culated the bottle very freely. Lord Graham and I
went together to Miss Monckton's, where I certainly
was in extraordinary spirits, and above all fear or awe.
In the midst of a great number of persons of the first
rank, amongst whom I recollect with confusion, a noble
lady of the most stately decorum, I placed myself next
to Johnson, and thinking myself now fully his match,
talked to him in a loud and boisterous manner, de-
sirous to let the company know how I could contend
with Ajax. I particularly remember pressing him
upon the value of the pleasures of the imagination,
and as an illustration of my argument, asking him,
'What, sir, supposing I were to fancy that the
(naming the most charming Duchess in his Majesty's
dominions) were in love with me, should I not be very
happy?' My friend, with much address, evaded my
interrogatories, and kept me as quiet as possible; but
it may easily be conceived how he must have felt.1
1 Next day I endeavoured to give what had happened the most in-
genious turn I could, by the following verses:

TO THE HONOURABLE MISS MONCKTON
Not that with th' excellent Montrose

I had the happiness to dine:

Not that I late from table rose;

From Graham's wit, from generous wine:

It was not these alone which led

On sacred manners to encroach;

And made me feel what most I dread,

Johnson's just frown, and self-reproach:

But when I enter'd, not abash'd,

From your bright eyes were shot such rays,

At once intoxication flash'd,

And all my frame was in a blaze!

But not a brilliant blaze I own,

Of the dull smoke I'm yet ashamed;

I was a dreary ruin grown,

And not enlighten'd, though inflamed.
Victim at once to wine and love,

I hope, Maria, you'll forgive;
While I invoke the powers above,
That henceforth I may wiser live.'

The lady was generously forgiving, returned me an obliging answer.

However, when a few days afterwards I waited upon him and made an apology, he behaved with the most friendly gentleness.

While I remained in London this year, Johnson and I dined together at several places. I recollect a placid day at Dr. Butter's, who had now removed from Derby to Lower Grosvenor Street, London: but of his conversation on that and other occasions during this period, I neglected to keep any regular record, and shall therefore insert here some miscellaneous articles which I find in my Johnsonian notes.

His disorderly habits, when making provision for the day that was passing over him,' appear from the following anecdote, communicated to me by Mr. John Nichols In the year 1763, a young bookseller, who was an apprentice to Mr. Whiston, waited on him with a subscription to his Shakespeare; and observing that the Doctor made no entry in any book of the subscriber's name, ventured diffidently to ask whether he would please to have the gentleman's address, that it might be properly inserted in the printed list of subscribers. "I shall print no List of Subscribers,” said Johnson, with great abruptness; but almost immediately recollecting himself, added very complacently, “Sir, I have two very cogent reasons for not printing any list of subscribers ;-one, that I have lost all the names, the other, that I have spent all the money.

Johnson could not brook appearing to be worsted in argument, even when he had taken the wrong side, to show the force and dexterity of his talents. When,

and I thus obtained an Act of Oblivion, and took care never to offend again.

therefore, he perceived that his opponent gained ground, he had recourse to some sudden mode of robust sophistry. Once when I was pressing upon him with visible advantage, he stopped me thus: 'My dear Boswell, let's have no more of this; you'll make nothing of it. I'd rather have you whistle a Scotch tune.'

Care, however, must be taken to distinguish between Johnson when he 'talked for victory,' and Johnson when he had no desire but to inform and illustrate. One of Johnson's principal talents (says an eminent friend of his 1) was shown in maintaining the wrong side of an argument, and in a splendid perversion of the truth. If you could contrive to have his fair opinion on a subject, and without any bias from personal prejudice, or from a wish to be victorious in argument, it was wisdom itself, not only convincing, but overpowering.'

He had, however, all his life habituated himself to consider conversation as a trial of intellectual vigour and skill; and to this, I think, we may venture to ascribe that unexampled richness and brilliancy which appeared in his own. As a proof at once of his eagerness for colloquial distinction, and his high notion of this eminent friend, he once addressed him thus: " we have now been several hours together; and you have said but one thing for which I envied you.'

He disliked much all speculative desponding considerations, which tended to discourage men from diligence and exertion. He was in this like Dr. Shaw,

1 [The late Right Hon. William Gerrard Hamilton.-M.]