Obrazy na stronie
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at table with a Prince of Wirtemberg. The Prince took up a glass of wine, and, by a fillip, made fome of it fly in Oglethorpe's face. Here was a nice dilemma. To have challenged him inftantly might have fixed a quarrel fome character upon the young foldier to have taken no notice of it might have been confidered as cowardice. Oglethorpe therefore, keeping his eye upon the Prince, and finiling all the time, as if he took what his Highness had done in jeft, faid, in French, "That's a good joke; but we do it much better in England;" and threw a whole glass of wine in the Prince's face. An old General who fat by, faid, Il a bien fait ; mon Prince, vous l'avez commencé ; and thus all ended in good humour."

At another time Johnfon defended duelling, and put his argument upon what is perhaps the most solid basis; namely, that if public war be allowed to be confiftent with morality, private war must be equally fo*,

*Indeed (fays Mr. Bofwell) we may obferve what ftrained arguments are used to reconcile war with the Chriftian religion. But, in my opinion, it is exceedingly clear, that duelling, having better reafons for its barbarous violence, is more juftifiable than war, in which thorfands go forth, without any cause of perfonal quarrel, and maffacre each other,"

WOMEN,

WOMEN.

JOHNSON thought portrait-painting an im proper employment for a woman. "Public practice of any art (he observed), and staring in men's faces, is very indelicate in a female.”

He remarked once, at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, "that a beggar in the ftrect will more readily afk alms from a man, though there fhould be no marks of wealth in his appearance, than from even a well-dreffed woman; which he accounted for from the greater degree of carefulness as to money that is to be found in women; faying farther upon it, that the opportunities in general that they poffefs of improving their condition are much fewer than men have; and adding, as he looked round the company, which confifted of men only, there is not one of us who does not think he might be richer if he would use his endeavour."

He talked with ferious concern of a certain female friend's "laxity of narration, and inattention to truth."-" I am as much vexed (faid he) at the cafe with which fhe hears it mentioned to her, as at the thing itself. I told her, Madam, you are contented to hear every day faid to you, what the higheft of mankind have died rather than bear.'-You know, Mr. Bof

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well, the highest of mankind have died rather than bear to be told they have uttered a falsehood. Do talk to her of it: I am weary."

The wife of one of his acquaintance had fraudulently made a purfe for herself out of her hufband's fortune. Feeling a proper compunction in her last moments, the confeffed how much fhe had fecreted; but before fhe could tell where it was placed, fhe was feized with a convulfive fit, and expired. Her husband faid, he was more hurt by her want of confidence in him, than by the lofs of his money. "I told him (said Johnfon) that he fhould confole himself; for perhaps the money might be found, and he was fure that his wife was left."

Mr. Bofwell once ftated to him this cafe :"Suppofe a man has a daughter, who he knows has been feduced, but her misfortune is concealed from the world, fhould he keep her in his house? Would he not, by doing fo, be acceffary to impofition? And, perhaps, a worthy unfufpecting man might come and marry woman, unlefs the father inform him of the truth."-Johnfon replied, " Sir, he is acceffary to no impofition. His daughter is in his houfe; and if a man courts her, he takes his chance.If a friend, or, indeed, if any man asks his opinion whether he fhould marry her, he ought to advise him againft it, without telling why, be

this

caufe

caufe his real opinion is then required. Or, if he has other daughters who know of her frailty, he ought not to keep her in his houfe. You are to confider, the state of life is this; we are to judge of one another's characters as well as we can; and a man is not bound, in honesty or honour, to tell us the faults of his daughter or of himself. A man who has debauched his friend's daughter is not obliged to say to every body Take care of me; don't let me into your houses without fufpicion. I once debauched a friend's daughter. I yours."

may debauch

As Johnfon was a zealous friend of fubordination, he was at all times watchful to repress the vulgar cant against the manners of the great. -"High people, Sir (faid he), are the best.— Take a hundred ladies of quality, you'll find them better wives, better mothers, more willing to facrifice their own pleasure to their children, than a hundred other women. Tradefwomen (I mean the wives of tradefmen) in the city, who are worth from ten to fifteen thousand pounds, are the worst creatures upon the earth; grofsly ignorant, and thinking viciousness fashionable. Farmers, I think, are often worthlefs fellows.→→ Few lords will cheat; and, if they do, they'll be ashamed of it; farmers cheat, and are not afhamed of it: they have all the fenfual vices,

too,

too, of the nobility, with cheating into the bargain. There is as much fornication and adultery amongst farmers as amongst noblemen."B. "The notion of the world, Sir, however, is, that the morals of women of quality are worfe than those in lower ftations."-7. "Yes, Sir; the licentioufnefs of one woman of quality makes more noife than that of a number of women in lower ftations. Then, Sir, you are to confider the malignity of women in the city against women of quality, which will make them believe any thing of them, fuch as that they call their coachmen to their bed. No, Sir; fo far as I have obferved, the higher in rank, the richer ladies are, they are the better inftructed, and the more virtuous."

INEQUALITIES OF RANK.

JOHNSON infifted much on the duty of maintaining fubordination of rank." Sir (faid he), I would no more deprive a nobleman of his refpect, than of his money. I confider myself as acting a part in the great fyftem of fociety, and I do to others as I would have them do to I would behave to a nobleman as I fhould

me.

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