upon an equality, we should have no other enjoyment than mere animal pleasure." Mr. Boswell said, he considered distinction of rank to be of so much importance in civilized society, that if he were asked on the same day to dine with the first duke in England, and with the first man in Britain for genius, he should hesitate which to prefer.-" To be sure, Sir (said Johnson), if you were to dine only once, and it were never to be known where you dined, you would choose rather to dine with the first man for genius; but to gain most respect, you should dine with the first duke in England. For nine people in ten that you meet with, would have a higher opinion of you for having dined with a duke; and the great genius himself would receive you better, because you had been with the great duke." He took care to guard himself against any possible suspicion that his settled principles of reverence for rank and respect for wealth were at all owing to mean or interested motives; for he asserted his own independence as a literary man. "No man (said he) who ever lived by literature, has lived more independently than I have done." He said he had taken longer time than he needed to have done in composing his Dictionary. In an eloquent argument he maintained that the situation of Prince of Wales was the happiest of any person's in the kingdom, even beyond that of the Sovereign. Among other things he mentioned the enjoyment of hope,-the high superiority of rank, without the anxious cares of government, a great degree of power, both from natural influence wisely used, and from the sanguine expectations of those who look forward to the chance of future favour. LAW. WHEN Mr. Boswell meditated trying his fortune in Westminster Hall, Johnson said to him, "You must not indulge too sanguine hopes, should you be called to our bar. I was told, by a very sensible lawyer, that there are a great many chances against any man's success in the profession of the law; the candidates are so numerous, and those who get large practice so few." He said, it was by no means true that a man of good parts and application is sure of having business, though he, indeed, allowed that if such a man could but appear in a few causes, his merit would be known, and he would get forward; but that the great risk was, that a man might pass half a life-time in the Courts, and never have an opportunity of shewing his abilities. "I asked him (says Mr. Boswell on another occasion) whether as a moralist he did not think that the practice of the law, in some degree, hurt the nice feeling of honesty."-JOHNSON. "Why no, Sir, if you act properly. You are not to deceive your clients with false representations of your opinion: you are not to tell lies to a judge." -BOSWELL. "But what do you think of supporting a cause which you know to be bad?"-J. "Sir, you do not know it to be good or bad till the Judge determines it. I have said that you are to state facts fairly; so that your thinking, or what you call knowing, a cause to be bad, must be from reasoning; must be from your supposing your arguments to be weak and inconclusive. But, Sir, that is not enough. An argument which does not convince yourself, may convince the judge to whom you urge it; and if it does convince him, why, then, Sir, you are wrong, and he is right. It is his business to judge; and you are not to be confident in your own opinion that a cause is bad, but to say all you can for your client, and then hear the Judge's opinion."-B. "But, Sir, does not affecting a warmth when you have no warmth, and appearing to be clearly of opinion when you are in reality of another opinion, does not such dissimulation impair one's honesty? Is there not some danger that a lawyer may put on the same upon mask in common life, in the intercourse with his friends?"-J." Why no, Sir; every body knows you are paid for affecting warmth for your client, and it is therefore properly no dissimulation; the moment you come from the bar you resume your usual behaviour. Sir, à man will no more carry the artifice of the bar into the common intercourse of society, than a man who is paid for tumbling upon his hands will continue tumbling his hands when he should walk on his feet." Of entails he said, "They are good because it is good to preserve in a country a succession of men to whom the people are accustomed to look up as to their leaders. But I am for leaving a quantity of land in commerce to excite industry, and keep money in the country; for if no land were to be bought in the country, there would be no encouragement to acquire wealth, because a family could not be founded there; or if it were acquired, it must be carried away to another country where land may be bought. And although the land in every country will remain the same, and be as fertile where there is no money, as where there is, yet all that portion of the happiness of civil life, which is produced by money circulating in a country, would be lost." Mr. Boswell asking whether it would be for the advantage of a country that all its lands were sold at once, Johnson answered, "So far, Sir, as money produces good, it would be an advantage; for then that country would have as much money circulating in it as it is worth; but to be sure this would be counterbalanced by the disadvantages attending a total change of proprietors." In Mr. Boswell expressed his opinion, that the power of entailing should be limited thus: "That there should be one third, or perhaps one half, of the land of a country kept free for commerce; that the proportion allowed to be entailed should be parcelled out so that no family could entail above a certain quantity. Let a family, accordng to the abilities of its representatives, be richer or poorer in different generations, or always rich if its representatives be always wise; but let its absolute permanency be moderate. this way we should be certain of there being always a number of established roots; and as, in the course of nature, there is in every age an extinction of some families, there would be continual openings for men ambitious of perpetuity, to plant a stock in the entail ground.”—JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, mankind will be better able to regulate the system of entails, when the evil of too much land being locked up by them is felt, than we can do at present when it is not felt.” |