No man was a more attentive and nice observer of behaviour in those in whose company he happened to be,than Johnson;or,however strange it may seem to many,had a higher estimation of its refinements.Lord Eliot informs me,that one day when Johnson and he were at dinner at a gentleman's house in London,upon Lord Chesterfield's Letters being mentioned,Johnson surprized the company by this sentence:'Every man of any education would rather be called a rascal,than accused of deficiency in THE GRACES.'Mr.
Gibbon,who was present,turned to a lady who knew Johnson well,and lived much with him,and in his quaint manner,tapping his box,addressed her thus:'Don't you think,Madam,(looking towards Johnson,)that among ALL your acquaintance,you could find ONEexception?'The lady smiled,and seemed to acquiesce.
The uncommon vivacity of General Oglethorpe's mind,and variety of knowledge,having sometimes made his conversation seem too desultory,Johnson observed,'Oglethorpe,Sir,never COMPLETES what he has to say.'
He on the same account made a similar remark on Patrick Lord Elibank:'Sir,there is nothing CONCLUSIVE in his talk.'
When I complained of having dined at a splendid table without hearing one sentence of conversation worthy of being remembered,he said,'Sir,there seldom is any such conversation.'BOSWELL.'Why then meet at table?'JOHNSON.'Why,to eat and drink together,and to promote kindness;and,Sir,this is better done when there is no solid conversation;for when there is,people differ in opinion,and get into bad humour,or some of the company who are not capable of such conversation,are left out,and feel themselves uneasy.It was for this reason,Sir Robert Walpole said,he always talked bawdy at his table,because in that all could join.'
Being irritated by hearing a gentlemanask Mr.Levett a variety of questions concerning him,when he was sitting by,he broke out,'Sir,you have but two topicks,yourself and me.I am sick of both.''A man,(said he,)should not talk of himself,nor much of any particular person.He should take care not to be made a proverb;and,therefore,should avoid having any one topick of which people can say,"We shall hear him upon it."There was a Dr.
Oldfield,who was always talking of the Duke of Marlborough.He came into a coffee-house one day,and told that his Grace had spoken in the House of Lords for half an hour."Did he indeed speak for half an hour?"(said Belehier,the surgeon,)--"Yes."--"And what did he say of Dr.Oldfield?"--"Nothing"--"Why then,Sir,he was very ungrateful;for Dr.Oldfield could not have spoken for a quarter of an hour,without saying something of him."'
Most likely Boswell himself.--HILL.
I am now to record a very curious incident in Dr.Johnson's Life,which fell under my own observation;of which pars magna fui,and which I am persuaded will,with the liberal-minded,be much to his credit.
My desire of being acquainted with celebrated men of every deion,had made me,much about the same time,obtain an introduction to Dr.Samuel Johnson and to John Wilkes,Esq.Two men more different could perhaps not be selected out of all mankind.They had even attacked one another with some asperity in their writings;yet I lived in habits of friendship with both.Icould fully relish the excellence of each;for I have ever delighted in that intellectual chymistry,which can separate good qualities from evil in the same person.
Sir John Pringle,'mine own friend and my Father's friend,'between whom and Dr.Johnson I in vain wished to establish an acquaintance,as I respected and lived in intimacy with both of them,observed to me once,very ingeniously,'It is not in friendship as in mathematicks,where two things,each equal to a third,are equal between themselves.You agree with Johnson as a middle quality,and you agree with me as a middle quality;but Johnson and I should not agree.'Sir John was not sufficiently flexible;so I desisted;knowing,indeed,that the repulsion was equally strong on the part of Johnson;who,I know not from what cause,unless his being a Scotchman,had formed a very erroneous opinion of Sir John.But Iconceived an irresistible wish,if possible,to bring Dr.Johnson and Mr.Wilkes together.How to manage it,was a nice and difficult matter.
My worthy booksellers and friends,Messieurs Dilly in the Poultry,at whose hospitable and well-covered table I have seen a greater number of literary men,than at any other,except that of Sir Joshua Reynolds,had invited me to meet Mr.Wilkes and some more gentlemen on Wednesday,May 15.'Pray (said I,)let us have Dr.
Johnson.'--'What with Mr.Wilkes?not for the world,(said Mr.
Edward Dilly:)Dr.Johnson would never forgive me.'--'Come,(said I,)if you'll let me negotiate for you,I will be answerable that all shall go well.'DILLY.'Nay,if you will take it upon you,Iam sure I shall be very happy to see them both here.'
Notwithstanding the high veneration which I entertained for Dr.
Johnson,I was sensible that he was sometimes a little actuated by the spirit of contradiction,and by means of that I hoped I should gain my point.I was persuaded that if I had come upon him with a direct proposal,'Sir,will you dine in company with Jack Wilkes?'
he would have flown into a passion,and would probably have answered,'Dine with Jack Wilkes,Sir!I'd as soon dine with Jack Ketch.'I therefore,while we were sitting quietly by ourselves at his house in an evening,took occasion to open my plan thus:--'Mr.
Dilly,Sir,sends his respectful compliments to you,and would be happy if you would do him the honour to dine with him on Wednesday next along with me,as I must soon go to Scotland.'JOHNSON.
'Sir,I am obliged to Mr.Dilly.I will wait upon him--'BOSWELL.
