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Thrale was almost lost by the scrupulosity of his physicians, who neverbled him copiously till they bled him in despair; he then bled till hefainted, and the stricture or obstruction immediately gave way and fromthat instant he grew better.'I can now give you no advice but to keep yourself totally quiet andamused with some gentle exercise of the mind. If a suspected lettercomes, throw it aside till your health is reestablished; keep easy andcheerful company about you, and never try to think but at those statedand solemn times when the thoughts are summoned to the cares of futurity,the only cares of a rational being.'As to my own health I think it rather grows better; the convulsionswhich left me last year at Ashbourne have never returned, and I have bythe mercy of God very comfortable nights. Let me know very often how youare till you are quite well.'This letter, though it is dated 1778, must have been written in 1780.Thrale's first attack was in June, 1779, when he was in 'extreme danger'(_ante_, iii. 397, n. 2, 420). Johnson had the remission of theconvulsions on June 18, 1779. He recorded on June 18, 1780:--'In the morning of this day last year I perceived the remission ofthose convulsions in my breast which had distressed me for more thantwenty years. I returned thanks at church for the mercy granted me,which has now continued a year.'--_Prayers and Meditations_, p. 183.Three days later he wrote to Mrs. Thrale:--'It was a twelvemonth last Sunday since the convulsions in my breastleft me. I hope I was thankful when I recollected it; by removingthat disorder a great improvement was made in the enjoyment of life.'--_Piozzi Letters_, ii. 163. (See _ante_, iii. 397, n. 1.)He was at Ashbourne on June 18, 1779 (_ante_, iii. 453).On April 20, 1778, the very day of which this letter bears the date,he recorded:--'After a good night, as I am forced to reckon, I rose seasonably....In reviewing my time from Easter, 1777, I found a very melancholyand shameful blank. So little has been done that days and months arewithout any trace. My health has, indeed, been very much interrupted.My nights have been commonly not only restless, but painful and fatiguing.....Some relaxation of my breast has been procured, I think, by opium,which, though it never gives me sleep, frees my breast from spasms.'--_Prayers and Meditations_, p. 169. See _ante_, iii. 317, n. 1.For Johnson's advice about bleeding, see _ante_, iii. 152; and forpossible occasions for 'suspected letters,' _ante_, i. 472, n. 4;and ii. 202, n. 2._Mr. Mason's 'sneering observation in his "Memoirs of Mr. WilliamWhitehead"'_(Vol. i, p. 31.)I had long failed to find a copy of these _Memoirs_, though I hadsearched in the Bodleian, the British Museum, and the London Library, andhad applied to the University Library at Cambridge, and the Advocates'Library at Edinburgh. By the kindness of Mr. R. H. Soden Smith and Mr.R. F. Sketchley, I have obtained the following extract from a copy inthe Dyce and Forster Libraries, in the South Kensington Museum:--'Conscious, notwithstanding, that to avoid writing what is _unnecessary_is, in these days, no just plea for silence in a biographer, I have someapology to make for having strewed these pages so thinly with thetittle-tattle of anecdote. I am, however, too proud to make this apologyto any person but my bookseller, who will be the only real loser by the'Those readers, who believe that I do not write immediately underhis pay, and who may have gathered from what they have already read,that I am not so passionately enamoured of Dr. Johnson's biographicalmanner, as to take that for my model, have only to throw these pagesaside, and wait till they are new-written by some one of his numerousdisciples, who may follow his master's example; and should more anecdotethan I furnish him with be wanting (as was the Doctor's case in hislife of Mr. Gray), may make amends for it by those acid eructationsof vituperative criticism, which are generated by unconcocted taste andintellectual indigestion.'