a Tub' is so much superior to his other writings, that one can hardly believe he was the authour of it: there is in it such a vigour of mind, such a swarm of thoughts, so much of nature, and art, and life." I wondered to hear him say of "Gulliver's Travels," "When once you have thought of big men and little men, it is very easy to do all the rest." I endeavoured to make a stand for Swift, and tried to rouse those who were much more able to defend him; but in vain. Johnson at last, of his own accord, allowed very great merit to the inventory of articles found in the pocket of "the Man Mountain," particularly the description of his watch, which it was conjectured was his God, as he consulted it upon all occasions. He observed, that Swift put his name to but two things (after he had a name to put), "The Plan for the Improvement of the English Language," and the last " Drapier's Letter." value but as a stamp of merit. And was Sheridan to assume to himself the right of giving that stamp? If Sheridan was magnificent enough to bestow a gold medal as a honorary reward of dramatick excellence, he should have requested one of the Universities to choose the person on whom it should be conferred. Sheridan had no right to give a stamp of merit: it was counterfeiting Apollo's coin"." On Monday, March 27, I breakfasted with him at Mr. Strahan's. He told us, that he was engaged to go that evening to Mrs. Abingdon's benefit. "She was visiting some ladies whom I was visiting, and begged that I would come to her benefit. I told her I could not hear: but she insisted so much on my coming, that it would have been brutal to have refused her." This was a speech quite characteristical. He loved to bring forward his having been in the gay circles of life; and he was, perhaps, a little vain of the solicitations of this elegant and fashionable actress. He told us, the play was to be "The Hypocrite," altered from Cibber's "Nonjuror," so as to satirize the methodists. "I do not think," said he, From Swift, there was an easy transition to Mr. Thomas Sheridan. JOHNSON. "Sheridan is a wonderful admirer of the tragedy of Douglas, and presented its authour with a gold medal. Some years ago, at a coffee-house in Oxford, I called to him," the character of the Hypocrite justly apMr. Sheridan, Mr. Sheridan, how came you to give a gold medal to Home, for writing that foolish play?' This, you see, was wanton and insolent; but I meant to be wanton and insolent. A medal has no 6 1 This doubt has been much agitated on both sides, I think without good reason. See Addison's "Freeholder," May 4th, 1714; " An Apology for the Tale of a Tub;" Dr. Hawkesworth's "Preface to Swift's Works," and Swift's "Letter to Tooke the Printer," and Tooke's "Answer" in that collection; Sheridan's "Life of Swift; Mr. Courtenay's note on p. 3 of his "Poetical Review of the Literary and Moral Character of Dr. Johnson;" and Mr. Cooksey's Essay on the Life and Character of John, Lord Somers, Baron of Evesham." plicable to the methodists, but it was very applicable to the Nonjurors. I once said to Dr. Madan 3, a clergyman of Ireland, who was a great whig, that perhaps a Nonjuror would have been less criminal in taking the oaths imposed by the ruling power, than [The medal was presented in 1757, and as it does not appear that Johnson and Sheridan ever met after the affair of the pension, (ante, 1762), this fact occurred probably in Johnson's visit to Oxford, in 1759. It seems, therefore, that Johnson had begun to be "wanton and insolent" towards Sheridan before the pension had caused the cup of gall to overflow. Mr. Whyte, the friend of Sheridan, gives the history of the medal thus: "When Sheridan undertook to play Douglas in Dublin, he had liberally written to Home, promising him the profits of the third night. It happened, however, that these profits fell very short, and Sheridan was rather perplexed what to do. At first, he thought of offering the authour a piece of plate, but, on the suggestion of Mr. Whyte, the idea of a medal was adopted. The medal (Mr. Whyte adds) had the additional grace of being conveyed to Mr. Home through the hands of Lord Macartney and Lord Bute, but had a narrow escape of being intercepted by the way, for, as Mr. Whyte was bringing it to London, he was stopped by a highwayman and robbed of his purse, but contrived to secrete and preserve the medal."