Sir; the more we enquire we fhall find men the 1778. less happy." P. "As to thinking better or worse Etat, 69of mankind from experience, fome cunning people will not be fatisfied unless they have put men to the teft, as they think. There is a very good story told of Sir Godfrey Kneller, in his character of a Juftice of the peace. A gentleman brought his fervant before him, upon an accufation of having stolen fome money from him; but it having come out that he had laid it purposely in the fervant's way, in order to try his honefty, Sir Godfrey fent the mafter to prifon "." JOHNSON. "To refift temptation once, is not a fufficient proof of honesty! If a fervant, indeed, were to refift the continued temptation of filver lying in a window, as fome people let it lye, when he is fure his master does not know how much there is of it, he would give a strong proof of honefty. But this is a proof to which you have no right to put a man. know, humanly speaking, there is a certain degree of temptation which will overcome any virtue. Now, in fo far as you approach temptation to a man, you do him an injury; and, if he is overcome, you share his guilt." P. And, when once overcome, it is eafier for him to be got the You better of again." BOSWELL. "Yes, you are his "Faith in fach cafe if you fhould profecute, VOL. III. Imitations of Horace, Book II. Epift. ii. C alking 1778. Atat. 69. afking a friend to lend him money, merely with that view, when he did not want it." JOHNSON. "That is very wrong, Sir. Your friend may be a narrow man, and yet have many good qualities: narrowness may be his only fault. Now you are trying his general character as a friend, by one particular fingly, in which he happens to be defective, when, in truth, his character is composed of many particulars.". E. "I understand the hogfhead of claret, which this fociety was favoured with by our friend the Dean, is nearly out; I think he fhould be written to, to fend another of the fame kind. Let the request be made with a happy ambiguity of expreffion, so that we may have the chance of his fending it also as a prefent." JOHNSON. "I am willing to offer my services as fecretary on this occafion.' P. As many as are for Dr. Johnson being fecretary hold up your hands.Carried unanimoufly." BOSWELL. "He will be our Dictator." JOHNSON. "No, the company is to dictate to me. I am only to write for wine; and I am quite difinterested, as I drink none; I fhall not be fufpected of having forged the application. I am no more than humble scribe." E. "Then you shall prescribe." BOSWELL. «Very well. The first play of words to-day." J. No, no; JOHNSON. "Were I your the bulls in Ireland." Dictator you should have no wine. It would be my at at Dr. Taylor's, where he had dined. He enter- 1778. tained us with an account of a tragedy written by Etat. 69. a Dr. Kennedy, (not the Lisbon phyfician.) "The catastrophe of it (said he) was, that a King, who was jealous of his Queen with his prime-minister, caftrated himself. This tragedy was actually fhewn about in manufcript to feveral people, and, amongst others, to Mr. Fitzherbert, who repeated to me two lines of the Prologue: Our hero's fate we have but gently touch'd; • The fair might blame us if it were less couch'd.' It is hardly to be believed what absurd and indecent images men will introduce into their writings, without being fenfible of the absurdity and indecency. I remember Lord Orrery told me, that there was a pamphlet written against Sir Robert Walpole, the whole of which was an allegory on the PHALLICK OBSCENITY. The Duchefs of Buckingham asked Lord Orrery who this perfon was? He answered, he did not know. She faid, fhe would fend to Mr. Pulteney, who, fhe fuppofed, could inform her. So then, to prevent her from making herself ridiculous, Lord Orrery sent her Grace a note, in which he gave her to understand what was meant." 1 He was very filent this evening; and read in a variety of books: fuddenly throwing down one, and taking up another. The reverse of the ftory of Combabus, on which Mr. David Hume told Lord Macartney, that a friend of his had written a tragedy. It is, however, poffible that I may have been inaccurate in my perception of what Dr. Johnson related, and that he may have been talking of the fame ludicrous tragical subject that Mr. Hume had mentioned. He talked of going to Streatham that night. TAYLOR. "You'll be robbed if you do; or you must shoot a highwayman. Now I would rather be robbed than do that: I would not fhoot a highwayman." JOHNSON. "But I would rather shoot him in the inftant when he is attempting to rob me, than afterwards fwear against him at the OldBailey to take away his life, after he has robbed me. I am furer I am right in the one cafe than in the other. I may be mistaken as to the man when I fwear: I cannot be mistaken if I fhoot him in the act. Befides, we feel lefs reluctance to take away a man's life when we are heated by the injury, than to do it at a distance of time by an oath, after we have cooled." BOSWELL. "So, Sir, you would rather act from the motive of private paffion, than that of publick advantage.” JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, when I fhoot the highwayman I act from both." BOSWELL. "Very well, very well.-There is no catching him." JOHNSON. "At the fame time one does not know what to fay. For perhaps one may, a year after, hang himself from uneafinefs for having fhot a man". Few minds are fit to be trusted with fo • The late Duke of Montrofe was generally faid to have been uneafy on that account; but I can contradict the report from his Grace's own authority. As he used to admit me to very easy converfation with him, I took the liberty to introduce the subject. His Grace told me, that when riding one night near London, he was attacked by two highwaymen on horseback, and that he instantly shot one of them, upon which the other galloped off; that his fervant, who was very well mounted, pro. pofed to purfue him and take him, but that his Grace faid, No, we have had blood enough: I hope the man may live to repent." His Grace, upon my prefuming to put the queftion, affured me, that his mind was not at all clouded by what he had thus done in felf-defence. great great a thing." BOSWELL. "Then, Sir, you would not fhoot him?" JOHNSON." But I might be vexed afterwards for that too." Thrale's carriage not having come for him, as he expected, I accompanied him fome part of the way home to his own house. I told him, that I had talked of him to Mr. Dunning a few days before, and had faid, that in his company we did not fo much interchange converfation, as liften to him; and that Dunning obferved, upon this, "One is always willing to listen to Dr. Johnson:" to which I answered, "That is a great deal from you, Sir."-" Yes, Sir, (faid Johnson,) a great deal indeed. Here is a man willing to liften, to whom the world is listening all the rest of the year.' BOSWELL. "I think, Sir, it is right to tell one man of fuch a handsome thing, which has been faid of him by another. It tends to increase benevolence." JOHNSON. "Undoubtedly it is right, Sir." On Tuesday, April 7, I breakfasted with him at his house. He faid, "nobody was content." I mentioned to him a respectable person in Scotland whom he knew; and I afferted, that I really believed he was always content. JOHNSON." No, Sir, he is not content with the prefent; he has always fome new scheme, fome new plantation, fomething which is future. You know he was not content as a widower; for he married again." BOSWELL." But he is not reftlefs." JOHNSON. "Sir, he is only locally at reft. A chymift is locally at reft; but his mind is hard at work. This gentleman has done with external exertions. It 1778. Etat 69. |