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any profeffion. No man would be a Judge, upon the condition of being Etat. 66. obliged to be totally a Judge. The beft employed lawyer has his mind at work but for a small proportion of his time: a great deal of his occupation is merely mechanical.-I once wrote for a magazine: I made a calculation, that: if I fhould write but a page a day, at the fame rate, I fhould, in ten years, write nine volumes in folio, of an ordinary fize and print." BOSWELL. "Suchas Carte's History?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir. When a man writes from his own mind, he writes very rapidly'. The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write: a man will turn over half a library to make one book."

I argued warmly against the Judges trading, and mentioned Hale as aninftance of a perfect Judge, who devoted himself entirely to his office. JOHNSON. "Hale, Sir, attended to other things befide law: he left a great eftate." BOSWELL. "That was, because what he got, accumulated without any exertion and anxiety on his part.”

While the dispute went on, Moody once tried to say something upon our fide.. Tom Davies clapped him on the back, to encourage him. Beauclerk, to whom I mentioned this circumftance, faid, that "he could not conceive a more humiliating fituation than to be clapped on the back by Tom Davies."

We spoke of Rolt, to whofe Dictionary of Commerce, Dr. Johnfon wrote the Preface. JOHNSON. "Old Gardner the bookfeller employed Rolt and. Smart to write a monthly miscellany, called The Vifitor.' There was a formal. written contract, which Allen the printer faw. Gardner thought as you do of the Judge. They were bound to write nothing else. They were to have, I think, a third of the profits of this fixpenny pamphlet;, and the contract was for ninety-nine years, I wish I had thought of giving this to Thurlow, in the cause about Literary Property. What an excellent inftance would it have been of the oppreffion of bookfellers towards poor authours!" (fmiling). Davies,, zealous for the honour of the Trade, faid, Gardner was not properly a bookfeller. JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir; he certainly was a bookfeller. He had served his time regularly, was a member of the Stationers' company, kept a shop in, the face of mankind, purchased copy-right, and was a bibliopole, Sir, in every fenfe. I wrote for fome months in The Vifitor,' for poor Smart, while he was mad, not then knowing the terms on which he was engaged to write, and. thinking I was doing him good. I hoped his wits would foon return to him.. Mine returned to me, and I wrote in The Vifitor' no longer.

Johnfon certainly did, who had a mind ftored with knowledge, and teeming with imagery. but the observation is not applicable, to writers in general..

Friday,

1775

Friday, April 7, I dined with him at a tavern, with a numerous company. JOHNSON. "I have been reading Twifs's Travels in Spain,' which are just tat. 66. come out. They are as good as the first book of travels that you will take up. They are as good as those of Keysler or Blainville; nay, as Addison's, if you except the learning. They are not fo good as Brydone's, but they are better than Pococke's. I have not, indeed, cut the leaves yet; but I have read in them where the pages are open, and I do not suppose that what is in the pages which are clofed is worfe than what is in the open pages.-It would feem (he added,) that Addison had not acquired much Italian learning, for we do not find it introduced into his writings. The only inftance that I recollect, is his. quoting Stavo bene. Per ftar meglio, fto qui.”

I mentioned Addison's having borrowed many of his claffical remarks from Leandro Alberti. Mr. Beauclerk faid, "It was alledged that he had borrowed. alfo from another Italian authour." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, all who go to look for what the Clafficks have faid of Italy must find the fame paffages; and I fhould think it would be one of the first things the Italians would do on the revival of learning, to collect all that the Roman authours had said of their country."

Offian being mentioned ;-JOHNSON. "Suppofing the Irish and Erfe languages to be the fame, which I do not believe, yet as there is no reason tosuppose that the inhabitants of the Highlands and Hebrides ever wrote their native language, it is not to be credited that a long poem was preferved among them. If we had no evidence of the art of writing being practised in one of the counties of England, we should not believe that a long poem was preserved there, though in the neighbouring counties, where the fame language was fpoken, the inhabitants could write." BEAU CLERK. "The ballad of Lullabalero was once in the mouths of all the people of this country, and is said to have had a great effect in bringing about the Revolution. Yet I question whether any body can repeat it now; which fhews how improbable it is that much poetry should be preserved by tradition."