- Whyte's True Account of the Gold Medal, Dublin, 1794. When Johnson called Douglas "a foolish play," he was not only 66 wanton and insolent,' as he admits, but showed very bad taste, and very violent prejudice. Dr. Johnson here speaks only to the internal evidence. I take leave to differ from him, having a very high estimation of the powers of Dr. Swift. His Sentiments of a Church-of-Englandman;" his "Sermon on the Trinity," and other serious pieces, prove his learning as well as his acuteness in logick and metaphysicks; and his various compositions of a different cast exhibit not only wit, humour, and ridicule; but a knowledge "of nature, and art, and life;" a combination, therefore, of those powers, when (as the "Apology" says) "the authour was young, his invention at the height, and his reading fresh in his head," might surely produce "The Tale of a Tub."-BOSWELL. [See ante, p. 202. After the letter to Benjamin Tooke the Printer, there was no longer any room for controversy. The most zealous friend of Swift would only have to add, that he who wished to detract from his merit-ED.] was obliged to deny (contrary to all evidence) 3 [No doubt a mistake for Dr. Madden, al hat he was the authour of his own works.-ED.] | ready mentioned. See ante, p. 137.—ED.] refung them; because refusing them ne-1 cessarily laid him under almost an irresistible temptation to be more criminal; for a man must live, and if he precludes himself from the support furnished by the establishment will probably be reduced to very wicked shifts to maintain himself." BosWELL. “I should think, sir, that a man who took the oaths contrary to his principles was a determined wicked man, because he was sure he was committing perjury; whereas a Nonjuror might be insensibly led to do what was wrong, without being so directly conscious of it." JOHNSON."6 Why, sir, a man who goes to bed to his patron's wife is pretty sure that he is committing wickedness. BOSWELL. “Did the nonjuring clergyman do so, sir?" "I am afraid nany of them did 2." This was not merely a cursory remark; for, in his Life of Fenton, he observes, "With many other wise and virtuous men, who, at that time of discord and debate (about the beginning of this century), consulted conscience, well or ill formed, more than interest, he doubted the legality of the government; and, refusing to qualify himself for publick employment, by taking the oaths required, left the University without a degree." This conduct Johnson calls "perverseness of integrity." The question concerning the morality of taking oaths, of whatever kind, imposed by the prevailing power at the time, rather than to be excluded from all consequence, or even any considerable usefulness in society, has been agitated with all the acuteness of casuistry. It is related, that he who devised the oath of abjuration profligately boasted, that he had framed a test which should "damn one half of the nation, and starve the other." Upon minds not exalted to inflexible rectitude, or minds in which zeal for a party is predominant to excess, taking that oath against conviction may have been palliated under the plea of necessity, or ventured upon in heat, as upon the whole producing more good than evil. At a county election in Scotland, many years ago, when there was a warm contest between the friends of the Hanoverian succession, and those against it, the oath of abjuration having been demanded, the freeholders upon one side rose to go away. Upon which a very sanguine gentleman, one of their number, ran to the door to stop them, calling out with much earnestness, "Stay, stay, my friends, and let us swear the rogues out of it!" --BOSWELL. [What a proof is this of the impolicy and inefficacy of these sorts of tests when we find a man of Johnson's morality and religious scruples characterising a conscientious refusal to take the oaths as a perverse integrity, and justifying a compliance by such loose talk as he used on this occasion !--ED.] 2 [What evidence is there of this being the prevailing sin of the nonjuring clergy beyond Cibber's comedy, which, slight evidence as a comedy would be in any such case, is next to none at all on this occasion, for Cibber's play was a mere adaptation of Moliere's Tartuffe ?