CHAPTER XLVII-1780

LANGTON'S JOHNSONIANA

and the

Theocritus and Virgil-Callimachus-Mattaire's Stephani-The Employment of the Poor-Sitting for One's Picture-Spending Money-Johnson's Criticism of his Work-Capel's "Shakspeare "Johnson's Dream-His Opinion of Sir Joshua-Truth-Kitty Clive-Johnson and Garrick-Tom Davies-Pope and Spence-Idleness-Beauclerk-Samuel Dyer-On Writing-Gray's OdesForeigners-Dr. Parr-Hospitality-Burke-Dodsley-Lord Charles Hay-Johnson Watermen-Dr. Bathurst-Dr. Blagden-Rev. Dr. Francklin's Tribute to Johnson. BEING disappointed in my hopes of meeting Johnson this year, so that I could hear none of his admirable sayings, I shall compensate for this want by inserting a collection of them, for which I am indebted to my worthy friend Mr. Langton, whose kind communications have been separately interwoven in many parts of this work. Very few articles of this collection were committed to writing by himself, he not having that habit; which he regrets, and which those who know the numerous opportunities he had of gathering the rich fruits of Johnsonian wit and wisdom, must ever regret. I however found, in conversation with him, that a good store of JOHNSONIANA was treasured in his mind; and I compared it to Herculaneum, or some old Roman field, which, when dug, fully rewards the labour employed. The authenticity of every article is unquestionable. For the expression, I, who wrote them down in his presence, am partly answerable.

"Theocritus is not deserving of very high respect as a writer; as to the pastoral part, Virgil is very evidently superior. He wrote, when there had been a larger influx of knowledge into the world than when Theocritus lived. Theocritus does not abound in description, though living in a beautiful country: the manners painted are coarse and gross. Virgil has much more description, more sentiment, more of nature, and more of art. Some of the most excellent parts of Theocritus are, where Castor and Pollux, going with the other Argonauts, land on the Bebrycian coast, and there fall into a dispute with Amycus, the king of that country; which is as well conducted as Euripides could have done it; and the battle is well related. Afterwards they carry off a woman, whose two brothers come to recover her, and expostulate with Castor and Pollux on their injustice; but they pay no regard to the brothers, and a battle ensues, where Castor and his brother are triumphant.Theocritus seems not to have seen that the brothers have the advantage in their argument over his Argonaut heroes. The Sicilian Gossips' is a piece of merit."

"Callimachus is a writer of little excellence. The chief thing to be learned from him is his account of rites and mythology; which, though desirable to be known for the sake of understanding other parts of ancient authors, is the least pleasing or valuable part of their writings."

"Mattaire's account of the Stephani is a heavy book. He seems to have been a puzzle-headed man, with a large share of scholarship, but with a little geometry or logic in his head, without method, and possessed of little genius. He wrote Latm verses from time to time, and published a set in his old age, which he called Senilia':

Etat. 71]

in which he shows so little learning or taste in writing, as to make Carteret a dactyl.In matters of genealogy it is necessary to give the bare names as they are; but in poetry, and in prose of any elegance in the writing, they require to have inflection given to them. His book of the Dialects is a sad heap of confusion; the only way to write on them is to tabulate them with Notes, added at the bottom of the page, and references."

"It may be questioned whether there is not some mistake as to the methods of employing the poor, seemingly on a supposition that there is a certain portion of work left undone for want of persons to do it; but if that is otherwise, and all the materials we have are actually worked up, or all the manufactures we can use or dispose of are already executed, then what is given to the poor, who are to be set at work, must be taken from some who now have it: as time must be taken for learning (according to Sir William Petty's observation), a certain part of those very materials that, as it is, are properly

worked up, must be spoiled by the unskilfulness of novices. We may apply to wellmeaning, but misjudging, persons in particulars of this nature, what Giannone said to a monk who wanted what he called to convert him: Tu sei santo, ma tu non sei filosopho.'-It is an unhappy circumstance that one might give away five hundred pounds in a year to those that importune in the streets, and not do any good."

"There is nothing more likely to betray a man into absurdity, than condescension; when he seems to suppose his understanding too powerful for his company.'