One of the company fuggested an internal objection to the antiquity of the poetry faid to be Offian's, that we do not find the wolf in it, which must have been the cafe had it been of that age.

The mention of the wolf had led Johnson to think of other wild beasts; and while Sir Joshua Reynolds and Mr. Langton were carrying on a dialogue about fomething which engaged them earnestly, he, in the midst of it, broke out, "Pennant tells of Bears" [what he added, I have forgotten.] They went on, which he being dull of hearing, did not perceive, or, if he did, was

not.

1775

Etat. 66.

not willing to break off his talk; fo he continued to vociferate his remarks, and Bear ("like a word in a catch," as Beauclerk faid,) was repeatedly heard at intervals, which coming from him who, by those who did not know him, had been fo often affimilated to that ferocious animal, while we who were fitting around could hardly ftifle laughter, produced a very ludicrous effect. Silence having enfued, he proceeded: "We are told, that the black bear is innocent; but I fhould not like to truft myself with him." Mr. Gibbon muttered, in a low tone of voice, "I fhould not like to truft myself with you.” This piece of farcaftick pleafantry was a prudent refolution, if applied to a competition of abilities.

Patriotifm having become one of our topicks, Johnfon fuddenly uttered, in a ftrong determined tone, an apothegm, at which many will ftart: "Patriotism is the laft refuge of a fcoundrel." But let it be confidered, that he did not mean a real and generous love of our country, but that pretended patriotism which fo many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for self-interest. I maintained, that certainly all patriots were not fcoundrels. Being urged (not by Johnson,) to name one exception, I mentioned an eminent perfon, whom we all greatly admired. JOHNSON. «Sir, I do not fay that he is not honest; but we have no reason to conclude from his political conduct that he is honest. Were he to accept of a place from this ministry, he would lofe that character of firmness which he has, and might be turned out of his place in a year. This miniftry is neither ftable, nor grateful to their friends, as Sir Robert Walpole was fo that he may think it more for his intereft to take his chance of his party coming in."

Mrs. Pritchard being mentioned, he faid, "Her playing was quite mechanical. It is wonderful how little mind fhe had. Sir, fhe had never read the tragedy of Macbeth all through. She no more thought of the play out of which her part was taken, than a fhoemaker thinks of the fkin, out of which the piece of leather, of which he is making a pair of shoes, is cut.

On Saturday, May 8, I dined with him at Mr. Thrale's, where we met the Irish Dr. Campbell. Johnfon had fupped the night before at Mrs. Abington's, with fome fashionable people whom he named; and he feemed much pleased with having made one in fo elegant a circle.

Mrs. Thrale, who frequently practifed a coarfe mode of flattery, by repeating his bon mots in his hearing, told us that he had faid, a certain celebrated actor was just fit to ftand at the door of an auction-room, with a long pole, and cry, "Pray, gentlemen, walk in," and that a certain authour, upon hearing this, had said, that another still more celebrated actor was fit for nothing better than

that,

1775

that, and would pick your pocket after you came out. JOHNSON. "Nay, my dear lady, there is no wit in what our friend added; there is only abuse. You Etat. 66. may as well fay of any man that he will pick a pocket. Befides, the man who is ftationed at the door does not pick people's pockets: that is done within, by the auctioneer."

Mrs. Thrale told us, that Tom Davies repeated, in a very bald manner, the ftory of Dr. Johnfon's firft repartee to me, which I have related exactly. He made me fay, "I was born in Scotland," instead of "I come from Scotland;" fo that Johnfon's faying, "That, Sir, is what a great many of your countrymen cannot help," had no point, or even meaning: and that upon this being mentioned to Mr. Fitzherbert, he obferved, "It is not every man that can carry a bon mot.”

