1776.

There was at this time a company of players performing at Lichfield. The Etat. 67. manager, Mr. Stanton, fent his compliments, and requested leave to wait on Dr. Johnfon. Johnfon received him very courteoufly, and he drank a glafs of wine with us. He was a plain decent well-behaved man, and expreffed his gratitude to Dr. Johnfon for having once got him permiffion from Dr. Taylor at Afhbourne to play there upon moderate terms. Garrick's name was foon introduced. JOHNSON. "Garrick's converfation is gay and grotefque. It is a difh of all forts, but all good things. There is no folid meat in it: there is a want of fentiment in it. Not but that he has fentiment fometimes, and fentiment too very powerful and very pleasing: but it has not its full proportion in his converfation."

When we were by ourfelves he told me, Forty years ago, Sir, I was in love with an actress here, Mrs. Emmet, who acted Flora, in Hob in the Well." What merit this lady had as an actress, or what was her figure, or her manner, I have not been informed: but, if we may believe Mr. Garrick, his old mafter's taste in theatrical merit was by no means refined; he was not an elegans formarum fpectator. Garrick ufed to tell, that Johnfon faid of an actor, who played Sir Harry Wildair at Lichfield, "There is a courtly vivacity about the fellow;" when in fact, according to Garrick's account, "he was the most vulgar ruffian that ever went upon boards."

We had promifed Mr. Stanton to be at his theatre on Monday. Dr. Johnfon jocularly propofed me to write a Prologue for the occafion: "A Prologue, by James Bofwell, Efq. from the Hebrides." I was really inclined to take the hint. Methought, Prologue, fpoken before Dr. Samuel Johnfon, at Lichfield, 1776;" would have founded as well as, " Prologue, fpoken before the Duke of York, at Oxford," in Charles the Second's time. Much might have been faid of what Lichfield had done for Shakspeare, by producing Johnfon and Garrick. But I found he was averfe to it.

We went and viewed the museum of Mr. Richard Green, apothecary here, who told me he was proud of being a relation of Dr. Johnfon's. It was, truly, a wonderful collection, both of antiquities and natural curiofities, and ingenious works of art. He had all the articles accurately arranged, with their names upon labels, printed at his own little prefs; and on the staircase leading to it was a board, with the names of contributors marked in gold letters. A printed catalogue of the collection was to be had at a bookfeller's. Johnfon expreffed his admiration of the activity and diligence and good fortune of Mr. Green, in getting together, in his fituation, fo great a variety of things; and Mr. Green told me, that Johnfon once faid to him, "Sir, I fhould

I should as foon have thought of building a man of war, as of collecting
fuch a mufeum." Mr. Green's obliging alacrity in fhewing it was very
pleafing. His engraved portrait, with which he has favoured me, has a motto
truly characteristical of his difpofition, "Nemo fibi vivat."

A physician being mentioned who had loft his practice, because his whimfi-
cally changing his religion had made people distrustful of him, I maintained
that this was unreasonable, as religion is unconnected with medical skill.
JOHNSON. "Sir, it is not unreafonable; for when people fee a man abfurd
in what they understand, they may conclude the fame of him in what they do
not understand. If a phyfician were to take to eating of horse-flesh, nobody
would employ him; though one may eat horse-flesh, and be a very skilful
physician. If a man were educated in an abfurd religion, his continuing to
profefs it would not hurt him, though his changing to it would."

We drank tea and coffee at Mr. Peter Garrick's, where was Mrs. Afton, one of the maiden fifters of Mrs. Walmsley, wife of Johnson's first friend, and fifter alfo of the lady of whom Johnson used to speak with the warmest admiration, by the name of Molly Afton, who was afterwards married to Captain Brodie of the navy.

On Sunday, March 24, we breakfasted with Mrs. Cobb, a widow lady, who lived in an agreeable fequeftered place close by the town, called the Friary, it having been formerly a religious houfe. She and her niece, Mifs Adey, were great admirers of Dr. Johnfon; and he behaved to them with a kindness. and easy pleasantry, fuch as we fee between old and intimate acquaintance, He accompanied Mrs. Cobb to St. Mary's church, and I went to the cathedral, where I was very much delighted with the mufick, finding it to be peculiarly folemn, and accordant with the words of the fervice.

