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Etat. 63.

fix it after the example of the best company, why they differ among themfelves. I remember an inftance: when I published the Plan for my Dictionary, Lord Chefterfield told me that the word great fhould be pronounced fo as to rhyme to state; and Sir William Young fent me word that it should be pronounced fo as to rhyme to feat, and that none but an Irifhman would pronounce it grait. Now here were two men of the highest rank, the one, the best fpeaker in the Houfe of Lords, the other, the best speaker in the House of Commons, differing entirely."

I again vifited him at night. Finding him in a very good humour, I ventured to lead him to the fubject of our fituation in a future ftate, having much curiofity to know his notions on that point. JOHNSON. Why, Sir, the happinefs of an unembodied spirit will consist in a consciousness of the favour of GOD, in the contemplation of truth, and in the poffeffion of felicitating ideas.” BOSWELL. "But, Sir, is there any harm in our forming to ourselves conjectures as to the particulars of our happiness, though the fcripture has faid but very little on the fubject? We know not what we fhall be." JOHNSON. "Sir, there is no harm. What philofophy fuggefts to us on this topick is probable: what fcripture tells us is certain. Dr. Henry More has carried it as far as philofophy can. You may buy both his theological and philofophical works in two volumes folio, for about eight fhillings." BOSWELL." One of the most pleasing thoughts is, that we shall see our friends again." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir; but you must confider, that when we are become purely rational, many of our friendships will be cut off. Many friendships are formed by a community of sensual pleasures: all these will be cut off. We form many friendships with bad men, because they have agreeable qualities, and they can be useful to us; but, after death, they can no longer be of use to us. We form many friendships by mistake, imagining people to be different from what they really are. After death, we fhall fee every one in a true light. Then, Sir, they talk of our meeting our relations: but then all relationship is dif folved; and we shall have no regard for one perfon more than another, but for their real value. However, we shall either have the fatisfaction of meeting our friends, or be fatisfied without meeting them." BOSWELL. "Yet, Sir, we see in scripture that Dives still retained an anxious concern about his brethren.” JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, we muft either fuppofe that paffage to be metaphorical, or hold with many divines, and all the Purgatorians, that departed fouls do not all at once arrive at the utmost perfection of which they are capable.' BOSWELL. "I think, Sir, that is a very rational fuppofition." JOHNSON. Why yes, Sir; but we do not know it is a true one. There is no harm in believing

4

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believing it but you must not compel others to make it an article of faith, for it is not revealed." BOSWELL. "Do you think, Sir, it is wrong in a man tat. 63who holds the doctrine of purgatory, to pray for the fouls of his deceased friends?" JOHNSON. "Why no, Sir." BOSWELL. "I have been told, that in the liturgy of the Epifcopal Church of Scotland, there was a form of prayer for the dead." JOHNSON. "Sir, it is not in the liturgy which Laud framed for the Epifcopal Church of Scotland: if there is a liturgy older than that, I fhould be glad to fee it." BOSWELL. "As to our employment in a future ftate, the facred writings fay little. The Revelation, however, of St. John gives us many ideas, and particularly mentions mufick." JOHNSON. Why, Sir, ideas must be given you by means of fomething which you know and as to mufick, there are fome philofophers and divines who have maintained that we shall not be fpiritualised to such a degree, but that fomething of matter, very much refined, will remain. In that cafe, mufick may make a part of our future felicity."

BOSWELL. "I do not know whether there are any well-attefted stories of the appearance of ghofts. You know there is a famous ftory of the appearance of Mrs. Veal, prefixed to Drelincourt on Death." JOHNSON. "I believe, Sir, that is given up. I believe the woman declared upon her death-bed that it was a lie." BOSWELL. " This objection is made against the truth of ghosts appearing that if they are in a state of happiness, it would be a punishment to them to return to this world; and if they are in a state of misery, it would be giving them a refpite." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, as the happiness or mifery of unembodied fpirits does not depend upon place, but is intellectual, we cannot say that they are less happy or less miferable by appearing upon earth."