-ED.] Mr. Strahan talked of launching into the great ocean of London, in order to have a chance for rising into eminence; and observing that many men were kept back from trying their fortunes there, because they were born to a competency, said, "Small certainties are the bane of men of talents; " which Johnson confirmed. Mr. Strahan put Johnson in mind of a remark which he had made to him: "There are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money.' "The more one thinks of this," said Strahan," the juster it will appear." Mr. Strahan had taken a poor boy from the country as an apprentice, upon Johnson's recommendation. Johnson having inquired after him, said, “Mr. Strahan, let me have five guineas on account, and 'I'll give this boy one. Nay, if a man recommends a boy, and does nothing for him, it is sad work. Call him down." I followed him into the court-yard 5, behind Mr. Strahan's house; and there I had a proof of what I had heard him profess, that he talked alike to all. "Some people tell you that they let themselves down to 3 [Mr. Boswell was too civil when he called this an argument. It seems very lax sophistry. Why should it follow, that because a man is conscientious in one point, he should be profligate in another ?--ED.] [Extract from the book containing the proceedings of the corporation of Lichfield; " 19th July, 1712, Agreed that Mr. Michael Johnson be, and he is hereby elected a magistrate and brother of their incorporation; a day is given him to Thursday next to take the oath of fidelity and allegiance, and the oath of a magistrate. Signed, &c."-"25th July, 1712. Mr. Johnson took the oath of allegiance, and that he believed there was no transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, before, &c."-HARWOOD.] [This was " surveillance," as the French call it, with a vengeance! and this fact, which Mr. Boswell owns with such amusing simplicity, may be taken as a specimen of the "espionage" which he exercised over Johnson. The reader will have observed, that two French phrases are here used, because, though Mr. Boswell's affectionate curiosity led him into such courses, English manners have no such practice, nor the English language a term to describe it.-ED.] the capacity of their hearers. I never do that.. I speak uniformly, in as intelligible a manner as I can." crous exaggeration; repeating, with pauses and half-whistlings interjected, "Os homini sublime dedit,-cælumque tueri, "Well, my boy, how do you go on?" Jussit, et erectos ad sidera-tollere vultus," "Pretty well, sir; but they are afraid I ar'n't strong enough for some parts of the busi- looking downwards all the time 2, and, ness." JOHNSON. "Why I shall be sorry while pronouncing the four last words, abfor it; for when you consider with how solutely touching the ground with a kind little mental power and corporeal labour a of contorted gesticulation 3. printer can get a guinea a week, it is a very desirable occupation for you. Do you hear -take all the pains you can; and if this does not do, we must think of some other way of life for you. There's a guinea. Garrick, however, when he pleased, could imitate Johnson very exactly; for that great actor, with his distinguished powers of expression which were so universally admired, possessed also an admirable talent of mimickry. He was always jealous that Johnson spoke lightly of him. I recollect his exhibiting him to me one day, as if saying, Here was one of the many, many instances of his active benevolence. At the same time, the slow and sonorous solemnity with which, while he bent himself down," Davy has some convivial pleasantry he addressed a little thick short-legged boy, contrasted with the boy's awkwardness and awe, could not but excite some ludicrous emotions. I met him at Drury-lane playhouse in the evening. Sir Joshua Reynolds, at Mrs. Abingdon's request, had promised to bring a body of wits to her benefit; and having secured forty places in the front boxes, had done me the honour to put me in the group. Johnson sat on the seat directly behind me; and as he could neither see nor hear at such a distance from the stage, he was wrapped up in grave abstraction, and seemed quite a cloud, amidst all the sunshine of glitter and gaiety. I wondered at his patience in sitting out a play of five acts, and a farce of two. He said very little; but after the prologue to" Bon Ton" had been spoken, which he could hear pretty well from the more slow and distinct utterance, he talked | on prologue-writing, and observed, " Dryden has written prologues superiour to any that David Garrick has written; but David Garrick has written more good prologues than Dryden has done. It is wonderful that he has been able to write such variety of them." about him, but 't is a futile fellow; " which he uttered perfectly with the tone and air of Johnson. I cannot too frequently request of my readers, while they peruse my account of 2 [This exhibition of Johnson's downward and tollere vultus, resembles one which Lord look and gesticulations while reciting os sublime Byron describes. "Mr. Grattan's manners in private life were odd, but natural. Curran used to take him off, bowing to the very ground, and thanking God that he had no peculiarity of gesture or appearance,' in a way irresistibly ridiculous.”