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Crad. Mem.

than indifference to succeed; for one morning Dr. p. 241. Percy said to Mr. Cradock, "I have not seen Dr. John

son for a long time. I believe I must just call upon him, and greatly wish that you would accompany me. I intend," said he, "to tease him a little about Gibbon's pamphlet." "I hope not, Dr. Percy," was Cradock's reply. “Indeed I shall, for I have a great pleasure in combating his narrow prejudices." They went together; and Dr. Percy opened with some anecdotes from Northumberland-house; mentioned some rare books that were in the library; and then threw out that the town rang with applause of Gibbon's "Reply to Davis;" that the latter "had written before he had read," and that the two "confederate doctors," as Mr. Gibbon termed them, "had fallen into some strange errors."

Johnson said, he knew nothing of Davis's pamphlet, nor would he give him any answer as to Gibbon; but, if the "confederate doctors," as they were termed, had really made such mistakes, as he alluded to, they were blockheads.

Dr. Percy talked on in the most careless style possible, but in a very lofty tone; and Johnson appeared to be excessively angry. Mr. Cradock only wished to get released; for, if Dr. Percy had proceeded to inform him, that he had lately introduced Mr. Hume to dine at the king's chaplains' table, there must have been an "explosion."

Mr. Cradock possessed several letters which threw a full light on these unhappy differences; and with all his partiality for Dr. Johnson, Mr. Cradock freely declared, that he thought Dr. Percy had received very great cause to take real offence at Dr. Johnson, who, by a ludicrous parody on a stanza in the "Hermit of

[Published in 1779.-ED.]

Mem,

Warkworth," had rendered him contemptible. It was Crad. urged, that Johnson only meant to attack the metre; p. 241. but he certainly turned the whole poem into ridicule.

"I put my hat upon my head,

And walk'd into the Strand,
And there I met another man

With his hat in his hand."

Mr. Garrick, in the postscript of a letter to Mr. Cradock, soon afterwards asked him, "Whether he had seen Johnson's criticism on the Hermit? it is already," said he, "over half the town." Almost the last time that Mr. Cradock ever saw Johnson, he said to him, "Notwithstanding all the pains that Dr. Farmer and I took to serve Dr. Percy, in regard to his Ancient Ballads,' he has left town for Ireland', without taking leave of either of us."]

On Monday, April 13, I dined with Johnson at Mr. Langton's, where were Dr. Porteus, then Bishop of Chester, afterwards of London, and Dr. Stinton. He was at first in a very silent mood. Before dinner he said nothing but " Pretty baby," to one of the children. Langton said very well to me afterwards, that he could repeat Dr. Johnson's conversation before dinner, as Johnson had said that he could repeat a complete chapter of "The Natural History of Iceland," from the Danish of Horrebow, the whole of which was exactly thus:

"CHAP. LXXII.-Concerning Snakes. "There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island."

At dinner we talked of another mode in the newspapers of giving modern characters in sentences from the classicks, and of the passage

1

[Dr. Percy was made Bishop of Dromore in 1782.-ED.]

Hor. Od. i. 39.

Ov. Met. 1. 2. v.

13.

"Parcus deorum cultor, et infrequens,
Insanientis dum sapientiæ

Consultus erro, nunc retrorsùm

Vela dare, atque iterare cursus
Cogor relictos,"

being well applied to Soame Jenyns; who, after having wandered in the wilds of infidelity, had returned to the Christian faith. Mr. Langton asked Johnson as to the propriety of sapientiæ consultus. JOHNSON. "Though consultus was primarily an adjective, like amicus it came to be used as a substantive. So we have Juris consultus, a consult in law."

We talked of the styles of different painters, and how certainly a connoisseur could distinguish them. I asked, if there was as clear a difference of styles in language as in painting, or even as in hand-writing, so that the composition of every individual may be distinguished? JOHNSON. "Yes. Those who have a style of eminent excellence, such as Dryden and Milton, can always be distinguished." I had no doubt of this; but what I wanted to know was, whether there was really a peculiar style to every man whatever, as there is certainly a peculiar hand-writing, a peculiar countenance, not widely different in many, yet always enough to be distinctive:

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The bishop thought not; and said, he supposed that
many pieces in Dodsley's collection of poems, though
all very pretty, had nothing appropriated in their
style, and in that particular could not be at all di-
stinguished JOHNSON. "
JOHNSON. "Why, sir, I think every
man whatever has a peculiar style, which may be
discovered by nice examination and comparison with
others but a man must write a great deal to

make his style obviously discernible. As logicians say, this appropriation of style is infinite in potestate, limited in actu.”

