diverted by his impatience. He made me pass over so many parts of it, that 1769. my task was very eafy. He would not fuffer one of the petitions to the King Etat, 60. about the Middlesex election to be read. I had hired a Bohemian as my servant while I remained in London, and being much pleased with him, I asked Dr. Johnson whether his being a Roman Catholick should prevent my taking him with me to Scotland. JOHNSON. Why no, Sir. If he has no objection, you can have none." BOSWELL. "So, Sir, you are no great enemy to the Roman Catholick religion.” JOHNSON. "No more, Sir, than to the Prefbyterian religion." BOSWELL. "You are joking." JOHNSON. "No, Sir, I really think fo. Nay, Sir, of the two, I prefer the Popish." BOSWELL. "How fo, Sir?" JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, the Prefbyterians have no church, no apoftolical ordination.” BOSWELL. "And do you think that abfolutely effential, Sir?" JOHNSON. Why, Sir, as it was an apoftolical inftitution, I think it is dangerous to be without it. And, Sir, the Prefbyterians have no publick worship: they have no form of prayer in which they know they are to join. They go to hear a man pray, and are to judge whether they will join with him." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, their doctrine is the fame with that of the Church of England. Their confeffion of faith, and the thirty-nine articles, contain the fame points, even the doctrine of predeftination." JOHNSON. "Why yes, Sir; predeftination was a part of the clamour of the times, fo it is mentioned in our articles, but with as little pofitiveness as could be." BOSWELL. "Is it neceffary, Sir, to believe all the thirty-nine articles?" JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, that is a question which has been much agitated. Some have thought it neceffary that they fhould all be believed; others have confidered them to be only articles of peace, that is to fay, you are not to preach against them." BOSWELL. "It appears to me, Sir, that predeftination, or what is equivalent to it, cannot be avoided, if we hold an univerfal prefence in the Deity." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, does not God every day fee things going on without preventing them?" BOSWELL. "True, Sir; but if a thing be certainly forefeen, it must be fixed, and cannot happen otherwife; and if we apply this confideration to the human mind, there is no free will, nor do I fee how prayer can be of any avail." He mentioned Dr. Clarke, and Bishop Bramhall on Liberty and Neceffity, and bid me read South's fermons on Prayer; but avoided the queftion which has excruciated philofophers and divines, beyond any other. I did not prefs it further, when I perceived that he was displeased, and fhrunk from any abridgement of an attribute ufually ascribed to the Divinity, however irreconcileable in its full extent with the grand system of 1769. of moral government. His fuppofed orthodoxy here cramped the vigorous Atat. 60. powers of his understanding. He was confined by a chain which early imagination and long habit made him think massy and strong, but which, had he ventured to try, he could at once have fnapt afunder. I proceeded: "What do you think, Sir, of Purgatory, as believed by the Roman Catholicks?" JOHNSON. Why, Sir, it is a very harmless doctrine. They are of opinion that the generality of mankind are neither fo obftinately wicked as to deferve everlasting punishment, nor fo good as to merit being admitted into the fociety of bleffed fpirits; and therefore that GOD is graciously pleased to allow of a middle state, where they may be purified by certain degrees of fuffering. You fee, Sir, there is nothing unreasonable in this." BOSWELL. "But then, Sir, their maffes for the dead?" JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, if it be once established that there are fouls in purgatory, it is as proper to pray for them, as for our brethren of mankind who are yet in this life." BOSWELL." The idolatry of the Mafs ?"-JOHNSON. "Sir, there is no idolatry in the Mafs. They believe GOD to be there, and they adore him." BOSWELL."The worfhip of Saints ?"-JOHNSON. "Sir, they do not worship faints; they invoke them; they only afk their prayers. I am talking all this time of the doctrines of the church of Rome. I grant you that in practice, Purgatory is made a lucrative impofition, and that the people do become idolatrous as they recommend themselves to the tutelary protection of particular faints. I think their giving the facrament only in one kind is criminal, because it is contrary to the express inftitution of CHRIST, and I wonder how the Council of Trent admitted it." BOSWELL. "Confeffion?"-JOHNSON. "Why, I don't know but that is a good thing. The fcripture fays, Confefs your faults one to another;' and the priests confefs as well as the laity. Then it must be confidered that their abfolution is only upon repentance, and often upon penance alfo. You think your fins may be forgiven without penance, upon repentance alone." I thus ventured to mention all the common objections against the Roman Catholick Church, that I might hear fo great a man upon them. What he faid is here accurately recorded. But it is not improbable that if one had taken the other fide, he might have reafoned differently. I must however mention, that he had a refpect for "the old religion," as the mild Melancthon called that of the Roman Catholick Church, even while he was exerting himself for its reformation in fome particulars. Sir William Scott informs me, that he heard Johnfon fay, "A man who is converted from Protestantism to Popery, may be fincere: he parts with nothing: he is only fuperadding to what he already had. But a convert from Popery to Proteftantism Proteftantifm, gives up fo much of what he has held as facred as any thing that he retains; there is fo much laceration of mind in fuch a converfion, that it can hardly be fincere and lafting." The truth of this reflection may be confirmed by many and eminent inftances, fome of which will occur to most of my readers. When we were alone, I introduced the subject of death, and endeavoured to maintain that the fear of it might be got over. I told him that David Hume faid, he was no more uneafy to think he fhould not be after this life, than that he had not been before he began to exist. JOHNSON. "Sir, if he really thinks fo, his perceptions are difturbed; he is mad: if he does not think fo, he lies. He may tell you, he holds his finger in the flame of a candle, without feeling pain; would you believe him? believe him? When he dies, he at least gives up all he has." BOSWELL. "Foote, Sir, told me, that when he was very ill he was not afraid to die." JOHNSON. "It is not true, Sir. Hold a piftol to Foote's breaft, or to Hume's breaft, and threaten to kill them, and you'll see how they behave." BOSWELL. "But may we not fortify our minds for the approach of death?"