another woman that pleases him better, he will leave the first."

Yet he well obferved, "Marriage is the beft ftate for a man in general; and every man is a worse man, in proportion as he is unfit for the married state.

"Marriage is much more neceffary to a man than to a woman; for he is much less able to fupply himself with domeftic comforts. You (addreffing Mr. Bofwell) will recollect my faying to fome ladies the other day, that I had often wondered why young women fhould marry, as they have so much more freedom, and so much more attention paid to them while unmarried, than when married."

He one day remarked, that it was commonly a weak man who married for love. Some one then talked of marrying a woman of fortune; and mentioned a common remark, that a man may be, upon the whole, richer by marrying a woman with a very small portion, becaufe a woman of fortune will be proportionally expensive; whereas a woman who brings none will be very moderate in expences.-JOHNSON. Depend upon it, Sir, this is not true. A woman of fortune, being used to the handling of money, fpends it judiciously; but a woman who gets the command of money for the first time upon her marriage, has such a guft in spending it, that the throws it away with great profufion."

A per

A perfon was mentioned as having refolved hever to marry a pretty woman. Johnson faid, "Sir, it is a very foolish resolution not to marry a pretty woman. Beauty is of itself very estimable. No, Sir, I would prefer a pretty woman, unless there were objections to her. A pretty woman may be foolish; a pretty woman may be wicked; a pretty woman may not like me. But there is no fuch danger in marrying a pretty woman as is apprehended; fhe will not be perfecuted if she does not invite perfecution. A pretty woman, if fhe has a mind to be wicked, can find a readier way than another; and that is all."

Being asked if he did not fuppofe that there were fifty women in the world, with any one of whom a man might be as happy, as with any one woman in particular, he said, "Aye, Sir, fifty thousand."-BOSWELL. " Then, Sir, you are not of opinion with fome, who imagine that certain men and certain women are made for each other; and that they cannot be happy if they mifs their counterparts."-7. "To be fure not, Sir. I believe marriages would in general be as happy, and often more fo, if they were all made by the Lord Chancellor upon a due confideration of characters and circumftances, without the parties having any choice in the matter."

A gentleman being cenfured for marrying a fecond time, as it fhewed a difregard of his first wife, he said, "Not at all. On the contrary, were he not to marry again, it might be concluded that his firft wife had given him a difgust to marriage; but by taking a fecond wife he pays the highest compliment to the first, by shewing that she made him so happy as a married man, that he wishes to be so a second time."— So ingenious a turn did he give to this delicate queftion. And yet, on another occafion, he owned, that he once had almost asked a promife of Mrs. Johnfon that she would not marry again, but he checked himself.

He obferved upon the marriage of fome one, "He has done a foolish thing: he has married a widow, when he might have had a maid."

A gentleman, who had been very unhappy in marriage, married immediately after his wife died; Johnson faid, it was the triumph of hope over experience.

He obferved, that a man of fenfe and education should meet a fuitable companion in a wife. It was a miferable thing when the converfation could only be fuch as, whether the mutton fhould be boiled or roafted, and probably a dispute about that,

He

He did not approve of late marriages, obferving, that more was loft in point of time, than compenfated for by any poffible advantages.Even ill afforted marriages were preferable to cheerlefs celibacy.

One remark he made, of fuch moment to the rational conduct of a man in the decline of life, that it deferves to be imprinted upon every mind: "There is nothing against which an old man fhould be fo much upon his guard as putting himself to nurfe. Innumerable have been' the ' melancholy inftances of men once diftinguished for firmness, refolution, and spirit, who in their latter days have been governed like children by interefted female artifice."

When a gentleman one day told him he had bought a fuit of lace for his lady. He faid, "Well, Sir, you have done a good thing and a wife thing." "I have done a good thing (faid the gentleman), but I do not know that I have done a wife thing."-JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir; no money is better spent than what is laid out for domeftic fatisfaction. A man is pleafed that his wife is dreft as well as other people; and a wife is pleafed that she is drest."

Talking of a young gentleman's marriage with an eminent finger, and his determination that she should no longer fing in public, though his father was very earnest she should, because

her talents would be liberally rewarded, fo as to make her a good fortune, it was questioned whether the young gentleman, who had not a fhilling in the world, but was bleft with very uncommon talents, was not foolishly delicate, or foolishly proud, and his father truly rational without being mean. Johnson, with all the high fpirit of a Roman fenator, exclaimed, "He refolved wifely and nobly to be fure. He is a brave man. Would not a gentleman be dif graced by having his wife finging publickly for hire? No, Sir, there can be no doubt here. I know not if I fhould not prepare myself for a public finger, as readily as let my wife be one."

A young lady who had married a man much her inferior in rank being mentioned, a question arofe how a woman's relations fhould behave to herin fuch a fituation. While one contended that the ought to be treated with an inflexible. fteadiness of displeasure, Mrs. Thrale was all for mildnefs and forgivenefs, and, according to the vulgar phrafe, "making the beft of a bad bargain." Johnson faid, "Madam, we must distinguish. Were I a man of rank, I would not let a daughter ftarve who had made a mean marriage; but having voluntarily degraded herself from the station which she was originally entitled to hold, I would fupport her only in

that