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vol. ii.

p. 43.

Letters, The night was troublesome. On Tuesday I fasted, and went to the doctor: he ordered bleeding. On Wednesday I had the tea-pot, fasted, and was blooded. Wednesday night was better. To-day I have dined at Mr. Strahan's, at Islington, with his new wife. To-night there will be opium; to-morrow the teapot; then heigh for Saturday. I wish the doctor would bleed me again, Yet every body that I meet says that I look better than when I was last met."]

During my stay in London this spring, I find I was unaccountably negligent in preserving Johnson's sayings, more so than at any time when I was happy enough to have an opportunity of hearing his wisdom and wit. There is no help for it now. I must content myself with presenting such scraps as I have. But I am nevertheless ashamed and vexed to think how much has been lost. It is not that there was a bad crop this year, but that I was not sufficiently careful in gathering it in. I therefore, in some instances, can only exhibit a few detached fragments.

Talking of the wonderful concealment of the authour of the celebrated letters signed Junius, he said, “I should have believed Burke to be Junius, because I know no man but Burke who is capable of writing these letters; but Burke spontaneously denied it to me. The case would have been different, had I asked him if he was the authour; a man so questioned, as to an anonymous publication, may think he has a right to deny it."

He observed that his old friend, Mr. Sheridan, had been honoured with extraordinary attention in his own country, by having had an exception made in his favour in an Irish act of parliament concerning insolvent debtors 1. "Thus to be singled out," said he,

[This is a total mistake. Mr. White tells us of the personal civility with which some members of a committee of the Irish house of commons on a bill for the relief of insolvent debtors treated Mr. Sheridan and Mr. White who appeared on his behalf, but there is no exception in the act. Sheridan's name is one of some hundreds, and has no distinction whatsoever. The favour he sought was, to be included in the act without being in actual custody, as he was

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by a legislature, as an object of public consideration and kindness, is a proof of no common merit."

p. 20.

At Streatham, on Monday, March 29, at breakfast, he maintained that a father had no right to control the inclinations of his daughter in marriage. [Of Piozzi, parental authority, indeed, few people thought with a lower degree of estimation. Mrs. Thrale one day mentioned the resignation of Cyrus to his father's will, as related by Xenophon, when, after all his conquests, he requested the consent of Cambyses to his marriage with a neighbouring princess; and she added Rollin's applause and recommendation of the example. "Do you not perceive, then," says Johnson, "that Xenophon on this occasion commends like a pedant, and Pere Rollin applauds like a slave? If Cyrus, by his conquests, had not purchased emancipation, he had conquered to little purpose indeed. Can you forbear to see the folly of a fellow who has in his care the lives of thousands, when he begs his papa's permission to be married, and confesses his inability to decide in a matter which concerns no man's happiness but his own?" Dr. Johnson caught Mrs. Thrale another time reprimanding the daughter of her housekeeper for having sat down unpermitted in her mother's presence. Why, she gets her living, does she not," said he, "without her mother's help? Let the wench alone," continued he. And when they were again out of the women's sight who were concerned in the dispute, "Poor people's children, dear lady," said he, "never respect them. I did not respect my own mother, though I loved her and one day, when in anger, she called me a puppy, I asked her if she knew what they called a puppy's mother."]

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On Wednesday, 31st March, when I visited him,

resident in France; this he obtained, but not specially, for one hundred and twenty other persons, in similar circumstances, are also included. See Schedule to Irish Statute, 5th Geo. 3rd, chap. 23.-ED.]

and confessed an excess of which I had very seldom been guilty-that I had spent a whole night in playing at cards, and that I could not look back on it with satisfaction-instead of a harsh animadversion, he mildly said, "Alas, sir, on how few things can we look back with satisfaction!"

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On Thursday, 1st April, he commended one of the Dukes of Devonshire for "a dogged veracity 1." He said, too, "London is nothing to some people; but to a man whose pleasure is intellectual, London is the place. And there is no place where economy can be so well practised as in London: more can be had here for the money, even by ladies, than any where else. You cannot play tricks with your fortune in a small place; you must make an uniform appearance. Here a lady may have well-furnished apartments, and elegant dress, without any meat in her kitchen."

