'It is unfortunate, however, for Johnson, that his particularities and
frailties can be more distinctly traced than his good and amiable
exertions. Could the many bounties he studiously concealed, the many
acts of humanity he performed in private, be displayed with equal
circumstantiality, his defects would be so far lost in the blaze of his
virtues, that the latter only would be regarded.'
Though from my very high admiration of Johnson, I have wondered[1007]
that he was not courted by all the great and all the eminent persons of
his time, it ought fairly to be considered, that no man of humble birth,
who lived entirely by literature, in short no authour by profession,
ever rose in this country into that personal notice which he did. In the
course of this work a numerous variety of names has been mentioned, to
which many might be added. I cannot omit Lord and Lady Lucan, at whose
house he often enjoyed all that an elegant table and the best company
can contribute to happiness; he found hospitality united with
extraordinary accomplishments, and embellished with charms of which no
man could be insensible[1008].
On Tuesday, June 22, I dined with him at THE LITERARY CLUB, the last
time of his being in that respectable society. The other members present
were the Bishop of St. Asaph, Lord Eliot, Lord Palmerston, Dr. Fordyce,
and Mr. Malone. He looked ill; but had such a manly fortitude, that he
did not trouble the company with melancholy complaints. They all shewed
evident marks of kind concern about him, with which he was much pleased,
and he exerted himself to be as entertaining as his indisposition
allowed him.
The anxiety of his friends to preserve so estimable a life, as long as
human means might be supposed to have influence, made them plan for him
a retreat from the severity of a British winter, to the mild climate of
Italy[1009]. This scheme was at last brought to a serious resolution at
General Paoli's, where I had often talked of it. One essential matter,
however, I understood was necessary to be previously settled, which was
obtaining such an addition to his income, as would be sufficient to
enable him to defray the expence in a manner becoming the first literary
character of a great nation, and, independent of all his other merits,
the Authour of THE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. The person to
whom I above all others thought I should apply to negociate this
business, was the Lord Chancellor[1010], because I knew that he highly
valued Johnson, and that Johnson highly valued his Lordship; so that it
was no degradation of my illustrious friend to solicit for him the
favour of such a man. I have mentioned[1011] what Johnson said of him to
me when he was at the bar; and after his Lordship was advanced to the
seals[1012], he said of him, 'I would prepare myself for no man in
England but Lord Thurlow. When I am to meet with him I should wish to
know a day before[1013]'. How he would have prepared himself I cannot
conjecture. Would he have selected certain topicks, and considered them
in every view so as to be in readiness to argue them at all points? and
what may we suppose those topicks to have been? I once started the
curious enquiry to the great man who was the subject of this compliment:
he smiled, but did not pursue it.
I first consulted with Sir Joshua Reynolds, who perfectly coincided in
opinion with me; and I therefore, though personally very little known to
his Lordship, wrote to him[1014], stating the case, and requesting his
good offices for Dr. Johnson. I mentioned that I was obliged to set out
for Scotland early in the following week, so that if his Lordship should
have any commands for me as to this pious negociation, he would be
pleased to send them before that time; otherwise Sir Joshua Reynolds
would give all attention to it.
This application was made not only without any suggestion on the part of
Johnson himself, but was utterly unknown to him, nor had he the smallest
suspicion of it. Any insinuations, therefore, which since his death have
been thrown out, as if he had stooped to ask what was superfluous, are
without any foundation. But, had he asked it, it would not have been
superfluous; for though the money he had saved proved to be more than
his friends imagined, or than I believe he himself, in his carelessness
concerning worldly matters, knew it to be, had he travelled upon the
Continent, an augmentation of his income would by no means have been
unnecessary.
On Wednesday, June 23, I visited him in the morning, after having been
present at the shocking sight of fifteen men executed before
Newgate[1015]. I said to him, I was sure that human life was not
machinery, that is to say, a chain of fatality planned and directed by
the Supreme Being, as it had in it so much wickedness and misery, so
many instances of both, as that by which my mind was now clouded. Were
it machinery it would be better than it is in these respects, though
less noble, as not being a system of moral government. He agreed with me
now, as he always did[1016], upon the great question of the liberty of
the human will, which has been in all ages perplexed with so much
sophistry. 'But, Sir, as to the doctrine of Necessity, no man believes
it. If a man should give me arguments that I do not see, though I could
not answer them, should I believe that I do not see?' It will be
observed, that Johnson at all times made the just distinction between
doctrines _contrary_ to reason, and doctrines _above_ reason.
