1776.

Etat. 67.

He faid "Entails are good, because it is good to preserve in a country, ferieses of men, to whom the people are accuftomed to look up as to their leaders. But I am for leaving a quantity of land in commerce, to excite industry and keep money in the country; for if no land were to be bought in a country, there would be no encouragement to acquire wealth, because a family could not be founded there; or if it were acquired, it must be carried away to another country where land may be bought. And although the land in every country will remain the fame, and be as fertile where there is no money, as where there is, yet all that portion of the happiness of civil life, which is produced by money circulating in a country, would be loft." BOSWELL. "Then, Sir, would it be for the advantage of a country that all its lands were fold at once?" JOHNSON. "So far, Sir, as money produces good it would be an advantage; for, then that country would have as much money circulating in it as it is worth. But to be fure this would be counterbalanced by difadvantages attending a total change of proprietors."

I expreffed my opinion that the power of entailing fhould be limited thus: "That there fhould be one third, or perhaps one half of the land of a country kept free for commerce; that the proportion allowed to be entailed, fhould be parcelled out fo as that no family could entail above a certain quantity. Let a family according to the abilities of its reprefentatives, be richer or poorer in different generations, or always rich if its reprefentatives be always wife: but let its abfolute permanency be moderate. In this way we fhould be certain of there being always a number of established roots; and as in the course of nature, there is in every age an extinction of fome families, there would be continual openings for men ambitious of perpetuity, to plant a stock in the entail ground. JOHNSON. Why, Sir, mankind will be better able to regulate the fyftem of entails, when the evil of too much land being locked up by them is felt, than we can do at present when it is not felt."

I mentioned Dr. Adam Smith's book on "The Wealth of Nations," which was just published, and that Sir John Pringle had obferved to me, that Dr. Smith, who had never been in trade, could not be expected to write well

The privilege of perpetuating in a family an eftate and arms indefeafibly from generation to generation, is enjoyed by none of his Majesty's subjects except in Scotland, where the legal fiction of a fine and recovery is unknown. It is a privilege fo proud, that I fhould think it would be proper to have the exercise of it dependent on the royal prerogative. It seems abfurd to permit the power of perpetuating their reprefentation, to men, who having had no eminent merit, have truly no name. The King, as the impartial father of his people, would never refufe to grant the privilege to thofe who deferved it.

on

1776.

on that fubject any more than a lawyer upon phyfick. JOHNSON. "He is mistaken, Sir; a man who has never been engaged in trade himself may tat. 67. undoubtedly write well upon trade, and there is nothing which requires more to be illustrated by philosophy than trade does. As to mere wealth, that is to say, money, it is clear that one nation or one individual cannot increase its ftore but by making another poorer: but trade procures what is more valuable, the reciprocation of the peculiar advantages of different countries. A merchant feldom thinks but of his own particular trade. To write a good book upon it, a man must have extenfive views. It is not neceffary to have practised, to write well upon a fubject." I mentioned law as a fubject on which no man could write well without practice. JOHNSON. “ "Why, Sir, in England, where fo much money is to be got by the practice of the law, most of our writers upon it have been in practice; though Blackstone had not been much in practice when he published his Commentaries.' But upon the Continent, the great writers on law have not all been in practice: Grotius, indeed, was; but Puffendorf was not, Burlamaqui was not.”

When we had talked of the great consequence which a man acquired by being employed in his profeffion, I fuggested a doubt of the juftice of the general opinion, that it is improper in a lawyer to folicit employment; for why, I urged, fhould it not be equally allowable to folicit that as the means of confequence, as it is to folicit votes to be elected a member of parliament? Mr. Strahan had told me, that a countryman of his and mine, who had risen to eminence in the law, had, when first making his way, folicited him to get him employed in city causes. JOHNSON. "Sir, it is wrong to ftir up law-fuits; but when once it is certain that a law-fuit is to go on, there is nothing wrong in a lawyer's endeavouring that he fhall have the benefit, rather than another." BOSWELL." You would not folicit employment, Sir, if you were a lawyer." JOHNSON. "No, Sir; but not because I fhould think it wrong, but because I should disdain it." This was a good distinction, which will be felt by men of juft pride. He proceeded: "However, I would not have a lawyer to be wanting to himself in ufing fair means. I would have him to inject a little hint now and then, to prevent his being overlooked."

