约翰逊4-6-12

grows manifest that the boundless importance of the next life enforcessome attention to the interests of this.'Be kind to the old servants, and secure the kindness of the agents andfactors; do not disgust them by asperity, or unwelcome gaiety, orapparent suspicion. From them you must learn the real state of youraffairs, the characters of your tenants, and the value of yourlands[483].'Make my compliments to Mrs. Boswell; I think her expectations from airand exercise are the best that she can form. I hope she will live longand happily.'I forget whether I told you that Rasay[484] has been here; we dinedcheerfully together. I entertained lately a young gentleman fromCorrichatachin[485].'I received your letters only this morning. I am, dear Sir,'Yours &c.'SAM. JOHNSON.''London, Sept. 7, 1782.'In answer to my next letter, I received one from him, dissuading me fromhastening to him as I had proposed[486]; what is proper for publicationis the following paragraph, equally just and tender:--'One expence, however, I would not have you to spare: let nothing beomitted that can preserve Mrs. Boswell, though it should be necessary totransplant her for a time into a softer climate. She is the prop andstay of your life. How much must your children suffer by losing her.'My wife was now so much convinced of his sincere friendship for me, andregard for her, that, without any suggestion on my part, she wrote him avery polite and grateful letter:--'DR. JOHNSON TO MRS. BOSWELL.'DEAR LADY,'I have not often received so much pleasure as from your invitation toAuchinleck. The journey thither and back is, indeed, too great for thelatter part of the year; but if my health were fully recovered, I wouldsuffer no little heat and cold, nor a wet or a rough road to keep mefrom you. I am, indeed, not without hope of seeing Auchinleck again; butto make it a pleasant place I must see its lady well, and brisk, andairy. For my sake, therefore, among many greater reasons, take care,dear Madam, of your health, spare no expence, and want no attendancethat can procure ease, or preserve it. Be very careful to keep your mindquiet; and do not think it too much to give an account of your recoveryto, Madam,'Yours, &c.'SAM. JOHNSON.''London, Sept. 7, 1782.''To JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ.'DEAR SIR,'Having passed almost this whole year in a succession of disorders, Iwent in October to Brighthelmston, whither I came in a state of so muchweakness, that I rested four times in walking between the inn and thelodging. By physick and abstinence I grew better, and am now reasonablyeasy, though at a great distance from health[487]. I am afraid, however,that health begins, after seventy, and long before, to have a meaningdifferent from that which it had at thirty. But it is culpable to murmurat the established order of the creation, as it is vain to oppose it. Hethat lives must grow old; and he that would rather grow old than die,has GOD to thank for the infirmities of old age[488].'At your long silence I am rather angry. You do not, since now you arethe head of your house, think it worth your while to try whether you oryour friend can live longer without writing[489], nor suspect that afterso many years of friendship, that when I do not write to you, I forgetyou. Put all such useless jealousies out of your head, and disdain toregulate your own practice by the practice of another, or by any otherprinciple than the desire of doing right.'Your oeconomy, I suppose, begins now to be settled; your expences areadjusted to your revenue, and all your people in their proper places.Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is agreat enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and itmakes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult.'Let me know the history of your life, since your accession to yourestate. How many houses, how many cows, how much land in your own hand,and what bargains you make with your tenants.* * * * *'Of my _Lives of the Poets_, they have printed a new edition in octavo,I hear, of three thousand. Did I give a set to Lord Hailes? If I didnot, I will do it out of these. What did you make of all your copy[490]?'Mrs. Thrale and the three Misses[491] are now for the winter inArgyll-street. Sir Joshua Reynolds has been out of order, but is wellagain; and I am, dear Sir,'Your affectionate humble servant,'SAM. JOHNSON.''London, Dec. 7, 1782.''To DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON.'Edinburgh, Dec. 20, 1782.'DEAR SIR,'I was made happy by your kind letter, which gave us the agreeable hopesof seeing you in Scotland again.'I am much flattered by the concern you are pleased to take in myrecovery. I am better, and hope to have it in my power to convince youby my attention of how much consequence I esteem your health to theworld and to myself. I remain, Sir, with grateful respect,'Your obliged and obedient servant,'MARGARET BOSWELL.'The death of Mr. Thrale had made a very material alteration with respectto Johnson's reception