p. 76, 77. and digest them, he undoubtedly could have | L'Ecole Militaire, a most complete characexpanded them into a very entertaining nar- ter, for he had first been a professor of rhetrative. orick, and then became a soldier. And, [Mrs. Piozzi has preserved a few sir, I was very kindly treated by the EngPiozzi, anecdotes of this tour. "Mr. Thralelish Benedictines, and have a cell appropriloved prospects, and was mortified ated to me in their convent." that his friend could not enjoy the sight of those different dispositions of wood and water, hill and valley, that travelling through England and France affords a man. But when he wished to point them out to his companion, Never heed such nonsense,' would be the reply: a blade of grass is always a blade of grass, whether in one country or another. Let us, if we do talk, talk about something: men and women are my subjects of inquiry; let us see how these differ from those we have left behind.' 6 "When we were at Rouen together, he took a great fancy to the Abbé Roffette, with whom he conversed about the destruction of the order of jesuits, and condemned it loudly, as a blow to the general power of the church, and likely to be followed with many and dangerous innovations, which might at length become fatal to religion itself, and shake even the foundation of chris- | tianity. The gentleman seemed to wonder and delight in his conversation; the talk was all in Latin, which both spoke fluently, and Dr. Johnson pronounced a long eulogium upon Milton with so much ardour, eloquence, and ingenuity, that the abbé rose from his seat and embraced him. My husband seeing them apparently so charmed with the company of each other, politely invited the abbe to England, intending to oblige his friend; who, instead of thanking, reprimanded him severely before the man, for such a sudden burst of tenderness to wards a person he could know nothing at all of; and thus put a sudden finish to all his own and Mr. Thrale's entertainment, from the company of the Abbé Roffette. "When at Versailles the people showed us the theatre. As we stood on the stage looking at some machinery for playhouse purposes- Now we are here, what shall we act, Dr. Johnson?-The Englishman at Paris? No, no,' replied he; we will try to act Harry the Fifth.' His dislike of the French was well known to both nations, I believe; but he applauded the number of their books and the graces of their style. They have few sentiments,' said he, but they express them neatly; they have little meat too, but they dress it well.'"] . When I met him in London the following year, the account which he gave me of his French tour, was, "Sir, I have seen all the visibilities of Paris, and around it; but to have formed an acquaintance with the people there would have required more time than I could stay. I was just beginning to creep into acquaintance by means of Colonel Drumgould, a very high man, sir, head of He observed, "The great in France live very magnificently, but the rest very miserably. There is no happy middle state as in England. The shops of Paris are mean; the meat in the market is such as would be sent to a gaol in England; and Mr. Thrale justly observed, that the cookery of the French was forced upon them by necessity; for they could not eat their meat, unless they added some taste to it. The French are an indelicate people; they will spit upon any place. At Madame [Du Bocage's,] a literary lady of rank, the footman took the sugar in his fingers, and threw it into my coffee. I was going to put it aside; but hearing it was made on purpose for me, I e'en tasted Tom's fingers. The same lady would needs make tea à l'Angloise. The spout of the teapot did not pour freely; she bade the footman blow into it 2. France is worse than Scotland in every thing but climate. Nature has done more for the French; but they have done less for themselves than the Scotch have done 3." [See ante, p. 13.-ED.] 2 [Nay, she actually performed the operation herself. lady in France, who entertained us very splendidMrs. Piozzi says, "I recollect one fine ly, put her mouth to the teapot, and blew in the spout when it would not pour freely. My maid Peggy would not have touched the tea after such an operation."-Letters, v. ii. p. 247. Miss Reynolds's "Recollections" preserve this story 66 as told her by Baretti, who was of the party: 3 In a letter to a friend, written a few days after his return from France he says, "The It happened that Foote was at Paris at the same time with Dr. Johnson, and his description of my friend while there was abundantly ludicrous. He told me, that the French were quite astonished at his figure and manner, and at his dress, which he obstinately continued exactly as in London 1; -his brown clothes, black stockings, and plain shirt. He mentioned, that an Irish gentleman said to Johnson, "Sir, you have not seen the best French players." JOHNSON. Players, sir! I look on them as no better than creatures set upon tables and joint stools, to make faces and produce laughter, like dancing dogs." But, sir, you will allow that some players are better than others?" JOHNSON. "Yes, sir, as some dogs dance better than others." Reyn. [In the same spirit, but of more Recoll. vehemence and greater injustice, were his statements to Sir Joshua and Miss Reynolds, who has noted them in her Recollections. JOHNSON "The French, sir, are a very silly people. They have no common life. Nothing but the two ends, beggary and no- | bility. Sir, they are made up in every thing of two extremes. They have no common sense, they have no common manners, no common learning-gross ignorance, or les belles lettres." A LADY [Mrs. Thrale]. “Indeed, even in their dress their frippery finery, and their beggarly coarse linen. They had, I thought, no politeness; their civilities never indicated more good-will than the talk of a parrot, indiscriminately using the same set of superlative phrases, “ à la merveille!" to every one alike. They really seemed to have no expressions for sincerity and truth." JOHNSON. "They are much behind-hand, stupid, ignorant creatures. At Fontainbleau I saw a horse-race-every thing was wrong; the heaviest weight was put upon the weakest horse, and all the jockeys wore French have a clear air and a fruitful soil; but their mode of common life is gross and incommodious, and disgusting. I am come home convinced that no improvement of general use is to be found among them."