because I believe it has been frequently practifed on myself. *" Johnfon's notion of the duty of a member of Parliament, fitting upon an election-committee, was very high; and when he was told of a gentleman upon one of thofe committees, who read the newspapers part of the time, and slept the reft, while the merits of a vote were examined by the counfel, and as an excufe, when challenged by the chairman for fuch behaviour, bluntly answered, "I had made up my mind upon that cafe ;"-Johnson, with an indignant contempt, faid, "If he was fuch a rogue as to make up his mind upon a cafe without hearing it, he fhould not have been fuch a fool as to tell it."-" I think (faid a gentleman prefent) the Doctor has pretty plainly made him out to be both rogue and fool.' Talking of publick fpeaking, Johnson faid, "We must not eftimate a man's powers by his being able or not able to deliver his fenti "I cannot help thinking (fays Mr. B.) that there is much weight in the opinion of those who have held, that Truth, as an eternal and immutable principle, ought, upon no account whatever, to be violated, from fuppofed previous or fuperior obligations, of which every man being to judge for himself, there is great danger that we too often, from partial motives, perfuade ourselves that they exift; and probably whatever extraordinary inftances may fometimes occur, where fome evil may be prevented by violating this noble principle, it would be found that human happiness would, upon the whole, be more perfect were Truth univerfally preferved." ments ments in public. Ifaac Hawkins Browne, one of the first wits of this country, got into Parliament, and never opened his mouth. For, my own part, I think it is more difgraceful never to try to speak, than to try it, and fail; as it is more difgraceful not to fight, than to fight and be beaten."-This argument appeared to Mr. Bofwell to be fallacious; for if a man has not spoken, it may be faid that he would have done very well, if he had tried; whereas, if he has tried and failed, there is nothing to be faid for him. "Why then (he asked) is it thought difgraceful for a man not to fight, and not difgraceful not to fpeak in public?"-7. "Because there may be other reasons for a man's not speaking in public than want of refolution: he may have nothing to fay (laughing). Whereas, Sir, you know courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no fecurity for preferving any other." John The converfation turned upon war. fon faid, "Every man thinks meanly of himfelf for not having been a foldier, or not hav ing been at fea."-BOSWELL. field does not."-JOHNSON. "Lord Mans "Sir, if Lord Mansfield were in a company of General Officers and Admirals who have been in fervice, he would fhrink; he'd wish to creep under the table."B. "No; he'd think he could try them them all."-7. "Yes, if he could catch them; but they'd try him much fooner. No, Sir; were Socrates and Charles the Twelfth of Sweden both present in any company, and Socrates to fay, Follow me, and hear a lecture in philosophy;' and Charles, laying his hand on his fword, to fay, Follow me, and dethrone the Czar;' a man would be ashamed to follow Socrates. Sir, the impreffion is universal: yet it is ftrange. As to the failor, when you look down from the quarter-deck to the space below, you see the utmost extremity of human mifery; fuch crowding, fuch filth, fuch ftench !"-B. "Yet failors are happy."-7. "They are happy as brutes are happy, with a piece of fresh meat, with the groffeft fenfuality. But, Sir, the profeffion of foldiers and failors has the dignity of danger. Mankind reverence those who have got over fear, which is fo general a weakness." -SCOTT. "But is not courage mechanical, and to be acquired !"-7. "Why, yes, Sir, in a collective fenfe. Soldiers confider themselves only as parts of a great machine."-S. " We find people fond of being failors.-7. "I cannot account for that, any more than I can account for other ftrange perverfions of imagination." His abhorrence of the profeffion of a failor was uniformly violent; but in converfation he always exalted the profeffion of a foldier. Talking Talking of fame, for which there is fo great a defire, Mr. Bofwell obferved how little there was of it in reality, compared with the other objects of human attention. "Let every man recollect, and he will be fenfible how small a part of his time is employed in talking or thinking of Shakespeare, Voltaire, or any of the most celebrated men that have ever lived, or are now fuppofed to occupy the attention and admiration of the world. Let this be extracted and compreffed; into what a narrow space will it go!" He then flily introduced Mr. Garrick's fame, and his affuming the airs of a great man.JOHNSON. "Sir, it is wonderful how little Garrick affumes. No, Sir, Garrick fortunam reverenter habet. Confider, Sir: celebrated men, fuch as you have mentioned, have had their applaufe at a diftance; but Garrick had it dafhed in his face, founded in his cars, and went home every night with the plaudits of a thoufand in his cranium. Then, Sir, Garrick did not find, but made his way to the tables, the levees, and almoft the bed-chambers of the great. Then, Sir, Garrick had under him a numerous body of people; who, from fear of his power, hopes of his favour, and admiration of his talents, were conftantly fubmiffive to him. And here is a man who has advanced the dignity of his profeffion. Garrick has made a player a higher character. SCOTT. "And he is a very fprightly writer too."-7. "Yes, Sir; and all this fupported by great wealth of his own acquifition. If all this had happened to me, I fhould have had a couple of fellows with long poles walking before me, to knock down every body that stood in the way. Confider, if all this had happened to Cibber or Quin, they'd have jumped over the moon. Yet Garrick fpeaks to us (fmiling)."-B. “ And Garrick is a very good man, a charitable man."-7. "Sir, a liberal man. He has given away more money than any man in England. There may be a little vanity mixed; but he has fhewn that money is not his first object.-B. "Yet Foote used to fay of him, that he walked out with an intention to do a generous action; but, turning the corner of a street, he met with the ghoft of a halfpenny, which frightened him.-7. "Why, Sir, that is very true, too; for I never knew a man of whom it could be faid with less certainty today, what he will do to-morrow, than Garrick; it depends fo much on his humour at the time." -S. “I am glad to hear of his liberality. He has been reprefented as very faving."-7. "With his domeftic faving we have nothing to do. I remember drinking tea with him long ago, when Peg Woffington made it, and he grumbled at her for making it too ftrong. He had |