ture for Utrecht, where the old "been greatly exaggerated.” judge-laird was sending him to Goldsmith had supped with them study the law;—and so many of at the Mitre on the 1st of July, Johnson's sympathies had and flung a paradox at both 1763. thus early been awakened their heads. He maintained that At. 35. by the untiring social en-knowledge was not desirable on joyment, the eagerness for talk, its own account, for it often was the unbounded reverence for a source of unhappiness.* He himself, exhibited by Boswell, supped with them again at the strengthened doubtless by his Mitre five days later, as Bosyouth and idleness (of them-well's guest, when Tom Davies selves enough to make any man and others were present; and acceptable to him), by his con-again was paradoxical. He disdition in life, by a sort of puted very warmly with Johnromance in the lairdship of son, it seems, against the sacred Auchinleck which he was one maxim of the British Constituday to inherit, and not a little, it tion that the king can do no may be, by even his jabbering wrong: affirming his belief that conceits and inexpressible ab- what was morally false could not surdities, that on the 5th of be politically true; and that, as August the sage took a place be- the king might, in the exercise side him in the Harwich coach, of his regal power, command accompanied him to the port he and cause the doing of what was was to sail from, and as they wrong, it certainly might be said, parted on the beach enjoined him in sense and in reason, that he to keep a journal, and himself could do wrong: all which appromised to write to him. "Who peared to Boswell sensible or "is this Scotch cur at Johnson's reasonable proof of nothing but "heels?" asked some one, amazed the speaker's vanity, and eager at the sudden intimacy. "He is desire to be conspicuous where"not a cur," answered Gold- ever he was. Among the guests smith; "you are too severe. He on this occasion was a presby"is only a bur. Tom Davies terian doctor and small poet, "flung him at Johnson in sport, who was unlucky enough to hit "and he has the faculty of stick-upon praise of Scotland for a "ing."* subject. He began by modestly Boswell has retorted this re- remarking that there was very spectful contempt; and in him it rich land around Edinburgh, is excessively ludicrous. "It has upon which, says Boswell, "Gold"been generally circulated and "smith, who had studied physic "believed," he says, "that the "there, contradicted this, very "Doctor was a mere fool in con- "untruly, with a sneering laugh, "versation; but in truth this has "Disconcerted a little by this, * Prior, I. 436. *Boswell, II. 194.

66

66

1763.

Et. 35.

"Mr. Ogilvie then took new of Goldsmith, who appears to 'grounds, where, I suppose, he him very much what the French thought himself perfectly safe; call un étourdi, a giddy pate: "for he observed that Scotland Mr. Boswell, no doubt, "had a great many noble wild feeling quite shocked by "prospects." "I believe, sir," the contrast of such levity said Johnson upon this, "you to his own steady gravity and "have a great many. Norway, good sense. Also, he is partoo, has noble wild prospects; ticular to inform us, he finds "and Lapland is remarkable for Goldsmith's person short, his "prodigious noble wild prospects. countenance coarse and vulgar, "But, sir, let me tell you, the and his deportment that of a "noblest prospect which a Scotch- scholar awkwardly affecting the "man ever sees is the high road easy gentleman: much of all "that leads him to England."* this being perhaps explainable This unexpected and pointed by one of the later passages in sally produced what Boswell his famous book. "It may also calls "a roar" of applause; and "be observed, that Goldsmith even at all this distance of time "was sometimes content to be one seems to hear the hearty "treated with an easy familiroar-Goldsmith contributing to "arity, but upon occasions it not the least. But much to his "would be consequential and imhost's discomposure; to whom "portant."* We have but to the very loudness of his laugh imagine Boswell suddenly diswas nothing but the desire to covering that Goldsmith might make himself in all ways as be treated with an easy familiprominent as might be. "As arity, to be quite certain that the usual, he endeavoured, with too familiarity would be carried to "much eagerness, to shine."** an extent which in mere selfIt is added, indeed, that his re- defence must have rendered spectful attachment to Johnson necessary a resort to the conwas now at its height; but no sequential and important. And better reason is given for it than hinc illa lachrymæ, hence the rethat his own literary reputation grets and surprises. How such had not yet distinguished him so a man could be thought by Johnmuch "as to excite a vain desire son one of the first men of letters "of competition with his great of the day, was hard to be under"master."*** In short, it is im- stood; and harder yet to be possible not to perceive that, borne, that such a man should from the first hour of their ac- be a privileged man. "Doctor quaintance, Boswell is impatient "Goldsmith being a privileged

*Boswell, 11. 208, 209,

** Ibid, II. 206.

*** Ibid, II, 194,

"man, went with him this night" (the first supper at the Mitre) *Boswell, III. 301,

"strutting away, and calling to now living in a lodging in Bolt"me with an air of superiority, court, provided by him till he "like that of an esoteric over an should have a room in a house "exoteric disciple of a to offer her, as in former days; 'sage of antiquity, I go to was familiar with his earlier life Miss Williams."* and its privations, was always To be allowed to go to Miss making and drinking tea,* knew Williams was decisive of Johnson's favour. She was one of his pensioners, ** blind and old; was

1763. Æt. 35.

