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From an engraving by J. Storer after a drawing by E. Dayes

TEMPLE BAR FROM BUTCHER ROW Butcher Row was a narrow street which lay north of, and parallel with, the Strand, between St. Clement Danes Church and Temple Bar (see map, p. 65); it was formerly occupied by butchers' shambles. The Row was pulled down in 1813, and Pickett Street erected on its site, which was in its turn demolished for the New Law Courts. On Good Friday, April 17th, 1778, Johnson encountered his old fellow-collegian, Mr. Oliver Edwards, in Butcher Row. In this Row was Clifton's eating-house, a favourite resort of Johnson's.

essentials." JOHNSON: "But not as to controversial points. The heathens were easily converted, because they had nothing to give up; but we ought not, without very strong conviction indeed, to desert the religion in which we have been educated. That is the religion given you, the religion in which it may be said Providence has placed you. If you live conscientiously in that religion, you may be safe. But error is dangerous, indeed, if you err when you choose a religion for yourself." MRS. KNOWLES: "Must we then go by implicit faith?" JOHNSON : JOHNSON: "Why, Madam, the greatest part of our knowledge is implicit faith; and as to religion, have we heard all that a disciple of Confucius, all that a Mahometan, can say for himself?" He then rose again into passion, and attacked the young proselyte in the severest terms of reproach, so that both the ladies seemed to be much shocked.*

We remained together till it was pretty late. Notwithstanding occasional explosions of violence, we were all delighted upon the whole with Johnson. I compared him at this time to a warm West-Indian climate, where you have a bright sun, quick vegetation, luxuriant foliage, luscious fruits; but where the same heat sometimes produces thunder, lightning, earthquakes, in a terrible degree.

April 17, being Good-Friday, I waited on Johnson, as usual. I observed at breakfast that although it was a part of his abstemious discipline, on this most solemn fast, to take no milk in his tea, when Mrs. Desmoulins inadvertently poured it in, he did not reject it. I talked of the strange indecision of mind, and imbecility in the common occurrences of life, which we may observe in some people. JOHNSON: Why, Sir, I am in the habit of getting others to do things for me." Boswell:

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What, Sir, have you that weakness? JOHNSON: "Yes, Sir. But I always think afterwards I should have done better for myself."

I told him that, at a gentleman's house, where there was thought to be such extravagance or bad management, that he was living much beyond his income, his lady had objected to the cutting of a pickled mango, and that I had taken an opportunity to ask the price of it, and found that it was only two shillings; so here was a very poor saving. JOHNSON: "Sir, that is the blundering economy of a narrow understanding. It is stopping one hole in a sieve."

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I expressed some inclination to publish an account of my travels upon the continent of Europe, for which I had a variety of materials collected. JOHNSON: "I do not say, Sir, you may not publish your travels; but I give you my opinion, that you would lessen yourself by it. What can you tell of countries so well known as those upon the continent of Europe, which you have visited?" BOSWELL: But I can give an entertaining narrative, with many incidents, anecdotes, jeux d'esprit, and remarks, so as to make very pleasant reading." JOHNSON: "Why, Sir, most modern travellers in Europe, who have published their travels, have been laughed at : I would not have you added to the number.† The world is now not contented to be *Mrs. Knowles, not satisfied with the fame of her needlework, the "sutile pictures " mentioned by Johnson, in which she has indeed displayed much dexterity, nay, with the fame of reasoning better than women generally do, as I have fairly shown her to have done, communicated to me a Dialogue of considerable length, which, after many years had elapsed, she wrote down as having passed between Dr. Johnson and her at this interview. As I had not the least recollection of it, and did not find the smallest trace of it in my record taken at the time, I could not, in consistency with my firm regard to authenticity, insert it in my work. It has, however, been published in the Gentleman's Magazine for June, 1791. It chiefly relates to the principles of the sect called Quakers; and no doubt the lady appears to have greatly the advantage of Dr. Johnson in argument as well as expression. From what I have now stated, and from the internal evidence of the paper itself, any one who may have the curiosity to peruse it will judge whether it was wrong in me to reject it, however willing to gratify Mrs. Knowles.

† I believe, however, I shall follow my own opinion; for the world has shown a very flattering partiality to my writings on many occasions.

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merely entertained by a traveller's narrative; they want to learn something. Now, some of my friends asked me why I did not give some account of my travels in France. The reason is plain; intelligent readers had seen more of France than I had. You might have liked my travels in France, and THE CLUB might have liked them; but, upon the whole, there would have been more ridicule than good produced by them." BOSWELL: "I cannot agree with you, Sir. People would like to read what you say of anything. Suppose a face has been painted by fifty painters before; still we love to see it done by Sir Joshua." JOHNSON: "True, Sir; but Sir Joshua cannot paint a face when he has not time to look on it." BOSWELL: "Sir, a sketch of any sort by him is valuable. And, Sir, to talk to you in your own style (raising my voice, and shaking my head), you should have given us your Travels in France. I am sure I am right, and there's an end on't."

I said to him that it was certainly true, as my friend Dempster had observed in his letter to me upon the subject, that a great part of what was in his " Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland" had been in his mind before he left London. JOHNSON : "Why, yes, Sir, the topics were; and books of travels will be good in proportion to what a man has previously in his mind; his knowing what to observe his power of contrasting one mode of life with another. As the Spanish proverb says, 'He who would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry the wealth of the Indies with him.' So it is in travelling; a man must carry knowledge with him, if he would bring home knowledge." BosWELL: "The proverb, I suppose, Sir, means, he must carry a large stock with him to trade with." JOHNSON: "Yes, Sir."

