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TABLIXTALX AND VARIETIES. 



him that I did not mind what he 

 said or wrote, and that I had done 

 with him." 



Dr. Johnson appeared to have had 

 a remarkable delicacy with respect 

 to the circulation of this letter ; for 

 Dr. Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury, in- 

 formed Boswell, that, having many 

 years ago pressed him to be allowed 

 to read it to the second Lord Hard- 

 wicke, who was very desirous to 

 hear it (promising at the same time 

 that no copy of it should be taken), 

 Johnson seemed much pleased that 

 it had attracted the attention of a 

 nobleman of such a respectable 

 character ; but, after pausing some 

 time, declined to comply with the 

 request, saying, with a smile, " No, 

 sir, I have hurt the dog too much 

 already ;" or words to this purpose. 

 Dr. Adams expostulated with 

 Johnson, and suggested that his 

 not being admitted when he called 

 on him, to which Johnson had al- 

 luded in his letter, was probably 

 not to be imputed to Lord Ches- 

 terfield ; for his Lordship had de- 

 clared to Dodsley, that " he would 

 have turned off the best servant he 

 ever had, if he had known that he 

 denied him to a man who would 

 have been always more than wel- 

 come." And in confirmation of this, 

 he insisted on Lord- Chesterfield's 

 general affability and easiness of 

 access, especially to literary men. 

 Johnson : '' Sir, that is not Lord 

 Chesterfield ; he is the proudest 

 man this day existing." Adams : 

 " No, there is one person, at least, 

 as proud ; I think, by your own 

 account, you are the prouder man 

 of the two." Johnson : " But mine 

 was defensive pride." This, as Dr. 

 Adams well observed, was one of 

 those happy turns for which he was 

 so remarkably ready. 



Johnson having now explicitly 

 avowed his opinion of Lord Chester- 

 field, did not refrain from express- 

 ing himself concerning that noble- 

 man with pointed freedom. "This 



man," said he, " I thought had been 

 a lord among wits, but I find he is 

 only a wit among lords ! " And 

 when his letters to his natural son 

 were published, he observed, " They 

 teach the morals of a whore, and 

 the manners of a dancing-master." 



In 1776, Boswell showed him, as 

 a curiosity which he had discovered, 

 his Translation of Lola's Account 

 of Abyssinia which Sir John 

 Pringle had lent, it being then little 

 known as one of his works. He 

 said, "Take no notice of it," or, 

 "don't talk of it." He seemed to 

 think it beneath him, though done 

 at six-and-twenty. Boswell said to 

 him, " Your style, sir, is much im- 

 proved since you translated this." 

 He answered, with a sort of tri- 

 umphant smile, " Sir, I hope it is." 



Mr., afterwards Dr., Burney, dur- 

 ing a visit to the capital, had an in- 

 terview with him in Gough Square, 

 where he dined and drank tea with 

 him, and was introduced to the 

 acquaintance of Mrs. Williams. 

 After dinner, Dr. Johnson proposed 

 to Mr. Burney to go up with him 

 into his garret, which being accep- 

 ted, he there found five or six Greek 

 folios, a deal writing-desk, and a 

 chair and a half. Johnson, giving 

 to his guest the entire seat, tottered 

 himself on one with only three legs 

 and one arm. Here he gave Mr. 

 Burney Mrs. Williams' history, and 

 showed him some volumes of his 

 Shakspeare already printed, to 

 prove that he was in earnest. Upon 

 Mr. Buruey opening the first vol- 

 ume, at the Merchant of Venice, 

 he observed to him, that he seemed 

 to be more severe on Warburton 

 than Theobald. Johnson : "0, poor 

 Tib ! he was ready knocked down 

 to my hands ; Warburton stands 

 between me and him." Burney : 

 " But, sir, you '11 have Warburton 

 upon your bones, won't you ? " 

 Johnson : " No, sir, he '11 not come 

 out ; he '11 only growl in his den." 

 Burney : " But you think, sir, that 



