you 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 Etat. 66. come out. They are as good as the first book of travels that 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 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 inftance that I recollect, is his quoting Stavo bene. Per far 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 muft 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 faid of their country." Offian being mentioned;-JOHNSON. "Suppofing the Irish and Erse languages to be the same, which I do not believe, yet as there is no reason to fuppofe 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 fhews 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 said 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 beafts; 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 Qut, "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 notr 775 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 trust 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 resolution, if applied to a competition of abilities. Patriotifm having become one of our topicks, Johnson fuddenly uttered, in a strong determined tone, an apothegm, at which many will start: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." But let it be considered, 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 firmnefs 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 said, "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 skin, out of which the piece of leather, of which he is making a pair of fhoes, is cut. On Saturday, May 8, I dined with him at Mr. Thrale's, where we met the Irish Dr. Campbell. Johnson 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 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 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 abufe. You Etat. 66. may as well fay of any man that he will pick a pocket. Befides, 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 2. He made me fay, "I was born in Scotland," inftead 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 preserved, however, has the value of the most perfect authenticity. He this day enlarged upon Pope's melancholy remark, 2 Page 211. "Man never is, but always to be bleft." 3 Let me here be allowed to pay my tribute of most sincere 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 addreffed 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 respectable 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 confcious, was at some 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 prefent, 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 4." Mr. Scott of Amwell's Elegies were lying in the room. Dr. Johnson observed,« 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 columna." 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 instrument 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. 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 faid, "Well, Sir, you have done a good thing, and a wife 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 dreft 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 fubfequent 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 On Friday, April 14, being Good-Friday, I repaired to him in the morning, according to my ufual custom on this day, and breakfafted with him. I obferved that he fafted fo very strictly, that he did not even tafte bread, and took no milk with his tea, I suppose because it is a kind of animal food. He entered upon the ftate of the nation, and thus difcourfed: "Sir, the great misfortune now is, that government has too little power. All that it has to bestow, must of neceffity be given to fupport itself; fo that it cannot reward merit. No man, for instance, can now be made a Bishop for his learning and piety'; his only chance for promotion is his being connected with somebody who has parliamentary intereft. Our feveral miniftries in this reign have outbid each other in conceffions to the people. Lord Bute, though a very honourable man,—a man who meant well,—a man who had his blood full of prerogative, was a theoretical statefman,-a book-minifter,-and thought this country could be governed by the influence of the Crown alone. Then, Sir, he gave up a great deal. He advised the King to agree that the Judges fhould hold their places for life, inftead of lofing them at the acceffion of a new King. Lord Bute, I fuppofe, thought to make the King popular by this conceffion; but the people never minded it; and it was a most impolitick measure. There is no reason why a Judge should hold his office for life, more than any other perfon in publick truft. A Judge may be partial otherwise than to the Crown: we have feen Judges partial to the populace. A Judge may become corrupt, and yet there may not be legal evidence against him. A Judge may become froward from age. A Judge may grow unfit for his office in many ways. It was defirable that there should be a possibility of being delivered from him by a new King. That is now gone by an act of parliament ex gratia of the Crown. Lord Bute advised the King to give up a very large fum of money, for which nobody thanked him. It was of consequence to the King, but nothing to the publick, among whom it was divided. When 3 From this too juft obfervation there are fome eminent exceptions. 4 The money arifing from the property of the prizes taken before the declaration of war, which were given to his Majefty by the peace of Paris, and amounted to upwards of 700,000l. and from the lands in the ceded islands, which were estimated at 200,000l. more. Surely, there was a noble munificence in this gift from a Monarch to his people. And let it be remembered, that during the Earl of Bute's adminiftration, the King was gracioufly pleafed to give up the hereditary revenues of the Crown, and to accept, instead of them, of the limited fum of 800,cool. a year; upon which Blackstone obferves, that " The hereditary revenues, being put under the fame management as the other branches of the publick patrimony, will produce more, and be better collected than heretofore; and the publick is a gainer of upwards of 100,000l. per annum, by this disinterested bounty of his Majefty." Book I. Chap. 8. p. 330. 1775 Ætat. 66. |