difapproved of it, and said, "I never confidered whether I fhould be a grave man, or a merry man, but juft let inclination, for the time, have its course."

No man was a more attentive and nice obferver of behaviour in thofe in whofe company he happened to be than Johnson; or, howeyer ftrange it may feem to many, had a higher estimation of its refinements. Lord Eliot faid, that one day when Johnson and he were at dinner at a gentleman's house in London, upon Lord Chesterfield's Letters being mentioned, Johnson furprized the company by this fentence: "Every man of any education would rather be called a rafcal, than accused of deficiency in the graces." Mr. Gibbon, who was prefent, turned to a lady who knew Johnson well, and lived much with him, and in his quaint manner, tapping his box, addreffed her thus: "Don't you think, Madam (looking towards Johnson), that among all your acquaintance, you could find one exception?" The lady fmiled, and feemed to acquiefce.

The difference (he obferved) between a well bred and an ill bred man is this: "One immediately attracts your liking, the other your averfion. You love the one till you find reafon to hate him; you hate the other till you find reafon to love him,

He

He faid, "General Paoli had the loftieft port of any man he had ever feen." He denied that military men were always the best bred men. "Perfect good breeding, he obferved, confifts in having no particular mark of any profeffion, but a general elegance of manners; whereas in a military man, you can commonly diftinguish the brand of a foldier, l'homme d'épée."

A foppifh physician once reminded Johnson of his having been in company with him on a former occafion. "I do not remember it, Sir." The phyfician ftill infifted, adding that he that day wore fo fine a coat that it must have attracted his notice. "Sir, (faid Johnson) had you been dipt in Pactolus, I fhould not have noticed you."

Goldsmith one day, to divert fome tedious minutes, firutted about, bragging of his dress, and perhaps was ferioufly vain of it, for his mind was wonderfully prone to fuch impreffions. "Come, come (faid Garrick who was of the party), talk no more of that. You are perhaps the worst-ch, eh !"-Goldfinith was eagerly attempting to interrupt him, when Garrick went on, laughing ironically, "Nay, you will always lock like a gentleman; but I am talking of being well or ill dreft."-" Well, let me tell you (faid Goldsmith) when my tay

lor

for brought home my bloom-coloured coat, he faid, Sir, I have a favour to beg of you. When any body afks you who made your clothes, be pleafed to mention John Filby, at the Harrow, in Water-lane."-JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, that was because he knew the strange colour would attract crowds to gaze at it, and thus they might hear of him, and fee how well he could make a coat even of fo abfurd a colour."

Johnfon had called twice on the Bishop of Killaloe before his Lordship fet out for Ireland, having miffed him the first time. He faid, "It would have hung heavy on my heart if I had not feen him. No man ever paid more attention to another than he has done to me; and I have neglected him, not wilfully, but from being otherwife occupied. Always fet a high value on fpontaneous kindness. He, whofe inclination prompts him to cultivate your friendship of his own accord, will love you more than one whom you have been at pains to attach to you.

Johnson faid, that he was once much pleased to find that a carpenter, who lived near him, was very ready to fhew him fome things in his bufinefs, which he wished to fee: "it was paying (he faid) refpect to literature."

Of the paffion of love he remarked," that its violence and ill effects were much exagge

rated;

A

rated; for who knows any real fufferings on that head, more than from the exorbitancy of any other paffion ?"

Dr. Taylor's nofe happening to bleed at a time when Johnfon was with him, and Taylor faying, that it was because he had omitted to have himself blooded four days after a quarter of a year's interval, Johnfon, who was a great dabbler in phyfick, difapproved much of periodical bleeding; for (faid he) you accuftom yourself to an evacuation which Nature cannot perform of herself, and therefore she cannot help you, fhould you, from forgetfulness or any other cause, omit it; fo you may be fuddenly fuffocated. You may accuftom yourself to other periodical evacuations, because should you omit them, Nature can fupply the omiffion; but Nature cannot open a vein to bleed you. "I do not like to take an emetick (faid Taylor) for fear of breaking fome small veffels."-" Poh! (faid Johnfon) if you have fo many things that will break, you had better break your neck at once, and there's an end on't. You will break no small veffels." (blowing with high derifion).

Having one day afked Mr. Langton if his father and mother had fat for their pictures, which he thought it right for each generation of a family to do, and being told that they had opposed

I

oppofed it, he faid, Sir, among the anfractuofities of the human mind, I know not if it may not be one, that there is a fuperftitious reluctance to fit for a picture."

Talking of a friend of his affociating with pcrfons of very difcordant principles and characters, Mr. B. faid, that he was a very univerfal man, quite a man of the world.-JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir; but one may be fo much a man of the world as to be nothing in the world. I remember a paffage in Goldfmith's Vicar of Wakefield,' which he was afterwards fool enough to expunge: I do not love a man who is zealous for nothing."-BOSWELL. "That was a fine paffage."-7. "Yes, Sir;

there was another fine paffage too, which he flruck out: "When I was a young man, being anxious to diftinguish myself, I was perpetually ftarting new propofitions: but I foon gave this over; for I found that generally what was new was falfe." Mr. B. faid he did not like to fit with people of whom he had not a good opinion.-J. " But you muft not indulge your delicacy too much; or you will be a tête à tête man all your life."

When Mr. Vefey was propofed as a member of the LITERARY CLUB, Mr. Burke began by faying that he was a man of gentle manners. Sir, faid Johnfon, you need fay no more.