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defence of convivial indulgence in wine, though 1772. he was not to-night in the most genial humour. Etat, 63: After urging the common plaufible topicks, I at

laft had recourfe to the maxim, in vino veritas; a man who is well warmed with wine will speak truth. JOHNSON. " Why, Sir, that may be an argument for drinking, if you suppose men in general to be liars. But, Sir, I would not keep company with a fellow, who lyes as long as he is fober, and whom you must make drunk before you can get a word of truth out of him"."

Mr. Langton told us he was about to establish a school upon his eftate, but it had been fuggested to him, that it might have a tendency to make the people lefs induftrious. JOHNSON. "No, Sir. While learning to read and write is a distinction, the few who have that diftinction may be the lefs inclined to work; but when every body learns to read and write, it is no longer a distinction. A man who has a laced waistcoat is too fine a man to work; but if every body had laced waistcoats, we fhould have people working in laced waistcoats. There are no people whatever more industrious, none who work more, than our manufacturers; yet they have all learnt to read and write. Sir, you must not neglect doing a thing immediately good, from fear of remote evil;-from fear of its being

" Mrs. Piozzi, in her "Anecdotes," p. 261, has given. an erroneous account of this incident, as of many others. She pretends to relate it from recollection, as if the herself had been prefent; when the fact is that it was communicated to her by me. She has represented it as a perfonality, and the true point has escaped her.

abused.

L

1772.

Etat. 63.

abused. A man who has candles may fit up too late, which he would not do if he had not candles; but nobody will deny that the art of making candles, by which light is continued to us beyond the time that the fun gives us light, is a valuable art, and ought to be preferved." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, would it not be better to follow Nature; and go to bed and rife juft as Nature gives us light or with-holds it?" JOHNSON. "No, Sir; for then we should have no kind of equality in the partition of our time between fleeping and waking. It would be very different in different feafons and in different places. In fome of the northern parts of Scotland how little light is there in the depth of winter!"

We talked of Tacitus, and I hazarded an opinion, that with all his merit for penetration, fhrewdness of judgement, and terfeness of expreffion, he was too compact, too much broken into hints, as it were, and therefore too difficult to be understood. To my great fatisfaction Dr. Johnfon fanctioned this opinion. "Tacitus, Sir, feems to me rather to have made notes for an hiftorical work, than to have written a history." "

At this time it appears from his " Prayers and Meditations," that he had been more than commonly diligent in religious duties, particularly in reading the holy fcriptures. It was Paffion Week,

• It is remarkable, that Lord Monboddo, whom on account of his resembling Dr. Johnfon in fome particulars, Foote called an Elzevir edition of him, has, by coincidence, made the very fame remark. Origin and Progress of Language, vol. iii. 2d edit, p. 219.

that folemn feafon which the Chriftian world has 1772. appropriated to the commemoration of the myf- Etat. 63. teries of our redemption, and during which, whatever embers of religion are in our breafts, will be kindled into pious warmth.

I paid him fhort vifits both on Friday and Saturday, and feeing his large folio Greek Teftament before him, beheld him with a reverential awe, and would not intrude upon his time. While he was thus employed to fuch good purpose, and while his friends in their intercourfe with him constantly found a vigorous intellect and a lively imagination, it is melancholy to read in his private regifter, "My mind is unfettled and my memory confufed. I have of late turned my thoughts with. a very useless earneftnefs upon paft incidents. I have yet got no command over my thoughts; an unpleafing incident is almoft certain to hinder my reft." What philofophick heroifm was it in him to appear with fuch manly fortitude to the world, while he was inwardly fo diftreffed! We may furely believe that the myfterious principle of being "made perfect through fuffering," was to be ftrongly exemplified in him.

On Sunday, April 19, being Eafter-day, General Paoli and I paid him a vifit before dinner. We talked of the notion that blind perfons can diftinguish colours by the touch. Johnson faid, that Profeffor Sanderfon mentions his having attempted to do it, but that he found he was aiming at an impoffibility; that to be fure a difference in

7 Prayers and Meditations, p. 111.

the

1772.

Etat. 63.

the furface makes the difference of colours; but that difference is fo fine, that it is not fenfible to the touch. The General mentioned jugglers and fraudulent gamefters, who could know cards by the touch. Dr. Johnson faid, "the cards used by fuch perfons must be lefs polished than ours commonly are."

We talked of founds. The General faid, there was no beauty in a fimple found, but only in an harmonious compofition of founds. I prefumed to differ from this opinion, and mentioned the foft and fweet found of a fine woman's voice. JOHNSON. "No, Sir, if a ferpent or a toad uttered it, you would think it ugly." BoSWELL. "So you would think, Sir, were a beautiful tune to be uttered by one of those animals. JOHNSON. "No, Sir, it would be admired. We have feen fine fidlers whom we liked as little as toads." (laughing.)

Talking on the fubject of tafte in the arts, he faid, that difference of tafte was, in truth, difference of skill. BOSWELL. "But, Sir, is there not a quality called taste, which confifts inerely in perception or in liking? For inftance, we find people differ much as to what is the beft ftyle of English compofition. Some think Swift's the best; others prefer a fuller and grander way of writing." JOHNSON. "Sir, you must first define what you mean by ftyle, before you can judge who has a good taste in ftyle, and who has a bad. The two claffes of perfons whom you don't differ as to good and bad. that Swift has a good neat ftyle;

have mentioned They both agree but one loves a

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neat style, another loves a style of more splendour.

1772.

In like manner, one loves a plain coat, another Etat. 63. loves a laced coat; but neither will deny that each

is good in its kind."

While I remained in London this fpring, I was with him at several other times, both by himself and in company. I dined with him one day at the Crown and Anchor tavern, in the Strand, with Lord Elibank, Mr. Langton, and Dr. Vanfittart of Oxford. Without fpecifying each particular day, I have preserved the following memorable things.

I regretted the reflection in his Preface to Shakfpeare against Garrick, to whom we cannot but apply the following paffage: "I collated fuch copies as I could procure, and wished for more, but have not found the collectors of these rarities very communicative." I told him, that Garrick had complained to me of it, and had vindicated himself by affuring me, that Johnson was made welcome to the full use of his collection, and that he left the key of it with a servant, with orders to have a fire and every convenience for him. I found Johnson's notion was, that Garrick wanted to be courted for them, and that, on the contrary, Garrick fhould have courted him, and fent him the plays of his own accord. But, indeed, confidering the flovenly and careless manner in which books were treated by Johnson, it could noc be expected that scarce and valuable editions fhould have been lent to him.

A gentleman having to fome of the ufual arguments for drinking added this: "You know, Sir, drinking drives away care, and makes us VOL. II. forget

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