1773. rule in little things, where no other rule has been established. But as the great end of government Etat. 64is to give every man his own, no inconvenience is greater than that of making right uncertain. Nor is any man more an enemy to publick peace, than he who fills weak heads with imaginary claims, and breaks the series of civil fubordination, by inciting the lower claffes of mankind to encroach upon the higher. "Having thus fhown that the right of patronage, being originally purchased; may be legally transferred, and that it is now in the hands of lawful poffeffors, at least as certainly as any other right;-we have left to the advocates of the people no other plea than that of convenience. Let us, therefore, now confider what the people would really gain by a general abolition of the right of patronage. What is most to be defired by fuch a change is, that the country should be supplied with better minifters. But why should we fuppofe that the parifh will make a wifer choice than the patron? If we fuppofe mankind actuated by intereft, the patron is more likely to choose with caution, because he will fuffer more by choofing wrong. By the deficiencies of his minifter, or by his vices, he is equally of fended with the reft of the congregation; but he will have this reafon more to lament them, that they will be imputed to his abfurdity or corrup tion. The qualifications of a minister are well known to be learning and piety. Of his learning the patron is probably the only judge in the parish; and of his piety not less a judge than others; and is more likely to enquire minutely and diligently before 1773. Etat. 64. pa before he gives a prefentation, than one of the rochial rabble, who can give nothing but a vote. It may be urged, that though the parish might not choose better minifters, they would at least choose minifters whom they like better, and who would therefore officiate with greater efficacy. That ignorance and perverfenefs fhould always obtain what they like, was never confidered as the end of government; of which it is the great and ftanding benefit, that the wife fee for the fimple, and the regular act for the capricious. But that this argument fuppofes the people capable of judging, and refolute to act according to their best judgements, though this be fufficiently abfurd, it is not all its abfurdity. It fuppofes not only wisdom, but unanimity in thofe, who upon no other occafions are unanimous or wife. If by fome strange concurrence all the voices of a parish should unite in the choice of any fingle man, though I could not charge the patron with injuftice for presenting a minister, I should cenfure him as unkind and injudicious. But, it is evident, that as in all other popular elections there will be contrariety of judgement and acrimony of paffion, a parish upon every vacancy would break into factions, and the conteft for the choice of a minifter would fet neighbours at variance, and bring difcord into families. The minister would be taught all the arts of a candidate, would flatter fome, and bribe others; and the electors, as in all other cafes, would call for holidays and ale, and break the heads of each other during the jollity of the canvas. The time muft, however, come at laft, when one of the factions mult 1773. muft prevail, and one of the minifters get poffeffion of the church. On what terms does he enter upon Etat. 64. his miniftry but thofe of enmity with half his parish? By what prudence or what diligence can he hope to conciliate the affections of that party by whofe defeat he has obtained his living? Every man who voted against him will enter the church with hanging head and downcaft eyes, afraid to encounter that neighbour by whose vote and influence he has been overpowered. He will hate his neighbour for oppofing him, and his minister for having profpered by the oppofition; and as he will never see him but with pain, he will never see him but with hatred. Of a minister prefented by the patron, the parish has feldom any thing worse to say than that they do not know him. Of a minister chosen by a popular contest, all those who do not favour him, have nurfed up in their bofoms principles of hatred and reasons of rejection. Anger is excited principally by pride. The pride of a common man is very little exasperated by the fuppofed ufurpation of an acknowledged fuperiour. He bears only his little fhare of a general evil, and fuffers in common with the whole parish: but when the conteft is between equals, the defeat has many aggravations; and he that is defeated by his next neighbour, is feldom fatisfied without fome revenge and it is hard to fay what bitterness of malignity would prevail in a parish where these elections fhould happen to be frequent, and the enmity of oppofition fhould be re-kindled before it had cooled." Though محمد 1773- Though I prefent to my readers Dr. Johnfon's Etat. 64 mafterly thoughts on the fubject, I think it proper to declare, that notwithstanding I am myself a lay-patron, I do not entirely fubfcribe to his opinion. On Friday, May 7, I breakfafted with him at Mr. Thrale's in the Borough. While we were alone, I endeavoured as well as I could to apologife for a lady who had been divorced from her husband by act of Parliament. I faid, that he had ufed her very ill, had behaved brutally to her, and that he could not continue to live with him without having her delicacy contaminated; that all affection for him was thus deftroyed; that the ef-, fence of conjugal union being gone, there remained only a cold form, a mere civil obligation; that she was in the prime of life, with qualities to produce happiness; that thefe ought not to be loft; and, that the gentleman on whofe account fhe was divorced had gained her heart while thus unhappily fituated. Seduced, perhaps, by the charms of the lady in queftion, I thus attempted to palliate what I was fenfible could not be juftified; for when I had finished my harangue, my venerable friend gave me a proper check: My dear, Sir, never accuftom your mind to mingle virtue and vice. The woman's a whore, and there's an end on't." He defcribed the father of one of his friends: thus: "Sir, he was fo exuberant a talker at publick meetings, that the gentlemen of his county were afraid of him. No bufinefs could be done for his declamation." He 1773. He did not give me full credit when I mentioned that I had carried on a fhort converfation by Etat. 64. figns with fome Efquimaux, who were then in London, particularly with one of them who was a prieft. He thought I could not make them underftand me. No man was more incredulous as to particular facts, which were at all extraordinary; and therefore no man was more fcrupuloufly inquifitive, in order to discover the truth. I dined with him this day at the houfe of my friends, Meffieurs Edward and Charles Dilly, bookfellers in the Poultry: there were prefent, their elder brother Mr. Dilly of Bedfordshire, Dr. Goldfmith, Mr. Langton, Mr. Claxton, Reverend Dr. Mayo a diffenting minifter, the Reverend Mr. Toplady, and my friend the Reverend Mr. Temple. Hawkefworth's compilation of the voyages to the South Sea being mentioned ;-JOHNSON. "Sir, if you talk of it as a fubject of commerce, it will be gainful; if as a book that is to increase human knowledge, I believe there will not be much of that. Hawkefworth can tell only what the voyagers have told him; and they have found very little, only one new animal, I think." BosWELL. "But many infects, Sir." JOHNSON. Why, Sir, as to infects, Ray reckons of British infects twenty thoufand fpecies. ftaid at home and difcovered way." They might have Talking of birds, I mentioned Mr. Daines Barrington's ingenious Effay against the received notion of their migration. JOHNSON. "I think we have as good evidence for the migration of wood cocks |