"Sir,"

He would not allow the verb derange, a word at present much in use, to be an English word. said a gentleman who had some pretensions to literature, "I have seen it in a book." "Not in a bound book,' said Johnson ; disarrange is the word we ought to use instead of it." (1)

211. Hugh Kelly.

When some one asked him whether they should introduce Hugh Kelly, the author, to him "No, Sir," says he, I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read: yet when his play was acted for the benefit of his widow, Johnson furnished a prologue.

212. The Early Puritans.

Of the early Puritans, he thought their want of learning was atoned for by their skill in the Scriptures, and the holiness of their lives; and, to justify his opinion of them and their writings, he once cited to me a saying of Howell, in one of his letters, that to make a man a complete Christian, he must have the works of a Papist, the words of a Puritan, and the faith of a Protestant.

213. Happiness.

He thought the happiest life was that of a man of business, with some literary pursuits for his amusement; and that, in general, no one could be virtuous or happy that was not completely employed.

214. George Psalmanazar.

He had never, he said, seen the close of the life of any one that he wished so much his own to resemble, as

(1) Even so late as the year 1795, a writer in the British Critic censured, as a gallicism, Mr. Burke's use of derange for disarrange. C.

that of Psalmanazar (1) for its purity and devotion. He told many anecdotes of him; and said he was supposed, by his accent, to have been a Gascon; but that he spoke English with the city accent, and coarse enough. He for some years spent his evenings at a public-house near Old Street, where many persons went to talk with him. When Dr. Johnson was asked whether he ever contradicted Psalmanazar, "I should as soon," said he, "have thought of contradicting a bishop: so high did he hold his character in the latter part of his life. When he was asked whether he ever mentioned Formosa before him, he said, " he was afraid to mention even China."

215. Improvement.

Johnson was in the habit of visiting Psalmanazar, and would frequently adjourn with him from his lodgings to a neighbouring alehouse, and, in the common room, converse with him on subjects of importance. In one of these conversations, Johnson took occasion to remark on the human mind, that it had a necessary tendency to improvement, and that it would frequently anticipate instruction, and enable ingenious minds to acquire knowledge. Sir," said a stranger that overheard him, “ that I deny: I am a tailor, and have had many apprentices, but never one that could make a coat, till I had taken great pains in teaching him."

216. Garrick's Enunciation.

He assumed a right of correcting Garrick's enunciation, and, by an instance, convinced him that it was sometimes erroneous. "You often," said Johnson, "mistake the emphatical word of a sentence." "Give me an instance," said Garrick. "I cannot," answered Johnson, "recollect one; but repeat the Seventh Commandment." Garrick pronounced it" Thou shalt

(1) [See antè, p. 62.]

not commit adultery."

"You are wrong," said Johnson: "it is a negative precept, and ought to be pronounced, "Thou shalt not commit adultery. (1)

217. Warburton.

When a Scotsman was talking against Warburton, Johnson said, he had more literature than had been im.. ported from Scotland since the days of Buchanan. Upon his mentioning other eminent writers of the Scots "These will not do," said Johnson; "let us have some more of your northern lights; these are mere farthing candles."

To a person who asked "whether he had ever been in company with Dr. Warburton," he answered, “I never saw him till one evening, about a week ago, at the Bishop of St. Asaph's: at first he looked surlily at me; but after we had been jostled into conversation, he tock me to a window, asked me some questions, and before we parted was so well pleased with me that he patted me.' "You always, Sir, preserved a respect for him?" "Yes, and justly; when as yet I was in no favour with the world, he spoke well of me (2), and I hope I never forgot the obligation."

218. Authors.

To a lady who signified a great desire to increase her acquaintance with authors, conceiving that more might be learned from their conversation and manner of living, than from their works, "Madam," said he, "the best part of an author will always be found in his writings."

219. Complainers.

cr

"Complainers," said he, are always loud and

clamorous."

220. Lord Chesterfield's Son.

Johnson said that he had once seen Mr. Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield's son (1), at Dodsley's shop, and was so much struck with his awkward manner and appearance, that he could not help asking Mr. Dodsley who he

was.

221. Fear of Death.

To his censure of fear (2) in general, he made, however, one exception with respect to the fear of death, timorum maximus: he thought that the best of us were but unprofitable servants, and had much reason to fear.

manner: --

222. Dr. Birch.

Of Dr. Birch, Johnson was used to speak in this "Tom is a lively rogue; he remembers a great deal, and can tell many pleasant stories; but a pen is to Tom a torpedo, the touch of it benumbs his hand and his brain: Tom can talk; but he is no writer."

223. Lyttelton and the Leasowes.

Johnson's account of Lord Lyttelton's envy to Shenstone for his improvements in his grounds, &c. was confirmed by an ingenious writer, Spence was in the house for a fortnight with the Lytteltons before they offered to show him Shenstone's place.

He has been accused of treating Lord Lyttelton roughly in his life of him: he assured a friend, however, that he kept back a very ridiculous anecdote of him, relative to a question he put to a great divine of his time.

224. Public Opinion.

Dr. Johnson held all authors very cheap that were not satisfied with the opinion of the public about them. He used to say, that every man who writes thinks he

(1) [The natural son to whom Lord Chesterfield addressed the celebrated Letters on Manners.]

(2) [See antè, Vol. V. p. 231., and p. 123. of this volume.]

can amuse or inform mankind, and they must be the best judges of his pretensions.

225. Puns.

Though no great friend to puns, he once, by accident, made a singular one. A person who affected to live after the Greek manner, and to anoint himself with oil, was one day mentioned: Johnson, in the course of conversation on the singularity of his practice, gave him the denomination of this man of Greece (or grease, as you please to take it).

226. Society and Retirement.

He thought worse of the vices of retirement than of those of society.

227. The Law.

He thought very favourably of the profession of the law, and said that the sages thereof, for a long series backward, had been friends to religion. Fortescue says, that their afternoon's employment was the study of the Scriptures. (1)

(1) Lord Coke, in his Institutes, 1. ii. c. 1. s. 85., quotes these ancient, as he calls them, verses, recommending a proper distribution of the time of a law-student.

"Sex horas somno, totidem des legibus æquis,
Quatuor orabis, des epulisque duas;

Quod superest ultrò sacris largire Camænis."

Of these Sir William Jones made two versions: —

"Six hours to sleep, to law's grave study six;

Four spend in prayer- the rest on nature fix: "

rather (he adds),

"Six hours to law, to soothing slumber seven;,
Ten to the world allot, and ail to Heaven."

It is not very clear what nature in the first version means; in the second Sir William has shortened his day to twenty-three hours: and the general advice " of all to Heaven" destroys the peculiar appropriation of a certain period to religious exercises. The following version, if less poetical, is at least more exact :

"Six hours to sleep devote to law the same;

Pray four, feast two- the rest the Muses claim."- C.