1778.

Etat. 69.

is too late for him to engage in diftant projects."
BOSWELL. "He feems to amufe himself quite
well; to have his attention fixed, and his tranquil-
lity preferved by very small matters. I have tried
this; but it would not do with me." JOHNSON.
(laughing) "No, Sir; it must be born with a
man to be contented to take up with little things,
Women have a great advantage that they may.
take up with little things, without difgracing them-
felves a man cannot, except with fiddling. Had
I learnt to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.”
BOSWELL. "Pray, Sir, did you ever play on any
mufical inftrument?" JOHNSON.
JOHNSON. "No, Sir. I
once bought me a flagelet; but I never made out
a tune." BOSWELL. "A flagelet, Sir !-so small
an inftrument'? I fhould have liked to hear you
play on the violoncello. That fhould have been
your inftrument." JOHNSON. "Sir, I might as
well have played on the violoncello as another;
but I should have done nothing elfe. No, Sir; a
man would never undertake great things could he
be amufed with fmall. I once tried knotting,
Dempster's fifter undertook to teach me ; but I
could not learn it." BOSWELL." So, Sir; it will
be related in pompous narrative, Once for his
amusement he tried knotting; nor did this Her-
cules difdain the diftaff." JOHNSON. "Knitting of
stockings is a good amusement. As a freeman

• When I told this to Mifs Seward, fhe fmiled, and repeated, with admirable readiness, from "Acis and Galatea,"

"Bring me a hundred reeds of ample growth,
"To make a pipe for my CAPACIOUS MOUTH.”

of

of Aberdeen I should be a knitter of stockings."
He asked me to go down with him and dine at
Mr. Thrale's at Streatham, to which I agreed.
I had lent him "An Account of Scotland, in
1702," written by a man of various enquiry, an
English chaplain to a regiment ftationed there.
JOHNSON. "It is fad ftuff, Sir, miferably written,
as books in general then were.
There is now an
elegance of ftyle univerfally diffufed. No man
now writes fo ill as Martin's Account of the He-
brides is written. A man could not write fo ill,
if he should try. Set a merchant's clerk now to
write, and he'll do better."

He talked to me with ferious concern of a certain female friend's laxity of narration, and inattention to truth.""I am as much vexed (faid he) at the eafe with which the hears it mentioned to her, as at the thing itself. I told her, ▾ Madam, you are contented to hear every day faid to you, what the highest of mankind have died for, rather than bear. You know, Sir, the highest of mankind have died rather than bear to be told they had uttered a falfehood. Do talk to her of it; I am weary."

"

BOSWELL. "Was not Dr. John Campbell a very inaccurate man in his narrative, Sir? He once told me, that he drank thirteen bottles of port at a fitting." JOHNSON, "Why, Sir, I do

2

not

Lord Macartney obferves upon this paffage, "I have heard him tell many things, which, though embellished by their mode of narrative, had their foundation in truth; but I never remember any thing approaching to this. If he had written it, I fhould have fuppofed fome wag had put the figure of one before

1778.

Etat. 69.

1778.

Etat. 69.

not know that Campbell ever lied with
pen and
ink, but you could not entirely depend on any.
thing he told you in converfation, if there was fact
mixed with it, However, I loved Campbell: he
was a folid orthodox man: he had a reverence for
religion. Though defective in practice, he was
religious in principle; and he did nothing grassly
wrong that I have heard."

I told him, that I had been prefent the day before when Mrs. Montagu, the literary lady, fat to Mifs Reynolds for her picture; and that he said, "fhe had bound up Mr. Gibbon's Hiftory without the last two offenfive chapters; for that fhe thought the book fo far good; as it gave, in an elegant manner, the fubftance of the bad writers medii avi, which the late Lord Lyttelton advised her to read." JOHNSON. Sir, he has not read them: fhe fhews none of this impetuofity to me; he does not know Greek, and, I fancy, knows little Latin. She is willing you should think he knows them, but she does not fay fhe does." BOSWELL. "Mr. Harris, who was prefent, agreed with her." JOHNSON." Harris was laughing at her, Sir. Harris is a found fullen fcholar; he does not like inter

rodem ad di aG ton

three."I am, however, abfolutely certain that Dr. Campbell told me it; and I gave particular attention to it, being myfelf a lover of wine, and therefore curious to hear whatever is remarkable con cerning drinking. There can be no doubt that fome men can drink, without fuffering any injury, fuch a quantity as to others appears incredible. It is but fair to add, that Dr. Campbell told me, he took a very long time to this great potation; and I have heard Dr. Johnson say," Sir, if a man drinks, very flowly, and lets one glafs evaporate before he takes another, I know, not how long he may drink." Dr. Campbell mentioned a Colonel of Militia who fat with him all the time, and drank equally."

lopers,

1778.

lopers. Harris, however, is a prig, and a bad prig. I looked into his book, and thought he tat. 69. did not understand his own fyftem." BOSWELL. "He fays plain things in a formal and abstract way, to be fure; but his method is good: for to have clear notions upon any subject, we must have recourse to analytick arrangement," JOHNSON. "Sir, it is what every body does, whether they will or no. But fometimes things darker by definition, I fee a cow. Animal quadrupes ruminans cornutum. ruminates, and a cow may have no horns.

may be made
I define her,

But a goat

Cow

is plainer." BOSWELL. "I think Dr, Franklin's definition of Man a good one- A tool-making animal." JOHNSON. "But many a man never made a tool: and fuppofe a man without arms, he could not make a tool."

"

Talking of drinking wine, he said, "I did not leave off wine because I could not bear it; I have drunk three bottles of port without being the worse for it. Univerfity College has witneffed this." BOSWELL. "Why then, Sir, did you leave it aff?" JOHNSON. Why, Sir, because it is fo much better for a man to be fure that he is never to be intoxicated, never to lofe the power over himfelf. I fhall not begin to drink wine again till I grow old, and want it." BoSWELL. "I think, Sir, you once faid to me, that not to drink wine was a great deduction from life." JOHNSON. "It is a diminution of pleasure, to be fure; but

3 What my friend meant by these words concerning the amia. ble philofopher of Salisbury, i am at a lofs to understand.

1778.

Etat. 69.

I do not say a diminution of happiness. There is more happiness in being rational." BOSWELL. "But if we could have pleasure always, should not we be happy? The greatest part of men would compound for pleasure." JOHNSON. "Suppofing we could have pleafure always, an intellectual man would not compound for it. The greatest part of men would compound, because the greatest partof men are grofs." BOSWELL. "I allow there may be greater pleasure than from wine. I have had more pleasure from your converfation. I have indeed; I affure you I have." JOHNSON. "When we talk of pleasure, we mean fenfual pleasure, When a man fays he had pleasure with a woman, he does not mean converfation, but fomething of a very different nature. Philofophers tell you, that pleasure is contrary to happiness. Grofs men prefer animal pleasure. So there are men who have preferred living among favages. Now what a wretch must he be, who is content with fuch converfation as can be had among favages! You may remember an officer at Fort Auguftus, who had ferved in America, told us of a woman whom they were obliged to bind, in order to get her back from favage life." BOSWELL. "She muft have been an animal, a beaft." JOHNSON. "Sir, she was a speaking cat."

I mentioned to him that I had become very weary in a company where I heard not a single intellectual sentence, except that "a man who had been settled ten years in Minorca was become a much inferiour man to what he was in London, becaufe a man's mind grows narrow in a narrow place."

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