Tyburn, and he neither swore nor talked bawdy. And is it thus, Sir, that you presume to controvert what I have related?" Dr. Johnson's animadversion was uttered in such a manner, that Dr. Percy seemed to be displeased, and soon afterwards left the company, of which Johnson did not at that time take any notice.

Swift having been mentioned, Johnson, as usual, treated him with little respect as an author. Some of us endeavoured to support the Dean of St. Patrick's by various arguments. One, in particular, praised his "Conduct of the Allies." JOHNSON. "Sir, his 'Conduct of the Allies' is a performance of very little ability." "Surely, Sir," said Dr. Douglas, “you must allow it has strong facts." JOHNSON. "Why yes, Sir; but what is that to the merit of the composition? In the Sessions-paper of the Old Bailey there are strong facts. Housebreaking is a strong fact; robbery is a strong fact; and murder is a mighty strong fact: but is great praise due to the historian of those strong facts? No, Sir, Swift has told what he had to tell distinctly enough, but that is all. He had to count ten, and he has counted it right." Then recollecting that Mr. Davies, by acting as an informer, had been the occasion of his talking somewhat too harshly to his friend Dr. Percy, for which, probably, when the first ebullition was over, he felt some compunction, he took an opportunity to give him a hit so added, with a preparatory laugh, “Why, Sir, Tom Davies might have written 'The Conduct of the Allies.'" Poor Tom, being thus suddenly dragged into ludicrous notice in presence of the Scottish doctors, to whom he was ambitious

1 My respectable friend, upon reading this passage, observed, that he probably must have said not simply "strong facts," but "strong facts well arranged." His Lordship, however, knows too well the value of written documents to insist on setting his recollection against my notes taken at the time. He does not attempt to traverse the record. The fact, perhaps, may have been, either that the additional words escaped me in the noise of a numerous company, or that Dr. Johnson, from his impetuosity, and eagerness to seize an opportunity to make a lively retort, did not allow Dr. Douglas to finish his sentence. [Note added in the second edition, vol. i. p. 523.--Editor.]

of appearing to advantage, was grievously mortified. Nor did his punishment rest here; for upon subsequent occasions, whenever he, "statesman all over," ' assumed a strutting importance, I used to hail him-" the Author of the Conduct of the Allies."

When I called upon Dr. Johnson next morning, I found him highly satisfied with his colloquial prowess the preceding evening. "Well," said he, "we had good talk." BOSWELL. "Yes, Sir; you tossed and gored several persons."

The late Alexander Earl of Eglintoune,' who loved wit more than wine, and men of genius more than sycophants, had a great admiration of Johnson; but, from the remarkable elegance of his own manners, was perhaps too delicately sensible of the roughness which sometimes appeared in Johnson's behaviour. One evening about this time, when his lordship did me the honour to sup at my lodgings with Dr. Robertson and several other men of literary distinction, he regretted that Johnson had not been educated with more refinement, and lived more in polished society. "No, no, my lord," said Signor Baretti, "do with him what you would, he would always have been a bear." "True," answered the earl, with a smile, "but he would have been a dancing bear."

To obviate all the reflections which have gone round the world to Johnson's prejudice, by applying to him the epithet of a bear, let me impress upon my readers a just and happy saying of my friend Goldsmith, who knew him well:-" Johnson, to be sure, has a roughness in his manner; but no man

1 See the hard drawing of him in Churchill's Rosciad.

* Tenth earl, who was shot, in 1769, by Mungo Campbell, whose fowlingpiece Lord Eglintoune attempted to seize. To this nobleman Boswell was indebted, as he himself said, for his early introduction to the circle of the great, the gay, and the ingenious. Boswell thus mentions himself in a tale called The Cub at Newmarket, published in 1762 :—

"Lord Eglintoune, who loves, you know,

A little dish of whim or so,

By chance a curious cub had got,

On Scotia's mountains newly caught."-Gent. Mag.

-Croker.

alive has a more tender heart. He has nothing of the bear but his skin."

