he really is. They don't care a farthing whether he drinks wine or not."-SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. "Yes, they do for the time."-7. "For the time! If they care this minute, they forget it the next. And as for the good worthy man; how do you know he is good and worthy? No good and worthy man will insist upon another man's drinking wine. As to the wine twenty years in the cellar-of ten men, three say this merely because they must say something; three are telling a lie when they say they have had the wine twenty years; three would rather save the wine;-one perhaps cares. I allow it is something to please one's company; and people are always pleased with those who partake pleasure with them. But after a man has brought himself to relinquish the great personal pleasure which arises from drinking wine, any other consideration is a trifle. To please others by drinking wine is something only if there be nothing against it. I should, however, be sorry to offend worthy men:

Curst be the verse, how well so e'er it flow,

That tends to make one worthy man my foe."

-B. "Curst be the spring, the water."-J. "But let us consider what a sad thing it would be if we were obliged to drink or do any thing else that may happen to be agreeable to the company where we are. ."-LANGTON. "By the same

rule you must join with a gang of cut-purses."J. "Yes, Sir: but yet we must do justice to wine; we must allow it the power it possesses. To make a man pleased with himself, let me tell you, is doing a very great thing."

Some time after this Johnson again harangued against drinking wine: "A man (said he) may choose whether he will have abstemiousness and knowledge, or claret and ignorance." Dr. Robertson (who was very companionable) was beginning to dissent as to the proscription of claret. J. (with a placid smile) "Nay, Sir, you shall not differ with me; as I have said that the man is most perfect who takes in the most things, I am for knowledge and claret." "Mr. Eliot (says

Mr. B.) mentioned a curious liquor peculiar to his country, which the Cornish fishermen drink. They call it mahogany; and it is made of two parts gin and one part treacle, well beaten together. I begged to have some of it made, which was done with proper skill by Mr. Eliot. I thought it very good liquor; and said it was a counterpart of what is called Athol porridge in the Highlands of Scotland, which is a mixture of whiskey and honey." J. said, "that must be a better liquor than the Cornish, for both its component parts are better." He also observed, mahogany must be a modern name, for it is not long since the wood called mahogany was known

in this country." I mentioned his scale of liquors; claret for boys-port for men-brandy for heroes. "Then (said Mr. Burke) let me have claret: I love to be a boy; to have the careless gaiety of boyish days."-J. "I should drink claret too if it would give me that—but it does not; it neither makes boys men, nor men boys. You'll be drowned by it before it has any effect upon you."

Talking of a man's resolving to deny himself the use of wine from moral and religious considerations, he said, "He must not doubt about it. When one doubts as to pleasure we know what will be the conclusion. I now no more think of drinking wine than a horse does. The wine upon the table is no more for me than for the dog that is under the table. Yet (added he) I did not leave off wine because I could not bear it; I have drunk three bottles of port without being the worse for it.-University College has witnessed this."-B. "Why then, Sir, did you leave it off?"-J. "Why, Sir, because it is so much better for a man to be sure that he is never to be intoxicated, never to lose the power over himself. I shall not begin to drink wine again till I grow old and want it."-B. "I think, Sir, you once said to me, that not to drink wine was a great deduction from life."-7. "It is a diminution of pleasure, to be sure; but I do not say

a diminution of happiness. There is more happiness in being rational."-B. "But if we could have pleasure always should not we be happy?the greatest part of men would compound for pleasure." . "Supposing we could have pleasure always, an intellectual man would not compound for it. The greatest part of men would compound, because the greatest part of men are gross." B. "I allow there may be greater pleasure than from wine. I have had more pleasure from your conversation. I have indeed; I assure you I have.”—7. When we talk of pleasure we mean sensual pleasure. Philosophers tell you, that pleasure is contrary to happiness. Gross men prefer animal pleasure: So there are men who have preferred living among savages. Now what a wretch must he be who is content with such conversation as can be had among savages!"

"Dr. Johnson (says Mr. B.) recommended me to drink water only: For (said he) you are then sure not to get drunk; whereas if you drink wine you are never sure.' He however owned, that in his opinion a free use of wine did not shorten life; and said, he would not give less for the life of a certain Scotch lord (whom he named) celebrated for hard drinking, than for that of a sober man. "But stay (said he with his usual intelligence and accuracy of enquiry), does it take

much wine to make him drunk?"-I answered, "a great deal either of wine or strong punch.""Then (said he) that is the worse." Mr. Boswell illustrates his friend's observation thus: "A fortress, which soon surrenders, has its walls less shattered than when a long and obstinate resistance is made."

Finding him still persevering in his abstinence from wine, a friend ventured to speak to him of it.-7. "Sir, I have no objection to a man's drinking wine if he can do it in moderation. I found myself apt to go to excess in it, and therefore after having been for some time without it on account of illness, I thought it better not to return to it. Every man is to judge for himself according to the effects which he experiences. One of the fathers tells us, he found fasting made him so peevish that he did not practise it."

Though he often enlarged upon the evil of intoxication, he was by no means harsh and unforgiving to those who indulged in occasional excess in wine. One of his friends came to sup at a tavern with him and some other gentlemen, and too plainly discovered that he had drunk too much at dinner. When one who loved mischief, thinking to produce a severe censure, asked Johnson, a few days afterwards, " Well, Sir, what did your friend say to you as an apology for being in