Boswell's Life of Johnson
have a supreme legislative power, although it may at times be abused.
And then, Sir, there is this consideration, that if the abuse be
enormous, Nature will rise up, and claiming her original rights,
overturn a corrupt political system.' I mark this animated sentence with
peculiar pleasure, as a noble instance of that truly dignified spirit
of freedom which ever glowed in his heart, though he was charged with
slavish tenets by superficial observers; because he was at all times
indignant against that false patriotism, that pretended love of
freedom, that unruly restlessness, which is inconsistent with the stable
authority of any good government.
'Bayle's Dictionary is a very useful work for those to consult who love
the biographical part of literature, which is what I love most.'
Talking of the eminent writers in Queen Anne's reign, he observed, 'I
think Dr. Arbuthnot the first man among them. He was the most universal
genius, being an excellent physician, a man of deep learning, and a man
of much humour. Mr. Addison was, to be sure, a great man; his learning
was not profound; but his morality, his humour, and his elegance of
writing, set him very high.'
Mr. Ogilvie was unlucky enough to choose for the topick of his
conversation the praises of his native country. He began with saying,
that there was very rich land round Edinburgh. Goldsmith, who had
studied physick there, contradicted this, very untruly, with a sneering
laugh. Disconcerted a little by this, Mr. Ogilvie then took new ground,
where, I suppose, he thought himself perfectly safe; for he observed,
that Scotland had a great many noble wild prospects. JOHNSON. 'I
believe, Sir, you have a great many. Norway, too, has noble wild
prospects; and Lapland is remarkable for prodigious noble wild
prospects. But, Sir, let me tell you, the noblest prospect which a
Scotchman ever sees, is the high road that leads him to England!' This
unexpected and pointed sally produced a roar of applause. After all,
however, those, who admire the rude grandeur of Nature, cannot deny it
to Caledonia.
On Saturday, July 9, I found Johnson surrounded with a numerous levee,
but have not preserved any part of his conversation. On the 14th we had
another evening by ourselves at the Mitre. It happening to be a very
rainy night, I made some common-place observations on the relaxation of
nerves and depression of spirits which such weather occasioned; adding,
however, that it was good for the vegetable creation. Johnson, who, as
we have already seen, denied that the temperature of the air had any
influence on the human frame, answered, with a smile of ridicule. 'Why
yes, Sir, it is good for vegetables, and for the animals who eat those
vegetables, and for the animals who eat those animals.' This observation
of his aptly enough introduced a good supper; and I soon forgot, in
Johnson's company, the influence of a moist atmosphere.
Feeling myself now quite at ease as his companion, though I had all
possible reverence for him, I expressed a regret that I could not be
so easy with my father, though he was not much older than Johnson,
and certainly however respectable had not more learning and greater
abilities to depress me. I asked him the reason of this. JOHNSON. 'Why,
Sir, I am a man of the world. I live in the world, and I take, in some
degree, the colour of the world as it moves along. Your father is a
Judge in a remote part of the island, and all his notions are taken from
the old world. Besides, Sir, there must always be a struggle between a
father and son while one aims at power and the other at independence.'
He enlarged very convincingly upon the excellence of rhyme over blank
verse in English poetry. I mentioned to him that Dr. Adam Smith, in his
lectures upon composition, when I studied under him in the College of
Glasgow, had maintained the same opinion strenuously, and I repeated
some of his arguments. JOHNSON. 'Sir, I was once in company with Smith,
and we did not take to each other; but had I known that he loved rhyme
as much as you tell me he does, I should have HUGGED him.'
'Idleness is a disease which must be combated; but I would not advise
a rigid adherence to a particular plan of study. I myself have never
persisted in any plan for two days together. A man ought to read just
as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little
good. A young man should read five hours in a day, and so may acquire a
great deal of knowledge.'
To such a degree of unrestrained frankness had he now accustomed me,
that in the course of this evening I talked of the numerous reflections
which had been thrown out against him on account of his having accepted
a pension from his present Majesty. 'Why, Sir, (said he, with a hearty
laugh,) it is a mighty foolish noise that they make.* I have accepted of
a pension as a reward which has been thought due to my literary merit;
and now that I have this pension, I am the same man in every respect
that I have ever been; I retain the same principles. It is true, that I
cannot now curse (smiling) the House of Hanover; nor would it be decent
for me to drink King James's health in the wine that King George gives
me money to pay for. But, Sir, I think that the pleasure of cursing
the House of Hanover, and drinking King James's health, are amply
overbalanced by three hundred pounds a year.'
* When I mentioned the same idle clamour to him several
years afterwards, he said, with a smile, 'I wish my pension
were twice as large, that they might make twice as much
noise.'--BOSWELL.
There was here, most certainly, an affectation of more Jacobitism than
he really had. Yet there is no doubt that at earlier periods he was
wont often to exercise both his pleasantry and ingenuity in talking
Jacobitism. My much respected friend, Dr. Douglas, now Bishop of
Salisbury, has favoured me with the following admirable instance
from his Lordship's own recollection. One day, when dining at old
Mr. Langton's where Miss Roberts, his niece, was one of the company,
Johnson, with his usual complacent attention to the fair sex, took her
by the hand and said, 'My dear, I hope you are a Jacobite.' Old Mr.
