Yet no man had a higher notion of the dignity of literature than Johnson, or was more determined in maintaining the respect which he justly considered as due to it. Of this, besides the general tenor of his conduct in society, some characteristical instances may be mentioned. He told Sir Joshua Reynolds, that once when he dined in a numerous company of booksellers, where the room, being small, the head of the table, at which he sat, was almost close to the fire, he persevered in suffering a great deal of inconvenience from the heat, rather than quit his place, and let one of them sit above him. Goldsmith, in his diverting simplicity, complained one day, in a mixed company, of Lord Camden. "I met him," said he, "at Lord Clare's house in the country, and he took no more notice of me than if I had been an ordinary man." The company having laughed heartily, Johnson stood forth in defence of his friend. "Nay, gentlemen," said he, "Dr. Goldsmith is in the right. A nobleman ought to have made up to such a man as Goldsmith; and I think it is much against Lord Camden that he neglected him " 66 Nor could he patiently endure to hear, that such respect as he thought due only to higher intellectual qualities should be bestowed on men of slighter, though perhaps more amusing, talents. I told him, that one morning, when I went to breakfast with Garrick, who was very vain of his intimacy with Lord Camden, he accosted me thus: "Pray now, did you did you meet a little lawyer turning the corner, eh?" No, sir," said I Pray what do you mean by the question?" Why," replied Garrick, with an affected indifference, yet, as if standing on tip-toe, "Lord Camden has this moment left me. We have had a long walk together." JOHNSON. "Well, sir, Garrick talked very properly. Lord Camden was a little lawyer to be associating so familiarly with a player." Sir Joshua Reynolds observed, with great truth, that Johnson considered Garrick to be as it were his property. He would allow no man either to blame or to praise Garrick in his presence, without contradicting him 2. wondered that Fortune, who is represented as blind, should, in this instance, have been so just." -BOSWELL. [See ante, vol. i. p. 273, n.—ED.] 2 [Sir Joshua Reynolds wrote two dialogues, in illustration of this position, in the first of which Johnson attacks Garrick in opposition to Sir Joshua, and in the other defends him against Gibbon. They were originally published in a periodical work, but are preserved in Miss Hawkins's Memoirs, v. ii. p. 110. Lord Farnborough has obligingly communicated to the Editor the evi Having fallen into a very serious frame of mind, in which mutual expressions of kindness passed between us, such as would be thought too vain in me to repeat, I talked with regret of the sad inevitable certainty that one of us must survive the other. JOHNSON. "Yes, sir, that is an affecting consideration. I remember Swift, in one of his letters to Pope, says, I intend to come over, that we may meet once more; and when we must part, it is what happens to all human beings."" BOSWELL. The hope that we shall see our departed friends again must support the mind." JOHNSON. Why, yes, sir 3." BOSWELL. "There is a strange unwillingness to part with life, independent of serious fears as to futurity. A reverend friend of ours 4 (naming him) tells me, that he feels an uneasiness at the thoughts of leaving his house, his study, his books." JOHNSON. "This is foolish in *****. A man need not be uneasy on these grounds: for, as he will retain his consciousness, he may say with the philosopher, Omnia mea mecum porto." BOSWELL. "True, sir: we may carry our books in our heads; but still there is something painful in the thought of leaving for ever what has given us pleasure. I remember, many years ago, when my imagination was warm, and I happened to be in a melancholy mood, it distressed me to think of going into a state of being in which Shakspeare's poetry did not exist. A lady, who I then much admired, a very amiable woman, humoured my fancy, and relieved me by saying, The first thing you will meet with in the other world will be an elegant copy of Shakspeare's works presentto you."" Dr. Johnson smiled 5 benignantly at this, and did not appear to disapprove of the notion. Piozzi. p. 144. [Knowing the state of Dr. Johnson's nerves, and how easily they were affected, Mrs. Piozzi forbore reading in a new magazine, one day, the death of a Samuel Johnson who expired that month; but he, snatching up the book, saw it himself, and, contrary to her expectation, only said, "Oh! I hope death will now be glutted with Sam Johnsons, and let me alone for some time to come: I read of another namesake's departure last week."] We went to St. Clement's church again in the afternoon, and then returned and drank tea and coffee in Mrs. Williams's room; Mrs. Desmoulins doing the honours of the tea-table. I observed that he would not even look at a proof-sheet of his "Life of Waller" on Good-Friday. 