Piozzi, p. 66,

136.

66

[Though Dr. Johnson possessed the strongest com 67. 118. passion for poverty or illness, he did not even pretend to feel for those who lamented the loss of a child, a parent, or a friend. "These are the distresses of sentiment," he would reply, "which a man who is really to be pitied has no leisure to feel. The sight of people who want food and raiment is so common in great cities, that a surly fellow like me has no compassion to spare for wounds given only to vanity or softness." Canter indeed was he none : he would forget to ask people after the health of their nearest relations, and say in excuse, "That he knew they did not care: why should they?" said he, every one in this world has as much as they can do in caring for themselves, and few have leisure really to think of their neighbours' distresses, however they may delight their tongues with talking of them." Lady Tavistock', who grieved herself to death for the loss of her husband, was talked of. "She was rich and wanted employment," said Johnson, "so she cried till she lost all power of restraining her tears: other women are forced to outlive their husbands, who were just as much beloved, depend on it; but they have no time for grief: and I doubt not, if we had put my Lady Tavistock into a small chandler's shop, and given her a nurse-child to tend, her life would have been saved. The poor and the busy have no leisure for sentimental sorrow." Mrs. Thrale mentioned an event, which, if it had happened, would greatly have injured her husband and his family"and then, dear sir," said she, "how sorry you would have been !” “I hope,” replied he, after a

1 [Lady Elizabeth Keppel, fifth daughter of the second Earl of Albemarle, married, in 1764, to Francis, eldest son of the fourth Duke of Bedford. He was killed by a fall from his horse, March, 1767. His lady did not die till October, 1768. They were the parents of the late and present Dukes of Bedford.-ED.]

p. 68,

long pause, "I should have been very sorry;-but Piozzi, remember Rochefoucault's maxim." An acquaint- 69. ance lost the almost certain hope of a good estate that had been long expected. "Such a one will grieve," said Mrs. Thrale, "at her friend's disappointment." "She will suffer as much perhaps," said he," as your horse did when your cow miscarried."

When Mrs. Thrale professed herself sincerely grieved that accumulated distresses had crushed Sir George Colebrook's family,-"Your own prosperity," said he, "may possibly have so far increased the natural tenderness of your heart, that for aught I know you may be a little sorry; but it is sufficient for a plain man if he does not laugh when he sees a fine new house tumble down all on a sudden, and a snug cottage stand by ready to receive the owner, whose birth entitled him to nothing better, and whose limbs are left him to go to work again with."

Nothing indeed more surely disgusted Dr. Johnson than hyperbole: he loved not to be told of sallies of excellence, which he said were seldom valuable, and seldom true. "Heroic virtues," said he, "are the bon mots of life; they do not appear often, and when they do appear are too much prized, I think; like the aloe-tree, which shoots and flowers once in a hundred years. But life is made up of little things; and that character is the best which does little but repeated acts of beneficence: as that conversation is the best which consists in elegant and pleasing thoughts expressed in natural and pleasing terms. With regard to my own notions of moral virtue," continued he,

1 [Probably Mrs. Thrale herself.-E».]

The banking-house of Sir George Colebrook, Lessingham and Binns, stopped payment in March, 1773. It will be seen hereafter, (28th October, 1775), that Sir George retired for a time to France, where he lived in a style not entitled to much pity.-ED.]

Piozzi, "I hope I have not lost my sensibility of wrong; 69. 136. but I hope likewise that I have lived long enough in

p.66,67.

the world, to prevent me from expecting to find any action of which both the original motive and all the parts were good."

Dr. Johnson had been a great reader of Mandeville, and was ever on the watch to spy out those stains of original corruption, so easily discovered by a penetrating observer even in the purest minds. The natural depravity of mankind and the remains of original sin were so fixed in his opinion, that he was a most acute observer of their effects; and used to say sometimes, half in jest, half in earnest, that his observations were the remains of his old tutor Mandeville's instructions.

No man, there

fore, who smarted from the ingratitude of his friends, found any sympathy from our philosopher : "Let him do good on higher motives next time," would be the answer; "he will then be sure of his reward." As a book, however, he took care always loudly to condemn the Fable of the Bees, but not without adding, "that it was the work of a thinking man."]