I was amused by considering with how much ease and coolness he could write or talk to a friend, exhorting him not to suppose that happiness was not to be found as well in other places as in London; when he himself was at all times sensible of its being, comparatively speaking, a heaven upon earth. The truth is, that by those who from sagacity, attention, and experience, have learnt the full advantage of London, its pre-eminence over every other place, not only for variety of enjoyment, but for comfort, will be felt with a philosophical exultation. The freedom from remark and petty censure, with which life may be passed there, is a circumstance which a man who knows the teasing restraint of a narrow circle must relish highly. Mr. Burke, whose orderly and amiable domestick habits might make the eye of observation less irksome to him than to most men, said once very pleasantly, in my hearing, "Though I have

1 See ante, p. 38.--BOSWELL.

the honour to represent Bristol, I should not like to live there; I should be obliged to be so much upon my good behaviour." In London, a man may live in splendid society at one time, and in frugal retirement at another, without animadversion. There, and there alone, a man's own house is truly his castle, in which he can be in perfect safety from intrusion whenever he pleases. I never shall forget how well this was expressed to me one day by Mr. Meynell: "The chief advantage of London," said he, “is, that a man is always so near his burrow."{

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"He is

He said of one of his old acquaintances 1, very fit for a travelling governour. He knows French very well. He is a man of good principles; and there would be no danger that a young gentleman should catch his manner; for it is so very bad, that it must be avoided. In that respect he would be like the drunken Helot."

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A gentleman has informed me, that Johnson said of the same person, "Sir, he has the most inverted understanding of any man whom I have ever known." 20On Friday, 2d April, being Good-Friday, I visited him in the morning as usual; and finding that we insensibly fell into a train of ridicule upon the foibles of one of our friends, a very worthy man, I, by way of a check, quoted some good admonition from "The Government of the Tongue," that very pious book. It happened also remarkably enough, that the subject of the sermon preached to us to-day by Dr. Burrows, the rector of St. Clement Danes, was the certainty that at the last day we must give an account of " the deeds done in the body;" and amongst various acts of culpability he mentioned evil-speaking. As we were moving slowly along in the crowd from church, Johnson jogged my elbow and said, "Did you attend

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[Probably Mr. Elphinstone, the schoolmaster of Kensington, and translator of Martial. See ante, v. i. p. 186. n. and v. ii. p. 166.—ED.]

ED.

Pr. and

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to the sermon ?" "Yes, sir," said I; "it was very applicable to us.' He, however, stood upon the defensive. "Why, sir, the sense of ridicule is given us, and may be lawfully used. The authour of "The Government of the Tongue' would have us treat all men alike."

In the interval between morning and evening service, he endeavoured to employ himself earnestly in devotional exercise; and, as he has mentioned in his

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Prayers and Meditations," gave me "Les Pensées de Paschal," that I might not interrupt him. I preserve the book with reverence. His presenting it to me is marked upon it with his own hand, and I have found in it a truly divine unction. We went to church again in the afternoon.

On Saturday, 3d April, I visited him at night, and found him sitting in Mrs. Williams's room, with her, and one who he afterwards told me was a natural son 1 of the second Lord Southwell. The table had a singular appearance, being covered with a heterogeneous assemblage of oysters and porter for his company, and tea for himself. I mentioned my having heard an eminent physician, who was himself a Christian, argue in favour of universal toleration, and maintain, that no man could be hurt by another man's differing from him in opinion. JOHNSON. "Sir, you are to a certain degree hurt by knowing that even one man does not believe."

[His annual review of his conduct appears to have been this year more detailed and severe than usual.]

[April 2.-Good Friday.-I am now to review the last year, Med. p. and find little but dismal vacuity, neither business nor pleasure; 171-173 much intended, and little done. My health is much broken; my nights afford me little rest.

I have tried opium, but its

1 Mr. Mauritius Lowe, a painter, in whose favour Johnson, some years afterwards, wrote a kind letter to Sir Joshua Reynolds.-MALONE.

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