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392. Hayley.

Much pains were taken by Mr. Hayley's friends to prevail on Dr. Johnson to read "The Triumphs of Temper," when it was in its zenith; at last he consented, but never got beyond the two first pages, of which he uttered a few words of contempt that I have now forgotten. They were, however, carried to the author, who revenged himself by portraying Johnson as Rumble in his comedy of "The Mausoleum ;" and subsequently he published, without his name, a "Dialogue in the Shades between Lord Chesterfield and Dr. Johnson," more distinguished for malignity than wit. Being anonymous, and possessing very little merit, it fell still-born from the press.

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Lord Lyttelton.

393. Mrs. Montagu.. Dr. Johnson sent his "Life of Lord Lyttelton" in MS. to Mrs. Montagu, who was much dissatisfied with it, and thought her friend every way underrated; but the Doctor made no alteration. When he subsequently made one of a party at Mrs. Montagu's, he addressed his hostess two or three times after dinner, with a view to engage her in conversation: receiving only cold and brief answers, he said, in a low voice, to General Paoli, who sat next him, and who told me the story, "You see, Sir, I am no longer the man for Mrs. Montagu."

394. Favourite Couplet.

Mrs. Piozzi related to me, that when Dr. Johnson one day observed, that poets in general preferred some one couplet they had written to any other, she replied, that she did not suppose he had a favourite; he told her she was mistaken he thought his best lines were:

"The encumber'd oar scarce leaves the hostile coast,
Through purple billows and a floating host."

PART XIII.

ANECDOTES OF DR. JOHNSON,

BY WILLIAM SEWARD, ESQ. (1)

395. Sir Robert Walpole.

DR. JOHNSON said one day of Sir Robert Walpole, that he was the best minister this country ever had; "for," said he," he would have kept it in perpetual peace, if we," meaning the Tories and those in opposition to him, "would have let him."

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396. Romantic Virtue.

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Dr. Johnson used to advise his friends to be upon their guard against romantic virtue, as being founded upon no settled principle; a plank," said he, "that is tilted up at one end, must of course fall down on the other."

397. Little Books.

Another admonition of his was, never to go out without some little book or other in their pocket. "Much time," added he, " is lost by waiting, by travelling, &c., and this may be prevented, by making use of every possible opportunity for improvement.”

398. Languages.

"The knowledge of various languages," said he, may be kept up by occasionally using bibles and prayer-books in them at church."

(1) [Author of "Anecdotes of Distinguished Persons," &c. See ante, Vol. III. p. 76. n.]

399. Christian Religion.

In a conversation with the Duc de Chaulnes, the duke said to Johnson, "that the morality of the different religions existing in the world was nearly the same." "But you must acknowledge, my lord,” said the Doctor," that the Christion religion puts it upon proper basis the fear and love of God."

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400. Dr. Burney.

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Of the musical tracts of Dr. Burney this great critic in style thought so highly, that he told a friend of his, after he had published his Scotch Tour, Sir, I had Burney in my eye all the while I was writing my Journal."

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401. Mrs. Montagu. Shakspeare. Voltaire. Of Mrs. Montagu's elegant Essay upon Shakspeare," he always said, "that it was ad hominem ; that it was conclusive against Voltaire; and that she had done what she intended to do.” (1)

402. Preface to Shakspeare.

Johnson's Preface to his edition of Shakspeare was styled by Dr. Adam Smith, the most manly piece of criticism that was ever published in any country.

403. Infant Hercules.

Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his picture of the Infant Hercules, painted for the Empress of Russia, in the person of Tiresias the soothsayer, gave an adumbration of Johnson's manner.

404. Duc de Montmorenci.

In a conversation with Dr. Johnson on the subject of this nobleman, he said, “ Had I been Richelieu, I could not have found in my heart to have suffered the

(1) [See antè, Vol. III. p. 90., and Vol. IV. p. 266.]

first Christian baron to die by the hands of the executioner."

405. Music.

Dr. Johnson was observed by a musical friend of his to be extremely inattentive at a concert, whilst a celebrated solo player was running up the divisions and subdivisions of notes upon his violin. His friend, to induce him to take greater notice of what was going on, told him how extremely difficult it was. "Difficult do you call it, Sir?" replied the Doctor; "I wish it were impossible."

406. Voltaire.

Dr. Johnson told Voltaire's antagonist Fréron, that vir erat acerrimi ingenii, ac paucarum literarum; and Warburton says of him, that " he wrote indifferently well upon every thing.”

PART XIV.

ANECDOTES OF DR. JOHNSON,
BY OZIAS HUMPHRY, R.A. (1)

407. Johnson in 1764.

THE day after I wrote my last letter to you I was introduced to Mr. Johnson by a friend: we passed through three very dirty rooms to a little one that looked like

(1) [In a letter to his brother, the Rev. William Humphry, Rector of Kemsing and Seal, in Kent, and Vicar of Birling: from the original, in the possession of Mr. Upcott, dated September 19. 1764. For Boswell's account of Mr. Humphry, see antè, Vol. VIII. p. 264.]

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an old counting-house, where this great man was sat at his breakfast. The furniture of this room was a very large deal writing-desk, an old walnut-tree table, and five ragged chairs of four different sets. I was very much struck with Mr. Johnson's appearance, and could hardly help thinking him a madman for some time, as he sat waving over his breakfast like a lunatic.

He is a very large man, and was dressed in a dirty brown coat and waistcoat, with breeches that were brown also (though they had been crimson), and an old black wig his shirt collar and sleeves were unbuttoned; his stockings were down about his feet, which had on them, by way of slippers, an old pair of shoes. He had not been up long when we called on him, which was near one o'clock: he seldom goes to bed till near two in the morning; and Mr. Reynolds tells me he generally drinks tea about an hour after he has supped. We had been some time with him before he began to talk, but at length he began, and, faith, to some purpose! every thing he says is as correct as a second edition : 't is almost impossible to argue with him, he is so sententious and so knowing.

408. Sir Joshua Reynolds.

I asked him, if he had seen Mr. Reynolds's pictures lately. "No, Sir." " He has painted many fine ones." "I know he has," he said, 66 as I hear he has been fully employed." I told him, I imagined Mr. Reynolds was not much pleased to be overlooked by the court, as he must be conscious of his superior merit. "Not at all displeased," he said, "Mr. Reynolds has too much good sense to be affected by it: when he was younger he believed it would have been agreeable; but now he does not want their favour. It has ever been more profitable to be popular among the people than favoured by the King: it is no reflection on Mr. Reynolds not to be employed by them; but it will be a

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