'You have, I believe, seen all the cathedrals in England except that of
Carlisle.'
This was not the case, yet most of them he had already seen or lived to
see. With Lichfield, Oxford, and London he was familiar. Winchester and
Exeter he had seen in 1762 on his tour to Devonshire (_ante_, i. 377),
Peterborough, Ely, Lincoln, York, and Durham he no doubt saw in 1773 on
his way to Scotland. The first three he might also have seen in 1764 on
his visit to Langton (_ante_, i. 476). Chester, St. Asaph, Bangor, and
Worcester he visited in 1774 in his journey to Wales (_post_, v. 435,
436, 448, 456). Through Canterbury he almost certainly passed in 1775 on
his way to France (_ante_, ii. 384). Bristol he saw in 1776 (_ante_,
iii. 51). To Chichester he drove from Brighton in 1782 (_post_, iv.
160). Rochester and Salisbury he visited in the summer of 1783 (_post_,
iv. 233). Wells he might easily have seen when he was at Bath in 1776
(_ante_, iii. 44), and possibly Gloucester. Through Norwich he perhaps
came on his return from Lincolnshire in 1764 (_ante_, i. 476). Hereford,
I think, he could not have visited.
When in the September of this year Johnson and Boswell were driving in
Dr. Taylor's chaise to Derby, 'Johnson strongly expressed his love of
driving fast in a post-chaise. "If," said he, "I had no duties, and no
reference to futurity, I would spend my life in driving briskly in a
post-chaise with a pretty woman; but she should be one who could
understand me, and would add something to the conversation"' (_ante_,
iii. 162). He had previously said (_ante_, ii. 453), as he was driven
rapidly along in a post-chaise, 'Life has not many things better than
this.'