a Lord Kames, in his Historical Law Tracts.
a He, however, wrote, or partly wrote, an Epitaph on Mrs. Bell, wife of his friend John Bell, Esq., brother of the Reverend Dr. Bell, Prebendary of Westminster, which is printed in his Works {i. 151}. It is in English prose, and has so little of his manner, that I did not believe he had any hand in it, till I was satisfied of the fact by the authority of Mr. Bell.
b Given by a lady at Edinburgh.
c There had been masquerades in Scotland; but not for a very long time.
a This gentleman,358 who now resides in America in a publick character of considerable dignity, desired that his name might not be transcribed at full length.
a Now Doctor White, and Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania. During his first visit to England in 1771, as a candidate for holy orders, he was several times in company with Dr. Johnson, who expressed a wish to see the edition of his Rasselas, which Dr. White told him had been printed in America. Dr. White, on his return immediately sent him a copy.
a Afterwards Charles I.
a ‘By inscribing this slight performance to you, I do not mean so much to compliment you as myself. It may do me some honour to inform the publick, that I have lived many years in intimacy with you. It may serve the interests of mankind also to inform them, that the greatest wit may be found in a character, without impairing the most unaffected piety.’
b See an account of this learned and respectable gentleman, and of his curious work on the Middle State, Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3rd edit. p. 371 {25 Oct.}.
a The humours of Ballamagairy.
a I regretted that Dr. Johnson never took the trouble to study a question which interested nations. He would not even read a pamphlet which I wrote upon it, entitled The Essence of the Douglas Cause; which, I have reason to flatter myself, had considerable effect in favour of Mr. Douglas; of whose legitimate filiation I was then, and am still, firmly convinced. Let me add, that no fact can be more respectably ascertained, than by the judgement of the most august tribunal in the world; a judgement, in which Lord Mansfield and Lord Camden united in 1769, and from which only five of a numerous body entered a protest.
a [It has already been observed (ante, 291), that one of his first Essays was a Latin Poem on a glow-worm; but whether it be any where extant, has not been ascertained.]
a Ovid. de Art. Amand. i. iii. v. 13.
b In allusion to Dr. Johnson’s supposed political principles, and perhaps his own.
a Here is another instance of his high admiration of Milton as a Poet, notwithstanding his just abhorrence of that sour Republican’s political principles. His candour and discrimination are equally conspicuous. Let us hear no more of his ‘injustice to Milton’.
a Dr. Johnson’s memory here was not perfectly accurate: Eugenio does not conclude thus. There are eight more lines after the last of those quoted by him; and the passage which he meant to recite is as follows: –
‘Say now ye fluttering, poor assuming elves,
Stark full of pride, of folly, of – yourselves;
Say where’s the wretch of all your impious crew
Who dares confront his character to view?
Behold Eugenio, view him o’er and o’er,
Then sink into yourselves, and be no more.’
Mr. Reed informs me that the Authour of Eugenio,380 a Wine Merchant at Wrexham in Denbighshire, soon after its publication, viz. 17th May, 1737, cut his own throat; and that it appears by Swift’s Works that the poem had been shewn to him, and received some of his corrections. Johnson had read Eugenio on his first coming to town, for we see it mentioned in one of his letters to Mr. Cave, which has been inserted in this work {p. 72}.
b I formerly thought that I had perhaps mistaken the word, and imagined it to be Corps, from its similarity of sound to the real one. For an accurate and shrewd unknown gentleman, to whom I am indebted for some remarks on my work, observes on this passage – ‘Q. if not on the word Fort? A vociferous French preacher said of Bourdaloue, “Il preche fort bien, et moi bien fort.”383 - Menagiana. See also Anecdotes Litteraires, Article Bourdaloue.’ But my ingenious and obliging correspondent, Mr. Abercrombie of Philadelphia, has pointed out to me the following passage in Menagiana; which renders the preceding conjecture unnecessary, and confirms my original statement:
Mad de Bourdonne, Chanoinesse de Remiremont, venoit d entendre un discours plein de feu et d’esprit, mais fort peu solide, et tres-irregulier. Une de ses amies, qui y prenoit interet pour l’orateur, lui dit en sortant, “Eh bien, Mad, que vous semble-t-il de ce que vous venez d’entendre? – Qu’il y a d’esprit?” – “Il y a tant, repondit Mad de Bourdonne, que je n’y ai pas vu de corps.”384 – Menagiana, tome ii. p. 64. Amsterd. 1713.
a Dr. Mayo’s calm temper and steady perseverance rendered him an admirable subject for the exercise of Dr. Johnson’s powerful abilities. He never flinched; but, after reiterated blows, remained seemingly unmoved as at the first. The scintillations of Johnson’s genius flashed every time he was struck, without his receiving any injury. Hence he obtained the epithet of The Literary Anvil.
a Pr. and Med. p. 40.
a The Reverend Thomas Bagshaw, M.A., who died on November 20, 1787, in the seventy-seventh year of his age, Chaplain of Bromley College, in Kent, and Rector of Southfleet. He had resigned the cure of Bromley Parish some time before his death. For this, and another letter from Dr. Johnson in 1784, to the same truely respectable man, I am indebted to Dr. John Loveday, of the Commons, a son of the late learned and pious John Loveday, Esq., of Caversham in Berkshire, who obligingly transcribed them for me from the originals in his possession. This worthy gentleman, having retired from business, now lives in Warwickshire. The world has been lately obliged to him as the Editor of the late Rev. Dr. Townson’s excellent work, modestly entitled, A Discourse on the Evangelical History, from the Interment to the Ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; to which is prefixed, a truly interesting and pleasing account of the authour, by the Reverend Mr. Ralph Churton.
a Pr. and Med. p. 129.
b Mrs. Piozzi’s Anecdotes of Johnson, p. 131.
a [The authour was not a small gainer by this extraordinary Journey; for Dr. Johnson thus writes to Mrs. Thrale, Nov. 3, 1773: – ‘Boswell will praise my resolution and perseverance, and I shall in return celebrate his good humour and perpetual cheerfulness. He has better faculties than I had imagined; more justness of discernment, and more fecundity of images. It is very convenient to travel with him; for there is no house where he is not received with kindness and respect.’ Let. 90, to Mrs. Thrale.]
b Yet surely it is a very useful work, and of wonderful research and labour for one man to have executed.
a In this he shewed a very acute penetration. My wife paid him the most assiduous and respectful attention, while he was our guest; so that I wonder how he discovered her wishing for his departure. The truth is, that his irregular hours and uncouth habits, such as turning the candles with their heads downwards, when they did not burn bright enough, and letting the wax drop upon the carpet, could not but be disagreeable to a lady. Besides, she had not that high admiration of him which was felt by most of those who knew him; and what was very natural to a female mind, she thought he had too much influence over her husband. She once in a little warmth, made, with more point than justice, this remark upon that subject: ‘I have seen many a bear led by a man: but I never before saw a man led by a bear.’