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"PRETTY BABY!"

341

CHAPTER XXXVI.

JOHNSON'S BEFORE-DINNER TALK-CONVERSATIONS-THE DOCTOR AND AN OLD COLLEGE-MATE.

(1778.)

Monday, April 13th: MR. LAngton's.

PREVIOUS to the cheering and inspiring sound of the dinnerbell, Boswell's duties, as reporter of the Doctor's conversation, must have been extremely light, as the latter only said two words, and these to a child, "Pretty baby!"—a speech which, by its brevity, reminded Langton of Johnson's declaration that he could repeat a whole chapter of "The Natural History of Iceland," which stood simply thus:—

"CHAPTER LXXII. Concerning Snakes.

There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island."

Our Author's before-dinner speeches were equally concise and portable; but we have given this "Pretty Baby" a whole evening to itself, as being the very briefest on record. At the same time, it is right to state that these words, though few, were doubtless sincere; for Johnson loved children, and proved his love by giving them all sorts of sweetmeats-the surest introduction to a young child's heart.

Wednesday, April 15th: MR. DILLY'S.

Two clever ladies present: Mrs. Knowles, of whose charms, as our readers will remember, Wilkes had jocularly declared the Doctor enamoured; and Miss Seward, who had made the apt quotation from "Acis and Galatea," which we gave a few pages back.

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WOMAN'S RIGHTS.

Naturally enough, with two such ingenious ladies at table, the talk turned upon Woman's Rights. Mrs. Knowles stood up manfully for her sex, as the following conversation will show :-

MRS. KNOWLES: "It is not fair that men should have so much more liberty allowed them than women."-JOHNSON: "Why, Madam, women have all the liberty they should wish to have. We have all the labour and the danger, and the women all the advantage. We go to sea, we build houses, we do everything, in short, to pay our court to the women."-MRS. KNOWLES: "The Doctor reasons very wittily, but not convincingly. Now, take the instance of building; the mason's wife, if she is ever seen in liquor, is ruined; the mason may get himself drunk as often as he pleases, with little loss of character; nay, may let his wife and children starve."-JOHNSON: "Madam, you must consider, if the mason does get himself drunk, and let his wife and children starve, the parish will oblige him to find security for their maintenance. We have different modes of restraining evil. Stocks for the men, a ducking-stool for women, and a pound for beasts. If we require more perfection from women than from ourselves, it is doing them honour. And women have not the same temptations that we have; they may always live in virtuous company; men must mix in the world indiscriminately. If a woman has no inclination to do what is wrong, being secured from it is no restraint to her. I am at liberty to walk into the Thames; but if I were to try it, my friends would restrain me in Bedlam, and I should be obliged to them."-MRS. KNOWLES: "Still, Doctor, I cannot help thinking it a hardship that more indulgence is allowed to men than to women. It gives a superiority to men, to which I do not see how they are entitled."— JOHNSON: "It is plain, Madam, one or other must have the superiority. As Shakespeare says, 'If two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind.'"-DILLY: "I suppose, Sir, Mrs. Knowles would have them ride in panniers, one on each side."-JOHNSON: "Then, Sir, the horse would throw them both."-MRS. KNOWLES: "Well, I hope that in another world the sexes will be equal."

After a spirited talk about love and friendship, Johnson broke

ASSAULT ON THE AMERICANS.

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forth, "I am willing to love all mankind, except an American." Then followed a volley, of wrathful language, the very mildest words audible being "Rascals-Robbers-Pirates "-and the whole terminating with the pleasant assurance that, if he had his way, "he'd burn and destroy them." Miss Seward, looking at the enraged Doctor, mildly but firmly observed, "Sir, this is an instance that we are always most violent against those we have injured ”—[referring to his "Taxation no Tyranny"]. The Doctor felt the sting, but only vented his pain in another terrific roar, after which this little bit of wild by-play came to an end.

The Doctor's hatred of the Americans, though unreasonable and violent, was steady and unflinching—as all his acquaintances knew. At one of Miss E. Hervey's assemblies, Dr. Johnson was following her up and down the room; upon which Lord Abingdon observed to her, "Your great friend is very fond of you: you can go nowhere without him." "Ay," said she, "he would follow me to any part of the world." "Then," said the Earl, "ask him to go with you to America."

April 17th: Good Friday.

Boswell called as usual, and found the Doctor fasting with his customary strictness. They went to church at St. Clement Danes. The day was beautiful, and, in Boswell's eyes, London looked sublime. "Fleet Street," said he, "is in my mind more delightful than Tempé."

