buying and felling a pen-knife; fo you don't call a man a whoremonger for 1772. getting one wench with child." Ætat. 63.

I fpoke of the inequality of the livings of the clergy in England, and the fcanty provifions of fome of the Curates. JOHNSON. "Why, yes, Sir; but it cannot be helped. You must confider, that the revenues of the clergy are not at the difpofal of the state, like the pay of the army. Different men have founded different churches; and fome are better endowed, fome worse. The State cannot interfere and make an equal divifion of what has been particularly appropriated. Now when a clergyman has but a fmall living, or even two finall livings, he can afford very little to a Curate."

He said, he went more frequently to church when there were prayers only, than when there was alfo a fermon, as the people required more an example for the one than the other; it being much easier for them to hear a fermon, than to fix their minds on prayer.

On Monday, April 6, I dined with him at Sir Alexander Macdonald's, where was a young officer in the regimentals of the Scots Royal, who talked with a vivacity, fluency, and precision fo uncommon, that he attracted particular attention. He proved to be the Honourable Thomas Erfkine, youngest brother to the Earl of Buchan, who has fince rifen into fuch brilliant reputation at the bar in Westminster-hall.

Fielding being mentioned, Johnson exclaimed, "he was a blockhead;" and upon my expreffing my aftonishment at fo ftrange an affertion, he said, "What I mean by his being a blockhead is, that he was a barren rafcal." BOSWELL. "Will you not allow, Sir, that he draws very natural pictures of human life?" JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, it is of very low life. Richardfon used to say, that had he not known who Fielding was, he fhould have believed he was an oftler. Sir, there is more knowledge of the heart in one letter of Richardson's, than in all Tom Jones.' I, indeed, never read Jofeph Andrews." ERSKINE. "Surely, Sir, Richardfon is very tedious." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, if you were to read Richardson for the story, your impatience would be fo much fretted, that you would hang yourself. But you must read him for the fentiment, and confider the story as only giving occafion to the fentiment."-I have already given my opinion of Fielding; but I cannot refrain from repeating here my wonder at Johnson's exceffive and unaccountable depreciation of one of the beft writers that England has produced. "Tom Jones" has stood the test of publick opinion with fuch fuccefs, as to have established its great merit, both for the ftory, the fentiments, and the manners, and also the varieties of diction, fo as to leave no doubt of its having an animated truth of execution throughout.

1772.

Etat. 63.

A book of travels, lately published under the title of Coriat Junior, and written by Mr. Paterson, the auctioneer, was mentioned. Johnson said, this book was an imitation of Sterne, and not of Coriat, whose name Paterson had chofen as a whimsical one. "Tom Coriat, (faid he,) was a humourist about the court of James the Firft. He had a mixture of learning, of wit, and of buffoonery. He first travelled through Europe, and published his travels. He afterwards travelled on foot through Asia, and had made many remarks; but he died at Mandoa, and his remarks were loft."

We talked of gaming, and animadverted on it with feverity. JOHNSON. "Nay, gentlemen, let us not aggravate the matter. It is not roguery to play with a man who is ignorant of the game, while you are master of it, and so win his money; for he thinks he can play better than you, as you think you can play better than he; and the fuperiour skill carries it." ERSKINE. "He is a fool, but you are not a rogue." JOHNSON. "That's much about the truth, Sir. It must be confidered, that a man who only does what every one of the fociety to which he belongs would do, is not a difhonest man. In the republick of Sparta it was agreed, that ftealing was not dishonourable, if not discovered. I do not commend a fociety where there is an agreement that what would not otherwise be fair, fhall be fair; but I maintain, that an individual of any fociety, who practises what is allowed, is not a dishonest man." BOSWELL. "So then, Sir, you do not think ill of a man who wins perhaps forty thousand pounds in a winter?" JOHNSON. "Sir, I do not call a gamefter a difhoneft man; but I call him an unfocial man, an unprofitable man. Gaming is a mode of transferring property without producing any intermediate good. Trade gives employment to numbers, and fo produces intermediate good.”

