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Sir, the way to make fure of power and influence is, by lending money Ætat. 63. confidentially to your neighbours at a fimall interest, or, perhaps, at no interest at all, and having their bonds in your poffeffion." BOSWELL. "May not a man, Sir, employ his riches to advantage in educating young men of merit ?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, if they fall in your way; but if it is understood that you patronise young men of merit, you will be harrassed with folicitations. You will have numbers forced upon you who have no merit; fome will force them upon you from mistaken partiality; and fome from downright interested motives, without fcruple; and you will be disgraced.

"Were I a rich man, I would propagate all kinds of trees that will grow in the open air. A green-house is childish. I would introduce foreign animals into the country; for instance, the rein-deer.”

The conversation now turned on critical fubjects. JOHNSON. "Bayes, in The Rehearfsal,' is a mighty filly character. If it was intended to be like a particular man, it could only be diverting while that man was remembered. But I question whether it was meant for Dryden, as has been reported; for we know fome of the passages said to be ridiculed, were written fince the Rehearsal; at least a passage mentioned in the Preface is of a later date." I maintained that it had merit as a general fatire on the self-importance of dramatick authours. But even in this light he held it very cheap.

We then walked to the Pantheon. The first view of it did not strike us fo much as Ranelagh, of which he faid, the coup d'oeil was the finest thing he had ever feen. The truth is, Ranelagh is of a more beautiful form; more of it, or rather indeed the whole rotunda, appears at once, and it is better lighted. However, as Johnfon obferved, we faw the Pantheon in time of mourning, when there was a dull uniformity; whereas we had feen Ranelagh when the view was enlivened with a gay profufion of colours. Mrs. Bofville, of Gunthwait, in Yorkshire, joined us, and entered into conversation with us. Johnfon faid to me afterwards, "Sir, this is a mighty intelligent lady."

I faid there was not half a guinea's worth of pleasure in seeing this place. JOHNSON. "But, Sir, there is half a guinea's worth of inferiority to other people in not having feen it." BOSWELL. "I doubt, Sir, whether there are many happy people here." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, there are many happy people here. There are many people here who are watching hundreds, and who think hundreds are watching them."

* This project has fince been realised. Sir Henry Liddel, who made a spirited tour into Lapland, brought two rein-deer to his eftate in Northumberland, where they bred; but the race has unfortunately perished.

Happening

1772.

Happening to meet Sir Adam Fergusson, I presented him to Dr. Johnfon. Sir Adam expreffsed some apprehenfion that the Pantheon would encourage Ætat. 63. luxury. "Sir, (faid Johnson,) I am a great friend to publick amusements; for they keep people from vice. You now (addressing himself to me,) would have been with a wench, had you not been here. O! I forgot you were

married."

Sir Adam suggested, that luxury corrupts a people, and destroys the spirit of liberty. JOHNSON. "Sir, that is all visionary. I would not give half a guinea to live under one form of government rather than another. It is of no moment to the happiness of an individual. Sir, the danger of the abuse of power is nothing to a private man. What Frenchman is prevented from passing his life as he pleases?" SIR ADAM. "But, Sir, in the British conftitution it is furely of importance to keep up a spirit in the people, so as to preserve a balance against the crown." JOHNSON. " Sir, I perceive you are a vile Whig. Why all this childish jealousy of the power of the crown? The crown has not power enough. When I say that all governments are alike, I confider that in no government power can be abused long. Mankind will not bear it. If a sovereign oppresses his people to a great degree, they will rife and cut off his head. There is a remedy in human nature againft tyranny, that will keep us safe under every form of government. Had not the people of France thought themselves honoured as sharing in the brilliant actions of the reign of Lewis XIV. they would not have endured him; and we may fay the fame of the King of Pruffia's people." Sir Adam introduced the ancient Greeks and Romans. JOHNSON. "Sir, the mass of both of them were barbarians. The mass of every people must be barbarous where there is no printing, and confequently knowledge is not generally diffused. Knowledge is diffused among our people by the newspapers." Sir Adam mentioned the orators, poets, and artists of Greece. JOHNSON. " Sir, I am talking of the mass of the people. We fee even what the boafted Athenians were. The little effect which Demofthenes's orations had upon them, shews that they were barbarians."

