had laid aside that defign, upon Dr. Johnfon's telling him, from mistake, that Lord Hailes intended to do it. I had wished to negociate between Lord Hailes and him, that one or other should perform so good a work. JOHNSON. "In order to do it well, it will be neceffary to collect all the editions of Walton's Lives. By way of adapting the book to the taste of the prefent age, they have, in a later edition, left out a vifion which he relates Dr. Donne had, but it fhould be restored; and there fhould be a critical catalogue given of the works of the different perfons whofe lives were written by Walton, and therefore their works must be carefully read by the editor." We then went to Trinity College, where he introduced me to Mr. Thomas Warton, with whom we paffed a part of the evening. We talked of biography.-JOHNSON. "It is rarely well executed. They only who live with a man can write his life with any genuine exactnefs and difcrimination; and few people who have lived with a man know what to remark about him. The chaplain of a late Bishop, whom I was to affift in writing fome memoirs of his Lordship, could tell me almost nothing." I faid, Mr. Robert Dodfley's life fhould be written, as he had been so much connected with the wits of his time, and by his literary merit had raised himfelf from the ftation of a footman. Mr. Warton faid, he had published a little volume under the title of "The Mufe in Livery." JOHNSON. "I doubt whether DodЛley's brother would thank a man who fhould write his life: yet Dodsley himself was not unwilling that his original low condition should be recollected. When Lord Lyttelton's Dialogues of the Dead' came out, one of which is between Apicius, an ancient epicure, and Darteneuf, a modern epicure, Dodfley faid to me, I knew Darteneuf well, for I was once his footman." Biography led us to speak of Dr. John Campbell, who had written a confiderable part of the " of the "Biographia Britannica." Johnson, though he valued him highly, was of opinion that there was not fo much in his great work, "A Political Survey of Great-Britain," as the world had been taught to expect; and had faid to me, that he believed Campbell's difappointment, on account of the bad fuccefs of that work, had killed him. He this evening obferved of it, "That work was his death." Mr. Warton, not adverting to his meaning, anfwered, "I believe fo; from the great attention he bestowed on it." JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, he died of want of attention, if he died at all by that book." We talked of a work much in vogue at that time, written in a very melliflu 1776. ous style, but which, under pretext of another fubject, contained much artful Atat. 67. I mentioned Sir Richard Steele having published his "Chriftian Hero," with the avowed purpose of obliging himself to lead a religious life; yet, that his conduct was by no means strictly fuitable. JOHNSON. "Steele, I believe, practifed the lighter vices." Mr. Warton, being engaged, could not fup with us at our inn; we had therefore another evening by ourselves. I afked Johnson, whether a man's being forward in making himself known to eminent people, and seeing as much of life, and getting as much information as he could in every way, was not yet leffening himself by his forwardness. JOHNSON. "No, Sir; a man always makes himself greater, as he increases his knowledge." I cenfured fome ludicrous fantastick dialogues between two coach-horses, and other fuch stuff, which Baretti had lately published. He joined with me, and faid, " Nothing odd will do long. Triftram Shandy' did not laft." I expreffed a defire to be acquainted with a lady who had been much talked of, and univerfally celebrated for extraordinary addrefs and infinuation. JOHNSON. "Never believe extraordinary characters which you hear of people. Depend upon it, Sir, they are exaggerated. You do not fee one man fhoot a great deal higher than another." I mentioned Mr. Burke. JOHNSON. "Yes; Burke is an extraordinary man. His ftream of mind is perpetual." It is very pleafing to me to record, that Johnson's high eftimation of the talents of this gentleman was uniform from their early acquaintance. Sir Joshua Reynolds informs me, that when Mr. Burke was firft elected a member of parliament, and Sir John Hawkins expreffed a wonder at his attaining a feat, Johnson faid, "Now we who know Burke, know, that he will be one of the firft men in this country." And once, when Johnson was ill, and unable to exert himself as E 2 much 1776. Etat. 67. much as ufual without fatigue, Mr. Burke having been mentioned, he faid, That fellow calls forth all my powers. Were I to fee Burkę now, it would kill me." So much was he accustomed to confider converfation as a contest, and fuch was his notion of Burke as an opponent. Next morning, Thursday, March 21, we fet out in a post-chaise to purfueour ramble.. It was a delightful day, and we drove through Blenheim Park. When I looked at the magnificent bridge built by John Duke of Marlborough, over a small rivulet, and recollected. the Epigram made upon it "The lofty arch his high ambition fhows, "The ftream, an emblem of his bounty flows."" and faw that now, by the genius of Brown, a magnificent body of water was collected, I faid, "They have drowned the Epigram." I obferved to him, while in the midst of the noble scene around us, "You and I, Sir, have, I think, feen together the extremes of what can be feen in Britain ;-the wild rough island of Mull, and Blenheim Park.” We dined at an excellent inn at Chapel-house, where he expatiated on the felicity of England in its taverns and inns, and triumphed over the French for not having, in any perfection, the tavern life. "There is no private house (faid he,) in which people can enjoy themselves fo well, as at a capital tavern. Let there be ever fo great plenty of good things, ever fo much grandeur, ever fo much elegance, ever fo much defire that every body fhould be eafy; in the nature of things it cannot be there muft always be fome