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authentick information, which, with what I afterwards owed to his kindness, will be found incorporated in its proper place in this work.

Dr. Adams had diftinguished himself by an able anfwer to David Hume's Effay on Miracles," He told me he had once dined in company with Hume in London; that Hume fhook hands with him, and faid, "You have treated me much better than I deferve;" and that they exchanged vifits. I took the liberty to object to treating an infidel writer with fmooth civility. Where there is a controverfy concerning a paffage in a claffick authour, or concerning a queftion in antiquities, or any other fubject in which human happiness is not deeply interested, a man may treat his antagonist with politeness and even refpect. But where the controverfy is concerning the truth of religion, it is of fuch vaft importance to him who maintains it, to obtain the victory, that the perfon of an opponent ought not to be fpared. If a man firmly believes that religion is an invaluable treasure, he will confider a writer who endeavours to deprive mankind of it as a robber; he will look upon him as odious, though the Infidel may think himself in the right. A robber who reafons as the gang do in the "Beggar's Opera," who call themselves practical philofophers, and may have as much fincerity as pernicious speculative philofophers, is not the lefs an object of juft indignation. An abandoned profligate may think that it is not wrong to debauch my wife; but fhall I, therefore, not deteft him? And if I catch him making an attempt fhall I treat him with politenefs? No, I will kick him down ftairs, or run him through the body: that is, if I really love my wife, or have a true rational notion of honour. An Infidel then should not be treated handsomely by a Chriftian, merely because he endeavours to rob with ingenuity. I do declare, however, that I am exceedingly unwilling to be provoked to anger, and could I be perfuaded that truth would not fuffer from a cool moderation in its defenders, I fhould wish to preferve good humour, at least, in every controverfy; nor, indeed, do I fee why a man fhould lofe his temper while he does all he can to refute an opponent. I think ridicule may be fairly ufed against an infidel; for inftance, if he be an ugly fellow, and yet abfurdly vain of his perfon, we may contraft his appearance with Cicero's beautiful image of Virtue, could fhe be feen. Johnfon coincided with me and said, "When a man voluntarily engages in an important controverfy, he is to do all he can to leffen his antagonist, because authority from perfonal respect has much weight with moft people, and often more than reafoning. If my antagonist writes bad language, though that may not be effential to the queftion, I will attack him for his bad language." ADAMS. "You would

not jostle a chimney-fweeper." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, if it were neceffary 1776. to joftle him

down."

Dr. Adams told us, that in fome of the Colleges at Oxford, the fellows had excluded the students from focial intercourse with them in the common room. JOHNSON. "They are in the right, Sir, for there can be no real converfation, no fair exertion of mind amongst them, if the young men are by; for a man who has a character does not choose to stake it in their presence.” BOSWELL. "But, Sir, may there not be very good converfation without a contest for fuperiority?" JOHNSON. "No animated converfation, Sir, for it cannot be but one or other will come off superiour. I do not mean that the victor must have the better of the argument, for he may take the weak fide; but his fuperiority of parts and knowledge will neceffarily appear: and he to whom he thus fhews himself fuperiour is leffened in the eyes of the young men. You know it was faid, Mallem cum Scaligero errare quam cum Clavio rectè fapere.' In the fame manner take Bentley's and Jafon de Neres' Comments upon Horace, you will admire Bentley more when wrong, than Jafon when right."

We walked with Dr. Adams into the mafter's garden, and into the common room. JOHNSON. (after a reverie of meditation,) "Aye! Here I used to play at drafts with Phil. Jones and Fludyer. Jones loved beer, and did not get very forward in the church. Fludyer turned out a fcoundrel, a Whig, and said he was afhamed of having been bred at Oxford. He had living at Putney, and got under the eye of fome retainers to the court at that time, and fo became a violent Whig: but he had been a fcoundrel all along, to be fure." BOSWELL. "Was he a fcoundrel, Sir, in any other way than being a political fcoundrel? Did he cheat at drafts?" JOHNSON. “ Sir, we never played for money."

He then carried me to vifit Dr. Bentham, Canon of Christ-Church, and Divinity Profeffor, with whofe learned and lively converfation we were much pleased. He gave us an invitation to dinner, which Dr. Johnson told me was a high honour. "Sir, it is a great thing to dine with the Canons of Chrift-Church." We could not accept his invitation, as we were engaged to dine at Univerfity College. We had an excellent dinner there, with the Master and Fellows, it being St. Cuthbert's day, which is kept by them as a festival, as he was a faint of Durham, with which this College is much connected.

We drank tea with Dr. Horne, Prefident of Magdalen College, now Bishop of Norwich, of whose abilities, in different refpects, the publick has had VOL. II. eminent

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eminent proofs, and the esteem annexed to whose character was increased Atat. 67. by knowing him perfonally: He had talked of publishing an edition of Walton's Lives, but had laid afide that defign, upon Dr. Johnson's telling him, from mistake, that Lord Hailes intended to do it. I had wished to negociate between Lord Hailes and him, that one or other should perform fo good a work. JOHNSON. "In order to do it well, it will be necessary to collect all the editions of Walton's Lives. By way of adapting the book to the taste of the present age, they have, in a later edition, left out a vision which he relates Dr. Donne had, but it should be restored; and there should be a critical catalogue given of the works of the different perfons whose lives were written by Walton, and therefore their works must be carefully read by the editor."

We then went to Trinity College, where he introduced me to Mr. Thomas Warton, with whom we paffed a part of the evening. We talked of biography.-JOHNSON. "It is rarely well executed. They only who live with a man can write his life with any genuine exactness and difcrimination; and few people who have lived with a man know what to remark about him. The chaplain of a late Bishop, whom I was to affift in writing some memoirs of his Lordship, could tell me almost nothing."