—Moore's Life of Byron, vol. i. p. 405.-ED.] .་ 3 [Mr. Whyte has related an anecdote of Johnson's violence of gesticulation, which, but for this evidence of Garrick's, one could have hardly believed. The house on the right at the bottom of Beaufort Buildings was occupied by Mr. Chamberlaine, Mrs. Sheridan's eldest brother (an eminent surgeon), by whom Johnson was often invited in the snug way with the family party. At one of those social meetings Johnson as usual sat next the lady of the house; the dessert still continuing, and the ladies in no haste to withdraw, the table, and was carelessly dangling her foot backwards and forwards as she sat, enjoying the feast of reason and the flow of soul.' Johnson, the while, in a moment of abstraction, was convulsively working his hand up and down, which the lady observing, she roguishly edged her foot within his reach, and, as might partly have been expected, Johnson clenched hold of it, and drew off her shoe; she started, and hastily exclaimed, Mrs. Chamberlaine had moved a little back from At Mr. Beauclerk's, where I supped, was Mr. Garrick, whom I made happy with Johnson's praise of his prologues; and I suppose in gratitude to him, he took up one of his favourite topicks, the nationality of the Scotch, which he maintained in a pleasant manner, with the aid of a little poetical fiction. "Come, come, do 'nt deny it: they O, fie! Mr. Johnson!' The company at first are really national. Why, now, the Adams knew not what to make of it: but one of them, are as liberal-minded men as any in the perceiving the joke, tittered. Johnson, not imworld: but, I don't know how it is, all their probably aware of the trick, apologised. Nay, workmen are Scotch. You are, to be sure, madam, recollect yourself; I know not that I have wonderfully free from that nationality: but justly incurred your rebuke; the emotion was inso it happens, that you employ the only voluntary, and the action not intentionally rude.'” Scotch shoeblack in London 1" He imita--Whyte's Miscel. Nova, p. 50.-ED.] ted the manner of his old master with ludi [See ante, p. 315 and n.-ED.] rather proves that Garrick had learned to repel [On the contrary, the anecdote which follows Johnson's contemptuous expressions with an easy gaiety. ED.] Johnson's conversation, to endeavour to keep in mind his deliberate and strong utterance. His mode of speaking was indeed very impressive 1; and I wish it could be preserved as musick is written, according to the very ingenious method of Mr. Steele 2, who has shown how the recitation of Mr. Garrick, and other eminent speakers, might be transmitted to posterity in score 3. Next day I dined with Johnson at Mr. Thrale's. He attacked Gray, calling him "a dull fellow." BOSWELL. "I understand he was reserved, and might appear dull in company; but surely he was not dull in poetry." JOHNSON. "Sir, he was dull in company, dull in his closet, dull every where. He was dull in a new way, and that made many people think him GREAT. He was a mechanical poet." He then repeated some ludicrous lines, which have escaped my memory, and said, "Is not that GREAT, like his Odes?" Mrs. Thrale maintained that his Odes were melodious; upon which he exclaimed, "Weave the warp, and weave the woof; "I added, in a solemn tone, "The winding-sheet of Edward's race." 1 My noble friend Lord Pembroke said once to me at Wilton, with a happy pleasantry and some truth, "that Dr. Johnson's sayings would not appear so extraordinary, were it not for his bow-wow way. The sayings themselves are generally of sterling merit; but, doubtless, his manner was an addition to their effect; and therefore should be attended to as much as may be. It is necessary, however, to guard those who were not acquainted with him against overcharged imitations or caricatures of his manner, which are frequently attempted, and many of which are second-hand copies from the late Mr. Henderson, the actor, who, though a good mimick of some persons, did not represent Johnson correctly.