Lord Mounstuart's bill for a Scotch militia, in fupporting which his Lordship had made an able speech in the Houfe of Commons, was now a pretty general topick of converfation.-JOHNSON. "As Scotland contributes fo little land-tax towards the general fupport of the nation, it ought not to have a militia paid out of the general fund, unless it should be thought for the general intereft, that Scotland should be protected from an invafion, which no man

VOL. II.

D

can

can think will happen; for what enemy would invade Scotland, where there is nothing to be got? No, Sir; now that the Scotch have not the pay of English foldiers spent among them, as fo many troops are fent abroad, they are trying to get money another way by having a militia paid. If they are afraid, and seriously defire to have an armed force to defend them, they fhould pay for it. Your scheme is to retain a part of your little land-tax, by making us pay and clothe your militia." BOSWELL. "You fhould not talk of we and you, Sir; there is now an Union." JOHNSON. "There must be a diftinction of intereft, while the proportions of land-tax are fo unequal. If Yorkshire fhould fay, Inftead of paying our land-tax, we will keep a greater number of militia,' it would be unreasonable." In this argument my friend was certainly in the wrong.. The land-tax is as unequally proportioned between different parts of England, as between England and Scotland; nay, it is confiderably unequal in Scotland itfelf. But the land-tax is but a finall part of the numerous branches of publick revenue, all of which Scotland pays precisely as England does. A. French invafion made in Scotland would foon penetrate into England.

.

He thus difcourfed upon fuppofed obligations in fettling eftates:-" Where a man gets the unlimited property of an eftate, there is no obligation upon him in justice to leave it to one perfon rather than to another. There is a motive of preference from kindness, and this kindness is generally entertained for the nearest relation. If I owe a particular man a fum of money, I am obliged to let that man have the next money I get, and cannot in juftice let. another have it but if I owe money to no man, I may difpofe of what I get as I please. There is not a debitum juftitiæ to a man's next heir; there is only a debitum caritatis. It is plain, then, that I have morally a choice, according to my liking. If I have a brother in want, he has a claim from affection my affiftance but if I have alfo a brother in want, whom I like better, he has a preferable claim. The right of an heir at law is only this, that he is. to have the fucceffion to an eftate, in cafe no other perfon is appointed to it. by the owner. His right is merely preferable to that of the King."

to

We got into a boat to cross over to Black-friars; and as we moved alongthe Thames, I talked to him of a little volume, which, altogether unknown to him, was advertised to be published in a few days, under the title of Johnfoniana, or Bon Mots of Dr. Johnfon." JOHNSON. "Sir, it is a mighty impudent thing." BOSWELL. " Pray, Sir, could you have no redrefs if you. were to profecute a publisher for bringing out, under your name, what you. never faid, and afcribing to you dull ftupid nonfenfe, or making you swear profanely, as many ignorant relaters of your bon mots do?" JOHNSON. "No,.

Sir; there will always be fome truth mixed with the falfehood, and how can 1776. it be ascertained how much is true and how much is falfe? Befides, Sir, what Etat. 67 damages would a jury give me for having been reprefented as fwearing?" BOSWELL. "I think, Sir, you should at least difavow fuch a publication, because the world and pofterity might with much plaufible foundation fay, Here is a volume which was publickly advertised and came out in Dr. Johnson's own time, and, by his filence, was admitted by him to be genuine." JOHNSON. "I fhall give myself no trouble about the matter."