Mr. Erfkine told us, that when he was in the island of Minorca, he not only read prayers, but preached two fermons to the regiment. He feemed to object to the paffage in fcripture where we are told that the angel of the Lord fmote in one night forty thousand Affyrians. "Sir, (faid Johnson,) you should recollect that there was a fupernatural interpofition; they were destroyed by peftilence. You are not to fuppofe that the angel of the Lord went about and ftabbed each of them with a dagger, or knocked them on the head, man by man."

After Mr. Erfkine was gone, a difcuffion took place, whether the prefent Earl of Buchan, when Lord Cardrofs, did right to refuse to go Secretary of the Embaffy to Spain, when Sir James Gray, a man of inferiour rank, went Ambaffadour.. Dr. Johnfon faid, that perhaps in point of intereft

3

1772.

intereft he did wrong; but in point of dignity he did well. Sir Alexander infifted that he was wrong, and faid that Mr. Pitt intended it as an advan- Etat. 63. tageous thing for him. "Why, Sir, (faid Johnfon,) Mr. Pitt might think it an advantageous thing for him to make him a vintner, and get him all the Portugal trade; but he would have demeaned himself ftrangely had he accepted of fuch a fituation. Sir, had he gone Secretary while his inferiour was Ambaffadour, he would have been a traitor to his rank and family."

I talked of the little attachment which fubfifted between near relations in London. "Sir, (faid Johnson,) in a country fo commercial as ours, where every man can do for himself, there is not fo much occafion for that attachNo man is thought the worfe of here, whose brother was hanged. In uncommercial countries, many of the branches of a family muft depend on the ftock; fo, in order to make the head of the family take care of them, they are represented as connected with his reputation, that, felf-love being interested, he may exert himself to promote their interest. You have first large circles, or clans; as commerce increases, the connection is confined to families. By degrees, that too goes off, as having become unnecessary, and there being few opportunities of intercourse. One brother is a merchant in the city, and another is an officer in the guards. How little intercourfe can these two have!"

I argued warmly for the old feudal fyftem. Sir Alexander oppofed it, and talked of the pleasure of seeing all men free and independent. JOHNson. "I agree with Mr. Bofwell that there must be a high fatisfaction in being a feudal Lord; but we are to confider, that we ought not to wish to have a number of men unhappy for the fatisfaction of one."-I maintained that numbers, namely, the vaffals or followers, were not unhappy, for that there was a reciprocal fatisfaction between the Lord and them: he being kind in his authority over them; they being respectful and faithful to him.

On Thursday, April 9, I called on him to beg he would go and dine with me at the Mitre tavern. He had refolved not to dine at all this day, I know not for what reafon; and I was fo unwilling to be deprived of his company, that I was content to fubmit to fuffer a want, which was at firft fomewhat painful, but he foon made me forget it; and a man is always pleased with himself when he finds his intellectual inclinations predominate.

He observed, that to reafon too philofophically on the nature of prayer, was very unprofitable.

Talking of ghofts, he faid, he knew one friend, who was an honeft man and a sensible man, who told him he had seen a ghost, old Mr. Edward Cave,

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1772.

Etat. 63.

Cave, the printer at St. John's Gate. He faid, Mr. Cave did not like to talk of it, but seemed to be in great horrour whenever it was mentioned. BOSWELL. Pray, Sir, what did he say was the appearance?" JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, fomething of a fhadowy being."

I mentioned witches, and asked him what they properly meant. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, they properly mean those who make use of the aid of evil fpirits." BOSWELL. "There is no doubt, Sir, a general report and belief of their having existed," JOHNSON. "Sir, you have not only the general report and belief, but you have many voluntary folemn confeffions." He did not affirm any thing positively upon a fubject which it is the fashion of the times to laugh at as a matter of abfurd credulity. He only feemed willing, as a candid enquirer after truth, however strange and inexplicable, to fhew that he understood what might be urged for it3.