"Having asked Mr. Langton if his father and mother had sat for their pictures, which he thought it right for each generation of a family to do, and being told they had opposed it, he said, 'Sir, among the anfractuosities of the human mind, I know not if it may not be one, that there is a superstitious reluctance to sit for a picture."

"John Gilbert Cooper related that, soon after the publication of his Dictionary, Garrick, being asked by Johnson what people said of it, told him that among other

animadversions, it was objected that he cited authorities which were beneath the dignity of such a work, and mentioned Richardson. Nay (said Johnson), I have done worse than that: I have cited thee, David.'"

"Talking of expense, he observed with what munificence a great merchant will spend his money, both from his having it at command, and from his enlarged views by calculation of a good effect upon the whole. 'Whereas (said he), you will hardly ever find a country gentleman who is not a good deal disconcerted at an unexpected occasion for his being obliged to lay out ten pounds.'

"When in good humour, he would talk of his own writings with a wonderful frankness and candour, and would even criticise them with the closest severity. One day, having read over one of his Ramblers, Mr. Langton asked him how he liked that paper; he shook his head, and answered, Too wordy.' At another time, when one was reading his tragedy of Irene,' to a company at a house in the country, he left the room and somebody having asked him the reason of this, he replied, Sir, I thought it had been better.'"

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'Talking of a point of delicate scrupulosity of moral conduct, he said to Mr. Langton, Men of harder minds than ours will do many things from which you and I would shrink: yet, Sir, they will, perhaps, do more good in life than we. But let us try to help one another. If there be a wrong twist, it may be set right. It is not probable that two people can be wrong the same way.'

"Of the Preface to Capel's Shakspeare, he said, 'If the man would have come to me, I would have endeavoured to endow his purposes with words;' for as it is, he doth gabble monstrously.'

"He related that he had once in a dream a contest of wit with some other person, and that he was very much mortified by imagining that his opponent had the better of him. Now (said he), one may mark here the effect of sleep in weakening the power of reflection; for had not my judgment failed me, I should have seen that the wit of this supposed antagonist, by whose superiority I felt myself depressed. was as much furnished by me, as that which I thought I had been uttering in my own character.'"

"One evening in company, an ingenious and learned gentleman read to him a letter of compliment which he had received from one of the Professors of a Foreign University. Johnson, in an irritable fit, thinking there was too much ostentation. said, 'I never receive any of these tributes of applause from abroad. One instance I recollect of a foreign publication, in which mention is made of l'illustre Lockman.'"* "Of Sir Joshua Reynolds, he said, 'Sir, I know no man who has passed through life with more observation than Reynolds.'

"He repeated to Mr. Langton, with great energy in the Greek, our SAVIOUR'S gracious expression concerning the forgiveness of Mary Magdalen,† Híoris σov σéσwKÉ σe' topeúov eis eipývnv.' Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. He said, 'The manner of this dismission is exceedingly affecting.'"

6

+

Physical

"He thus defined the difference between physical and moral truth: truth, is, when you tell a thing as it actually is. Moral truth, is, when you tell a thing

* Secretary to the British Herring Fishery, remarkable for an extraordinary number of occasional verses, not of eminent merit. [John Lockman (b. 1698, d. 1771) was also an indefatigable translator for the booksellers, having acquired a knowledge of the languages, as Dr. Johnson told Sir J. Hawkinby living at coffee houses frequented by foreigners. Tyers says "that Lockman was a very worthy man beloved by his friends, and respected even by Pope."-Croker.]

† [It does not appear that the woman forgiven was Mary Magdalen. K.]

Luke vii, 50.

