Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

1772.

Etat. 63.

founder of a new fect, which he wished much fhould be called Elwallians. He held, that every thing in the Old Teftament that was not typical, was to be of perpetual obfervance; and fo he wore a ribband in the plaits of his coat, and he also wore a beard. I remember I had the honour of dining in company with Mr. Elwal. There was one Barter, a miller, who wrote against him; and fo you had The Controverfy between Mr. ELWAL and Mr. BARTER. To try to make himself distinguished, he wrote a letter to King George the Second, challenging him to dispute with him, in which he said, George, if you be afraid to come by yourself, to difpute with a poor old man, you may bring a thousand of your black-guards with you; and if you should still be afraid, you may bring a thousand of your red-guards. The letter had fomething of the impudence of Junius to our present King. But the men of Wolverhampton were not fo inflammable as the Common Council of London; fo Mr. Elwal failed in his fcheme of making himself a man of great confequence."

[ocr errors]

On Tuesday, March 31, he and I dined at General Paoli's. A queftion was started, whether the ftate of marriage was natural to man. JOHNSON. "Sir, it is fo far from being natural for a man and woman to live in a state of marriage, that we find all the motives which they have for remaining in that connection, and the restraints which civilifed fociety imposes to prevent feparation, are hardly fufficient to keep them together." The General said, that in a state of nature a man and woman uniting together would form a strong and constant affection, by the mutual pleasure each would receive; and that the fame caufes of diffention would not arife between them, as occur between husband and wife in a civilised state. JOHNSON. "Sir, they would have diffentions enough, though of another kind. One would choose to go a hunting in this wood, the other in that; one would choofe to go a fifhing in this lake, the other in that; or, perhaps, one would choofe to go a hunting, when the other would choose to go a fifhing; and fo they would part. Befides, Sir, a favage man and a favage woman meet by chance; and when the man fees. another woman that pleases him better, he will leave the first."

We then fell into a difquifition whether there is any beauty independent of utility. The General maintained there was not. Dr. Johnson maintained that there was; and he instanced a coffee-cup which he held in his hand, the painting of which was of no real ufe, as the cup would hold the coffee equally well if plain; yet the painting was beautiful.

We talked of the ftrange cuftom of fwearing in converfation. The General faid, that all barbarous nations fwore from a certain violence of temper, that could

1772.

could not be confined to earth, but was always reaching at the powers above. He faid, too, that there was greater variety of fwearing, in propor- tat. 63. tion as there was a greater variety of religious ceremonies.

Dr. Johnson went home with me to my lodgings in Conduit-street and drank tea, previous to our going to the Pantheon, which neither of us had feen before.

He faid, "Goldsmith's Life of Parnell is poor; not that it is poorly written, but that he had poor materials: for nobody can write the life of a man, but those who have eat and drunk and lived in focial intercourfe with him.”

I faid, that if it was not troublesome and prefuming too much, I would request him to tell me all the little circumftances of his life; what schools he attended, when he came to Oxford, when he came to London, &c. &c. He did not disapprove of my curiofity as to these particulars; but faid, "They'll come out by degrees as we talk together."

He cenfured Ruffhead's Life of Pope; and faid, "he knew nothing of Pope, and nothing of poetry." He praised Dr. Jofeph Warton's Effay on Pope; but faid, he fuppofed we should have no more of it, as the authour had not been able to perfuade the world to think of Pope as he did. BOSWELL. “ Why, Sir, should that prevent him from continuing his work? He is an ingenious Counsel, who has made the most of his cause he is not obliged to gain it." JOHNSON. "But, Sir, there is a difference when the cause is of a man's own making."

We talked of the proper use of riches. JOHNSON. "If I were a man of a great estate, I would drive all the rafcals whom I did not like out of the county at an election."

