76 MEMOIRS OF 



and their judgments bore contrary tefti- 

 mony. 



Certainly, however, it was an arduous 

 hazard to the feelings of the company to 

 oppofe, in the flighteft degree, Dr. John- 

 fon's opinions. His Heritor lungs ; that 

 combination of wit, humour, and elo- 

 quence, which " could make the worfe ap- 

 pear the letter reafon ;" that farcaftic con- 

 tempt of his antagonift, never fupprefied or 

 even foftened by the due reftraints of good- 

 breeding, were fufficient to clofe the lips, 

 in his prefence, of men,, who could have 

 met him in fair argument, on any ground, 

 literary or political, moral or characleriftic. 



Where Dr. Johnfon was, Dr. Darwin had 

 no chance of being heard, though at leaft 

 his equal in genius, his fuperior in fcience ; 

 nor indeed, from his impeded utterance, 

 in the company of any overbearing de- 

 claimer ; and he was too intellectually great 

 to be an humble liftener to Johnfon, 

 therefore he fliunned him, on having ex- 

 3 perienced 



