truth, but by perfecution on the one hand and enduring it on the other." GOLDSMITH." But how is a man to act, Sir? Though firmly convinced of the truth of his doctrine, may he not think it wrong to expose himself to perfecution? Has he a right to do fo? Is it not, as it were, committing voluntary fuicide?" JOHNSON. "Sir, as to voluntary fuicide, as you call it, there are twenty thousand men in an army who will go without fcruple to be shot at, and mount a breach for five-pence a day." GOLDSMITH. "But have they a moral right to do this?" JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, if you will not take the univerfal opinion of mankind, I have nothing to fay. If mankind cannot defend their own way of thinking, I cannot defend it. 'Sir, if a man is in doubt whether it would be better for him to expose himself to martyrdom or not, he should not do it. He must be convinced that he has a delegation from heaven." GOLDSMITH." I would confider whether there is the greater chance of good or evil upon the whole. If I fee a man who has fallen into a well, I would wish to help him out; but if there is a greater probability that he fhall pull me in, than that I fhall pull him out, I would not attempt it. So were I to go to Turkey, I might wish to convert the Grand Signor to the Christian faith; but when I considered that I should probably be put to death without effectuating my purpose in any degree, I should keep myself quiet." JOHNSON. "Sir, you must confider that we have perfect and imperfect obligations. Perfect obligations, which are generally not to do fomething, are clear and pofitive; as, thou fhalt not kill.' But charity, for inftance, is not definable by limits. It is a duty to give to the poor; but no man can fay how much another fhould give to the poor, or when a man has given too little to fave his foul. In the fame manner, it is a duty to inftruct the ignorant, and of confequence to convert infidels to Christianity; but no man in the common courfe of things is obliged to carry this to fuch a degree as to incur the danger of martyrdom, as no man is obliged to strip himself to the fhirt in order to give charity. I have faid, that a man must be perfuaded that he has a particular delegation from heaven." GOLDSMITH. "How is this to be known? Our firft reformers, who were burnt for not believing bread and wine to be CHRIST." JOHNSON. (interrupting him,) "Sir, they were not burnt for not believing bread and wine to be CHRIST, but for infulting those who did believe it. And, Sir, when the first reformers began, they did not intend to be martyred: as many of them ran away as could." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, there was your countryman, Elwal, who you told me challenged King George with his black-guards and his red-guards." JOHNSON. "My countryman, Elwal, Sir, fhould have been put in the ftocks; a proper pulpit

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for him, and he'd have had a numerous audience. A man who preaches in the stocks will always have hearers enough." BOSWELL. "But Elwal thought Etat. 64. himself in the right." JOHNSON. "We are not providing for mad people; there are places for them in the neighbourhood," (meaning Moorfields.) MAYO. "But, Sir, is it not very hard that I fhould not be allowed to teach my children what I really believe to be the truth?" JOHNSON. " JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, you might contrive to teach your children extrà fcandalum; but, Sir, the magistrate, if he knows it, has a right to restrain you. Suppofe you teach your children to be thieves?" MAYO. "This is making a joke of the fubject." JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, take it thus :-that you teach them the community of goods, for which there are as many plaufible arguments as for moft erroneous doctrines. You teach them that all things at first were in common, and that no man had a right to any thing but as he laid his hands upon it; and that this ftill is, or ought to be, the rule amongst mankind. Here, Sir, you fap a great principle in society,-property. And don't you think the magiftrate would have a right to prevent you? Or, fuppofe you fhould teach your children the notions of the Adamites, and they fhould run naked into the streets, would not the magistrate have a right to flog 'em into their doublets?" MAYO. "I think the magistrate has no right to interfere till there is fome overt act." BOSWELL. "So, Sir, though he sees an enemy to the state charging a blunderbufs, he is not to interfere till it is fired off." MAYO. "He must be sure of its direction against the state." JOHNSON." The magiftrate is to judge of that.-He has no right to restrain your thinking, because the evil centers in yourself. If a man were fitting at this table, and chopping off his fingers, the magistrate, as guardian of the community, has no authority to restrain him, however he might do it from kindness as a parent.-Though, indeed, upon more confideration, I think he may; as it is probable that he who is chopping off his own fingers, may foon proceed to chop off thofe of other people. If I think it right to steal Mr. Dilly's plate, I am a bad man; but he can fay nothing to me. If I make an open declaration that I think fo, he will keep me out of his house. If I put forth my hand, I shall be sent to Newgate. This is the gradation of thinking, preaching, and acting: if a man thinks erroneously, he may keep his thoughts to himself, and nobody will trouble him; if he preaches erroneous doctrine, fociety may expel him; if he acts in confequence of it, the law takes place, and he is hanged." MAYO. "But, Sir, ought not Christians to have liberty of confcience?" JOHNSON. "I have already told you fo, Sir. You are coming back to where you were." BOSWELL. "Dr. Mayo is always taking a return post-chaise, and going the ftage over again. Hhh He

