The Life of Samuel Johnson - James Boswell [690]
pp. 229–30, 14 July 1763
… happiness as possible.’
[He told me tonight that he intended to give us some more imitations of Juvenal; that he had several of them in his head, which he had not written down. How much is it to be regretted that he did not fulfill this intention.]
[When we entered the Mitre this evening he said to me ‘We will not drink two bottles of port.’ However when one was drunk he called for another pint, and when we had got almost to the bottom of ∫ almost finished that, and I was making a shew of distributing it equally ∫ dividing it justitia distributiva ‘Come said he jollily, you need not measure it so exactly.’ ‘Sir said I it is done.’ ‘Well Sir said he, are you satisfied? or would you have another?’ ‘Would you Sir? said I.’ ‘Yes said he I think I would. I think two bottles would seem to be the quantity for us.’ Accordingly we made them ∫ it out. This little Anecdote will give a more lively conviction of his social pleasantry than pages of studied declamation ∫ narrative could do. He took me cordially by the hand and said ‘My Dear Boswell! I do love you very much.’ No Monarch ∫ King could have said any thing to me, that would have elevated me so much ∫ by which I should have been so much elevated.]
Next morning…
p. 233, 21 July 1763
… human happiness. [There is a reciprocation of ∫ reciprocal pleasure in commanding and in obeying.] Were we all…
pp. 233-4, 21 July 1763
… great Duke.’
[I was happy to hear my notions of subordination as ∫ the notions of subordination which I entertained as a zealous Monarchical man so ably defended. My zeal I thought would after this be more ‘according to knowledge.’]
He took care…
p. 236, 21 July 1763
… with low spirits. [– I felt a dignified consolation in being told ∫ knowing that so great a ∫ this great man was not exempted from a species of affliction which is aggravated by being thought by many peculiarly humiliating.]
He again insisted…
p. 244, 30 July 1763
… done at all. [It is remarkable that there was here a coincidence with a saying of my Father’s, who was a man of a strong mind and remarkable grave humour ∫ vein of humour. A person who was born blind ∫ person who had been blind from his infancy ∫ blind man took a fancy for some time to be a Clergyman and numbers of people flocked to hear him preach as is usual when any thing extraordinary is exhibited. My Father being asked what he thought of this answered ‘the learned english dog.’]
On Tuesday…
p. 260, 1765
… even affection. [I have often applied to Mrs. Thrale & him the scriptural expression ∫ expression in scripture ‘And she was with him as a daughter.’] The vivacity…
p. 260, 1765
… received with reverence. [↑ Dr. Adam Smith said of it in the hearing of Sir Joshua Reynolds ‘It is the most manly piece of Criticism I have ever read. He is not sufficient to make an authority of ↑] What he did…
p. 293, May 1768
… frame of mind. [I was elated and embracing him cried out ‘Thou great Man.’ He smiled and said ‘Don’t call names.’] As he had…
p. 389, 1 May 1773
… some other Scotchman.’ [Upon this subject he once said with exquisite wit to Dr. Barnard now Bishop of Kilaloe who expressed an apprehension that, were he to visit Ireland he might be as severe upon the irish as upon the Scotch. ‘No Sir; the irish are a fair people; they never speak well of one another.’]
We drank…
p. 424, 1775
… fearless confidence. [The Account which he published of his ‘Journey,’ though almost universally admired for its profound research upon many curious topicks, its perspicuous observations,