 | Oliver Goldsmith - 1900 - 304 pages
...remark from himself, the host and entertainer): "'Too fine for such a poem : a poem on what ?' JOHNSON (with a disdainful look), 'Why, on Dunces. It was...worth while being a dunce now, when there are no wits. ' " Northcote, in his Life of Reynolds (ii. 189), has mistold this same incident, evidently taking... | |
 | James Boswell - 1900 - 638 pages
...lines, one of the company ventured to say, " Too fine for such a poem : — a poem on what ? " JOHNSON, (with a disdainful look,) " Why, on dunces. It was...dunce then. Ah, Sir, hadst thou lived in those days 1 It is not worth while being a dunce now, when there are no wits." Bickerstall' observed, as a peculiar... | |
 | James Boswell - 1900 - 928 pages
...lines, one of the company ventured to say, " Too fine for such a poem : a poem on what ? " JOHNSON & co. 1 It is not worth while being a dunce now, when there are no wits." Bickerstaff observed, as a peculiar... | |
 | 1900 - 674 pages
...ventured to say that they were " too fine for such a poem — a poem on what ? " " Why," said Johnson, " on dunces ! It was worth while being a dunce then. Ah, sir, hadst thou lived in those days ! " Johnson presently uttered a criticism which has led some people to think that he had a touch of... | |
 | James Boswell - 1901 - 500 pages
...ventured to say, " Too fine for such a poem : — a poem on what ?" JOHNSON, (with a dis« dainful look), " Why on dunces. It was worth while being a dunce then. Ah, Sir, hadst thou lived in those days.1 It is not worth 1 " Lo ! thy dead empire, Chaos 1 is restored ; Light dies before thy uncreating... | |
 | Leslie Stephen - 1902 - 724 pages
...ventured to say that they were " too fine for such a poem — a poem on what ? " " Why," said Johnson, " on dunces ! It was worth while being a dunce then. Ah, sir, hadst ihou lived in those days ! " Johnson presently uttered a criticism which has led some people to think... | |
 | James Boswell - 1904 - 1590 pages
...lines, one of the company ventured to say, ' Too fine for such a poem : — a poem on what ? ' JOHNSON, for the benefit of the 390 SHAKSPEARE AND CONGREVE [1769 He told us, with high satisfaction, the anecdote of Pope's inquiring... | |
 | Samuel Johnson - 1905 - 582 pages
...company [no doubt Boswell] ventured to say, " Too fine for such a poem : — a poem on what?" JOHNSON (with a disdainful look), " Why, on dunces. It was worth while being a dunce then. Ah, Sir, hadst thoit lived in those days ! It is not worth while being a dunce now, when there are no wits." ' 'BosweSts... | |
 | Henry Spackman Pancoast - 1907 - 690 pages
..."on dunces," the great doctor once said contemptuously, and then turned to poor Boswell and added : " It was worth while being a dunce then. Ah, sir, hadst thou lived in those days! " 2 The closing period of Pope's literary career contains some of his strongest and maturest work :... | |
 | Edwin Lillie Miller - 1917 - 690 pages
...content. Here one night he said to Boswell, the subject of conversation being Pope's " Dunciad," " It was worth while being a dunce then. Ah! Sir, hadst thou lived in those days." Of Gray's " Elegy," Johnson remarked at another session of the club that he was dull in a new way and... | |
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JOHNSON, (with a disdainful look,) ' Why, on dunces. It was worth while being a dunce then. Ah, Sir, hadst thou lived in those days ! It is not worth while being a dunce now, when there are no wits. 
