ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

At this time it appears from his " Prayers and Meditations," that he had 1772. been more than commonly diligent in religious duties, particularly in reading Etat. 63. the holy fcriptures. It was Paffion Week, that folemn feafon which the Christian world has appropriated to the commemoration of the mysteries of our redemption, and during which, whatever embers of religion are in our breafts, will be kindled into pious warmth.

I paid him short visits both on Friday and Saturday, and feeing his large folio Greek Teftament before him, beheld him with a reverential awe, and would not intrude upon his time. While he was thus employed to fuch good purpose, and while his friends in their intercourfe with him conftantly found a vigorous intellect and a lively imagination, it is melancholy to read in his private register, “My mind is unfettled and my memory confufed. I have of late turned my thoughts with a very useless earnestness upon past incidents. I have yet got no command over my thoughts; an unpleafing incident is almoft certain to hinder my reft?." What philofophick heroifm was it in him to appear with fuch manly fortitude to the world, while he was inwardly fo dif- · treffed! We may furely believe that the mysterious principle of being "made perfect through fuffering was to be ftrongly exemplified in him.

On Sunday, April 19, being Eafter-day, General Paoli and I paid him a vifit before dinner. We talked of the notion that blind perfons can distinguish colours by the touch. Johnfon faid, that Profeffor, Sanderfon mentions hist having attempted to do it, but that he found he was aiming at an impoffibility that to be fure a difference in the furface makes the difference of colours; but that difference is fo fine, that it is not fenfible to the touch. The General mentioned jugglers and fraudulent gamefters, who could know cards by the touch. Dr. Johnfon faid, "the cards ufed by fuch perfons must be less polished than ours commonly are."

We talked of founds. The General faid, there was no beauty in a fimple found but only in an harmonious compofition of founds. I prefumed to differ from this opinion, and mentioned the foft and fweet found of a fine woman's voice. JOHNSON. "No, Sir, if a ferpent or a toad uttered it, you would think it ugly." BOSWELL. "So you would think, Sir, were a beautiful tune to be uttered by one of thofe animals." JOHNSON. "No, Sir, it would be admired. We have feen fine fidlers whom we liked as little as toads," (laughing).

Talking on the fubject of taste in the arts, he faid, that difference of tafte was, in truth, difference of skill. BOSWELL. "But, Sir, is there not a quality

[blocks in formation]

1772.

Etat. 63.

called tafte, which confifts merely in perception or in liking? For instance, we find people differ much as to what is the best style of English compofition. Some think Swift's the beft; others prefer a fuller and grander way of writing." JOHNSON. "Sir, you must first define what you mean by ftyle, before you can judge who has a good taste in style, and who has a bad. The two claffes of perfons whom you have mentioned don't differ as to good and bad. They both agree that Swift has a good neat ftyle; but one loves a neat ftyle, another loves a style of more splendour. In like manner, one loves a plain coat, another loves a laced coat; but neither will deny that each is good in its kind."

While I remained in London this fpring, I was with him at several other times, both by himself and in company. I dined with him one day at the Crown and Anchor tavern, in the Strand, with Lord Elibank, Mr. Langton, and Dr. Vanfittart of Oxford. Without fpecifying each particular day, I have preferved the following memorable things.

I regretted the reflection in his Preface to Shakspeare against Garrick, to whom we cannot but apply the following paffage: "I collated fuch copies as I could procure, and wifhed for more, but have not found the collectors of these rarities very communicative." I told him, that Garrick had complained to me of it, and had vindicated himself by affuring me, that Johnson was made welcome to the full ufe of his collection, and that he left the key of it with a fervant, with orders to have a fire and every convenience for him. I found Johnfon's notion was, that Garrick wanted to be courted for them, and that, on the contrary, Garrick fhould have courted him, and fent him the plays of his own accord. But, indeed, confidering the flovenly and careless manner in which books were treated by Johnson, it could not be expected that scarce and valuable editions fhould have been lent to him.

A gentleman having to fome of the ufual arguments for drinking added this: "You know, Sir, drinking drives away care, and makes us forget whatever is difagreeable. Would not you allow a man to drink for that reafon ?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, if he fat next you."

I expreffed a liking for Mr. Francis Ofborn's works, and afked him what he thought of that writer. He answered, "A conceited fellow. Were a man to write fo now, the boys would throw ftones at him." He however did not alter my opinion of a favourite authour, to whom I was first directed by his being quoted in "The Spectator," and in whom I have found much fhrewd and lively fenfe, expreffed indeed in a ftyle fomewhat quaint, which, however, I do not diflike. His book has an air of originality. We figure to ourselves an ancient gentleman talking to us.

When

1772.

When one of his friends endeavoured to maintain that a country gentleman. might contrive to pafs his life very agreeably, "Sir, (faid he,) you cannot Etat. 63 give me an instance of any man who is permitted to lay out his own time, contriving not to have tedious hours." This obfervation, however, is equally applicable to gentlemen who live in cities, and are of no profession.

He said, "there is no permanent national character; it varies according to circumstances. Alexander the Great swept India: now the Turks fweep Greece."

A learned gentleman who in the courfe of converfation wifhed to inform us of this fimple fact, that the Counsel upon the circuit at Shrewsbury were much bitten by fleas, took, I fuppofe, seven or eight minutes in relating it circumstantially. He in a plenitude of phrase told us, that large bales of woollen cloth were lodged in the town-hall;-that by reafon of this, fleas neftled there in prodigious numbers;-that the lodgings of the Counfel were near to the town-hall;—and that those little animals moved from place to place with wonderful agility. Johnfon fat in great impatience till the gentleman had finished his tedious narrative, and then burst out, "It is a pity, Sir, that you have not seen a lion; for a flea has taken you such a time, that a lion must have ferved you a twelvemonth "."

