1764. Mr. Langton and his lady, being fully capable of understanding his value, were not wanting in attention. He, however, told me, that old Mr. Langton, Etat. 55. though a man of confiderable learning, had fo little allowance to make for his occafional "laxity of talk," that because in the courfe of difcuffion he fometimes mentioned what might be faid in favour of the peculiar tenets of the Romish church, he went to his grave believing him to be of that com munion. Johnson, during his stay at Langton, had the advantage of a good library, and faw feveral gentlemen of the neighbourhood. I have obtained from Mr. Langton the following particulars of this period. He was now fully convinced that he could not have been fatisfied with a country living; for, talking of a refpectable clergyman in Lincolnshire, he obferved, "This man, Sir, fills up the duties of his life well. I approve of him, but could not imitate him.” To a lady who endeavoured to vindicate herself from blame for neglecting focial attention to worthy neighbours, by faying, "I would go to them if it would do them any good;" he said, "What good, Madam, do you expect to have in your power to do them? It is fhewing them respect, and that is doing them good." So focially accommodating was he, that once when Mr. Langton and he were driving together in a coach, and Mr. Langton complained of being sick, he infifted that they fhould go out, and fit on the back of it in the open air, which they did. And being fenfible how strange the appearance must be, observed, that a countryman whom they faw in a field would probably be thinking, "If these two madmen should come down, what would become of me?" Soon after his return to London, which was in February, was founded that club which existed long without a name, but at Mr. Garrick's funeral became distinguished by the title of THE LITERARY CLUB. Sir Joshua Reynolds had the merit of being the firft propofer of it, to which Johnson acceded, and the original members were, Sir Jofhua Reynolds, Dr. Johnfon, Mr. Edmund Burke, Dr. Nugent, Mr. Beauclerk, Mr. Langton, Dr. Goldfmith, Mr. Chamier, and Sir John Hawkins. They met at the Turk's Head, in Gerardstreet, Soho, one evening in every week, at feven, and generally continued their converfation till a pretty late hour. This club has been gradually increased, and inftead of affembling in the evening, they now dine together at a tavern in Doverftreet, once a fortnight, during the meeting of Parliament. Between the time of its formation, and the time at which this work is paffing through the prefs, 1764. མ prefs, (1790,) the following perfons, now dead, were members of it: Mr. Etat. 55. Dunning, (afterwards Lord Ashburton,) Mr. Dyer, Mr. Garrick, Dr. Shipley Bishop of St. A faph, Mr. Vesey, and Mr. Thomas Warton. The present members are, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Mr. Burke, Mr. Langton, Dr. Percy Bishop of Dromore, Dr. Barnard Bishop of Killaloe, Dr. Marlay Bishop of Clonfert, Mr. Fox, Dr. George Fordyce, Sir William Scott, Sir Jofeph Banks, Sir Charles Bunbury, Mr. Windham of Norfolk, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Gibbon, Dr. Adam Smith, Lord Charlemont, Sir Robert Chambers, Sir William Jones, Mr. Colman, Mr. Steevens, Dr. Burney, Dr. Joseph Warton, Mr. Malone, Lord Offory, Lord Spencer, Lord Lucan, Lord Palmerston, Lord Elliot, Lord Macartney, Mr. Richard Burke, junior, Sir William Hamilton, Dr. Warren, Mr. Courtenay, and the writer of this account. Sir John Hawkins' reprefents himself as a "feceder" from this fociety, and affigns as the reafon of his "withdrawing" himself from it, that its late hours were inconfiftent with his domeftick arrangements. In this he is not accurate; for the fact was, that he one evening attacked Mr. Burke in fo rude a manner, that all the company teftified their displeasure; and at their next meeting his reception was such, that he never came again*. He is equally inaccurate with respect to Mr. Garrick, of whom he says, "he trufted that the leaft intimation of a defire to come among us, would procure him a ready admission; but in this he was mistaken. Johnson confulted me upon it; and when I could find no objection to receiving him, exclaimed, He will difturb us by his buffoonery;'—and afterwards fo managed matters, that he was never formally proposed, and, by consequence, never admitted "." In justice both to Mr. Garrick and Dr. Johnson, I think it neceffary to rectify this mis-statement. The truth is, that not very long after the inftitution of our club, Sir Jofhua Reynolds was speaking of it to Garrick. " I like it much, (faid he,) I think I fhall be of you." When Sir Joshua mentioned this to Dr. Johnson, he was much displeased with the actor's conceit. "He'll be of us, (said Johnson,) how does he know we will permit him? The first duke in England has no right to hold fuch language." However, when Garrick was regularly propofed fome time afterwards, Johnson, though he had taken a momentary offence at his arrogance, warmly and kindly supported him, and he was accordingly elected, was a moft agreeable member, and continued to attend our meetings to the time of his death. Life of Johnson, p. 425. 4 From Sir Joshua Reynolds. s Life of Johnfon, p. 425. Mrs. 1764. Mrs. Piozzi' has alfo given a fimilar mifreprefentation of Johnfon's treatment of Garrick in this particular, as if he had ufed these contemptuous Etat. 55. expreffions: "If Garrick does apply, I'll black-ball him.