I asked him how far he thought wealth fhould be employed in hospitality. JOHNSON. "You are to confider that ancient hospitality, of which we hear so much, was in an uncommercial country, when men being idle, were glad to be entertained at rich men's tables. But in a commercial country, a bufy country, time becomes precious, and therefore hofpitality is not so much. valued. No doubt there is still room for a certain degree of it; and a man has a fatisfaction in feeing his friends eating and drinking around him. But promiscuous hospitality is not the way to gain real influence. You must help fome people at table before others; you must ask some people how they like. their wine oftener than others. You therefore offend more people than you please. You are like the French statesman, who faid, when he granted a favour, J'ai fait dix mécontens et un ingrat.' Befides, Sir, being entertained ever so well at a man's table, impresses no lafting regard or esteem. No,

[ocr errors]

Sir,

1772. L

Sir, the way to make fure of power and influence is, by lending money Etat. 63. confidentially to your neighbours at a small intereft, or, perhaps, at no intereft at all, and having their bonds in your poffeffion." BOSWELL. "May not a man, Sir, employ his riches to advantage in educating young men of merit?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, if they fall in your way; but if it is understood that you patronise young men of merit, you will be harraffed with folicitations. You will have numbers forced upon you who have no merit; fome will force them upon you from mistaken partiality; and fome from downright interested motives, without fcruple; and you will be difgraced.

"Were I a rich man, I would propagate all kinds of trees that will grow in the open air. A green-house is childish. I would introduce foreign animals into the country; for inftance, the rein-deer"."

The converfation now turned on critical fubjects. JOHNSON. " Bayes, in The Rehearsal,' is a mighty filly character. If it was intended to be like a particular man, it could only be diverting while that man was remembered. But I question whether it was meant for Dryden, as has been reported; for we know fome of the paffages faid to be ridiculed, were written fince the Rehearsal; at least a paffage mentioned in the Preface is of a later date." I maintained that it had merit as a general fatire on the felf-importance of dramatick authours. But even in this light he held it very cheap.

We then walked to the Pantheon. The firft view of it did not strike us fo much as Ranelagh, of which he said, the coup d'oeil was the finest thing he had ever seen. The truth is, Ranelagh is of a more beautiful form; more of it, or rather indeed the whole rotunda, appears at once, and it is better lighted. However, as Johnson observed, we saw the Pantheon in time of mourning, when there was a dull uniformity; whereas we had feen Ranelagh when the view was enlivened with a gay profufion of colours. Mrs. Bofville, of Gunthwait, in Yorkshire, joined us, and entered into conversation with us. Johnson faid to me afterwards, "Sir, this is a mighty, intelligent lady.'

"

I faid there was not half a guinea's worth of pleasure in feeing this place. JOHNSON. "But, Sir, there is half a guinea's worth of inferiority to other people in not having feen it." BoSWELL. "I doubt, Sir, whether there are many happy people here." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, there are many happy people here. There are many people here who are watching hundreds, and who think hundreds are watching them."

3

This project has fince been realifed. Sir Henry Liddel, who made a fpirited tour into Lapland, brought two rein-deer to his eftate in Northumberland, where they bred; but the race has unfortunately perished.

Happening

1772.

Happening to meet Sir Adam Ferguffon, I presented him to Dr. Johnson. Sir Adam expreffed fome apprehension that the Pantheon would encourage Etat. 63. luxury. "Sir, (faid Johnson,) I am a great friend to publick amusements; for they keep people from vice. You now (addreffing himself to me,) would have been with a wench, had you not been here. O! I forgot you were married."