Sir Adam was unlucky in his topicks; for he suggested a doubt of the propriety of Bishops having feats in the House of Lords. JOHNSON. "How so, Sir? Who is more proper for having the dignity of a peer, than a Bishop, provided a Bishop be what he ought to be; and if improper Bishops be made, that is not the fault of the Bishops, but of those who make them."

On Sunday, April 5, after attending divine service at St. Paul's church, I found him alone. Of a schoolmaster of his acquaintance, a native of Scotland,

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land, he said, "He has a great deal of good about him; but he is also very defective in some respects. His inner part is good, but his outer part is mighty aukward. You in Scotland do not attain that nice critical skill in languages, which we get in our schools in England. I would not put a boy to him, whom I intended for a man of learning. But for the fons of citizens, who are to learn a little, get good morals, and then go to trade, he may do very well."

I mentioned a cause in which I had appeared as counsel at the bar of the General Affembly of the Church of Scotland, where a Probationer, (as one licensed to preach, but not yet ordained, is called,) was opposed in his application to be inducted, because it was alledged that he had been guilty of fornication five years before. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, if he has repented, it is not a fufficient objection. A man who is good enough to go to heaven, is good enough to be a clergyman." This was a humane and liberal sentiment. But the character of a clergyman is more facred than that of an ordinary Christian. As he is to instruct with authority, he should be regarded with reverence, as one upon whom divine truth has had the effect to set him above such tranfgreffions, as men less exalted by spiritual habits, and yet upon the whole not to be excluded from heaven, have been betrayed into by the predominance of paffion. That clergymen may be confidered as finners in general, as all men are, cannot be denied; but this reflection will not counteract their good precepts so much, as the absolute knowledge of their having been guilty of certain specifick immoral acts. I told him, that by the rules of the Church of Scotland, in their "Book of Difcipline," if a Scandal, as it is called, is not profecuted for five years, it cannot afterwards be proceeded upon, "unless it be of a heinous nature, or again become flagrant;" and that hence a question arofe, whether fornication was a fin of a heinous nature; and that I had maintained, that it did not deferve that epithet, in as much as it was not one of those sins which argue very great depravity of heart: in short, was not, in the general acceptation of mankind, a heinous fin. JOHNSON. "No, Sir, it is not a heinous fin. A heinous sin is that for which a man is punished with death or banishment." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, after I had argued that it was not a heinous fin, an old clergyman rose up, and repeating the text of fcripture denouncing judgement against whoremongers, asked, whether, confidering this, there could be any doubt of fornication being a heinous fin. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, observe the word whoremonger. Every fin, if persisted in, will become heinous. Whoremonger is a dealer in whores, as ironmonger is a dealer in iron. But as you don't call a man an ironmonger for

buying and felling a pen-knife; so you don't call a man a whoremonger for 1772. getting one wench with child."

I fpoke of the inequality of the livings of the clergy in England, and the scanty provifions of fome of the Curates. JOHNSON. "Why, yes, Sir; but it cannot be helped. You must confider, that the revenues of the clergy are not at the disposal of the state, like the pay of the army. Different men have founded different churches; and fome are better endowed, fome worse. The State cannot interfere and make an equal division of what has been particularly appropriated. Now when a clergyman has but a small living, or even two fmall livings, he can afford very little to a Curate.”

He faid, he went more frequently to church when there were prayers only, than when there was also a fermon, as the people required more an example for the one than the other; it being much easier for them to hear a fermon, than to fix their minds on prayer.

