has perforated a rock-There is a room built for entertainment-There was some difficulty in climbing to a near view-Lord Lyttelton 1 came near it, and turned back-When we came back, we took some cold meat, and notwithstanding the Doctor's importunities, went that day to Shrewsbury.

Saturday, Sept. 10.-I sent for Gwynn, and he showed us the town-the walls are broken, and narrower than those of Chester-The town is large, and has many gentlemen's houses, but the streets are narrow- -I saw Taylor's library-We walked in the quarry; a very pleasant walk by the river-Our inn was not bad.

Sunday, Sept. 11.--We were at St. Chads, a very large and luminous church-We were on the Castle Hill.

Monday, Sept. 12--We called on Dr. Adams,' and travelled towards Wor. cester, through Wenlock; a very mean place, though a borough—At noon, we came to Bridgenorth, and walked about the town, of which one part stands on a high rock, and part very low by the river--There is an old tower, which, being crooked, leans so much, that it is frightful to pass by it-In the afternoon we came through Kinver, a town in Staffordshire, neat and closely built— I believe it has only one street-The road was so steep and miry, that we were forced to stop at Hartlebury, where we had a very neat inn, though it made a very poor appearance.

Tuesday, Sept. 13.-We came to Lord Sandys's, at Ombersley, where we were treated with great civility—The house is large-The hall is a very noble

room.

Thursday, Sept. 15.-We went to Worcester, a very splendid city-The cathedral is very noble, with many remarkable monuments-The library is in the chapter-house-On the table lay the Nuremberg Chronicle, I think, of the first edition. We went to the china warehouse-The cathedral has a cloister -The long aisle is, in my opinion, neither so wide nor so high as that of Lichfield.

Friday, Sept. 16.-We went to Hagley, where we were disappointed of the respect and kindness that we expected."

Saturday, Sept. 17.-We saw the house and park, which equalled my expectation-The house is one square mass-The offices are below-The rooms of elegance on the first floor, with two stories of bedchambers, very well die

1 Thomas, the second Lord.-D.

"Mr. Gwynn, an architect of considerable celebrity, was a native of Shrewsbury, and was at this time completing a bridge across the Severn, called the English Bridge.-D.

* The master of Pembroke College, Oxford; who was also Rector of St. Chads, in ShrewsDury.-D.

4 It was here that Johnson had as much wall-fruit as he wished, and, as he told Mrs. Thrale, for the only time in his life.-D.

This visit was not to Lord Lyttelton, but to his uncle [called Billy Lyttelton, afterwards, by successive creations, Lord Westcote, and Lord Lyttelton], the father of the present Lord, whe Hived at a house called Little Hagley.-D. This gentleman was an intimate friend of Mr. Thrale, and had some years before invited Johnson (through Mrs. Thrale) to visit him at Hagley.-Ɑ

STAT. 65.

WELSH TOUK-DIARY.

67

posed above it-The bedchambers have low windows, which abates the dignity of the house-The park has one artificial ruin, and wants water; there is, how ever, one temporary cascade 1—From the farthest hill there is a very wide prospect.

Sunday, Sept. 18.-I went to church-The church is, externally, very mean, and is, therefore diligently hidden by a plantation-There are in it several modern monuments of the Lytteltons.-There dined with us Lord Dudley, and Sir Edward Lyttelton, of Staffordshire, and his lady. They were all persons of agreeable conversation.-I found time to reflect on my birthday, and offered a prayer, which I hope was heard.

Monday, Sept. 19.-We made haste away from a place where all were offended-In the way we visited the Leasowes-It was rain, yet we visited all the waterfalls-There are, in one place, fourteen falls in a short line-It is the next place to Ilam gardens—Poor Shenstone never tasted his pension—It is not very well proved that any pension was obtained for him 3—I am afraid that he died of misery-We came to Birmingham, and I sent for Wheeler,* whom I found well.

