202 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



trait of Johnson with f o much discri- 

 mination, yet with such severity, 

 that everj- body knew tlie origfnal 

 at first sight ; and yet it is the gene- 

 ral opinion that this portrait would 

 never have been drawn, had not 

 Johnson previously released his lord- 

 ship from all kind of patronage, in 

 that celebrated letter of his, publish- 

 ed by Mr. Boswell — a letter that 

 the oftener it is read must be the 

 more admired for its streno-th, ori- 

 ginahty, and independence. 



Whatever was the attraction that 

 kept Jones tlie humble friend of lord 

 Chesterfield's leisure hours, he cer- 

 tainly kept it for some years, and 

 if he had had but common prudence 

 and common industry, he could very 

 readily, under such a patron, have 

 established himself in some line of 

 independence. It may be asked. 

 Why did not lord Chesterfield do 

 something for him unsohcited ?— and 

 the laws oi private and f^ua/ friend- 

 ship will readily justify such a ques- 

 tion : — but thepaircn audpatronized, 

 according to the custom of the great, 

 stand upon different footings. To 

 notice a man in public, to give him 

 the e/i/rt'tf of his house, and promote 

 subscriptions for his benefit, are con- 

 descensioiis that go a great way, and 

 must in general be accepted as 

 fr'tendih'fp ; and if the patronized 

 does not think himself entitled to 

 higher rewards than those transitory 

 attentions, the patron, according to 

 the old eslahlislied rule of courtiers, 

 consoles himself by tlvinkiug, ' that 

 when a man solicits for notliing, it 

 ib a proof he th.inks himself already 

 sufficieiitlv provided for.' 



The unhappy ti'inj)Cr of the au- 

 ' thor at last broke the link of this 

 early and fortunate connection, ne- 

 ver to be again restored. He had 

 beta absci t for some f.me from 



Chesterfield-house, and as his lord- 

 ship was dressin-g one morning, he 

 asked his man when he had seen 

 Jones? " Not these two months, 

 my lord." — " Why I was thinking 

 it is somewhat about that time since 

 he was here, and I am afraid the 

 poor fellow may be taken ill, and 

 perhaps in want of some little com- 

 forts ; therefore I wish you would 

 make inquiries about him." The 

 man bowed, and as he was going 

 out of the room, smiled — but "smiled 

 in such a sort," as could not escape 

 so accurate a judge of men's tem- 

 pers and passions as lord Chester- 

 field : He called him back, and, 

 looking him gravely in the face, 

 asked him vvhv he smiled as he went 

 out of the room, and whether he 

 knew any thing particular about 

 Jones ? The man hesitated for some 

 time, but at length confessed, that 

 the last day Mr, Jones dined at his 

 lordship's table, he borrowed eight 

 ^•'ItMu from him, and he believed 

 it was that circumstance, and not 

 illness, that might have prevented 

 his attendance. His lordship paused 

 for some time, and then calling up 

 that air of good breeding which was 

 ■ so natural to him, observed, "That 

 as the lending of a sum of money to 

 ar.y gentleman that sat at hio table, 

 vi'as an act of civility that he could 

 i;ot possibly condemn, he would pay 

 him the ehh guineas : but as to Mr. 

 Jones (thougli, says he, I believe 

 you'll never be put to the tnal), if 

 ever he knocks at m.y door, I'm not 

 at h.ome, and this must be your 

 constant answer.'' 



Thus, like the foolish Esau,, Jones 

 sold his birth-right for a mess cf 

 pottage. Eight guineas in the most 

 pressing situation could avail him 

 little— the piirchase, perhaps, of a 

 few irregular pleasures, or, at beirt, 



a month 