Langton, who, though a high and steady Tory, was attached to the present
Royal Family, seemed offended, and asked Johnson, with great warmth,
what he could mean by putting such a question to his niece? 'Why, Sir,
(said Johnson) I meant no offence to your niece, I meant her a great
compliment. A Jacobite, Sir, believes in the divine right of Kings. He
that believes in the divine right of Kings believes in a Divinity. A
Jacobite believes in the divine right of Bishops. He that believes in
the divine right of Bishops believes in the divine authority of the
Christian religion. Therefore, Sir, a Jacobite is neither an Atheist nor
a Deist. That cannot be said of a Whig; for Whiggism is a negation of
all principle.'*
* He used to tell, with great humour, from my relation to
him, the following little story of my early years, which was
literally true: 'Boswell, in the year 1745, was a fine boy,
wore a white cockade, and prayed for King James, till one of
his uncles (General Cochran) gave him a shilling on
condition that he should pray for King George, which he
accordingly did. So you see (says Boswell) that Whigs of
all ages are made the same way.'--BOSWELL.
He advised me, when abroad, to be as much as I could with the Professors
in the Universities, and with the Clergy; for from their conversation
I might expect the best accounts of every thing in whatever country I
should be, with the additional advantage of keeping my learning alive.
It will be observed, that when giving me advice as to my travels, Dr.
Johnson did not dwell upon cities, and palaces, and pictures, and shows,
and Arcadian scenes. He was of Lord Essex's opinion, who advises his
kinsman Roger Earl of Rutland, 'rather to go an hundred miles to speak
with one wise man, than five miles to see a fair town.'
I described to him an impudent fellow from Scotland, who affected to
be a savage, and railed at all established systems. JOHNSON. 'There is
nothing surprizing in this, Sir. He wants to make himself conspicuous.
He would tumble in a hogstye, as long as you looked at him and called to
him to come out. But let him alone, never mind him, and he'll soon give
it over.'
I added, that the same person maintained that there was no distinction
between virtue and vice. JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, if the fellow does not
think as he speaks, he is lying; and I see not what honour he can
propose to himself from having the character of a liar. But if he does
really think that there is no distinction between virtue and vice, why,
Sir, when he leaves our houses let us count our spoons.'
He recommended to me to keep a journal of my life, full and unreserved.
He said it would be a very good exercise, and would yield me great
satisfaction when the particulars were faded from my remembrance. I was
uncommonly fortunate in having had a previous coincidence of opinion
with him upon this subject, for I had kept such a journal for some time;
and it was no small pleasure to me to have this to tell him, and to
receive his approbation. He counselled me to keep it private, and said
I might surely have a friend who would burn it in case of my death.
From this habit I have been enabled to give the world so many anecdotes,
which would otherwise have been lost to posterity. I mentioned that I
was afraid I put into my journal too many little incidents. JOHNSON.
'There is nothing, Sir, too little for so little a creature as man. It
is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as
little misery and as much happiness as possible.'
Next morning Mr. Dempster happened to call on me, and was so much
struck even with the imperfect account which I gave him of Dr. Johnson's
conversation, that to his honour be it recorded, when I complained that
drinking port and sitting up late with him affected my nerves for some
time after, he said, 'One had better be palsied at eighteen than not
keep company with such a man.'
On Tuesday, July 18, I found tall Sir Thomas Robinson sitting with
Johnson. Sir Thomas said, that the king of Prussia valued himself upon
three things;--upon being a hero, a musician, and an authour. JOHNSON.
'Pretty well, Sir, for one man. As to his being an authour, I have not
looked at his poetry; but his prose is poor stuff. He writes just as you
might suppose Voltaire's footboy to do, who has been his amanuensis.
He has such parts as the valet might have, and about as much of the
colouring of the style as might be got by transcribing his works.' When
I was at Ferney, I repeated this to Voltaire, in order to reconcile
him somewhat to Johnson, whom he, in affecting the English mode of
expression, had previously characterised as 'a superstitious dog;' but
after hearing such a criticism on Frederick the Great, with whom he was
then on bad terms, he exclaimed, 'An honest fellow!'
Mr. Levet this day shewed me Dr. Johnson's library, which was contained
in two garrets over his Chambers, where Lintot, son of the celebrated
bookseller of that name, had formerly his warehouse. I found a number of
good books, but very dusty and in great confusion. The floor was strewed
with manuscript leaves, in Johnson's own handwriting, which I beheld
with a degree of veneration, supposing they perhaps might contain
portions of The Rambler or of Rasselas. I observed an apparatus for
chymical experiments, of which Johnson was all his life very fond.
The place seemed to be very favourable for retirement and meditation.
Johnson told me, that he went up thither without mentioning it to his