CHAPTER V. Public Speaking-Statutes against Bribery-Cibber's Comedies-Gentility and Morality-. Charles II-George I.-Trading Judges-Christopher Smart-Twiss's Travels -Ad lison's Italy-"Lilliburlero"-Gibbon--Patriotism-Mrs. Pritchard-Happiness-General Ogle thorpe--Middle-rate Poets-Patronage-Lord Bute-Good Friday-London-CommerceValue of Knowledge-Literary Fame—Infidelity—“ Nil admirari"-Advantages of Reading. ON Wednesday, 5th April, I dined with him at Messieurs Dillys, with Mr. John Scott of Amwell, the Quaker, Mr. Langton, Mr. Miller (now Sir John), and Dr. Thomas Campbell, an Irish clergyman, whom I took the liberty of inviting to Mr. Dilly's table, having seen him at Mr. Thrale's, and been told that he had come to England chiefly with a view to see Dr. Johnson, for whom he entertained the highest veneration. He has since published "A Philosophical Survey of the South of Ireland," a very entertaining book, which has, however, one fault-that it assumes the fictitious charac ter of an Englishman. We talked of public speaking. JOHNSON. "We must not estimate a man's powers by his being able or not able to deliver his sentiments in public. Isaac Hawkins Browne, one of the first wits of this country, got into parliament, and never opened his mouth. For my own part, I think it is more disgraceful never to try to speak, than to try it and fail; as it is more disgraceful not to fight, than to fight and be beaten." This argument appeared to me fallacious; for if a man has not spoken, it may be said that he would have done very well if he had tried; whereas, if he has tried and failed, there is nothing to be said for him. Why, then," I asked, “is it thought disgraceful for a man not to fight, and not disgraceful not to speak in public ?" JOHNSON. "Because there may be other rea sons for a man's not speaking in public than want of resolution: bo may have nothing to say (laughing). Whereas, Sir, you know cou rage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other." He observed, that "the statutes against bribery were intended to prevent upstarts with money from getting into parliament:" adding, that "if he were a gentleman of landed property, he would turn out all his tenants who did not vote for the candidate whom he supported." LANGTON. "Would not that, Sir, be checking the freedom of election ?" JOHNSON. Sir, the law does not mean that the privilege of voting should be independent of old family interest, of the permanent property of the country." On Thursday, 6th April, I dined with him at Mr. Thomas Davies's, with Mr. Hicky, the painter, and my old acquaintance Mr. Moody, the player. Dr. Johnson, as usual, spoke contemptuously of Colley Cibber. "It is wonderful that a man, who for forty years had lived with the great and the witty, should have acquired so ill the talents of conversation and he had but half to furnish; for one half of what he said was oaths." He, however, allowed considerable merit to some of his comedies, and said there was no reason to believe that the "Careless Husband" was not written by himself. Davies said, he was the first dramatic writer who introduced genteel ladies upon the stage. Johnson refuted his observation by instancing several such characters in comedies before his time, DAVIES (trying to defend himself from a charge of ignorance.) "I mean genteel moral characters." "I think," said Hicky, "gentility and morality are inseparable." BOSWELL. "By no means, Sir. The genteelest characters are often the most immoral. Does not Lord Chesterfield give precepts for uniting wickedness and the graces? A man, indeed, is not genteel when he gets drunk; but most vices may be committed very genteelly a man may debauch his friend's wife genteelly: he may cheat at cards genteelly." HICKY. "I do not think that is gen teel." BOSWELL. "Sir, it may not be like a gentleman, but it may be genteel." JOHNSON. "You are meaning two different things. One means exterior grace; the other honour. It is certain that a man may be very immoral with exterior grace. Lovelace, in 'Clarissa,' is a very genteel and a very wicked character Tom Hervey, who died t'e ther day, though a vicious man, was one of the ETAT. 66. CHARLES II. AND JAMES II. 111 genteelest men that ever lived." Tom Davies instanced Charles the Second. JOHNSON (taking fire at an attack upon that Prince, for whom he had an extraordinary partiality.) "Charles the Second was licentious in his practice; but he always had a reverence for what was good. Charles the Second knew his people, and rewarded merit. The church was at no time better filled than in his reign. He was the best king we have had from his time till the reign of our present Majesty, except James the Second, who was a very good king,' but unhappily believed that it was necessary for the salvation of his subjects that they should be Roman Catholics. He had the merit of endeavouring to do what he thought was for the salvation of the souls of his subjects, till he lost a great empire. We, who thought that we should not be saved if we were Roman Catholics, had the merit of maintaining our religion, at the expense of submitting ourselves to the government of King William, (for it could not be done. otherwise,)-to the government of one of the most worthless scoundrels that ever existed." No, Charles the Second was not such a man as -, (naming another king.) He did not destroy his father's will. He took money, indeed, from France: but he did not betray those over whom he ruled: he did not let the French fleet pass ours. knew nothing, and desired to know nothing; lesired to do nothing; and the only good thing that is told of him s, that he wished to restore the crown to its hereditary successor." He roared with prodigious violence against George the Second. When he ceased, Moody interjected, in an Irish tone, and with a comic look, "Ah! poor George the Second.” George the First did nothing, and I mentioned that Dr. Thomas Campbell had come from Ireland to 1 All this