in that family. The manly authority of thehusband no longer curbed the lively exuberance of the lady; and as hervanity had been fully gratified, by having the Colossus of Literatureattached to her for many years, she gradually became less assiduous toplease him. Whether her attachment to him was already divided by anotherobject, I am unable to ascertain; but it is plain that Johnson'spenetration was alive to her neglect or forced attention; for on the ethof October this year, we find him making a 'parting use of thelibrary[492]' at Streatham, and pronouncing a prayer, which he composedon leaving Mr. Thrale's family[493]:--'Almighty God, Father of all mercy, help me by thy grace, that I may,with humble and sincere thankfulness, remember the comforts andconveniences which I have enjoyed at this place; and that I may resignthem with holy submission, equally trusting in thy protection when thougivest, and when thou takest away. Have mercy upon me, Lord, havemercy upon me.'To thy fatherly protection, O Lord, I commend this family. Bless,guide, and defend them, that they may so pass through this world, asfinally to enjoy in thy presence everlasting happiness, for JesusChrist's sake. Amen[494].'One cannot read this prayer, without some emotions not very favourableto the lady whose conduct occasioned it[495].In one of his memorandum-books I find, 'Sunday, went to church atStreatham. _Templo valedixi cum osculo_[496].'He met Mr. Philip Metcalfe[497] often at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, andother places, and was a good deal with him at Brighthelmston[498] thisautumn, being pleased at once with his excellent table and animatedconversation. Mr. Metcalfe shewed him great respect, and sent him a notethat he might have the use of his carriage whenever he pleased. Johnson(3d October, 1782) returned this polite answer:--'Mr. Johnson is verymuch obliged by the kind offer of the carriage, but he has no desire ofusing Mr. Metcalfe's carriage, except when he can have the pleasure ofMr. Metcalfe's company.' Mr. Metcalfe could not but be highly pleasedthat his company was thus valued by Johnson, and he frequently attendedhim in airings. They also went together to Chichester[499], and theyvisited Petworth, and Cowdry, the venerable seat of the Lords Montacute.'Sir, (said Johnson,) I should like to stay here four-and-twenty hours.We see here how our ancestors lived.'That his curiosity was still unabated, appears from two letters to Mr.John Nichols, of the 10th and 20th[500] of October this year. In one hesays, 'I have looked into your _Anecdotes_, and you will hardly thank alover of literary history for telling you, that he has been muchinformed and gratified. I wish you would add your own discoveries andintelligence to those of Dr. Rawlinson, and undertake the Supplement toWood[501]'. Think of it.' In the other, 'I wish, Sir, you could obtainsome fuller information of Jortin[502], Markland[503], and Thirlby[504].They were three contemporaries of great eminence.''TO SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS.'DEAR SIR,'I heard yesterday of your late disorder[505], and should think ill ofmyself if I had heard of it without alarm. I heard likewise Of yourrecovery, which I sincerely wish to be complete and permanent. Yourcountry has been in danger of losing one of its brightest ornaments, andI of losing one of my oldest and kindest friends: but I hope you willstill live long, for the honour of the nation: and that more enjoymentof your elegance, your intelligence, and your benevolence, is stillreserved for, dear Sir, your most affectionate, &c.'SAM. JOHNSON.''Brighthelmston,Nov. 14, 1782.'The Reverend Mr. Wilson having dedicated to him his _ArchaeologicalDictionary_[506], that mark of respect was thus acknowledged:--'TO THE REVEREND MR. WILSON, CLITHEROE, LANCASHIRE.'REVEREND SIR,'That I have long omitted to return you thanks for the honour conferredupon me by your Dedication, I entreat you with great earnestness not toconsider as more faulty than it is. A very importunate and oppressivedisorder has for some time debarred me from the pleasures, andobstructed me in the duties of life. The esteem and kindness of wise andgood men is one of the last pleasures which I can be content to lose;and gratitude to those from whom this pleasure is received, is a duty ofwhich I hope never to be reproached with the final neglect. I thereforenow return you thanks for the notice which I have received from you, andwhich I consider as giving to my name not only more bulk, but moreweight; not only as extending its superficies, but as increasing itsvalue. Your book was evidently wanted, and will, I hope, find its wayinto the school, to which, however, I do not mean to confine it; for noman has so much skill in ancient rites and practices as not to want it.As I suppose myself to owe part of your kindness to my excellent friend,Dr. Patten, he has likewise a just claim to my acknowledgements, which Ihope you, Sir, will transmit. There will soon appear a new edition of myPoetical Biography; if you will accept of a copy to keep me in yourmind, be pleased to let me know how it may be conveniently conveyed toyou. The present is small, but it is given with good will by,Reverend Sir,'Your most, &c.'SAM. JOHNSON.''December 31, 1782[507].'1783: AETAT. 