degree of care and anxiety. The master of the house is anxious to entertain his guests; the guests are anxious to be agreeable to him: and no man, but a very impudent dog indeed, can as freely command what is in another man's houfe, as if it were his own. Whereas, at a tavern, there is a general freedom from anxiety. You are fure you are welcome: and the more noife you make, the more trouble you give, the more good things you call for, the welcomer you are. No fervants will attend you with the alacrity which waiters do, who are incited by the profpect of an immediate reward, in proportion as they please. No, Sir; there is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which fo much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn." He then repeated, with great emotion, Shenstone's lines: "Whoe'er 1776. "Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round, "Where'er his stages may have been, Etat. 67. May figh, to think he still has found "The warmeft welcome at an inn'." In the afternoon, as we were driven rapidly along in the post-chaife, he faid to me," Life has not many things better than this." We stopped at Stratford upon Avon, and drank tea and coffee; and it pleased me to be with him upon the claffick ground of Shakspeare's native place. He spoke flightingly of Dyer's "Fleece," "The fubject, Sir, cannot be made poetical. How can a man write poetically of ferges and druggets Yet you will hear many people talk to you gravely of that excellent poem, THE FLEECE." He also spoke flightingly of Granger's "Sugar-Cane:" "Granger did not confider how few could be interested by that subject." I mentioned to him Mr. Langton's having told me, that this poem, when read in manufcript at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, had made all the affembled wits burst: into a laugh, when, after much blank-verfe pomp, the poet began a new paragraph thus:: "Now, Mufe, let's fing of rats." And what increased the ridicule was, that one of the company, who flily overlooked the reader, perceived that the word had been originally mice, and had been altered to rats, as more dignified. JOHNSON. "Percy was angry with me for laughing at The Sugar-Cane;' for he had a mind to make a great thing of Granger's rats. There was a review of it in The London Chronicle,' faid to be written by me; but I only helped Percy with it, and was in jest. Granger, however, might have been made a very good poet. He was an agreeable man, and would have done one any fervice in his power; but was, I think, quite deftitute of principle-I mean quite without any notion of obligation to rectitude-any principle of duty. He was a very unlucky man. He was for fome years furgeon to a regiment; he then got a Scotch degree as physician, and set up in London. Not fucceeding well there, and an offer being made to him by a rich West-Indian, to go and live with him as his companion for a few years, for which he was to receive an annuity of two hundred pounds during his life, Granger accepted it: but in the paffage he fell in love with a. young woman, who was a paffenger in the fhip; and, perhaps, grew tired of the gentleman, gave up his agreement, married the young woman, and went ! We happened to lye this night at the inn at Henley, the place where Shenftone wrote thefe lines. to 1776. to St. Chriftopher's and fet up as a physician there. He wrote to Johnston, an Etat. 67. apothecary in London, to fend him out a man to compound his medicines. Johnston fent him one, fuch as he could find, with an apology for his dullness. This fellow fet up as a rival to Granger in his practice of phyfick, and got fo much the better of him in the opinion of the people of St. Chriftopher's, that he carried away all the business; upon which Granger returned to England, and foon after died. His tranflation of Tibullus, is, I think, very well done but what could he make of a fugar-cane? One might as well write The Parfley-Bed, a Poem,' or, The Cabbage-Garden, a Poem." BOSWELL." You must then pickle your cabbage with the fal atticum." JOHNSON. "You know there is already The Hop-Garden, a Poem:' and, I think, one could fay a great deal about cabbage. The poem might begin with the advantages of civilised society over a rude state, exemplified by the Scotch, who had no cabbages till Oliver Cromwell's foldiers introduced them; and one might thus fhew how arts are propagated by conqueft, as they were by the Roman arms." He feemed to be much diverted with the fertility of his own fancy. I mentioned that I heard Dr. Percy was writing the hiftory of the wolf in Great-Britain. JOHNSON. "The wolf, Sir; why the wolf? Why does he not write of the bear, which we had formerly? nay, it is faid we had the .beaver. Or why does he not write of the grey rat, the Hanover rat, as it is called, because it is faid to have come into this country about the time that the family of Hanover came? I fhould like to fee The History of the Grey Rat, by Thomas Percy, D. D. Chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty," (laughing immoderately). BOSWELL. "I am afraid a court chaplain could not decently write of the grey rat." JOHNSON. "Sir, he need not give it the name of the Hanover rat." On Friday, March 22, having left Henley, where we had lain the preceding night, at an early hour, we arrived at Birmingham about nine o'clock, and, after breakfast, went to call on his old fchoolfellow, Mr. Hector. A very stupid maid, who opened the door, told us, that " her mafter was gone out; he was gone to the country; fhe could not tell when he would return." In fhort, fhe gave us a miferable reception; and Johnfon obferved, "She would have behaved no better to people who wanted him in the way of his profeffion." He said to her, "My name is Johnfon; tell him I called. Will you remember the name?" She answered, with ruftick fimplicity, in the Warwickshire pronunciation, “I don't understand you, Sir." "Blockhead, (faid he,) I'll write." I never heard the word blockhead applied to a woman before, though |