KNO W L E S. SS5 
When urged on thele fubjefts, (he would reply ; “ Even 
arts and Iciences are but evanefcent fplendid vanities, if 
unaccompanied by the Chriftian virtues.” 
Mr. Bofwell has preferved a convention between Mrs. 
K. and Dr. Johnfon, upon the fubjeift of a young lady 
who became a convert to quakerifm; but, as Mifs Seward 
(in her Letters, lately publi(hed) undertakes to exhibit it 
with more accuracy than Bofwell has manifefted, we lhall 
transcribe the letter in which this dialogue is detailed: 
Welllburn, near Warwick, Dec. 31, 1785. 
Behold, dear Mrs. Mompeffah, the promifed minutes of 
that curious converfation which once parted at Mr. Dilly’s, 
the bookfeller, in a literary party, formed by Dr. Johnfon, 
Mr. Bofwell, Dr. Mayo, and others, whom Mrs. Knowles 
and tnyfelf had been invited to meet, and in which Dr. 
Johnfon and that lady difputed fo eatvneftly. It is, how- 
ever, previouily neceffary that you Ihould know the hif- 
tory of the very amiable young woman who was the fub- 
jecl of their debate. Mils Jenny Harry that was, for lire 
afterwards married, and died ere the firft nuptial year ex¬ 
pired, was the daughter of a rich planter in the Eaft In¬ 
dies. He fent her over to England to receive her educa¬ 
tion, in the houfe of his friend, Mr. Spry, where Mrs. 
Knowles, the celebrated quaker, was frequently a vifitor. 
Mr. Spry affected wit, and was perpetually rallying Mrs. 
Knowles on the fubjeft of her quakerifm, in the prefence 
of this young, gentle, and ingenuous, girl; who, at the 
age of eighteen, had received what is called a proper edu¬ 
cation, one of the modern accomplilhments, without hav¬ 
ing been much inftrufted in the nature and grounds of 
Iter religious belief. Upon thefe vifits Mrs. Knowles was 
often led into a ferious defence of quaker-principles. She 
fpeaks with clear and graceful eloquence on every fubjedt. 
Her antagonifts were (hallow theologifts, and oppofed only 
idle and pointlefs raillery to deep and long-ftudied rea- 
foning on the precepts of Scripture, uttered in perfuafive 
accents, and clothed with all the beauty of language. 
Without any defign of making a profelyte, Ihe gained one. 
Mifs Harry grew penfively ferious, and meditated perpe¬ 
tually on all which had dropt from the lips of Mrs. 
Knowles on a theme, the infinite importance of which 
ihe then, perhaps, firft began to feel. At length, her ima¬ 
gination purfuing this its firft religious bias, (he believed 
Quakerifm the only true Chriftianity. Beneath fuch con- 
vidtion, the thought it her duty to join, at every hazard 
of worldly intereft, that clafs of worlhippers. Her father, 
on being made acquainted with her changed faith, in¬ 
formed her that fire might choofe between a hundred thou : 
[and pounds and his favour, or two thoiifand pounds and his 
renunciation, as Ihe continued a ch'urchwoman or com¬ 
menced a quaker. Mifs Harry lamented her father’s dif- 
pleafure, but thanked him for the pecuniary alternative, 
alluring him that it included all her wilhes as to fortune. 
Soon after Ihe left her guardian’s houle, and boarded in 
that of Mrs. Knowles; to her (lie often obferved, that Dr. 
Johnfon’s difpleafure, whom (he had feen frequently at 
her guardian’s, and who had always appeared fond of her, 
was among the greateft mortifications of her then fitu- 
ation. Once (he came home in teats, and told her friend 
lire had met Dr. Johnfon in the ftreet, and had ventured 
to alk him how he did ; but that he would r.ot deign to 
anfwer her, and walked fcornfully on. She added, “You 
are to meet him foon, at Mr. Dilly’s—plead for me.” 
Thus far as prefatory to thofe requefted minutes, which 
I made at the time of the enfuing converfation. It com¬ 
menced with Mrs, Knowles faying, “I am to alk thy in¬ 
dulgence, dodtor, towards, a gentle female to whom thou 
■ufedft to be kind, and who is uneafy in the lofs of that 
kindnefs. Jenny Harry weeps at the confcioufnefs that 
thou wilt not (peak to her.” Johnfon anfwered, “ Ma¬ 
dam, I hate the odious wench, and defire you will not 
talk to me about her.” 
