tion. One day when I was praising these verses of Lopez de Vega "Se aquien los leones vence Vence una muger hermosa O ella di ser mas furiosa" more than he thought they deserved, Mr. Johnson instantly observed that they were "founded on a trivial conceit, and that conceit ill explained, and ill expressed besides. The lady, we all know, does not conquer in the same manner as the lion does. 'Tis a mere play of words," added he, “and you might as well say that If the man who turnips cries, "Tis a proof that he had rather Have a turnip than his father." And this humor is of the same sort with which he answered the friend who commended the following line: "Who rules o'er freemen should himself be free." "To be sure," said Dr. Johnson, "Who drives fat oxen should himself be fat." This readiness of finding a parallel, or making one, was shown by him perpetually in the course of conversation. When the French verses of a certain pantomime were quoted thus: "Je suis Cassandre descendue des cieux, Pour vous faire entendre, mesdames et messieurs, he cried out gayly and suddenly, almost in a moment, "I am Cassandra come down from the sky, To tell each by-stander what none can deny, That I am Cassandra come down from the sky." The pretty Italian verses, too, at the end of Baretti's book he did in the same manner: "Viva! viva la padrona! "Long may live my lovely Hetty! Long may live my lovely Hetty!" When some one in company commended the verses of M. de Beuserade à son Lit: "Théatre des ris et des pleurs, he replied, without hesitating: "In bed we laugh, in bed we cry, -Mrs. Piozzi. COMMON-SENSE. MRS. DESMOULINS made tea; and she and I talked before him upon a topic which he had once borne patiently from me when we were by ourselves—his not complaining of the world because he was not called to some great office, nor had attained to great wealth. He flew into a violent passion-I confess with some justice—and commanded us to have done. "Nobody," said he, "has a right to talk in this manner to bring before a man his own character and the events of his life-when he does not choose it should be done. I never have sought the world; the world was not to seek me. It is rather wonderful that so much has been done for me. All the complaints which are made of the world are unjust. I never knew a man of merit neglected: it was generally by his own fault that he failed of success. A man may hide his head in a hole; he may go into the country, and publish a book now and then, which nobody reads, and then complain he is neglected. There is no reason why any person should exert himself for a man who has written a good book: he has not written it for any individual. I may as well make a present to a postman who brings me a letter. When patronage was limited, an author expected to find a Mæcenas, and complained if he did not find one. Why should he complain? This Maecenas has others as good as he, or others who have got the start of him." Boswell: "But surely, sir, you will allow that there are men of merit at the bar who never get practice." Johnson: "Sir, you are sure that practice is got from an opinion that the person employed deserves it best; so that if a man of merit at the bar does not get practice, it is from error, not from injustice. He is not neglected. A horse that is brought to market may not be bought, though he is a very good horse; but that is from ignorance, not from intention." -Boswell. When asked how he felt upon the ill success of his tragedy, he replied, "Like the Monument;" meaning that he continued firm and unmoved as that column. And let it be remembered, as an admonition to the genus irritabile of dramatic writers, that this great man, instead of peevishly complaining of the bad taste of the town, submitted to its decision without a murmur. He had, indeed, upon all occasions a great deference for the general opinion. “A man," said he, "who writes a book, thinks himself wiser or wittier than the rest of mankind; he supposes that he can instruct or amuse them; and the public to whom he appeals must, after all, be the judges of his pretensions.”—Boswell. I described to him an impudent fellow from Scotland who affected to be a savage, and railed at all established systems. Johnson: "There is nothing surprising in this, sir. He wants to make himself conspicuous. He would tumble in a hog-sty, as long as you looked at him and called to him to come out. But let him alone, never mind him, and he'll soon give it over." I added that the same person maintained that there was no distinction between virtue and vice. Johnson: "Why, sir, if the fellow does not think as he speaks, he is lying; and I see not what honor he can propose to himself from having the character of a liar. But if he does really think that there is no distinction between. virtue and vice, why, sir, when he leaves our houses, let us count our spoons.”—Boswell. This evening one of our married ladies-a lively, pretty little woman-good-humoredly sat down upon Dr. Johnson's knee, and being encouraged by some of the company, put her hands round his neck and kissed him. "Do it again," said he, "and let us see who will tire first." He kept her on his knee some time, while he and she drank tea. He was now like a buck indeed. All the company were much entertained to find him so easy and pleasant. To me it was highly comic, to see the grave philosopher-the "Rambler"toying with a Highland beauty! But what could he do? He must have been surly, and weak too, had he not behaved as he did. He would have been laughed at, and not more respected, and less loved.-Boswell. I observed that hardly any man was accurately prepared for dying; but almost every one left something undone, something in confusion; that my father, indeed, told me he knew one man (Carlyle, of Limekilns), after whose death all his papers were found in exact order, and nothing was omitted in his will. Johnson: "Sir, I had an uncle who died so ; but such attention requires great leisure, and great firmness of mind. If one was to think constantly of death, the business of life would stand still. I am no friend to making religion appear too hard. Many good people have done harm by giving severe notions of it. In the same way, as to learning: I never frighten young people with difficulties; on the contrary, I tell them that they may very easily get as much as will do very well. I do not, indeed, tell them that they will be Bentleys."-Boswell. He said our judges had not gone deep in the question concerning literary property. I mentioned Lord Monboddo's opinion that if a man could get a work by heart he might print it, as by such an act the mind is exercised. Johnson: "No, sir; a man's repeating it no more makes it his property, than a man may sell a cow which he drives home." I said printing an abridgment of a work was allowed, which was only cutting the horns and tail off the cow. Johnson: "No, sir; 'tis making the cow have a calf."-Boswell. He said, "A man should pass a part of his time with the laughers, by which means anything ridiculous or particular about him might be presented to his view, and corrected." I observed he must have been a bold laugher who would have ventured to tell Dr. Johnson of any of his particularities. Having observed the vain, ostentatious importance of many people in quoting the authority of dukes and lords, as having been in their company, he said he went to the other extreme, and did not mention his authority when he should have done it, had it not been that of a duke or a lord. -Boswell. Upon the question whether a man who had been guilty of vicious actions would do well to force himself into solitude and sadness-Johnson: "No, sir, unless it prevent him from being vicious again. With some people, gloomy penitence is only madness turned upside down. A man may be gloomy, |