Martinelli, of Florence, author of a "History of England" in Italian, printed at London.

I spoke of Allan Ramsay's "Gentle Shepherd," in the Scottish dialect, as the best pastoral that had ever been written; not only abounding with beautiful rural imagery, and just and pleasing sentiments, but being a real picture of manners; and I offered to teach Dr. Johnson to understand it. "No, Sir," said he, "I won't You shall retain your superiority by my not

learn it. knowing it."

This brought on a question whether one man is lessened by another's acquiring an equal degree of knowledge with him. Johnson asserted the affirmative. I maintained that the position might be true in those kinds of knowledge which produce wisdom, power, and force, so as to enable one man to have the government of others; but that a man is not in any degree lessened by others knowing as well as he what ends in mere pleasure eating fine fruits, drinking delicious wines, reading exquisite poetry.'

The General observed, that Martinelli was a Whig. JOHNSON: "I am sorry for it. It shews the spirit of the times he is obliged to temporize." BOSWELL: "I rather think, Sir, that Toryism prevails in this reign." JOHNSON: "I know not why you should think so, Sir. You see your friend Lord Lyttelton, a nobleman, is obliged in his History to write the most vulgar Whiggism.”

An animated debate took place whether Martinelli should continue his History of England to the present day. GOLDSMITH: "To be sure he should." JOHNSON: "No, Sir; he would give great offence. He would have to tell of almost all the living great what they do not wish told." GOLDSMITH: "It may, perhaps, be necessary for a native to be more cautious; but a foreigner who comes among us without prejudice, may be considered as holding the place of a judge, and may speak his mind freely.' JOHNSON: "Sir, a foreigner, when he sends a work from the press, ought to be on his guard against catching the error and mistaken enthusiasm of the

ON CONTEMPORARY HISTORY

people among whom he happens to be."

II

GOLDSMITH:

Sir, he wants only to sell his history, and to tell truth; one an honest, the other a laudable motive." JOHNSON: Sir, they are both laudable motives. It is laudable in a man to wish to live by his labours; but he should write so as he may live by them, not so as he may be knocked on the head. I would advise him to be at Calais before he publishes his history of the present age. A foreigner who attaches himself to a political party in this country, is in the worst state that can be imagined: he is looked upon as a mere intermeddler. A native may do it from interest." BOSWELL: "Or principle." GOLDSMITH: "There are people who tell a hundred political lies every day, and are not hurt by it. Surely, then, one may tell truth with safety." JOHNSON: "Why, Sir, in the first place, he who tells a hundred lies has disarmed the force of his lies. But besides, a man had rather have a hundred lies told of him, than one truth which he does not wish should be told.' GOLDSMITH: "For my part, I'd tell truth, and shame the devil." JOHNSON: "Yes, Sir; but the devil will be angry. I wish to shame the devil as much as you do, but I should choose to be out of the reach of his claws." GOLDSMITH "His claws can do you no harm, when you have the shield of truth."

It having been observed that there was little hospitality in London; JOHNSON: "Nay, Sir, any man who has a name, or who has the power of pleasing, will be very generally invited in London. The man, Sterne, I have been told, has had engagements for three months." GOLDSMITH : "And a very dull fellow." JOHNSON : "Why, no, Sir."

Martinelli told us, that for several years he lived much with Charles Townshend,' and that he ventured to tell

1 The Rt. Hon. Charles Townshend (1725-67), a man of great reputation among his contemporaries, as a statesman, an orator, and a wit. He held many high offices, and as Chancellor of the Exchequer led the House of Commons in Chatham's last Administration. He now lives only in a few lines Macaulay has devoted to him in one of the most brilliant of his Essays: “A man of

him he was a bad joker. JOHNSON: "Why, Sir, thus much I can say upon the subject. One day he and a few more agreed to go and dine in the country, and each of them was to bring a friend in his carriage with him. Charles Townshend asked Fitzherbert to go with him, but told him, ‘You must find somebody to bring you back: I can only carry you there.' Fitzherbert did not much like this arrangement. He, however, consented, observing sarcastically, 'It will do very well; for then the same jokes will serve you in returning as in going.'

