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1769.

Etat. 60.

occasion: "I know not (faid he,) whether I should wish to have a friend by me, or have it all between GOD and myself.”

Talking of our feeling for the diftreffes of others; -JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, there is much noife made about it, but it is greatly exaggerated. No, Sir, we have a certain degree of feeling to prompt us to do good: more than that, Providence does not intend. It would be mifery to no purpose.” BOSWELL." But fuppofe now, Sir, that one of your intimate friends were apprehended for an offence for which he might be hanged." JOHNSON. "I should do what I could to bail him, and give him any other affiftance; but if he were once fairly hanged, I fhould not fuffer." BOSWELL. "Would you eat your dinner that day, Sir?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir; and eat it as if he were eating it with me. Why, there's Baretti, who is to be tried for his life to-morrow, friends have risen up for him on every fide; yet if he should be hanged, none of them will eat a flice of plumb-pudding the lefs. Sir, that fympathetick feeling goes a very little way in depreffing the mind."

I told him that I had dined lately at Foote's, who fhewed me a letter to him from Tom Davies, telling him that he had not been able to fleep from the concern which he felt on account of "this fad affair of Baretti," begging of him to try if he could fuggeft any thing that might be of fervice; and, at the fame, recommending to him an industrious young man who kept a pickle-fhop. JOHNSON. “Aye, Sir, here you have a specimen of human fympathy; a friend hanged, and a cucumber

pickled.

1769.

pickled. We know not whether Baretti or the pickle-man has kept Davies from fleep; nor does Etat. 60. he know himself. And as to his not fleeping, Sir; Tom Davies is a very great man; Tom has been upon the ftage, and knows how to do thofe things I have not been upon the ftage, and cannot do thofe things." BOSWELL. I have often blamed myself, Sir, for not feeling for others as fenfibly as many fay they do." JOHNSON. "Sir, don't be duped by them any more. You will find thefe very feeling people are not very ready to do you good. They pay you by feeling."

BOSWELL. "Foote has a great deal of humour?” JOHNSON. “Yes, Sir." BOSWELL. "He has a fingular talent of exhibiting character." JOHNSON. "Sir, it is not a talent; it is a vice; it is what others abstain from. It is not comedy, which exhibits the character of a fpecies, as that of a mifer gathered from many mifers: it is farce, which exhibits individuals." BOSWELL. Did not he think of exhibiting you, Sir?" JOHNSON. "Sir, fear reftrained him; he knew I would have broken his bones. I would have faved him the trouble of cutting off a leg; I would not have left him a leg to cut off." BoSWELL. "Pray, Sir, is not Foote an infidel?" JOHNSON. "I do not know, Sir, that the fellow is an infidel; but if he be an infidel, he is an infidel as a dog is an infidel; that is to fay, he has never thought upon the fubject "." BOSWELL. " I suppose,

5 When Mr. Foote was at Edinburgh, he thought fit to entertain a numerous Scotch company, with a great deal of coarfe jocularity, at the expence of Dr. Johnson, imagining it would

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"I suppose, Sir, he has thought fuperficially, and feized the first notions which occurred to his mind." JOHNSON. "Why then, Sir, ftill he is like a dog, that fnatches the piece next him. Did you never obferve that dogs have not the power of comparing? A dog will take a small bit of meat as readily as a large, when both are before him."

"Buchanan (he observed,) has fewer centos than any modern Latin poet. He not only had great knowledge of the Latin language, but was a great poetical genius. Both the Scaligers praise him."

He again talked of the paffage in Congreve with high commendation, and faid, "Shakspeare never has fix lines together without a fault. Perhaps you may find seven; but this does not refute my general affertion. If I come to an orchard, and fay there's no fruit here, and then comes a poring man, who finds two apples and three pears, and tells me, Sir, you are mistaken, I have found both apples and pears,' I should laugh at him what would that be to the purpose?"

be acceptable. I felt this as not civil to me; but fat very pati-
ently till he had exhaufted his merriment on that subject; and
then obferved, that furely Johnfon must be allowed to have fome
fterling wit, and that I had heard him fay a very good thing of
Mr. Foote himself. Ah, my old friend Sam,
no man fays better things: do let us have it."

(cried Foote,) Upon which I told the above flory, which produced a very loud laugh from the company. But I never faw Foote fo difconcerted. He looked and entered into a ferious refutation of the juf

and
grave angry,
tice of the remark.

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What, Sir, (faid he,) talk thus of a man of liberal education ;- —a man who for years was at the University of Oxford; a man who has added fixteen new characters to the English drama of his country!",

BOSWELL.

BOSWELL. "What do you think of Dr. Young's Night Thoughts,' Sir?" JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, there are very fine things in them." Boswell.

Is there not lefs religion in the nation now, Sir, than there was formerly?" JOHNSON. "I don't know, Sir, that there is." BOSWELL. "For instance, there used to be a chaplain in every great family, which we do not find now." JOHNSON. "Neither do you find any of the ftate fervants which great families used formerly to have. There is a change of modes in the whole department of life."

Next day, October 20, he appeared, for the only time I fuppofe in his life, as a witness in a Court of Juftice, being called to give evidence. to the character of Mr. Baretti, who haying ftabbed a man in the ftreet, was arraigned at the Old Bailey for murder. Never did fuch a conftellation of genius enlighten the aweful SeffionsHoufe, emphatically called JUSTICE HALL; Mr. Burke, Mr. Garrick, Mr. Beauclerk, and Dr, Johnson: and undoubtedly their favourable teftimony had due weight with the Court and Jury, Johnfon gave his evidence in a flow, deliberate, and diftinct manner, which was uncommonly impreffive. It is well known that Mr. Baretti was acquitted.

On the 26th of October, we dined together at the Mitre tavern. I found fault with Foote for indulging his talent of ridicule at the expence of his vifitors, which I colloquially termed making fools of his company. JOHNSON, "Why, Sir, when you go to fee Foote, you do not go to fee a faint you go to fee a man who will be entertained

1769. 170

tat. 60.

1769.

at your house, and then bring you on a publick Etat. 60. ftage; who will entertain you at his house, for the very purpose of bringing you on a publick stage. Sir, he does not make fools of his company; they whom he exposes are fools already: he only brings them into action."

Talking of trade, he obferved, "It is a mistaken notion that a vast deal of money is brought into a nation by trade. It is not fo. Commodities come from commodities; but trade produces no capital acceffion of wealth. However, though there fhould be little profit in money, there is a confiderable profit in pleasure, as it gives to one nation the productions of another; as we have wines and fruits, and many other foreign articles, brought to us." " BOSWELL. Yes, Sir, and there is a profit in pleasure, by its furnishing occupation to fuch numbers of mankind." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, you cannot call that pleasure to which all are averse, and which none begin but with the hope of leaving off; a thing which men diflike before they have tried it, and when they have tried it." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, the mind must be employed, and we grow weary when idle." JOHNSON. "That is, Sir, because, others being bufy, we want company; but if we were all idle, there would be no growing weary; we should all entertain one another. There is, indeed, this in trade-it gives men an opportunity of improving their fituation. If there were no trade, many who are poor would always remain poor. But no man loves labour for itself." BOSWELL." Yes, Sir, I know a perfon who does. He is a very laborious Judge, and he

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