约翰逊4-6-20

On Wednesday, May 5, I arrived in London, and next morning had thepleasure to find Dr. Johnson greatly recovered. I but just saw him; fora coach was waiting to carry him to Islington, to the house of hisfriend the Reverend Mr. Strahan, where he went sometimes for the benefitof good air, which, notwithstanding his having formerly laughed at thegeneral opinion upon the subject, he now acknowledged was conduciveto health.One morning afterwards, when I found him alone, he communicated to me,with solemn earnestness, a very remarkable circumstance which hadhappened in the course of his illness, when he was much distressed bythe dropsy. He had shut himself up, and employed a day in particularexercises of religion,--fasting, humiliation, and prayer. On a sudden heobtained extraordinary relief, for which he looked up to Heaven withgrateful devotion. He made no direct inference from this fact; but fromhis manner of telling it, I could perceive that it appeared to him assomething more than an incident in the common course of events[836]. Formy own part, I have no difficulty to avow that cast of thinking, whichby many modern pretenders to wisdom is called _superstitious_. But hereI think even men of dry rationality may believe, that there was anintermediate[837] interposition of Divine Providence, and that 'thefervent prayer of this righteous man[838]' availed[839].On Sunday, May 9, I found Colonel Valiancy, the celebrated antiquarianand Engineer of Ireland, with him. On Monday, the 10th, I dined with himat Mr. Paradise's, where was a large company; Mr. Bryant, Mr. Joddrel,Mr. Hawkins Browne, &c. On Thursday, the 13th, I dined with him at Mr.Joddrel's, with another large company; the Bishop of Exeter, LordMonboddo[840], Mr. Murphy, &c.On Saturday, May 15[841], I dined with him at Dr. Brocklesby's, wherewere Colonel Vallancy, Mr. Murphy, and that ever-cheerful companion Mr.Devaynes, apothecary to his Majesty. Of these days, and others on whichI saw him, I have no memorials, except the general recollection of hisbeing able and animated in conversation, and appearing to relish societyas much as the youngest man. I find only these three smallparticulars:--When a person was mentioned, who said, 'I have livedfifty-one years in this world without having had ten minutes ofuneasiness;' he exclaimed, 'The man who says so, lies: he attempts toimpose on human credulity.' The Bishop of Exeter in vain observed, thatmen were very different. His Lordship's manner was not impressive, andI learnt afterwards that Johnson did not find out that the person whotalked to him was a Prelate; if he had, I doubt not that he would havetreated him with more respect; for once talking of GeorgePsalmanazar[842], whom he reverenced for his piety, he said, 'I shouldas soon think of contradicting a BISHOP[843].' One of the company[844]provoked him greatly by doing what he could least of all bear, which wasquoting something of his own writing, against what he then maintained.'What, Sir, (cried the gentleman,) do you say to"The busy day, the peaceful night,Unfelt, uncounted, glided by[845]?"'--Johnson finding himself thus presented as giving an instance of a manwho had lived without uneasiness, was much offended, for he looked uponsuch a quotation as unfair. His anger burst out in an unjustifiableretort, insinuating that the gentleman's remark was a sally of ebriety;'Sir, there is one passion I would advise you to command: when you havedrunk out that glass, don't drink another[846].' Here was exemplifiedwhat Goldsmith said of him, with the aid of a very witty image from oneof Cibber's Comedies: 'There is no arguing with Johnson; for if hispistol misses fire, he knocks you down with the butt end of it[847].'Another was this: when a gentleman[848] of eminence in the literaryworld was violently censured for attacking people by anonymousparagraphs in newspapers; he, from the spirit of contradiction as Ithought, took up his defence, and said, 'Come, come, this is not soterrible a crime; he means only to vex them a little. I do not say thatI should do it; but there is a great difference between him and me; whatis fit for Hephaestion is not fit for Alexander.' Another, when I toldhim that a young and handsome Countess had said to me, 'I should thinkthat to be praised by Dr. Johnson would make one a fool all one's life;'and that I answered, 'Madam, I shall make him a fool to-day, byrepeating this to him,' he said, 'I am too old to be made a fool; but ifyou say I am made a fool, I shall not deny it. I am much pleased with acompliment, especially from a pretty woman.'On the evening of Saturday, May 15, he was in fine spirits, at ourEssex-Head Club. He told us, 'I dined yesterday at Mrs. Garrick's, withMrs. Carter[849], Miss Hannah More, and Miss Fanny Burney. Three suchwomen are not to be found: I know not where I could find a fourth,except Mrs. Lennox, who is superiour to them all[850].' BOSWELL. 