74.--In 1783, he was more severely afflicted than ever,as will appear in the course of his correspondence[508]; but still thesame ardour for literature, the same constant piety, the same kindnessfor his friends, and the same vivacity, both in conversation andwriting, distinguished him.Having given Dr. Johnson a full account of what I was doing atAuchinleck, and particularly mentioned what I knew would please him,--myhaving brought an old man of eighty-eight from a lonely cottage to acomfortable habitation within my enclosures, where he had goodneighbours near to him,--I received an answer in February, of which Iextract what follows:--'I am delighted with your account of your activity at Auchinleck, andwish the old gentleman, whom you have so kindly removed, may live longto promote your prosperity by his prayers. You have now a new characterand new duties: think on them and practise them.'Make an impartial estimate of your revenue, and whatever it is, liveupon less. Resolve never to be poor. Frugality is not only the basis ofquiet, but of beneficence. No man can help others that wants helphimself; we must have enough before we have to spare.'I am glad to find that Mrs. Boswell grows well; and hope that to keepher well, no care nor caution will be omitted. May you long livehappily together.'When you come hither, pray bring with you Baxter's _Anacreon_[509]. Icannot get that edition in London.'On Friday, March 31, having arrived in London the night before, I wasglad to find him at Mrs. Thrale's house, in Argyll-street, appearancesof friendship between them being still kept up. I was shewn into hisroom, and after the first salutation he said, 'I am glad you are come. Iam very ill.' He looked pale, and was distressed with a difficulty ofbreathing; but after the common inquiries he assumed his usual stronganimated style of conversation. Seeing me now for the first time as a_Laird_, or proprietor of land, he began thus: 'Sir, the superiority ofa country-gentleman over the people upon his estate is very agreeable;and he who says he does not feel it to be agreeable, lies; for it mustbe agreeable to have a casual superiority over those who are by natureequal with us[510].' BOSWELL. 'Yet, Sir, we see great proprietors ofland who prefer living in London.' JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, the pleasure ofliving in London, the intellectual superiority that is enjoyed there,may counter-balance the other. Besides, Sir, a man may prefer the stateof the country-gentleman upon the whole, and yet there may never be amoment when he is willing to make the change to quit London for it.' Hesaid, 'It is better to have five _per cent_. out of land than out ofmoney, because it is more secure; but the readiness of transfer, andpromptness of interest, make many people rather choose the funds. Nay,there is another disadvantage belonging to land, compared with money. Aman is not so much afraid of being a hard creditor, as of being a hardlandlord.' BOSWELL. 'Because there is a sort of kindly connectionbetween a landlord and his tenants.' JOHNSON. 'No, Sir; many landlordswith us never see their tenants. It is because if a landlord drives awayhis tenants, he may not get others; whereas the demand for money is sogreat, it may always be lent.'He talked with regret and indignation of the factious opposition toGovernment at this time[511], and imputed it in a great measure to theRevolution. 'Sir, (said he, in a low voice, having come nearer to me,while his old prejudices seemed to be fermenting in his mind,) thisHanoverian family is _isolee_ here[512]. They have no friends. Now theStuarts had friends who stuck by them so late as 1745. When the right ofthe King is not reverenced, there will not be reverence for thoseappointed by the King.'His observation that the present royal family has no friends, has beentoo much justified by the very ungrateful behaviour of many who wereunder great obligations to his Majesty; at the same time there arehonourable exceptions; and the very next year after this conversation,and ever since, the King has had as extensive and generous support asever was given to any monarch, and has had the satisfaction of knowingthat he was more and more endeared to his people[513].He repeated to me his verses on Mr. Levett, with an emotion which gavethem full effect[514]; and then he was pleased to say, 'You must be asmuch with me as you can. You have done me good. You cannot think howmuch better I am since you came in.'He sent a message to acquaint Mrs. Thrale that I was arrived. I had notseen her since her husband's death. She soon appeared, and favoured mewith an invitation to stay to dinner, which I accepted. There was noother company but herself and three of