Tuesday, Sept. 20.—We breakfasted with Wheeler, and visited the manufacture of Papier maché-The paper which they use is smooth whited brown; the varnish is polished with rotten stone-Wheeler gave me a teaboard-We then went to Boulton's, who, with great civility, led us through his shops-I could not distinctly see his enginery-Twelve dozen of buttons for three shillingsSpoons struck at once.

Wednesday, Sept. 21.-Wheeler came to us again-We came easily to Woc

stock.

Thursday, Sept. 22.-We saw Blenheim and Woodstock park—The pa contains two thousand five hundred acres; about four square miles.-It has red deer-Mr. Bryant showed me the library with great civility-Durandi Rationale 1459." Lascaris' Grammar of the first edition, well printed, but

1 He was enraged at artificial ruins and temporary cascades, so that I wonder at a leaving his opinion of them dubious; besides he hated the Lytteltons, and would rejoice an opportunity of insulting them.-P.

2 Mrs. Lyttelton, ci-devant Caroline Bristow, forced me to play at whist against my liking, and her husband took away Johnson's candle that he wanted to read by at the other en the room. Those, I trust were the offences.-P.

3 Lord Loughborough applied to Lord Bute, to procure Shenstone a pension; but that it was ever asked of the king is not certain. He was made to believe that the patent was ca ally made out, when his death rendered unnecessary any further concern of his friends his future ease and tranquillity.-ANDERSON.

Dr. Benjamin Wheeler; he was a native of Oxford, and originally on the foundation of Trinity College. He took his degree of A.M. Nov. 14, 1758, and D.D. July 6, 1770; and was man of extensive learning. Dr. Johnson styles him, "My learned friend, the man with whom I most delighted to converse." Letters.-D.

5 This is a work written by William Durand, Bishop of Mende, and printed on vellum, In folio, by Fust and Schoeffer, in Mentz, 1459. It is the third book that is know.. to printed with a date.-D.

much less than later editions-The first Batrachomyomachia-The Duke sent Mr. Thrale patridges and fruit-At night we came to Oxford.

Friday, Sept. 23.-We visited Mr. Coulson-The ladies wandered about the university.

Saturday, Sept. 24.-Ka0.-We dined with Mr. Coulson?-Vansittart told me his distemper-Afterwards we were at Burke's [at Beaconsfield], where we heard of the dissolution of the parliament 3-We went home.

1Of the dinner at University College I remember nothing, unless it was there that Mr. Vansittart, a flourishing sort of character, showed off his graceful form by fencing with Mr. Seward, who joined us at Oxford. We had a great dinner at Queen's College, and Dr. Johnson made Miss Thrale and me observe the ceremony of the grace-cup; but I have but a faint remembrance of it, and can in nowise tell who invited us, or how we came by our academical honor of hearing our healths drank in form, and I half believe in Latin.-P.

2 Mr. Coulson was a senior Fellow of University College. Lord Stowell informs me that he was very eccentric. He would on a fine day hang out of the College windows hls various pieces of apparel to air, which used to be universally answered by the young men hanging out from all the other windows quilts, carpets, rags, and every other kind of trash, and this was called an Illumination. His notions of the eminence and importance of his academic situation were so peculiar that, when he afterwards accepted a college living, he expressed to Lord Stowell his doubts whether, after living so long in the great world, he might not grow weary of the comparative retirement of a country parish.-C

3 Dr. Johnson had always a very great personal regard and particular affection for Mr. Burke; and when at this time the general election broke up the delightful society in which we had spent some time at Beaconsfield, Dr. Johnson shook the hospitable master of the house kindly by the hand, and said, "Farewell, my dear Sir, and remember that I wish you all the success which ought to be wished you, which can possibly be wished you, indeed, by an honest man."-P.