On Monday, April 6, I dined with him at Sir Alexander Macdonald's, where was a young officer in the regimentals of the Scots Royal, who talked with a vivacity, fluency, and precision so uncommon, that he attracted particular attention. He proved to be the Honourable Thomas Erskine, youngest brother to the Earl of Buchan, who has fince risen into such brilliant reputation at the bar in Westminster-hall.

Fielding being mentioned, Johnson exclaimed, " he was a blockhead;" and upon my expressing my astonishment at so strange an assertion, he said, "What I mean by his being a blockhead is, that he was a barren rascal." BOSWELL. "Will you not allow, Sir, that he draws very natural pictures of human life?" JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, it is of very low life. Richardfon used to say, that had he not known who Fielding was, he should have believed he was an oftler. Sir, there is more knowledge of the heart in one letter of Richardfon's, than in all ''Tom Jones.' I, indeed, never read 'Jofeph Andrews." ERSKINE. "Surely, Sir, Richardfon is very tedious." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, if you were to read Richardfon for the story, your impatience would be so much fretted, that you would hang yourself. But you must read him for the fentiment, and confider the story as only giving occafion to the sentiment." I have already given my opinion of Fielding; but I cannot refrain from repeating here my wonder at Johnson's excessive and unaccountable depreciation of one of the best writers that England has produced. "Tom Jones" has stood the test of publick opinion with fuch success, as to have established its great merit, both for the story, the fentiments, and the manners, and also the varieties of diction, so as to leave no doubt of its having an animated truth of execution throughout.

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A book

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1772.

A book of travels, lately published under the title of Coriat Junior, and Ætat. 63. written by Mr. Paterfon, the auctioneer, was mentioned. Johnson said, this book was an imitation of Sterne, and not of Coriat, whose name Paterfon had chofen as a whimsical one. "Tom Coriat, (faid he,) was a humourist about the court of James the First. He had a mixture of learning, of wit, and of buffoonery. He first travelled through Europe, and published his travels. He afterwards travelled on foot through Afia, and had made many remarks; but he died at Mandoa, and his remarks were loft."

We talked of gaming, and animadverted on it with severity. JOHNSON. "Nay, gentlemen, let us not aggravate the matter. It is not roguery to play with a man who is ignorant of the game, while you are master of it, and fo win his money; for he thinks he can play better than you, as you think you can play better than he; and the fuperiour skill carries it." ERSKINE. "He is a fool, but you are not a rogue." JOHNSON. "That's much about the truth, Sir. It must be confidered, that a man who only does what every one of the society to which he belongs would do, is not a difhoneft man. In the republick of Sparta it was agreed, that stealing was not dishonourable, if not discovered. I do not commend a fociety where there is an agreement that what would not otherwise be fair, shall be fair; but I maintain, that an individual of any society, who practises what is allowed, is not a dishoneft man." BOSWELL. "So then, Sir, you do not think ill of a man who wins perhaps forty thousand pounds in a winter?" JOHNSON. "Sir, I do not call a gamester a dishoneft man; but I call him an unsocial man, an unprofitable man. Gaming is a mode of transferring property without producing any intermediate good. Trade gives employment to numbers, and so produces intermediate good."

Mr. Erskine told us, that when he was in the island of Minorca, he not only read prayers, but preached two fermons to the regiment. He seemed to object to the passage in scripture where we are told that the angel of the Lord smote in one night forty thousand Affyrians. "Sir, (faid Johnfon,) you should recollect that there was a fupernatural interposition; they were deftroyed by pestilence. You are not to suppose that the angel of the Lord went about and stabbed each of them with a dagger, or knocked them on the head, man by man."

After Mr. Erskine was gone, a discussion took place, whether the prefent Earl of Buchan, when Lord Cardross, did right to refuse to go Secretary of the Embassy to Spain, when Sir James Gray, a man of inferiour rank, went Ambassadour. Dr. Johnson faid, that perhaps in point of intereft

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