JOHNSON: "Ay, Sir; but let it be compared with Mull,"

On their return from church, a decent-looking elderly man in grey clothes and many-curled wig accosted Johnson with the air of an old acquaintance; a salutation which the Doctor only acknowledged by a polite but formal bow. But when the stranger said that his name was Edwards, and reminded the Doctor that they had been at College together nine-and-forty years ago, the old acquaintanceship was renewed at once and warmly.

EDWARDS: "Ah, Sir! we are old men now."-JOHNSON [who never liked to think of being old]: "Don't let us discourage one another.”—EDWARDS: "Why, Doctor, you look stout and hearty;

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JOHNSON MEETS A COLLEGE-MATE.

I am happy to see you so; for the newspapers told us you were very ill."-JOHNSON: "Ah, Sir, they are always telling lies of us old fellows."

Here Boswell whispered Edwards that they were on their way home just now, and that he had better accompany them. His ears itched to hear, and his fingers to report, such an interesting conversation as that must needs be between the two old chums. Edwards informed them that he had practised long as a solicitor in Chancery, but lived in the country now upon a little farm in Herts generally coming to town twice a week. Johnson seeming to have fallen into a brown study, Mr. Edwards addressed himself to Boswell, and expatiated on the pleasure of living in the country. BOSWELL: "I have no notion of this, Sir. What you have to entertain you is, I think, exhausted in half an hour.”— EDWARDS: "What! don't you love to have hope realised? I see my grass, and my corn, and my trees growing. Now, for instance, I am curious to see if this frost has not nipped my fruit trees."-JOHNSON [who, they thought, had not been attending]: "You find, Sir, you have fears as well as hopes."

Hereupon they reached the Doctor's house, and the whole party speedily found themselves seated snugly in the library, and talking vigorously.

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EDWARDS: Sir, I remember you would not let us say prodigious at College. For even then, Sir (turning to Boswell) he was delicate in language, and we all feared him."-JOHNSON [to Edwards]: "From your having practised the law long, Sir, I presume you must be rich."-EDWARDS: "No, Sir; I got a good deal of money, but I had a number of poor relations, to whom I gave great part of it."-JOHNSON : "Sir, you have been rich in the most valuable sense of the word."-EDWARDS: "But I shall not die rich."-JOHNSON: "Nay, sure, Sir, it is better to live rich than to die rich."-EDWARDS: "I wish I had continued at College."-JOHNSON: "Why do you wish that, Sir ?"— EDWARDS: "Because I think I should have had a much easier life than mine has been. I should have been a parson, and had a good living, like Bloxham and several others, and lived comfortably."-JOHNSON: "Sir, the life of a parson, of a conscientious clergyman, is

CAPITAL INTERVIEW.

345

not easy.

I have always considered a clergyman as the father of a larger family than he is able to maintain. I would rather have Chancery suits upon my hands than the cure of souls. No, Sir, I do not envy a clergyman's life as an easy life; nor do I envy the clergyman who makes it an easy life." Here taking himself up all of a sudden, he exclaimed, "Oh, Mr. Edwards! I'll convince you that I recollect you. Do you remember our drinking together at an alehouse near Pembroke Gate? At that time you told me of the Eton boy who, when verses on Our Saviour's turning water into wine were prescribed as an exercise, brought up a single line, which was highly admired :

"Vidit et erubuit lympha pudica DEUM.'

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'Mira cano, Sol occubuit, nox nulla secuta est.' EDWARDS: "You are a philosopher, Dr. Johnson. I have tried too in my time to be a philosopher; but, I don't know how, cheerfulness was always breaking in. I have been twice married, Doctor. You, I suppose, have never known what it was to have a wife."-JOHNSON: "Sir, I have known what it was to have a wife, and (in a solemn, tender, faltering tone) I have known what it was to lose a wife. I had almost broke my heart.”

EDWARDS: "How do you live, Sir? For my part I must have my regular meals and a glass of good wine. I find I require it." -JOHNSON: "I now drink no wine, Sir. Early in life I drank wine for many years I drank none. I then for some years drank a great deal."-EDWARDS: "Some hogsheads, I warrant you.”— JOHNSON: "I then had a severe illness, and left it off, and I have never begun it again. I never felt any difference upon myself from eating one thing rather than another. There are people, I believe, who feel a difference; but I am not one of them. And as to regular meals, I have fasted from the Sunday's dinner to the Tuesday's dinner without any inconvenience. I believe it is best to eat just as one is hungry: but a man who is in business, or a

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