3

Mr. Topham Beauclerk came in the evening, and he and Dr. Johnson and I staid to supper. It was mentioned that Dr. Dodd' had once wished to be a member of the LITERARY CLUB. JOHNSON. "I should be sorry if any of our Club were hanged. I will not say but some of them deserve it." BEAUCLERK (supposing this to be aimed at persons 3 for whom he had at that time a wonderful fancy, which, however, did not last long) was irritated, and eagerly said, "You, sir, have a friend (naming him) who deserves to be hanged; for he speaks behind their backs against those with whom he lives on the best terms, and attacks them in the newspapers. He certainly ought to be kicked." JOHNSON. "Sir, we all do this in some degree: Veniam petimus da- Hor. musque vicissim. To be sure it may be done so Poet. 11. much, that a man may deserve to be kicked." BEAU

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[Miss Reynolds and Sir J. Hawkins doubted whether Johnson had ever been in Dodd's company; but Johnson told Boswell (ante, v. iii. p. 504.) that "he had once been." The editor has now before him a letter, dated in 1750, from Dr. Dodd to his friend the Rev. Mr. Parkhurst, the lexicographer, mentioning this meeting; and his account, at that day, of the man with whom he was afterward to have so painful a correspondence, is interesting and curious. "I spent yesterday afternoon with Johnson, the celebrated author of The Rambler, who is of all others the oddest and most peculiar fellow I ever saw. He is six feet high, has a violent convulsion in his head, and his eyes are distorted. He speaks roughly and loud, listens to no man's opinions, thoroughly pertinacious of his own. Good sense flows from him in all he utters, and he seems possessed of a prodigious fund of knowledge, which he is not at all reserved in communicating; but in a manner so obstinate, ungenteel, and boorish, as renders it disagreeable and dissatisfactory. In short, it is impossible for words to describe him. He seems often inattentive to what passes in company, and then looks like a person possessed by some superior spirit. I have been reflecting on him ever since I saw him. He is a man of most universal and surprising genius, but in himself particular beyond expression."-ED.] 2 See note, vol. iii. p. 470.-BOSWELL.

3 [Probably Mr. Fox, Lord Spencer, Mr. Burke, and some other whigs, the violence of whose opposition at this time seemed to Johnson little short of abetting rebellion, for which they "deserved to be hanged."-ED.]

4 [No doubt George Steevens (now Johnson's colleague in editing Shakspeare), to whom such practices were imputed, and particularly as against Garrick and Mr. Arthur Murphy.-Miss Hawk. Mem. i. 39.-ED.]

Art.

CLERK. "He is very malignant." JOHNSON. "No, sir; he is not malignant. He is mischievous, if you will. He would do no man an essential injury; he may, indeed, love to make sport of people by vexing their vanity. I, however, once knew an old gentleman who was absolutely malignant. He really wished evil to others, and rejoiced at it." Boswell. "The gentleman, Mr. Beauclerk, against whom you are so violent, is, I know, a man of good principles." BEAUCLERK. "Then he does not wear them out in practice."

Dr. Johnson, who, as I have observed before, delighted in discrimination of character, and having a masterly knowledge of human nature, was willing to take men as they are, imperfect, and with a mixture of good and bad qualities, I suppose thought he had said enough in defence of his friend, of whose merits, notwithstanding his exceptionable points, he had a just value and added no more on the subject.

On Tuesday, 14th April, I dined with him at General Oglethorpe's, with General Paoli and Mr. Langton. General Oglethorpe declaimed against luxury. JOHNSON. "Depend upon it, sir, every state of society is as luxurious as it can be. Men always take the best they can get." OGLETHORPe. "But the best depends much upon ourselves; and if we can be as well satisfied with plain things, we are in the wrong to accustom our palates to what is high-seasoned and expensive. What says Addison in his Cato,' speaking of the Numidian?

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'Coarse are his meals, the fortune of the chase;
Amid the running stream he slakes his thirst,
Toils all the day, and at the approach of night,
On the first friendly bank he throws him down,
Or rests his head upon a rock till morn;
And if the following day he chance to find
A new repast, or an untasted spring,
Blesses his stars, and thinks it luxury.'

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