“Yet what is her crime, dodlor ?”—“ Apoftacy, ma¬ 
dam ; apoftacy from the community in which Ihe was edu¬ 
cated.” 
“Surely the quitting one community for another can¬ 
not be a crime, if it be done from motives of confidence. 
Hadft thou been educated in the Romifh church, I muft 
fuppofe that thou wouldft have abjured its errors, and that! 
there would have been merit in the abjuration.”—“Ma¬ 
dam, if I had been educated in the Roman-catholic faith, 
I believe I ihould have queftioned my right to quit the 
religion of my Fathers; therefore, well may I hate the ar¬ 
rogance of a young wench, who lets herfelf up for a judge 
on theological points, and deferts the religion in whole 
bofom (lie was nurtured.” 
“She has not done fo ; the name and the faith of Chrif- 
tians are not denied to the fedtaries.”—“ If the name is 
not, the common fenfe is.” 
“ I will not difpute this point with thee, dodtor, at lead 
at prefent; it would carry us too far. Suppofe it granted, 
that, in the mind of a young girl, the weaker arguments 
appeared the ftrongeft; her want of better judgment Ihould 
excite thy pity, not thy refentment.”—“Madam, it has 
my anger and my contempt; and always will have them.” 
“ Confider, dodtor, (he muft be fincere. Confider what 
a noble fortune Ihe hqs facrificed.”—“ Madam, madam, I 
have never taught myfelf to confider that the aftociation 
of folly can extenuate guilt.” 
“ Ah ! dodtor, we cannot rationally fuppofe that the 
Deity will not pardon a defect in judgment (fuppofing it 
Ihould prove one) in that bread where the coqfideration 
of ferving him, according to its idea, in fpirit and truth, 
has been a preferable inducement to that of worldly in¬ 
tereft.”.—“ Madam, I pretend not to fet bounds to the 
mercy of the Deity.; but I hate the wench, and (hall ever 
hate her. I hate all impudence; but the impudence of a - 
chit’s apoftacy I naufeate.” 
“ Jenny is a very gentle creature. She trembles to have 
offended her parent, though far removed from his pre¬ 
fence ; lire grieves to have offended her guardian ; and Ihe 
is forry to have offended Dr. Johnfon, whom (he loved, 
admired, and honoured.”—“Why then, madam, did (he 
not confult the man whom Hie pretends to have loved, ad¬ 
mired, and honoured, upon her new-fangled fcruples? 
If Hie had looked up to that man with any degree of the 
refpedt Ihe profeffes, Hie would have fuppofed his ability 
to judge of fit and right, at leaft equal to that of a raw- 
wench juft out of her primer.” 
“ Ah ! dodtor, remember it was not from amongft the 
witty and the learned that Chrift 1 ’eledted his difiriples, 
and conlrituted the teachers of his precepts. Jenny thinks 
Dr. Johnfon great and good ; but fhe alfo thinks the gof- 
pel demands and enjoins a Ampler form of worlhip than 
that of the eftablithed church; and that it is not in wit 
and eloquence to fuperfede the force of what appears to 
her a plain and regular fyftem, which cancels all typical 
and myfterious ceremonies, as fruitlefs and even idola¬ 
trous ; and alks only obedience to its injundtions, and the 
ingenuous homage of a devout heart.”—“The homage of 
a fool’s head, madam, you Ihould fay, if you will pefter 
me about the ridiculous wench.” 
“ If thou choofeft to fuppofe her ridiculous, thou canft: 
not deny that (lie has been religious, fincere, diiin- 
terefted. Canft thou believe that the gate of Heaven will 
be Ihut to the tender and pious maid, whofejfry? confider- 
ation has been that of apprehended duty ?”■—“ Pho, pho, 
madam, who fays it will ?”' 
“Then, if Heaven (huts not its gate, Hi all man (hut his 
heart? If the Deity accept the homage of fuch as fincerely. 
ferve him under every form of worlhip, Dr. Johnfon arid 
this humble girl will,, it is to be hoped, meet in a bleffed 
eternity, whither human animofity muft not be carried.”— 
“ Madam, I am not fond of meeting fools anywhere; they 
are deteftable company;, and, while it is in my power to 
avoid converting with them, I certainly (hall exert that 
power; and fo you may tell the odious wench, whom you 
have perfuaded to think herfelf a faint, and of whom you 
will, I fuppofe, make a preacher j but I lhalJ take care Ihe 
does hot preach to vie,'" 
TJife 