66

66

his own money, as he felt himself unable to resist the importunity of the numerous

claimants on his benevolence. Ibid, II.

146. Hawkins notes the same peculiarity. *Boswell, II. 199. "He now practised a rule which he often ** Others will appear in the course of "recommended to his friends, always to this narrative, nor can I ever think of" go abroad with a quantity of loose Johnson without thinking of the wise": money to give to beggars, imitating kind words with which Mrs. Thrale tells". therein, though certainly without inus he outraged all the laws of political "tending it, that good but weak man, old economy in regard to the poor. "He "Mr. Whiston, whom I have seen dis"loved the poor," she says, 66 as I never tributing, in the streets of London, "yet saw any one else do, with an money to beggars on each hand of him, "earnest desire to make them happy."till his pocket was nearly exhausted." "What signifies, says some one, giving Life of Johnson, 395. Good, but weak "halfpence to common beggars? they Whiston: good, but weak Johnson. 66 only lay it out in gin or tobacco. And Well, Hawkins at any rate is not weak "why should they be denied such on these points, and, whatever else he "sweeteners of their existence? says may have been, there can be no doubt he "Johnson: it is surely very savage to re- was perfectly unexceptionable as a poor"fuse them every possible avenue to law guardian. "I shall never forget," pleasure, reckoned too coarse for our says Miss Reynolds, "the impression I 66 own acceptance. Life is a pill which "felt in Dr. Johnson's favour, the first none of us can bear to swallow without "time I was in his company, on his saygilding; yet for the poor we delight in "ing, that as he returned to his lodgings, stripping it still barer, and are not "at one or two o'clock in the morning, "ashamed to show even visible displea-"he often saw poor children asleep on if ever the bitter taste is taken "thresholds and stalls, and that he used "from their mouths." After telling us "to put pennies into their hands to buy this, the lively little lady adds, that in "them a breakfast." Croker's Boswell, consequence of these principles he nursed 834. "I have heard Gray say that John"whole nests" of people in his house," son would go out in London with his where the lame, the blind, the sick, and "pockets full of silver, and give it all the sorrowful found a sure retreat from " away in the streets before he returned all the evils whence his little income "home." Nicholls, in the Works, v. 33. could secure them. Anecdotes, 84, 85. Let me add that Burke, though no mean Mr. Maxwell tells us also, in his col-political economist, had the same habit, lectanea, "that he frequently gave all and justified it on similar grounds. But "the silver in his pocket to the poor, who it is also to be remarked that society has "watched him between his house and during the last century contributed so "the tavern where he dined." Boswell, much more largely towards proper proIII. 133. We learn, too, from another vision for the poor, that it would be difauthority, Mr. Harwood, that when visit-ficult to justify the practice now so easily ing Lichfield, towards the latter part of as Burke and Johnson did. his life, he was accustomed, on his arrival, to deposit with Miss Porter as much cash as would pay his expenses back to London. He could not trust himself with

sure,

"Mrs. Williams made it," says Boswell, "with sufficient dexterity, notwith"standing her blindness, though her "manner of satisfying herself that the

intimately all his ways, and supperless or after supper, withtalked well; and he never went out calling to have tea with Miss home at night, however late, Williams. "Why do you keep "that old blind woman 66 cups were full enough, appeared to me

1763.

"Et. 35.

a little awkward; for I fancied she put "in your house?" asked "her finger down a certain way, till she Beauclerc. "Why, sir," "felt the tea touch it." III. 102. On the answered Johnson, "she was a

other hand, Percy, whose vicarage she

visited in Johnson's company during the "friend to my poor wife, and year following this, says, in a com- "was in the house with her when munication to Dr. Robert Anderson:

"When she made tea for Johnson and "she died. She has remained in "his friends, she conducted it with so "it ever since, sir." "much delicacy, by gently touching the "outside of the cup, to feel, by the heat,

Johnson, 321-5, &c: "I see her now,'

Beauclerc's friendships with "the tea as it ascended within, that it women were not of the kind to "was rather matter of admiration than help his appreciation of such "of dislike." And see Hawkins's Life of gallantry as this; though he says Miss Hawkins, in one of the plea- seems to have known none so santest passages of her Memoirs, 1. 152, distinguished, in even the circles "a pale, shrunken old lady, dressed in of fashion, that he did not take 'scarlet, made in the handsome French "fashion of the time, with a lace cap, a pride in showing them his "with two stiffened projecting wings on rusty-coated philosopher-friend. "the temples, and a black lace hood over The then reader of the Temple,

64

"it...

