Boswell's Life of Johnson
on the subject of Mr. Beauclerk's death, saying, "Our CLUB has had a
great loss since we met last." He replied, "A loss, that perhaps the
whole nation could not repair!" The Doctor then went on to speak of his
endowments, and particularly extolled the wonderful ease with which he
uttered what was highly excellent. He said, that "no man ever was so
free when he was going to say a good thing, from a LOOK that expressed
that it was coming; or, when he had said it, from a look that expressed
that it had come." At Mr. Thrale's, some days before when we were
talking on the same subject, he said, referring to the same idea of his
wonderful facility, "That Beauclerk's talents were those which he
had felt himself more disposed to envy, than those of any whom he had
known."
'On the evening I have spoken of above, at Mr. Vesey's, you would have
been much gratified, as it exhibited an instance of the high importance
in which Dr. Johnson's character is held, I think even beyond any I ever
before was witness to. The company consisted chiefly of ladies, among
whom were the Duchess Dowager of Portland, the Duchess of Beaufort, whom
I suppose from her rank I must name before her mother Mrs. Boscawen, and
her elder sister Mrs. Lewson, who was likewise there; Lady Lucan, Lady
Clermont, and others of note both for their station and understandings.
Among the gentlemen were Lord Althorpe, whom I have before named, Lord
Macartney, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Lord Lucan, Mr. Wraxal, whose book you
have probably seen, The Tour to the Northern Parts of Europe; a very
agreeable ingenious man; Dr. Warren, Mr. Pepys, the Master in Chancery,
whom I believe you know, and Dr. Barnard, the Provost of Eton. As soon
as Dr. Johnson was come in and had taken a chair, the company began to
collect round him, till they became not less than four, if not five,
deep; those behind standing, and listening over the heads of those
that were sitting near him. The conversation for some time was
chiefly between Dr. Johnson and the Provost of Eton, while the others
contributed occasionally their remarks.'
On his birth-day, Johnson has this note: 'I am now beginning the
seventy-second year of my life, with more strength of body, and greater
vigour of mind, than I think is common at that age.' But still he
complains of sleepless nights and idle days, and forgetfulness, or
neglect of resolutions. He thus pathetically expresses himself,--'Surely
I shall not spend my whole life with my own total disapprobation.'
Mr. Macbean, whom I have mentioned more than once, as one of Johnson's
humble friends, a deserving but unfortunate man, being now oppressed by
age and poverty, Johnson solicited the Lord Chancellor Thurlow, to have
him admitted into the Charterhouse. I take the liberty to insert his
Lordship's answer, as I am eager to embrace every occasion of
augmenting the respectable notion which should ever be entertained of my
illustrious friend:--
'TO DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON.
'London, October 24, 1780.
'SIR,
'I have this moment received your letter, dated the 19th, and returned
from Bath.
'In the beginning of the summer I placed one in the Chartreux, without
the sanction of a recommendation so distinct and so authoritative as
yours of Macbean; and I am afraid, that according to the establishment
of the House, the opportunity of making the charity so good amends will
not soon recur. But whenever a vacancy shall happen, if you'll favour me
with notice of it, I will try to recommend him to the place, even though
it should not be my turn to nominate. I am, Sir, with great regard, your
most faithful and obedient servant,
'THURLOW.'
Being disappointed in my hopes of meeting Johnson this year, so that I
could hear none of his admirable sayings, I shall compensate for this
want by inserting a collection of them, for which I am indebted to
my worthy friend Mr. Langton, whose kind communications have been
separately interwoven in many parts of this work. Very few articles of
this collection were committed to writing by himself, he not having
that habit; which he regrets, and which those who know the numerous
opportunities he had of gathering the rich fruits of Johnsonian wit and
wisdom, must ever regret. I however found, in conversations with him,
that a good store of Johnsoniana was treasured in his mind; and I
compared it to Herculaneum, or some old Roman field, which when dug,
fully rewards the labour employed. The authenticity of every article
is unquestionable. For the expression, I, who wrote them down in his
presence, am partly answerable.
'There is nothing more likely to betray a man into absurdity than
CONDESCENSION; when he seems to suppose his understanding too powerful
for his company.'
'Having asked Mr. Langton if his father and mother had sat for their
pictures, which he thought it right for each generation of a family
to do, and being told they had opposed it, he said, "Sir, among the
anfractuosities of the human mind, I know not if it may not be one, that
there is a superstitious reluctance to sit for a picture."'
'John Gilbert Cooper related, that soon after the publication of his
Dictionary, Garrick being asked by Johnson what people said of it, told
him, that among other animadversions, it was objected that he cited
authorities which were beneath the dignity of such a work, and mentioned
Richardson. "Nay, (said Johnson,) I have done worse than that: I have
cited THEE, David."'
'When in good humour he would talk of his own writings with a wonderful
frankness and candour, and would even criticise them with the closest
severity. One day, having read over one of his Ramblers, Mr. Langton
asked him, how he liked that paper; he shook his head, and answered,
"too wordy." At another time, when one was reading his tragedy of Irene
to a company at a house in the country, he left the room; and somebody
having asked him the reason of this, he replied, "Sir, I thought it had
been better."'