66 undoubtedly stupendous examples; and, with regard to true Christian perfection, Í have heard Johnson say, "That George Psalmanazar's piety, penitence, and virtue, exceeded almost what we read as wonderful even in the lives of saints." This extraordinary person lived and died at a house in Old-street, where Dr. Johnson was witness to his talents and virtues, and to his final preference of the church of England, after having studied, disgraced, and adorned so many modes of worship. The name he went by was not supposed by his friend to be that of his family; but all inquiries were vain; his reasons for concealing his original were penitentiary; he deserved no other name than that of the Im versal History which was written by him does not seem to me to be composed with peculiar spirit; but all traces of the wit and the wanderer were probably worn out before he undertook the work. His pious and patient endurance of a tedious illness, ending in an exemplary death, confirmed the strong impression his merit had made upon the mind of Dr. Johnson.] Mr. Allen, the printer, brought a book on agriculture, which was printed, and was soon to be published. It was a very strange performance, the authour having mixed in it his own thoughts upon various topicks, along with his remarks on ploughing, sowing, and other farming operations. He seemed to be an absurd profane fellow, and had introduced in his books many sneers at religion, with equal ignorance and conceit. Dr. Johnson permitted me to read some passages aloud. One was that he re-postor, he said. That portion of the Unisolved to work on Sunday, and did work, but he owned he felt some weak compunetion; and he had this very curious reflection: "I was born in the wilds of Christianity, and the briers and thorns still hang about me." Dr. Johnson could not help laughing at this ridiculous image, yet was very angry at the fellow's impiety. However," said he, "the reviewers will make him hang himself." He, however, observed, “that formerly there might have been a dispensation obtained for working on Sunday in the time of harvest." Indeed in ritual observ-.ble, as that of Psalmanazar, for its purity and ances, were all the ministers of religion devotion. He told many anecdotes of him; what they should be, and what many of and said, he was supposed, by his accent, them are, such a power might be wisely and to have been a Gascon; but that he spoke safely lodged with the church. English with the city accent, and coarse enough. He for some years spent his evenings at a publick-house near Old-street, where many persons went to talk with him. When Dr. Johnson was asked whether he ever contradicted Psalmanazar; "I should as soon," said, "have thought of contradicting a bishop: " so high did he hold his character in the latter part of his life. When he was asked whether he ever mentioned Formosa before him, he said, " he was afraid to mention even China."] On Saturday, 18th April, I drank tea with him. He praised the late Mr. Duncombe 2, of Canterbury, as a pleasing man. "He used to come to me; I did not seek much after him. Indeed I never sought much after any body." BoswELL. "Lord Orrery, I suppose." JOHNSON. "No, sir; I never went to him but when he sent for me." BOSWELL. "Richardson?" JOHNSON. "Yes, sir: but I sought after George Psalmanazar the most. I used to go and sit with him at an ale-house in the city." Piozzi, [When Mrs. Piozzi asked Dr. p. 134, 155. He had never, he said, seen the Hawk. close of the life of any one that he wished so much his own to resem Apoph. p. 206. I am happy to mention another instance which I discovered of his seeking after a Johnson who was the best man he man of merit. Soon after the Honourable had ever known? "Psalmanazar Daines Barrington had published his excelwas the unexpected reply. He said, like- lent "Observations on the Statutes," wise," that though a native of France, as Johnson waited on that worthy and learned his friend imagined, he possessed more of gentleman; and, having told him his name, the English language than any other for- courteously said, "I have read your book, eigner who had fallen in his way." Though sir, with great pleasure, and wish to be there was much esteem, however, there was better known to you." Thus began an acI believe but little confidence between them; quaintance, which was continued with muthey conversed merely about general topics,tual regard as long as Johnson lived. religion and learning, of which both were Talking of a recent seditious delinquent 4, 3 4to. 1766. The worthy authour died many years after Johnson, March 13, 1800, aged about 74.-MALONE. 