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Mallet, I fuppofe, was paft five-and-twenty before he came to London."

Upon another occafion I talked to him on this fubject, having myself taken fome pains to improve my pronunciation, by the aid of the late Mr. Love, of Drury-lane theatre, when he was a player at Edinburgh, and alfo of old Mr. Sheridan. Johnson faid to me, "Sir, your pronunciation is not offenfive." With this conceffion I was pretty well fatisfied; and let me give my countryinen of North-Britain an advice not to aim at abfolute perfection in this refpect; not to fpeak High English, as we are apt to call what is far removed from the Scotch, but which is by no means good English, and makes "the fools who use it," truly ridiculous. Good English is plain, eafy, and fmooth in the mouth of an unaffected English Gentleman. A studied and factitious pronunciation, which requires perpetual attention, and impofes perpetual constraint, is exceedingly disgusting. A fmall intermixture of provincial peculiarities may, perhaps, have an agreeable effect, as the notes of different birds concur in the harmony of the grove, and please more than if they were all exactly alike. I could name fome gentlemen of Ireland, to whom a flight proportion of the accent and recitative of that country is an advantage. The fame obfervation will apply to the gentlemen of Scotland. I do not mean that we should speak as broad as a certain profperous member of Parliament from that country; though it has been well obferved, that it has been of no fmall ufe to him; as it rouses the attention of the House by

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its uncommonnefs; and is equal to tropes and figures in a good English speaker." I would give as an inftance of what I mean to recommend to my countrymen, the pronunciation of the late Sir Gilbert Elliot; and may I prefume to add that of the present Earl of Marchmont, who told me, with great good humour, that the master of a shop in London, where he was not known, faid to him, "I suppose, Sir, you are an American." "Why fo, Sir?" (faid his Lordship.) "Because, Sir, (replied the shopkeeper,) you speak neither English nor Scotch, but fomething different from both, which I conclude is the language of America."

BOSWELL. "It may be of use, Sir, to have a Dictionary to ascertain the pronunciation." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, my Dictionary fhows you the accents of words, if you can but remember them." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, we want marks to ascertain the pronunciation of the vowels. Sheridan, I believe, has finished fuch a work." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, confider how much easier it is to learn a language by the ear, than by any marks. Sheridan's Dictionary may do very well; but you cannot always carry it about with you: and, when you want the word, you have not the Dictionary. It is like a man who has a sword that will not draw. It is an admirable fword, to be fure: but while your enemy is cutting your throat, you are unable to use it. Besides, Sir, what entitles Sheridan to fix the pronunciation of English? He has, in the first place, the disadvantage of being an Irishman: and if he fays he will fix it after the example of the best company, why they differ among them

felves.

felves. I remember an inftance: when I publifhed the Plan for my Dictionary, Lord Chefterfield told me that the word great fhould be pronounced so as to rhyme to ftate; and Sir William Yonge fent me word that it should be pronounced fo as to rhyme to feat, and that none but an Irishman would pronounce it grait. Now here were two men of the highest rank, the one, the best speaker in the House of Lords, the other, the beft fpeaker in the Houfe of Commons, differing entirely."

I again visited him at night. Finding him in a very good humour, I ventured to lead him to the fubject of our situation in a future state, having much curiofity to know his notions on that point. JOHNSON. Why, Sir, the happiness of an unembodied spirit will confift in a consciousness of the favour of GOD, in the contemplation of truth, and in the poffeffion of felicitating ideas." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, is there any harm in our forming to ourselves conjectures as to the particulars of our happiness, though the fcripture has faid but very little on the subject? We know not what we

fhall be." JOHNSON. "Sir, there is no harm. What philofophy fuggefts to us on this topick is probable: what fcripture tells us is certain. Dr. Henry More has carried it as far as philofophy can. You may buy both his theological and philofophical works in two volumes folio, for about eight fhillings." BOSWELL." One of the most pleafing thoughts is, that we fhall fee our friends again." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir; but you must confider, that when we are become purely rational, many of our friendships will be cut off. Many VOL. II. friendships

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friendships are formed by a community of fenfual pleafures all thefe will be cut off. We form many friendships with bad men, because they have agreeable qualities, and they can be useful to us; but, after death, they can no longer be of ufe to us. We form many friendships by mistake, imagining people to be different from what they really are. After death, we fhall fee every one in a true light. Then, Sir, they talk of our meeting our relations but then all relationship is diffolved; and we shall have no regard for one perfon more than another, but for their real value. However, we shall either have the fatisfaction of meeting our friends, or be fatisfied without meeting them." BOSWELL. "Yet, Sir, we fee in fcripture, that Dives ftill retained an anxious concern about his brethren." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, we must either fuppofe that paffage to be metaphorical, or hold with many divines, and all the Purgatorians, that departed fouls do not all at once arrive at the utmost perfection of which they are capable." BOSWELL. "I think, Sir, that is a very rational fuppofition." JOHNSON. "Why yes, Sir; but we do not know it is a true one. There is no harm in

believing it but you must not compel others to make it an article of faith; for it is not revealed." BOSWELL. "Do you think, Sir, it is wrong in a man who holds the doctrine of purgatory, to pray for the fouls of his deceased friends." JOHNSON. "Why no, Sir." BOSWELL. "I have been told, that in the Liturgy of the Epifcopal Church of Scotland, there was a form of prayer for the dead." JOHNSON. "Sir, it is not in the liturgy which Laud framed

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framed for the Epifcopal Church of Scotland: if there is a liturgy older than that, I fhould be Etat. 63. glad to fee it." BOSWELL. "As to our employment in a future ftate, the facred writings fay little. The Revelation, however, of St. John gives us many ideas, and particularly mentions mufick." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, ideas must be given you by means of fomething which you know: and as to musick, there are some philofophers and divines who have maintained that we shall not be spiritualized to fuch a degree, but that fomething of matter, very much refined, will remain. In that cafe, mufick may make a part of our future felicity."

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BOSWELL. "I do not know whether there are any well-attested stories of the appearance of ghofts. You know there is a famous ftory of the appearance of Mrs. Veal, prefixed to Drelincourt on Death." JOHNSON. "I believe, Sir, that is given up. I believe the woman declared upon her deathbed that it was a lie." BOSWELL. "This objection is made against the truth of ghosts appearing: that if they are in a state of happiness, it would be a punishment to them to return to this world; and if they are in a state of mifery, it would be giving them a refpite." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, as the happiness or mifery of embodied fpirits does not depend upon place, but is intellectual, we cannot say that they are lefs happy or lefs miferable by appearing upon earth.”

We went down between twelve and one to Mrs. Williams's room, and drank tea. I mentioned that we were to have the remains of Mr. Gray, in profe and verfe, published by Mr. Mafon. JOHNSON.

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