I faid, Mr. Robert Dodfley's life should be written, as he had been fo much connected with the wits of his time, and by his literary merit had raised himself from the station of a footman. Mr. Warton faid, he had published a little volume under the title of "The Mufe in Livery." JOHNSON. "I doubt whether Dodfley's brother would thank a man who fhould write his life: yet. Dodsley himself was not unwilling that his original low condition should be recollected. When Lord Lyttelton's Dialogues of the Dead' came out, one of which is between Apicius, an ancient epicure, and Darteneuf, a modern epicure, DodЛley faid to me, I knew Darteneuf well, for I was once his footman."

Biography led us to speak of Dr. John Campbell, who had written a confiderable part of the "Biographia Britannica." Johnson, though he valued him highly, was of opinion that there was not fo much in his great work, "A Political Survey of Great-Britain," as the world had been taught to expect; and had faid to me, that he believed Campbell's disappointment, on account of the bad fuccefs of that work, had killed him. He this evening obferved of it, "That work was his death." Mr. Warton, not adverting to his meaning, answered, "I believe fo; from the great attention he bestowed on it." JOHNSON. "Nay, Sir, he died of want of attention, if he died at all by that book."

We talked of a work much in vogue at that time, written in a very mellifluous style, but which, under pretext of another fubject, contained much artful infidelity. I faid it was not fair to attack us thus unexpectedly; he should have warned us of our danger, before we entered his garden of flowery eloquence, by advertising, "Spring-guns and man-traps fet here." The authoúr had been an Oxonian, and was remembered there for having "turned Papift." I obferved, that as he had changed feveral times-from the Church of England to the Church of Rome-from the Church of Rome to infidelity-I did not defpair yet of feeing him a methodist preacher. JOHNSON. (laughing,) "It is faid, that his range has been more extensive, and that he has once been Mahometan. However, now that he has published his infidelity, he will probably perfift in it." BOSWELL. "I am not quite fure of that, Sir."

I mentioned Sir Richard Steele having published his "Chriftian Hero," with the avowed purpose of obliging himself to lead a religious life; yet, that his conduct was by no means ftrictly fuitable. JOHNSON. "Steele, I believe, practifed the lighter vices."

Mr. Warton, being engaged, could not fup with us at our inn; we had therefore another evening by ourselves. I asked Johnson, whether a man's being forward in making himself known to eminent people, and feeing as much of life, and getting as much information as he could in every way, was not yet lessening himself by his forwardnefs. JOHNSON. "No, Sir; a man always makes himself greater, as he increases his knowledge."

I cenfured fome ludicrous fantastick dialogues between two coach-horses, and other such stuff, which Baretti had lately published. He joined with me, and faid, "Nothing odd will do long. • Triftram Shandy' did not last." I expreffed a defire to be acquainted with a lady who had been much talked of, and univerfally celebrated for extraordinary addrefs and infinuation. JOHNson. "Never believe extraordinary characters which you hear of people. Depend upon it, Sir, they are exaggerated. You do not fee one man shoot a great deal higher than another." I mentioned Mr. Burke. JOHNSON. "Yes; Burke is an extraordinary man. His stream of mind is perpetual." It is very pleafing to me to record, that Johnson's high eftimation of the talents of this gentleman was uniform from their early acquaintance. Sir Joshua Reynolds informs me, that when Mr. Burke was firft elected a member of parliament, and Sir John Hawkins expreffed a wonder at his attaining a feat, Johnson faid, "Now we who know Burke, know, that he will be one of the first men in this country." And once, when Johnfon was ill, and unable to exert himself as much

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much as usual without fatigue, Mr. Burke having been mentioned, he said, "That fellow calls forth all my powers. Were I to fee Burke now, it would kill me." So much was he accustomed to confider conversation as a contest, and fuch was his notion of Burke as an opponent.

Next morning, Thursday, March 21, we fet out in a post-chaise to pursue our ramble. It was a delightful day, and we drove through Blenheim Park. When I looked at the magnificent bridge built by John Duke of Marlborough, over a small rivulet, and recollected the Epigram made upon it

"The lofty arch his high ambition shows,

"The stream, an emblem of his bounty flows."

and faw that now, by the genius of Brown, a magnificent body of water was collected, I faid, “ They have drowned the Epigram." I obferved to him, while in the midst of the noble scene around us, "You and I, Sir, have, I think, feen together the extremes of what can be seen in Britain;-the wild rough island of Mull, and Blenheim Park."

We dined at an excellent inn at Chapel-house, where he expatiated on the felicity of England in its taverns and inns, and triumphed over the French for not having, in any perfection, the tavern life. "There is no private house (faid he,) in which people can enjoy themfelves fo well, as at a capital tavern. Let there be ever fo great plenty of good things, ever fo much grandeur, ever fo much elegance, ever fo much defire that every body should be easy; in the nature of things it cannot be there must always be fome degree of care and anxiety. The master of the house is anxious to entertain his guests; the guests are anxious to be agreeable to him: and no man, but a very impudent dog indeed, can as freely command what is in another man's house, as if it were his own. Whereas, at a tavern, there is a general freedom from anxiety. You are sure you are welcome: and the more noife you make, the more trouble you give, the more good things you call for, the welcomer you are. No fervants will attend you with the alacrity which waiters do, who are incited by the profpect of an immediate reward, in proportion as they please. No, Sir; there is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which fo much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn." He then repeated, with great emotion, Shenftone's lines:

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