Boswell's Life of Johnson
consisting of the most eminent literary characters, I thought he seemed
highly pleased with the respect and attention that were shewn him,
and asked him on our return home if he was not highly gratified by his
visit:
"No, Sir, (said he,) not highly gratified; yet I do not recollect to
have passed many evenings with fewer objections."
'Though of no high extraction himself, he had much respect for birth and
family, especially among ladies. He said, "adventitious accomplishments
may be possessed by all ranks; but one may easily distinguish the born
gentlewoman."
'Speaking of Burke, he said, "It was commonly observed, he spoke too
often in parliament; but nobody could say he did not speak well, though
too frequently and too familiarly."
'We dined tete a tete at the Mitre, as I was preparing to return to
Ireland, after an absence of many years. I regretted much leaving
London, where I had formed many agreeable connexions: "Sir, (said he,)
I don't wonder at it; no man, fond of letters, leaves London without
regret. But remember, Sir, you have seen and enjoyed a great deal;--you
have seen life in its highest decorations, and the world has nothing new
to exhibit. No man is so well qualifyed to leave publick life as he
who has long tried it and known it well. We are always hankering after
untried situations and imagining greater felicity from them than
they can afford. No, Sir, knowledge and virtue may be acquired in all
countries, and your local consequence will make you some amends for the
intellectual gratifications you relinquish."
'He then took a most affecting leave of me; said, he knew, it was a
point of DUTY that called me away. "We shall all be sorry to lose you,"
said he: "laudo tamen."'
1771, AETAT. 62.]--
'To SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS, IN LEICESTER-FIELDS.
'DEAR SIR,--When I came to Lichfield, I found that my portrait had been
much visited, and much admired. Every man has a lurking wish to appear
considerable in his native place; and I was pleased with the dignity
conferred by such a testimony of your regard.
'Be pleased, therefore, to accept the thanks of, Sir, your most obliged
and most humble servant,
'Ashbourn in Derbyshire,
'SAM. JOHNSON.
July 17, 1771.'
'Compliments to Miss Reynolds.'
In his religious record of this year, we observe that he was better than
usual, both in body and mind, and better satisfied with the regularity
of his conduct. But he is still 'trying his ways' too rigorously. He
charges himself with not rising early enough; yet he mentions what was
surely a sufficient excuse for this, supposing it to be a duty seriously
required, as he all his life appears to have thought it. 'One great
hindrance is want of rest; my nocturnal complaints grow less troublesome
towards morning; and I am tempted to repair the deficiencies of the
night.' Alas! how hard would it be if this indulgence were to be imputed
to a sick man as a crime. In his retrospect on the following Easter-Eve,
he says, 'When I review the last year, I am able to recollect so little
done, that shame and sorrow, though perhaps too weakly, come upon me.'
In 1772 he was altogether quiescent as an authour; but it will be found
from the various evidences which I shall bring together that his mind
was acute, lively, and vigorous.
'TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ.
'DEAR SIR,--That you are coming so soon to town I am very glad; and
still more glad that you are coming as an advocate. I think nothing more
likely to make your life pass happily away, than that consciousness of
your own value, which eminence in your profession will certainly confer.
If I can give you any collateral help, I hope you do not suspect that it
will be wanting. My kindness for you has neither the merit of singular
virtue, nor the reproach of singular prejudice. Whether to love you be
right or wrong, I have many on my side: Mrs. Thrale loves you, and Mrs.
Williams loves you, and what would have inclined me to love you, if I
had been neutral before, you are a great favourite of Dr. Beattie.*
'Of Dr. Beattie I should have thought much, but that his lady puts him
out of my head; she is a very lovely woman.
'The ejection which you come hither to oppose, appears very cruel,
unreasonable, and oppressive. I should think there could not be much
doubt of your success.
'My health grows better, yet I am not fully recovered. I believe it is
held, that men do not recover very fast after threescore. I hope yet
to see Beattie's College: and have not given up the western voyage. But
however all this may be or not, let us try to make each other happy when
we meet, and not refer our pleasure to distant times or distant places.
'How comes it that you tell me nothing of your lady? I hope to see her
some time, and till then shall be glad to hear of her. I am, dear Sir,
&c.
'March 15, 1772.'
'SAM. JOHNSON.'
* Boswell had given Beattie a letter of introduction to
Johnson the preceding summer--ED.
On the 21st of March, I was happy to find myself again in my friend's
study, and was glad to see my old acquaintance, Mr. Francis Barber, who
was now returned home. Dr. Johnson received me with a hearty welcome;
saying, 'I am glad you are come.'
I thanked him for showing civilities to Beattie. 'Sir, (said he,) I
should thank YOU. We all love Beattie. Mrs. Thrale says, if ever she
has another husband, she'll have Beattie. He sunk upon us that he was
married; else we should have shewn his lady more civilities. She is a
very fine woman. But how can you shew civilities to a nonentity? I did
not think he had been married. Nay, I did not think about it one way or
other; but he did not tell us of his lady till late.'