seems so contrary to historical truth and common sense, that no explanation can be given of it; but it excites a lively curiosity to know more of Dr. Johnson's personal history luring the years 1745 and 1746, during which Boswell could find no trace of him. 2 A gentleman who dined at a nobleman's table in his company and that of M. Thrale, to whom I was obliged for the anecdote, was willing to enter the lists in defence of King Wil liam's character, and, having opposed and contradicted Johnson two or three times petulantly enough, the master of the house began to feel uneasy, and expect disagreeable consequences: to avoid which he said, loud enough for the Doctor to hear, "Our friend here has no mean. ing now in all this, except just to relate at club to-morrow how he teased Johnson at dinner lo-day-this is all to do himself honour." "No, upon my word," replied the other, "I see no honour in it, whatever you may do." "Well, Sir," returned Dr. Johnson sternly, "if you do not see the hour, I am sure I feel the disgrace."—Piozzi. London, principally to see Dr. Johnson. He seemed angry at this observation. DAVIES. "Why, you know, Sir, there came a man from Spain to see Livy;' and Corelli came to England to see Purcell, and when he heard he was dead, went directly back again to Italy." JOHNSON. "I should not have wished to be dead to disappoint Campbell, had he been so foolish as you represent him; but I should have wished to have been a hundred miles off." This was apparently perverse; and I do believe it was not his real way of thinking he could not but like a man who came so far to see him. He laughed with some complacency, when I told him Campbell's odd expression to me concerning him: "That having seen such a man, was a thing to talk of a century hence," as if he could live so long.' : We got into an argument whether the judges who went to India might with propriety engage in trade. Johnson warmly maintained that they might; "For why," he urged, "should not judges get riches, as well as those who deserve them less ?" I said, they should have sufficient salaries, and have nothing to take off their attention from the affairs of the public. JOHNSON. "No judge, Sir, can give his whole attention to his office; and it is very proper that he should employ what time he has to himself to his own advantage, in the most profitable manner." "Then, Sir," said Davies, who enlivened the dispute by making it somewhat dramatic, "he may become an insurer; and when he is going to the bench, he may be stopped, 'Your Lordship cannot go yet; here is a bunch of invoices; several ships are about to sail.'" JOHNSON." Sir, you may as well say a judge should not have a house; for they may come and tell him, Your Lordship's house is on fire;' and so, instead of minding the business of his court, he is to be occupied with getting the engine 1 Plin. Epist. Lib. ii. Ep. 8, 2 Mr. Davies was here mistaken. Corelli never was in England.-BURNEY. 3 Mrs. Thrale gives, in her lively style, a sketch of this gentleman: "We save a flashy friend here (at Bath) already, who is much your adorer. I wonder how you will like him! An Irishman he is; very handsome, very hot-headed, loud and lively, and sure to be a favourite with you, he tells us, for he can live with a man of ever so odd a temper. My master laughs, but likes him, and it diverts me to think what you will do when he professes that he would clean shoes for you; that he would shed his blood for you; with twenty more extravagant flights; and you say I flatter! Upon my honour, Sir, and indeed 1 ow, as Dr Camp bell's phrase is, I am but a twitter to him." Letters, May 16, 1776 -- C. ATAT. 66. ROLT CHRISTOPHER SMART. 1.3 with the greatest speed. There is no end of this. Every judge who has land, trades to a certain extent in corn or in cattle, and in the land itself; undoubtedly his steward acts for him, and so do clerks for a great merchant. A judge may be a farmer, but he is not to geld his own pigs. A judge may play a little at cards for his amusement; but he is not to play at marbles, or chuck farthing in the Piazza. No, Sir, there is no profession to which a man gives a very great proportion of his time. It is wonderful, when a calculation is made, how little the mind is actually employed in the discharge of any profession. No man would be a judge, upon the condition of being totally a judge. The best employed lawyer has his mind at work but for a small proportion of his time; a great deal of his occupation is merely mechanical. I once wrote for a magazine: I made a calculation, that if I should write but a page a day, at the same rate, I should, in ten years, write nine volumes in folio, of an ordinary size and print.", BosWELL. "Such as 'Carte's History?" JOHNSON. Yes, Sir; when a man writes from his own mind, he writes very rapidly.' The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library, to make one book." I argued warmly against the judges trading, and mentioned Hale as an instance of a perfect judge, who devoted himself entirely to his office. JOHNSON. "Hale, Sir, attended to other things besides law; he left a great estate." BOSWELL. "That was because what he got accumulated without any exertion and anxiety on his part." While the dispute went on, Moody once tried to say something on our side. Tom Davies clapped him on the back, to encourage him. Beauclerk, to whom I mentioned this circumstance, said, "that he could not conceive a more humiliating situation than to be clapped on the back by Tom Davies." We spoke of Rolt, to whose "Dictionary of Commerce" Dr. Johnson wrote the preface. JOHNSON. "Old Gardener, the book. seller, employed Rolt and Smart to write a monthly miscellany, called The Universal Visitor.' There was a formal written contract, which Allen the printer saw. Gardener thought as you do of 1 Johnson certainly did, who had a mind stored with knowledge, and teeming with magery but the observation is not applicable to writers in general. |