Etat. 71]

KITTY CLIVE

891

sincerely and precisely as it appears to you. I say such a one walked across the street; if he really did so, I told a physical truth. If I thought so, though I should have been mistaken, I told a moral truth.'"*

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'Huggins, the translator of Ariosto, and Mr. Thomas Warton, in the early part of his literary life, had a dispute concerning that poet, of whom Mr. Warton, in his 'Observations on Spenser's Fairy Queen,' gave some account which Huggins attempted to answer with violence, and said, I will militate no longer against his nescience.' Huggins was master of the subject, but wanted expression. Mr. Warton's knowledge of it was then imperfect, but his manner lively and elegant. Johnson said, 'It appears to me that Huggins has ball without powder, and Warton powder without ball." "

"Talking of the Farce of High Life below Stairs,' he said, 'Here is a farce, which is really very diverting, when you see it acted; and yet one may read it, and not know that one has been reading anything at all.'"

"He used at one time to go occasionally to the green-room at Drury-lane Theatre, where he was much regarded

by the players, and was very easy and facetious with them. He had a very high opinion of Mrs. Clive's comic powers, and conversed more with her than with any of them. He said, 'Clive, Sir, is a good thing to sit by; she always understands what you say.' And she said of him, I love to sit by Dr. Johnson; he always entertains me.' One night, when The Recruiting Officer' was acted, he said to Mr. Holland, who had been expressing an apprehension that Dr. Johnson would disdain the works of Farquhar; No, Sir, I think Farquhar a man whose writings have considerable merit.'

"His friend Garrick was so busy in conducting the drama, that they could not have so much intercourse as Mr. Garrick used to profess an anxious wish that there

[This account of the difference between moral and physical truth Is in Locke's "Essay on Human Understanding," and many other books, K.]

From an engraving by W. J. Alais after a painting by J. Faber

MRS. CATHERINE CLIVE (b. 1711, d. 1785)

A comedy actress, née Rafter. She appeared about 1728 at Drury Lane, and continued to act, chiefly at that theatre, till her retirement in 1769. She was noted for her lively tongue and sprightly manners, and was admired by Garrick, Handel, Johnson, and her neighbour at Twickenham, Horace Walpole.

should be.* There might, indeed, be something in the contemptuous severity as to the merit of acting, which this old preceptor nourished in himself, that would mortify Garrick after the great applause which he received from the audience. For though Johnson said of him, Sir, a man who has a nation to admire him every night may well be expected to be somewhat elated; ' yet he would treat theatrical matters with a ludicrous slight. He mentioned one evening, 'I met David coming off the stage, dressed in a woman's riding hood, when he acted in "The Wonder "; came full upon him, and I believe he was not pleased.'"

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"Once he asked Tom Davies, whom he saw dressed in a fine suit of clothes, And what art thou to-night?' Tom answered, The Thane of Ross; ' (which it will be recollected is a very inconsiderable character). 'O brave!' said Johnson."

"Of Mr. Longley, at Rochester, a gentleman of very considerable learning, whom Dr. Johnson met there, he said, My heart warms towards him. I was surprised to find in him such a nice acquaintance with the metre in the learned languages; though I was somewhat mortified that I had it not so much to myself, as I should have thought.'

"Talking of the minuteness with which people will record the sayings of eminent persons, a story was told, that when Pope was on a visit to Spence at Oxford, as they looked from the window they saw a gentleman commoner, who was just come in from riding, amusing himself with whipping at a post. Pope took occasion to say, 'That young gentleman seems to have little to do.' Mr. Beauclerk observed, ‘Then, to be sure, Spence turned round and wrote that down; ' and went on to say to Dr.

Twickenham Marchy 22 1478

221778

Johnson, Pope, Sir, would have said the same of you, if he had

seen you distilling.' JOHNSON:

all the 'Sir, if Pope

I must mention the Nobless action of your life, your Generosity to nephew david; all the первеш world is repeating your praires; those people who allways envyd you, and wish & to desvuct from you allways declaring you love & mouney too much ever to part from loves it now They will feel foolish and look Contempable; all that of Can Say Isignlish that heaven had made me such an uncle,

To

and look

David Garrick 8g) C. Clive
Eg

Facsimile of autograph letter by Kitty Clive

had told me of my distilling, I would have told him of his

grotto.""

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He would allow no settled indulgence of idleness upon

principle, and always repelled

for it. A friend gested that it

every attempt to urge excuses

one day sug

letter

* [In a written by Johnson to a friend in Jan., 1742-3, he says, "I never see Garrick."

-M.]