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in him to come into company without merri-
ment, as for a highwayman to take the road
without his pistols."-" Has not - a great
deal of wit, Sir?" -JOHNSON. " I do not think
so, Sir. He is, indeed, continually attempting
wit, but he fails. And I have no more pleasure
in hearing a man attempting wit and failing,
than in seeing a man trying to leap over a ditch
and tumbling into it *."

A writer of deferved eminence being men-
tioned, Johnson said, "Why, Sir, he is a man
of good parts; but being originally poor, he
has got a love of mean company and low jocu-
larity; a very bad thing, Sir. To laugh is
good, as to talk is good. But you ought no
more to think it enough if you laugh, than you
are to think it enough if you talk. You may
laugh in as many ways as you talk; and surely
every way of talking that is practised cannot be

efteemed."

One being named as a very learned man."Yes, Sir (faid Johnson), he has a great deal of learning, but it never lies straight.

* Garrick once remarked of the Doctor himself, "Rabelais and all other wits are nothing compared with him.You may be diverted by them; but Johnson gives you a forcible hug, and shakes laughter out of you, whether you will or no." Mrs. Thrale justly and wittily said, that "Johnfon's converfation was much too strong for a person accuftomed to obsequiousness and flattery; it was mustard in a young child's mouth."

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There

There is never one idea by the fide of another; 'tis all entangled; and then he drives it aukwardly upon conversation."

"People (he remarked) may be taken in once, who imagine that an author is greater in private life than other men. Uncommon parts require uncommon opportunities for their exertion. In barbarous society, fuperiority of parts is of real consequence. Great strength or great wisdom is of much value to an individual. But in more polished times there are people to do every thing for money: and then there are a number of other superioritics, such as those of birth and fortune, and rank, that diffipate mens' attention, and leave no extraordinary share of respect for perfonal and intellectual superiority. This is wifely ordered by Providence, to preserve some equality among mankind.

When Mr. B. one day complained of having dined at a splendid table without hearing one sentence of conversation worthy of being remembered, he said, "Sir, there feldom is any fuch conversation." -BosWELL. "Why then meet at table?" -JOHNSON. "Why to eat and drink together, and 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 fome of the company who are not capable of fuch

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conversation, are left out, and feel themselves uncafy."

An author of confiderable eminence having engrossed a good share of a conversation, and having said nothing but what was trifling and infignificant, Johnson, when he was gone, observed, "It is wonderful what a difference there fometimes is between a man's powers of writing and of talking. ******* writes with great spirit, but is a poor talker; had he held his tongue we might have supposed him to have been restrained by modesty: but he has spoken a great deal to-day, and you have heard what stuff it was."

Talking of an acquaintance diftinguished for knowing an uncommon variety of miscellaneous articles both in antiquities and polite literature, he observed, "You know, Sir, he runs about with little weight upon his mind." And talking of another very ingenious gentleman, who from the warmth of his temper was at variance with many of his acquaintance, and wished to avoid them, he said, "Sir, he leads the life of an outlaw."

Being irritated by hearing a gentleman ask Mr. Levett a variety of questions concerning him when he was fitting by, he broke out, "Sir, you have but two topics, yourself and me. I am fick of both."-" A man (faid he) should

not

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?' (faid Belchier, the furgeon ;) (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 fomething of him.'

One evening, in company, an ingenious and learned gentleman read a letter of compliment which he had received from one of the Profeffors of a Foreign University. Johnson, in an irritable fit, thinking there was too much oftentation, faid, "I never receive any of these tributes of applause from abroad. One instance I recollect of a foreign publication, in which mention is made of l'illustre Lockman."

A learned gentleman, who in the course of conversation wished to inform the company of this fimple fact, that the Counsel upon the circnit at Shrewsbury were much bitten by fleas, took seven or eight minutes in relating it cir

cumstantially. He in a plentitude of phrase told, that large bales of woollen cloth were lodged in the town-hall; that, by reason of this, fleas nestled there in prodigious numbers; that the lodgings of the Counsel were near the town-hall; and that those little animals moved from place to place with wonderful agility.Johnson sat in great impatience till the gentleman had finished his tedious narrative, and then burst out (playfully however), "It is a pity, Sir, that you have not seen a lion; for a flea has taken you fuch a time, that a lion must have served you a twelvemonth."

A dull country magiftrate once gave Johnfon a long tedious account of his exercising his criminal jurifdiction, the result of which was his having fentenced four convicts to transportation. Johnfon, in an agony of impatience to get rid of fuch a companion, exclaimed, "I heartily wish, Sir, that I were a fifth."

At another time, having argued at some length with a pertinacious gentleman, his opponent, who had talked in a very puzzling manner, happened to say, "I don't understand you, Sir;" upon which Johnfon observed, "Sir, I have found you an argument ; but I am not obliged to find you an understanding."

He