I am against abolishing it, because that would be declaring it wrong to establish it; but I should have no objection to make an act continuing it for another century, and then letting it expire.' He disapproved of the Royal Marriage Bill; because,' said he, 'I would not have the people think that the validity of marriage depends on the will of man, or that the right of a king depends on the will of man. I should not have been against making the marriage of any of the royal family, without the approbation of King and Parliament, highly criminal.' In the morning we had talked of old families, and the respect due to them. JOHNSON: 'Sir, you have a right to that kind of respect, and are arquing for yourself. I am for supporting the principle, and am disinterested in doing it, as I have no such right.' BOSWELL: Why, sir, it is one more incitement to a man to do well.' JOHNSON: "Yes, sir, and it is a matter of opinion very necessary to keep society together. What is it but opinion by which we have a respect for authority, that prevents us, who are the rabble, from rising up and pulling down you who are gentlemen from your places, and saying, "We will be gentlemen in our turn!" Now, sir, that respect for authority is much more easily granted to a man whose father has had it, than to an upstart, and so society is more easily supported.' BOSWELL: Perhaps, sir, it might be done by the respect belonging to office, as among the Romans, where the dress, the toga, inspired reverence.' JOHNSON: Why, we know very little about the Romans. But surely it is much easier to respect a man who has always had respect, than to respect a man whom we know was last year no better than ourselves, and will be no better next year. In republics there is no respect to authority, but a fear of power.' BOSWELL: 'At present, sir, I think riches seem to gain most respect.' JOHNON: 'No, sir, riches do not gain hearty respect; they only procure external attention. A very rich man, from low beginnings, may buy his election in a borough; but, cateris paribus, a man of family will be preferred. People will prefer a man for whose father their fathers have voted, though they should get no more money, or even less. That shows that the respect for family is not merely fanciful, but has an actual operation. If gentlemen of family would allow the rich upstarts to spend their money profusely, which they are ready enough to do, and not vie with them in expense, the upstarts would soon be at an end, and the gentlemen would remain; but if the gentlemen will vie in expense with the upstarts, which is very foolish, they must be ruined.' I gave him an account of the excellent mimicry of a friend of mine in Scotland; observing, at the same time, that some people thought it a very mean thing. JOHNSON: 'Why, sir, it is making a very mean use of man's powers. But to be a good mimic requires great powers; great acuteness of observation, great retention of what is observed, and great pliancy of organs to represent what is observed. I remember a lady of quality in this town, Lady who was a wonderful mimic, and used to make me laugh immoderately. I have heard she is now gone mad.' BOSWELL: 'It is amazing how a mimic can not only give you the gestures and voice of a person whom he represents, but even what a person would say on any particular subject.' JOHNSON: 'Why, sir, you are to consider that the manner and some particular phrases of a person do much to impress you with an idea of him, and you are not sure that he would say what the mimic says in his character.' BOSWELL: 'I don't think Foote a good mimic, sir.' JOHNSON: No, sir; his imitations are not like. He gives you something different from himself, but not the character which he means to assume. He goes out of himself, without going into other people. He cannot take off any person unless he is strongly marked, such as George Faulkner. He is like a painter who can draw the portrait of a man who has a wen upon his face, and who therefore is easily known. If a man hops upon one leg, Foote can hop upon one leg: But he has not that nice discrimination which your friend seems to possess. Foote is, however, very entertaining with a kind of conversation between wit and buffoonery.' On Monday, March 23, I found him busy, preparing a fourth edition of his folio Dictionary. Mr. Peyton, one of his original amanuenses, was writing for him. I put him in mind of a meaning of the word side which he had omitted, viz. relationship; as father's side, mother's side. He inserted it. I asked him if humiliating was a good word. He said he had seen it frequently used, but he did not know it to be legitimate English. He would not admit civilisation, but only civility. With great deference to him, I thought civilisation, from to civilise, better in the sense opposed to barbarity than civility; as it is better to have a distinct word for each sense, than one word with two senses, which civility is, in his way of using it. He seemed also to be intent on some sort of chymical operation. I was entertained by observing how he contrived to send Mr. Peyton on an errand, without seeming to degrade him. 