19 towards me, or offering me a share in the conversation?' That was because you frighted him who spoke first about those hot balls. Why, madam, if a creature is neither capable of giving dignity to falsehood, nor willing to remain contented with the truth, he deserves no better treatment to silques "Dr. Johnson's fixed incredulity of every thing he heard, and his little care to conceal that incredulity, was teasing enough, to be sure; and I saw Mr. Sharp3 was pained exceedingly, when relating the history of a hurricane that happened about that time in the West Indies, where, for aught I know, he had himself lost some friends too, he observed Dr. Johnson believed not a syllable of the account. For 'tis so 6 easy,' says he, for a man to fill his mouth with wonder, and run about telling the lie before it can be detected, that I have no heart to believe hurricanes easily raised by the first inventor, and blown forwards by thousands more.' I asked him once if he believed the story of the destruction of Lisbon by an earthquake, when it first happened. 'Oh! not for six months,' said he, at least. I did think that story too dreadful to be credited, and can hardly yet per 6 [Mr. Malone, in his MS. notes, is very indignant that Mrs. Piozzi has omitted to state what the story was which produced this observation, and because she has not done so questions the veracity of the whole anecdote; but this is very unjust. Mrs. Piozzi's object was to exhibit Johnson's manners, and not to record the minute details of the quaker's story.-ED.] 2 [Mr. Malone, in his MS. notes, observes on this passage, “ Here is another GROSS MISREPRESENTATION. He had no fixed incredulity concerning every thing he heard; but he had observed the great laxity with which almost every story is told, and therefore always examined it accurately, and frequently found some gross exaggeration. The writer herself had not the smallest regard for truth, as Johnson told Mr. Boswell (see his Life of Johnson), and hence this scrutinising habit of her guest was to her a very sore subject." On this the Editor must take leave to say, that Mr. Malone's observation defeats itself; because if Dr. Johnson's incredulity was a sore subject with Mrs. Piozzi, she cannot be blamed for recording it. Mr. Malone might have questioned her judgment, in but not her sincerity, that Johnson was equally incredulous as to other persons, in describing him as she found him; and if he found almost every story told with great laxity, is it surprising that he should have an habitual incredulity?-ED.] use salt amging 3 [See ante, vol. iii. p. 420. ED.] \)} suade myself that it was true to the full extent we Piozzi all of us have heard. Anec. "Though thus uncommonly ready both to give and p. 111. take offence, Dr. Johnson had many rigid maxims concerning the necessity of continued softness and compliance of disposition: and when I once mentioned Shenstone's idea, that some little quarrel among lovers, relations, and friends, was useful, and contributed to their general happiness upon the whole, by making the soul feel her elastic force, and return to the beloved object with renewed delight: Why, what a pernicious maxim is this now,' cried Dr. Johnson: all quarrels ought to be avoided studiously, particularly conjugal ones, as no one can possibly tell where they may end; besides that lasting dislike is often the consequence of occasional disgust, and that the cup of life is surely bitter enough, without squeezing in the hateful rind of resentment.' 1 “A very ignorant young fellow, who had plagued p. 166. us all for nine or ten months, died at last consumptive: I think,' said Dr. Johnson, when he heard the news, I am afraid I should have been more concerned for the death of the dog; but ' hesitating awhile, I am not wrong now in all this, for the dog acted up to his character on every occasion that we know; but that dunce of a fellow helped forward the general disgrace of humanity. Why, dear sir,' said I, how odd you are! you have often said the lad was not capable of receiving farther instruction.' 'He was,' replied the doctor, like a corked bottle, with a drop of dirty water in it, to be sure; one might pump upon it for ever without the smallest effect; but when every method to open and clean it had been tried [in vain], you would not have me grieve that the bottle was broke at last.' Piozzi Anec. "This was the same youth who told us he had been 6 p. 167. reading Lucius Florus; Florus Delphini was the phrase: and, my mother,' said he, thought it had something to do with Delphos; but of that I know nothing.', Who founded Rome then?' inquired Mr. Thrale. The lad replied, Romulus.' And who succeeded Romulus?' said I. A long pause, and apparently distressful hesitation, followed the difficult question. Why will you ask him in terms that he does not comprehend?' said