'What!had you them all to yourself, Sir?' JOHNSON. 'I had them all as much asthey were had; but it might have been better had there been more companythere.' BOSWELL. 'Might not Mrs. Montagu have been a fourth?' JOHNSON.'Sir, Mrs. Montagu does not make a trade of her wit; but Mrs. Montagu isa very extraordinary woman; she has a constant stream of conversation,and it is always impregnated; it has always meaning[851].' BOSWELL. 'Mr.Burke has a constant stream of conversation.' JOHNSON. 'Yes, Sir; if aman were to go by chance at the same time with Burke under a shed, toshun a shower, he would say--"this is an extraordinary man." If Burkeshould go into a stable to see his horse drest, the ostler wouldsay--we have had an extraordinary man here[852].' BOSWELL. 'Foote was aman who never failed in conversation. If he had gone into a stable--'JOHNSON. 'Sir, if he had gone into a stable, the ostler would have said,here has been a comical fellow; but he would not have respected him.'BOSWELL. 'And, Sir, the ostler would have answered him, would have givenhim as good as he brought, as the common saying is.' JOHNSON. 'Yes, Sir;and Foote would have answered the ostler.--When Burke does not descendto be merry, his conversation is very superiour indeed. There is noproportion between the powers which he shews in serious talk and injocularity. When he lets himself down to that, he is in thekennel[853].' I have in another place[854] opposed, and I hope withsuccess, Dr. Johnson's very singular and erroneous notion as to Mr.Burke's pleasantry. Mr. Windham now said low to me, that he differedfrom our great friend in this observation; for that Mr. Burke was oftenvery happy in his merriment. It would not have been right for either ofus to have contradicted Johnson at this time, in a Society all of whomdid not know and value Mr. Burke as much as we did. It might haveoccasioned something more rough, and at any rate would probably havechecked the flow of Johnson's good-humour. He called to us with a suddenair of exultation, as the thought started into his mind, 'O! Gentlemen,I must tell you a very great thing. The Empress of Russia has orderedthe _Rambler_ to be translated into the Russian language[855]: so Ishall be read on the banks of the Wolga. Horace boasts that his famewould extend as far as the banks of the Rhone[856]; now the Wolga isfarther from me than the Rhone was from Horace.' BOSWELL. 'You mustcertainly be pleased with this, Sir.' JOHNSON. 'I am pleased Sir, to besure. A man is pleased to find he has succeeded in that which he hasendeavoured to do.'One of the company mentioned his having seen a noble person driving inhis carriage, and looking exceedingly well, notwithstanding his greatage. JOHNSON. 'Ah, Sir; that is nothing. Bacon observes, that a stouthealthy old man is like a tower undermined.'On Sunday, May 16, I found him alone; he talked of Mrs. Thrale with muchconcern, saying, 'Sir, she has done every thing wrong, since Thrale'sbridle was off her neck;' and was proceeding to mention somecircumstances which have since been the subject of publickdiscussion[857], when he was interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Douglas,now Bishop of Salisbury.Dr. Douglas, upon this occasion, refuted a mistaken notion which is verycommon in Scotland, that the ecclesiastical discipline of the Church ofEngland, though duly enforced, is insufficient to preserve the morals ofthe clergy, inasmuch as all delinquents may be screened by appealing tothe Convocation, which being never authorized by the King to sit forthe dispatch of business, the appeal never can be heard. Dr. Douglasobserved, that this was founded upon ignorance; for that the Bishopshave sufficient power to maintain discipline, and that the sitting ofthe Convocation was wholly immaterial in this respect, it being not aCourt of judicature, but like a parliament, to make Canons andregulations as times may require.Johnson, talking of the fear of death, said, 'Some people are notafraid, because they look upon salvation as the effect of an absolutedecree, and think they feel in themselves the marks of sanctification.Others, and those the most rational in my opinion, look upon salvationas conditional; and as they never can be sure that they have compliedwith the conditions, they are afraid[858].'In one of his little manuscript diaries, about this time, I find a shortnotice, which marks his amiable disposition more certainly than athousand studied declarations.