my sides, in a pamphlet, entitled "An Epistle to James Boswell, Esq. occasioned by his having transmitted the moral Writings of Dr. Samuel Johnson to Pascal Paoli, General of the Corsicans." I was at first inclined to answer this pamphlet ; but Johnson, who knew that my doing so would only gratify Kenrick, by keeping alive what would soon die away of itself, would not suffer me to take any notice of it.(1)

His sincere regard for Francis Barber, his faithful negro servant, made him so desirous of his further improvement, that he now placed him at a school at Bishop Stortford, in Hertforshire. This humane attention does Johnson's heart much honour. Out of many letters which Mr. Barber received from his master, he has preserved three, which he kindly gave me, and which I shall insert according to their dates.

LETTER 112. TO MR. FRANCIS BARBER. (2)

May 28. 1768. "DEAR FRANCIS, -I have been very much out of I am glad to hear that you are well, and design

order.

(1) Johnson's silence proceeded not more from his contempt of such an adversary, than from a settled resolution he had formed, of declining all controversy in defence either of himself or of his writings. Against personal abuse he was ever armed, by a reflection that I have heard him utter:-"Alas! reputation would be of little worth, were it in the power of every concealed enemy to deprive us of it;" and he defied all attacks on his writings by an answer of Dr. Bentley to one who threatened to write him down, that "no author was ever written down but by himself." HAWKINS.

(2) When Mrs. Williams and Francis quarrelled, as was very frequent, the lady would complain to the doctor, adding, "This is your scholar, on whose education you have spent 300l." Dr. Johnson, in the conclusion of the letter, calls him a "boy," but sixteen years had already elapsed since he entered Johnson's own service.- C.

to come soon to you. I would have you stay at Mrs. Clapp's for the present, till I can determine what we shall do. Be a good boy. My compliments to Mrs. Clapp and to Mr. Fowler. I am yours affectionately,

"SAM. JOHNSON."

Soon afterwards, he supped at the Crown and Anchor tavern, in the Strand, with a company whom I collected to meet him. They were, Dr. Percy now Bishop of Dromore, Dr. Douglas now Bishop of Salisbury, Mr. Langton, Dr. Robertson the Historian, Dr. Hugh Blair, and Mr. Thomas Davies, who wished much to be introduced to these eminent Scotch literati; but on the present occasion he had very little opportunity of hearing them talk; for, with an excess of prudence, for which Johnson afterwards found fault with them, they hardly opened their lips, and that only to say something which they were certain would not expose them to the sword of Goliath ; such was their anxiety for their fame when in the presence of Johnson. He was this evening in remarkable vigour of mind, and eager to exert himself in conversation, which he did with great readiness and fluency; but I am sorry to find that I have preserved but a small part of what passed.

He allowed high praise to Thomson as a poet; but when one of the company said he was also a very good man, our moralist contested this with great warmth, accusing him of gross sensuality and licentiousness of manners. I was very much afraid that, in writing Thomson's life, Dr. Johnson would have treated his private character with a stern severity,

but I was agreeably disappointed; and I may claim a little merit in it, from my having been at pains to send him authentic accounts of the affectionate and generous conduct of that poet to his sisters, one of whom, the wife of Mr. Thomson, schoolmaster at Lanark, I knew, and was presented by her with three of his letters, one of which Dr. Johnson has inserted in his life.

He was vehement against old Dr. Monsey (1), of Chelsea College, as 66 a fellow who swore and talked bawdy." "I have been often in his company," said

Dr. Percy, "and never heard him swear or talk bawdy." Mr. Davies, who sat next to Dr. Percy, having after this had some conversation aside with him, made a discovery which, in his zeal to pay court to Dr. Johnson, he eagerly proclaimed aloud from the foot of the table: "Oh, Sir, I have found out a