It was a delightful day: as we walked to St. Clement's Church, I again remarked that Fleet-street was the most cheerful scene in the world. "Fleet-street (said I) is in my mind more delightful than Tempé." JOHNSON: "Ay, Sir; but let it be compared with Mull."

There was a very numerous congregation to-day at St. Clement's Church, which Dr. Johnson said he observed with pleasure.

And now I am to give a pretty full account of one of the most curious incidents in Johnson's life, of which he himself has made the following minute on this day : "In my return from church, I was accosted by Edwards, an old fellow-collegian, who had not seen me since 1729. He knew me, and asked if I remembered one Edwards; I did not at first recollect the name, but gradually, as we walked along, recovered it, and told him a conversation that had passed at an ale-house between us. My purpose is to continue our acquaintance.” *

It was in Butcher-row that this meeting happened. Mr. Edwards, who was a decent-looking elderly man in gray clothes, and a wig of many curls, accosted Johnson with familiar confidence, knowing who he was, while Johnson returned his salutation with a courteous formality, as to a stranger. But as soon as Edwards had brought to his recollection their having been at Pembroke College together nineand-forty years ago, he seemed much pleased, asked where he lived, and said he should be glad to see him at Bolt-court. 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. I am happy to see you so; for the newspapers told us you were very ill." JOHNSON: "Ay, Sir, they are always telling lies of us old fellows."

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Wishing to be present at more of so singular a conversation as that between two fellow-collegians, who had lived forty years in London without ever having chanced to meet, I whispered to Mr. Edwards that Dr. Johnson was going home, and that he had better accompany him now. So Edwards walked along with us, I eagerly assisting to keep up the conversation. Mr. Edwards informed Dr. Johnson that he had practised long as a solicitor in Chancery, but that he now lived in the country upon a little farm, about sixty acres, just by Stevenage in Hertfordshire, and that he came to London (to Barnard's-inn, No. 6) generally twice a week. Johnson appearing to me in a reverie, Mr. Edwards addressed himself to me, and expatiated on the pleasure of living in the country. BOSWELL: "I have no notion of this, Sir. What you have to entertain you, is, I think exhausted in half-an-hour." EDWARDS: "What! don't you love to have hope realised? I see my grass, and my corn, and my trees growing. Now, for instance, I am curious to see if this frost has not nipped my fruit-trees. JOHNSON (Who we did not imagine was attending): "You find, Sir, you have fears as well as hopes."

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So well did he see the whole, when another saw but the half of a subject. When we got to Dr. Johnson's house, and were seated in his library, the dialogue went on admirably. EDWARDS: "Sir, I remember you would not let us say prodigious at College. For, even then, Sir (turning to me), he was delicate in language, and we all feared him." † JOHNSON (to Edwards): "From your having practised the law long, Sir, I presume you must be rich." EDWARDS: EDWARDS: "No, Sir; I got a good deal of money; but I had a number of poor relations, to whom I gave great part of it." JOHNSON : Sir, you have been rich in the most valuable sense of the word." EDWARDS: "But I shall not die rich." JOHNSON: “Nay, sure, Sir, it is better to live rich, than to die rich." EDWARDS: "I wish I had continued at college." JOHNSON: "Why do you wish that, Sir?' EDWARDS: “Because I think I should have had a much easier life than mine has been. I should have been

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† Johnson said to me afterwards, Sir, they respected me for my literature; and yet it was not great but by comparison. Sir, it is amazing how little literature there is in the world."

Etat. 69]

JOHNSON AND EDWARDS

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a parson, and had a good living, like Bloxham and several others, and lived comfortably." JOHNSON: "Sir, the life of a parson, of a conscientious clergyman, is not easy. I have always considered a clergyman as the father of a larger family than he is able to maintain. I would rather have Chancery suits upon my hands than the cure of souls. No, Sir, I do not envy a clergyman's life as an easy life, nor do I envy the clergyman who makes it an easy life."-Here, taking himself up all of a sudden, he exclaimed, "O! Mr. Edwards! I'll convince you that I recollect you. Do you remember our drinking together at an ale-house near Pembroke-gate? At that time you told me of the Eton boy who, when verses on our SAVIOUR'S turning water into wine were prescribed as an exercise, brought up a single line, which was highly admired:

'Vidit et erubuit lympha pudica DEUM.'*

And I told you of another fine line in Camden's Remains,' a eulogy upon one of our Kings who was succeeded by his son, a prince of equal merit :

'Mira cano, Sol occubuit, nox nulla secuta est.''

But

* [This line has frequently been attributed to Dryden, when a King's Scholar at Westminster. neither Eton nor Westminster have in truth any claim to it, the line being borrowed, with a slight change (as Mr. Bindley has observed to me), from an Epigram by Crashaw, which was published in his EPIGRAMMATA SACRA, first printed at Cambridge without the author's name, in 1634, 8vo.-The original is much more elegant than the copy, the water being personified, and the word, on which the point of the epigram turns, being reserved to the close of the line;

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From an engraving after a drawing by Ravenhill

THE SEAT OF EDMUND BURKE AT BEACONSFIELD, BUCKS.

to which place Johnson paid a visit in 1774.

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