An eminent public character being mentioned ;-JOHNson: "I remember being present when he shewed himself to be so corrupted, or at least something so different from what I think right, as to maintain, that a member of Parliament should go along with his party right or wrong. Now, Sir, this is so remote from native virtue, from scholastic virtue, that a good man must have undergone a great change before he can reconcile himself to such a doctrine. It is maintaining that you may lie to the public; for you lie when you call that right which you think wrong, or the reverse. A friend of ours, who is too much an echo of that gentleman, observed, that a man who does not stick uniformly to a party, is only waiting to be bought. Why then, said I, he is only waiting to be what that gentleman is already."1

We talked of the King's coming to see Goldsmith's new play." I wish he would," said Goldsmith: adding, however, with an affected indifference, "Not that it would do me the least good." JOHNSON: "Well then, Sir, let us say it would do him good (laughing). No, Sir, this affectation will not pass ;-it is mighty idle. In such a state as ours, who would not wish to please the Chief

splendid eloquence, of low principles, and of boundless vanity and presumption who had belonged to every party and cared for none." There does not however appear to have been any foundation for Fitzherbert's sarcasm; both Walpole and Burke bear the strongest testimony to his wit.

1 Croker believed Burke to be "the eminent public character,' and the "friend of ours" to be Reynolds.

GOLDSMITH AS A JACOBITE

13

Magistrate?" GOLDSMITH: "I do wish to please him. I remember a line in Dryden,

'And every poet is the monarch's friend.'

It ought to be reversed." JOHNSON: "Nay, there are finer lines in Dryden on this subject:

'For colleges on bounteous Kings depend,

And never rebel was to arts a friend.’’

General Paoli observed, that successful rebels might. MARTINELLI: "Happy rebellions." GOLDSMITH: "We have no such phrase." GENERAL PAOLI: "But have you not the thing?' GOLDSMITH: 'Yes; all our

happy revolutions. They have hurt our constitution, and will hurt it, till we mend it by another HAPPY REVOLUTION." -I never before discovered that my friend Goldsmith had so much of the old prejudice in him.

General Paoli, talking of Goldsmith's new play, said, "Il a fait un compliment très gracieux à une certaine grande dame;" meaning a Duchess of the first rank.1

I expressed a doubt whether Goldsmith intended it, in order that I might hear the truth from himself. It, perhaps, was not quite fair to endeavour to bring him to a confession, as he might not wish to avow positively his taking part against the Court. He smiled and hesitated. The General at once relieved him, by this beautiful image: "Monsieur Goldsmith est comme la mer, qui jette des perles et beaucoup d'autres belles choses, sans s'en apperçevoir." GOLDSMITH: "Très bien dit, et très élégamment."

A person was mentioned, who it was said could take down in short-hand the speeches in Parliament with perfect exactness. JOHNSON: "Sir, it is impossible. I remember one Angel, who came to me to write for him a

1 The compliment will be found in Hastings' speech to Miss Neville, act ii., an allusion to the Royal Marriage Act recently passed owing to the marriages of the Duke of Cumberland with Mrs. Horton, and the Duke of Gloucester with Lady Waldegrave. See Forster's Life of Goldsmith.

preface or dedication to a book upon short-hand, and he professed to write as fast as a man could speak. In order to try him, I took down a book, and read while he wrote; and I favoured him, for I read more deliberately than usual. I had proceeded but a very little way, when he begged I would desist, for he could not follow me.' Hearing now for the first time of this preface or dedication, I said, "What an expense, Sir, do you put us to in buying books, to which you have written prefaces or dedications." JOHNSON: JOHNSON: "Why, I have dedicated to the Royal Family all round; that is to say, to the last generation of the Royal Family." GOLDSMITH: "And, perhaps, Sir, not one sentence of wit in a whole dedication." JOHNSON: "Perhaps not, Sir." BOSWELL: "What then is the reason for applying to a particular person to do that which any one may do as well?" JOHNSON: "Why, Sir, one man has greater readiness at doing it than another.”

I spoke of Mr. Harris, of Salisbury,' as being a very learned man, and in particular an eminent Grecian. JOHNson: "I am not sure of that. His friends give him out as such, but I know not who of his friends are able to judge of it." GOLDSMITH: GOLDSMITH: "He is what is much better: he is a worthy humane man.' JOHNSON "Nay, Sir, that is not to the purpose of our argument; that will as much prove that he can play upon the fiddle as well as Giardini, as that he is an eminent Grecian." GOLDSMITH: "The greatest musical performers have but small emoluments. Giardini, I am told, does not get above seven hundred a

1

James Harris (1709-1780) father of the first Lord Malmesbury. Hermes, the best known of his writings, was published in 1751; a Philosophical Inquiry concerning Language and Universal Grammar, written, says Coleridge, "with the precision of Aristotle and the elegance of Quintilian." In 1761 he entered Parliament as Member for Christchurch, which seat he retained until his death. He served successively as Lord of the Admiralty, Lord of the Treasury, and Secretary and Comptroller to the Queen.

2 Felix Giardini (1716-96) an Italian violinist and composer, who made a fortune in London with his concerts and pupils, and lost it as manager of the Italian Opera. Napier.