(1) [Messenger Monsey, M.D. was born in Norfolk, in 1693, and died at Chelsea College, Dec. 26. 1788, at the great age of ninety-five. By his will he directed that his body should undergo dissection; after which "the remainder of my carcass may be put into a hole, or crammed into a box with holes, and thrown into the Thames, at the pleasure of the surgeon." His body was accordingly dissected by his friend, Mr. Foster, and preparations were deposited in the Museum of St. Thomas's Hospital. In a letter to Mr. Cruickshank, the eminent surgeon, dated May 12. 1787, he says:

"Mr. Thomson Foster, surgeon, in Union Court, Broad Street, has promised to open my carcass and see what is the matter with my heart, arteries, and kidneys. He is gone to Norwich, and may not return before I am [dead]. Will you be so good as to let me send it to you, or, if he comes, will you like to be present at the dissection? Let me see you to-morrow, between eleven and one or two, or any day. I am now very ill, and hardly see to scrawl this, and feel as if I should live [but] two days-the sooner the better. I am, though unknown to you, your respectful humble servant, MESSENGER MONSEY."

This letter, the original of which is in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, has been communicated by William Clift, Esq. F.R.S.]

very good reason why Dr. Percy never heard Monsey swear or talk bawdy; for he tells me he never saw him but at the Duke of Northumberland's table." "And so, Sir," said Dr. Johnson loudly to Dr. Percy, "you would shield this man from the charge of swearing and talking bawdy, because he did not do so at the Duke of Northumberland's table. Sir, you might as well tell us that you had seen him hold up his hand at the Old Bailey, and he neither swore nor talked bawdy; or that you had seen him in the cart at Tyburn, and he neither swore nor talked bawdy. And is it thus, Sir, that you presume to controvert what I have related?" Dr. Johnson's animadversion was uttered in such a manner, that Dr. Percy seemed to be displeased, and soon afterwards left the company, of which Johnson did not at that time take any notice.

Swift having been mentioned, Johnson, as usual, treated him with little respect as an author. Some of us endeavoured to support the Dean of St. Patrick's, by various arguments. One, in particular, praised his “Conduct of the Allies." JOHNSON." Sir, his • Conduct of the Allies' is a performance of very little ability." "Surely, Sir," said Dr. Douglas,

66

you must allow it has strong facts." (1) JOHNSON.

(1) My respectable friend, upon reading this passage, observed, that he probably must have said not simply "strong facts," but "strong facts well arranged." His Lordship, however, knows too well the value of written documents to insist on setting his recollection against my notes taken at the time. He does not attempt to traverse the record. The fact, perhaps, may have been, either that the additional words escaped me in the noise of a numerous company, or that Dr. Johnson, from

"Why yes, Sir; but what is that to the merit of the composition? In the Sessions-paper of the Old Bailey there are strong facts. Housebreaking is a strong fact; robbery is a strong fact; and murder is a mighty strong fact: but is great praise due to the historian of those strong facts? No, Sir, Swift has told what he had to tell distinctly enough, but that is all. He had to count ten, and he has counted it right." Then recollecting that Mr. Davies, by acting as an informer, had been the occasion of his talking somewhat too harshly to his friend Dr. Percy, for which, probably, when the first ebullition was over, he felt some compunction, he took an opportunity to give him a hit: so added, with a preparatory laugh, "Why, Sir, Tom Davies might have. written The Conduct of the Allies.' Poor Tom being thus suddenly dragged into ludicrous notice in presence of the Scottish doctors, to whom he was ambitious of appearing to advantage, was grievously mortified. Nor did his punishment rest here; for upon subsequent occasions, whenever he, "statesman all over (1)," assumed a strutting importance, I used to hail him—"the Author of the Conduct of the Allies."

66

When I called upon Dr. Johnson next morning, I found him highly satisfied with his colloquial prowess the preceding evening. "Well," said he, we had good talk." BoSWELL. "Yes, Sir; you tossed and gored several persons."

his impetuosity, and eagerness to seize an opportunity to make a lively retort, did not allow Dr. Douglas to finish his sentence. (1) See the hard drawing of him in Churchill's "Rosciad."