He would not allow Scotland to derive any credit from Lord Mansfield; for he was educated in England. "Much (faid he,) may be made of a

Scotchman, if he be caught young."

Talking of a modern hiftorian and a modern moralift, he faid, "There is more thought in the moralift than in the hiftorian. There is but a fhallow ftream of thought in hiftory." BoSWELL. "But furely, Sir, an hiftorian has reflection." JOHNSON. JOHNSON. "Why yes, Sir; and fo has a cat when the catches a mouse for her kitten. But she cannot write like the moralist; neither can the hiftorian."

He faid, "I am very unwilling to read the manufcripts of authours, and give them my opinion. If the authours who apply to me have money, I bid them boldly print without a name; if they have written in order to get money, I tell them to go to the bookfellers, and make the best bargain they can." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, if a bookfeller fhould bring you a manufcript to look at."-JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, I would defire the book feller to take it away."

Mrs. Piozzi, to whom I told this anecdote, has related it, as if the gentleman had given the natural hiftory of the mouse." Anecdotes, p. 191.

I mentioned

1772.

[ocr errors]

I mentioned a friend of mine who had refided long in Spain, and was Etat. 63. unwilling to return to Britain. JOHNSON. "Sir, he is attached to fome woman.' BOSWELL. "I rather believe, Sir, it is the fine climate which keeps him there." JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, how can you talk fo? What is climate to happiness? Place me in the heart of Afia, fhould I not be exiled? What proportion does climate bear to the complex fyftem of human life. You may advise me to go and live at Bologna to eat faufages. The faufages there, are the best in the world; they lose much by being carried."

On Saturday, May 9, Mr. Dempfter and I had agreed to dine by ourfelves at the British coffee-houfe. Johnson, on whom I happened to call in the morning, faid, he would join us, which he did, and we spent a very pleasant day, though I recollect but little of what paffed.

He faid, "Walpole was a minifter given by the King to the people: Pitt was a minister given by the people to the King,-as an adjunct."

"The misfortune of Goldfmith in converfation is this: he goes on without knowing how he is to get off. His genius is great, but his knowledge is finall. As they fay of a generous man, it is a pity he is not rich; we may fay of Goldfinith, it is a pity he is not knowing. He would not keep his knowledge to himself."

Before leaving London this year, I confulted him upon a queftion purely of Scotch law. It was held of old, and continued for a long period, to be an established principle in that law, that whoever intermeddled with the effects of a perfon deceased, without the interpofition of legal authority to guard against embezzlement, should be subjected to pay all the debts of the deceased, as having been guilty of what was technically called vitious intromiffion. The Court of Seffion had gradually relaxed the ftrictness of this principle, where the interference proved had been inconsiderable. In a cafe which came before that Court the preceding winter, I had laboured to perfuade the Judges to return to the ancient law. It was my own fincere opinion, that they ought to adhere to it; but I had exhaufted all my powers of reafoning in vain. Johnfon thought as I did; and in order to affift me in my application to the Court for a revision. and alteration of the judgement, he dictated to me the following argument:

"This, we are told, is a law which has its force only from the long practice of the Court; and may, therefore, be suspended or modified as the Court fhall think proper.

"Concerning the power of the Court to make or to fufpend a law, we have no intention to inquire. It is fufficient for our purpose that every juft law is

[blocks in formation]

dictated by reafon; and that the practice of every legal Court is regulated by equity. It is the quality of reason to be invariable and conftant; and of equity, to give to one man what, in the fame cafe, is given to another. The advantage which humanity derives from law is this: that the law gives every man a rule of action, and prescribes a mode of conduct which shall entitle him to the fupport and protection of fociety. That the law may be a rule of action, it is neceffary that it be known;-it is neceffary that it be permanent and ftable. The law is the measure of civil right; but if the measure be changeable, the extent of the thing measured never can be fettled.

"To permit a law to be modified at difcretion, is to leave the community without law. It is to withdraw the direction of that publick wifdom, by which the deficiencies of private understanding are to be fupplied. It is to suffer the rash and ignorant to act at difcretion, and then to depend for the legality of that action on the fentence of the Judge. He that is thus governed, lives not by law, but by opinion: not by a certain rule to which he can apply his intention before he acts, but by an uncertain and variable opinion, which he can never know but after he has committed the act on which that opinion fhall be paffed. He lives by a law (if a law it be,) which he can never know before he has offended it. To this cafe may be justly applied that important principle, mifera eft fervitus ubi jus eft aut incognitum aut vagum. If Intromiffion be not criminal till it exceeds a certain point, and that point be unfettled, and consequently different in different minds, the right of Intromiffion, and the right of the Creditor arifing from it, are all jura vaga, and, by confequence, are jura incognita; and the refult can be no other than a mifera fervitus, an uncertainty concerning the event of action, a fervile dependance on private opinion.

"It may be urged, and with great plausibility, that there may be Intromiflion without fraud; which, however true, will by no means justify an occafional and arbitrary relaxation of the law. The end of law is protection as well as vengeance. Indeed, vengeance is never ufed but to strengthen protection. That fociety only is well governed, where life is freed from danger and from fufpicion; where poffeffion is fo fheltered by falutary prohibitions, that violation is prevented more frequently than punished. Such a prohibition was this, while it operated with its original force. The creditor of the deceased was not only without lofs, but without fear. He was not to feek a remedy for an injury suffered; for injury was warded off.

"As the law has been fometimes administered, it lays us open to wounds, because it is imagined to have the power of healing. To punish fraud when

1772.

Ætat. 63.

it

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »