Sir John Malcolm once asked Warren Hastings, who was a contemporary and
companion of Dr. Johnson and Boswell, what was his real estimation of
Boswell’s _Life of Johnson_? “Sir,” replied Hastings, “it is the
_dirtiest_ book in my library;” then proceeding, he added: “I knew
Boswell intimately; and I well remember, when his book first made its
appearance, Boswell was so full of it, that he could neither think nor
talk of anything else; so much so, that meeting Lord Thurlow hurrying
through Parliament-street to get to the House of Lords, where an
important debate was expected, for which he was already too late,
Boswell had the temerity to stop and accost him with “Have you read my
book?” “Yes,” replied Lord Thurlow, with one of his strongest curses,
“every word of it; I could not help it.”