--_Poems by William Whitehead_, York, 1788(vol. iii, p. 128).With this 'sneering observation,' which Boswell might surely have passedover in silence, the Memoirs close._Michael Johnson as a bookseller._(Vol. i, p. 36, n. 3.)Mr. R. F. Sketchley kindly informs me that in the Dyce and ForsterLibraries at the South Kensington Museum there is a book with thefollowing title:--_S. Shaw's 'Grammatica Anglo--Romana', London, printed for MichaelJohnson, bookseller: and are to be sold at his shops in Litchfield andUttoxiter in Stafford-shire; and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire,1687._Mr. C. E. Doble tells me that in the proposals issued in 1690 by ThomasBennet, St. Paul's Churchyard, for printing Anthony a Wood's _AthenaeOxonienses_ and _Fasti Oxonienses_, among 'the booksellers who takesubscriptions, give receipts, and deliver books according to theproposals' is 'Mr. Johnson in Litchfield.'_The City and County of Lichfield_.(Vol. i, p. 36, n. 4.)'The City of Litchfield is a County of itself, with a jurisdictionextending 10 or 12 miles round, which circuit the Sheriff rides everyyear on Sept. 8.'--_A Tour through the Whole Island of Great Britain_,ed. 1769, ii. 419.Balliol College has a copy of this work containing David Garrick'sbook-plate, with Shakespeare's head at the top of it, and the followingquotation from _Menagiana_ at the foot:--'_La premiere chose qu'on doit faire quand on a emprunte un livre, c'estde le lire, afin de pouvoir le rendre plutot' (sic)_._Felixmarte of Hircania_.(Vol. i, p. 49.)'"He that follows is _Florismarte of Hyrcania_" said the barber. "What!is Signor Florismarte there?" replied the priest; "in good faith he shallshare the same fate, notwithstanding his strange birth and chimericaladventures; for his harsh and dry style will admit of no excuse. To theyard with him, therefore." "With all my heart, dear Sir," answered thehousekeeper; "and with joyful alacrity she executed the command.'"--_Don Quixote_, ed. 1820, i. 48.Boswell speaks of _Felixmarte_ as the old Spanish romance. In the_Bibliografia dei Romanzi e Poeini Cavallereschi Italiani_ (2nd ed.,Milan, 1838), p. 351, it is stated that in the Spanish edition it iscalled a translation from the Italian, and in the Italian edition atranslation from the Spanish. The Italian title is _Historia di DonFlorismante d'Ircania, tradotta dallo Spagnuolo_. Cervantes, in anedition of _Don Quixote_, published in 1605, which I have looked at,calls the book _Florismarte de Hircania_ (not _Florismante_). It shouldseem that he made his hero read the Italian version._Palmerin of England and Don Belianis_.(Vol. i, p. 49, n. 2; and vol. iii, p. 2.)'"Let _Palmerin of England_ be preserved," said the licentiate, "andkept as a jewel; and let such another casket be made for it as thatwhich Alexander found among the spoils of Darius appropriated to preservethe works of the poet Homer....Therefore, master Nicholas, saving yourbetter judgment let this and _Amadis de Gaul_ be exempted from theflames, and let all the rest perish without any farther inquiry." "Notso neighbour," replied the barber, "for behold here the renowned_Don Belianis_." The priest replied, "This with the second, third,and fourth parts, wants a little rhubarb to purge away its excessivecholer; there should be removed too all that relates to the castleof Fame, and other impertinencies of still greater consequence; let themhave the benefit, therefore, of transportation, and as they show signsof amendment they shall hereafter be treated with mercy or justice; inthe meantime, friend, give them room in your house; but let nobody readthem."'--_Don Quixote_, ed. 1820, i. 50._Mr. Taylor, a Birmingham manufacturer_.(Vol. i, p. 86.)'John Taylor, Esq. may justly be deemed the Shakspear or Newton ofBirmingham. He rose from minute beginnings to shine in the commercialhemisphere, as they in the poetical or philosophical. To this uncommongenius we owe the gilt button, the japanned and gilt snuff-box, withthe numerous race of enamels; also the painted snuff-box. ... He diedin 1775 at the age of 64, after acquiring a fortune of L200,000. His sonwas a considerable sufferer at the time of the riots in 1791.'--_A Brief History of Birmingham_, 1797, p. 9._Olivia Lloyd._(Vol. i, p. 92.)I am, no doubt, right in identifying Olivia Lloyd, the young quaker,with whom Johnson was much enamoured when at Stourbridge School, withOlive Lloyd, the daughter of the first Sampson Lloyd, of Birmingham,and aunt of the Sampson Lloyd with whom he had an altercation (_ante_,ii. 458 and _post_, p. liii). 