In 1769, so far as I can discover, the public was favoured with nothing of Johnson's composition, either for himself or any of his friends. His "Meditations" too strongly prove that he suffered much both in body and mind; yet was he perpetually striving against evil, and nobly endeavouring to advance his intellectual and devotional improvement. Every generous and grateful heart must feel for the distresses of so eminent a benefactor to mankind; and now that his unhappiness is certainly known, must respect that dignity of character which prevented him from complaining.

His Majesty having the preceding year instituted the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Johnson had now the honour of being appointed Professor in Antient Literature. In the course of the year he wrote some letters to Mrs. Thrale, passed some part of the summer at Oxford and at Lichfield, and when at Oxford he wrote the following letter:

TO THE REVEREND MR. THOMAS WARTON.

"DEAR SIR,

"May 31, 1769.

Many years ago, when I used to read in the library of your College, I promised to recompense the college for that permission, by adding to their books a Baskerville's Virgil. I have now sent it, and desire you to reposit it on the shelves in my name.'

1 In which place he has been succeeded by Bennet Langton, Esq. When that truly religious gentleman was elected to this honorary Professorship, at the same time that Edward Gibbon, Esq., noted for introducing a kind of sneering infidelity into his historical writings, was elected Professor in Ancient History, in the room of Dr. Goldsmith, I observed that it brought to my mind, "Wicked Will Whiston and good Mr. Ditton."-I am now also of that admirable institution, as Secretary for Foreign Correspondence, by the favour of the Academicians, and the approbation of the sovereign. [Note in second edition, vol. i., p. 525.-Editor.]

2 It has this inscription in a blank_leaf :—“ Hunc librum D.D. Samuel Johnson eo quod hic loci studiis interdum vacaret." Of this library, which is an old Gothic room, he was very fond. On my observing to him that some of the modern libraries of the University were more commodious and

"If you will be pleased to let me know when you have an hour of leisure, I will drink tea with you. I am engaged for the afternoon tomorrow, and on Friday: all my mornings are my own.' I am, &c., "SAM. JOHNSON."

I came to London in the autumn; and having informed him that I was going to be married in a few months, I wished to have as much of his conversation as I could before engaging in a state of life which would probably keep me more in Scotland, and prevent me seeing him so often as when I was a single man; but I found he was at Brighthelmstone with Mr. and Mrs. Thrale. I was very sorry that I had not his company with me at the Jubilee, in honour of Shakspeare, at Stratford-upon-Avon, the great poet's native town.2 Johnson's

pleasant for study, as being more spacious and airy, he replied, “Sir, if a man has a mind to prance, he must study at Christchurch and All-Souls." -Warton.

Mr. Robinson Ellis, the distinguished scholar and fellow of Trinity College, informs me (1881) that this copy is honourably preserved on the shelves of the Library.-Editor.

During this visit he seldom or never dined out. He appeared to be deeply engaged in some literary work. Miss Williams was now with him at Oxford.-Warton.

2 Mr. Boswell, on this occasion, justified Johnson's foresight and prudence, in advising him to "clear his head of Corsica:" unluckily, the advice had no effect, for Boswell made a fool of himself at the Jubilee by sundry enthusiastic freaks; amongst others, lest he should not be sufficiently distinguished, he wore the words CORSICA BOSWELL in large letters round his hat. There was an absurd print of him, I think in the London Magazine, published, no doubt, with his concurrence, in the character of an armed Corsican chief, at the Jubilee masquerade on the evening of the 7th Sept. 1769, in which he wears a cap with the inscription of "Viva la Libertà!"—but his friend and admirer, Tom Davies, records that he wore ordinarily the vernacular inscription of "CORSICA BOSWELL in large letters outside his hat."-Life of Garrick, ii. 212. Earlier in the year he had visited Ireland, and was no doubt the correspondent who furnished the following paragraph to the Public Advertiser of the 7th July, 1769:

"Extract of a letter from Dublin, 8th June.

"James Boswell, Esq., having now visited Ireland, he dined with his Grace the Duke of Leinster, at his seat at Carton. He went also by special invitation, to visit the Lord Lieutenant at his country seat at Leixlip; to