when the weather was very fine, Beauclerk enticed him, insensibly, to saunter about all the morning. They went into a church-yard, in the time of divine service, and Johnson laid himself down at his ease upon one of the tomb-stones. "Now, sir," said Beauclerk, you are like Hogarth's Idle Apprentice." When Johnson got his pension, Beauclerk said to him, in the humorous phrase of Falstaff, "I hope you'll now purge and live cleanly, like a gentleman."

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One night, when Beauclerk and Langton had supped at a tavern in London, and sat till about three in the morning, it came into their heads to go and knock up Johnson, and see if they could prevail on him to join them in a ramble. They rapped violently at the door of his chambers in the Temple, till at last he appeared in his shirt, with his little black wig on the top of his head, instead of a nightcap, and a poker in his hand, imagining, probably, that some ruffians were coming to attack him. When he discovered who they were, and was told their errand, he smiled, and with great good humour agreed to their proposal: "What, is it you, you dogs? I'll have a frisk with you." He was soon dressed, and they sallied forth together into Covent-garden, where the green-grocers and fruiterers were beginning to arrange their hampers, just come in from the country. Johnson made some attempts to help them; but the honest gardeners stared so at his figure and manner, and odd interference, that he soon saw his services were not relished. They then repaired to one of the neighbouring taverns, and made a bowl of that liquor called bishop, which Johnson had always liked:

while in joyous contempt of sleep, from which he had been roused, he repeated the festive lines,

Short, O short then be thy reign,

And give us to the world again!

They did not stay long, but walked down to the Thames, took a boat, and rowed to Billingsgate. Beauclerk and Johnson were so well pleased with their amusement, that they resolved to persevere in dissipation for the rest of the day but Langton deserted them, being engaged to breakfast with some young ladies. Johnson scolded him for "leaving his social friends, to go and sit with a set of wretched un-idea'd girls." Garrick being told of this ramble, said to him smartly, "I heard of your frolic t'other night. You'll be in the Chronicle." Upon which Johnson afterwards observed, "He durst not do such a thing. His wife would not let him."

On occasion of his play of Irene being brought upon the stage, Johnson had a fancy, that as a dramatic author, his dress should be more gay than what he ordinarily wore; he therefore appeared behind the scenes, and even in one of the side boxes, in a scarlet waistcoat, with rich gold lace, and a gold-laced hat. He humorously observed to Mr. Langton, "that when in that dress he could not treat people with the same ease as when in his usual plain clothes."

Sir Joshua Reynolds told a pleasant characteristical anecdote of Johnson about the time of their first acquaintance. When they were one evening together at the Miss Cotterells', the duchess of

Argyle and another lady of high rank came in. Johnson thinking that the Miss Cotterells were too much engrossed by them, and that he and his friend were neglected, as low company of whom they were somewhat ashamed, grew angry; and resolving to shock their supposed pride, by making their great visitors imagine that his friend and he were low in deed, he addressed himself in a loud tone to Mr. Reynolds, saying, "How much do you think you and I could get in a week, if we were to work as hard as we could?" as if they had been common mechanics.

To a lady who endeavoured to vindicate herself from blame for neglecting social attention to worthy neighbours, by saying, "I would go to them if it would do them any good;" he said, "What good, madam, do you expect to have in your power to do them? It is showing them respect, and that is doing them good."

So socially accommodating was he, that once when Mr. Langton and he were driving together in a coach, and Mr. Langton complained of being sick, he insisted that they should go out, and sit on the back of it in the open air, which they did: and being sensible how strange the appearance must be, observed, that a countryman whom they saw in a field would probably be thinking, "If these two madmen should come down, what would become of me?"

Mr. Strahan mentions a little circumstance of attention, which must be allowed to have its foundation in a nice and true knowledge of human life, "When I write to Scotland," said Johnson, I employ Strahan to frank my letters, that he may

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have the consequence of appearing a parliamentman among his countrymen."

Sir Joshua Reynolds relates a very characteristical anecdote of Johnson while at Plymouth. Having observed, that in consequence of the Dockyard, a new town had arisen about two miles off as a rival to the old; and knowing, from his sagacity, and just observation of human nature, that it is certain, if a man hates at all, he will hate his next neighbour; he concluded that this new and rising town could not but excite the envy and jealousy of the old, in which conjecture he was very soon confirmed; he therefore set himself resolutely on the side of the old town, the established town, in which his lot was cast, considering it as a kind of duty to stand by it. He accordingly entered warmly into its interests, and upon every occasion talked of the dockers, as the inhabitants of the new town were called, as upstarts and aliens. Plymouth is very plentifully supplied with water by a river brought into it from a great distance, which is so abundant that it runs to waste in the town. The Dock, or New Town, being totally destitute of water, petitioned Plymouth that a small portion of the conduit might be permitted to go to them; and this was now under consideration. Johnson, affecting to entertain the passions of the place, was violent in opposition; and half-laughing at himself for his pretended zeal, where he had no concern, exclaimed, "No, no: I am against the dockers; I am a Plymouth-man. Rogues! let them die of thirst. They shall not have a drop!"

Johnson talked of that studied behaviour which many have recommended and practised. He dis

approved of it, and said, "I never considered whether I should be a grave man, or a merry man, but just let inclination, for the time, have its

He had upon the dial-plate of his watch a short Greek inscription, taken from the New Testament, Nu yap exerα, being the first words of our Saviour's solemn admonition to the improvement of that time which is allowed us to prepare for eternity: "the night cometh when no man can work." He sometime afterwards laid aside this dial-plate; and when asked the reason, he said, "It might do very well upon a clock, which a man keeps in his closet-but to have it upon his watch, which he carries about with him, and which is often looked at by others, might be censured as ostentatious."

He was so ceremonious, that he refused to go out of a room before Dr. Maxwell, at Mr. Langton's house, saying, he hoped he knew his rank better than to presume to take place of a doctor in divinity. Yet, at times, he was grossly rude; and, when exasperated by contradiction, was apt to treat his opponents with too much acrimony; as, "Sir, you don't see your way through that question;""Sir, you talk the language of ignorance."

Sir John Hawkins having refused to pay his portion of the reckoning for supper, because he usually ate no supper at home, Johnson observed, "Sir John, sir, is a very unclubable man."

Though by no means niggardly, his attention to what was generally right was so minute, that having observed, at one of the stages, that Boswell ostentatiously gave a shilling to the coachman, when