'He related, that he had once in a dream a contest of wit with some
other person, and that he was very much mortified by imagining that his
opponent had the better of him. "Now, (said he,) one may mark here the
effect of sleep in weakening the power of reflection; for had not my
judgement failed me, I should have seen, that the wit of this supposed
antagonist, by whose superiority I felt myself depressed, was as much
furnished by me, as that which I thought I had been uttering in my own
character."'
'Of Sir Joshua Reynolds, he said, "Sir, I know no man who has passed
through life with more observation than Reynolds."'
'He repeated to Mr. Langton, with great energy, in the Greek, our
SAVIOUR'S gracious expression concerning the forgiveness of Mary
Magdalen, '[Greek text omitted]. "Thy faith hath saved thee; go
in peace." He said, "the manner of this dismission is exceedingly
affecting."'
'Talking of the Farce of High Life below Stairs, he said, "Here is a
Farce, which is really very diverting when you see it acted; and yet one
may read it, and not know that one has been reading any thing at all."'
'He used at one time to go occasionally to the green room of Drury-lane
Theatre, where he was much regarded by the players, and was very easy
and facetious with them. He had a very high opinion of Mrs. Clive's
comick powers, and conversed more with her than with any of them. He
said, "Clive, Sir, is a good thing to sit by; she always understands
what you say." And she said of him, "I love to sit by Dr. Johnson; he
always entertains me." One night, when The Recruiting Officer was acted,
he said to Mr. Holland, who had been expressing an apprehension that Dr.
Johnson would disdain the works of Farquhar; "No, Sir, I think Farquhar
a man whose writings have considerable merit."'
'His friend Garrick was so busy in conducting the drama, that they could
not have so much intercourse as Mr. Garrick used to profess an anxious
wish that there should be. There might, indeed, be something in the
contemptuous severity as to the merit of acting, which his old preceptor
nourished in himself, that would mortify Garrick after the great
applause which he received from the audience. For though Johnson said of
him, "Sir, a man who has a nation to admire him every night, may well be
expected to be somewhat elated;" yet he would treat theatrical matters
with a ludicrous slight. He mentioned one evening, "I met David coming
off the stage, drest in a woman's riding-hood, when he acted in The
Wonder; I came full upon him, and I believe he was not pleased."'
'Once he asked Tom Davies, whom he saw drest in a fine suit of clothes,
"And what art thou to-night?" Tom answered, "The Thane of Ross;" (which
it will be recollected is a very inconsiderable character.) "O brave!"
said Johnson.
'Of Mr. Longley, at Rochester, a gentleman of very considerable
learning, whom Dr. Johnson met there, he said, "My heart warms towards
him. I was surprised to find in him such a nice acquaintance with the
metre in the learned languages; though I was somewhat mortified that I
had it not so much to myself, as I should have thought."'
'Talking of the minuteness with which people will record the sayings
of eminent persons, a story was told, that when Pope was on a visit to
Spence at Oxford, as they looked from the window they saw a Gentleman
Commoner, who was just come in from riding, amusing himself with
whipping at a post. Pope took occasion to say, "That young gentleman
seems to have little to do." Mr. Beauclerk observed, "Then, to be sure,
Spence turned round and wrote that down;" and went on to say to Dr.
Johnson, "Pope, Sir, would have said the same of you, if he had seen
you distilling." JOHNSON. "Sir, if Pope had told me of my distilling, I
would have told him of his grotto."'
'He would allow no settled indulgence of idleness upon principle, and
always repelled every attempt to urge excuses for it. A friend one
day suggested, that it was not wholesome to study soon after dinner.
JOHNSON. "Ah, Sir, don't give way to such a fancy. At one time of my
life I had taken it into my head that it was not wholesome to study
between breakfast and dinner."'
'Dr. Goldsmith, upon occasion of Mrs. Lennox's bringing out a play, said
to Dr. Johnson at THE CLUB, that a person had advised him to go and hiss
it, because she had attacked Shakspeare in her book called Shakspeare
Illustrated. JOHNSON. "And did not you tell him he was a rascal?"
GOLDSMITH. "No, Sir, I did not. Perhaps he might not mean what he said."
JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, if he lied, it is a different thing." Colman slily
said, (but it is believed Dr. Johnson did not hear him,) "Then the
proper expression should have been,--Sir, if you don't lie, you're a
rascal."'
'His affection for Topham Beauclerk was so great, that when Beauclerk
was labouring under that severe illness which at last occasioned his
death, Johnson said, (with a voice faultering with emotion,) "Sir,
I would walk to the extent of the diameter of the earth to save
Beauclerk."'
'Johnson was well acquainted with Mr. Dossie, authour of a treatise on
Agriculture; and said of him, "Sir, of the objects which the Society of
Arts have chiefly in view, the chymical effects of bodies operating upon
other bodies, he knows more than almost any man." Johnson, in order
to give Mr. Dossie his vote to be a member of this Society, paid up an
arrear which had run on for two years. On this occasion he mentioned
a circumstance as characteristick of the Scotch. "One of that nation,
(said he,) who had been a candidate, against whom I had voted, came
up to me with a civil salutation. Now, Sir, this is their way. An
Englishman would have stomached it, and been sulky, and never have taken
further notice of you; but a Scotchman, Sir, though you vote nineteen