of the Romish church, he went to his grave be- - 1764. lieving him to be of that communion. Etat. 55

Johnfon, during his ftay at Langton, had the advantage of a good library, and saw several gentlemen of the neighbourhood. I have obtained from Mr. Langton the following particulars of this period.

He was now fully convinced that he could not have been fatisfied with a country living; for, talking of a refpectable clergyman in Lincolnshire, he obferved, "This man, Sir, fills up the duties of his life well. I approve of him, but could not imitate him."

To a lady who endeavoured to vindicate herself from blame for neglecting focial attention to worthy neighbours, by faying, "I would go to them if it would do them any good;" he said, "What good, Madam, do you expect to have in your power to do them? It is fhewing them respect, and that is doing them good."

So focially accommodating was he, that once when Mr. Langton and he were driving together in a coach, and Mr. Langton complained of being fick, he infifted that they fhould go out, and fit on the back of it in the open air, which they did. And being fenfible how strange the appearance must be, observed, that a countryman whom they faw in a field would probably be thinking, "If these two madmen should come down, what would become of me?"

Soon after his return to London, which was in February, was founded that CLUB which exifted long without a name, but at Mr. Garrick's funeral

became

1764. became diftinguished by the title of THE LITERARY

CLUB. Sir Joshua Reynolds had the merit of tat, 55 being the firft propofer of it, to which Johnson

acceded, and the original members were, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Johnfon, Mr. Edmund Burke, Dr. Nugent, Mr. Beauclerk, Mr. Langton, Dr. Goldfmith, Mr. Chamier, and Sir John Hawkins, They met at the Turk's Head, in Gerrard-street, Soho, one evening in every week, at feven, and generally continued their converfation till a pretty late hour. This club has been gradually increafed to its prefent number, thirty five. After about ten years, instead of supping weekly, it was refolved to dine together once a fortnight during the meeting of Parliament. Their original tavern having been converted into a private house, they moved firft to Prince's in Sackville-street, then to Le Telier's in Dover-ftreet, and now meet at Parfloe's, St. James's-ftreet, Between the time of its formation, and the time at which this work is paffing through the prefs, (June 1792,) the following perfons, now dead were members of it: Mr. Dunning, (afterwards Lord Afhburton,) Mr. Samuel Dyer, Mr. Garrick, Dr. Shipley Bishop of St. A faph, Mr. Vefey, Mr. Thomas Warton and Dr. Adam Smith. The prefent members are, Mr. Burke, Mr. Langton, Lord Charlemont, Sir Robert Chambers, Dr. Percy Bishop of Dromore, Dr. Barnard Bishop of Killaloe, Dr. Marlay Bishop of Clonfert, Mr. Fox, Dr. George Fordyce, Sir William Scott, Sir Jofeph Banks, Sir Charles Bunbury, Mr. Windham of Norfolk, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Gibbon,

1764.

Sir William Jones, Mr. Colman, Mr. Steevens,
Dr. Burney, Dr. Jofeph Warton, Mr. Malone, Atat. 55
Lord Offory, Lord Spencer, Lord Lucan, Lord
Palmerfton, Lord Eliot, Lord Macartney, Mr.
Richard Burke, junior, Sir William Hamilton,
Dr. Warren, Mr. Courtenay, Dr. Hinchcliffe,
Bishop of Peterborough, the Duke of Leeds,
Dr. Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury, and the writer
of this account.

Sir John Hawkins' reprefents himself as a
"feceder" from this fociety, and affigns as the rea-
fon of his "withdrawing" himfelf from it, that
its late hours were inconfiftent with his domeftick
arrangements. In this he is not accurate; for the
fact was, that he one evening attacked Mr. Burke
in fo rude a manner, that all the company teftified
their difpleafure; and at their next meeting his
reception was fuch, that he never came again *.
He is equally inaccurate with refpect to Mr.
Garrick, of whom he says,
"he trufted that the
leaft intimation of a defire to come among us,
would procure him a ready admiffion;" but in this
he was mistaken. Johnfon confulted me upon it;
and when I could find no objection to receiving him,
exclaimed, He will difturb us by his buffoonery;"
-and afterwards fo managed matters, that he
was never formally propofed, and, by confequence,
never admitted "."

In justice both to Mr. Garrick and Dr. Johnson, I think it neceffary to rectify this mif-ftatement. The truth is, that not very long after the inftitution of our club, Sir Joshua Reynolds was fpeaking * From Sir Joshua Reynolds. of

3 Life of Johnfon, p. 425. s Life of Johnfon, p. 425.

1764. of it to Garrick. "I like it much, (faid he,) I think I fhall be of you." When Sir Joshua Etat. 55. mentioned this to Dr. Johnfon, he was much difpleased with the actor's conceit. "He'll be of us, (faid Johnfon) how does he know we will permit him? The first Duke in England has no right to hold fuch language." However, when Garrick was regularly propofed fome time afterwards, Johnfon, though he had taken a momentary offence at his arrogance, warmly and kindly fupported him, and he was accordingly elected, was a moft agreeable member, and continued to attend our meetings to the time of his death.

6

Mrs. Piozzi has alfo given a fimilar mifreprefentation of Johnson's treatment of Garrick in this particular, as if he had used these contemptuous expreffions: "If Garrick does apply, I'll blackball him. Surely, one ought to fit in a society like ours,

"Unelbow'd by a gamefter, pimp, or player."

I am happy to be enabled by such unquestionable authority as that of Sir Joshua Reynolds, as well as from my own knowledge, to vindicate at once the heart of Johnson and the focial merit of Garrick.

In this year, except what he may have done in revifing Shakspeare, we do not find that he laboured much in literature. He wrote a review of Grainger's "Sugar Cane, a Poem," in the London Chronicle. He told me, that Dr. Percy wrote the greatest part of this review; but, I imagine, he did not recollect it diftinctly, for it appears to • Letters to and from Dr. Johnson. Vol. II. p. 278.

be

be moftly, if not altogether, his own. He also 154. wrote in the Critical Review, an account † of Etat. 55. Goldfmith's excellent poem, "The Traveller."

The ease and independence to which he had at laft attained by royal munificence, increafed his natural indolence. In his "Meditations" he thus accufes himself: "GOOD FRIDAY, April 20, 1764. I have made no reformation; I have lived totally useless, more fenfual in thought, and more addicted to wine and meat"." And next morning he thus feelingly complains: "My indolence, fince my laft reception of the facrament, has funk into groffer fluggishnefs, and my diffipation spread into wilder negligence. My thoughts have been clouded with fenfuality; and, except that from the beginning of this year I have, in fome measure, forborne excess of strong drink, my appetites have predominated over my reason. A kind of strange oblivion has overspread me, fo that I know not what has become of the last year; and perceive that incidents and intelligence pafs over me, without leaving any impreffion." He then folemnly fays, "This is not the life to which heaven is promifed," and he earnestly refolves an amendment.

It was his cuftom to obferve certain days with a pious abftraction; viz. New-year's-day, the day of his wife's death, Good Friday, Easter-day, and his own birth-day. He this year fays, "I have now spent fifty-five years in refolving; having, from the earliest time almoft that I can remember, been forming fchemes of a better life.

Prayers and Meditations, p. 50.

8 Ibid.

P. 51.