'Mr. Peyton,-Mr. Peyton, will you be so good as to take a walk to Temple Bar? You will there see a chymist's shop, at which you will be pleased to buy for me an ounce of oil of vitriol; not spirit of vitriol, but oil of vitriol. It will cost three - halfpence.' Peyton immediately went, and returned with it, and told him it cost but a penny. I then reminded him of the schoolmaster's cause, and proposed to read to him the printed papers concerning it. No, sir,' said he, 'I can schols in England many boys have been ei; yet I never heard of an action against cimaster on that account. Puffendorf, I rank. maintains the right of a schoolmaster to his scholars.' sly conrved that rue Selavonic. arty with the s to be sure, ve with Germany i such parts as New Tartar words.' toperly ascertained at the Irish underthat my cousin Je Royal Highlanders, told me they did. Manders understood e New Testament into vae at Edinburgh, when sa translation?" BOSWELL: ani Irish are both dialects * there may be a good deal Newce them, as between the es in Italy. The Swede went *2-son continued his reading of I sad, 'I am afraid, sir, it is by, sir,' said he, 'I do not miê; but I'll go through it.' he Mitre, and dined in the room gave de and test supped together. He 'Sir,' said he, Sp of my cause. „vy-dment of a schoolmaster is somewhat ray of military government; that is to a með de arduerary, it must be exercised d. well of one man, according to particular You must show some learning You must show that a w thu meaxion 3 schwares his a prescriptive right to beat; Kai pakal aption of assault and battery cannot bo huutel against him unless there is some gical papers, some barbarity. This man has They are all left Weated one of his bos coke full exercise of their corporeal faculties. CHAPTER XXIV. 1772. ON Saturday, March 27, I introduced to Johnson Sir Alexander Macdonald, with whom he had expressed a wish to be acquainted. He received him very courteously. Sir Alexander observed that the Chancellors in England are chosen from views much inferior to the office, being chosen from temporary political views. JOHNSON: Why, sir, in such a government as ours, no man is appointed to an office because he is the fittest for it, nor hardly in any other government: because there are so many connections and dependencies to be studied. A despotic prince may choose a man to an office, merely because he is the fittest for it. The King of Prussia may do it.' SIR A.: I think, sir, almost all great lawyers, such at least as have written upon law, have known only law, and nothing else.' JOHNSON: Why, no, sir; Judge Hale was a great lawyer, and wrote upon law; and yet he knew a great many other things, and has written upon other things. Selden too.' SIR A.: 'Very true, sir; and Lord Bacon. But was not Lord Coke a mere lawyer?' JOHNSON: 'Why, I am afraid he was; but he would have taken it very ill if you hid told him so. He would have prosecuted you for scandal.' BOSWELL: Lord Mansfield is not a mere lawyer.' JOHNSON: No, sir, I never was in Lord Mansfield's company; but Lord Mansfield was distinguished at the University. Lord Mansfield, when he first came to town, "drank champagne with the wits," as Prior says. He was the friend of Pope.' SIB A.: Barristers, I believe, are not so abusive now as they were formerly. I fancy they had less law long ago, and so were obliged to take to abuse to fill up the time. Now they have such a number of precedents, they have no occasion for abuse.' JOHNSON: Nay, sir, they had more law long ago than they have now. As to precedents, to be sure they will increase in course of time; but the more precedents there are, the less occasion is there for law; that is to say, the less occasion is there for investigating principles.' SIR A.: 'I have been correcting several Scotch accents in my friend Boswell. I doubt, sir, if any Scotchman ever attains to a perfect English pronunciation.' JOHNSON: Why, sir, few of them do, because they do not persevere after acquiring a certain degree of it. But, sir, there can be no doubt that they may attain to a perfect English pronunciation, if they will. We find how near they come to it: and certainly a man who conquers nineteen parts of the Scottish accent may conquer the twentieth. But, sir, when a man has got the better of nine-tenths he grows weary, he relaxes his diligence, he finds he has corrected his accent so far as not to be disagreeable, and he no longer desires his friends to tell him when he is wrong; nor does he choose to be told. Sir, when people watch me narrowly, and I do not watch myself, they will find me out to be of a particular county. In the same manner, Dunning' may be found out to be a Devonshire man. So most Scotchmen may be found out. But, sir, little aberrations are of no disadvantage. I never catched Mallet in a Scotch accent; and yet Mallet, I suppose, was past five-and-twenty before he came to London.' Upon another occasion I talked to him on this subject, having myself taken some pains to improve my pronunciation, by the aid of the late Mr. Love, of Drury Lane Theatre, when he was a player at Edinburgh, and also of old Mr. Sheridan. Johnson said to me, 