He then spoke of St. Kilda, the most remote of the Hebrides. I told him,
I thought of buying it. JOHNSON. 'Pray do, Sir. We will go and pass a
winter amid the blasts there. We shall have fine fish, and we will take
some dried tongues with us, and some books. We will have a strong built
vessel, and some Orkney men to navigate her. We must build a tolerable
house: but we may carry with us a wooden house ready made, and requiring
nothing but to be put up. Consider, Sir, by buying St. Kilda, you may
keep the people from falling into worse hands. We must give them a
clergyman, and he shall be one of Beattie's choosing. He shall be
educated at Marischal College. I'll be your Lord Chancellor, or what
you please.' BOSWELL. 'Are you serious, Sir, in advising me to buy St.
Kilda? for if you should advise me to go to Japan, I believe I should do
it.' JOHNSON. 'Why yes, Sir, I am serious.' BOSWELL. 'Why then, I'll see
what can be done.'
He was engaged to dine abroad, and asked me to return to him in the
evening at nine, which I accordingly did.
We drank tea with Mrs. Williams, who told us a story of second sight,
which happened in Wales where she was born. He listened to it very
attentively, and said he should be glad to have some instances of that
faculty well authenticated. His elevated wish for more and more evidence
for spirit, in opposition to the groveling belief of materialism,
led him to a love of such mysterious disquisitions. He again justly
observed, that we could have no certainty of the truth of supernatural
appearances, unless something was told us which we could not know
by ordinary means, or something done which could not be done but by
supernatural power; that Pharaoh in reason and justice required such
evidence from Moses; nay, that our Saviour said, 'If I had not done
among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin.'
We talked of the Roman Catholick religion, and how little difference
there was in essential matters between ours and it. JOHNSON. 'True, Sir;
all denominations of Christians have really little difference in point
of doctrine, though they may differ widely in external forms. There is
a prodigious difference between the external form of one of your
Presbyterian churches in Scotland, and a church in Italy; yet the
doctrine taught is essentially the same.
In the morning we had talked of old families, and the respect due to
them. JOHNSON. 'Sir, you have a right to that kind of respect, and
are arguing for yourself. I am for supporting the principle, and am
disinterested in doing it, as I have no such right.' BOSWELL. 'Why, Sir,
it is one more incitement to a man to do well.' JOHNSON. 'Yes, Sir, and
it is a matter of opinion, very necessary to keep society together.
What is it but opinion, by which we have a respect for authority, that
prevents us, who are the rabble, from rising up and pulling down you who
are gentlemen from your places, and saying, "We will be gentlemen in our
turn?" Now, Sir, that respect for authority is much more easily granted
to a man whose father has had it, than to an upstart, and so Society is
more easily supported.' BOSWELL. 'At present, Sir, I think riches seem
to gain most respect.' JOHNSON. 'No, Sir, riches do not gain hearty
respect; they only procure external attention. A very rich man, from low
beginnings, may buy his election in a borough; but, coeteris paribus,
a man of family will be preferred. People will prefer a man for whose
father their fathers have voted, though they should get no more money,
or even less. That shows that the respect for family is not merely
fanciful, but has an actual operation. If gentlemen of family would
allow the rich upstarts to spend their money profusely, which they are
ready enough to do, and not vie with them in expence, the upstarts would
soon be at an end, and the gentlemen would remain: but if the gentlemen
will vie in expence with the upstarts, which is very foolish, they must
be ruined.'
On Monday, March 23, I found him busy, preparing a fourth edition of
his folio Dictionary. Mr. Peyton, one of his original amanuenses, was
writing for him.
He seemed also to be intent on some sort of chymical operation. I was
entertained by observing how he contrived to send Mr. Peyton on an
errand, without seeming to degrade him. 'Mr. Peyton,--Mr. Peyton, will
you be so good as to take a walk to Temple-Bar? You will there see a
chymist's shop; at which you will be pleased to buy for me an ounce of
oil of vitriol; not spirit of vitriol, but oil of vitriol. It will cost
three half-pence.' Peyton immediately went, and returned with it, and
told him it cost but a penny.
On Saturday, March 27, I introduced to him Sir Alexander Macdonald,
with whom he had expressed a wish to be acquainted. He received him very
courteously.
SIR A. 'I think, Sir, almost all great lawyers, such at least as have
written upon law, have known only law, and nothing else.' JOHNSON. 'Why
no, Sir; Judge Hale was a great lawyer, and wrote upon law; and yet
he knew a great many other things; and has written upon other things.
Selden too.' SIR A. 'Very true, Sir; and Lord Bacon. But was not Lord
Coke a mere lawyer?' JOHNSON. 'Why, I am afraid he was; but he would
have taken it very ill if you had told him so. He would have prosecuted
you for scandal.' BOSWELL. 'Lord Mansfield is not a mere lawyer.
JOHNSON. 'No, Sir. I never was in Lord Mansfield's company; but Lord
Mansfield was distinguished at the University. Lord Mansfield, when he
first came to town, "drank champagne with the wits," as Prior says.
He was the friend of Pope.' SIR A. 'Barristers, I believe, are not so
abusive now as they were formerly. I fancy they had less law long ago,
and so were obliged to take to abuse, to fill up the time. Now they have
such a number of precedents, they have no occasion for abuse.' JOHNSON.
'Nay, Sir, they had more law long ago than they have now. As to
precedents, to be sure they will increase in course of time; but the
more precedents there are, the less occasion is there for law; that is