:

PRAISE OF SELF JUSTIFIED.

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exposition when a man's conduct is so sadly liable to misinterpretation at times, we ought not to grudge him the privilege of himself suggesting now and then the correct reading. If a man do not erect" in these ages "his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the bells ring and the widow weeps."

352

WOUNDED AND HEALED AGAIN.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

AN AMUSING FAREWELL- -"LIVES OF THE POETS "

POET-QUARREL AND RECONCILIATION.

(1778-1779.)

-A PARSON

ON Saturday, May 2nd, Boswell dined with the Doctor at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, and was there so rudely treated by him—before all the company, and for an offence quite imaginary-that he became really angry: his pride was hurt and his feelings outraged beyond endurance. He stayed away from Johnson a whole week, and would even have returned to Scotland without seeing him again had they not happened to meet some days afterwards at Mr. Langton's, where a reconciliation was effected thus:

:

JOHNSON [drawing his chair close to that of Boswell, who was sitting silent and sulky]: "Well, how have you done?"-BosWELL: "Sir, you have made me very uneasy by your behaviour to me when we were last at Sir Joshua Reynolds's. You know, my dear Sir, no man has a greater respect and affection for you, or would sooner go to the end of the world to serve you. Now, to treat me so-." The Doctor insisted that Boswell had interrupted him the latter assured him that was not the case, and proceeded, "But why treat me so before people who neither love you nor me?"-JOHNSON: "Well, I am sorry for it. I'll make it up to you twenty different ways, as you please."-BOSWELL: "I said to-day to Sir Joshua, when he observed that you tossed me sometimes, 'I don't care how often or how high he tosses me, when only friends are present, for then I fall upon soft ground; but I do not like falling on stones, which is the case when enemies are present.' I think this is a pretty good image, Sir."JOHNSON: "Sir, it is one of the happiest I ever have heard." So this wound also was healed.

AN AMUSING FAREWELL.

353

Mr. Langton quoted the anecdote of Addison's distinguishing between his conversational talent and his power of writing, in these words: "I have only ninepence in my pocket; but I can draw for a thousand pounds."-JOHNSON: "He had not that retort ready, Sir; he had prepared it beforehand."-LANGTON [turning to Boswell]: "A fine surmise. Set a thief to catch a thief."

Ten days after this Boswell left London for Scotland. The Doctor gave his friend some good counsel and begged him to resolve strongly on the discharge of every duty.

BOSWELL: "But you would not have me bind myself by a solemn obligation?"-JOHNSON [much agitated]: "What! a vow. Oh, no, Sir, a vow is a horrible thing: it is a snare for sin. The man who cannot go to heaven without a vow, may go

Here he checked himself; instead of the expected climax giving only a kind of half-whistle: and, as he stood erect in the middle of his library, in the attitude of impassioned exhortation, with a smile at the same time working its way up into his solemn countenance, it were hard to say if the sublime or the ridiculous had the better hold of the scene. Boswell chose to fall in with its humorous aspect, quoting, as a reply to the suppressed portion of the Doctor's speech, a line from one of his imitations of Juvenal,

"And bid him go to hell, to hell he goes."

Thus pleasantly-all offences forgotten and forgiven, and all kind offices, not vowed indeed, but understood-the two friends said Farewell. Boswell did right to hold by his hero in spite of occasional hard treatment from him: this was the grandest man he had ever seen, and it was well for him, as it has been well for us, that he was able to bear with his noble friend's weaknesses. The world's way is to stand contemptuously aloof from its living great ones because of their many shortcomings, and then, when their ears are for ever dulled and their eyes for ever dimmed, to go sentimentalizing to their graves and say: "With all their errors. they were mighty men !" Had Boswell done so, literary history would have contained only a very blurred picture of Dr. Samuel Johnson.

A A

354

A DOLEFUL LETTER.

66

TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ.

"London, July 3, 1778.

"SIR, "I have received two letters from you, of which the second complains of the neglect shown to the first. You must not tie your friends to such punctual correspondence. You have all possible assurances of my affection and esteem; and there ought to be no need of reiterated professions. When it may happen that I can give you either counsel or comfort, I hope it will never happen to me that I should neglect you; but you must not think me criminal or cold, if I say nothing when I have nothing to say.

"I wish you would a little correct or restrain your imagination, and imagine that happiness, such as life admits, may be had at other places as well as London. Without asserting Stoicism, it may be said, that it is our business to exempt ourselves as much as we can from the power of external things. There is but one solid basis of happiness, and that is, the reasonable hope of a happy futurity. This may be had everywhere.

"I do not blame your preference of London to other places, for it is really to be preferred, if the choice is free; but few have the choice of their place, or their manner of life; and mere pleasure ought not to be the prime motive of action.

"Mrs. Thrale, poor thing, has a daughter. Mr. Thrale dislikes the times, like the rest of us. Mrs. Williams is sick; Mrs. Desmoulins is poor. I have miserable nights. Nobody is well but Mr. Levett.

"I am, dear Sir, your most, &c.,

"SAM. JOHNSON."

What a woeful last paragraph: everybody ill, and ill-tempered too-as appears from a letter of the Doctor's to Mrs. Thrale, which contains this passage: "Williams hates everybody; Levett hates Desmoulins, and does not love Williams; Desmoulins hates them both; Poll [Miss Carmichael] loves none of them!" Only, his own affectionate loving-kindness never tires.

About this time the Doctor paid a short visit to Bennet

Langton at Warley Camp, where his friend was then stationed as an officer in the Lincolnshire Militia :—

"TO CAPTAIN LANGTON, WARLEY CAMP.

"DEAR SIR,

"October 31, 1778.

"When I recollect how long ago I was received with so much kindness at Warley Common, I am ashamed that I have not made some inquiries after my friends.

"Pray how many sheep-stealers did you convict? and how did you punish them? When are you to be cantoned in better habitations? The air grows cold, and the ground damp. Longer stay in the camp cannot be without much danger to the health of the common men, if even the officers can escape.

"You see that Dr. Percy is now Dean of Carlisle; about five hundred a year, with a power of presenting himself to some good living. He is provided for.

"The session of the CLUB is to commence with that of the Parliament.

"Did the king please you? The Coxheath men, I think, have some reason to complain: Reynolds says your camp is better

than theirs.

"I hope you find yourself able to encounter this weather. Take care of your own health; and, as you can, of your men. Be pleased to make my compliments to all the gentlemen whose notice I have had, and whose kindness I have experienced.

"It is indeed a long time since I wrote, and I think you must have some reason to complain; however, you must not let small things disturb you when you have such a fine addition to your happiness as a new boy, and I hope your lady's health is restored