with peculiar perfpicuity and force, in rich and choice expreffion. He united a moft logical head with a moft fertile imagination, which gave him an extraordinary advantage in arguing; for he could reafon clofe or wide as he faw beft for the momoment. He could, when he chofe it, be the greatest fophift that ever wielded a weapon in the schools of declamation; but he indulged this only in conversation, for he owned he fometimes talked for victory. He was too conscientious to make error permanent and pernicious, by deliberately writing it. He was confcious of his fuperiority. He loved praise when it was brought to him; but was too proud to feek for it. He was fomewhat fufceptible of flattery. His mind was fo full of imagery, that he might have been perpetually a poet. It has been often remarked, that in his poetical pieces, which it is to be regretted are fo few, because fo excellent, his ftyle is cafier than in his profe. There is deception in this: it is not eafier, but better fuited to the dignity of verfe; as one may dance with grace, whose motions, in ordinary walking-in the common tep, are aukward. He had a conflitutional melancholy; the clouds of which darkened the brightness of his fancy, and gave a gloomy caft to his whole course of thinking: yet, tho' grave and awful in his deportment, when he thought it neceffary or proper, he frequently indulged himfelf in pleafantry and fportive fallies. He was prone to fuperftition, but not to credulity. Though his imagination might incline him to a belief of the marvellous and the mysterious, his vigorous reafon examined the evidence with jealoufy. He had a loud voice, and flow deliberate utterance, which no doubt gave fome additional weight to the fterling metal of his converfation. Lord Pembroke faid once to me at Wilton, with a happy pleasantry, and fone truth, that Dr Johnfon's fay· ings would not appear fo extraordinary were it not for his bow-wow way but I admit the truth of this His only on fome occafions. The Meffiah, played upon the Canterburyorgan, is more fublime than when played upon an inferior inftrument: but very flight mufic will seem grand, when conveyed to the ear through that majestic medium. While therefore Dr Johnson's sayings are read, let his manner be taken along. Let it, however, be observed, that the sayings themselves are generally great; that, though he might be an ordinary compofer at times, he was for the most part a Handel. His perfon was large, robuft, I may say approaching to the gigantic, and grown unwieldy from corpulency. countenance was naturally of the caft of an ancient ftatue, but fomewhat disfigured by the fears of that evil which, it was formerly imagined, the royal touch could cure. He was now in his fixty-fourth year: he was become a little dull of hearing. His fight had always been fomewhat weak; yet fo much does mind govern, and even fupply the deficiency of organs, that his perceptions were His head, and fometimes alfo his uncommonly quick and accurate. body, fhook with a kind of motion like the effect of a palfy: he was frequently difturbed by cramps or convulfive contractions, of the nature of that diftemper called St Vitus's dance. He wore a full fuit of plain brown clothes, with twifted hair-buttons of the fame colour, a large bushy greyifh wig, a plain fhirt, black worsted ftockings, and filver buckles. Upon this tour, when journeying, he wore boots, and a very wide brown cloth great coat, with pockets which might have almost held the two volumes of his folio dictionary; and he carried in his hand a large English oak ftick. Let me not be cenfured for mentioning fuch minute particulars. Every thing relative to fo great a man is worth ob ferving. Character of Mr Boswell. ferving. I remember Dr Adam Smith, in his rhetorical lectures at Glasgow, told us he was glad to know that Milton wore latchets in his fhoes inftead of buckles. "His prejudice againft Scotland was announced almoft as foon as he began to appear in the world of letters. "The truth is, like the ancient Greeks and Romans, he allowed himfelf to look upon all nations but his own as barbarians: not only Hibernia, but Spain, Italy, and France, are all attacked in his London. He was, indeed, if I may be allowed the phrase, at bottom, much of a John Bull; much of a blunt trueborn Englishman. There was a ftratum of common clay under the rock of marble. He was voraciously fond of good-eating; and he had a great deal of that quality called humour, which gives an oilinefs and a glofs to every other quality.” Mr Bofwell's." I have given a sketch of Dr Johnson. My readers wish to know a little of his felmay low traveller. Think, then, of a gentleman of ancient blood, the pride of which was his predominant paffion. He was then in his thirty-third year, and had been about four years happily married. His inclination was to be a foldier; but his father, a refpectable judge, had preffed him into the profeffion of the law. He had travelled a good deal, and feen many varieties of human life. He had thought more than any body suppofed, and had a pretty good flock of general learning and knowledge. He had all Dr Johnson's principles, with fome degree of relaxation. He had rather too little, than too much prudence; and, his imagination being lively, he often faid things of which the effect was very different from the intention. He refembled fometimes, "The best good-man, with the worstnatur'd mufe." 189: finishing with the encomium of Dr Johnfon, whofe friendly partiality to the companion of his tour reprefents him as one whofe acutenefs would help my inquiry, and whofe gaiety of converfation, and civility of manners, are fufficient to counteract the inconveniences of travel, in countries lefs hofpitable than we have paffed." Our readers will probably be pleafed with the following thoughts of Dr Johnfon