-MALONE. the same colour coat 2." A GENTLEMAN "Had you any acquaintance in Paris?" JOHNSON. "No, I did not stay long enough to make any 3. I spoke only Latin, and I could not have much conversation. There is no good in letting the French have a superiority over you every word you speak. Baretti was sometimes displeased with us for not liking the French." Miss REYNOLDS. "Perhaps he had a kind of partiality for that country, because it was in the way to Italy, and perhaps their manners resembled the Italians." JOHNSON. "No. He was the showman, and we did not like his show; that was all."] While Johnson was in France, he was generally very resolute in speaking Latin. It was a maxim with him that a man should not let himself down by speaking a language which he speaks imperfectly. Indeed, we must have often observed how in 2 ["On telling Mr. Baretti of the proof that Johnson gave of the stupidity of the French in the management of their horse-races; that all the jockeys wore the same colour coat, &c., he said that was like Johnson's remarks-He could not see.'-But it was observed that he could inquire: - yes,' and it was by the answers he received jockey wear? answer, green; what the second? that he was misled, for he asked what did the first green; what the third? green, which was true; and very easily distinguished.-Johnson was perbut, then, the greens were all different greens, petually making mistakes; so, on going to Fontainbleau, when we were about three-fourths of the way, he exclaimed with amazement, that now we were between Paris and the King of France's court, and yet we had not met one carriage coming from thence, or even one going thither! On which all the company in the coach burst out a laughing, and immediately cried out, Look, look, there is a coach gone by, there is a chariot. there is a postchaise!" I dare say we saw a hundred carriages, at least, that were going to or coming from Fontainbleau."- Baretti in Miss Reynolds's Recollections. It should be added, however, that Miss Reynolds thought that Baretti returned from this tour with some dislike of Johnson, and Johnson not without some coolness towards Baretti, on account, as Baretti said, of Madame du Bocage having paid more attention to 1 Mr. Foote seems to have embellished a little him than to Johnson; but this latter assertion in saying that Johnson did not alter his dress at could not be true, for Johnson, in his letter to Mr. Paris; as in his journal is a memorandum about Levet (ante, p. 9), speaks highly and corwhite stockings, wig, and hat. In another place dially of Baretti many days after the supposed we are told that " during his travels in France he offence. Miss Reynolds adds that the final rupwas furnished with a French-made wig of hand-ture between Johnson and Baretti was occasioned some construction." That Johnson was not inattentive to his appearance is certain, from a circumstance related by Mr. Steevens, and inserted by Mr. Boswell, between June 15 and June 22, 1784.-J. BLAKEWAY. Mr. Blakeway's observation is further confirmed by a note in Johnson's diary (quoted by Sir John Hawkins, "Life of Johnson," p. 517), by which it appears that he had laid out thirty pounds in clothes for his French journey.-MALONE. by "a most audacious falsehood that the latter told Johnson, that he had beaten Omiah at chess, at Sir Joshua's; for the reverse was the fact." This produced contradiction, dispute, and a violent quarrel, which never was completely made up.-ED.] 3 [This accounts (not quite satisfactorily, perhaps, in a moral view) for the violent prejudices and consequent misrepresentations which his conversation on his return exhibited.-ED.] 91. feriour, how much like a child a man ap- | in England, Johnson dined in company with pears, who speaks a broken tongue. When Sir Joshua Reynolds, at one of the dinners of the royal academy, presented him to a Frenchman of great distinction, he would not deign to speak French, but talked Latin, though his excellency did not understand it, owing, perhaps, to Johnson's English pronunciation: yet upon another occasion he was observed to speak French to a Frenchman of high rank, who spoke English; and being asked the reason, with some expression of surprise, he answered, "because I think my French is as good as his English." Though Johnson understood French perfectly, he could not speak it readily, as I have observed at his first interview with General Paoli, in 1769; yet he wrote it, I imagine, pretty well, as appears from some of his letters in Mrs. Piozzi's collection, of which I shall transcribe "Our, madame, le moment est arrivé, et il faut que je parte. Mais pourquoi faut il partir? Est ce que je m'ennuye? Je m'ennuyerai ailleurs. Est ce que je cherche ou quelque plaisir, ou quelque soulagement? Je ne cherche rien, je