4 [Mr. Horne Tooke, who had been in the preceding July convicted of a seditious libel. The he said, "They should set him in the pillo- my house. I was obliged to tell her that ry, that he may be punished in a way that you would be in as respectable a situation would disgrace him." I observed, that the in my house as in her's. 66 Sir, the insopillory does not always disgrace. And I lence of wealth will creep out." Boswell. mentioned an instance of a gentleman 1," She has a little both of the insolence of who I thought was not dishonoured by it. wealth and the conceit of parts." JOHNJOHNSON. "Ay, but he was, sir. He SON. "The insolence of wealth is a wretchcould not mouth and strut as he used to do, ed thing; but the conceit of parts has some after having been there. People are not foundation. To be sure, it should not be. willing to ask a man to their tables who But who is without it?” BOSWELL. has stood in the pillory." "Yourself, sir." JOHNSON. Why, I The gentleman who had dined with us at play no tricks: I lay no traps." BOSWELL. Dr. Percy's 2 came in. Johnson attacked" No, sir. You are six feet high, and you the Americans with intemperate vehemence only do not stoop." of abuse. I said something in their favour; and added, that I was always sorry when he talked on that subject. This, it seems, exasperated him; though he said nothing at the time. The cloud was charged with sulphureous vapour, which was afterwards to burst in thunder. We talked of a gentleman 3 who was running out his fortune in London; and I said, "We must get him out of it. All his friends must quarrel with him, and that will soon drive him away." JOHNSON, "Nay, sir, we'll send you to him. If your company does not drive a man out of his house, nothing will." This was a horrible shock, for which there was no visible cause. I afterwards asked him why he had said so harsh a thing. JOHNSON. “Because, sir, you made me angry [Yesterday (18th) I rose late, about the Americans." BOSWELL. "But having not slept ill. Having prowhy did you not take your revenge direct-mised a dedication, I thought it ly?" JOHNSON (Smiling). "Because, necessary to write; but for some time neisir, I had nothing ready. A man cannot ther wrote nor read. Langton came in and strike till he has his weapons. This was talked. After dinner I wrote. At tea Bosa candid and pleasant confession. well came in. He staid till near twelve.] He showed me to-night his drawingroom, very genteelly fitted up, and said, Mrs. Thrale sneered when I talked of my having asked you and your lady to live at وو sentence-pronounced in November, 1777-was a year's imprisonment, and 2007. fine; but it seems strange that Johnson should, in April, 1778, have spoken conjecturally of a sentence passed six months before. Perhaps the conversation occurred at Ashbourn in the preceding autumn, when the sentence was a subject of much conJecture and curiosity, and that, by some mistake in arranging his notes, Mr. Boswell has misplaced it here.-ED.] [Probably Dr. Shebbeare. It was Shebbeare's exposure which suggested the witty allusion of the Heroick Epistle, 'Does envy doubt? Witness, ye chosen train, p. 162, of this volume.-BosWELL. 3 [Mr. Langton.—ED.] ́ We talked of the numbers of people that sometimes have composed the household of great families. I mentioned that there were a hundred in the family of the present Earl of Eglintoune's father. Dr. Johnson seeming to doubt it, I began to enumerate; "Let us see, my lord and my lady, two." JOHNSON. "Nay, sir, if you are to count by twos, you may be long enough." BosWELL. "Well, but now I add two sons and seven daughters, and a servant for each, that will make twenty; so we have the fifth part already." JOHNSON. 66 Very true. You get at twenty pretty readily; but you will not so easily get further on. We grow to five feet pretty readily; but it is not so easy to grow to seven." 4 Prayers & Med. p. 163. On Sunday, 19th April, being Easterday, after the solemnities of the festival in St. Paul's church, I visited him, but could not stay to dinner. I expressed a wish to have the arguments for Christianity always in readiness, that my religious faith might be as firm and clear as any proposition whatever; so that I need not be under the least uneasiness when it should be attacked. JOHNSON. objections. You have demonstration for a Sir, you cannot answer all first cause: you see he must be good as well make him otherwise, and goodness of itself as powerful, because there is nothing to is preferable. Yet you have against this, what is very certain, the unhappiness of human life. This, however, gives us reason to hope for a future state of compensation, that there may be a perfect system. But of that we were not sure till we had a posiselas" had often made me unhappy; for it tive revelation." I told him that his "Rasrepresented the misery of human life so well, 4 [He means that if it had not been in performance of a promise, he would not have done any worldly business on Easter eve. What the dedication was does not appear.