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fubjects. "As for's imitation of a made dish it was a wretched attempt." He about the fame time was fo much difpleafed with the performances of a nobleman's French cook, that he exclaimed with vehemence, "I'd throw fuch a rascal into the river;" and he then proceeded to alarm a lady at whose house he was to fup, by the following manifefto of his skill: "I, Madam, who live at a variety of good tables, am a much better judge of cookery, than any person who has a very tolerable cook, but lives much at home; for his palate is gradually adapted to the taste of his cook; whereas, Madam, in trying by a wider range, I can more exquifitely judge." When invited to dine, even with an intimate friend, he was not pleafed if fomething better than a plain dinner was not prepared for him. I have heard him fay on fuch an occafion, "This was a good dinner enough, to be fure; but it was not a dinner to ask a man to." On the other hand, he was wont to exprefs, with great glee, his fatiffaction when he had been entertained quite to his mind. One day when he had dined with his neighbour and landlord in Bolt-court, Mr. Allen, the printer, whofe old housekeeper had ftudied his tafte in every thing, he pronounced this eulogy, "Sir, we could not have had a better dinner had there been a Synod of Cooks."

While we were left by ourselves, after the Dutchman had gone to bed, Dr. Johnson talked of that studied behaviour which many have recommended and practifed. He disapproved of it; and faid, "I never confidered whether I should be a grave man, or a merry man, but just let inclination, for the time, have its course."

He flattered me with fome hopes that he would, in the courfe of the following fummer, come over to Holland, and accompany me in a tour through the Netherlands.

I teized him with fanciful apprehenfions of unhappiness. A moth having fluttered round the candle, and burnt itself, he laid hold of this little incident to admonish me; faying, with a fly look, and in a folemn but quiet tone, "That creature was its own tormentor, and I believe its name was BOSWELL."

Next day we got to Harwich to dinner; and my paffage in the packetboat to Helvoetfluys being fecured, and my baggage put on board, we dined at our inn by ourfelves. I happened to fay it would be terrible if he should not find a speedy opportunity of returning to London, and be confined to fo dull a place. JOHNSON. "Don't, Sir, accuftom yourself to use big words for little matters. It would not be terrible, though I were to be detained fome time here." The practice of ufing words of difproportionate magnitude,

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tude, is, no doubt, too frequent every where; but, I think, moft remarkable among the French, of which, all who have travelled in France must have Etat. 54 been ftruck with innumerable inftances.

We went and looked at the church, and having gone into it and walked up to the altar, Johnson, whose piety was conftant and fervent, fent me to my knees, faying, "Now that you are going to leave your native country, recommend yourself to the protection of your Creator and Redeemer."

After we came out of the church, we stood talking for fome time together of Bishop Berkeley's ingenious fophiftry to prove the non-existence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I obferved, that though we are fatisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impoffible to refute it. I never fhall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, ftriking his foot with mighty force against a large ftone, till he rebounded from it, "I refute it thus.” This was a ftout exemplification of the first truths of Pere Bouffier, or the original principles of Reid and of Beattie; without admitting which, we can no more argue in metaphyficks, than we can argue in mathematicks without axioms. To me it is not conceivable how Berkeley can be answered by pure reasoning. But I know that the nice and difficult task was to have been undertaken by one of the most luminous minds of the present age; had not politicks "turned him from calm philosophy aside." What an admirable display of fubtilty, united with brilliance, might his contending with Berkeley have afforded us! How muft we, when we reflect on the lofs of such an intellectual feast, regret that he should be characterised as the man,

"Who born for the univerfe narrowed his mind,

"And to party gave up what was meant for mankind?”

My revered friend walked down with me to the beach, where we embraced and parted with tenderness, and engaged to correfpond by letters. I faid, "I hope, Sir, you will not forget me in my abfence." JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, it is more likely you should forget me, than that I fhould forget you." As the vessel put out to fea, I kept my eyes upon him for a confiderable time, while he remained rolling his majestick frame in his ufual manner; at last I perceived him walk back into the town, and he difappeared.

Utrecht feeming at firft very dull to me, after the animated fcenes of London, my fpirits were grievously affected; and I wrote to Johnson a plaintive and defponding letter, to which he paid no regard. Afterwards, when I had acquired a firmer tone of mind, I wrote him a fecond letter, LI

expreffing

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expreffing much anxiety to hear from him. At length I received the followEtat. 54. ing epiftle, which was of important fervice to me, and, I trust, will be fo also to many others.

A Mr. Mr. BoSWELL, à la Cour de l'Empereur, Utrecht.

e DEAR SIR,

"YOU are not to think yourself forgotten, or criminally neglected, that you have had yet no letter from me. I love to fee my friends, to hear from them, to talk to them, and to talk of them.; but it is not without a confiderable effort of refolution that I prevail upon myself to write. I would not, however, gratify my own indolence by the omiffion of any important duty, or any office of real kindness.

"To tell you that I am or am not well, that I have or have not been in the country, that I drank your health in the room in which we fat last together, and that your acquaintance continue to fpeak of you with their former kindnefs, topicks with which thofe letters are commonly filled which are written only for the fake of writing, I feldom fhall think worth communicating; but if I can have it in my power to calm any harraffing difquiet, to excite any virtuous defire, to rectify any important opinion, or fortify any generous refolution, you need not doubt but I shall at least wish to prefer the pleasure of gratifying a friend much less esteemed than yourself, before the gloomy calm of idle vacancy. Whether I fhall eafily arrive at an exact punctuality of correfpondence, I cannot tell. I fhall, at prefent, expect that you will receive. this in return for two which I have had from you. The firft, indeed, gave me an account so hopeless of the state of your mind, that it hardly admitted or deserved an anfwer; by the second I was much better pleased: and the pleasure will still be increased by fuch a narrative of the progrefs of your ftudies, as may evince the continuance of an equal and rational application of your mind to fome useful enquiry.

