compared with what went before, was an anticlimax, and that it would have been better

Dr. Johnson faid, "So great a number as a thousand is better. Dolus latet in univerfalibus. Ages might be only two ages."-He talked of the advantage of keeping up the connections of relationship, which produced much kindness. "Every man (faid he) who comes into the world, has need of friends. If he has to get them for himself, half his life is fpent, before his merit is known, Relations are a man's ready friends, who fupport him. When a man is in real diftrefs, he flies into the arms of his relations. An old lawyer, who had much experience in making wills, told me, that after people had deliberated long, and thought of many for their executors, they fettled at laft by fixing on their relations. This fhews the universality of the principle."

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I regretted the decay of refpect for men of family, and that a Nabob now would carry an election from them.-Johnson. Why, Sir, the Nabob will carry it by means of his wealth, in a country where money is highly valued, as it must be where nothing can be had without the money; but if it comes to perfonal preference, the man of family will always carry it. There is generally a Scoundrelifm about a low man.' -Mr. Boyd faid, that was a good ism.

I faid,

I said, I believed mankind were happier in the ancient feudal state of fubordination, than when in the modern state of independency.--Johnson. "To be fure, the Chief was. But we muft think of the number of individuals. That they were lefs happy, feems plain; for that flate from which all efcape as foon as they can, and to which none return after they have left it, must be less happy; and this is the cafe with the ftate of dependance on a chief, or great man."

I mentioned the happiness of the French in their fubordination, by the reciprocal benevolence and attachment between the great and thofe in lower ranks.-Mr. Boyd gave us an inftance of their gentlemanly fpirit. An old Chevalier de Malthe, of ancient noblesse, but in low circumftances, was in a coffee-house at Paris, where was Julien, the great manufacturer at the Gobelins, of the fine tapestry, so much distinguished both for the figures and the colours. The chevalier's carriage was very old. Says Julien, with a plebeian infolence, "I think, Sir, you had better have your carriage new painted." The chevalier looked at him with indignant contempt, and answered, "Well, Sir, you may take it home and dye it !”—All the coffee-houfe rejoiced at Julien's confufion, We fet out about nine. Dr. Johnson was curious to fee one of thofe ftructures which

northern

northern antiquarians call a Druid's temple. I had a recollection of one at Strichen, which I had seen fifteen years ago; fo we went four miles out of our road, after paffing Old Deer, and went thither. Mr. Frafer, the proprietor, was at home, and fhewed it to us. But I had augmented it in my mind; for all that remains is two ftones fet up on end, with a long one laid upon them, as was ufual, and one ftone at a little distance from them. That ftone was the capital one of the circle which furrounded what now remains. Mr. Frafer was very hofpitable*. There was a fair at Strichen; and he had several of his neighbours from it at dinner. One

I

*He is the worthy fon of a worthy father, the late Lord Strichen, one of our judges, to whofe kind notice I was much obliged, Lord Strichen was a man not only honeft, but highly generous; for, after his fucceffion to the family estate, he paid a large fum of debts contracted by his predeceffor, which he was not under any obligation to pay. Let me here, for the credit of Ayrshire, my own county, record a noble inftance of liberal honefty in William Hutchison, drover, in Lanehead, Kyle, who formerly obtained a full discharge from his creditors, upon a compofition of his debts; but, upon being reftored to good circumftances, invited his creditors last winter to a dinner, without telling the reason, and paid them their full fums, principal and interest. They prefented him with a piece of plate, with an infcription to commemorate this extraordinary inftance of true worth; which should make fome people in Scotland blufh, while, though mean themfelves, they frut about under the protection of great alliance, conscious of the wretchedness of numbers who have loft by them, to whom they never think of making reparation, but indulge themselves and their families in most unfuitable expence.

1.

One of them, Dr. Frafer, who had been in the army, remembered to have seen Dr. Johnson at á lecture on experimental philofophy, at Lichfield. The Doctor recollected being at the lecture; and he was furprised to find here fomebody who knew him.

" If

Mr. Fraser sent a servant to conduct us by a fhort paffage into the high road. I obferved to Dr. Johnson, that I had a moft disagreeable notion of the life of country gentlemen: that I left Mr. Frafer just now, as one leaves a prifoner in a jail.-Dr. Johnson faid, that I was right in thinking them unhappy; for that they had not enough to keep their minds in motion. I ftarted a thought this afternoon which amused us a great part of the way. (faid I) our club fhould come and fet up in St. Andrew's, as a college, to teach all that each of us can, in the feveral departments of learning and tafte, we should rebuild the city : we should draw a wonderful concourse of fudents."-Dr. Johnfon entered fully into the fpirit of this project. We immediately fell to diftributing the offices. I was to teach civil and Scotch law; Burke, politicks and eloquence; Garrick, the art of public speaking; Langton was to be our Grecian, Colman our Latin profeffor; Nugent to teach phyfick; Lord Charlemont, modern hiftory; Beauclerk natural philofophy; Vesey, Irish antiquities or Celtick learning; Jones, Oriental learning; Gold

Goldsmith, poetry and ancient hiftory; Chamier, commercial politicks; Reynolds, painting, and the arts which have beauty for their object; Chambers, the law of England. Dr. Johnfon at firft said, "I'll trust theology to nobody but myself." But, upon due confideration, that Percy is a clergyman, it was agreed that Percy fhould teach practical divinity and British antiquities; Dr. Johnson himfelf, logick, metaphyficks, and fcholaftick divinity. In this manner did we amufe ourselves; -each suggesting, and each varying or adding, till the whole was adjusted. Dr. Johnson faid, we only wanted a mathematician fince Dyer died, who was a very good one; but as to every thing else, we should have a very capital univerfity*.

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We

* Our club, formetly at the Turk's Head, Gerrard-ftreet, then at Prince's, Sackville Street, now at Baxter's, Doverstreet, which at Mr. Garrick's funeral got a name for the first time, and was called THE LITERARY CLUB, has, fince 1773, been greatly augmented; and though Dr. Johnson with justice obferved, that, by lofing Goldfmith, Garrick, Nugent, Chamier, Beauclerk, we had loft what would make an eminent club, yet when I mention, as an acceffion, Mr. Fox, Dr. George Fordyce, Sir Charles Bunbury, Lord Offory, Mr. Gibbon, Dr. Adam Smith, Mr. R. B. Sheridan, the Bishops of Killaloe and St. Afaph, Dean Marley, Mr. Steevens, Mr. Dunning, Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Scott of the Commons, Earl Spencer, Mr. Wyndham of Norfolk, Lord Elliot, Mr. Malone, Dr. Jofeph Warton, the Rev. Mr. Thomas Warton, Lord Lucan, Mr. Burke junior, Lord Palmerston, Dr. Burney, Sir William Hamilton, and Dr. Warren, it will be acknowledged that we might have established a second univerfity of high reputation.