-ED.] and so convincingly to a thinking mind, that if at any time the impression wore off, and I felt myself easy, I began to suspect some delusion. the well-known names with which it is filled, it would be nothing: the names carry the poet, not the poet the names." MusGRAVE. "A temporary poem always entertains us. JOHNSON. "So does an account of the criminals hanged yesterday entertain us." land of Ireland, son to the historian, Mrs. Cholmondeley, and some more ladies. "The Project," a new poem, was read to the company by Dr. Musgrave. JOHNSON. [In reviewing my time from Easter," Sir, it has no power. Were it not for 1777, I found a very melancholy and shameful blank. So little has been done, that days and months are without any trace. My health has, indeed, been very much interrupted. My nights have been commonly, not only restless, but painful and fatiguing. My respiration was once so difficult, that an asthma was suspected. I could not walk, but with great difficulty, from Stowhill to Greenhill. Some relaxation of my breast has been procured, I think, by opium, which, though it never gives me sleep, frees my breast from spasms. I have written a little of the Lives of the Poets I think with all my usual vigour. I have made sermons, perhaps as readily as formerly. My memory is less faithful in .retaining names, and, I am afraid, in retaining occurrences. Of this vacillation and vagrancy of mind, I impute a great part to a fortuitous and unsettled life, and therefore purpose to spend my time with more method.] On Monday, 20th April, I found him at home in the morning. We talked of a gentleman who we apprehended was gradually involving his circumstances by bad management. JOHNSON. "Wasting a fortune is evaporation by a thousand imperceptible means. If it were a stream, they 'd stop it. You must speak to him. It is really miserable. Were he a gamester, it could be said he had hopes of winning. Were he a bankrupt in trade, he might have grown rich; but he has neither spirit to spend, nor resolution to spare. He does not spend fast enough to have pleasure from it. He has the crime of prodigality, and the wretchedness of parsimony. If a man is killed in a duel, he is killed as many a one has been killed; but it is a sad thing for a man to lie down and die; to bleed to death, because he has not fortitude enough to sear the wound, or even to stitch it up." I cannot but pause a moment to admire the fecundity of fancy, and choice of language, which in this instance, and, indeed, on almost all occasions, he displayed. It was well observed by Dr. Percy, (afterwards Bishop of Dromore), "The conversation of Johnson is strong and clear, and may be compared to an antique statue, where every vein and muscle is distinct and bold. Ordinary conversation resembles an inferiour cast." On Saturday, 25th April, I dined with him at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, with the learned Dr. Musgrave 2, Counsellor Le He proceeded;-" Demosthenes Taylor, as he was called (that is, the editor of Demosthenes), was the most silent man, the merest statue of a man, that I have ever seen. I once dined in company with him, and all he said during the whole time was no more than Richard. How a man should say only Richard, it is not easy to imagine. But it was thus: Dr. Douglas was talking of Dr. Zachary Grey, and ascribing to him something that was written by Dr. Richard Grey. So, to correct him, Taylor said 'Richard.'" Mrs. Cholmondeley, in a high flow of spirits, exhibited some lively sallies of hyperbolical compliment to Johnson, with whom she had been long acquainted, and was very easy. He was quick in catching the manner of the moment, and answered her somewhat in the style of the hero of a romance, "Madam, you crown me with unfading laurels." Essay, p. 137. [Sitting at table one day with Murph. Mrs. Cholmondeley, he took hold of her hand in the middle of dinner, and held it close to his eye, wondering at the delicacy and whiteness, till, with a smile, she asked, "Will he give it to me again when he has done with it?"] I happened, I know not how, to say that a pamphlet meant a prose piece. JOHNSON. "No, sir. A few sheets of poetry unbound are a pamphlet 3, as much as a few sheets of prose." MUSGRAVE. "A pamphlet may be understood to mean a poetical piece in Westminster-hall, that is, in formal language; but in common language it is understood to mean prose." JOHNSON. (And here was one of the many instances of his knowing clearly and telling exactly how a thing is), ides, and authour of 66 Dissertations on the Grecian Mythology," &c. published in 1782, after He 3 Dr. Johnson is here perfectly correct, and is supported by the usage of preceding writers. So in Musarum Delicia, a collection of poems, 8vo. 1656, (the writer is speaking of Suckling's play entitled Aglaura, printed in folio): "This great voluminous pamphlet may be said, "A pamphlet is understood in common language to mean prose, only from this, that there is so much more prose written than poetry; as when we say a book, prose is understood for the same reason, though a book may as well be in poetry as in prose. We understand what is most general, and we name what is less frequent. 