We went down between twelve and one to Mrs. Williams's room, and drank tea. I mentioned that we were to have the remains of Mr. Gray, in profe and verfe, published by Mr. Mafon. JOHNSON. "I think we have had enough of Gray. I fee they have published a fplendid edition of Akenfide's works. One bad Ode may be fuffered, but a number of them together makes one fick." BOSWELL. "Akenfide's diftinguished poem is his Pleasures of the Imagination:' but, for my part, I never could admire it fo much as most people do." JOHNSON. "Sir, I could not read it through." BOSWELL. "I have read it through; but I did not find any great power in it."

I mentioned Elwal, the heretick, whofe trial Sir John Pringle had given me to read. JOHNSON. "Sir, Mr. Elwal was, I think, an ironmonger at Wolverhampton; and he had a mind to make himself famous, by being the

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Etat. 63.

founder of a new fect, which he wished much fhould be called Elwallians. He held, that every thing in the Old Testament that was not typical, was to be of perpetual obfervance; and fo he wore a ribband in the plaits of his coat, and he alfo wore a beard. I remember I had the honour of dining in company with Mr. Elwal. There was one Barter, a miller, who wrote against him; and fo you had The Controverfy between Mr. ELWAL and Mr. BARTER.' To try to make himself distinguished, he wrote a letter to King George the Second, challenging him to difpute with him, in which he faid, George, if you be afraid to come by yourself, to dispute with a poor old man, you may bring a thousand of your black-guards with you; and if you should still be afraid, you may bring a thousand of your red-guards.' The letter had fomething of the impudence of Junius to our prefent King. But the men of Wolverhampton were not fo inflammable as the Common Council of London; fo Mr. Elwal failed in his fcheme of making himself a man of great confequence."

On Tuesday, March 31, he and I dined at General Paoli's. A question was started, whether the ftate of marriage was natural to man. JOHNSON.. Sir, it is fo far from being natural for a man and woman to live in a state of marriage, that we find all the motives which they have for remaining in that connection, and the reftraints which civilifed fociety impofes to prevent separation, are hardly fufficient to keep them together." The General faid, that in a state of nature a man and woman uniting together would form a strong and conftant affection, by the mutual pleasure each would receive; and that the fame causes of diffention would not arife between them, as occur between husband and wife in a civilifed ftate. JOHNSON. "Sir, they would have diffentions enough, though of another kind. One would choose to go a hunting in this wood, the other in that; one would choose to go a fishing in this lake, the other in that; or, perhaps, one would choofe to go a hunting, when the other would choose to go a fifhing; and fo they would part. Befides, Sir, a favage man and a favage woman meet by chance; and when the man sees another woman that pleases him better, he will leave the firft."

We then fell into a difquifition whether there is any beauty independent of utility. The General maintained there was not. Dr. Johnson maintained that there was; and he inftanced a coffee-cup which he held in his hand, the painting of which was of no real ufe, as the cup would hold the coffee equally well if plain; yet the painting was beautiful.

We talked of the strange custom of fwearing in converfation. The General faid, that all barbarous nations fwore from a certain violence of temper, that could

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could not be confined to earth, but was always reaching at the powers above. He faid, too, that there was greater variety of swearing, in propor- tat. 63. tion as there was a greater variety of religious ceremonies.

Dr. Johnson went home with me to my lodgings in Conduit-street and drank tea, previous to our going to the Pantheon, which neither of us had seen before.

He faid, "Goldfmith's Life of Parnell is poor; not that it is poorly written, but that he had poor materials: for nobody can write the life of a man, but those who have eat and drunk and lived in focial intercourfe with him.”

I faid, that if it was not troublefome and prefuming too much, I would request him to tell me all the little circumftances of his life; what schools he attended, when he came to Oxford, when he came to London, &c. &c. He did not difapprove of my curiofity as to thefe particulars; but faid, "They'll come out by degrees as we talk together."

