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1772.

With this conceffion I was pretty well fatisfied; and let me give my countrymen of North-Britain an advice not to aim at abfolute perfection in this refpect; Atat. 63. not to fpeak 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 fools who ufe it," truly ridiculous. Good English is plain, easy, and smooth in the mouth of an unaffected English gentleman. A studied and factitious pronun-ciation, which requires perpetual attention, and impofes perpetual conftraint, is exceedingly difgufting. 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 exactly alike. I could name fome gentlemen of Ireland, to whom a flight proportion of the accent and recitative of that country is an advantage. The fame obfervation will apply to the gentlemen of Scotland. I do not mean that we should speak as broad as a certain profperous member of parliament from that country; though it has been well obferved, that "it has been of no small ufe to him; as it roufes the attention of the House by its uncommonnefs; and is equal to tropes and figures in a good English speaker." I would give as an instance of what I mean to recommend to my countrymen, the pronunciation of the late Sir Gilbert Elliot; and may I prefurae to add that of the present Earl of Marchmont, who told me, with great good humour, that the master of a shop in London, where he was not known, faid Why fo, Sir," (faid to him, "I fuppofe, Sir, you are an American.” his Lordship.) "Because, Sir, (replied the fhopkeeper,) you speak neither English nor Scotch, but fomething different from both, which I conclude is the language of America."

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BOSWELL. "It may be of use, Sir, to have a Dictionary to ascertain the pronunciation." JOHNSON." Why, Sir, my Dictionary fhews you the accents 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 fuch a work." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, confider 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 fword, to be fure: 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 fays he will

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fix it after the example of the beft company, why they differ among themfelves. I remember an instance: when I published the Plan for my Dictionary, Lord Chesterfield told me that the word great fhould be pronounced fo as to rhyme to state; and Sir William Young fent me word that it should be pronounced fo as to rhyme to feat, and that none but an Irishman would pronounce it grait. Now here were two men of the highest rank, the one, the best fpeaker in the House of Lords, the other, the beft fpeaker in the House of Commons, differing entirely."

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I again vifited him at night. Finding him in a very good humour, I ventured to lead him to the fubject of our fituation in a future ftate, having much curiofity to know his notions on that point. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, the happiness of an unembodied spirit will confift in a consciousness of the favour of GOD, in the contemplation of truth, and in the poffeffion of felicitating ideas." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, is there any harmn in our forming to ourselves conjectures as to the particulars of our happiness, though the fcripture has faid but very little on the subject? We know not what we fhall be." JOHNSON. "Sir, there is no harm. What philofophy fuggefts to us on this topick 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 fhillings." BOSWELL. "One of the most pleasing thoughts is, that we fhall fee 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 fenfual pleafures: all thefe 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, they can no longer be of ufe to us. We form many friendships by mistake, imagining people to be different from what they really are. After death, we fhall fee every one in a true light. Then, Sir, they talk of our meeting our relations: but then all relationship is diffolved; and we shall have no regard for one perfon more than another, but for their real value. However, we shall either have the fatisfaction of meeting our friends, or be fatisfied without meeting them." BOSWELL. "Yet, Sir, we fee in fcripture that Dives ftill retained an anxious concern about his brethren." JOHNSON. Why, Sir, we muft either fuppofe that paffage to be metaphorical, or hold with many divines, and all the Purgatorians, that departed fouls do not all at once arrive at the utmoft perfection of which they are capable.” BOSWELL. "I think, Sir, that is a very rational fuppofition." JOHNSON. Why yes, Sir; but we do not know it is a true one. There is no harm in

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1772.

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 tat. 63. who holds the doctrine of purgatory, to pray for the fouls of his deceased friends?" JOHNSON. "Why no, Sir." BOSWELL. "I have been told, that in the liturgy of the Epifcopal 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 Epifcopal Church of Scotland: if there is a liturgy older than that, I fhould be glad to fee it." BOSWELL. "As to our employment in a future ftate, the facred writings say little. The Revelation, however, of St. John gives us many ideas, and particularly mentions mufick." JOHNSON. Why, Sir, ideas must be given you by means of fomething which you know: and as to mufick, there are fome philofophers and divines who have maintained that we shall not be spiritualised to fuch a degree, but that fomething of matter, very much refined, will remain. In that case, musick may make a part of our future felicity."