-BOSWELL. 2 See "Prosodia Rationalis; or, an Essay towards establishing the Melody and Measure of Speech, to be expressed and perpetuated by peculiar Symbols. London, 1779."-BOSWELL. 3 I use the phrase in score, as Dr. Johnson has explained it in his Dictionary. 66 A song in SCORE, the words with the musical notes of a song annexed." But I understand that in scientifick propriety it means all the parts of a musical composition noted down in the characters by which it is exhibited to the eye of the skilful.BOSWELL. It was declamation that Steele pretended to reduce to notation by new characters. This he called the melody of speech, not the harmony, which the term in score implies.-BURNEY. [The true meaning of the term score is, that when music, in different parts for different voices or instruments, is written on the same page, the bars, instead of being drawn only across each stave, are, to lead the eyes of the several performers, scored from the top to the bottom of the pages.-ED.] There is a good line.-"Ay (said he), and the next line is a good one, (pronouncing it contemptuously), 'Give ample verge and room enough.'— No, sir, there are but two good stanzas in Gray's poetry, which are in his Elegy in a Country Church-yard."" He then repeated the stanza, "For who to dumb forgetfulness a prey," &c. mistaking one word; for instead of precincts he said confines. He added, "The other stanza I forget." A young lady 4 who had married a man much her inferiour in rank being mentioned, a question arose how a woman's relations should behave to her in such a situation; and, while I recapitulate the debate, and recollect what has since happened, I cannot but be struck in a manner that delicacy 5 forbids me to express. While I contended that she ought to be treated with an inflexible steadiness of displeasure, Mrs. Thrale was all for mildness and forgiveness, and, according to the vulgar phrase, "making the best of a bad bargain." JOHNSON. "Madam, we must distinguish. Were I a man of rank, I would not let a daughter starve who had made a mean marriage; but having voluntarily degraded herself from the station which she was originally entitled to hold, I would support her only in that which she herself had chosen; and would not put her on a level with my other daughters. You are to consider, madam, that it is our duty to maintain the subordination of civilized society; and when there is a gross and shameful deviation from rank, it should be punished so as to deter others from the same perversion." After frequently considering this subject, I am more and more confirmed in what I then meant to express, and which was sanctioned by the authority, and illustrated by the wisdom of Johnson; and I think it of the utmost consequence to the happiness of society, to which subordination is absolutely necessary. It is weak and contemptible, and unworthy, in a parent to relax in such a case. It is sacrificing general advantage to private feelings. And let it be conhas acted thus, to be restored to her former sidered that the claim of a daughter who situation, is either fantastical or unjust. If 4 [No doubt Lady Susan Fox, eldest daughter of the first Earl of Ilchester, born in 1743, who, in 1773, married Mr. William O'Brien, an actor. She died on the 9th August, 1827.-ED.] 5 [Mr. Boswell's delicacy to Mrs. Piozzi is quite exemplary! but after all, there is nothing which he has insinuated or said too bad for such a lamentable and degrading weakness as she was guilty of in her marriage with Mr. Piozzi.—ED.] there be no value in the distinction of rank, | nity) he scraped them and let them dry, but what does she suffer by being kept in the what he did with them next he never could JOHNSON. situation to which she has descended? If be prevailed upon to tell." there be a value in that distinction, it ought" Nay, sir, you should say it more emphatito be steadily maintained. If indulgence be cally:-he could not be prevailed upon, even shown to such conduct, and the offenders by his dearest friends, to tell 2.' know that in a longer or shorter time they shall be received as well as if they had not contaminated their blood by a base alliance, the great check upon that inordinate caprice which generally occasions low marriages will be removed, and the fair and comfortable order of improved life will be miserably disturbed. Lord Chesterfield's letters being mentioned, Johnson said, "It was not to be wondered at that they had so great a sale, considering that they were the letters of a statesman, a wit, one who had been so much in the mouths of mankind, one long accustomed virum volitare per ora.”