He cenfured Ruffhead's Life of Pope; and faid, "he knew nothing of Pope, and nothing of poetry." He praised Dr. Jofeph Warton's Effay on Pope; but faid, he fuppofed we should have no more of it, as the authour had not been able to perfuade the world to think of Pope as he did. BOSWELL. "Why, Sir, should that prevent him from continuing his work? He is an ingenious Counsel, who has made the most of his caufe: he is not obliged to gain it.” JOHNSON. "But, Sir, there is a difference when the caufe is of a man's own making."

We talked of the proper use of riches. JOHNSON. "If I were a man of a great eftate, I would drive all the rafcals whom I did not like out of the county at an election."

I asked him how far he thought wealth should be employed in hospitality. JOHNSON. "You are to consider that ancient hospitality, of which we hear fo much, was in an uncommercial country, when men being idle, were glad to be entertained at rich men's tables. But in a commercial country, a bufy country, time becomes precious, and therefore hofpitality is not fo much valued. No doubt there is still room for a certain degree of it; and a man has a fatisfaction in seeing his friends eating and drinking around him. But promifcuous hofpitality is not the way to gain real influence. You must help fome people at table before others; you must ask fome people how they like their wine oftener than others. You therefore offend more people than you please. You are like the French statesman, who faid, when he granted a favour, J'ai fait dix mécontens et un ingrat.' Befides, Sir, being entertained ever fo well at a man's table, impreffes no lafting regard or esteem. No,

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Sir, the way to make fure of power and influence is, by lending money Etat. 63. confidentially to your neighbours at a small intereft, or, perhaps, at no intereft at all, and having their bonds in your poffeffion." BOSWELL. "May not a man, Sir, employ his riches to advantage in educating young men of merit ?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, if they fall in your way; but if it is understood that you patronife young men of merit, you will be harraffed with folicitations. You will have numbers forced upon you who have no merit; fome will force them upon you from mistaken partiality; and some from downright interested motives, without fcruple; and you will be difgraced.

"Were I a rich man, I would propagate all kinds of trees that will grow in the open air. A green-houfe is childish. I would introduce foreign animals into the country; for inftance, the rein-deer."

The converfation now turned on critical fubjects. JOHNSON. Bayes, in The Rehearsal,' is a mighty filly character. If it was intended to be like a particular man, it could only be diverting while that man was remembered. But I queftion whether it was meant for Dryden, as has been reported; for we know fome of the paffages faid to be ridiculed, were written fince the Rehearsal; at least a paffage mentioned in the Preface is of a later date." I maintained that it had merit as a general fatire on the felf-importance of dramatick authours. But even in this light he held it very cheap.

We then walked to the Pantheon. The first view of it did not strike us fo much as Ranelagh, of which he said, the coup d'oeil was the finest thing he had ever seen. The truth is, Ranelagh is of a more beautiful form; more of it, or rather indeed the whole rotunda, appears at once, and it is better lighted. However, as Johnson observed, we saw the Pantheon in time of mourning, when there was a dull uniformity; whereas we had feen Ranelagh when the view was enlivened with a gay profufion of colours. Mrs. Bofville, of Gunthwait, in Yorkshire, joined us, and entered into conversation with us. Johnson faid to me afterwards, "Sir, this is a mighty intelligent lady."

I faid there was not half a guinea's worth of pleasure in feeing this place. JOHNSON. "But, Sir, there is half a guinea's worth of inferiority to other people in not having feen it." BOSWELL. "I doubt, Sir, whether there are many happy people here." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, there are many happy people here. There are many people here who are watching hundreds, and who think hundreds are watching them."

2 This project has fince been realifed. Sir Henry Liddel, who made a spirited tour into Lapland, brought two rein-deer to his eftate in Northumberland, where they bred; but the race bas unfortunately perished.

Happening