preferved by Mr Bofwell. DrJohnfon being told that Lady Errol did not use force or fear in educating her children-Johnfon faid, She is wrong; I would rather have the rod to be the general terror to all, to make them learn, than tell a child, if you do thus or thus, you will be more efteemed than your brothers or fifters. The rod produces an effect which terminates in itself. A child is afraid of being whipt, and gets his task, and there's an end on't; whereas, by exciting emulation, and comparifons of fuperiority, you lay the foundation of lafting mischief; you make brothers and fifters hate each other.' "He talked of the advantage of keeping up the connections of relationship, which produce much kindnefs. Every man (faid he) who comes into the world, has need of friends. If he has to get them for himself, half his life is fpent before his merit is known. Relations are a man's ready friends, who fupport him. When a man is in real deftress, he flies into the arms of his relations. An old lawyer, who had much experience in making wills, told me, that after people had deliberated long, and thought of many for their executors, they fettled at last by fixing on their relations. This fhows the univerfality of the principle.' "Were I a chief, I would drefs my fervants better than myself, and knock a fellow down if he looked faucy to a Macdonald in rags. But I He cannot deny himself the vanity of would not treat men as brutes. I 2 would "He talked of the attention that is neceffary in order to diftribute our charity judiciously. If thoughtlefsly done, we may neglect the moft deferving object; and, as every man has but a certain proportion to give, if it is lavished upon those who first present themselves, there may be nothing left for fuch as have a better claim. A man fhould firft relieve those who are nearly connected with him, by whatever tie; and then, if he has any thing to fpare, may extend his bounty to a wider circle.' Some of his opinions refpecting men and things will, however, not be generally received as orthodox. "He faid, "The action of all players in tragedy is bad. It should be a man's ftudy to reprefs thofe figns of emotion and paffion, as they are called.' He was of a direct contrary opinion to that of Fielding, in his Tom Jones, who makes Partridge fay of Garrick, Why, I could act as well as he myself. I am fure, if I had feen a ghoft, I fhould have looked in the very fame manner, and done just as he did.' For, when I asked him, Would not you, Sir, ftart as Mr Garrick does, if you faw a ghoft?' He answered, I hope not. If I did, I should frighten the ghoft.' "Swift is clear, but he is fhalJow In coarfe humour, he is inferior to Arbuthnot; in delicate humour, he is inferior to Addison: So. he is inferior to his contemporaries; without putting him against the whole world. I doubt if the of a Tub' was his; it has fo much more thinking, more knowledge, more power, more colour, than any of the works which are indifputably his. If it was his, I fhall only fay, He was impar fihi.' fale He thought flightingly of Hervey's Meditations. He even treated it with ridicule, and indulged a playful fancy, in making the folowing Meditation on a Pudding. "Let us feriously reflect of what a pudding is compofed. It is compofed of flour that once waved in the golden grain, and drank the dews of the morning; of milk preffed from the fwelling udder by the gentle hand of the beauteous milk-maid, whose beauty and innocence might have recommended a worfe draught; who, while fhe ftroked the udder, indulged no ambitious thoughts of wandering in palaces, formed no plans for the deftruction of her fellow-creatures: milk, which is drawn from the cow, that ufeful animal, that eats the grass of the field, and fupplies us with that which made the greatest part of the food of mankind in the age which the poets have agreed to call golden. It is made with an egg, that miracle of nature, which the theoretical Burnet has compared to creation. An egg contains water within its beauti. ful fmooth furface; and an unformed mafs, by the incubation of the parent, becomes a regular animal, furnifhed with bones and finews, and covered with feathers.-Let us confider; can there be more wanting to complete the Meditation on a Pudding? If more is wanting, more may be found. It contains falt, which keeps the fea from putrefaction: falt, which is made the image of intellectual excellence, contributes to the formation of a pudding" "We talked of Mr Burke.-Dr Johnson faid, he had great variety of knowledge, ftore of imagery, copioufnefs of language.Robertfon, He has wit too.'-Johnson, No, Sir; he never fucceeds there. 'Tis low; 'tis conceit. I used to say, Burke never once made a good joke. What I moft envy Burke for, is, his being conftantly the fame. He is never what we call hum-drum; never unwilling to begin to talk, nor in a hafte On the Character of Mr Burke. hafte to leave off'-Bofwell. Yet he can liften.'-Johnson. No; I cannot fay he is good at that. So defirous is he to talk, that, if one is fpeaking at the end of the table, he'll fpeak to fomebody at the other end. Burke, Sir, is fuch a man, that if you met him for the first time in a freet where you were ftopped by a drove of oxen, and he and you step ped afide to take fhelter but for five minutes, he'd talk to you in fuch a manner, that when you parted, you would fay, this is an extraordinary man. Now, you may be long enough with me, without finding any thing extraordinary.' He faid, he believed Burke was intended for the law; but either had not money enough to follow it, or had not diligence enough. He faid, he could not understand how a man could ap ply to one thing, and not to another. Robertfon faid, one man had more judgment, another more imagination. Johnfon. No, Sir; it is only one man has more mind than another. He may direct it differently; he may, by accident, fee the fuccefs of one kind of study, and take a defire to excel in it. I am perfuaded, that had Sir Ifaac Newton applied to poetry, he would have made a very fine epic poem. I could as easily apply to law as to tragic poetry.'Bofwell. Yet, Sir, you did apply to tragic poetry, not to law.'