deavoured to defend their sex from this charge; but he roared them down! "No, no, a lady will take Jonathan Wild as readily as St. Austin, if he has threepence more; and, what is worse, her parents will give her to him. Women have a perpetual

envy of our vices: they are less vicious than we, not from choice, but because we restrict them; they are the slaves of order and fashion; their virtue is of more consequence to us than our own, so far as concerns this world."

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Miss Adams mentioned a gentleman of licentious character, and said, "Suppose I had a mind to marry that gentleman, would my parents consent?" JOHNSON. "Yes, they'd consent, and you'd go. You'd go, though they did not consent." MISS ADAMS. Perhaps their opposing might make me go.' JOHNSON. "O, very well; you'd take one whom you think a bad man, to have the pleasure of vexing your parents. You put me in mind of Dr. Barrowby', the physician, who was very fond of swine's flesh. One day, when he was eating it, he said, I wish I was a Jew.' Why so?' said somebody; the Jews are not allowed to eat your favourite meat.'-' Because,' said he, I should then have the gust of eating it, with the pleasure of sinning.""-Johnson then proceeded in his declamation.

Miss Adams soon afterwards made an observation that I do not recollect, which pleased him much: he said with a good-humoured smile, "That there should be so much excellence united with so much

depravity is strange."

Indeed this lady's good qualities, merit, and accomplishments, and her constant attention to Dr. Johnson, were not lost upon him. She happened to

[Dr. Barrowby died in 1758, the senior member of the college of physicians. -ED.]

tell him that a little coffee-pot, in which she had made him coffee, was the only thing she could call He turned to her with a complacent gallantry:-"Don't say so, my dear: I hope you don't reckon my heart as nothing'."

her own.

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I asked him if it was true, as reported, that he had said lately, "I am for the king against Fox; but I “ Yes, sir: am for Fox against Pitt." JOHNSON. the king is my master; but I do not know Pitt; and Fox is my friend."

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Fox," added he, "is a most extraordinary man: here is a man (describing him in strong terms of objection in some respects according as he apprehended, but which exalted his abilities the more) who has divided the kingdom with Cæsar: so that it was a doubt whether the nation should be ruled by the sceptre of George the Third, or the tongue of Fox."

Dr. Wall, physician at Oxford, drank tea with us. Johnson had in general a peculiar pleasure in the company of physicians, which was certainly not abated by the conversation of this learned, ingenious, and pleasing gentleman. Johnson said, "It is wonderful how little good Radcliffe's travelling fellowships have done. I know nothing that has been imported by them; yet many additions to our medical knowledge might be got in foreign countries. Inoculation, for instance, has saved more lives than war destroys; and the cures performed by the Peruvian bark are innumerable. But it is in vain to send our travelling physicians to France and Italy and Germany, for all that is known there is known here. I'd send them out of Christendom; I'd send them among barbarous nations."

' [Miss Adams married, in July, 1788, Benjamin Hyett, Esq. of Painswick, Gloucestershire.-HALL.]

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On Friday, June 11, we talked at breakfast of forms of prayer. JOHNSON. "I know of no good prayers but those in the Book of Common Prayer."" DR. ADAMS (in a very earnest manner). "I wish, sir, you would compose some family prayers." JOHNSON. "I will not compose prayers for you, sir, because you can do it for yourself. But I have thought of getting together all the books of prayers which I could, selecting those which should appear to me the best, putting out some, inserting others, adding some prayers of my own, and prefixing a discourse on prayer." We all now gathered about him, and two or three of us at a time joined in pressing him to execute this plan. He seemed to be a little displeased at the manner of our importunity, and in great agitation called out, "Do not talk thus of what is so awful. I know not what time GOD will allow me in this world. There are many things which I wish to do." Some of us persisted, and Dr. Adams said, "I never was more serious about any thing in my life." JOHNSON. "Let me alone, let me alone; I am overpowered." And then he put his hands before his face, and reclined for some time upon the table '.

I mentioned Jeremy Taylor's using, in his forms of prayer, "I am the chief of sinners," and other such self-condemning expressions. "Now, (said I) this cannot be said with truth by every man, and therefore is improper for a general printed form. I myself cannot say that I am the worst of men: I will not say so." JOHNSON. "A man may know, that physically, that is, in the real state of things, he

[Yet he had at this time composed all the prayers (except one) which Dr. Strahan afterwards published, as he stated, by Dr. Johnson's express desire-ED.} 2 [Such expressions are by no means common, nor, as Boswell would lead us to suppose, is their spirit a characteristic of Taylor's Prayers.-J. II. MARKLAND.]

VOL. V.

tell him that a little coffee-pot, in which she had made him coffee, was the only thing she could call her own. He turned to her with a complacent gallantry:-" Don't say so, my dear: I hope you don't reckon my heart as nothing'."

I asked him if it was true, as reported, that he had said lately, "I am for the king against Fox; but I am for Fox against Pitt." JOHNSON. "Yes, sir: the king is my master; but I do not know Pitt; and Fox is my friend."

"Fox," added he, "is a most extraordinary man: here is a man (describing him in strong terms of objection in some respects according as he apprehended, but which exalted his abilities the more) who has divided the kingdom with Cæsar: so that it was a doubt whether the nation should be ruled by the sceptre of George the Third, or the tongue of Fox."

Dr. Wall, physician at Oxford, drank tea with us. Johnson had in general a peculiar pleasure in the company of physicians, which was certainly not abated by the conversation of this learned, ingenious, and pleasing gentleman. Johnson said, "It is wonderful how little good Radcliffe's travelling fellowships have done. I know nothing that has been imported by them; yet many additions to our medical knowledge might be got in foreign countries. Inoculation, for instance, has saved more lives than war destroys; and the cures performed by the Peruvian bark are innumerable. But it is in vain to send our travelling physicians to France and Italy and Germany, for all that is known there is known here. I'd send them out of Christendom; I'd send them among barbarous nations."

[Miss Adams married, in July, 1788, Benjamin Hyett, Esq. of Painswick, Gloucestershire.-HALL.]

On Friday, June 11, we talked at breakfast of forms of prayer. JOHNSON. "I know of no good prayers but those in the 'Book of Common Prayer."" DR. ADAMS (in a very earnest manner). "I wish, sir, you would compose some family prayers." JOHNSON. "I will not compose prayers for you, sir, because you can do it for yourself. But I have thought of getting together all the books of prayers which I could, selecting those which should appear to me the best, putting out some, inserting others, adding some prayers of my own, and prefixing a discourse on praver." We all now gathered about him, and two or three of us at a time joined in pressing him to execute this plan. He seemed to be a little displeased at the manner of our importunity, and in great agitation called out, "Do not talk thus of what is so awful. I know not what time GOD will allow me in this world. There are many things which I wish to do." Some of us persisted, and Dr. Adams said, "I never was more serious about any thing in my life." JOHNSON. "Let me alone, let me alone; I am overpowered." And then he put his hands before his face, and reclined for some time upon the table.

I mentioned Jeremy Taylor's using, in his forms of prayer," I am the chief of sinners," and other such self-condemning expressions 2. "Now, (said I) this cannot be said with truth by every man, and therefore is improper for a general printed form. I myself cannot say that I am the worst of men: I will not say so." JOHNSON. "A man may know, that physically, that is, in the real state of things, he

1

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[Yet he had at this time composed all the prayers (except one) which Dr. Strahan afterwards published, as he stated, by Dr. Johnson's express desire-ED.} [Such expressions are by no means common, nor, as Boswell would lead us ppose, is their spirit a characteristic of Taylor's Prayers.-J. II. MARKLAND.]

VOL. V.