Talking of the religious discipline proper for unhappy convicts, he
said, 'Sir, one of our regular clergy will probably not impress their
minds sufficiently: they should be attended by a Methodist
preacher[1017]; or a Popish priest.' Let me however observe, in justice
to the Reverend Mr. Vilette, who has been Ordinary of Newgate for no
less than eighteen years, in the course of which he has attended many
hundreds of wretched criminals, that his earnest and humane exhortations
have been very effectual. His extraordinary diligence is highly
praiseworthy, and merits a distinguished reward[1018].
On Thursday, June 24, I dined with him at Mr. Dilly's, where were the
Rev. Mr. (now Dr.) Knox, master of Tunbridge-school, Mr. Smith, Vicar of
Southill, Dr. Beattie, Mr. Pinkerton, authour of various literary
performances, and the Rev. Dr. Mayo. At my desire old Mr. Sheridan was
invited, as I was earnest to have Johnson and him brought together again
by chance, that a reconciliation might be effected. Mr. Sheridan
happened to come early, and having learned that Dr. Johnson was to be
there, went away[1019]; so I found, with sincere regret, that my
friendly intentions were hopeless. I recollect nothing that passed this
day, except Johnson's quickness, who, when Dr. Beattie observed, as
something remarkable which had happened to him, that he had chanced to
see both No. 1, and No. 1000, of the hackney-coaches, the first and the
last; 'Why, Sir, (said Johnson,) there is an equal chance for one's
seeing those two numbers as any other two.' He was clearly right; yet
the seeing of the two extremes, each of which is in some degree more
conspicuous than the rest, could not but strike one in a stronger manner
than the sight of any other two numbers. Though I have neglected to
preserve his conversation, it was perhaps at this interview that Dr.
Knox formed the notion of it which he has exhibited in his _Winter
Evenings_[1020].
On Friday, June 25, I dined with him at General Paoli's, where, he says
in one of his letters to Mrs. Thrale, 'I love to dine[1021].' There was
a variety of dishes much to his taste, of all which he seemed to me to
eat so much, that I was afraid he might be hurt by it[1022]; and I
whispered to the General my fear, and begged he might not press him.
'Alas! (said the General,) see how very ill he looks; he can live but a
very short time. Would you refuse any slight gratifications to a man
under sentence of death? There is a humane custom in Italy, by which
persons in that melancholy situation are indulged with having whatever
they like best to eat and drink, even with expensive delicacies.'
I shewed him some verses on Lichfield by Miss Seward, which I had that
day received from her, and had the pleasure to hear him approve of them.
He confirmed to me the truth of a high compliment which I had been told
he had paid to that lady, when she mentioned to him _The Colombiade_, an
epick poem, by Madame du Boccage[1023]:--'Madam, there is not any thing
equal to your description of the sea round the North Pole, in your Ode
on the death of Captain Cook[1024].'
On Sunday, June 27, I found him rather better. I mentioned to him a
young man who was going to Jamaica with his wife and children, in
expectation of being provided for by two of her brothers settled in that
island, one a clergyman, and the other a physician. JOHNSON. 'It is a
wild scheme, Sir, unless he has a positive and deliberate invitation.
There was a poor girl, who used to come about me, who had a cousin in
Barbadoes, that, in a letter to her, expressed a wish she should come
out to that Island, and expatiated on the comforts and happiness of her
situation. The poor girl went out: her cousin was much surprised, and
asked her how she could think of coming. "Because, (said she,) you
invited me." "Not I," answered the cousin. The letter was then produced.
"I see it is true, (said she,) that I did invite you: but I did not
think you would come." They lodged her in an out-house, where she passed
her time miserably; and as soon as she had an opportunity she returned
to England. Always tell this, when you hear of people going abroad to
relations, upon a notion of being well received. In the case which you
mention, it is probable the clergyman spends all he gets, and the
physician does not know how much he is to get.'
We this day dined at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, with General Paoli, Lord
Eliot, (formerly Mr. Eliot, of Port Eliot,) Dr. Beattie, and some other
company. Talking of Lord Chesterfield;--JOHNSON. 'His manner was
exquisitely elegant[1025], and he had more knowledge than I expected.'
BOSWELL. 'Did you find, Sir, his conversation to be of a superiour
style?' JOHNSON. 'Sir, in the conversation which I had with him I had
the best right to superiority, for it was upon philology and
literature.' Lord Eliot, who had travelled at the same time with Mr.
