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any profession. No man would be a Judge, upon the condition of being Ætat. 66. obliged to be totally a Judge. The best 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 should write but a page a day, at the fame rate, I should, in ten years, write nine volumes in folio, of an ordinary fize and print." BOSWELL. "Such as 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 an instance of a perfect Judge, who devoted himself entirely to his office. JOHNSON. "Hale, Sir, attended to other things beside law: he left a great estate." BOSWELL. "That was, because what he got, accumulated without any exertion and anxiety on his part."

While the difpute 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 circumstance, faid, that "he could not conceive a more humiliating situation than to be clapped on the back by Tom Davies."

We spoke of Rolt, to whose Dictionary of Commerce, Dr. Johnfon wrote the Preface. JOHNSON. "Old Gardner the bookseller employed Rolt and Smart to write a monthly miscellany, called 'The Visitor.' There was a formal. written contract, which Allen the printer saw. 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 booksellers towards poor authours!" (smiling). 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 ferved 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 sense. I wrote for fome months in 'The Visitor,' 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 Visitor' no longer.

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

Friday,

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Friday, April 7, I dined with him at a tavern, with a numerous company. JOHNSON. "I have been reading 'Twiss's Travels in Spain,' which are just Ætat. 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 so 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 closed is worse 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 instance that I recollect, is his quoting Stavo bene. Per star meglio, sto qui."

I mentioned Addison's having borrowed many of his classical remarks from Leandro Alberti. Mr. Beauclerk faid, "It was alledged that he had borrowed. also from another Italian authour." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, all who go to look for what the Classicks have faid of Italy must find the fame passages; and I should 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 faid of their country."

Offian being mentioned ;-JOHNSON. "Supposing the Irish and Erse languages to be the fame, which I do not believe, yet as there is no reason to suppose 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 practifed 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 spoken, the inhabitants could write." BEAUCLERK. "The ballad of Lullabalero was once in the mouths of all the people of this country, and is faid to have had a great effect in bringing about the Revolution. Yet I question whether any body can repeat it now; which shews how improbable it is that much poetry should be preserved by tradition."

One of the company suggested 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

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not willing to break off his talk; fo he continued to vociferate his remarks, Star 66 and Bear (" like a word in a catch," as Beauclerk faid,) was repeatedly heard

Etat.

at intervals, which coming from him who, by those who did not know him, had been so often assimilated to that ferocious animal, while we who were fitting around could hardly stifle laughter, produced a very ludicrous effect. Silence having ensued, he proceeded: "We are told, that the black bear is innocent; but I should not like to trust myself with him." Mr. Gibbon muttered, in a low tone of voice, " I should not like to truft myself with you." This piece of farcaftick pleasantry was a prudent resolution, if applied to a competition of abilities.

Patriotism having become one of our topicks, Johnson suddenly uttered, in a ftrong determined tone, an apothegm, at which many will start : "Patriotifm is the last refuge of a scoundrel." But let it be confidered, that he did not mean a real and generous love of our country, but that pretended patriotifim which fo many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak for felf-intereft. I maintained, that certainly all patriots were not scoundrels. Being urged (not by Johnfon,) to name one exception, I mentioned an eminent person, whom we all greatly admired. JOHNSON. "Sir, I do not say that he is not honeft; but we have no reason to conclude from his political conduct that he is honeft. Were he to accept of a place from this ministry, he would lose that character of firmness which he has, and might be turned out of his place in a year. This ministry is neither stable, 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 she had. Sir, she 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 shoemaker thinks of the skin, 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 seemed much pleased with having made one in so elegant a circle.

Mrs. Thrale, who frequently practised a coarse 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 stand 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 faid, that another still more celebrated actor was fit for nothing better than

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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 Ætat. 66. may as well say of any man that he will pick a pocket. Besides, the man who is stationed 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 story of Dr. Johnson's first 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 Johnson's saying, "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 observed, "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 so long a celebrated name both at home and abroad 3.

I muft, again and again, intreat of my readers not to suppose that my imperfect record of conversation contains the whole of what was faid by Johnfon, or other eminent persons who lived with him. What I have preferved, however, has the value of the most 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 sincere gratitude to the memory of that excellent person, my intimacy with whom was the more valuable to me, because my first acquaintance with him was unexpected and unsolicited. 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 strong benevolence of foul,
"Will fly, like OGLETHORPE, from pole to pole."

I was fortunate enough to be found worthy of his good opinion, insomuch, that I not only was invited to make one in the many respectable companies whom he entertained at his table, but had a cover at his hofpitable board every day when I happened to be disengaged; and in his society I never failed to enjoy learned and animated conversation, seasoned with genuine sentiments of virtue and religion.

He

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He afferted, that the present was never a happy state to any human being; Ætat. 66. but that, as every part of life, of which we are confcious, was at fome point of time a period yet to come, in which felicity was expected, there was fome happiness produced by hope. Being pressed upon this subject, 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 whose Life would be more interesting. If I were furnished with materials, I should be very glad to write it 4."

Mr. Scott of Amwell's Elegies were lying in the room. Dr. Johnfon 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 concessere columne.”

for here (I observed,) was a very middle-rate poet, who pleased many readers, and therefore poetry of a middle fort was entitled to some esteem; nor could I see why poetry should not, like every thing else, have different gradations of excellence, and, consequently of value. Johnson repeated the common remark, that "as there is no necessity 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, (faid he,) Horace and you must fettle it." He was not much in the humour of talking.

No more of his conversation for some 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 wise thing."

"I

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

drest as well as other people; and a wife is pleased that she is dreft."

4 The General seemed 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 sufficiently 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