1768.

Etat. 59.

yet gave me real pleasure, because it contains thefe words, I fhall be glad, very glad to fee you.'— Surely you have no reafon to complain of my publifhing a fingle paragraph of one of your letters; the temptation to it was fo ftrong. An irrevocable · grant of your friendship, and your dignifying my defire of vifiting Corfica with the epithet of a wife and noble curiofity,' are to me more valuable than many of the of the grants of kings.

"But how can you bid me empty my head of Corfica?' My noble-minded friend, do you not feel for an oppreffed nation bravely struggling to be free? Confider fairly what is the cafe. The Corficans never received any kindnefs from the Genoefe. They never agreed to be subject to them. They owe them nothing; and when reduced to an abject state of flavery, by force, fhall they not rife in the great cause of liberty, and break the galling yoke? And fhall not every liberal foul be warm for them? Empty my head of Corfica! Empty it of honour, empty it of humanity, empty it of friendship, empty it of piety. No! while I live, Corfica and the cause of the brave islanders shall ever employ much of my attention, fhall ever intereft me in the fincereft manner.

Upon his arrival in London in May, he furprized me one morning with a visit at my lodgings in Half-Moon-ftreet, was quite fatisfied with my explanation, and was in the kindest and most

agreeable

agreeable frame of mind. As he had objected to a part of one of his letters being published, I thought it right to take this opportunity of afking him explicitly whether it would be improper to publish his letters after his death. His answer was, Nay, Sir, when I am dead, you may do as you will."

He talked in his ufual ftyle with a rough contempt of popular liberty. They make a rout about univerfal liberty, without confidering that all that is to be valued, or indeed can be enjoyed by individuals, is private liberty. Political liberty is good only fo far as it produces private liberty. Now, Sir, there is the liberty of the prefs, which you know is a conftant topick. Suppofe you and I and two hundred more were reftrained from printing our thoughts: what then? What proportion would that reftraint upon us bear to the private happiness of the nation?"

1768.

Etat. 59.

This mode of reprefenting the inconveniencies of reftraint as light and infignificant, was a kind of fophiftry in which he delighted to indulge himself, in oppofition to the extreme laxity for which it has been fashionable for too many to argue, when it is evident, upon reflection, that the very effence of government is restraint; and certain it is, that as government produces rational happiness, too much restraint is better than too little. But when restraint is unneceffary, and fo clofe as to gall those who are fubject to it, the people may and ought to remonstrate; and, if relief is not granted, to resist, Of this manly and fpirited principle, no man was more convinced than Johnson himself.

1768.

Etat. 59.

About this time Dr. Kenrick attacked him, through my fides, in a pamphlet, entitled "An Epiftle to James Bofwell, Efq. occafioned by his having transmitted the moral Writings of Dr. Samuel Johnson to Pafcal Paoli, General of the Corficans." I was at firft inclined to answer this pamphlet; but Johnson, who knew that my doing fo would only gratify Kenrick, by keeping alive what would foon die away of itself, would not fuffer me to take any notice of it.

His fincere regard for Francis Barber, his faithful negro fervant, made him fo defirous of his further improvement, that he now placed him at a fchool at Bishop Stortford, in Hertfordshire. This humane attention does Johnson's heart much honour. Out of many letters which Mr. Barber received from his mafter, he has preferved three, which he kindly gave me, and which I fhall infert according to their dates.

To Mr. FRANCIS BARBER.

DEAR FRANCIS,

"I HAVE been very much out of order. I am glad to hear that you are well, and design to come foon to see you. I would have you stay at Mrs. Clapp's for the prefent, till I can determine what we shall do. Be a good boy,

"My compliments to Mrs. Clapp and to Mr, Fowler. I am

"May 28, 1768.

"Your's affectionately,

SAM. JOHNSON."

Soon afterwards, he fupped at the Crown and Anchor tavern, in the Strand, with a company

whom I collected to meet him. They were Dr. 1768.
Percy, now Bishop of Dromore, Dr. Douglas, Atat. 59.
now Bishop of Salisbury, Mr. Langton, Dr. Robert-
fon the Hiftorian, Dr. Hugh Blair, and Mr. Tho-
mas Davies, who wished much to be introduced to
thefe eminent Scotch literati; but on the present
occafion he had very little opportunity of hearing
them talk, for with an excefs of prudence, for
which Johnfon afterwards found fault with them,
they hardly opened their lips, and that only to fay
fomething which they were certain would not ex-
pofe them to the sword of Goliath; fuch was their
anxiety for their fame when in the prefence of John-
fon. He was this evening in remarkable vigour
of mind, and eager to exert himself in conversation,
which he did with great readiness and fluency;
but I am forry to find that I have preserved but a
fmall part of what paffed.

He allowed high praise to Thomson as a poet; but when one of the company faid he was alfo a very good man, our moralift contefted this with great warmth, accusing him of grofs fenfuality and licentiousness of manners. I was very much afraid that in writing Thomson's life, Dr. Johnson would have treated his private character with a stern feverity, but I was agreeably disappointed; and I may claim a little merit in it, from my having been at pains to fend him authentick accounts of the affectionate and generous conduct of that poet to his fifters, one of whom, the wife of Mr. Thomson, schoolmafter at Lanark, I knew, and was prefented by her with three of his letters, one of which Dr. Johnson has inferted in his life.

He

1768.

Etat. 59.

He was vehement against old Dr. Mounfey, of Chelsea College, as "a fellow who fwore and talked bawdy." "I have been often in his company, (faid Dr. Percy,) and never heard him swear or talk bawdy." Mr. Davies, who fat next to Dr. Percy, having after this had fome conversation afide with him, made a discovery which, in his zeal to pay court to Dr. Johnfon, he eagerly proclaimed aloud from the foot of the table: "O, Sir, I have found out a very good reason why Dr. Percy never heard Mountfey fwear or talk bawdy; for he tells me, he never faw him but at the Duke of Northumberland's table. "And so, Sir, (faid Johnson loudly, to Dr. Percy,) you would fhield this man from the charge of fwearing and talking bawdy, because he did not do fo at the Duke of Northumberland's table. Sir, you might as well tell us that you had feen him hold up his hand at the Old Bailey, and he neither swore or talked bawdy; or that you had seen him in the cart at Tyburn, and he neither fwore nor talked bawdy. And is it thus, Sir, that you presume to controvert what I have related?" Dr. Johnfon's animadverfion was uttered in fuch a manner, that Dr. Percy feemed to be displeased, and foon afterwards left the company, of which Johnson did not at that time take any notice.

Swift having been mentioned, Johnson, as usual, treated him with little refpect as an authour. Some of us endeavoured to fupport the Dean of St. Patrick's, by various arguments. One in particular praised his "Conduct of the Allies." JOHNSON. "Sir, his Conduct of the Allies' is a perform

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