n'espere rien. Aller voir ce que j'ai vù, etre un peu rejoué ?, un peu degouté, me resouvenir que la vie se passe, et qu'elle se passe en vain, me plaindre de moi, m'endurcir aux dehors; voici le tout de ce qu'on compte pour les delices de l'année. Que Dieu vous donne, madame, tous les agrémens de la vie, avec un esprit qui peut en jouir sans s'y livrer trop 3." He spoke Latin with wonderful fluency and elegance. When Pere Boscovich 4 was 1 [See ante, vol i. p. 44, where it is conjectured that this note was addressed to Madame de Boufflers, which the editor now sees reason to doubt. The date in Mrs. Piozzi's collection, where it first appeared, was 16th May, 1771. In Mr. Boswell's first edition it became 16th July, 1771; and in all the later editions, by a more elaborate error, 16th July, 1775. These two latter dates are manifest mistakes. Madame de Boufflers' visit was in 1769, and in the May of 1771 Johnson was in London, without any intention of leaving it-so that the editor is wholly at a loss to guess to whom or on what occasion the letter was written. Perhaps it was an exercise.-ED.] him at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, and at Dr. 66 TO DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON. John "Edinburgh, 5th Dec. 1775. "MY DEAR SIR,-Mr. Alexander Maclean, the young laird of Col, being to set out to-morrow for London, I give him this letter to introduce him to your acquaintance. The kindness which you and I experienced from his brother, whose unfortunate death we sincerely lament, will make us always desirous to show attention to any branch of the family. Indeed, you have so much of the true Highland cordiality, that I am sure you would have thought me to blame if I jesuit, born at Ragusa in 1711, who first introduced the Newtonian philosophy into Italy. He visited London in 1760, and was there elected into the Royal Society. He died in 1787.—ED.] [This phrase seems rather too pompous for the occasion. Johnson had probably in his mind a passage in Seneca, quoted in Menagiana (v. ii. p. 46), "Sénéque voulant dire qu'il profitait de ce qu'il y avait de bon dans les auteurs dit, 'Solon sæpe in aliena castra transire; non tanquam transfuga, sed tanquam explorator;" and this is rendered the more probable because in the same volume of the Menagiana, and within a few pages of each other, are found two other Latin quotations, which Johnson has made use of, the one from Thuanus, "Fami non famæ scribere existimatus Xylandrus." See ante, vol. i. p. 83, n. The other from J. C. Scaliger, "Homo ex alieno ingenio poeta, ex suo tantum versificator:" which is the motto Johnson prefixed to his version of the Messiah: ante, v. i. p. 21.ED.] In the course of the year Dr. Burney informs me that "he very frequently met Dr. Johnson at Mr. Thrale's, at Streatham, where they had many long conversations, often sitting up as long as the fire and candles lasted, and much longer than the patience of the servants subsisted." A few of Johnson's sayings, which that gentleman recollects, shall here be inserted. "I never take a nap after dinner Burney but when I have had a bad night, and then the nap takes me." | dog, for you can speak.' If I had bestowed such an education on a daughter, and had discovered that she thought of marrying such a fellow, I would have sent her to the Congress." "After having talked slightingly of musick, he was observed to listen very attentively while Miss Thrale played on the harpsichord; and with eagerness he called to her, Why don't you dash away like Burney? Dr. Burney upon this said to him, I believe, sir, we shall make a musician of you at last.' Johnson with candid complacency replied,' Sir, I shall be glad to have a new sense given to me."" "He had come down one morning to the breakfast-room, and been a considerable time by himself before any body appeared. When on a subsequent day he was twitted by Mrs. Thrale for being very late, which he generally was, he defended himself by alluding to the extraordinary morning, when he had been too early. Madam, I do not like to come down to vacuity.'" "The writer of an epitaph should not be considered as saying nothing but what is "Dr. Burney having remarked that Mr. strictly true. Allowance must be made for Garrick was beginning to look old, he said, some degree of exaggerated praise. In la-Why, sir, you are not to wonder at that; pidary inscriptions a man is not upon oath." no man's face has had more wear and There is now less flogging in our great tear."" schools than formerly, but then less is learned there; so that what the boys get at one end they lose at the other." "More is learned in publick than in private schools, from emulation; there is the collision of mind with mind, or the radiation of many minds pointing to one centre. Though few boys make their own exercises, yet if a good exercise is given up, out of a great number of boys, it is made by somebody." ED. [Mrs. Montagu's recent kindness to Miss Williams was not lost on Johnson. His letters to that lady became more elaborately respectful, and his subsequent mention of her took, as we shall see, a high tone of panegyric 2.j ["DR. JOHNSON TO MRS. MONTAGU. "15th Dec. 1775. "MADAM,-Having, after my re- Montag. turn from a little ramble to France, MMS. "I hate by-roads in education. Educa- passed some time in the country, I did not tion is as well known, and has long been as hear, till I was told by Miss Reynolds, that well known as ever it can be. Endeavour- you were in town; and when I did hear it, ing to make children prematurely wise is I heard likewise that you were ill. To useless labour. Suppose