--'Afternoon spent cheerfully andelegantly, I hope without offence to GOD or man; though in no holy duty,yet in the general exercise and cultivation of benevolence.'On Monday, May 17, I dined with him at Mr. Dilly's, where were ColonelValiancy, the Reverend Dr. Gibbons[859], and Mr. Capel Lofft, who,though a most zealous Whig, has a mind so full of learning andknowledge, and so much exercised in various departments, and withal somuch liberality, that the stupendous powers of the literary Goliath,though they did not frighten this little David of popular spirit, couldnot but excite his admiration[860]. There was also Mr. Braithwaite ofthe Post-office, that amiable and friendly man, who, with modest andunassuming manners, has associated with many of the wits of the age.Johnson was very quiescent to-day. Perhaps too I was indolent. I findnothing more of him in my notes, but that when I mentioned that I hadseen in the King's library sixty-three editions of my favourite _Thomasa Kempis_, amongst which it was in eight languages, Latin, German,French, Italian, Spanish, English, Arabick, and Armenian, he said, hethought it unnecessary to collect many editions of a book, which wereall the same, except as to the paper and print; he would have theoriginal, and all the translations, and all the editions which had anyvariations in the text. He approved of the famous collection of editionsof _Horace_ by Douglas, mentioned by Pope[861], who is said to have hada closet filled with them; and he added, 'every man should try tocollect one book in that manner, and present it to a publick library.'On Tuesday, May 18, I saw him for a short time in the morning. I toldhim that the mob had called out, as the King passed[862], 'No Fox--NoFox,' which I did not like. He said, 'They were right, Sir.' I said, Ithought not; for it seemed to be making Mr. Fox the King'scompetitor[863]. There being no audience, so that there could be notriumph in a victory, he fairly agreed with me[864]. I said it might dovery well, if explained thus:--'Let us have no Fox;' understanding it asa prayer to his Majesty not to appoint that gentleman minister.On Wednesday, May 19, I sat a part of the evening with him, byourselves. I observed, that the death of our friends might be aconsolation against the fear of our own dissolution, because we mighthave more friends in the other world than in this. He perhaps felt thisas a reflection upon his apprehension as to death; and said, with heat,'How can a man know _where_ his departed friends are, or whether theywill be his friends in the other world[865]? How many friendships haveyou known formed upon principles of virtue? Most friendships are formedby caprice or by chance, mere confederacies in vice or leaguesin folly.'We talked of our worthy friend Mr. Langton. He said, 'I know not whowill go to Heaven if Langton does not. Sir, I could almost say, _Sitanima mea cum Langtono_' I mentioned a very eminent friend[866] avirtuous man. JOHNSON. 'Yes, Sir; but ---- has not the evangelicalvirtue of Langton. ----, I am afraid, would not scruple to pick upa wench.'He however charged Mr. Langton with what he thought want of judgementupon an interesting occasion. 'When I was ill, (said he) I desired hewould tell me sincerely in what he thought my life was faulty. Sir, hebrought me a sheet of paper, on which he had written down several textsof Scripture, recommending christian charity. And when I questioned himwhat occasion I had given for such an animadversion, all that he couldsay amounted to this,--that I sometimes contradicted people inconversation. Now what harm does it do to any man to be contradicted?'BOSWELL. 'I suppose he meant the _manner_ of doing it; roughly,--andharshly.' JOHNSON. 'And who is the worse for that?' BOSWELL. 'It hurtspeople of weak nerves.' JOHNSON. 'I know no such weak-nervedpeople[867].' Mr. Burke, to whom I related this conference, said, 'It iswell, if when a man comes to die, he has nothing heavier upon hisconscience than having been a little rough in conversation.'Johnson, at the time when the paper was presented to him, though atfirst pleased with the attention of his friend, whom he thanked in anearnest manner, soon exclaimed, in a loud and angry tone, 'What is yourdrift, Sir?' Sir Joshua Reynolds pleasantly observed, that it was ascene for a comedy, to see a penitent get into a violent passion andbelabour his confessor[868].I have preserved no more of his conversation at the times when I saw himduring the rest of this month, till Sunday, the 30th of May, when I methim in the evening at Mr. Hoole's, where there was a large company bothof ladies and gentlemen; Sir James Johnston[869] happened to say, thathe paid no regard to the arguments of counsel at the bar of the House ofCommons, because they were paid for speaking. 'JOHNSON. 