Dr. Johnson, enraged. You might as well bid him tell you who phlebotomized Romulus. This fellow's dulness is elastic,' continued he, and all we do is but like kicking at a woolsack.' The pains he took however to obtain the young man more patient instructors were many, and oftentimes repeated. He was put under the care of a clergyman in a distant province; and Dr. Johnson used both to write and talk to his friend concerning his education. p. 156. p. 72. p. 189. "A young fellow, less confident of his own abilities, lamenting one day that he had lost all his Greek'I believe it happened at the same time, sir,' said Johnson, that I lost all my large estate in Yorkshire.' "Of a Jamaica gentleman, then lately dead, he said He will not, whither he is now gone, find much difference, I believe, either in the climate or the company.'!: "Returning home one day from dining at the chaplains' table, he told me, that Dr. Goldsmith had given a very comical and unnecessarily exact recital there of his own feelings when his play was hissed; telling the company how he went indeed to the Literary Club at night, and chatted gaily among his friends, as if nothing had happened amiss; that to 1 [At St. James's palace.-ED.] མམ་པལ་ p. 190. impress them still more forcibly with an idea of his Piozzi magnanimity, he even sung his favourite song about nec.. an old woman tossed in a blanket seventeen times as high as the moon, but all this while I was suffering horrid tortures,' said he, and verily believe that if I aid he, an had put a bit into my mouth it would have strangled me on the sp spot, I was so excessively ill; but I made nore noise than usual to cover all that; and so they never perceived my not" eating, nor I believe at all imaged to themselves the anguish of my heart: but when all were gone except Johnson here, I burst out a-crying, and even swore that I would never write again.' All which, doctor,' said Dr. Johnson, amazed at his odd frankness, I thought had been a secret between you and me; and I am sure I would not have said any thing about it for the world. Now see,' repeated he when he told the story, 'what a figure a man makes who thus unaccountably chooses to be the frigid narrator of his own disgrace. Il volto sciolto, ed i pensieri stretti, was a proverb made on purpose for such mortals, to keep people, if possible, from being thus the heralds of their own shame: for what compassion can they gain by such silly narratives? No man should be expected to sympathize with the sorrows of vanity. If then you are mortified by any ill usage, whether real or supposed, keep at least the account of such mortifications to yourself, and forbear to proclaim how meanly you are thought on by others, unless you desire to be meanly thought of by all.'auto" "Poor Goldsmith was to him indeed like the earthen p. 138. pot to the iron one in Fontaine's fables; it had been better for him, perhaps, that they had changed companions oftener; yet no experience of his antagonist's strength hindered him from continuing the contest. He used to remind me always of that verse in Berni, Piozzi Anec. p. 139. p. 30. p. 157. p. 119. Il pover uomo che non sentera accorto, "Dr. Johnson made him a comical answer one day, when seeming to repine at the success of Beattie's Essay on Truth. Here's such a stir,' said he, ༔ about a fellow that has written one book, and I have written many. Ah, doctor,' said his friend, there go two-and-forty sixpences, you know, to one guinea si stuf male par Vagong Lean7 98. guinea!-bit "Garrick said to Dr. Johnson one day, "Why did not you make me a tory, when we lived so much together?" you love to make people tories." Why,' said Johnson, pulling a heap of half-pence from his pocket, did not the king make these guineas ? mă "But however roughly he might be suddenly provoked to treat a harmless exertion of vanity, he did not wish to inflict the pain he gave, and was sometimes very sorry when he perceived the people to smart more than they deserved. How harshly you treated that man to-day," said Ponce, who harangued us so about gardening! I am sorry,' said he, if I vexed the creature, for there certainly is no harm in a fellow's rattling a rattle-box; only don't let him think that he thunders." "We were speaking of a gentleman who loved his friend Make him prime minister,' said Johnson, ' and see how long his friend will be remembered.' But he had a rougher answer for me, when I commended a sermon preached by an intimate acquaintance of our own at the trading end of the town. our own a What was the subject, madam?' said Dr. Johnson. Friendship, sir, replied I. Why now, is it not strange that a wise man, like our dear little Evans, should take it in his head to preach on such a subject, in a place where no one can be thinking of it?' Why, what are they thinking upon, sir?' said I. 6 |