1772.

Atat. 63.

JOHNSON. "I think we have had enough of Gray. I fee they have publifhed a fplendid edition of Akenfide's works. One bad ode may be suffered; but a number of them together makes one fick." BOSWELL."Akenfide's diftinguished poem is his Pleafures of Imagination:' but for my part, I never could admire it fo much as most people do." JOHNSON."Sir, I could not read it through." BOSWELL. "I have read it through; but I did not find any great power in it."

'

I mentioned Elwal, the heretick, whofe trial Sir John Pringle had given me to read. JOHNSON. "Sir, Mr. Elwal was, I think, an ironmonger at Wolverhampton: and he had a mind to make himfelf famous, by being the founder of a new sect, which he wished much fhould be called Elwallians. He held, that every thing in the Old Teftament that was not typical, was to be of perpetual obfervance; and fo he wore a ribband in the plaits of his coat, and he also wore a beard. I remember I had the honour of dining in company with Mr. Elwal. There was one Barter, a miller, who wrote against him; and you had the controversy between Mr. ELWAL and Mr. BARTER. To try to make himfelf diftinguished, he wrote a letter to King George the Second, challenging him to difpute with him, in which he faid, George, if you be afraid to come by yourself, to difpute with a poor old man, you may bring a thousand of your black-guards with you; and if you should still be afraid, you may bring a thousand of your red-guards.' The letter had fomething of the impudence of Junius to our present King. But the men of Wolverhampton

were

were not fo inflammable as the Common-Council of London; fo Mr. Elwal failed in his fcheme of making himself a man of great confequence.”

1772.

Etat. 63.

On Tuesday, March 31, he and I dined at General Paoli's. A queftion was ftarted, whether the state of marriage was natural to man. JOHNSON. "Sir, it is so far from being natural for a man and woman to live in a state of marriage, that we find all the motives which they have for remaining in that connection, and the reftraints which civilized fociety impofes to prevent feparation, are hardly fufficient to keep them together." The General faid, that in a state of nature a man and woman uniting together, would form a strong and conftant affection, by the mutual pleasure each would receive; and that the fame caufes of diffention would not arise between them, as occur between husband and wife in a civilized ftate. JOHNSON. "Sir, they would have diffentions enough, though of another kind. One would choose to go a hunting in this wood, the other in that; one would choose to go a fishing in this lake, the other in that; or, perhaps, one would choose to go a hunting, when the other would choofe to go a fishing; and fo they would part. Befides, Sir, a savage man and a favage woman meet by chance; and when the man fees another woman that pleases him better, he will leave the first."

We then fell into a difquifition whether there is any beauty independent of utility. The General maintained there was not. Dr. Johnson maintained that there was; and he inftanced a coffee-cup which he held in his hand, the painting of which

1772.

Etat. 63.

was of no real ufe, as the cup would hold the coffee equally well if plain; yet the painting was beautiful.

We talked of the strange custom of fwearing in converfation. The General faid, that all barbarous nations fwore from a certain violence of temper, that could not be confined to earth, but was always reaching at the powers above. He faid, too, that there was greater variety of fwearing, in proportion as there was a greater variety of religious ceremonies.

Dr. Johnson went home with me to my lodgings in Conduit-street and drank tea, previous to our going to the Pantheon, which neither of us had feen before.

He faid, "Goldsmith's Life of Parnell is poor; not that it is poorly written, but that he had poor materials; for nobody can write the life of a man, but those who have eat and drunk and lived in focial intercourse with him."

I faid, that if it was not troublesome and prefuming too much, I would request him to tell me all the little circumstances of his life; what schools he attended, when he came to Oxford, when he came to London, &c. &c. He did not disapprove of my curiofity as to thefe particulars; but faid "They'll come out by degrees as we talk together."

He cenfured Ruffhead's Life of Pope; and faid, "he knew nothing of Pope, and nothing of poetry." He praised Dr. Jofeph Warton's Effay on Pope; but faid, he fuppofed we should have no more of it, as the authour had not been able

to

to perfuade the world to think of Pope as he did. BOSWELL."Why, Sir, fhould that prevent him from continuing his work? He is an ingenious Counsel, who has made the most of his caufe: he is not obliged to gain it." JOHNSON. "But, Sir, there is a difference when the caufe is of a man's own making."

We talked of the proper use of riches. JOHNSON. "If I were a man of a great estate, I would drive all the rafcals whom I did not like out of the county at an election."

I asked him how far he thought wealth should be employed in hofpitality. JOHNSON. "You are to confider that ancient hofpitality, of which we hear fo much, was in an uncommercial country, when men being idle, were glad to be entertained at rich men's tables. But in a commercial country, a bufy country, time becomes precious, and therefore hofpitality is not so much valued. No doubt there is still room for a certain degree of it; and a man has a fatisfaction in feeing his friends eating and drinking around him. But promifcuous hofpitality is not the way to gain real influence. You must help fome people at table before others; you must ask some people how they like their wine oftener than others. You therefore offend more people than you please. You are like the French statesman, who faid, when he granted a favour, J'ai fait dix mécontents et un ingrat.' Befides, Sir, being entertained ever fo well at a man's table, impreffes no lafting regard or esteem. No, Sir, the way to make fure of power and influence is, by lending money confidentially to your neighbours

C 4

1772.

Etat. 63.

Atat. 63.

1772. bours at a small intereft, or, perhaps, at no interest at all, and having their bonds in your poffeffion." BOSWELL. "May not a man, Sir, employ his riches to advantage in educating young men of merit?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, if they fall in your way; but if it be understood that you patronize young men of merit, you will be harraffed with folicitations. You will have numbers forced upon you who have no merit; fome will force them upon you from miftaken partiality; and fome from downright interefted motives, without fcruple; and you will be difgraced.

"Were I a rich man, I would propagate all kinds of trees that will grow in the open air. A green-house is childifh. I would introduce foreign animals into the country; for instance, the reindeer"."

The converfation now turned on critical subjects. JOHNSON. Bayes, in The Rehearsal,' is a mighty filly character. If it was intended to be like a particular man, it could only be diverting while that man was remembered. But I queftion whether it was meant for Dryden, as has been reported; for we know fome of the paffages faid to be ridiculed, were written fince the Rehearfal; at leaft a paffage mentioned in the Preface is of a later date." I maintained that it had merit as a general fatire on the felf-importance of dramatick

This project has fince been realized. Sir Henry Liddel, who made a fpirited tour into Lapland, brought two rein-deer to his estate in Northumberland, where they bred; but the race has unfortunately perished,

authours,