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Etat. 64.

He has it at half price." JOHNSON. "Dr. Mayo, like other champions for unlimited toleration, has got a set of words. Sir, it is no matter, politically, whether the magiftrate be right or wrong. Suppofe a club were to be formed to drink confufion to King George the Third, and a happy restoration to Charles the Third; this would be very bad with respect to the state; but every member of that club muft either conform to its rules, or be turned out of it. Old Baxter, I remember, maintains, that the magiftrate should tolerate all things that are tolerable.' This is no good definition of toleration upon any principle; but it fhews that he thought fome things were not tolerable." TOPLADY. " Sir, you have untwifted this difficult fubject with great dexterity."

During this argument, Goldfmith fat in reftlefs agitation, from a wish to get in, and fhine. Finding himself excluded, he had taken his hat to go away, but remained for fome time with it in his hand, like a gamefter, who at the clofe of a long night, lingers for a little while, to fee if he can have a favourable opening to finish with fuccefs. Once when he was beginning to speak, he found himself overpowered by the loud voice of Johnfon, who was at the oppofite end of the table, and did not perceive Goldsmith's attempt. Thus difappointed of his wifh to obtain the attention of the company, Goldfmith in a paffion threw down his hat, looking angrily at Johnfon, and exclaiming in a bitter tone, "Take it." When Toplady was going to speak, Johnson uttered fome found, which led Goldsmith to think that he was beginning again, and taking the words from Toplady. Upon which, he feized this opportunity of venting his own envy and fpleen, under the pretext of fupporting another perfon: "Sir, (faid he to Johnfon,) the gentleman has heard you patiently for an hour; pray allow us now to hear him." JOHNSON. (fternly,) "Sir, I was not interrupting the gentleman. I was only giving him a signal of my attention.. Sir, you are impertinent." Goldsmith made no reply, but continued in the company for fome time.

A gentleman prefent ventured to ask Dr. Johnson if there was not a material difference as to toleration of opinions which lead to action, and opinions merely fpeculative; for inftance, would it be wrong in the magiftrate to tolerate

9 Dr. Mayo's calm temper and steady perfeverance, rendered him an admirable fubject for the exercife of Dr. Johnson's powerful abilities. He never flinched; but, after reiterated blows, remained feemingly unmoved as at the firft. The fcintillations of Johnfon's genius flafhed every time he was struck, without his receiving any injury. Hence he obtained the epithet of THE LITERARY ANVIL.

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those who preach against the doctrine of the TRINITY. Johnson was highly offended, and said, "I wonder, Sir, how a gentleman of your piety can tat. 64introduce this fubject in a mixed company." He told me afterwards, that the impropriety was, that perhaps fome of the company might have talked on the fubject in fuch terms as would have fhocked him; or he might have been forced to appear in their eyes a narrow-minded man. The gentleman, with fubmiffive deference, said, he had only hinted at the queftion from a desire to hear Dr. Johnson's opinion upon it. JOHNSON. "Why then, Sir, I think that permitting men to preach any opinion contrary to the doctrine of the established church, tends, in a certain degree, to leffen the authority of the church, and, confequently, to leffen the influence of religion." "It "It may be confidered, (faid the gentleman,) whether it would not be politick to tolerate in fuch a cafe." JOHNSON. "Sir, we have been talking of right: this is another question. I think it is not politick to tolerate in fuch a cafe."