We dined at Mr. Peter Garrick's, who was in a very lively humour, and verified Johnson's faying, that if he had cultivated gaiety as much as his brother David, he might have equally exceiled in it. He was to-day quite a London narrator, telling us a variety of anecdotes with that earneftnefs and attempt at mimickry which we ufually find in the wits of the metropolis. Dr. Johnson went with me to the cathedral in the afternoon. It was grand and pleafing to contemplate this illuftrious writer, now full of fame, worshipping in "the folemn temple" of his native city.

I returned to tea and coffee at Mr. Peter Garrick's, and then found Dr. Johnfon at the Reverend Mr. Seward's, Canon Refidentiary, who inhabited the Bishop's palace, in which Mr. Walmsley lived, and which had been the fcene of many happy hours in Johnfon's early life. Mr. Seward had, with

ecclefiaftical

1776.

Ætat. 67

1776.

ecclefiaftical hofpitality and politenefs, afked me in the morning, merely as a Atat. 67. ftranger, to dine with him; and in the afternoon, when I was introduced to him, he asked Dr. Johnfon and me to spend the evening and fup with him. He was a genteel well-bred dignified clergyman, had travelled with Lord Charles Fitzroy, uncle of the prefent Duke of Grafton, who died when abroad, and he had lived much in the great world. He was an ingenious and literary man, had published an edition of Beaumont and Fletcher, and written verfes in Dodfley's collection. His lady was the daughter of Mr. Hunter, Johnson's first schoolmaster. And now, for the first time, I had the pleasure of feeing his celebrated daughter, Mifs Anna Seward, to whom I have fince been indebted for many civilities, as well as fome obliging communications concerning Johnson.

Mr. Seward mentioned to us the obfervations which he had made upon the ftrata of earth in volcanos, from which it appeared, that they were fo very different in depth in different periods, that no calculation whatever could be made as to the time required for their formation. This fully refuted an antimofaical remark introduced into Captain Brydone's entertaining Tour, I hope heedlessly, from a kind of vanity which is too common in those who have not fufficiently studied the most important of all fubjects. Dr. Johnson, indeed, had faid before, independent of this obfervation, "Shall all the accumulated evidence of the hiftory of the world;-shall the authority of what is unqueftionably the most ancient writing, be overturned by an uncertain remark fuch as this?"

On Monday, March 25, we breakfasted at Mrs. Lucy Porter's. He had fent an express to Dr. Taylor's, acquainting him of our being at Lichfield, and Taylor had returned an answer that his poft-chaife should come for us this day. While we fat at breakfast, Dr. Johnson received a letter by the post, which feemed to agitate him very much. When he had read it, he exclaimed, "One of the most dreadful things that has happened in my time." The phrase my time, like the word age, is usually understood to refer to an event of a publick or general nature. I imagined fomething like an affaffination of the King-like a gunpowder plot carried into execution-or like another fire of London. When asked, "What is it, Sir?" he answered, " Mr. Thrale has loft his only fon!" This was, no doubt, a very great affliction to Mr. and Mrs. Thrale, which their friends would confider accordingly; but from the manner in which the intelligence of it was communicated by Johnson, it appeared for the moment to be comparatively fmall. I however, foon felt a fincere concern, and was curious to obferve how Dr. Johnson would

be

be affected. He faid, "This is a total extinction to their family, as much as 1776. if they were fold into captivity." Upon my mentioning that Mr. Thrale Etat. 67. had daughters, who might inherit his wealth;-" Daughters, (faid Johnson, warmly,) he'll no more value his daughters than-" I was going to fpeak. "Sir, (faid he,) don't you know how you yourfelf think? Sir, he wishes to propagate his name." In fhort, I faw male fucceffion strong in his mind, even where there was no name, no family of any long standing. I faid, it was lucky he was not prefent when this misfortune happened. JOHNSON. "It is lucky for me. People in diftrefs never think that you feel enough." BOSWELL. "And, Sir, they will have the hope of feeing you, which will be a relief in the mean time; and when you get to them, the pain will be so far abated, that they will be capable of being confoled by you, which, in the firft violence of it, I believe, would not be the cafe." JOHNSON. "No,. Sir; violent pain of mind, as violent pain of body, must be feverely felt." BOSWELL. "I own, Sir, I have not fo much feeling for the diftrefs of others, as fome people have, or pretend to have: but I know this, that I would do all in my power to relieve them." JOHNSON. "Sir, it is affectation to pretend to feel the diftrefs of others, as much as they do themfelves. It is equally fo, as if one fhould pretend to feel as much pain while a friend's leg is cutting off, as he does. No, Sir; you have expreffed the rational and juft nature of fympathy. I would have gone to the extremity of the earth to have preferved this boy."

