CHAPTER XIX 1778. * Chapter concerning Snakes "-Styles in Painting and Writing-George Steevens-Luxury -Different Governments-Maccaronic Verses-Cookery Books Inequality of the SexesDegrees of Happiness-Soame Jenyns's "Internal Evidence "-Courage-Friendship-Free Will-Mandeville-" Private Vices public Benefits "--Hannah More-Mason's Prosecution of Mr. Murray the Bookseller-Fear of Death-Annihilation-Future State of ExistenceWesley's Ghost Story-Jane Harry-Change of Religion-Mrs. Knowles. ON Monday, April, 13, I dined with Johnson at Mr. Langton's where were Dr. Porteus, then Bishop of Chester, afterwards of London, and Dr. Stinton.' He was at first in a very silent mood. Before dinner he said nothing but "Pretty baby," to one of the children. Langton said very well to me afterwards, that he could repeat Dr. Johnson's conversation before dinner, as Johnson had said that he could repeat a complete chapter of "The Natural History of Ice land," from the Danish of Horrebow, the whole of which was exactly thus: “Chap. LXXII.—-Concerning Snakes. "There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island." At dinner we talked of another mode in the newspapers of giving modern characters in sentences from the classics, and of the passage "Parcus deorum cultor, et infrequens, Insanientis dum sapientiæ Consultus erro, nunc retrorsum Vela dare, atque iterare cur¤ys Coger relictos," a Dr. Stinton had been Dr. Porteus's fellow chaplain to Archbishop Secker, and was his soiaque in the publication of their patron's works.—C. "A fugitive from heaven and prayer, I mock'd at all religious fear, Deep scienc'd in the mazy lore Of mad philosophy; but now Hoist sail, and back my voyage plow To that blest harbour which I left before."-FRANCIS. ETAT. 69. STYLE-DR. DODD. 437 being well applied to Soame Jenyns; whe, after having wandered in the wilds of infidelity, had returned to the Christian faith. Mr. Langton asked Johnson as to the propriety of sapientia consultus. JOHNSON. "Though consultus was primarily an adjective, like amicus it came to be used as a substantive. So we have Juris consultus, a consult in law." We talked of the styles of different painters, and how certainly a connoisseur could distinguish them. I asked if there was as clear a difference of style in language as in painting, or even as in handwriting, so that the composition of every individual may be distinguished? JOHNSON. "Yes. Those who have a style of eminent excellence, such as Dryden and Milton, can always be distinguished." I had no doubt of this; but what I wanted to know was, whether there was really a peculiar style to every man whatever, as there is ertainly a peculiar hand-writing, a peculiar countenance, not widely different in many, yet always enough to be distinctive :— The bishop thought not; and said, he supposed that many pieces in Dodsley's collection of poems, though all very pretty, had nothing appropriated in their style, and in that particular could not be at all distinguished. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, I think every man whatever has a peculiar style, which may be discovered by nice examination and comparison with others: but a man must write a great deal to make his style obviously discernible. As logicians say, this appropriation of style is infinite in potestate, limited in actu." Mr. Topham Beauclerk came in the evening, and he and Dr. Johnson and I staid to supper. It was mentioned that Dr. Dodd' 1 Miss Reynolds and Sir J. Hawkins doubted whether Johnson had ever been in Dodd's company; but Johnson told Boswell (antè, Vol. III. p. 824) that "he had once been." I have now before me a letter, dated in 1750, from Dr. Dodd to his friend the Rev. Mr. Parkhurst, the lexicographer, mentioning this meeting; and his account, at that day, of the man with whom he was afterward to have s painful a correspondence, is interesting and curious: "I spent yesterday afternoon with Johnson, the celebrated author of The Rambler, who is of all others the oddest and most peculiar fellow I ever saw. He is six feet high, has a violent convulsion in his head, and his eyes are distorted. He speaks roughly and loud, listens to no man's opinions, thoroughly pertinacious of his own. Good sense flows from him in all ae utters, and he seems possessed of a prodigious fund of knowledge, which he is not at a had once wished to be a member of the LITERARY CLUB. JOHNSON. "I should be sorry if any of our Club were hanged. I will not say but some of them deserve it." BEAUCLERK (supposing this to be aimed at persons for whom he had at that time a wonderful fancy, which, however, did not last long) was irritated, and eagerly said, You, Sir, have a friend (naming him) who deserves to be hanged; for he speaks behind their backs against those with whom he lives on the best terms, and attacks them in the newspapers. He certainly ought to be kicked." JOHNSON. " Sir, we all do this in some degree: Veniam petimus damusque vicissim.' To be sure it may be done so much, that a man may deserve to be kicked." BEAUCLERK. "He is very malignant." JOHNSON. "No, Sir, he is not malignant. He is mischievous, if you will. He would do no man an essential injury; he may, indeed, love to make sport of people by vexing their vanity. I, however, once knew an old gentleman who was absolutely malignant. He really wished evil to others, and rejoiced at it." BOSWELL. "The gentleman Mr. Beauclerk, against whom you are so violent, is, I know, a man of good principles BEAUCLERK. "Then he does not wear them out in practice." Dr. Johnson, who, as I have observed