-Surely, one ought to fit in a society like ours, • Unelbow'd by a gamester, pimp, or player," I am happy to be enabled by fuch unquestionable authority as that of Sir Joshua Reynolds, as well as from my own knowledge, to vindicate at once the heart of Johnson and the social merit of Garrick. In this year, except what he may have done in revising Shakspeare, we do not find that he laboured much in literature. He wrote a review of Grainger's "Sugar Cane, a Poem," in the London Chronicle. He told me, that Dr. Percy wrote the greatest part of this review; but, I imagine, he did not recollect it diftinctly, for it appears to be moftly, if not altogether, his own. He also wrote in the Critical Review, an account† of Goldfmith's excellent poem, "The Traveller." The ease and independence to which he had at laft attained by royal munificence, increased his natural indolence. In his "Meditations" he thus accufes himself: "GOOD FRIDAY, April 20, 1764. I have made no reformation; I have lived totally useless, more fenfual in thought, and more addicted to wine and meat"." And next morning he thus feelingly complains: "My indolence, fince my last reception of the facrament, has funk into groffer sluggishness, and my diffipation fpread into wilder negligence. My thoughts have been clouded with fenfuality; and, except that from the beginning of this year I have, in some measure, forborne excess of strong drink, my appetites have predominated over my reason. A kind of strange oblivion has overfpread me, fo that I know not what has become of the last year; and perceive that incidents and intelligence pafs over me, without leaving any impreffion." He then folemnly fays, "This is not the life to which heaven is promised;" and he earnestly refolves on amendment. It was his custom to obferve certain days with a pious abstraction; viz. New-year's-day, the day of his wife's death, Good Friday, Eafter-day, and his own birth-day. He this year fays, "I have now spent fifty-five years in refolving; having, from the earliest time almost that I can remember, been forming schemes of a better life. I have done nothing. The need of doing, therefore, is preffing, fince the time of doing is fhort. O Gop, grant me to Letters to and from Dr. Johnson. Vol. II. p. 278. 8 Ibid. p. 51. refolve 1764. Etat. 55. refolve aright, and to keep my refolutions, for JESUS CHRIST's fake. Amen." Such a tenderness of confcience, fuch a fervent defire of improvement, will rarely be found. It is, furely, not decent in those who are hardened in indifference to spiritual improvement, to treat this pious anxiety of Johnson with contempt. About this time he was afflicted with a very fevere return of the hypochondriack diforder, which was ever lurking about him. He was fo ill, as, notwithstanding his remarkable love of company, to be entirely averse to society, the most fatal fymptom of that malady. Dr. Adams told me, that, as an old friend, he was admitted to visit him, and that he found him in a deplorable ftate, fighing, groaning, talking to himself, and reftlefsly walking from room to room. He then used this emphatical expreffion of the mifery which he felt: "I would confent to have a limb amputated to recover my spirits." Talking to himself was, indeed, one of his fingularities ever fince I knew him. I was certain that he was frequently uttering pious ejaculations, for fragments of the Lord's Prayer have been distinctly overheard. His friend Mr. Thomas Davies, of whom Churchill fays, "That Davies hath a very pretty wife :" when Dr. Johnson muttered "lead us not into temptation," ufed with waggish and gallant humour to whisper Mrs. Davies, "You, my dear, are the cause of this." He had another particularity, of which none of his friends ever ventured to ask an explanation. It appeared to me fome fuperftitious habit, which he had contracted early, and from which he had never called upon his reason to dif-entangle him. This was his anxious care to go out or in at a door or passage, by a certain number of steps from a certain point, or at least so as that either his right or his left foot, (I am not certain which,) should constantly make the first actual movement when he came close to the door or paffage. Thus I conjecture: for I have, upon innumerable occafions, observed him suddenly stop, and then feem to count his fteps with a deep earnestness; and when he had neglected or gone wrong in this fort of magical movement, I have seen him go back again, put himself in a proper posture to begin the ceremony, and, having gone through it, break from his abftraction, walk briskly on, and join his companion. A ftrange instance of fomething of this nature, even when on horseback, happened when he was in the Prayers and Meditations, p. 58. THE LIFE OF DR. JOHNSON. 265 1764. ifle of Sky'. Sir Joshua Reynolds has obferved him to go a good way about, That the most minute fingularities which belonged to him, and made very I am fully aware how very obvious an occafion I here give for the fneer- He was for fome time in the fummer at Easton Maudit, Northamptonshire, on a vifit to the Reverend Dr. Percy, now Bishop of Dromore. Whatever diffatisfaction he felt at what he confidered as a flow progrefs in intellectual improvement, we find that his heart was tender, and his affections warm, as appears from the following very kind letter: To JOSHUA REYNOLDS, Efq. in Leicester-Fields, London. DEAR SIR, "I DID not hear of your fickness till I heard likewife of your recovery, and therefore escaped that part of your pain, which every man must feel, to whom you are known as you are known to me. "Having had no particular account of your diforder, I know not in what ftate it has left you. languor of a flow recovery, I will not delay a day to come to you; for I If the amusement of my company can exhilarate the know not how I can fo effectually promote my own pleasure as by pleafing 1 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 316. M m you, |