-Here I am fenfible I was in the wrong, to bring before his view what he ever looked upon with horrour; for although when in a celestial frame, in his "Vanity of human Wishes," he has supposed death to be "kind Nature's fignal for retreat," from this ftate of being to "a happier feat," his thoughts upon this aweful change were in general full of dismal apprehenfions. His mind refembled the vaft amphitheatre, the Colifæum at Rome. In the centre ftood his judgement, which, like a mighty gladiator, combated those apprehenfions that, like the wild beafts of the Arena, were all around in cells, ready to be let out upon him. After a conflict, he drives them back into their dens; but not killing them, they were still affailing him. To my question, whether we might not fortify our minds for the approach of death, he answered, in a paffion, "No, Sir, let it alone. It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time." He added, (with an earnest look,) "A man knows it must be fo, and submits. It will do him no good to whine." I attempted to continue the converfation. He was fo provoked, that he faid, "Give us no more of this ;" and was thrown into fuch a state of agitation, that he expressed himself in a way that alarmed and diftreffed me; fhewed an impatience that I should leave him, and when I was going away, called to me fternly, "Don't let us meet to-morrow." I went home exceedingly uneafy. All the harsh observations which I had ever heard made upon his character, crowded into my mind; and I seemed U u to 1769. tat. 60. to myself like the man who had put his head into the lion's mouth a great Etat. 60. many times with perfect fafety, but at laft had it bit off. 1769. Next morning I fent him a note, ftating, that I might have been in the wrong, but it was not intentionally; he was therefore, I could not help thinking, too fevere upon me. That notwithstanding our agreement not to meet that day, I would call on him in my way to the city, and stay five minutes. by my watch. "You are, (faid I,) in my mind, fince laft night, furrounded with cloud and ftorm. Let me have a glimpse of funfhine, and go about my affairs in ferenity and cheerfulness." Upon entering his ftudy, I was glad that he was not alone, which would have made our meeting more aukward. There were with him, Mr. Steevens and Mr. Tyers, both of whom I now faw for the first time. My note had, on his own reflection, foftened him, for he received me very complacently; fo that I unexpectedly found myself at eafe, and joined in the converfation. He faid, the criticks had done too much honour to Sir Richard Blackmore, by writing fo much against him. That in his "Creation" he had been helped by various wits, a line by Philips and a line by Tickell; fo that by theiraid, and that of others, the poem had been made out. I defended Blackmore's lines, which have been ridiculed as abfolute nonsense: "A painted veft Prince Voltiger had on, "Which from a naked Pict his grandfire won." I maintained it to be a poetical conceit. A Pict being painted, if he is flain in battle, and a veft is made of his skin, it is a painted veft won from him, though he was naked. Johnson spoke unfavourably of a certain pretty voluminous authour, faying, "He used to write anonymous books, and then other books commending those books, in which there was fomething of rascality.” I whifpered him, "Well, Sir, you are now in good humour." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir." I was going to leave him, and had got as far as the stair-cafe. He stopped me, and fmiling, faid, "Get you gone," in a curious mode of inviting me to stay, which I accordingly did for fome time longer. This little incidental quarrel and reconciliation, which, perhaps, I may be thought to have detailed too minutely, muft be efteemed as one of many proofs which his friends had, that though he might be charged with bad humour at times, he was always a good-natured man; and I have heard Sir Joshua. Reynolds, a nice and delicate obferver of manners, particularly remark, that when upon any occafion Johnson had been rough to any perfon in company, he took the first opportunity of reconciliation, by drinking to him or addreffing his difcourfe to him; but if he found his dignified indirect overtures fullenly neglected, he was quite indifferent, and confidered himself as having done all that he ought to do, and the other as now in the wrong. Being to fet out for Scotland on the 10th of November, I wrote to him at Streatham, begging that he would meet me in town on the 9th; but if this fhould be very inconvenient to him, I would go thither. His answer was as follows: "DEAR SIR, To JAMES BOSWELL, Efq. "UPON balancing the inconveniencies of both parties, I find it will lefs incommode you to spend your night here, than me to come to town. I wish to see you, and am ordered by the lady of this houfe to invite you hither. Whether you can come or not, I fhall not have any occafion of writing to you again before your marriage, and therefore tell you now, that with great fincerity I wish you happiness. I am, dear Sir, "Your most affectionate humble fervant, "Nov. 9, 1769. SAM. JOHNSON." on the 9th, fo went to him. I was detained in town till it was too late early in the morning of the tenth of October. are going to marry, do not expect more from life, may often find yourself out of humour, and you may often think your wife not studious enough to please you; and yet you may have reason to confider yourself as upon the whole very happily married." Talking of marriage in general, he observed, "Our marriage fervice is too refined. It is calculated only for the beft kind of marriages; whereas, we should have a form for matches of convenience, of which there are many." He agreed with me that there was no abfolute neceffity for having the marriage ceremony performed by a regular clergyman, for this was not commanded in fcripture. I was volatile enough to repeat to him a little epigrammatick fong of mine, on matrimony, which Mr. Garrick had a few days before procured to be fet to mufick. 1769. Ætat. 60. |