66 We talked of a lady's verses on Ireland. MISS REYNOlds. "Have you seen them, sir?" JOHNSON. "No, madam; I have seen a translation from Horace, by one of her daughters. She showed it me.' MISS REYNOLDS. "And how was it, sir,?" JOHNSON. Why, very well, for a young miss's verses; that is to say, compared with excellence, nothing; but very well, for the person who wrote them. I am vexed at being shown verses in that manner." Miss REYNOLDS. "But if they should be good, why not give them hearty praise?" JOHNSON. "Why, madam, because I have not then got the better of my bad humour from having been shown them. You must consider, madam, beforehand they may be bad as well as good. Nobody has a right to put another under such a difficulty, that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth, or hurt himself by telling what is not true." BOSWELL. "A man often shows his writings to people of eminence, to obtain from them, either from their good-nature, or from their not being able to tell the truth firmly, a commendation, of which he may afterwards avail himself." JOHNSON. "Very true, sir. Therefore, the man who is asked by an authour, what he thinks of his work, is put to the torture, and is not obliged to speak the truth; so that what he says is not considered as his opinion; yet he has said it, and cannot retract it; and this authour, when mankind are hunting him with a canister at his tail, can say, 'I would not have published, had not Johnson, or Reynolds, or Musgrave, or some other good judge commended the work.' Yet I consider it as a very difficult question in conscience, whether one should advise a man not to publish a work, if profit be his object; for the man may say, Had it not been for you, I should have had the money.' Now you cannot be sure; for you have only your own opinion, and the publick may think very differently." SIR JOSHUA REY of Wakefield' I myself did not think would have had much success. It was written and sold to a bookseller before his Traveller,' but published after; so little expecta tion had the bookseller from it. Had it been sold after The Traveller,' he might have had twice as much money for it, though sixty guineas was no mean price. The bookseller had the advantage of Goldsmith's reputation from The Traveller 'in the sale, though Goldsmith had it not in selling the copy." SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. "The Beggar's Opera affords a proof how strangely people will differ in opinion about a literary performance. Burke thinks it has no merit." JOHNSON. "It was refused by one of the houses; but I should have thought it would succeed, not from any great excellence in the writing, but from the novelty, and the general spirit and gaiety of the piece, which keeps the audience always attentive, and dismisses them in good humour." We went to the drawing-room, where was a considerable increase of company. Several of us got round Dr. Johnson, and complained that he would not give us an exact catalogue of his works, that there might be a complete edition. He smiled, and evaded our entreaties. That he intended to do it, I have no doubt, because I have heard him say so; and I have in my possession an imperfect list, fairly written out, which he entitles Historia Studiorum. I once got from one of his friends a list, which there was pretty good reason to suppose was accurate, for it was written down in his presence by this friend, who enumerated each article aloud, and had some of them mentioned to him by Mr. Levett, in concert with whom it was made out; and Johnson, who heard all this, aid not contradict it. But when I showed a copy of this list to him, and mentioned the evidence for its exactness, he laughed, and said, "I was willing to let them go on as they pleas ed, and never interfered." Upon which I read it to him, article by article, and got him positively to own or refuse; and then, having obtained certainty so far, I got some other articles confirmed by him directly, and, afterwards, from time to time, made additions under his sanction. His friend, Edward Cave, having been mentioned, he told us, " Cave used to sell ten thousand of The Gentleman's Magazine;' yet such was then his minute attention and anxiety that the sale should not suffer the smallest decrease, that he would name a particular person who he heard had talked of leaving off the Magazine, and would say, 'Let us have something good next month.'" It was observed, that avarice was inherent in some dispositions. JOHNSON. "No |