'Nay, Sir,argument is argument. You cannot help paying regard to their arguments,if they are good. If it were testimony, you might disregard it, if youknew that it were purchased. There is a beautiful image in Bacon[870]upon this subject: testimony is like an arrow shot from a long bow; theforce of it depends on the strength of the hand that draws it. Argumentis like an arrow from a cross-bow, which has equal force though shotby a child.'He had dined that day at Mr. Hoole's, and Miss Helen Maria Williamsbeing expected in the evening, Mr. Hoole put into his hands herbeautiful _Ode on the Peace_[871]: Johnson read it over, and when thiselegant and accomplished young lady[872] was presented to him, he tookher by the hand in the most courteous manner, and repeated the fineststanza of her poem; this was the most delicate and pleasing complimenthe could pay. Her respectable friend, Dr. Kippis, from whom I had thisanecdote, was standing by, and was not a little gratified.Miss Williams told me, that the only other time she was fortunate enoughto be in Dr. Johnson's company, he asked her to sit down by him, whichshe did, and upon her enquiring how he was, he answered, 'I am very illindeed, Madam. I am very ill even when you are near me; what should I bewere you at a distance?'[873]He had now a great desire to go to Oxford, as his first jaunt after hisillness; we talked of it for some days, and I had promised to accompanyhim. He was impatient, and fretful to-night, because I did not at onceagree to go with him on Thursday. When I considered how ill he had been,and what allowance should be made for the influence of sickness upon histemper, I resolved to indulge him, though with some inconvenience tomyself, as I wished to attend the musical meeting in honour ofHandel[874], in Westminster-Abbey, on the following Saturday.In the midst of his own diseases and pains, he was ever compassionate tothe distresses of others, and actively earnest in procuring them aid, asappears from a note to Sir Joshua Reynolds, of June, in these words:--'Iam ashamed to ask for some relief for a poor man, to whom, I hope, Ihave given what I can be expected to spare. The man importunes me, andthe blow goes round. I am going to try another air on Thursday.'On Thursday, June 3, the Oxford post-coach took us up in the morning atBolt-court. The other two passengers were Mrs. Beresford and herdaughter, two very agreeable ladies from America; they were going toWorcestershire, where they then resided. Frank had been sent by hismaster the day before to take places for us; and I found, from theway-bill, that Dr. Johnson had made our names be put down. Mrs.Beresford, who had read it, whispered me, 'Is this the great Dr.Johnson?' I told her it was; so she was then prepared to listen. As shesoon happened to mention in a voice so low that Johnson did not hear it,that her husband had been a member of the American Congress, I cautionedher to beware of introducing that subject, as she must know how veryviolent Johnson was against the people of that country. He talked agreat deal, but I am sorry I have preserved little of the conversation.Miss Beresford was so much charmed, that she said to me aside, 'How hedoes talk! Every sentence is an essay.' She amused herself in the coachwith knotting; he would scarcely allow this species of employment anymerit. 'Next to mere idleness (said he) I think knotting is to bereckoned in the scale of insignificance; though I once attempted tolearn knotting. Dempster's sister (looking to me) endeavoured to teachme it; but I made no progress[875].'I was surprised at his talking without reserve in the publick post-coachof the state of his affairs; 'I have (said he) about the world I thinkabove a thousand pounds, which I intend shall afford Frank an annuity ofseventy pounds a year.' Indeed his openness with people at a firstinterview was remarkable. He said once to Mr. Langton, 'I think I amlike Squire Richard in _The Journey to London, "I'm never strange in astrange place_[876]."' He was truly _social_. He strongly censured whatis much too common in England among persons of condition,--maintainingan absolute silence, when unknown to each other; as for instance, whenoccasionally brought together in a room before the master or mistress ofthe house has appeared. 