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BOSWELL. "I do not know whether there are any well-attested stories of the appearance of ghofts. You know there is a famous ftory 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 in a state of happiness, it would be a punishment to them to return to this world; and if they are in a state of mifery, it would be giving them a refpite." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, as the happiness or mifery of unembodied spirits does not depend upon place, but is intellectual, we cannot fay that they are lefs happy or lefs miferable 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 profe and verfe, published by Mr. Mafon. JOHNSON. "I think we have had enough of Gray. I fee they have published a splendid edition of Akenfide's works. One bad Ode may be fuffered, but a number of them together makes one fick." BOSWELL. "Akenfide's diftinguished poem is his Pleasures of the 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 heretick, whofe 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

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founder of a new fect, which he wished much should be called Elwallians. He held, that every thing in the Old Testament that was not typical, was to be of perpetual obfervance; and fo he wore a ribband 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 fo you had The Controverfy between Mr. ELWAL and Mr. BARTER. To try to make himself distinguished, he wrote a letter to King George the Second, challenging him to difpute with him, in which he said, George, if you be afraid to come by yourself, to difpute with a poor old man, you may bring a thousand of your black-guards with you; and if you fhould still be afraid, you may bring a thousand of your red-guards.' The letter had fomething of the impudence of Junius to our prefent King. But the men of Wolverhampton were not fo inflammable as the Common Council of London; fo Mr. Elwal failed in his fcheme of making himself a man of great confequence."

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On Tuesday, March 31, he and I dined at General Paoli's. A question was started, whether the state of marriage was 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 restraints which civilifed fociety imposes to prevent feparation, are hardly fufficient to keep them together." The General faid, that in a state of nature a man and woman uniting together would form a strong and conftant affection, by the mutual pleasure each would receive; and that the fame causes of diffention would not arife between them, as occur between husband and wife in a civilised state. JOHNSON. "Sir, they would have dissentions 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 choofe to go a fifhing; and fo they would part. Befides, Sir, a favage man and a favage woman meet by chance; and when the man fees another woman that pleases him better, he will leave the firft."

We then fell into a difquifition whether there is any beauty independent of utility. The General maintained there was not. Dr. Johnson maintained that there was; and he inftanced a coffee-cup which he held in his hand, the painting of which was of no real ufe, as the cup would hold the coffee equally well if plain; yet the painting was beautiful.

We talked of the strange custom of fwearing in converfation. The General faid, that all barbarous nations fwore from a certain violence of temper, that could

1772.

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 propor- Etat. 63. tion 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 feen 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 eat and drunk and lived in focial intercourfe with him.”

I faid, that if it was not troublesome and prefuming too much, I would requeft him to tell me all the little circumftances of his life; what fchools he attended, when he came to Oxford, when he came to London, &c. &c. He did not difapprove of my curiofity as to these particulars; but faid, " They'll come out by degrees as we talk together."

He cenfured Ruffhead's Life of Pope; and faid, "he knew nothing of Pope, and nothing of poetry." He praised Dr. Jofeph Warton's Effay on Pope; but faid, he supposed we should have no more of it, as the authour had not been able to perfuade the world to think of Pope as he did. BOSWELL." Why, Sir, fhould that prevent him from continuing his work? Counsel, who has made the most of his caufe: he is not obliged to gain it." JOHNSON. "But, Sir, there is a difference when the caufe is of a man's own making."

He is an ingenious

We talked of the proper ufe of riches. JOHNSON. "If I were a man of a great estate, I would drive all the rafcals whom I did not like out of the county at an election."

I asked him how far he thought wealth fhould be employed in hofpitality. JOHNSON. "You are to confider that ancient hospitality, of which we hear fo 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 ftill room for a certain degree of it; and a man has a fatisfaction in seeing his friends eating and drinking around him. But promifcuous hofpitality is not the way to gain real influence. You must help fome people at table before others; you must ask some people how they like their wine oftener than others. You therefore offend more people than you please. You are like the French statesman, who faid, when he granted a favour, J'ai fait dix mécontens et un ingrat.' Befides, Sir, being entertained ever fo well at a man's table, impreffes no lafting regard or esteem. No,

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