A DRAMATIC EVENING.

Sunday, April 12th: DR. PERCY'S.

Quite a dramatic evening-almost tragic.

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On the mention of Books of Travels, Johnson praised Pennant very highly. Now, this Pennant had spoken slightingly of Alnwick Castle and the Duke of Northumberland's pleasure-grounds: shall a Percy sit quietly by and hear the calumniator of his race applauded thus? Never.

JOHNSON: "Pennant, in what he has said of Alnwick, has done what he intended; he has made you very angry."-PERCY: "He has said the garden is trim, which is representing it like a citizen's parterre, when the truth is, there is a very large extent of fine turf and gravel walks."-JOHNSON: "According to your own account, Sir, Pennant is right. It is trim. Here is grass cut close, and gravel rolled smooth. Is not that trim? The extent is nothing against that; a mile may be as trim as a square yard. Your extent puts me in mind of the citizen's enlarged dinner, two pieces of roast beef and two puddings. There is no variety, no mind exerted in laying out the ground, no trees."-PERCY: "He pretends to give the natural history of Northumberland, and yet takes no notice of the immense number of trees planted there of late."-JOHNSON : "That, Sir, has nothing to do with the natural history; that is civil history. A man who gives the natural history of the oak, is not to tell how many oaks have been planted in this place or that. A man who gives the natural history of the cow, is not to tell how many cows are milked at Islington. The animal is the same, whether milked in the Park or at Islington."-PERCY: "Pennant does not describe well: a carrier who goes along the side of Lochlomond would describe it better."-JOHNSON: "I think he describes very well."-PERCY: "I travelled after him."-JOHNSON: "And I travelled after him."-PERCY: "But, my good friend, you are short-sighted, and do not see so well as I do.”— JOHNSON [pointedly]: "This is the resentment of a narrow mind, because he did not find everything in Northumberland.”—PERCY : "Sir, you may be as rude as you please."-JOHNSON: "Hold, Sir! Don't talk of rudeness; remember, Sir, you told me [puffing hard, with passion struggling for a vent] I was short-sighted. We

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QUARREL AND RECONCILIATION.

have done with civility. We are to be as rude as we please."PERCY: "Upon my honour, Sir, I did not mean to be uncivil.”— JOHNSON: "I cannot say so, Sir; for I did mean to be uncivil, thinking you had been uncivil." Dr. Percy rose, ran up to him, and taking him by the hand, assured him affectionately that his meaning had been misunderstood; upon which a reconciliation instantly took place. JOHNSON: "My dear Sir, I am willing you shall hang Pennant."-PERCY [resuming the former subject]: "Pennant complains that the helmet is not hung out to invite to the hall of hospitality. Now, I never heard that it was a custom to hang out a helmet."-JOHNSON: "Hang him up, hang im up."-BOSWELL [humouring the joke]: "Hang out his skull instead of a helmet, and you may drink ale out of it in your hall of Odin, as he is your enemy; that will be truly ancient. There will be 'Northern Antiquities.”—JOHNSON: "He's a Whig, Sir ; a sad dog [smiling at his own violent expressions, merely for political difference of opinion]. But he's the best traveller I ever read; he observes more things than any one else does."

The storm having thus spent its fury, all was peace again : supper-time came, and the evening closed harmoniously.

"The falling-out of faithful friends renewing is of love."

"PRETTY BABY!"

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CHAPTER XXXVI.

JOHNSON'S BEFORE-DINNER TALK-CONVERSATIONS-THE DOCTOR AND AN OLD COLLEGE-MATE.

(1778.)

Monday, April 13th: MR. LANGTON'S.

PREVIOUS to the cheering and inspiring sound of the dinnerbell, Boswell's duties, as reporter of the Doctor's conversation, must have been extremely light, as the latter only said two words, and these to a child, "Pretty baby!"-a speech which, by its brevity, reminded Langton of Johnson's declaration that he could repeat a whole chapter of "The Natural History of Iceland," which stood simply thus :

"CHAPTER LXXII. Concerning Snakes.

There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island."

Our Author's before-dinner speeches were equally concise and portable; but we have given this "Pretty Baby" a whole evening to itself, as being the very briefest on record. At the same time, it is right to state that these words, though few, were doubtless sincere; for Johnson loved children, and proved his love by giving them all sorts of sweetmeats-the surest introduction to a young child's heart.