Though he did not think it fit that fo aweful a fubject fhould be introduced in a mixed company, and therefore at this time waved the theological queftion; yet his own orthodox belief in the facred mystery of the TRINITY is evinced beyond doubt, by the following paffage in his private devotions: "O LORD, hear my prayers, for JESUS CHRIST'S fake; to whom with thee and the HOLY GHOST, three perfons and one GOD, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen'.'

BOSWELL. "Pray, Mr. Dilly, how does Dr. Leland's Hiftory of Ireland' fell?" JOHNSON. (Burfting forth with a generous indignation,) "The Irish are in a most unnatural ftate; for we fee there the minority prevailing over the majority. There is no inftance, even in the ten perfecutions, of fuch feverity as that which the Proteftants of Ireland have exercised against the Catholicks. Did we tell them we have conquered them, it would be above board: to punish them by confifcation and other penalties, as rebels, was monftrous injustice. King William was not their lawful fovereign: he had not been acknowledged by the parliament of Ireland, when they appeared in arms against him."

I here fuggested something favourable of the Roman Catholicks. TOPLADY. "Does not their invocation of faints fuppofe omniprefence in the faints?” JOHNSON. "No, Sir; it fuppofes only pluriprefence; and when fpirits are divested of matter, it seems probable that they fhould fee with more extent than when in an embodied ftate. There is, therefore, no approach to an

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invafion of any of the divine attributes, in the invocation of faints. But I Etat. 64. think it is will-worship, and prefumption. I fee no command for it, and therefore think it is fafer not to practise it."

He and Mr. Langton and I went together to the Club, where we found Mr. Burke, Mr. Garrick, and fome other members, and amongst them our friend Goldsmith, who fat filently brooding over Johnson's reprimand to him after dinner. Johnfon perceived this, and faid afide to fome of us, "I'll make Goldfmith forgive me ;" and then called to him in a loud voice, "Dr. Goldsmith,-fomething paffed to-day where you and I dined; I ask your pardon." Goldsmith answered placidly, "It must be much from you, Sir, that I take ill." And fo at once the difference was over, and they were on as eafy terms as ever, and Goldfmith rattled away as ufual.

In our way to the club to-night, when I regretted that Goldsmith would, upon every occafion, endeavour to fhine, by which he often expofed himself, Mr. Langton obferved, that he was not like Addison, who was content with the fame of his writings, and did not aim also at excellency in conversation, for which he found himself unfit; and that he said to a lady, who complained of his having talked little in company, "Madam, I have but nine-pence in ready money, but I can draw for a thoufand pounds." I obferved, that Goldsmith had a great deal of gold in his cabinet, but, not content with that, was always taking out his purfe. JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, and that so often an fo empty purse!"

Goldfmith's inceffant defire of being confpicuous in company, was the occafion of his fometimes appearing to fuch difadvantage as one should hardly have fuppofed poffible in a man of his genius. When his literary reputation had risen deservedly high, and his fociety was much courted, he became very jealous of the extraordinary attention which was every where paid to Johnson. One evening, in a circle of wits, he found fault with me for talking of Johnfon as entitled to the honour of unquestionable fuperiority. "Sir, (faid he,) you are for making a monarchy of what should be a republick."

He was ftill more mortified, when talking in a company with fluent vivacity, and, as he flattered himself, to the admiration of all who were present; a German who fat next him, and perceived Johnson rolling himself, as if about to fpeak, fuddenly stopped him, faying, "Stay, ftay,-Toctor Shonfon is going to fay fomething." This was, no doubt, very provoking, especially to one fo irritable as Goldsmith, who frequently mentioned it with strong expreffions of indignation.