her daughters, Dr. Johnson, andI. She too said, she was very glad I was come, for she was going toBath, and should have been sorry to leave Dr. Johnson before I came.This seemed to be attentive and kind; and I who had not been informed ofany change, imagined all to be as well as formerly. He was littleinclined to talk at dinner, and went to sleep after it; but when hejoined us in the drawing-room, he seemed revived, and was again himself.Talking of conversation, he said, 'There must, in the first place, beknowledge, there must be materials; in the second place, there must be acommand of words; in the third place, there must be imagination, toplace things in such views as they are not commonly seen in; and in thefourth place, there must be presence of mind, and a resolution that isnot to be overcome by failures: this last is an essential requisite; forwant of it many people do not excel in conversation. Now _I_ want it: Ithrow up the game upon losing a trick.' I wondered to hear him talk thusof himself, and said, 'I don't know, Sir, how this may be; but I am sureyou beat other people's cards out of their hands.' I doubt whether heheard this remark. While he went on talking triumphantly, I was fixed inadmiration, and said to Mrs. Thrale, 'O, for short-hand to take thisdown!' 'You'll carry it all in your head; (said she;) a long head is asgood as short-hand.'It has been observed and wondered at, that Mr. Charles Fox never talkedwith any freedom in the presence of Dr. Johnson[515], though it is wellknown, and I myself can witness, that his conversation is various,fluent, and exceedingly agreeable. Johnson's own experience, however, ofthat gentleman's reserve was a sufficient reason for his going on thus:'Fox never talks in private company; not from any determination not totalk, but because he has not the first motion[516]. A man who is used tothe applause of the House of Commons, has no wish for that of a privatecompany. A man accustomed to throw for a thousand pounds, if set down tothrow for sixpence, would not be at the pains to count his dice. Burke'stalk is the ebullition of his mind; he does not talk from a desire ofdistinction, but because his mind is full[517].He thus curiously characterised one of our old acquaintance: '----[518]is a good man, Sir; but he is a vain man and a liar. He, however, onlytells lies of vanity; of victories, for instance, in conversation, whichnever happened.' This alluded to a story which I had repeated from thatgentleman, to entertain Johnson with its wild bravado: 'This Johnson,Sir, (said he,) whom you are all afraid of will shrink, if you comeclose to him in argument and roar as loud as he. He once maintained theparadox, that there is no beauty but in utility[519]. "Sir, (said I,)what say you to the peacock's tail, which is one of the most beautifulobjects in nature, but would have as much utility if its feathers wereall of one colour." He _felt_ what I thus produced, and had recourse tohis usual expedient, ridicule; exclaiming, "A peacock has a tail, and afox has a tail;" and then he burst out into a laugh. "Well, Sir, (saidI, with a strong voice, looking him full in the face,) you haveunkennelled your fox; pursue him if you dare." He had not a word to say,Sir.' Johnson told me, that this was a fiction from beginningto end[520].After musing for some time, he said, 'I wonder how I should have anyenemies; for I do harm to nobody[521].' BOSWELL. 'In the first place,Sir, you will be pleased to recollect, that you set out with attackingthe Scotch; so you got a whole nation for your enemies.' JOHNSON. 'Why,I own, that by my definition of _oats_[522] I meant to vex them.'BOSWELL. 'Pray, Sir, can you trace the cause of your antipathy to theScotch.' JOHNSON. 'I cannot, Sir[523].' BOSWELL. 'Old Mr. Sheridan says,it was because they sold Charles the First.' JOHNSON. 'Then, Sir, oldMr. Sheridan has found out a very good reason.'Surely the most obstinate and sulky nationality, the most determinedaversion to this great and good man, must be cured, when he is seen thusplaying with one of his prejudices, of which he candidly admitted thathe could not tell the reason. It was, however, probably owing to hishaving had in his view the worst part of the Scottish nation, the needyadventurers, many of whom he thought were advanced above their merits bymeans which he did not approve. Had he in his early life been inScotland, and seen the worthy, sensible, independent gentlemen, who liverationally and hospitably at home, he never could have entertained suchunfavourable and unjust notions of his fellow-subjects. And accordinglywe find, that when he did visit Scotland, in the latter period of hislife, he was fully sensible of all that it deserved, as I have alreadypointed out, when speaking of his _Journey to the Western Islands_.[524]Next day, Saturday, March 22, I found him still at Mrs. Thrale's, but hetold me that he was to go to his own house in the afternoon[525]. He wasbetter, but I perceived he was but an unruly patient, for Sir Lucas