Stanhope[1026], Lord Chesterfield's natural son, justly observed, that
it was strange that a man who shewed he had so much affection for his
son as Lord Chesterfield did, by writing so many long and anxious
letters to him, almost all of them when he was Secretary of State[1027],
which certainly was a proof of great goodness of disposition, should
endeavour to make his son a rascal. His Lordship told us, that Foote had
intended to bring on the stage a father who had thus tutored his son,
and to shew the son an honest man to every one else, but practising his
father's maxims upon him, and cheating him[1028]. JOHNSON. 'I am much
pleased with this design; but I think there was no occasion to make the
son honest at all. No; he should be a consummate rogue: the contrast
between honesty and knavery would be the stronger. It should be
contrived so that the father should be the only sufferer by the son's
villainy, and thus there would be poetical justice.'
He put Lord Eliot in mind of Dr. Walter Harte[1029]. 'I know (said he,)
Harte was your Lordship's tutor, and he was also tutor to the
Peterborough family. Pray, my Lord, do you recollect any particulars
that he told you of Lord Peterborough? He is a favourite of mine, and is
not enough known; his character has been only ventilated in party
pamphlets[1030].' Lord Eliot said, if Dr. Johnson would be so good as to
ask him any questions, he would tell what he could recollect.
Accordingly some things were mentioned. 'But, (said his Lordship,) the
best account of Lord Peterborough that I have happened to meet with, is
in _Captain Carleton's Memoirs_. Carleton was descended of an ancestor
who had distinguished himself at the siege of Derry[1031]. He was an
officer; and, what was rare at that time, had some knowledge of
engineering[1032].' Johnson said, he had never heard of the book. Lord
Eliot had it at Port Eliot; but, after a good deal of enquiry, procured
a copy in London, and sent it to Johnson, who told Sir Joshua Reynolds
that he was going to bed when it came, but was so much pleased with it,
that he sat up till he had read it through[1033], and found in it such
an air of truth, that he could not doubt of its authenticity[1034];
adding, with a smile, (in allusion to Lord Eliot's having recently been
raised to the peerage,) 'I did not think a _young Lord_ could have
mentioned to me a book in the English history that was not known to
me[1035].'
An addition to our company came after we went up to the drawing-room;
Dr. Johnson seemed to rise in spirits as his audience increased. He
said, 'He wished Lord Orford's pictures[1036], and Sir Ashton Lever's
Museum[1037], might be purchased by the publick, because both the money,
and the pictures, and the curiosities, would remain in the country;
whereas, if they were sold into another kingdom, the nation would indeed
get some money, but would lose the pictures and curiosities, which it
would be desirable we should have, for improvement in taste and natural
history. The only question was, as the nation was much in want of money,
whether it would not be better to take a large price from a
foreign State?'
He entered upon a curious discussion of the difference between intuition
and sagacity; one being immediate in its effect, the other requiring a
circuitous process; one he observed was the _eye_ of the mind, the other
the _nose_ of the mind[1038].
A young gentleman[1039] present took up the argument against him, and
maintained that no man ever thinks of the _nose of the mind_, not
adverting that though that figurative sense seems strange to us, as very
unusual, it is truly not more forced than Hamlet's 'In my _mind's eye_,
Horatio[1040].' He persisted much too long, and appeared to Johnson as
putting himself forward as his antagonist with too much presumption;
upon which he called to him in a loud tone, 'What is it you are
contending for, if you _be_ contending?' And afterwards imagining that
the gentleman retorted upon him with a kind of smart drollery, he said,
'Mr. ----, it does not become you to talk so to me. Besides, ridicule is
not your talent; you have _there_ neither intuition nor sagacity.' The
gentleman protested that he had intended no improper freedom, but had
the greatest respect for Dr. Johnson. After a short pause, during which
we were somewhat uneasy,--JOHNSON. 'Give me your hand, Sir. You were
too tedious, and I was too short.' MR. ----. 'Sir, I am honoured by your
attention in any way.' JOHNSON. 'Come, Sir, let's have no more of it. We
offended one another by our contention; let us not offend the company by
our compliments.'
He now said, 'He wished much to go to Italy, and that he dreaded passing
the winter in England.' I said nothing; but enjoyed a secret
satisfaction in thinking that I had taken the most effectual measures to
make such a scheme practicable.
On Monday, June 28, I had the honour to receive from the Lord Chancellor
the following letter:--
'TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ. SIR,
I should have answered your letter immediately, if, (being much engaged
when I received it) I had not put it in my pocket, and forgot to open it
till this morning.
I am much obliged to you for the suggestion; and I will adopt and press
it as far as I can. The best argument, I am sure, and I hope it is not
likely to fail, is Dr. Johnson's merit. But it will be necessary, if I
should be so unfortunate as to miss seeing you, to converse with Sir
Joshua on the sum it will be proper to ask,--it short, upon the means of
setting him out. It would be a reflection on us all, if such a man
should perish for want of the means to take care of his health.