'Sir, your pronunciation is not offensive.' With this concession I was pretty well satisfied; and let me give my countrymen of North Britain an advice not to aim at absolute perfection in this respect; not to speak High English, as we are apt to call what is far removed from the Scotch, but which is by no means good English, and makes 'the fels who use it' truly ridiculous. Good English is plain, easy, and smooth in the mouth of an unaffected English gentleman. A studied and facetious pronunciation, which requires per- | petual attention, and imposes perpetual constraint, is exceedingly disgusting. A small intermixture of provincial peculiarities may perhaps have an agreeable effect, as the notes of different birds concur in the harmony of the grove, and please more than if they were all exatly alike. I could name some gentlemen of Ireland to whom a slight proportion of the accent and recitative of that country is an advantage. it same observation will apply to the gentlemen of Scotland. I do not mean that we should speak as broad as a certain prosperous member of Iarliament from that country; though it has been well observed that it has been of no small ase to him, as it rouses the attention of the House by its uncommonness, and is equal to tripes and figures in a good English speaker, I would give as an instance of what to recommend to my countrymen, the pronunciation of the late Sir Gilbert Elliot; and may presume to add that of the present Earl of Marchmont, who told me, with great good Lamour, that the master of a shop in London, where he was not known, said to him, 'I suppose, tir, you are an American! Why so, sir?' I mean said his lordship. Because, sir,' replied the shopkeeper, 'you speak neither English nor Scotch, but something different from both, which I conclude is the language of America.' BOSWELL: It may be of use, sir, to have a Dictionary to ascertain pronunciation.' JOHNSON: Why, sir, my Dictionary shows you the accent of words, if you can but remember them.' BOSWELL: But, sir, we want marks to ascertain the pronunciation of the vowels. Sheridan, I believe, has finished such a work.' JOHNSON: 'Why, sir, consider how much easier it is to learn a language by the ear than by any marks. Sheridan's Dictionary may do very well, but you cannot always carry it about with you; and when you want the word, you have not the Dictionary. It is like a man who has a sword that will not draw. It is an admirable sword, to be sure; but while your enemy is cutting your throat, you are unable to use it. Besides, sir, what entitles Sheridan to fix the pronunciation of English? He has, in the first place, the disadvantage of being an Irishman; and if he says he will fix it after the example of the best company, why, they differ among themselves. I remember an instance: when I published the plan for my Dictionary, Lord Chesterfield told me that the word great should be pronounced so as to rhyme to state; and Sir William Yonge sent me word that it should be pronounced so as to rhyme to seat, and that none but an Irishman would pronounce it grait. Now here were two men of the highest rank, the one the best speaker in the House of Lords, the other the best speaker in the House of Commons, differing entirely.' be," I again visited him at night. Finding him in a very good humour, I ventured to lead him to the subject of our situation in a future state, having much curiosity to know his notions on that point. JOHNSON: 'Why, sir, the happiness of an unembodied spirit will consist in a consciousness of the favour of GOD, in the contemplation of truth, and in the possession of felicitating ideas.' BOSWELL: 'But, sir, is there any harm in our forming to ourselves conjectures as to the particulars of our happiness, though the Scripture has said but very little on the subject? We know not what we shall JOHNSON: 'Sir, there is no harm. What philosophy suggests to us on this topic is probable: what Scripture tells us is certain. Dr. Henry More has carried it as far as philosophy can. You may buy both his theological and philosophical works, in two volumes folio, for about eight shillings.' BoOSWELL: 'One of the most pleasing thoughts is, that we shall see our friends again.' JOHNSON: 'Yes, sir; but you must consider, that when we are become purely rational, many of our friendships will be cut off. Many friendships are formed by a community of sensual pleasures: all these will be cut off. We form many friendships with bad men, because they have agreeable qualities, and they can be useful to us; but, after death, hey can no longer be of use to us. We form many friendships by mistake, imagining people to be different from what they really are. After death, we shall see every one in a true light. Then, sir, they talk of our meeting our relations; but then all relationship is dissolved; and we shall have no regard for one person more than another, but for their real value. However, we shall either have the satisfaction of meeting our friends, or be satisfied without meeting them.' BOSWELL: 'Yet, sir, we see in Scripture, that Dives still retained an anxious concern about his brethren.' JOHNSON: Why, sir, we