He was foon quite calm. The letter was from Mr. Thrale's clerk, and concluded, "I need not fay how much they wish to fee you in London.” He said, "We fhall haften back from Taylor's."

Mrs. Lucy Porter and fome other ladies of the place talked a great deal of him when he was out of the room, not only with veneration but affection. It pleased me to find that he was fo much beloved in his native city.

Mrs. Afton, whom I had feen the preceding night, and her fifter, Mrs. Gaftrel, a widow lady, had each a house and garden, and pleasure ground, prettily fituated upon Stowhill, a gentle eminence adjoining to Lichfield. Johnfon walked away to dinner there, leaving me by myfelf without any apology; I wondered at this want of that facility of manners, from which a man has no difficulty in carrying a friend to a house where he is intimate, I felt it very unpleasant to be thus left in folitude in a country town, where I was an entire stranger, and began to think myfelf unkindly deferted; but I was foon relieved, and convinced that my friend instead of being deficient in delicacy, had conducted the matter with perfect propriety, for I received the following

note

1776.

note in his hand-writing: "Mrs. Gaftrel, at the lower houfe on Stowhill, Etat. 67. defires Mr. Bofwell's company to dinner at two." I accepted of the invitation, and had here another proof how amiable his character was in the opinion of those who knew him beft. I was not informed, till afterwards, that Mrs. Gaftrel's husband was the clergyman who, while he lived at Stratford upon Avon, where he was proprietor of Shakspeare's garden, with Gothick barbarity cut down his mulberry-tree, and, as Dr. Johnfon told me, did it to vex his neighbours. His lady, I have reafon to believe, participated in the guilt of what the enthusiasts for our immortal bard deem almost a species of facrilege.

After dinner Dr. Johnson wrote a letter to Mrs. Thrale, on the death of her fon. I faid it would be very diftreffing to Thrale, but she would soon forget it, as fhe had fo many things to think of. JOHNSON. "No, Sir, Thrale will forget it first. She has many things that fhe may think of. He has many things that he must think of." This was a very just remark upon the different effect of those light pursuits which occupy a vacant and easy mind, and those ferious engagements which arrest attention, and keep us from brooding over grief.

He obferved of Lord Bute, "It was faid of Auguftus, that it would have been better for Rome that he had never been born, or had never died. So it would have been better for this nation if Lord Bute had never been minifter, or had never refigned."

In the evening. we went to the Town-hall, which was converted into a temporary theatre, and faw "Theodofius," with "The Stratford Jubilee." I was happy to see Dr. Johnson fitting in a confpicuous part of the pit, and receiving affectionate homage from all his acquaintance. We were quite gay and merry. I afterwards mentioned to him that I condemned myself for being fo, when poor Mr. and Mrs. Thrale were in fuch diftrefs. JOHNSON. "You are wrong, Sir; twenty years hence Mr. and Mrs. Thrale will not fuffer much pain from the death of their fon. Now, Sir, you are to confider that distance of place, as well as diftance of time, operates upon the human feelings. I would not have you be gay in the prefence of the diftreffed, because it would shock them; but you may be gay at a distance. Pain for the loss of a friend, or of a relation whom we love, is occafioned by the want which we feel. In time the vacuity is filled with fomething elfe; or, fometimes the vacuity clofes up of itself."

Mr. Seward and Mr. Pearson, another clergyman here, fupt with us at our inn, and after they left us, we fat up late as we ufed to do in London.

Here