they have more have you detained among us by sickness is knowledge at five or six years old than oth- to enjoy your presence at too dear a rate. er children, what use can be made of it? I suffer myself to be flattered with hope It will be lost before it is wanted, and the that only half the intelligence is now true, waste of so much time and labour of the and that you are now so well as to be able teacher can never be repaid. Too much is to leave us, and so kind as not to be willing. expected from precocity, and too little per--I am, madam, your most humble servant, formed. Miss I was an instance of "SAM. JOHNSON."] early cultivation, but in what did it terminate? In marrying a little presbyterian parson, who keeps an infant boardingschool, so that all her employment now is, To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer.' She tells the children, This is a cat, and that is a dog, with four legs, and a tail; see there! you are much better than a cat or a 1 [Miss Letitia Aiken, who married Mr. Barbauld, and published "Easy Lessons for Children.-ED.] Col in the Hebrides? The brother and heir of poor Col has just been to visit me, and I have engaged to dine with him on Thursday. I do not know his lodging, and cannot send him a message, and must therefore suspend the honour which you are pleased to offer to, madam, your most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."] MSS. ["DR. JOHNSON TO MRS. MONtagu. "Thursday, 21st Dec. 1775. Montag. "MADAM,-I know not when any letter has given me so much pleasure or vexation as that which I had yesterday the honour of receiving. That you, madam, should wish for my company is surely a sufficient reason for being pleased;-that I should delay twice, what I had so little right to expect even once, has so bad an appearance, that I can only hope to have it thought that I am ashamed. "You have kindly allowed me to name a day. Will you be pleased, madam, to accept of me any day after Tuesday? Till I am favoured with your answer, or despair of so much condescension, I shall suffer no engagement to fasten itself upon me.-I am, madam, your most obliged and most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."] Not having heard from him for a longer time than I supposed he would be silent, I wrote to him Dec. 18, not in good spirits: "Sometimes I have been afraid that the cold which has gone over Europe this year like a sort of pestilence has seized you severely: sometimes my imagination, which is upon occasions prolifick of evil, hath figured that you may have somehow taken offence at some part of my conduct." How does the young Laird of Auchinleck? I suppose Miss Veronica is grown a reader and discourser. "I have just now got a cough, but it has never yet hindered me from sleeping; I have had quieter nights than are common with me. "I cannot but rejoice that Joseph 1 has had the wit to find the way back. He is a fine fellow, and one of the best travellers in the world. 66 Young Col brought me your letter. He is a very pleasing youth. I took him two days ago to the Mitre, and we dined together. I was as civil as I had the means of being. "I have had a letter from Rasay, acknowledging, with great appearance of satisfaction, the insertion in the Edinburg paper. I am very glad that it was done. "My compliments to Mrs. Boswell, who does not love me; and of all the rest, I need only send them to those that do; and I am afraid it will give you very little trouble to distribute them.-I am, my dear, dear sir, your affectionate humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." ["DR. JOHNSON TO MR. GRANGER. (About 1775, but has no date.) "SIR,-When I returned from the country I found your letter; and would very gladly have done what you desire, had it been in my power. Mr. Farmer is, I am confident, mistaken in supposing that he gave me any such pamphlet or cut. I should as soon have suspected myself, as Mr. Farmer, of forgetfulness; but that I do not know, except from your letter, the name of Arthur O'Toole, nor recollect that I ever heard of it before. I think it impossible that I should have suffered such a total obliteration from my mind of any thing "DEAR SIR,-Never dream of any of which was ever there. This at least is fence. How should you offend me? I certain; that I do not know of any such consider your friendship as a possession, pamphlet; and equally certain I desire you which I intend to hold till you take it from to think it, that if I had it, you should imme, and to lament if ever by my fault Imediately receive it from, sir, your most should lose it. However, when such sus-humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."] picions find their way into your mind, always give them vent; I shall make haste to disperse them; but hinder their first ingress if you can. Consider such thoughts as morbid. 66 TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ. "23d Dec. 1775. "Such illness as may excuse my omission to Lord Hailes, I cannot honestly plead. I have been hindered, I know not how, by a succession of petty obstructions. I hope to mend immediately, and to send next post to his lordship. Mr. Thrale would have written to you if I had omitted; he sends his compliments, and wishes to see you. "You and your lady will now have no more wrangling about feudal inheritance. In 1776, Johnson wrote, so far as I can discover, nothing for the publick: but that his mind was still ardent, and fraught with generous wishes to attain to still higher degrees of literary excellence, is proved by his private notes of this year, which I shall insert in their proper place. |