He took care to guard himself against any poffible fufpicion that his fettled principles of reverence for rank and respect for wealth were at all owing to mean or interefted motives; for he afferted his own independence as a literary man. "No man (faid he) who ever lived by literature, has lived more independently than I have done." He faid he had taken longer time than he needed to have done in compofing his Dictionary.

In an eloquent argument he maintained that the fituation of Prince of Wales was the happiest of any person's in the kingdom, even beyond that of the Sovereign. Among other things he mentioned the enjoyment of hope, -the high fuperiority of rank, without the anxious cares of government, a great degree of power, both from natural influence wifely used, and from the fanguine expectations of those who look forward to the chance of future favour,

LAW,

LAW.

WHEN Mr. Bofwell meditated trying his fortune in Westminster Hall, Johnson said to him, "You must not indulge too fanguine hopes, fhould be called to our bar. I was told, you by a very fenfible lawyer, that there are a great many chances against any man's fuccefs in the profeffion of the law; the candidates are fo numerous, and those who get large practice fo few." He faid, it was by no means true that a man of good parts and application is fure of having bufinefs, though he, indeed, allowed that if fuch a man could but appear in a few causes, his merit would be known, and he would get forward; but that the great risk was, that a man might pass half a life-time in the Courts, and never have an opportunity of fhewing his abilities.

"I asked him (fays Mr. Bofwell on another occafion) whether as a moralift he did not think that the practice of the law, in fome degree, hurt the nice feeling of honefty."-JOHNSON. "Why no, Sir, if you act properly. You are not to deceive your clients with falfe reprefentations of your opinion: you are not to tell lies to a judge."-BoS WELL. "But what do you

think of fupporting a caufe which you know to be bad?"-J. "Sir, you do not know it to be good or bad till the Judge determines it. I have faid that you are to ftate facts fairly; fo that your thinking, or what you call knowing, a caufe to be bad, must be from reasoning; must be from your fuppofing your arguments to be weak and inconclufive. But, Sir, that is not enough. An argument which does not convince yourself, may convince the judge to whom you urge it; and if it does convince him, why, then, Sir, you are wrong, and he is right. It is his business to judge; and you arc not to be confident in your own opinion that a caufe is bad, but to fay all you can for your client, and then hear the Judge's opinion."B. "But, Sir, does not affecting a warmth when you have no warmth, and appearing to be clearly of opinion when you are in reality of another opinion, does not fuch diffimulation impair one's honefty? Is there not fome danger that a lawyer may put on the fame mafk in common life, in the intercourfe with his friends?"." Why no, Sir; every body knows you are paid for affecting warmth for your client, and it is therefore properly no diffimulation; the moment you come from the bar you refume your ufual behaviour. Sir, a man will no more carry the artifice of the bar

1

into the common intercourfe of fociety, than a man who is paid for tumbling upon his hands - will continue tumbling upon his hands when he fhould walk on his feet."

Of entails he faid, "They are good because it is good to preserve in a country a fucceffion of men to whom the people are accustomed to look up as to their leaders. But I am for leaving a quantity of land in commerce to excite industry, and keep money in the country; for if no land were to be bought in the country, there would be no encouragement to acquire wealth, because a family could not be founded there; or if it were acquired, it must be carried away to another country where land may be bought. And although the land in every country will remain the fame, and be as fertile where there is no money, as where there is, yet all that portion of the happiness of civil life, which is produced by money circulating in a country, would be loft." Mr. Boswell asking whether it would be for the advantage of a country that all its lands were fold at once, Johnfon answered, "So far, Sir, as money produces good, it would be an advantage; for then that country would have as much money circulating in it as it is worth; but to be fure this would be counterbalanced by the difadvantages attending a total change of proprietors."

Mr.

Mr. Boswell expreffed his opinion, that the power of entailing fhould be limited thus: "That there fhould be one third, or perhaps one half, of the land of a country kept free for commerce; that the proportion allowed to be entailed should be parcelled out fo that no family could entail above a certain quantity. Let a family, according to the abilities of its reprefentatives, be richer or poorer in different generations, or always rich if its reprefentatives be always wife; but let its abfolute permanency be moderate. In this way we should be certain of there being always a number of eftablifhed roots; and as, in the course of nature, there is in every age an extinction of fome families, there would be continual openings for men ambitious of perpetuity, to plant a ftock in the entail ground."-JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, mankind will be better able to regulate the fyftem of entails, when the evil of too much land being locked up by them is felt, than we can do at prefent when it is not felt."

PLAYERS.

DR. JOHNSON had thought more upon the fubject of acting than might be generally fup

pofed.