fofter found, had given Johnson occafion to introduce him into his Dictionary, under the article Alias. This piece was, it is fuppofed, one of Mallet's firft effays. It is preferved in his works with feveral variations. Johnfon having read aloud, from the beginning of it, where there were fome common-place affertions as to the fuperiority of ancient times;"How falfe (faid he) is all this, to fay that in ancient times learning was not a difgrace to a peer as it is now. In ancient times a peer was as ignorant as any one elfe. He would have been angry to have it thought he could write his name. Men in ancient times dared to stand forth with a degree of ignorance, with which nobody would dare now to fland forth. I am always angry when I hear ancient times praifed at the expence of modern times. There is now a great deal more learning in the world than there was formerly; for it is univerfally diffufed. You have, perhaps, no man who knows as much Greek and Latin as Bentley; no man who knows as much mathematicks as Newton; but you have many more men who know Greck and Latin, and who know mathematicks. Mallet, I believe,. never wrote a fingle line of his projected life of the Duke of Marlborough. He groped for materials; and thought of it, till he had exhaufted his mind. Thus it fometimes hap

pens

pens that men entangle themselves in their own schemes."

He allowed high praise to Thomson as a poet; but when one of the company said he was alfo a very good man, our moralift contested this with great warmth, accusing him of grofs fenfuality and licentiousness of manners, "I was (fays Mr. B.) very much afraid that in writing Thomfon's Life, Dr. Johnfon would, have treated his private character with a stern feverity, but I was agrecably disappointed; and I may claim a little merit in it, from my having been at pains to fend him authentick accounts of the affectionate and generous conduct of that poet to his fifters; one of whom, the wife of Mr. Thomfon, fchoolmafter at Lanark, I knew, and was prefented by her with three of his letters, one of which Dr. Johnfon has inferted in his Life."

"Thomfon, I think (faid the Doctor), had as much of the poet about him as moft writers. Every thing appeared to him through the medium of his favourite purfuit. He could not have viewed two candles burning but with a poetical eye." "Thomfon (he added at another. time) had a true poctical genius, the power of viewing every thing in a poetical light. His fault is fuch a cloud of words fometimes, that the fenfe can hardly peep through. Shiels,

who

who compiled Cibber's Lives of the Poets' *, was one day fitting with me. I took down Thomfon, and read aloud a large portion of him, and then asked, is not this fine? Shiels having expreffed the higheft admiration, Well, Sir (faid I), I have omitted every other line."

Talking of the Irish clergy, he faid, Swift was a man of great parts, and the inftrument of much good to his country.

One obfervation which Johnfon makes in Swift's life fhould be often inculcated: "It may be justly supposed, that there was in his converfation what appears fo frequently in his letters, an affectation of familiarity with the great, an ambition of momentary equality, fought and enjoyed by the neglect of those ceremonies which cuftom has established as the barriers between one order of fociety and another. This tranfgreffion of regularity was by himself and his admirers termed greatnefs of foul; but a great mind difdains to hold any thing by courtefy, and therefore never ufurps what a lawful claimant may take away. He that encroaches on another's dignity puts himself in his power; he is either repelled with helpless Indignity, or endured by clemency and condefcenfion."

At another time he said, "Swift has a higher reputation than he deferves. His excellence is ftrong fenfe; for his humour, though very well, is not remarkably good. I doubt whether the Tale of the Tub' be his; for he never owned it, and it is much above his ufual manner." A perfon praifed Swift's Conduct of the Allies;' Johnson called it a performance of very little ability. "Surely, Sir (faid Dr. Douglas), you must allow it has ftrong facts." -JOHNSON. "Why yes, Sir; but what is that to the merit of the compofition? In the Seffions-paper of the Old Bailey there are ftrong facts. Housebreaking is a strong fact; robbery is a strong fact; and murder is a mighty ftrong fact but is great praife due to the hiftorian of those strong facts? No, Sir; Swift has told what he had to tell diftinctly enough, but that is all. He had to count ten, and he has counted it right. Why, Sir, Tom Davies (who was prefent) might have written the conduct of the Allies.

Obfervations on

He praised Delaney's Swift; faid that his book and Lord Orrery's might both be true, though one viewed Swift more, and the other lefs favourably; and that between both we might have a complete notion of Swift.

6

The Beggar's Opera,' and the common queftion, whether it was pernicious in its effects, having been introduced, Johnfon faid, "As to this matter, which has been very much contefted, I myself am of opinion, that more influence has been afcribed to The Beggar's Opera' than it in reality ever had; for I do not believe that any man was ever made a rogue by being prefent at its reprefentation. At the fame time I do not deny that it may have fome influence by making the character of a rogue familiar, and in fome degree pleafing *.

Of Hoole's 'Cleonice' he faid, "The plot is well framed, the intricacy artful, the difentanglement eafy, the fufpenfe affecting, and the paffionate parts properly interpofed."

Buchanan, he faid, was a very fine poet; and was the first who complimented a lady, by afcribing to her the different perfections of the heathen goddeffes; but that Johnston im

* A very eminent phyfician, whofe difcernment is as acute and penetrating in judging of the human character as it is in his own profeflion, remarked once, that a lively young man, fond of pleasure, and without money, would hardly refift a folicitation from his mitrefs to go upon the highway, imme. diately after being prefent at the reprefentation of The Beggar's Opera.' An ingenious obfervation was made by Mr. Gibbon, that "The Beggar's Opera may, perhaps, have fometimes increafed the number of highwaymen ; but it has had a beneficial effect in refining that class of men, making them lefs ferocious."