Her temper has been recorded as

"marked with the Welsh fire, and this Mr. Maxwell, has described the 'might be excited by some of the meaner levees at Inner-temple-lane. He "inmates of the upper floors" (of Dr. seldom called at twelve o'clock Johnson's house); "but her gentle kind

"ness to me I never shall forget, or in the day, he says, without find"think consistent with a bad temper." ing Johnson in bed, or declaimThe bad temper seems nevertheless indisputable. "Age, and sickness, and ing over his tea to a party of pride," Johnson himself writes a few morning visitors, chiefly men of years later, "have made her so peevish, letters, among whom Goldsmith,

"that I was forced to bribe the maid to

stay with her by a secret stipulation of Murphy, Hawkesworth (an old

"half-a-crown a week over her wages."

Boswell, VI. 263. In another letter he of her Anecdotes (213), "that they made writes to Mrs. Thrale: "Williams hates "his life miserable from the impossievery body. Levett hates Desmoulins, "bility he found of making theirs "and does not love Williams. Des-"happy. If, however, I ventured to "moulins hates them both. Poll loves"blame their ingratitude and condemn "none of them." Piozzi Letters, (1788)," their conduct, he would instantly set II. 38; and see 28-9. See also II. 66, 80,"about softening the one and justifying 171, 175-6, 311, &c. &c. Poll was a Miss "the other; and finished commonly by Carmichael, who, with Mrs. Desmoulins "telling me that I knew not how to and her daughter, Miss Williams and Mr. "make allowances for situations I never Levett, formed what Miss Hawkins calls "experienced." Such was his humanity, the "inmates of the upper floors," and and such his generosity, exclaims BosMrs. Thrale the "whole nests" of people, well, "that Mrs. Desmoulins herself told who were indebted for their only home" me he allowed her half-a-guinea a to the charity of Johnson. "He used to "week. Let it be remembered that this "lament pathetically to me," adds the "was above a twelfth part of his penlittle lady, in one of the most delightful ["sion." Life, vII. 50.

friend and fellow-worker under some time; and were retracing Cave), and Langton, are named their way up Inner-temple-lane as least often absent. Some- to the carriage, when all at once times learned ladies were they heard a voice like thunder,

1763. there, too; and particularly and became conscious of Johnt. 35. did he remember a French son hurrying after them. On lady of wit and fashion doing nothing priding himself more him the honour of a visit. It than on his politeness, he had was in the summer of this year: taken it into his head, after a and the lady was no other than little reflection, that he ought to the famous Countess de Boufflers, have done the honours of his acknowledged leader of French literary residence to a foreign society, mistress of the Prince of lady of quality; and, eager to Conti, aspiring to be his wife, show himself a man of gallantry, and of course, in the then uni- was now hurrying down the versal fashion of the savantes, staircase in violent agitation. philosophers, and beaux esprits He overtook them before they of Paris, an Anglomane. She had reached the Temple-gate, and, even written a tragedy in English brushing in between Beauclerc prose, on a subject from the and the Countess, seized her Spectator; and was now on a hand, and conducted her to her round of visitings, reading her coach.* His dress was a rusty tragedy, breakfasting with Wal-brown morning suit, a pair of pole, dining with the Duke of old shoes by way of slippers, a Grafton, supping at Beauclerc's, little shrivelled wig sticking on out of patience with everybody's the top of his head, and the ridiculous abuse of everybody sleeves of his shirt and the knees that meddled in politics, and out of his breeches hanging loose. of breath with her own social “A considerable crowd of people exertions. "Dans ce pays-ci," "gathered round," says Beaushe exclaimed, "c'est un effort *Boswell, VI. 25-6. "When our visit "perpétuel pour se divertir;" "was ended," says Hannah More, deand, exhausted with it herself, scribing herself and her sister calling on she did not seem to think that he called for his hat, as it rained, to atJohnson in the year of Goldsmith's death, any one else succeeded any bet-"tend us down a very long entry to our ter. It was a few days after "coach." Memoirs, 1. 49. And Miss ReyHorace Walpole's great break-nolds expressly tells us (Croker, 832) that he never suffered any lady to walk fast at Strawberry-hill, where he from his house to her carriage, through describes her with her eyes a Bolt-court, unattended by himself to foot deep in her head, her hands hand her into it; and if any obstacle prevented it from driving off, "there he dangling and scarce able to sup-"would stand by the door of it, and port her knitting-bag, that Beau-"gather a mob around him; indeed they clerc took her to see Johnson."appeared handing the lady down the "would begin to gather the moment he They sat and talked with him steps into Fleet-street."