worse than Scotland in every thing but climate. Nature has done more for the French; but they have done less for themselves than the Scotch have done."

It happened that Foote was at Paris at the same time with Dr. Johnson, and his description of my friend while there was abundantly ludicrous. He told me, that the French were quite astonished at his figure and manner, and at his dress, which he obstinately continued exactly as in London; 2-his brown clothes, black stockings, and plain shirt. He mentioned, that an Irish gentleman said to Johnson, “Sir, you have not seen the best French players." JOHNSON. "Players, Sir! I look on them as no better than creatures set upon tables and joint stools, to make faces and produce laughter, like dancing dogs."

might then finding it pour, she held it up in triumph, and repeatedly exclaimed, ' Voilà, voilà, j'ai regagné l'honneur de ma théière. She had no sugar-tongs, and said something that showed she expected Mrs. Strickland to use her fingers to sweeten the cups. Madame, je n'oserois.— 'Oh mon Dieu! quel grand quanquan les Anglois font de peu de chose." -Croker.

1 "Mr. Thrale loved," says Mrs. Piozzi (Anecdotes, p. 99), "prospects, and was mortified that his friend could not enjoy the sight of those different dispositions of wood and water, hill and valley, that travelling through England and France affords a man. But when he wished to point them out to his companion, 'Never heed such nonsense,' would be the reply: ‘a blade of grass is always a blade of grass, whether in one country or another. Let us, if we do talk, talk about something : men and women are my subjects of inquiry; let us see how these differ from those we have left behind.' His dislike of the French was well known to both nations, I believe; but he applauded the number of their books and the graces of their style. 'They have few sentiments,' said he, but they express them neatly; they have little meat too, but they dress it well.'"-Croker.

Foote seems to have embellished a little in saying that Johnson did not alter his dress at Paris; as in his journal is a memorandum about white stockings, wig, and hat. In another place we are told that "during his travels in France he was furnished with a French-made wig of handsome construction." That Johnson was not inattentive to his appearance is certain, from a circumstance related by Mr. Steevens, and inserted by Mr. Boswell in vol. iv., between June 15 and June 22, 1784.-7. Blakeway. Mr. Blakeway's observation is further confirmed by a note in Johnson's diary (Hawkins's Life, p. 517). It appears that he had laid out thirty pounds in clothes for his French journey.—Malone.

"But, Sir, you will allow that some players are better than others?" JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, as some dogs dance better than others."

While Johnson was in France, he was generally very resolute in speaking Latin. It was a maxim with him that a man should not let himself down by speaking a language which he speaks imperfectly. Indeed, we must have often observed how inferior, how much like a child a man appears, who speaks a broken tongue. When Sir Joshua Reynolds, at one of the dinners of the Royal Academy, presented him to a Frenchman of great distinction, he would not deign to speak French, but talked Latin, though his Excellency did not understand it, owing, perhaps, to Johnson's English pronunciation: yet upon another occasion he was observed to speak French to a Frenchman of high rank, who spoke English; and being asked the reason, with some expression of surprise, he answered, “because I think my French is as good as his English." Though Johnson understood French perfectly, he could not speak it readily, as I have observed at his first interview with General Paoli, in 1769; yet he wrote it, I imagine, pretty well, as appears from some of his letters in Mrs. Piozzi's collection, of which I shall transcribe one :

A MADAME LA COMTESSE DE

"May 16, 1771.'

"Oui, madame, le moment est arrivé, et il faut que je parte. Mais pourquoi faut il partir? Est ce que je m'ennuye? Je m'ennuyerai ailleurs. Est ce que je cherche ou quelque plaisir, ou quelque soulagement? Je ne cherche rien, je n'espère rien. Aller voir ce que j'ai vû, être un peu rejoué, un peu degouté, me resouvenir que la vie se passe, et qu'elle se passe en vain, me plaindre de moi, m'endurcir aux dehors; voici le tout de ce qu'on compte pour les delices de l'année. Que Dieu vous donne, madame, tous les agrémens de la vie, avec un esprit qui peut en jouir sans s'y livrer trop."

Here let me not forget a curious anecdote, as related to me 1 Letters, &c., vol. i., p. 34.

by Mr. Beauclerk, which I shall endeavour to exhibit as well as I can in that gentleman's lively manner; and in justice to him it is proper to add, that Dr. Johnson told me I might rely both on the correctness of his memory, and the fidelity of his narrative. "When Madame de Boufflers 1 was first in England," said Beauclerk, "she was desirous to see Johnson. I accordingly went with her to his chambers in the Temple, where she was entertained with his conversation for some time. When our visit was over, she and I left him, and were got into Inner Temple Lane, when all at once I heard a voice like thunder. This was occasioned by Johnson, who, it seems, upon a little reflection, had taken it into his head that he ought to have done the honours of his literary residence to a foreign lady of quality, and, eager to show himself a man of gallantry, was hurrying down the staircase in violent agitation. He overtook us before we reached the Temple-gate, and, brushing in between me and Madame de Boufflers, seized her hand, and conducted her to her coach. His dress was a rusty brown mourning suit, a pair of old shoes by way of slippers, a little shrivelled wig sticking on the top of his head, and the sleeves of his shirt and the knees of his breeches hanging loose. A considerable crowd of people gathered round, and were not a little struck by this singular appearance."