before, delighted in discrimination of character, and having a masterly knowledge of human nature, was willing to take men as they are, imperfect, and with a mixture of good and bad qualities, I suppose thought he had said enough in defence of his friend, of whose merits, notwithstanding his exceptionable points, he had a just value: and added no more on the subject. On Tuesday, April 14, I dined with him at General Oglethorpe's, with General Paoli and Mr. Langton. General Oglethorpe declaimed against luxury. JOHNSON. "Depend upon it, Sir, every state of society is as luxurious as it can be. Men always take the best they can get." OGLETHORPE. "But the best depends much upon ourselves; and if we can be as well satisfied with plain things, reserved in communicating; but in a manner so obstinate, ungenteel, and boorish, as renders It disagreeable and dissatisfactory. In short, it is impossible for words to describe him. He Beems often inattentive to what passes in company, and then looks like a person possessed by some superior spirit. I have been reflecting on him ever since I saw him. He is a man of most universal and surprising genius, but in himself particular beyond expressior.”—0. AAT. 69. POWER. 439 we are in the wrong to accustom our palates to what is high seasoned and expensive. What says Addison in his 'Cato,' speaking of the Numidian ? 'Coarse are his meals, the fortune of the chase; JOHNSON. "But A Let us have that kind of luxury, Sir, if you will." hold, Sir; to be merely satisfied is not enough. It is in refinement and elegance that the civilized man differs from the savage. great part of our industry, and all our ingenuity, is exercised in procuring pleasure; and, Sir, a hungry man has not the same pleasure in eating a plain dinner, that a hungry man has in eating a luxurious dinner. You see I put the case fairly. A hungry man may have as much, nay, more pleasure in eating a plain dinner, than a man grown fastidions has in eating a luxurious dinner. But I suppose the man who decides between the two dinners to be equally a hungry man." "The more Talking of the different governments,-JOHNSON. contracted power is, the more easily it is destroyed. A country governed by a despot is an inverted cone. Government there cannot be so firm as when it rests upon a broad basis gradually contracted, as the government of Great Britian, which is founded on the parliament, then is in the privy council, then in the king." BOSWELL. " Power, when contracted into the person of a despot, may be easily destroyed, as the prince may be cut off So Caligula wished that the people of Rome had but one neck, that he might cut them off at a blow." OGLETHORPE. It was of the senate he wished that. The senate by its usurpation controlled both the emperor and the people. And don't you think that we see too mucr of that in our own parliament ?” Dr. Johnson endeavoured to trace the etymology of Maccaronie verses, which he thought were of Italian invention, from Maccaron, but on being informed that this would infer that they were the most common and easy verses, maccaroni being the most ordinary and simple food, he was at a loss; for he said, "He rather should have supposed it to import in its primitive signification, a composition of several things;' for Maccaronic verses are verses made out of a mixture of different languages, that is, of one language with the ter mination of another." I suppose we scarcely know of a language in any country, where there is any learning, in which that motley ludicrous species of composition may not be found. It is particularly droll in Low Dutch. The "Polemo-middinia" of Drummond, of Hawthornden, in which there is a ju ble of many languages moulded, as if it were all in Latin, is well known. Mr. Langton made us laugh heartily at one in the Grecian mould, by Joshua Barnes, in which are to be found such comical Anglo-hellenisms as κλυββοισιν εβανχθεν : they were banged with clubs. On Wednesday, April 15, I dined with Dr Johnson at Mr. Dilly's, and was in high spirits, for I had been a good part of the morning with Mr. Orme, the able and eloquent historian of Hindostan, who expressed a great admiration of Johnson. 'I do not care," said he, on what subject Johnson talks; but I love better to hear him talk than anybody. He either gives you new thoughts, or a new colouring. It is a shame to the nation that he has not been more liberally rewarded. Had I been George the Third, and thought as he did about America, I would have given Johnson three hundred a year for his Taxation no Tyranny,' alone." I repeated this, and Johnson was much pleased with such praise from such a man as Orme. At Mr. Dilly's to-day were Mrs. Knowles, the ingenious quaker lady, Miss Seward, the poetess of Lichfield, the Reverend Dr. Mayo, and the Rev. Mr. Beresford, tutor to the Duke of Bedford. Before dinner Dr. Johnson seized upon Mr. Charles Sheridan's ' "Account 1 Dr. Johnson was right in supposing that this kind of poetry derived its name from maccherone. "Ars ista poetica (says Merlin Coccaie, whose true name was Theophilo Folengr) nuncupatur ars macaronica, a macaronibus derivata; qui macarones sunt quoddam pulmentum, farina, caseo, butyro compaginatum, grossum, rude, et rusticanum. Ideo macaronica nil nisi grossedinem, ruditatem, et vocabulazzos debet in se continere." Warton's Hist. of Eng. Poet. ii. 357. Folengo's assumed name was taken up in consequence of his having been instructed in his youth by Virago Coccaio. He died in 1544 -M. The elder brother of Mr. Richard Brinsley Sheridan. He died in 1806.-M., |