He read a few of them, and said, 'I am not answerable for all the
words in my Dictionary.' I told him, that Garrick kept a book of all
who had either praised or abused him. On the subject of his own
reputation, he said, 'Now that I see it has been so current a topick,
I wish I had done so too; but it could not well be done now, as so
many things are scattered in newspapers.' He said he was angry at a
boy of Oxford, who wrote in his defence against Kenrick; because it
was doing him hurt to answer Kenrick. He was told afterwards, the boy
was to come to him to ask a favour. He first thought to treat him
rudely, on account of his meddling in that business; but then he
considered, he had meant to do him all the service in his power, and
he took another resolution; he told him he would do what he could for
him, and did so, and the boy was satisfied. He said, he did not know
how his pamphlet was done, as he had read very little of it. The boy
made a good figure at Oxford, but died. He remarked, that attacks on
authors did them much service. 'A man who tells me my play is very
bad, is less my enemy than he who lets it die in silence. A man, whose
business it is to be talked of, is much helped at being attacked.'
Garrick, I observed, had been often so helped. JOHNSON. 'Yes, sir;
though Garrick had more opportunities than almost any man, to keep the
publick in mind of him, by exhibiting himself to such numbers, he
would not have had so much reputation, had he not been so much
attacked. Every attack produces a defence; and so attention is
engaged. There is no sport in mere praise, when people are all of a
mind.' BOSWELL. 'Then Hume is not the worse for Seattle's attack?'
JOHNSON. 'He is, because Beattie has confuted him. I do not say, but
that there may be some attacks which will hurt an author. Though Hume
suffered from Beattie, he was the better for other attacks.' (He
certainly could not include in that number those of Dr Adams, and Mr
Tytler.) BOSWELL. 'Goldsmith is the better for attacks.' JOHNSON.
'Yes, sir; but he does not think so yet. When Goldsmith and I
published, each of us something, at the same time, we were given to
understand that we might review each other. Goldsmith was for
accepting the offer. I said, No; set reviewers at defiance. It was
said to old Bentley, upon the attacks against him, "Why, they'll write
you down." "No, sir," he replied; "depend upon it, no man was ever
written down but by himself."' He observed to me afterwards, that the
advantages authours derived from attacks, were chiefly in subjects of
taste, where you cannot confute, as so much may be said on either
side. He told me he did not know who was the authour of the Adventures
of a Guinea, but that the bookseller had sent the first volume to him
in manuscript, to have his opinion if it should be printed; and he
thought it should.
The weather being now somewhat better, Mr James M'Donald, factor to
Sir Alexander M'Donald in Slate, insisted that all the company at
Ostig should go to the house at Armidale, which Sir Alexander had left
having gone with his lady to Edinburgh, and be his guests, till we had
an opportunity of sailing to Mull. We accordingly got there to dinner;
and passed our day very cheerfully, being no less than fourteen in
number.