He spoke Latin with wonderful fluency and elegance. When Père Boscovich was in England, Johnson dined in company

1 Bouflers-Rouvrel (Marie-Charlotte-Hippolyte, Comtesse de), born at Paris, 1724, died about 1800. Married to the Comte de Bouflers-Rouvrel, she was left a widow in 1764. "Tout cet intervalle de sa vie se trouve partagé entre ces mœurs faciles et légères, mais souvent tempérées par l'esprit que l'on rencontre chez les femmes de la fin du dixhuitième siècle, et ses relations avec les intelligences qui marquèrent cette période de notre histoire." She was the friend and correspondent of Hume, Rousseau, and many other distinguished men. Didot's Biog. Gen.-Editor.

2 Roger Joseph Boscowich, born at Ragusa, May 18, 1711, died at Milan, February 12, 1787, early became a Jesuit, and was one of the most distinguished of its members, for the extent and variety of his scientific attainments. The notice of him in Didot's Biog. Générale enumerates no less than seventy-one works of his printed at Rome, Venice, Milan, Vienna, London, &c.-Editor.

with him at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, and at Dr. Douglas's, now Bishop of Salisbury. Upon both occasions that celebrated foreigner expressed his astonishment at Johnson's Latin conversation. When at Paris, Johnson thus characterised Voltaire to Fréron the journalist: "Vir est acerrimi ingenii et paucarum literarum."

"MY DEAR SIR,

TO DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON.

"Edinburgh, Dec. 5, 1775.

"Mr. Alexander Maclean, the young laird of Col, being to set out to-morrow for London, I give him this letter to introduce him to your acquaintance. The kindness which you and I experienced from his brother, whose unfortunate death we sincerely lament, will make us always desirous to show attention to any branch of the family. Indeed, you have so much of the true Highland cordiality, that I am sure you would have thought me to blame if I had neglected to recommend to you this Hebridean prince, in whose island we were hospitably entertained. I ever am, with respectful attachment, my dear Sir, your most obliged and most humble servant, "JAMES BOSWELL."

Mr. Maclean returned with the most agreeable accounts of of the polite attention with which he was received by Dr. Johnson.

In the course of the year Dr. Burney informs me that "he very frequently met Dr. Johnson at Mr. Thrale's, at Streatham, where they had many long conversations, often sitting up as long as the fire and candles lasted, and much longer than the patience of the servants subsisted." A few of Johnson's sayings, which that gentleman recollects, shall here be inserted.

"I never take a nap after dinner but when I have had a bad night, and then the nap takes me."

"The writer of an epitaph should not be considered as saying nothing but what is strictly true. Allowance must be made for some degree of exaggerated praise. In lapidary inscriptions a man is not upon oath."

"There is now less flogging in our great schools than formerly, but then less is learned there; so that what the boys get at one end they lose at the other."

"More is learned in public than in private schools, from emulation; there is the collision of mind with mind, or the radiation of many minds pointing to one centre. Though few boys make their own exercises, yet if a good exercise is given up, out of a great number of boys, it is made by somebody."

"I hate by-roads in education. Education is as well known, and has long been as well known, as ever it can be. Endeavouring to make children prematurely wise is useless labour. Suppose they have more knowledge at five or six years old than other children, what use can be made of it? It will be lost before it is wanted, and the waste of so much time and labour of the teacher can never be repaid. Too much is expected from precocity, and too little performed. Miss — was an instance of early cultivation, but in what did it terminate? In marrying a little presbyterian parson, who keeps an infant boarding school, so that all her employment now is

'To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer.'

1

She tells the children, 'This is a cat, and that is a dog, with four legs, and a tail; see there! you are much better than a cat or a dog, for you can speak.' If I had bestowed such an education on a daughter, and had discovered that she thought of marrying such a fellow, I would have sent her to the Congress."

"After having talked slightingly of music, he was observed to listen very attentively while Miss Thrale played on the harpsichord; and with eagerness he called to her, 'Why don't you dash away like Burney?' Dr. Burney upon this said to him, 'I believe, Sir, we shall make a musician of you at last.'

1 No doubt this blank must be filled in with the name, Aikin: Anna Letitia, who married, 1774, Mr. Barbauld, the "little presbyterian parson,” and died March 9, 1825, after a long life of honourable literary labour. She found an excellent biographer in her niece, Lucy Aikin.-Editor.