He was, perhaps, above fuffering from fuch fpurious publications; but I could not help thinking, that many men would be much injured in their reputation, by having abfurd and vicious fayings imputed to them; and that redress ought in fuch cafes to be given.

A story

He faid, "The value of every story depends on its being true. is a picture either of an individual or of human nature in general: if it be false, it is a picture of nothing. For inftance: suppose a man should tell that Johnson, before setting out for Italy, as he had to crofs the Alps, fat down to make himself wings. This many people would believe; but it would be a picture of nothing. ******* (naming a worthy friend of ours,) used to think a story, a story, till I fhewed him that truth was effential to it." I observed, that Foote entertained us with stories which were not true; but that, indeed, it was properly not as narratives that Foote's stories pleafed us, but as collections of ludicrous images. JOHNSON, "Foote is quite impartial, for he tells lies of every body."

The importance of strict and scrupulous veracity cannot be too often inculcated. Johnson was known to be fo rigidly attentive to it, that even in his common conversation the flightest circumftance was mentioned with exact precision. The knowledge of his having fuch a principle and habit made his friends have a perfect reliance on the truth of every thing that he told, however it might have been doubted if told by many others. As an instance of this, I may mention an odd incident which he related as having happened to him one night in Fleet-street. "A gentlewoman (said he) begged I would give her my arm to affift her in croffing the ftreet, which I accordingly did; upon which she offered me a fhilling, fuppofing me to be the watchman. I perceived that she was fomewhat in liquor." This, if told by moft people, would have been thought an invention: when told by Johnson, it was believed by his friends as much as if they had feen what passed. We landed at the Temple-ftairs, where we parted.

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I found

1776.

I found him in the evening in Mrs. Williams's room. We talked of Atat. 67. religious orders. He faid, "It is as unreafonable for a man to go into a Carthufian convent, for fear of being immoral, as for a man to cut off his hands for fear he should steal. There is, indeed, great resolution in the immediate act of difmembering himfelf; but when that is once done, he has no longer any merit for though it is out of his power to steal, yet he may all his life be a thief in his heart. So when a man has once become a Carthufian, he is obliged to continue fo, whether he choofes it or not. Their filence, too, is absurd. We read in the gospel of the apoftles being fent to preach, but not to hold their tongues. All feverity that does not tend to increafe good, or prevent evil, is idle. I faid to the Lady Abbess of a convent, Madam, you are here, not for the love of virtue, but the fear of vice.' She faid, She fhould remember this as long as the lived." I thought it hard to give her this view of her fituation, when fhe could not help it; and, indeed, I won-dered at the whole of what he now faid; because, both in his "Rambler" and "Idler," he treats religious aufterities with much folemnity of respect.

Finding him ftill perfevering in his abftinence from wine, I ventured to speak to him of it.—JOHNSON. "Sir, I have no objection to a man's drinking wine, if he can do it in moderation. I found myself apt to go to excess in it, and therefore, after having been for fome time without it, on account of illnefs, I thought it better not to return to it. Every man is to judge for himself, according to the effects which he experiences. One of the fathers tells us, he found fasting made him fo peevish that he did not practise it."

Though he often enlarged upon the evil of intoxication, he was by no means harsh and unforgiving to thofe who indulged in occafional excefs in wine. One of his friends, I well remember, came to fup at a tavern with him and fome other gentlemen, and too plainly difcovered that he had drunk too much at dinner. When one who loved mischief, thinking to produce a fevere cenfure, afked Johnfon, fome days afterwards, "Well, Sir, what did your friend fay to you, as an apology for being in fuch a fituation?" Johnson answered, "Sir, he said all that a man should say: he faid he was forry for it."

I heard him once give a very judicious practical advice upon this fubject: "A man, (faid he,) who has been drinking wine at all freely, fhould never go into a new company. With those who have partaken of wine with him, he may be pretty well in unifon; but he will probably be offenfive, or appear ridiculous, to other people.

He