· On Friday, 31st March, I supped with him and some friends at a tavern. One off the company attempted, with too much forwardness, to rally him on his late appearance at the theatre; but had reason to repent of his temerity. "Why, sir, did you go to Mrs. Abingdon's benefit? Did you see?" JOHNSON. "No, sir." "Did you hear?" JOHNSON. 66 No, sir." Why then, sir, did you go?" JOHNSON. "Because, sir, she is a favourite of the publick; and when the publick cares the thousandth part for you that it does for her, I will go to your benefit too." Next morning I won a small bet from Lady Diana Beauclerk, by asking him as to one of his particularities, which her ladyship laid I durst not do. It seems he had been frequently observed at the club to put into his pocket the Seville oranges, after he had squeezed the juice of them into the drink which he made for himself. Beauclerk and Garrick talked of it to me, and seemed to think that he had a strange unwillingness to be discovered. We could not divine what he did with them; and this was the bold question to be put. I saw on his table, the spoils of the preceding night, some fresh peels nicely scraped and cut into pieces. "O, sir (said I), I now partly see what you do with the squeezed oranges which you put into your pocket at the club. JOHNSON. "I have a great love for them," BOSWELL. "And pray, sir, what do you do with them? You. scrape them it seems, very neatly, and what next?" JOHNSON. "Let them dry, sir." Boswell. JOHNSON. what next?" Nay, sir, you shall know their fate no further." Boswell. "Then the world must be left in the dark. "And It must be said (assuming a mock solem [This is supposed to have been Mr. Boswell himself.-ED.] و He had this morning received his diploma as doctor of laws from the university of Oxford. He did not vaunt of his new dignity, but I understood he was highly pleased I shall here insert the progress with it. and completion of that high academical honour, in the same manner as I have traced his obtaining that of master of arts. "TO THE REV. DR. FOTHERGILL, Vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, to be communicated to the Heads of Houses, and proposed in Convocation. "Downing-street, 3d March, 1775. "MR. VICE-CHANCELLOR AND GENTLEMEN,-The honour of the degree of M. A. by diploma, formerly conferred upon Mr. Samuel Johnson, in consequence of his having eminently distinguished himself by the publication of a series of essays, excellently calculated to form the manners of the people, and in which the cause of religion and morality has been maintained and recommended by the strongest powers of argument and elegance of language, reflected an equal degree of lustre upon the university itself. "The many learned labours which have since that time employed the attention and displayed the abilities of that great man, so 2 [The following extract of one of what Miss Seward would call his love-letters to Miss Booththe correspondence with a lady, the use to which by, probably explains, in terms hardly suitable to he put these orange peels.—“ Give me leave, who have thought much on medicine, to propose to you an easy and, I think, very probable remedy for indigestion and lubricity of the bowels. Dr. Lawrence has told me your case. Take an ounce of dried orange peel, finely powdered, divide it into scruples, and take one scruple at a time in any manner: the best way is, perhaps, to drink it in a glass of hot red port, or to eat it first, and drink the wine after it. If you mix cinnamon or nutmeg with the powder it were not worse; but it will be more bulky, and so more troublesome. This is a medicine not disgusting, not costly, easily tried, and if not found useful, easily left off. I would not have you offer it to the doctor as mine. Physicians do not love intruders; yet do not take it without his leave. But do not be easily put off, for it is in my opinion very likely to help you, and not likely to do you harm: do not take too much in haste; a scruple once in three hours, or about five scruples a day, will be sufficient to begin, or less if you find any aversion. I think using sugar with it might be bad; if syrup, use old syrup of quinces; but even that I do not like. I should think better of conserve of sloes.”—Lett. 31st Dec. [1755].—ED.] |