“The more my Lord Lyttelton is inquired after, the worse he will appear;
Mr. Seward has just heard two stories of him, which corroborate all I
have related.”
He then desired Mr. Seward to repeat them. Poor Mr. Seward looked almost
as frightened as myself at the very mention of his name; but he quietly
and immediately told the stories, which consisted of fresh instances,
from good authorities, of Lord Lyttelton's illiberal behaviour to
Shenstone; and then he flung himself back in his chair, and spoke no
more during the whole debate, which I am sure he was ready to vote a
bore.
One happy circumstance, however, attended the quarrel, which was the
presence of Mr. Cator, who would by no means be prevented talking
himself, either by reverence for Dr. Johnson, or ignorance of the
subject in question; on the contrary, he gave his opinion, quite
uncalled upon every thing that was said by either party, and that with
an importance and pomposity, yet with an emptiness and verbosity,
that rendered the whole dispute, when in his hands, nothing more than
ridiculous, and compelled even the disputants themselves, all inflamed
as they were, to laugh. To give a specimen--one speech will do for a
thousand.
“As to this here question of Lord Lyttelton, I can't speak to it to the
purpose, as I have not read his 'Life,' for I have only read the 'Life
of Pope;' I have got the books though, for I sent for them last week,
and they came to me on Wednesday, and then I began them; but I have not
yet read 'Lord Lyttelton.' 'Pope' I have begun, and that is what I am
now reading. But what I have to say about Lord Lyttelton is this here:
Mr. Seward says that Lord Lyttelton's steward dunned Mr. Shenstone for
his rent, by which I understand he was a tenant of Lord Lyttelton's.
Well, if he was a tenant of Lord Lyttelton's, why should not he pay his
rent?”
Who could contradict this?
When dinner was quite over, and we left the men to their wine, we hoped
they would finish the affair; but Dr. Johnson was determined to talk
it through, and make a battle of it, though Mr. Pepys tried to be off
continually. When they were all summoned to tea, they entered still warm
and violent. Mr. Cator had the book in his hand, and was reading the
“Life of Lyttelton,” that he might better, he said, understand the
cause, though not a creature cared if he had never heard of it.