Wednesday, April 15th: MR. DILLY'S.

Two clever ladies present: Mrs. Knowles, of whose charms, as our readers will remember, Wilkes had jocularly declared the Doctor enamoured; and Miss Seward, who had made the apt quotation from "Acis and Galatea," which we gave a few pages back.

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WOMAN'S RIGHTS.

Naturally enough, with two such ingenious ladies at table, the talk turned upon Woman's Rights. Mrs. Knowles stood up manfully for her sex, as the following conversation will show :—

MRS. KNOWLES: "It is not fair that men should have so much more liberty allowed them than women."-JOHNSON: "Why, Madam, women have all the liberty they should wish to have. We have all the labour and the danger, and the women all the advantage. We go to sea, we build houses, we do everything, in short, to pay our court to the women.”—MRS. KNOWLES: "The Doctor reasons very wittily, but not convincingly. Now, take the instance of building; the mason's wife, if she is ever seen in liquor, is ruined; the mason may get himself drunk as often as he pleases, with little loss of character; nay, may let his wife and children starve."-JOHNSON: "Madam, you must consider, if the mason does get himself drunk, and let his wife and children starve, the parish will oblige him to find security for their maintenance. We have different modes of restraining evil. Stocks for the men, a ducking-stool for women, and a pound for beasts. If we require more perfection from women than from ourselves, it is doing them honour. And women have not the same temptations that we have; they may always live in virtuous company; men must mix in the world indiscriminately. If a woman has no inclination to do what is wrong, being secured from it is no restraint to her. I am at liberty to walk into the Thames; but if I were to try it, my friends would restrain me in Bedlam, and I should be obliged to them."-MRS. KNOWLES: "Still, Doctor, I cannot help thinking it a hardship that more indulgence is allowed to men than to women. It gives a superiority to men, to which I do not see how they are entitled."JOHNSON: "It is plain, Madam, one or other must have the superiority. As Shakespeare says, 'If two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind.'"-DILLY: "I suppose, Sir, Mrs. Knowles would have them ride in panniers, one on each side."-JOHNSON: "Then, Sir, the horse would throw them both."-MRS. KNOWLES: "Well, I hope that in another world the sexes will be equal."

After a spirited talk about love and friendship, Johnson broke

ASSAULT ON THE AMERICANS.

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forth, "I am willing to love all mankind, except an American." Then followed a volley of wrathful language, the very mildest words audible being "Rascals-Robbers-Pirates "—and the whole terminating with the pleasant assurance that, if he had his way, "he'd burn and destroy them." Miss Seward, looking at the enraged Doctor, mildly but firmly observed, "Sir, this is an instance that we are always most violent against those we have injured "[referring to his "Taxation no Tyranny"]. The Doctor felt the sting, but only vented his pain in another terrific roar, after which this little bit of wild by-play came to an end.

The Doctor's hatred of the Americans, though unreasonable and violent, was steady and unflinching-as all his acquaintances knew. At one of Miss E. Hervey's assemblies, Dr. Johnson was following her up and down the room; upon which Lord Abingdon observed to her, "Your great friend is very fond of you: you can go nowhere without him." "Ay," said she, "he would follow me to any part of the world." Then," said the Earl, "ask him to go with you to America."

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April 17th: Good Friday.

Boswell called as usual, and found the Doctor fasting with his customary strictness. They went to church at St. Clement Danes. The day was beautiful, and, in Boswell's eyes, London looked sublime. "Fleet Street," said he, "is in my mind more delightful

than Tempé."

JOHNSON: "Ay, Sir; but let it be compared with Mull.” On their return from church, a decent-looking elderly man in grey clothes and many-curled wig accosted Johnson with the air of an old acquaintance; a salutation which the Doctor only acknowledged by a polite but formal bow. But when the stranger said that his name was Edwards, and reminded the Doctor that they had been at College together nine-and-forty years ago, the old acquaintanceship was renewed at once and warmly.

EDWARDS: "Ah, Sir! we are old men now."-JOHNSON [Who never liked to think of being old]: "Don't let us discourage one another."-EDWARDS: "Why, Doctor, you look stout and hearty;