must either suppose that passage to be metaphorical, or hold with many divines, and all the Purgatorians, that departed souls do not all at once arrive at the utmost perfection of which they are capable.' BOSWELL: 'I think, sir, that is a very rational supposition.' JOHNSON: Why, yes, sir; but we do not know it is a true one. There is no harm in believing it; but you must not compel others to make it an article of faith: for it is not revealed.' BosWELL: Do you think, sir, it is wrong in a man who holds the doctrine of purgatory, to pray for the souls of his deceased friends?' JOHNSON: Why, no, sir.' BOSWELL: 'I have been told that in the Liturgy of the Episcopal Church of Scotland there was a form of prayer for the dead.' JOHNSON: Sir, it is not in the Liturgy which Laud framed for the Episcopal Church of Scotland; if there is a liturgy older than that, I should be glad to see it.' BosWELL: 'As to our employment in a future state, the sacred writings say little. The Revelation, however, of St. John gives us many ideas, and particularly mentions music.' JOHNSON: 'Why, sir, ideas must be given you by means of something which you know; and as to music, there are some philosophers and divines who have maintained that we shall not be spiritualized to such a degree, but that something of matter, very much refined, will remain. In that case, music may make a part of our future felicity.' a respite.' JOHNSON: Why, sir, as the happiness or misery of embodied spirits does not depend upon place, but is intellectual, we cannot say that they are less happy or less miserable by appearing upon earth.' We went down between twelve and one to Mrs. Williams's room and drank tea. I mentioned that we were to have the remains of Mr. Gray, in prose and verse, published by Mr. Mason. JOHNSON: 'I think we have had enough of Gray. I see they have published a splendid edition of Akenside's works. One bad ode may be suffered; but a number of them together makes one sick.' BosWELL: 'Akenside's distinguished poem is his Pleasures of Imagination; but for my part, I never could admire it so much as most people do.' JOHNSON: Sir, I could not read it through.' BosWELL: I have read it through; but I did not find any great power in it.' I mentioned Elwal the heretic, whose trial Sir John Pringle had given me to read. JOHNSON: 'Sir, Mr. Elwal was, I think, an ironmonger at Wolverhampton ; and he had a mind to make himself famous by being the founder of a new sect, which he wished much should be called Elwallians. He held that everything in the Old Testament that was not typical was to be of perpetual observance: and so he wore a riband in the plaits of his coat, and he also wore a beard. I remember I had the honour of dining in company with Mr. Elwal. There was one Barter, a miller, who wrote against him; and you had the controversy between Mr. Elwal and Mr. Barter. To try to make himself distinguished, he wrote a letter to King George II., challenging him to dispute with him, in which he said, "George, if you be afraid to come by yourself to dispute with a poor old man, you may bring a thousand of your black-guards with you; and if you should still be afraid, you may bring a thousand of your red-guards." The letter had something of the impudence of Junius to our present King. But the men of Wolverhampton were not so inflammable as the Common Council of London; so Mr. Elwal failed in his scheme of making himself a man of great consequence.' On Tuesday, March 31, he and I dined at General Paoli's. A question was started whether the state of marriage is natural to man. JOHNSON: Sir, it is so far from being natural for a man and woman to live in a state of marriage, that we find all the motives which they have for remaining in that connection, and the re BOSWELL: I do not know whether there are any well-attested stories of the appearance of ghosts. You know there is a famous story of the appearance of Mrs. Veal prefixed to Drelincourt on Death.' JOHNSON: 'I believe, sir, that is given up. I believe the woman declared upon her death-bed that it was a lie.' BosWELL: This objection is made against the truth of ghosts appearing: that if they are instraints which civilised society imposes to prea state of happiness, it would be a punishment to them to return to this world; and if they are in a state of misery, it would be giving them 1 This fiction is known to have been invented by Daniel Defoe, and was added to the second edition of the English translation of Drelincourt's work (which was originally written in French) to make it sell. The first edition had it not.