PART X.

ANECDOTES OF DR. JOHNSON,

BY MR. GREEN, OF LICHFIELD. (1)

379. Dr. Kippis. - Royal Society.

DR. BROCKLESBY, a few days before the death of Dr. Johnson, found on the table Dr. Kippis's account of the Disputes of the Royal Society. Dr. Johnson inquired of his physician if he had read it, who answered in the negative. "You have sustained no loss, Sir. It is poor stuff, indeed, a sad unscholar-like performance. I could not have believed that that man would have written so ill."

380. Dr. Warren.

Being desired to call in Dr. Warren, he said, they might call in any body they pleased; and Warren was called. At his going away, "You have come in," said Dr. Johnson," at the eleventh hour; but you shall be paid the same with your fellow-labourers. Francis, put into Dr. Warren's coach a copy of the English Poets.'

381. Fear of Death.

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Some years before, some person in a company at Salisbury, of which Dr. Johnson was one, vouched for the company, that there was nobody in it afraid of death 66 Speak for yourself, Sir," said Johnson, "for indeed I am." "I did not say of dying," replied the other; "but of death, meaning its consequences." "And so I mean," rejoined the Doctor; "I am very seriously afraid of the consequences."

(1) See antè, Vol. VI. p. 98.

PART XI.

ANECDOTES OF DR. JOHNSON,
BY THE REV. MR. PARKER. (1)

382. Stow-Hill.

DR. JOHNSON's friendship for Mrs. Elizabeth Aston commenced at the palace in Lichfield, the residence of Mr. Walmesley: with Mrs. Gastrel he became acquainted in London, at the house of her brother-in-law, Mr. Hervey. During the Doctor's annual visits to his daughter-in-law, Lucy Porter, he spent much of his time at Stow Hill, where Mrs. Gastrel and Mrs. Elizabeth Aston resided. They were the daughters of Sir Thomas Aston, of Aston Hall in Cheshire, of whom it is said, that being applied to for some account of his family, to illustrate the history of Cheshire, he replied, that "the title and estate had descended from father to son for thirty generations, and that he believed they were neither much richer nor much poorer than they were at first."

383. Dr. Hunter. Miss Seward.

He used to say of Dr. Hunter (2), master of the free grammar school, Lichfield, that he never taught a boy in his life he whipped and they learned. Hunter

was a pompous man, and never entered the school without his gown and cassock, and his wig full dressed. He had a remarkably stern look, and Dr. Johnson said, he could tremble at the sight of Miss Seward, she was so like her grandfather.

(1) The following anecdotes are told by Mr. Parker, from the relation of Mrs. Aston and her sister.- C.

(2) See antè, Vol. I. p. 40.

384. Lives of the Poets.

Mrs. Gastrel was on a visit at Mr. Hervey's, in London, at the time that Johnson was writing the Rambler; the printer's boy would often come after him to their house, and wait while he wrote off a paper for the press in a room full of company. A great portion of the Lives of the Poets was written at StowHill: he had a table by one of the windows, which was frequently surrounded by five or six ladies engaged in work or conversation. Mrs. Gastrel had a very valuable edition of Bailey's Dictionary, to which he often referred. She told him that Miss Seward said that he had made poetry of no value by his criticism. Why, my dear lady,” replied he, “if silver is dirty, it is not the less valuable for a good scouring."

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385. Climbing.

A large party had one day been invited to meet the Doctor at Stow-Hill: the dinner waited far beyond the usual hour, and the company were about to sit down, when Johnson appeared at the great gate; he stood for some time in deep contemplation, and at length began to climb it, and, having succeeded in clearing it, advanced with hasty strides towards the house. On his arrival Mrs. Gastrel asked him, " if he had forgotten that there was a small gate for foot passengers by the side of the carriage entrance." "No, my dear lady, by no means," replied the Doctor; "but I had a mind to try whether I could climb a gate now as I used to do when I was a lad."

386. Cato's Soliloquy.

One day Mrs. Gastrel set a little girl to repeat to him Cato's soliloquy, which she went through very correctly. The Doctor, after a pause, asked the child, "What was to bring Cato to an end?" She said, it was a knife. "No, my dear, it was not so.' 66 My

aunt Polly said it was a knife.” "Why, aunt Polly's knife may do, but it was a dagger, my dear.” He then asked her the meaning of "bane and antidote," which she was unable to give. Mrs. Gastrel said, "You cannot expect so young a child to know the meaning of such words." He then said, 66 My dear, how many pence are there in sixpence?" "I cannot tell, Sir," was the half-terrified reply. On this, addressing himself to Mrs. Gastrel, he said, "Now, my dear lady, can any thing be more ridiculous than to teach a child Cato's soliloquy, who does not know how many pence there are in sixpence ?"

387. Charity.

The ladies at Stow-Hill would occasionally rebuke Dr. Johnson for the indiscriminate exercise of his charity to all who applied for it. "There was that

woman," said one of them, "to whom you yesterday gave half-a-crown, why she was at church to-day in long sleeves and ribands." "Well, my dear," replied Johnson," and if it gave the woman pleasure, why should she not wear them?"

388. Gilbert Walmesley.

He had long promised to write Mr. Walmesley's epitaph, and Mrs. W. waited for it, in order to erect a monument to her husband's memory: procrastination, however, one of the Doctor's few failings, prevented its being finished; he was engaged upon it in his last illness, and when the physicians, at his own request, informed him of his danger, he pushed the papers from before him, saying, "It was too late to write the epitaph of another, when he should so soon want one himself."

PART XII.

ANECDOTES OF DR. JOHNSON,

BY MRS. ROSE. (1)

389. The Dockers.

DR. MUDGE used to relate, as a proof of Dr. Johnson's quick discernment into character: - When he was on a visit to Dr. Mudge at Plymouth, the inhabitants of the Dock (now Devonport) were very desirous of their town being supplied with water, to effect which it was necessary to obtain the consent of the corporation of Plymouth; this was obstinately refused, the Dock being considered as an upstart. And a rival, Alderman Tolcher, who took a very strong part, called one morning, and immediately opened on the subject to Dr. Johnson, who appeared to give great attention, and, when the alderman had ceased speaking, replied, “You are perfectly right, Sir; I would let the rogues die of thirst, for I hate a Docker from my heart." The old man went away quite delighted, and told all his acquaintances how completely "the great Dr. Johnson was on his side of the question." (2)

(1) Mrs. Rose, who has obligingly communicated these anecdotes, is the daughter of Dr. Farr, of Plymouth, and the daughter-in-law of Dr. Johnson's old friend, Dr. Rose, of Chiswick. C.

(2) This story is told by Mr. Boswell, and commented upon by Mr. Blakeway (antè, Vol. II. p. 148.), as if Dr. Johnson had seriously entered into the spirit of the contest; whereas Dr. Mudge, more naturally, represents him as flattering, with an ironical vehemence, the prejudices of the worthy alderman, who is known, from other circumstances, to have been of a very zealous disposition.-C.