The Life of Samuel Johnson - James Boswell [451]
JAMES BOSWELL.’
TO THE SAME
‘MY DEAR SIR, ‘Edinburgh, Feb. 28, 1778.
‘You are at present busy amongst the English poets, preparing, for the publick instruction and entertainment, Prefaces, biographical and critical. It will not, therefore, be out of season to appeal to you for the decision of a controversy which has arisen between a lady and me concerning a passage in Parnell. That poet tells us, that his Hermit quitted his cell
“—to know the world by sight,
To find if books or swains report it right;
(For yet by swains alone the world he knew,
Whose feet came wand’ring o’er the nightly dew.”)748
I maintain, that there is an inconsistency here; for as the Hermit’s notions of the world were formed from the reports both of books and swains, he could not justly be said to know by swains alone. Be pleased to judge between us, and let us have your reasons.a
‘What do you say to Taxation no Tyranny, now, after Lord North’s declaration, or confession, or whatever else his conciliatory speech should be called?749 I never differed from you in politicks but upon two points, – the Middlesex Election, and the Taxation of the Americans by the British Houses of Representatives. There is a charm in the word Parliament, soI avoid it. As I am a steady and a warm Tory, I regret that the King does not see it to be better for him to receive constitutional supplies from his American subjects by the voice of their own assemblies, where his Royal Person is represented, than through the medium of his British subjects. I am persuaded that the power of the Crown, which I wish to increase, would be greater when in contact with all its dominions, than if “the rays of regal bounty”b were to shine upon America through that dense and troubled body, a modern British Parliament. But, enough of this subject; for your angry voice at Ashbourne upon it, still sounds aweful “in my mind’s ears.”750I ever am, my dear Sir, your most affectionate humble servant,
‘JAMES BOSWELL.’
TO THE SAME
‘MY DEAR SIR, ‘Edinburgh, March 12, 1778.
‘The alarm of your late illness distressed me but a few hours; for on the evening of the day that it reached me, I found it contradicted in The London Chronicle, which I could depend upon as authentick concerning you, Mr. Strahan being the printer of it. I did not see the paper in which “the approaching extinction of a bright luminary” was announced. Sir William Forbes told me of it; and he says, he saw me so uneasy, that he did not give me the report in such strong terms as he had read it. He afterwards sent me a letter from Mr. Langton to him, which relieved me much. I am, however, not quite easy, as I have not heard from you; and now I shall not have that comfort before I see you, for I set out for London to-morrow before the post comes in. I hope to be with you on Wednesday morning; and I ever am, with the highest veneration, my dear Sir, your much obliged, faithful, and affectionate, humble servant.
‘JAMES BOSWELL.’
On Wednesday, March 18, I arrived in London, and was informed by good Mr. Francis that his master was better, and was gone to Mr. Thrale’s at Streatham, to which place I wrote to him, begging to know when he would be in town. He was not expected for some time; but next day having called on Dr. Taylor, in Dean’s-yard, Westminster, I found him there, and was told he had come to town for a few hours. He met me with his usual kindness, but instantly returned to the writing of something on which he was employed when I came in, and on which he seemed much intent. Finding him thus engaged, I made my visit very short, and had no more of his conversation, except his expressing a serious regret that a friend of ours751 was living at toomuchexpence, considering how poor an appearance he made: ‘If (said he,) a man has splendour from his expence, if he spends his money in pride or in pleasure, he has value: but