-Johnfon. Becaufe, Sir, I had not money to ftudy law. Sir, the man who has vigour may walk to the caft, juft as well as to the weft, if he happens to turn his head that way.'-Bofwell. But, Sir, 'tis like walking up and down a hill; one man will naturally do the one better than the other. A hare will run up a hill beft, from her legs being short; a dog down.' Fobnfon. Nay, Sir; that is from mechanical powers. If you make mind mechanical, you may argue in that manner. One mind is a vice, and holds faft; there's a good me ་ · 191 mory. Another is a file; and he is a difputant; a controverfialist. Another is a razor; and he is farcaftical. Whitefield vociferates, and makes an impreffion; there is a mind like a hammer." There are fome theological lucubrations on tranfubftantiation, the the Trinity, the fatisfaction, and prayer; but on these subjects we have better guides. Upon the firft of them, there appears to be an inadvertency, which in converfation cannot always be avoided. He fpeaks of the ancient and continued tradition of the church upon the point of tranfubftantiation; and having mentioned the words, This is my body,' upon which the doctrine is founded, he adds, "This is an awful subject.' 'Idid not then prefs Dr Johnfon upon it; nor fhall now enter upon a difquifition concerning the import of thofe words uttered by our Saviour, which had fuch an effect upon many of his difciples, that they went back and walked no more with him. The words this is my body,' were spoken by Chrift to his apoftles, none of whom feem to have misunderstood them, or taken any offence at them, far lefs to have deferted their Master or his religion on account of them; nor does it appear from ecclefiaftical hiftory; that the doctrine of transubstantiation was known or thought of till long after the days of Chrift and his apostles. Of Dr Johnfon's fervent piety, which is now known by the publication of his prayers, fymptoms appear in this narrative. "He is often uttering pious ejaculations, when he appears to be talking to himfelf; for fometimes his voice grows ftronger, and parts of the Lord's prayer are heard. I have fat befide him with more than ordinary reverence upon fuch occafions. On a Sunday evening, I entered on religious converfation, never did I fee him in a better frame, calm, gentle, wife, holy,' Perhaps his pride: of understanding and unaccommoda-, ting temper ferved as bulwarks to an avowed perfevering piety, which he might otherwise have been tempted to conceal or abandon. In this part of his character, however, a mixture of human weakness appears; and Mr Bofwell is not anxious to conceal the clay mingled in his golden image. "I put him in mind that Epifcopals were but diffenters here: They were only tolerated. Sir, faid he, we are here as Chriftians in Turkey. He refused to go and hear Principal Ro. bertfon preach. 'I will hear him, faid he, if he will get up into a tree and preach, but I will not give a fanction by my presence to a Prefbyterian affembly.' Happening to afk where John Knox was buried, Dr Johnson burft out, I hope in the high way. I have been looking at his reformations.' His political keeps pace with his theological bigotry; and on the political ground his fellow-traveller feems willing to follow him. Though Dr Johnfon be the principal figure in this journal, the author himself often appears fometimes in amiable and respectable points of view. He has confiderable merit in bearing with the peculiarities, pro moting the contentment, and draw-/ ing forth the wisdom of his fellowtraveller. He speaks of his wife, his father, his mother, and his friends, with a becoming warmth of affection; the facred precept seems to be written on his heart, thine own friend and thy father's friend forget not." "Mr Johnson was pleased with my daughter Veronica, then a child of about four months old. She had the appearance of liftening to him. His motions feemed to her to be intended for her amusement; and when he stopped, fhe fluttered, and made a little infantine noife, and a kind of fignal for him to begin again. She would be held close to him; which was a proof from fimple nature that his figure was not horrid. Her fondness for him endeared her ftill more to me; and I declared fhe fhould have five hundred pounds of additional fortune." He has occafion to speak of living characters, and of thofe whofe relations are yet alive. It is delicate ground, and he treads with caution. He compliments much, and carefully avoids offence; but it is difficult always to avoid it. The table-talk of his parish minister at Auchinleck will give that gentleman no pleasure in the perufal; he may even think it hard that words spoken at a venture, poffibly to fill up converfation, and which perhaps he regretted, fhould nevertheless be taken down, and told to all the world. The publisher of an anecdote might inquire, Will this give pain? and if it will, judge if the truth of hiftory or the cause of virtue demands the facrifice. We shall give part of the author's own apology. "They whofe inferior exertions are recorded, as ferving to explain or illuftrate the sayings of fuch men, may be proud of being thus affociated, and having their names carried down to pofterity, by being appended to an illuftrious character. "I have fuppreffed every thing that I thought could really hurt any one now living. With refpect to what things are related, 1 truft that they who are the object of them have good fenfe and good temper enough not to be displeased." |