Thrale's

val Position-Johnson's "Patriot."-Death of young Col-Mr. Perkins-. Hole's Tragedy-Charlotte Lennox-Baretti's "Easy Lessons "-Case of Dr. MemisLord Hailes's 'Annals "-Mary Queen of Scots-American Politics-Ossian-Letter to Macpherson-Personal Courage-Foote-Publishes "Journey to the Western Islands ❞—— Mr. Knox-Mr. Tytler-Mr. Windham--Irish and Scotch Impudence compared-Ossian Controversy-Visit to Oxford.

PARLIAMEN having been dissolved, and his friend Mr. Thrale, who was a teady supporter of government, having again to encounter the storm of a contested election, he wrote a short pamphlet, entitled "Tre Patriot," "* addressed to the electors of Great Britain ; a title which, to factious men who consider a patriot only as an opposer of the measures of government, will appear strangely mis. applied. It was, however, written with energetic vivacity; and, except those passages in which it endeavours to vindicate the glaring outrage of the House of Commons in the case of the Middlesex election, and to justify the attempt to reduce our fellow-subjects in America to unconditional submission, it contained an admirable display of the properties of a real patriot, in the original and genuine -a sincere, steady, rational, and unbiassed friend to the interests and prosperity of his king and country. It must be acknowledged, however, that both in this and his two former pamphlets, there was amidst many powerful arguments, not only a considerable portion of sophistry, but a contemptuous ridicule of his opponents, which was very provoking.

sense;

LETTER 193.

TO MR. PERKINS.

1

"October 25, 1774. "SIR,--You may do me a very great favour. Mrs. Williams, a gentlewoman

་་

Mr. Perkins was for a number of years the worthy superintendent of Mr. Thrale's grea brewery and after his death became one of the proprietors of it; and now resides

whom you may have seen at Mr. Thrale's, is a petitioner for Mr. Hethering ton's charity; petitions are this day issued at Christ's hospital.

"I am a bad manager of business in a crowd; and if I should send a meal mian, he may be put away without his errand. I must, therefore, entreat that you will go, and ask for a petition for Anna Williams, whose paper of inquiries was delivered with answers at the counting-house of the hospital on Thursday the 20th. My servant will attend you thither, and bring the petition home when you have it.

"The petition which they are to give us, is a form which they deliver to every petitioner, and which the petitioner is afterwards to fill up, and return to them again. This we must have, or we cannot proceed according to their directions. You need, I believe, only ask for a petition; if they inquire for whom you ask, you can tell them.

'I beg pardon for giving you this trouble; but it is a matter of great impor tance. I am, Sir, your most humble servant,

LETTER 194.

TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ.

"SAM JOHNSON."

"London, Oct. 27, 1774.

"DEAR SIR,-There has appeared lately in the papers an account of thi boat overset between Mull and Ulva, in which many passengers were lost, an among them Macleon of Col. We, you know, were once drowned;1 I hope, therefore, that the story is either wantonly or erroneously told. Pray satisfy me by the next post.

"I have printed 240 pages. I am able to do nothing much worth doing to dear Lord Hailes's book. I will, however, send back the sheets; and hope, by degrees, to answer all your reasonable expectations.

“M1. Thrale has happily surmounted a very violent and acrimonious opposition; but all joys have their abatement; Mrs. Thrale has fallen from he norse, and hurt herself very much. The rest of our friends I believe, are well. My compliments to Mrs. Boswell.—I am, Sir, your most affectionate servant. "SAM JOHNSON."

This letter, which shows his tender concern for an amiable young gentleman to whom he had been very much obliged in the Hebrides,

Mr. Thrale's house in Southwark, which was the scene of so many literary meetings, and in which he continues the liberal hospitality for which it was eminent. Dr. Johnson esteemed him much. He hung up in the counting-house a fine proof of the admirable mezzotinto of Dr. Johnson, by Doughty; and when Mrs. Thrale asked him somewhat flippantly, "Why do you put him up in the counting-house?" He answered, "Because, Madam, I wish to Lave ne wise man there." "Sir," said Johnson, "I thank you. It is a very handsome coupli ent, and I believe you speak sincerely."

! In the newspapers,