"You will, perhaps, wish to ask, what study I would recommend. I shall not speak of theology, because it ought not to be confidered as a question whether you fhall endeavour to know the will of God.

"I fhall, therefore, confider only fuch ftudies as we are at liberty to pursue or to neglect; and of these I know not how you will make a better choice, than by studying the civil law, as your father advises, and the ancient languages, as you had determined for yourself; at least refolve, while you remain in any 4 fettled

fettled refidence, to spend a certain number of hours every day amongst your 1763. books. The diffipation of thought, of which you complain, is nothing more Etat. 54 than the vacillation of a mind fufpended between different motives, and changing its direction as any motive gains or loses strength. If you can but kindle in your mind any strong desire, if you can but keep predominant any wifh for fome particular excellence or attainment, the gufts of imagination will break away, without any effect upon your conduct, and commonly without any traces left upon the memory.

"There lurks, perhaps, in every human heart a defire of diftinction, which inclines every man first to hope, and then to believe, that Nature has given him fomething peculiar to himself. This vanity makes one mind nurfe averfions, and another actuate defires, till they rife by art much above their original state of power; and as affectation, in time, improves to habit, they at last tyrannise over him who at first encouraged them only for fhow. Every defire is a viper in the bofom, who, while he was chill, was harmless; but when warmth gave him strength, exerted it in poison. You know a gentleman, who, when first he fet his foot in the gay world, as he prepared himself to whirl in the vortex of pleasure, imagined a total indifference and univerfal negligence to be the most agreeable concomitants of youth, and the strongest indication of an airy temper and a quick apprehenfion. Vacant to every object, and fenfible of every impulfe, he thought that all appearance of diligence would deduct fomething from the reputation of genius; and hoped that he fhould appear to attain, amidst all the ease of careleffness and all the tumult of diversion, that knowledge and those accomplishments which mortals of the common fabrick obtain only by mute abstraction and folitary drudgery. He tried this scheme of life awhile, was made weary of it by his sense and his virtue, he then wished to return to his ftudies; and finding long habits of idlenefs and pleasure harder to be cured than he expected, ftill willing to retain his claim to fome extraordinary prerogatives, refolved the common confequences of irregularity into an unalterable decree of destiny, and concluded that Nature had originally formed him incapable of rational employment.

"Let all fuch fancies, illufive and destructive, be banished henceforward from your thoughts for ever. Refolve, and keep your refolution; choose, and purfue your choice. If you spend this day in study, you will find yourself still more able to study to-morrow; not that you are to expect that you fhall at once obtain a complete victory. Depravity is not very easily overcome. Refolution will fometimes relax, and diligence will fometimes be interrupted; but let no accidental furprize or deviation, whether fhort or long, difpofe

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difpofe you to defpondency. Confider these failings as incident to all mankind. Begin again where you left off, and endeavour to avoid the seducements that prevailed over you before.

Сс

This, my dear Bofwell, is advice which, perhaps, has been often given you, and given you without effect. But this advice, if you will not take from others, you must take from your own reflections, if you purpose to do the duties of the station to which the bounty of Providence has called you. "Let me have a long letter from you as foon as you can. I hope you continue your journal, and enrich it with many obfervations upon the country in which you refide. It will be a favour if you can get me any books in the Frifick language, and can enquire how the poor are maintained in the Seven Provinces. I am, dear Sir,

"London, Dec. 8, 1763.

"Your most affectionate fervant,

SAM. JOHNSON."

I am forry to obferve, that neither in my own minutes, nor in my letters to Johnson which have been preserved by him, can I find any information how the poor are maintained in the Seven Provinces. But I fhall extract from one of my letters what I learnt concerning the other subject of his curiosity.

"I have made all poffible enquiry with refpect to the Frifick language, and find that it has been lefs cultivated than any other of the northern dialects; a certain proof of which is their deficiency of books. Of the old Frifick there are no remains, except fome ancient laws preferved by Schotanus in his Befchryvinge van die Heerlykheid van Friefland;' and his Hiftoria Frifica.' I have not yet been able to find these books. Profeffor Trotz, who formerly was of the University of Vranyken, in Friesland, and is at prefent preparing an edition of all the Frifick laws, gave me this information. Of the modern Frifick, or what is fpoken by the boors at this day, I have procured a specimen. It is Gilbert Fapix's Rymelerie,' which is the only book that they have. It is amazing, that they have no tranflation of the bible, no treatises of devotion, nor even any of the ballads and story-books which are fo agreeable to country people. You fhall have Japix by the first convenient opportunity. I doubt not to pick up Schotanus. Mynheer Trotz has promised me his affiftance."

Early in 1764 Johnson paid a visit to the Langton family, at their feat of Langton, in Lincolnshire, where he paffed fome time, much to his fatisfaction. His friend Bennet Langton, it will not be doubted, did every thing in his power to make the place agreeable to fo illuftrious a guest; and the elder

Mr.