'A fine likeness of her is preserved byThomas Lloyd, The Priory, Warwick,' as I learn from an interestinglittle work called _Farm and its Inhabitants, with some Account ofthe Lloyds of Dolobran_, by Rachel J. Lowe. Privately printed, 1883,p. 24. Her elder brother married a Miss Careless; ib. p. 23. Johnson's'first love,' Hector's sister, married a Mr. Careless (_ante_, ii. 459)._Henry Porter, of Edgbaston_.(Vol. i, p. 94, n. 3.)In St. Mary's Church, Warwick, is a monument to--'Anna Norton, Henrici PorterFiliaNuper de Edgberston in Com. Warw. Generosi;Vidua Thomae Norton....Haec annis et pietate matura vitam deposuit.Maii 14, 1698.'_A Brief Description of the Collegiate Church of St. Mary in Warwick_,published by Grafton and Reddell, Birmingham; no date._Mrs. Williams's account of Mrs. Johnson and her sons by her formermarriage_. (Vol. i, p. 95.)The following note by Malone I failed to quote in the right place. Itis copied from a paper, written by Lady Knight.'Mrs. Williams's account of Mrs. Johnson was, that she had a goodunderstanding and great sensibility, but inclined to be satirical. Herfirst husband died insolvent [this is a mistake, see _ante_, i. 95,n. 3]; her sons were much disgusted with her for her second marriage;... however, she always retained her affection for them. While they[Mr. and Mrs. Johnson] resided in Gough Square, her son, the officer,knocked at the door, and asked the maid if her mistress was at home.She answered, "Yes, Sir, but she is sick in bed." "Oh," says he, "ifit's so, tell her that her son Jervis called to know how she did;" andwas going away. The maid begged she might run up to tell her mistress,and, without attending his answer, left him. Mrs. Johnson, enrapturedto hear her son was below, desired the maid to tell him she longed toembrace him. When the maid descended the gentleman was gone, and poorMrs. Johnson was much agitated by the adventure; it was the only timehe ever made an effort to see her. Dr. [Mr.] Johnson did all he couldto console his wife, but told Mrs. Williams: "Her son is uniformlyundutiful; so I conclude, like many other sober men, he might once inhis life be drunk, and in that fit nature got the better of his pride."'_Johnson's application for the mastership of the Grammar School atSolihull in Warwickshire_.(Vol. i, p. 96.)Johnson, a few weeks after his marriage, applied for the mastership ofSolihull Grammar School, as is shown by the following letter, preservedin the Pembroke College MSS., addressed to Mr. Walmsley, and quoted byMr. Croker. I failed to insert it in my notes._'Solihull, the 30 August 1735._'SIR,'I was favoured with yours of the 13th inst. in due time, but deferredanswering it til now, it takeing up some time to informe the Foeofeesof the contents thereof; and before they would return an Answer, desiredsome time to make enquiry of the caracter of Mr. Johnson, who all agreethat he is an excellent scholar, and upon that account deserves muchbetter than to be schoolmaster of Solihull. But then he has the caracterof being a very haughty, ill-natured gent., and that he has such a way ofdistorting his Face (which though he can't help) the gent, think itmay affect some young ladds; for these two reasons he is not approvedon, the late master Mr. Crompton's huffing the Foeofees being stil intheir memory. However, we are all exstreamly obliged to you for thinkingof us, and for proposeing so good a schollar, but more especially is,dear sir,'Your very humble servant,'HENRY GRESWOLD.'_Johnson's knowledge of Italian_.(Vol. i, p. 115.)Boswell says that he does not know 'at what time, or by what meansJohnson had acquired a competent knowledge of Italian.' In my noteon this I say 'he had read Petrarch "when but a boy."' As Petrarchwrote chiefly in Latin, it is quite possible that Johnson did notacquire his knowledge of Italian so early as I had thought._Johnson's deference for the general opinion_.(Vol. i, p. 200.)Miss Burney records an interesting piece of criticism by Johnson. 