-MALONE. vent separation, are hardly sufficient to keep them together.' The General said that in a state of nature a man and woman uniting together would form a strong and constant affection, by the mutual pleasure each would receive; and that the same causes of dissension would not arise between them as occur between husband and wife in a civilised state. JOHNSON : 'Sir, they would have dissensions enough, though of another kind. One would choose to go a-hunting in this wood, the other in that; one would choose to go a-fishing in this lake, the other in that; or perhaps one would choose to go a-hunting when the other would choose to go a-fishing; and so they would part. Besides, sir, a savage man and a savage woman meet by chance; and when the man sees another woman that pleases him better, he will leave the first.' we hear so much, was in an uncommercial country, when men, being idle, were glad to be entertained at rich men's tables. But in a commercial country, a busy country, time becomes precious, and therefore hospitality is not so much valued. No doubt there is still room for a certain degree of it; and a man has a satisfaction in seeing his friends eating and drinking around him. But promiscuous hospitality is not the way to gain real influence. You must help some people at table before We then fell into a disquisition whether there others; you must ask some people how they like is any beauty independent of utility. their wine oftener than others. You therefore General maintained there was not. Dr. John-offend more people than you please. You are son maintained that there was; and he instanced a coffee-cup which he held in his hand, the painting of which was of no real use, as the cup could hold the coffee equally well if plain; yet the painting was beautiful. The We talked of the strange custom of swearing in conversation. The General said that all barbarous nations swore, from a certain violence of temper that could not be confined to earth, but was always reaching at the powers above. He said, too, that there was greater variety of swearing in proportion as there was a greater variety of religious ceremonies. Dr. Johnson went home with me to my lodgings in Conduit Street and drank tea, previous to our going to the Pantheon, which neither of us had seen before. He said, Goldsmith's Life of Parnell is poor; not that it is poorly written, but that he had poor materials: for nobody can write the life of a man but those who have ate and drunk and lived in social intercourse with him.' I said that if it was not troublesome and presuming too much, I would request him to tell Le all the little circumstances of his life; what schools he attended, when he came to Oxford, when he came to London, etc. etc. He did not disapprove of my curiosity as to these particulars; but said, 'They'll come out by degrees, as we talk together.' He censured Ruffhead's Life of Pope, and said, he knew nothing of Pope, and nothing of poetry.' He praised Dr. Joseph Warton's Essay on Pope; but said, 'he supposed we hould have no more of it, as the author had not been able to persuade the world to think of Pope as he did.' BOSWELL: Why, sir, should that prevent him from continuing his work? I He is an ingenious counsel, who has made the most of his cause: he is not obliged to gain it.' JOHNSON: 'But, sir, there is a difference when the cause is of a man's own making.' We talked of the proper use of riches. JOHNBox: If I were a man of a great estate, I would drive all the 'rascals whom I did not like out of the county at an election.' I asked him how far he thought wealth should be employed in hospitality. JOHNSON: You are to consider that ancient hospitality, of which like the French statesman,' who said, when he granted a favour, "J'ai fait dix mécontents et un ingrat." Besides, sir, being entertained ever so well at a man's table impresses no lasting regard or esteem. No, sir, the way to make sure of power and influence is by lending money confidentially to your neighbours at a small interest, or perhaps at no interest at all, and having their bonds in your possession.' BosWELL: May not a man, sir, employ his riches to advantage in educating young men of merit?' JOHNSON: Yes, sir, if they fall in your way; but if it be understood that you patronize young men of merit, you will be harassed with solicitations. You will have numbers forced upon you who have no merit: some will force them upon you from mistaken partiality; and some from downright interested motives without scruple; and you will be disgraced.' 'Were I a rich man, I would propagate all kinds of trees that will grow in the open air. A greenhouse is childish. I would introduce foreign animals into the country: for instance, the reindeer.' 2 The conversation now turned on critical subjects. JOHNSON: Bayes, in The Rehearsal, is a mighty silly character. If it was intended to be like a particular man, it could only be diverting while that man was remembered. But I question whether it was meant for Dryden, as has been reported; for we know some of the passages said to be ridiculed were written since The Rehearsal; at least a passage mentioned in the Preface3 is of a later date.' I maintained 3 There is no preface to The Rehearsal, as originally published. Dr. Johnson seems to have meant the address to the Reader, with a Key subjoined to it, which have been prefixed to the modern editions of that play. He did not know, it appears, that several additions were made to The Rehearsal after the first edition. The ridicule on the passages here alluded to is found among those additions. They therefore turnish no ground for the doubts here suggested. Unquestionably Bayes was meant to be the representative |