BOSWELL. "Foote has a great deal of humour.” JOHNSON."Yes, sir." BoSWELL." He has a singular talent of exhibiting character." JOHNSON. "Sir, it is not a talent; it is a vice; it is what others abstain from. It is not comedy, which exhibits the character of a species, as that of a miser gathered from many misers; it is farce which exhibits individuals." BOSWELL. "Did not he think of exhibiting you, sir?" JOHNSON. "Sir, fear restrained him; he knew I would have broken his bones. would have saved him the trouble of cutting off a leg; I would not have left him a leg to cut off." Bos

I

WELL. "Pray, sir, is not Foote an infidel?" JOHNSON. "I do not know, sir, that the fellow is an infidel; but if he be an infidel, he is an infidel as a dog is an infidel; that is to say, he has never thought upon the subject'." BOSWELL. "I suppose, sir, he has thought superficially, and seized the first notions which occurred to his mind." JOHNSON. "Why then, sir, still he is like a dog, that snatches the piece next him. Did you never observe that dogs have not the power of comparing? A dog will take a small bit of meat as readily as a large, when both are before him."

"Buchanan," he observed, "has fewer centos than any modern Latin poet. He has not only had great knowledge of the Latin language, but was a great poetical genius. Both the Scaligers praise him."

He again talked of the passage in Congreve with high commendation, and said, "Shakspeare never has six lines together without a fault. Perhaps you may find seven but this does not refute my general assertion. If I come to an orchard, and say there's no fruit here, and then comes a poring man who finds two apples and three pears, and tells me, 'Sir, you are mistaken, I have found both apples and pears,' I should laugh at him: what would that be to the purpose?"

1 When Mr. Foote was at Edinburgh, he thought fit to entertain a numerous Scotch company with a great deal of coarse jocularity, at the expense of Dr. Johnson, imagining it would be acceptable. I felt this as not civil to me; but sat very patiently till he had exhausted his merriment on that subject; and then observed, that surely Johnson must be allowed to have some sterling wit, and that I had heard him say a very good thing of Mr. Foote himself."Ah, my old friend Sam," cried Foote, "no man says better things: do let us have it." Upon which I told the above story, which produced a very loud laugh from the company. But I never saw Foote so disconcerted. He looked grave and angry, and entered into a serious refutation of the justice of the remark. "What, sir," said he, "talk thus of a man of liberal education:-a man who for years was at the University of Oxford :-a man who has added sixteen new characters to the English drama of his country!"-BoswELL.

[Sea ante, vol. i. p. 471, and post, sub 30th March, 1783 —En.] 3[What strange "laxity of talk" this is from the author of the "Preface to Shakspeare?" See ante, p. 86.-Ed.]

VOL. II.

H

ED.

Gent. Mag.

p. 100.

BOSWELL. "What do you think of Dr. Young's Night Thoughts, sir?" JOHNSON. "Why, sir, there are very fine things in them." Boswell. "Is there not less religion in the nation now, sir, than there was formerly?" JOHNSON. "I don't know, sir, that there is." BoSWELL. "For instance, there used to be a chaplain in every great family, which we do not find now." JOHNSON. "Neither do you find any of the state servants which great families used formerly to have. There is a change of modes in the whole department of life."

Next day, October 20, he appeared, for the only time I suppose in his life, as a witness in a court of justice, being called to give evidence to the character of Mr. Baretti, who, having stabbed a man in the street, was arraigned at the Old Bailey for murder1. Never did such a constellation of genius enlighten the awful sessions-house, emphatically called Justicehall; Mr. Burke, Mr. Garrick, Mr. Beauclerk, and Dr. Johnson and undoubtedly their favourable testimony had due weight with the court and jury. Johnson gave his evidence in a slow, deliberate, and distinct manner, which was uncommonly impressive.

[Whatever the manner may have been, the substance of the evidence, as will appear by the following report of it, was not very important:

"Dr. J.-I believe I began to be acquainted with vol. 55, Mr. Baretti about the year 1753 or 54. I have been intimate with him. He is a man of literature, a very studious man, a man of great diligence. He gets his living by study. I have no reason to think he was ever disordered with liquor in his life. A man that I never knew to be otherwise than peaceable, and a man that I take to be rather timorous.

[It is odd enough, that two of Johnson's intimate associates, Savage and Baretti, should have been both tried for murder, committed in midnight broils. -ED.]