'Thereare,' he said, 'three distinct kinds of judges upon all new authors orproductions; the first are those who know no rules, but pronounceentirely from their natural taste and feelings; the second are those whoknow and judge by rules; and the third are those who know, but are abovethe rules. These last are those you should wish to satisfy. Next to themrate the natural judges; but ever despise those opinions that are formedby the rules.'--_Mine. D'Arblay's Diary_, i. 180. Later on she writes:--'The natural feelings of untaught hearers ought never to be slighted;and Dr. Johnson has told me the same a thousand times;' ib. ii. 128._Johnson in the Green Room_.(Vol. i, p. 201.)Mr. Richard Herne Shepherd, in _Watford's Antiquarian_ for January,1887, p. 34, asserts that the actual words which Johnson used whenhe told Garrick that he would no longer frequent his Green Room wereindecent; so indecent that Mr. Shepherd can only venture to satisfythose whom he calls students by informing them of them privately. Forproof of this charge against the man whose boast it was that 'obscenityhad always been repressed in his company' (_ante_, iv. 295) he bringsforward John Wilkes. The story, indeed, as it is told by Boswell, isnot too trustworthy, for he had it through Hume from Garrick. As itreaches Mr. Shepherd it comes from Garrick through Wilkes. Garrick, nodoubt, as Johnson says (_ante_, v. 391), was, as a companion, 'restrainedby some principle,' and had 'some delicacy of feeling.' Nevertheless,in his stories, he was, we may be sure, no more on oath than a man isin lapidary inscriptions (_ante_, ii. 407). It is possible that hereported Johnson's very words to Hume, and that Hume did not changethem in reporting them to Boswell. Whatever they were, they were spokenin 1749 and published in 1791, when Johnson had been dead six years,Garrick twelve years, and Hume fourteen years. It is idle to dream thatthey can now be conjecturally emended. But it is worse than idle tobring in as evidence John Wilkes. What entered his ear as purity itselfmight issue from his mouth as the grossest obscenity. He had no delicacyof feeling. No principle restrained him. When he comes to bear testimony,and aims a shaft at any man's character, the bow that he draws is drawnwith the weakness of the hand of a worn-out and shameless profligate.Mr. Shepherd quotes an unpublished letter of Boswell to Wilkes, datedRome, April 22, 1765, to show 'that the two men had become familiars,not only long before Wilkes's famous meeting with Dr. Johnson was broughtabout, but before even the friendship of Boswell himself with Johnsonhad been consolidated.' It needs no unpublished letters to show that. Itmust be known to every attentive reader of Boswell. See _ante_, i. 395,and ii. 11._Frederick III, King of Prussia_.(Vol. i, p. 308.)Boswell should have written Frederick II._Boswell's visit to Rousseau and Voltaire_.(Vol. i, p. 434; and vol. ii, p. 11.)_Boswell to Andrew Mitchell, Esq., His Britannic Majesty'sMinister at Berlin_.'Berlin, 28 August, 1764.... 'I have had another letter from my father, in which he continues ofopinion that travelling is of very little use, and may do a great dealof harm. ... I esteem and love my father, and I am determined to do whatis in my power to make him easy and happy. But you will allow that Imay endeavour to make him happy, and at the same time not to be too hardupon myself. I must use you so much with the freedom of a friend as totell you that with the vivacity which you allowed me I have a melancholydisposition. I have made excursions into the fields of amusement, perhapsof folly. I have found that amusement and folly are beneath me, and thatwithout some laudable pursuit my life must be insipid and wearisome.....My father seems much against my going to Italy, but gives me leave to gofrom this, and pass some months in Paris. I own that the words of theApostle Paul, "I must see Rome," are strongly _borne in_ upon my mind. Itwould give me infinite pleasure. It would give taste for a life-time,and I should go home to Auchinleck with serene contentment.'After stating that he is going to Geneva, he continues:--'I shall see Voltaire; I shall also see Switzerland and Rousseau. Thesetwo men are to me greater objects than most statues or pictures.'--Nichols's _Literary History_, vii. 318._Superficiality of the French writers_.(Vol. i, p. 454.)Gibbon, writing of the year 1759, says:--