PERCY.'He pretends to give the natural history of Northumberland,and yet takes no notice of the immense number of trees planted there of late.'JOHNSON.'That,Sir,has nothing to do with the NATURAL history;that is CIVIL history.A man who gives the natural history of the oak,is not to tell how many oaks have been planted in this place or that.A man who gives the natural history of the cow,is not to tell how many cows are milked at Islington.
The animal is the same,whether milked in the Park or at Islington.'PERCY.'Pennant does not describe well;a carrier who goes along the side of Loch-lomond would describe it better.'
JOHNSON.'I think he describes very well.'PERCY.'I travelled after him.'JOHNSON.'And I travelled after him.'PERCY.'But,my good friend,you are short-sighted,and do not see so well as Ido.'I wondered at Dr.Percy's venturing thus.Dr.Johnson said nothing at the time;but inflammable particles were collecting for a cloud to burst.In a little while Dr.Percy said something more in disparagement of Pennant.JOHNSON.(pointedly,)'This is the resentment of a narrow mind,because he did not find every thing in Northumberland.'PERCY.(feeling the stroke,)'Sir,you may be as rude as you please.'JOHNSON.'Hold,Sir!Don't talk of rudeness;remember,Sir,you told me (puffing hard with passion struggling for a vent,)I was shortsighted.We have done with civility.We are to be as rude as we please.'PERCY.'Upon my honour,Sir,I did not mean to be uncivil.'JOHNSON.'I cannot say so,Sir;for I DID mean to be uncivil,thinking YOU had been uncivil.'Dr.Percy rose,ran up to him,and taking him by the hand,assured him affectionately that his meaning had been misunderstood;upon which a reconciliation instantly took place.
JOHNSON.'My dear Sir,I am willing you shall HANG Pennant.'
PERCY.(resuming the former subject,)'Pennant complains that the helmet is not hung out to invite to the hall of hospitality.Now Inever heard that it was a custom to hang out a HELMET.'JOHNSON.
'Hang him up,hang him up.'BOSWELL.(humouring the joke,)'Hang out his skull instead of a helmet,and you may drink ale out of it in your hall of Odin,as he is your enemy;that will be truly ancient.THERE will be Northern Antiquities.'JOHNSON.'He's a WHIG,Sir;a SAD DOG.(smiling at his own violent expressions,merely for political difference of opinion.)But he's the best traveller I ever read;he observes more things than any one else does.'
On Monday,April 13,I dined with Johnson at Mr.Langton's,where were Dr.Porteus,then Bishop of Chester,now of London,and Dr.
Stinton.He was at first in a very silent mood.Before dinner he said nothing but 'Pretty baby,'to one of the children.Langton said very well to me afterwards,that he could repeat Johnson's conversation before dinner,as Johnson had said that he could repeat a complete chapter of The Natural History of Iceland,from the Danish of Horrebow,the whole of which was exactly thus:--'CHAP.LXXII.Concerning snakes.
'There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island.'
Mr.Topham Beauclerk came in the evening,and he and Dr.Johnson and I staid to supper.It was mentioned that Dr.Dodd had once wished to be a member of THE LITERARY CLUB.JOHNSON.'I should be sorry if any of our Club were hanged.I will not say but some of them deserve it.'BEAUCLERK.(supposing this to be aimed at persons for whom he had at that time a wonderful fancy,which,however,did not last long,)was irritated,and eagerly said,'You,Sir,have a friend,(naming him)who deserves to be hanged;for he speaks behind their backs against those with whom he lives on the best terms,and attacks them in the newspapers.HE certainly ought to be KICKED.'JOHNSON.'Sir,we all do this in some degree,"Veniam petimus damusque vicissim."To be sure it may be done so much,that a man may deserve to be kicked.'BEAUCLERK.'He is very malignant.'JOHNSON.'No,Sir;he is not malignant.He is mischievous,if you will.He would do no man an essential injury;he may,indeed,love to make sport of people by vexing their vanity.I,however,once knew an old gentleman who was absolutely malignant.He really wished evil to others,and rejoiced at it.'
BOSWELL.'The gentleman,Mr.Beauclerk,against whom you are so violent,is,I know,a man of good principles.'BEAUCLERK.'Then he does not wear them out in practice.'
Dr.Johnson,who,as I have observed before,delighted in discrimination of character,and having a masterly knowledge of human nature,was willing to take men as they are,imperfect and with a mixture of good and bad qualities,I suppose though he had said enough in defence of his friend,of whose merits,notwithstanding his exceptional points,he had a just value;and added no more on the subject.
On Wednesday,April 15,I dined with Dr.Johnson at Mr.Dilly's,and was in high spirits,for I had been a good part of the morning with Mr.Orme,the able and eloquent historian of Hindostan,who expressed a great admiration of Johnson.'I do not care (said he,)on what subject Johnson talks;but I love better to hear him talk than any body.He either gives you new thoughts,or a new colouring.It is a shame to the nation that he has not been more liberally rewarded.Had I been George the Third,and thought as he did about America,I would have given Johnson three hundred a year for his Taxation no Tyranny alone.'I repeated this,and Johnson was much pleased with such praise from such a man as Orme.
At Mr.Dilly's to-day were Mrs.Knowles,the ingenious Quaker lady,Miss Seward,the poetess of Lichfield,the Reverend Dr.Mayo,and the Rev.Mr.Beresford,Tutor to the Duke of Bedford.Before dinner Dr.Johnson seized upon Mr.Charles Sheridan's Account of the late Revolution in Sweden,and seemed to read it ravenously,as if he devoured it,which was to all appearance his method of studying.'He knows how to read better than any one (said Mrs.
