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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 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, man all o'er," assumed a strutting importance, Boswell used to hail him-" The author of the Conduct of the Allies."

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Johnson, in high spirits one evening at the club, attacked Swift, as he used to do upon all occasions. "The Tale of a Tub is so much superior to his other writings, that one can hardly believe he was the author of it; there is in it such a vigour of mind, such a swarm of thoughts, so much of nature, and art, and life." Boswell wondered to hear him say of Gulliver's Travels, "When once you have thought of big men and little men, it is very easy to do all the rest." He endeavoured to make a stand for Swift, and tried to rouse those who were much more able to defend him, but in vain. Johnson, at last, of his own accord, allowed very great merit to the inventory of articles found in the pocket of" the Man Mountain," particularly the description of his watch, which it was conjectured was his god, as he consulted it upon all occasions. He observed, that "Swift put his name to but two things (after he had a name to put), The Plan for the Improvement

of the English language, and the last Drapier's Letter."

Johnson laughed heartily when Boswell mentioned to him a saying of his concerning Mr. Thomas Sheridan, which Foote took a wicked pleasure to circulate. "Why, sir, Sherry is dull; naturally dull: but it must have taken him a great deal of pains to become what we now see him: such an excess of stupidity, sir, is not in nature; so I allowed him all his own merit."

He now added, "Sheridan cannot bear me. I bring his declamation to a point: I ask him a plain question, What do you mean to teach? Beside, sir, what influence can Mr. Sheridan have upon the language of this great country, by his narrow exertions? Sir, it is burning a farthing candle at Dover, to show light at Calais."

Talking of a barrister, who had a bad utterance, some one, to rouse Johnson, wickedly said, that he was unfortunate in not having been taught oratory by Sheridan. JOHNSON. "Nay, sir, if he had been taught by Sheridan, he would have cleared the room." GARRICK. "Sheridan has too much vanity to be a good man." We shall now see Johnson's mode of defending a man; taking him into his own hands, and discriminating. JOHNson. “No, sir; there is, to be sure, in Sheridan, something to reprehend, and every thing to laugh at; but, sir, he is not a bad man. No, sir; were mankind to be divided into good and bad, he would stand considerably within the ranks of good: and, sir, it must be allowed that Sheridan excels in plain declamation, though he can exhibit no character."

Of this gentleman, on a subsequent occasion, he remarked," that he neither wanted parts nor literature; but his vanity and Quixotism obscured his merits."

Boswell expressed his opinion of his friend Derrick, as but a poor writer. JOHNSON. "To be sure, sir, he is; but you are to consider, that his being a literary man has got for him all that he has; it has made him king of Bath. Sir, he has nothing to say for himself but that he is a writer; had he not been a writer, he must have been sweeping the crossings in the streets, and asking halfpence from every body that passed."

"In justice, however, to the memory of Mr. Derrick," adds Boswell," who was my first tutor in the ways of London, and showed me the town in all its variety of departments, both literary and sportive, the particulars of which Dr. Johnson advised me to put into writing-it is proper to mention what Johnson, at a subsequent period, said of him, both as a writer and an editor: Sir, I have often said, that if Derrick's letters had been written by one of a more established name, they would have been thought very pretty letters.' And, I sent Derrick to Dryden's relations, to gather materials for his life; and I believe he got all that I myself should have got.'

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Johnson said once to Boswell, "Sir, I honour Derrick for his presence of mind. One night, when Floyd, another poor author, was wandering about the streets in the night, he found Derrick fast asleep upon a bulk. Upon being suddenly waked, Derrick started up: My dear Floyd, I am sorry to, see you in this destitute state; will you go home with me to my lodgings ?"

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One evening, when some of Dr. Kenrick's works were mentioned, Goldsmith said he had never heard of them; upon which Dr. Johnson observed, "Sir, he is one of the many who have made themselves public, without making themselves known."

Of Guthrie, he said, "Sir, he is a man of parts. He has no great regular fund of knowledge; but, by reading so long, and writing so long, he no doubt has picked up a good deal."

He praised Signor Baretti. "His account of Italy is a very entertaining book; and, sir, I know no man who carries his head higher in conversation than Baretti. There are strong powers in his mind. He has not, indeed, many hooks; but with what hooks he has, he grapples very forcibly."

Lord Lyttelton's Dialogues he deemed a nugatory performance. "That man," said he, "sat down to write a book, to tell the world what the world had all his life been telling him."

Speaking of Boethius, who was the favourite writer of the middle ages, he said it was very surprising, "that upon such a subject, and in such a situation, he should be magis philosophus quam Christianus."

Of the late Mr. Mallet he spoke with no great respect; said, he was ready for any dirty job; that he had written against Byng at the instigation of the ministry, and was equally ready to write for him, provided he found his account in it.

Of Dr. Kennicott's Collations, he observed, that, though the text should not be much mended thereby, yet it was no small advantage to know that we had as good a text as the most consummate industry and diligence could procure.

Speaking of the old earl of Cork and Orrery, he said, "that man-spent his life in catching at an object [literary eminence], which he had not power to grasp."

Of Burke he said, "It was commonly observed, he spoke too often in parliament; but nobody could say he did not speak well, though too frequently, and too familiarly."

Talking of Tacitus, Boswell hazarded an opinion, that with all his merit for penetration, shrewdness of judgment, and terseness of expression, he was too.compact, too much broken into hints, as it were, and therefore too difficult to be understood. Dr. Johnson sanctioned this opinion. Tacitus, sir, seems to me rather to have made notes for an historical work, than to have written a history.” *

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He said, "Burnet's History of his own Times is very entertaining: the style, indeed, is mere chitchat. I do not believe that Burnet intentionally lied; but he was so much prejudiced, that he took no pains to find out the truth. He was like a man who resolves to regulate his time by a certain watch, but will not inquire, whether the watch is right or not."

Goldsmith being mentioned-JOHNSON. "It is amazing how little Goldsmith knows he seldom comes where he is not more ignorant than any one else." SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS. "Yet, there is no man whose company is more liked." JOHNSON. "To be sure, sir, when people find a man of the

• Lord Monboddo, whom, on account of his resembling Dr. Johnson in some particulars, Foote called an Elzevir edition of him, has made the same remark.

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