On Friday, April 10, I dined with him at General Oglethorpe's, where we found Dr. Goldsmith.

Armorial bearings having been mentioned, Johnson faid, they were as ancient as the fiege of Thebes, which he proved by a paffage in one of the tragedies of Euripides.

I started the question whether duelling was confiftent with moral duty. The brave old General fired at this, and faid, with a lofty air, "Undoubtedly a man has a right to defend his honour." GOLDSMITH, (turning to me.) "I ask you first, Sir, what you would do if you were affronted ?" I answered I should think it neceffary to fight. "Why then (replied Goldfmith,) that folves the question." JOHNSON. "No, Sir, it does not folye the queftion. It does not follow that what a man would do is therefore right." I faid, I wished to have it fettled, whether duelling was contrary to the laws of Christianity. Johnson immediately entered on the subject, and treated it in a masterly manner; and fo far as I have been able to recollect, his thoughts were thefe: "Sir, as men become in a high degree refined, various causes of offence arise; which are confidered to be of fuch importance, that life must be ftaked to atone for them, though in reality they are not fo. A body that has received a very fine polish may be easily hurt. Before men arrive at this artificial refinement, if one tells his neighbour he lies,, his neighbour tells him he lies; if one gives his neighbour a blow, his neighbour gives him a blow: but in a state of highly polished fociety, an affront is held to be a ferious injury. It must,

3 See this curious queftion treated by him with moft acute ability," Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides," 3d edit. p. 33..

therefore

therefore, be refented, or rather a duel must be fought upon it; as men have

1772.

agreed to banish from their fociety one who puts up with an affront without Etat. 63. fighting a duel. Now, Sir, it is never unlawful to fight in felf-defence. He, then, who fights a duel, does not fight from paffion against his antagonist, but out of felf-defence; to avert the ftigma of the world, and to prevent himself from being driven out of fociety. I could wish that there was not that superfluity of refinement; but while fuch notions prevail, no doubt a man may lawfully fight a duel.”

Let it be remembered, that this justification is applicable only to the person who receives an affront. All mankind must condemn the aggreffor. The General told us, that when he was a very young man, I think only fifteen, serving under Prince Eugene of Savoy, he was fitting in a company at table with a Prince of Wirtemberg. The Prince took up a glass of wine, and, by a fillip, made some of it fly in Oglethorpe's face. Here was a nice dilemma. To have challenged him instantly, might have fixed a quarrelsome character upon the young foldier to have taken no notice of it might have been confidered as cowardice. Oglethorpe, therefore, keeping his eye upon the Prince, and fmiling all the time, as if he took what his Highness had done in jeft, faid, "Mon Prince,-" (I forget the French words he used, the purport however was,) "That's a good joke; but we do it much better in England;" and threw a whole glafs of wine in the Prince's face. An old General who fat by, faid, " Il a bien fait, mon Prince, vous l'avez commencé ;” and thus all ended in good humour.

Dr. Johnson faid, "Pray, General, give us an account of the fiege of Bender." Upon which the General, pouring a little wine upon the table, described every thing with a wet finger: "Here were we, here were the Turks," &c. &c. Johnfon liftened with the clofeft attention..

A question was started, how far people who difagree in any capital point can live în friendship together. Johnson said they might. Goldfmith faid they could not, as they had not the idem velle atque idem nolle—the fame likings and the fame averfions. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, you must shun the subject as to which you difagree. For inftance, I can live very well with Burke: I love his knowledge, his genius, his diffufion, and affluence of converfation; but I would not talk to him of the Rockingham party." GOLDSMITH." But, Sir, when people live together who have fomething as to which they difagree, and which they want to fhun, they will be in the fituation mentioned in the story of Bluebeard; You may look into all the chambers but one.' But we fhould have the greatest inclination to look into that chamber, to talk of that fubject." JOHNSON,.