very extensive acquaintance in London, which was very valuable, and of great advantage to at man at large, might not be prejudicial to a lawyer, by preventing him from giving sufficient attention to his business, Jolinson said, "Sir, you will attend to business as business lays hold of you. When not actually employed, you may see your friends as much as you do now. You may dine at a club every day, and sup with one of the members every night; and you may be as much at public places as one who has seen them all would wish to be. But you must take care to attend constantly in Westminster Hall; both to mind your business, as it is almost all learnt there (for nobody reads now); and to shew that you want to have business. And you must not be too often seen at public places, that competitors may not have it to say, He is always at the Playhouse or at Ranelagh, and never to be found at his chambers.' And, Sir, there must be a kind of solemnity in the manner of a professional man."

Concerning a private transaction, on which hist opinion was asked, he made the following reflections, which are applicable on other occasions: "Nothing deserves more compassion than wrong conduct with good meaning; than loss or obloquy suffered by one who, as he is conscious only of good intentions, wonders why he loses that kind

ness which he wishes to preserve; and not knowing his own fault, if, as may sometimes happen, nobody will tell him, goes on to offend by his endeavours to please."

At another time he said, "Never impose tasks upon mortals. To require two things is the way to have them both undone. In the correspondence of your friends do not fancy that an intermission of writing is a decay of kindness. No man is always in a disposition to write; nor has any man at all times something to say."

Being asked whether a man's being forward to make himself known to eminent people, and seeing as much of life, and getting as much information as he could in every way, was not lessening himself by his forwardness, he said, "No, Sir; a man always makes himself greater as he increases his knowledge."

3

Talking of a court-martial that was sitting upon a very momentous public occasion, he expressed much doubt of an enlightened decision; and said, "That perhaps there was not a member of it who, in the whole course of his life, had ever spent an hour by himself in balancing proba bilities."

He observed, that "A principal source of erroneous judgment was viewing things partially, and only on one side as for instance, fortunehunters, when they contemplated the fortunes

singly and separately it was a dazzling and tempting object; but when they came to possess the wives and their fortunes together, they began to suspect that they had not made quite so good a bargain."

He one day maintained, that a father had no right to control the inclinations of his daughters in marriage.

Talking of divorces, Mr. Boswell asked if Othello's doctrine was not plausible?

"He that is robb'd, not wanting what is stolen,
Let him not know it, and he's not robb'd at all."

Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale joined against this.
JOHNSON." Ask any man if he'd wish not to
know of such an injury."-BoswELL. "Would
you tell your friend to make him unhappy?".
"J. Perhaps, Sir, I should not; but that would be
from prudence on my own account.
A man
would tell his father."-B. "Yes, because he
would not have spurious children to get any share
of the family inheritance."-Mrs. THRALE. " Or
he would tell his brother."-B. " Certainly his
elder brother."--J. "You would tell your friend
of a woman's infamy to prevent his marrying a
prostitute: there is the same reason to tell him of
his wife's infidelity, when he is married, to pre-
vent the consequences of imposition. It is a
breach of confidence not to tell a friend."

Talking of a point of delicate scrupulosity of moral conduct, he said to Mr. Langton, "Men of harder minds than ours will do many things from which you and I would shrink; yet, Sir, they will perhaps do more good in life than we. But let us try to help one another. If there be a wrong twist it may be set right. It is not probable that two people can be wrong the same way."

He thus characterised the Duke of Devonshire, grandfather of the present representative of that very respectable family: "He was not a man of superior abilities, but he was a man strictly faithful to his word. If, for instance, he had promised you an acorn, and none had grown that year in his woods, he would not have contented himself with that excuse; he would have sent to Denmark for it. So unconditional was he in keeping his word; so high as to the point of honour" "This (says Mr. Boswell) was a liberal testimony from the Tory Johnson to the virtue of a great Whig nobleman."

The conflict of opposite principles he described as "The contention between pleasure and virtue, á struggle which will always be continued while the present system of nature shall subsist: nor can history or poetry exhibit more than pleasure triumphing over virtue, and virtue subjugating pleasure."

Speaking of a certain prelate who exerted himself very laudably in building churches and parsonage-houses, he said, "I do not, however, find that he is esteemed a man of much professional learning, or a liberal patron of it; yet it is well where a man possesses any strong positive excellence. Few have all kinds of merit belonging to their character. We must not examine matters too deeply.-No, Sir, a fallible being will fail somewhere."

"Colley Cibber (he said) was by no means a blockhead; but by arrogating to himself too much, he was in danger of losing that degree of estimation to which he was entitled."

In a party at Mr. Thrale's, a gentleman attacked Garrick for being vain:-J." No wonder, Sir, that he is vain; a man who is perpetually flattered in every mode that can be conceived. So many bellows have blown the fire, that one wonders he is not by this time become a cinder.” -B. "And such bellows too. Lord Mansfield with his cheeks like to burst: Lord Chatham like an Eolus. I have read such notes from them to him as were enough to turn his head.”—J. “True. When he whom every body else flatters flatters me, I then am truly happy."-Mrs. THRALE." The sentiment is in Congreve, I think."-J. "Yes, Madam, in The Way of the World :'