Sir Adam fuggested, that luxury corrupts a people, and destroys the spirit of liberty. JOHNSON. "Sir, that is all vifionary. I would not give half a guinea to live under one form of government rather than another. It is of no moment to the happiness of an individual. Sir, the danger of the abuse of power is nothing to a private man. What Frenchman is prevented from. paffing his life as he pleases?" SIR ADAM. "But, Sir, in the British conftitution it is furely of importance to keep up a spirit in the people, fo as to preferve a balance against the crown." JOHNSON. "Sir, I perceive you are a vile Whig.-Why all this childish jealousy of the power of the crown? The crown has not power enough. When I fay that all governments are alike, I confider that in no government power can be abufed long. Mankind will not bear it. If a fovereign oppreffes his people to a great degree, they will rife and cut off his head. There is a remedy in human nature against tyranny, that will keep us fafe under every form of government. Had not the people of France thought themselves honoured as fharing in the brilliant actions of the reign of Lewis XIV. they would not have endured him; and we may say the fame of the King of Pruffia's people." Sir Adam introduced the ancient Greeks and Romans. JOHNSON. "Sir, the mafs of both of them were barbarians. The mafs of every people must be barbarous where there is no printing, and consequently knowledge is not generally diffused. Knowledge is diffused among our people by the newspapers." Sir Adam mentioned the orators, poets, and artists of Greece. JOHNSON. "Sir, I am talking of the mass of the people. We fee even what the boasted Athenians were. The little effect which Demofthenes's orations had upon them, fhews that they were barbarians."

Sir Adam was unlucky in his topicks; for he fuggested a doubt of the propriety of Bishops having feats in the House of Lords. JOHNSON. "How fo, Sir? Who is more proper for having the dignity of a peer, than a Bishop, provided a Bishop be what he ought to be; and if improper Bishops be made, that is not the fault of the Bishops, but of those who make them." On Sunday, April 5, after attending divine service at St. Paul's church, I found him alone. Of a schoolmafter of his acquaintance, a native of Scot

land,

1772,

Etat. 63.

land, he faid, "He has a great deal of good about him; but he is also very defective in fome refpects. His inner part is good, but his outer part is mighty aukward. You in Scotland do not attain that nice critical skill in languages, which we get in our schools in England. I would not put a boy to him, whom I intended for a man of learning. But for the fons of citizens, who are to learn a little, get good morals, and then go to trade, he may do very well."

I mentioned a caufe in which I had appeared as counfel at the bar of the General Affembly of the Church of Scotland, where a Probationer, (as one licensed to preach, but not yet ordained, is called,) was oppofed in his application to be inducted, because it was alledged that he had been guilty of fornication five years before. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, if he has repented, it is not a fufficient objection. A man who is good enough to go to heaven, is good enough to be a clergyman." This was a humane and liberal fentiment. But the character of a clergyman is more facred than that of an ordinary Christian. As he is to inftruct with authority, he should be regarded with reverence, as one upon whom divine truth has had the effect to fet him above fuch tranfgreffions, as men lefs exalted by fpiritual habits, and yet upon the whole not to be excluded from heaven, have been betrayed into by the predominance of paffion. That clergymen may be confidered as finners in general, as all men are, cannot be denied; but this reflection will not counteract their good precepts so much, as the abfolute knowledge of their having been guilty of certain fpecifick immoral acts. I told him, that by the rules of the Church of Scotland, in their "Book of Difcipline," if a scandal, as it is called, is not profecuted for five years, it cannot afterwards be proceeded upon, "unless it be of a beinous nature, or again become flagrant;" and that hence a question arofe, whether fornication was a fin of a heinous nature; and that I had maintained, that it did not deferve that epithet, in as much as it was not one of thofe fins which argue very great depravity of heart: in fhort, was not, in the general acceptation of mankind, a heinous fin. JOHNSON. "No, Sir, it is not a heinous fin. A heinous fin is that for which a man is punished with death or banishment." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, after I had argued that it was not a heinous fin, an old clergyman rofe up, and repeating the text of fcripture denouncing judgement against whoremongers, afked, whether, confidering this, there could be any doubt of fornication being a heinous fin. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, obferve the word whoremonger. Every fin, if perfifted in, will become heinous. Whoremonger is a dealer in whores, as ironmonger is a dealer in iron. But as you don't call a man an ironmonger for

« AnteriorContinuar »