184 EVOLUTION, OLJ) AND NEW. 



he was endeavouring to influence ? If the men of Not- 

 tingham want a statue in their market-place, I would 

 respectfully suggest that a subject is here afforded them. 

 » w « « * * 



"Dr. Johnson was several times at Lichfield on 

 visits to Mrs. Lucy Porter, his daughter-jn-lawj while 

 Dr. Darwin was one of the inhabitants. They had one 

 or two interviews, but never afterwards sought each 

 other. Mutual and strong dislike subsisted between 

 them. It is curious that in Johnson's various letters to 

 Mrs. Thrale, now Mrs. Piozzi, published by th^t lady 

 after his death, many of them dated from Lichfield, the 

 name of Darwin cannot be found, nor, indeed, that of 

 any of the ingenious and lettered people who lived 

 there ; while of its mere common-life characters there 

 is frequent mention, with many hints of Lichfield's 

 intellectual barrenness, while it could boast a Darwin 

 and other men of classical learning, poetic talents, 

 and liberal information." * 



Here there follows a pleasant sketch of the principal 

 Lichfield notabilities, which I am compelled to omit. 



"These were the men," exclaims Miss Seward, 

 " whose intellectual existence passed unnoticed by Dr. 

 Johnson in his depreciating estimate of Lichfield talents. 

 But Johnson liked only worshippers. Archdeacon Vyse, 

 Mr. Seward, and Mr. Robinson paid all the respect and 

 attention to Dr. Johnson, on these his visits to their 

 town, due to his great abilities, his high reputation, and 

 to whatever was estimable in his mixed character; but 

 they were not in the herd that ' paged his heels,' and 

 * Miss Seward's ' Memoirs,' p. 69i 