On Monday, April 10, I dined with him at General Oglethorpe's, with Mr. Langton and the Irish Dr. Campbell, whom the General had obligingly given me leave to bring with me. This learned gentleman was thus gratified with a very high intellectual feast, by not only being in company with Dr. Johnson, but with General Oglethorpe, who had been fo long a celebrated name both at home and abroad3.

I must, again and again, intreat of my readers not to suppose that my imperfect record of converfation contains the whole of what was faid by Johnson, or other eminent perfons who lived with him. What I have preferved, however, has the value of the moft perfect authenticity.

He this day enlarged upon Pope's melancholy remark,

* Page 211.

"Man never is, but always to be blest.”

3 Let me here be allowed to pay my tribute of most fincere gratitude to the memory of that excellent perfon, my intimacy with whom was the more valuable to me, because my first acquaintance with him was unexpected and unfolicited. Soon after the publication of my "Account of Corfica," he did me the honour to call on me, and approaching me with a frank courteous air, faid, "My name, Sir, is Oglethorpe, and I wish to be acquainted with you." I was not a little flattered to be thus addressed by an eminent man, of whom I had read in Pope, from my early years, "Or, driven by ftrong benevolence of foul,

"Will fly, like OGLETHORPE, from pole to pole."

I was fortunate enough to be found worthy of his good opinion, infomuch, that I not only was invited to make one in the many refpectable companies whom he entertained at his table, but had a cover at his hofpitable board every day when I happened to be difengaged; and in his fociety I never failed to enjoy learned and animated converfation, feafoned with genuine fentiments of virtue and religion.

He

1775.

He afferted, that the prefent was never a happy state to any human being; Ætat. 66. but that, as every part of life, of which we are conscious, was at fome point of time a period yet to come, in which felicity was expected, there was fome happiness produced by hope. Being preffed upon this fubject, and asked if he really was of opinion that though, in general, happiness was very rare in human life, a man was not fometimes happy in the moment that was present, he answered," Never, but when he is drunk."

He urged General Oglethorpe to give the world his Life. He faid, “I know no man whofe Life would be more interefting. If I were furnished with materials, I fhould be very glad to write it."

Mr. Scott of Amwell's Elegies were lying in the room. Dr. Johnson obferved, They are very well; but fuch as twenty people might write." Upon this I took occafion to controvert Horace's maxim,

"Non Di, non homines, non conceffere columnæ.”

for here (I observed,) was a very middle-rate poet, who pleased many readers, and therefore poetry of a middle fort was entitled to fome esteem; nor could I fee why poetry should not, like every thing else, have different gradations of excellence, and, confequently of value. Johnson repeated the common remark, that "as there is no neceffity for our having poetry at all, it being merely a luxury, an inftrument of pleasure, it can have no value, unless when exquifite in its kind." I declared myself not fatisfied. Why then, Sir, (said he,) Horace and you must fettle it.” He was not much in the humour of talking.

" I

No more of his converfation for fome days appears in my journal, except that when a gentleman told him he had bought a fuit of laces for his lady. He said, "Well, Sir, you have done a good thing, and a wife thing.” have done a good thing, (faid the gentleman,) but I do not know that I have done a wife thing." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir; no money is better spent than what is laid out for domestick fatisfaction. A man is pleased that his wife is dreft as well as other people; and a wife is pleased that she is dreft."

4 The General feemed unwilling to enter upon it at this time; but upon a subsequent occafion he communicated to me a number of particulars, which I have committed to writing; but I was not fufficiently diligent in obtaining more from him, not apprehending that his friends were fo foon to lose him; for notwithstanding his great age, he was very healthy and vigorous, and was at laft carried off by a violent fever, which is often fatal at any period of life.

On