'Sir, that is being so uncivilised as not tounderstand the common rights of humanity[877].'At the inn where we stopped he was exceedingly dissatisfied with someroast mutton which we had for dinner. The ladies I saw wondered to seethe great philosopher, whose wisdom and wit they had been admiring allthe way, get into ill-humour from such a cause. He scolded the waiter,saying, 'It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed,ill-kept, and ill-drest[878].'He bore the journey very well, and seemed to feel himself elevated as heapproached Oxford, that magnificent and venerable seat of learning,Orthodoxy, and Toryism. Frank came in the heavy coach, in readiness toattend him; and we were received with the most polite hospitality at thehouse of his old friend Dr. Adams, Master of Pembroke College, who hadgiven us a kind invitation. Before we were set down, I communicated toJohnson, my having engaged to return to London directly, for the reasonI have mentioned, but that I would hasten back to him again. He waspleased that I had made this journey merely to keep him company. He waseasy and placid, with Dr. Adams, Mrs. and Miss Adams, and Mrs. Kennicot,widow of the learned Hebraean[879], who was here on a visit. He soondispatched the inquiries which were made about his illness and recovery,by a short and distinct narrative; and then assuming a gay air, repeatedfrom Swift,--'Nor think on our approaching ills,And talk of spectacles and pills[880].'Dr. Newton, the Bishop of Bristol, having been mentioned, Johnson,recollecting the manner in which he had been censured by thatPrelate[881], thus retaliated:-' Tom knew he should be dead before whathe has said of me would appear. He durst not have printed it while hewas alive.' DR. ADAMS. 'I believe his _Dissertations on the Prophecies_is his great work.' JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, it is Tom's great work; but howfar it is great, or how much of it is Tom's, are other questions. Ifancy a considerable part of it was borrowed.' DR. ADAMS. 'He was a verysuccessful man.' JOHNSON. 'I don't think so, Sir. He did not get veryhigh. He was late in getting what he did get; and he did not get it bythe best means. I believe he was a gross flatterer[882].'I fulfilled my intention by going to London, and returned to Oxford onWednesday the 9th of June, when I was happy to find myself again in thesame agreeable circle at Pembroke College, with the comfortable prospectof making some stay. Johnson welcomed my return with more thanordinary glee.He talked with great regard of the Honourable Archibald Campbell, whosecharacter he had given at the Duke of Argyll's table, when we were atInverary[883]; and at this time wrote out for me, in his own hand, afuller account of that learned and venerable writer, which I havepublished in its proper place. Johnson made a remark this evening whichstruck me a good deal. 'I never (said he) knew a non-juror who couldreason[884].' Surely he did not mean to deny that faculty to many oftheir writers; to Hickes, Brett[885], and other eminent divines of thatpersuasion; and did not recollect that the seven Bishops, so justlycelebrated for their magnanimous resistance of arbitrary power, were yetNonjurors to the new Government[886]. The nonjuring clergy of Scotland,indeed, who, excepting a few, have lately, by a sudden stroke, cut offall ties of allegiance to the house of Stuart, and resolved to pray forour present lawful Sovereign by name, may be thought to have confirmedthis remark; as it may be said, that the divine indefeasible hereditaryright which they professed to believe, if ever true, must be equallytrue still. Many of my readers will be surprized when I mention, thatJohnson assured me he had never in his life been in a nonjuringmeeting-house[887].Next morning at breakfast, he pointed out a passage in Savage's_Wanderer_, saying, 'These are fine verses.' 'If (said he) I had writtenwith hostility of Warburton in my _Shakspeare_, I should have quotedthis couplet:--"Here Learning, blinded first and then beguil'd,Looks dark as Ignorance, as Fancy wild[888]."You see they'd have fitted him to a _T_,' (smiling.) DR. ADAMS. 'But youdid not write against Warburton.' JOHNSON. 'No, Sir, I treated him withgreat respect both in my Preface and in my Notes[889].'Mrs. Kennicot spoke of her brother, the Reverend Mr. Chamberlayne, whohad given up great prospects in the Church of England on his conversionto the Roman Catholick faith. Johnson, who warmly admired every man whoacted from a conscientious regard to principle, erroneous or not,exclaimed fervently, 'GOD bless him.'Mrs. Kennicot, in confirmation of Dr. Johnson's opinion[890], that thepresent was not worse than former ages, mentioned that her brotherassured her, there was now less infidelity on the Continent than therehad been; Voltaire and Rousseau were less read. I asserted, from goodauthority, that Hume's infidelity was certainly less read. JOHNSON. 'Allinfidel writers drop into oblivion, when personal connections and thefloridness of novelty are gone; though now and then a foolish fellow,who thinks he can be witty upon them, may bring them again into notice.There will sometimes start up a College joker, who does not considerthat what is a joke in a College will not do in the world. To suchdefenders of Religion I would apply a stanza of a poem which I rememberto have seen in some old collection:--