bear.'-You know, Mr. Boswell, the highest of mankind have died rather than bear to be told they have uttered a falsehood. Do talk to her of it: I am weary."

The wife of one of his acquaintance had fraudulently made a purse for herself out of her husband's fortune. Feeling a proper compunction. in her last moments, she confessed how much she had secreted; but before she could tell where it was placed, she was seized with a convulsive fit, and expired. Her husband said, he was more hurt by her want of confidence in him than by the loss of his money. "I told him (said Johnson). that he should console himself; for perhaps the money might be found, and he was sure that his wife was lost."

Mr. Boswell once stated to him this case:--"Suppose a man has a daughter, who he knows has been seduced, but her misfortune is concealed from the world, should he keep her in his house? Would he not, by doing so, be accessary to imposition? And, perhaps, a worthy unsuspecting man might come and marry this woman, unless the father inform him of the truth."-Johnson replied, "Sir, he is accessary to no imposition. His daughter is in his house; and if a man courts her, he takes his chance.-If a friend, or, indeed, if any man asks his opinion whether he should marry her, he ought to advise

him against it, without telling why, because his real opinion is then required. Or, if he has other daughters who know of her frailty, he ought not to keep her in his house. You are to consider, the state of life is this; we are to judge of one another's characters as well as we can; and a man is not bound, in honesty or honour, to tell us the faults of his daughter or of himself. A man who has debauched his friend's daughter is not obliged to say to every body- Take care of me; don't let me into your houses without suspicion. I once debauched a friend's daughter. I may debauch yours.""

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As Johnson was a zealous friend of subordination, he was at all times watchful to repress the vulgar cant against the manners of the great.— High people, Sir (said he), are the best.-Take a hundred ladies of quality, you'll find them better wives, better mothers, more willing to sacrifice their own pleasure to their children, than a hundred other women. Tradeswomen (I mean the wives of tradesmen) in the city, who are worth from ten to fifteen thousand pounds, are the worst creatures upon the earth; grossly ignorant, and thinking viciousness fashionable. Farmers, I think, are often worthless fellows. Few lords. will cheat; and, if they do, they'll be ashamed of it; farmers cheat, and are not ashamed of it: they have all the sensual vices, too, of the nobility,

with cheating into the bargain. There is as much fornication and adultery amongst farmers as amongst noblemen."-B. "The notion of the world, Sir, however, is, that the morals of women of quality are worse than those in lower stations." -J. "Yes, Sir; the licentiousness of one woman of quality makes more noise than that of a number of women in lower stations. Then, Sir, you are to consider the malignity of women in the city against women of quality, which will make them believe any thing of them, such as that they call their coachmen to their bed. No, Sir; so far as I have observed, the higher in rank, the richer ladies are, they are the better instructed, and the more virtuous."

INEQUALITIES OF RANK.

JOHNSON insisted much on the duty of maintaining subordination of rank.-" Sir (said he), I would no more deprive a nobleman of his respect, than of his money. I consider myself as acting a part in the great system of society, and I do to others as I would have them do to me. I would behave to a nobleman as I should expect he would behave to me, were I a nobleman and he Sam. Johnson, Sir, there is one Mrs. Macaulay in

this town, a great republican. One day, when I was at her house, I put on a very grave countenance, and said to her, Madam, I am now become a convert to your way of thinking. I am convinced that all mankind are upon an equal footing; and to give you an unquestionable proof, Madam, that I am in earnest, here is a very sensible, civil, well-behaved fellow-citizen, your footman; I desire that he may be allowed to sit down and dine with us.' I thus, Sir, shewed her the absurdity of the levelling doctrine. She has never liked me since. Sir, your levellers wish to level down as far as themselves; but they cannot bear levelling up to themselves. They would all have some people under them; why not then have some people above them?" A certain author was mentioned, who disgusted by his forwardness, and by shewing no deference to noblemen into whose company he was admitted. Johnson said, "Suppose a shoemaker should claim an equality with him, as he does with a lord, how would he stare!

Why, Sir, do you stare? (says the shoemaker). I do great service to society. 'Tis true, I am paid for doing it; but so are you, Sir: and I am sorry to say it, better paid than I am, for doing something not so necessary; for mankind could do better without your books, than without my shoes.' Thus there would be a perpetual struggle for precedence, were there no fixed invariable rules for

the distinction of rank, which creates no jealousy, as it is allowed to be accidental."

On another occasion (says Mr. B.) we had talked of old families, and the respect due to them. Johnson said, "Sir, you have a right to that kind of respect, and are arguing for yourself. I am for supporting the principle, and am disinterested in doing it, as I have no such right."

B.

Why, Sir, it is one more incitement to a man to do well."-J. "Yes, Sir, and it is a matter of opinion very necessary to keep society together. What is it but opinion by which we have a respect for authority, that prevents us, who are the rabble, from rising up, and pulling down you who are gentlemen from your places, and saying, We will be gentlemen in our turn!' Now, Sir, that respect for authority is much more easily granted to a man whose father has had it, than to an upstart; and so society is more easily supported."-B. "Perhaps, Sir, it might be done by the respect belonging to office, as among the Romans, where the dress, the toga, inspired reverence."-J. "Why, we know very little about the Romans. But, surely, it is much easier to respect a man who has always had respect, than to respect a man who we know was last year no better than ourselves, and will be no better next year. In republics there is not a respect for authority, but a fear of power."-B. " At present,