首页 >出版文学> Life of Johnsonl>第41章

第41章

  neversupposedthathehadadinnerathishouse;forIhadnotthenheardofanyoneofhisfriendshavingbeenentertainedathistable。Hetoldme,’IgenerallyhaveameatpyeonSunday:itisbakedatapublickoven,whichisveryproperlyallowed,becauseonemancanattendit;andthustheadvantageisobtainedofnotkeepingservantsfromchurchtodressdinners。’
  April11,beingEaster-Sunday,afterhavingattendedDivineServiceatSt。Paul’s,IrepairedtoDr。Johnson’s。IhadgratifiedmycuriositymuchindiningwithJEANJAQUESROUSSEAU,whilehelivedinthewildsofNeufchatel:IhadasgreatacuriositytodinewithDR。SAMUELJOHNSON,intheduskyrecessofacourtinFleet-street。
  Isupposedweshouldscarcelyhaveknivesandforks,andonlysomestrange,uncouth,ill-drestdish:butIfoundeverythinginverygoodorder。WehadnoothercompanybutMrs。WilliamsandayoungwomanwhomIdidnotknow。Asadinnerherewasconsideredasasingularphaenomenon,andasIwasfrequentlyinterrogatedonthesubject,myreadersmayperhapsbedesiroustoknowourbilloffare。Foote,Iremember,inallusiontoFrancis,theNEGRO,waswillingtosupposethatourrepastwasBLACKBROTH。Butthefactwas,thatwehadaverygoodsoup,aboiledlegoflambandspinach,avealpye,andaricepudding。
  HeownedthathethoughtHawkesworthwasoneofhisimitators,buthedidnotthinkGoldsmithwas。Goldsmith,hesaid,hadgreatmerit。BOSWELL。’But,Sir,heismuchindebtedtoyouforhisgettingsohighinthepublickestimation。’JOHNSON。’Why,Sir,hehasperhapsgotSOONERtoitbyhisintimacywithme。’
  Goldsmith,thoughhisvanityoftenexcitedhimtooccasionalcompetition,hadaveryhighregardforJohnson,whichheatthistimeexpressedinthestrongestmannerintheDedicationofhiscomedy,entitled,SheStoopstoConquer。
  Hetoldmethathehadtwelveorfourteentimesattemptedtokeepajournalofhislife,butnevercouldpersevere。Headvisedmetodoit。’Thegreatthingtoberecorded,saidhe,isthestateofyourownmind;andyoushouldwritedowneverythingthatyouremember,foryoucannotjudgeatfirstwhatisgoodorbad;andwriteimmediatelywhiletheimpressionisfresh,foritwillnotbethesameaweekafterwards。’
  Iagainsolicitedhimtocommunicatetometheparticularsofhisearlylife。Hesaid,’Youshallhavethemallfortwo-pence。I
  hopeyoushallknowagreatdealmoreofmebeforeyouwritemyLife。’Hementionedtomethisdaymanycircumstances,whichI
  wrotedownwhenIwenthome,andhaveinterwovenintheformerpartofthisnarrative。
  OnTuesday,April13,heandDr。GoldsmithandIdinedatGeneralOglethorpe’s。Goldsmithexpatiatedonthecommontopick,thattheraceofourpeoplewasdegenerated,andthatthiswasowingtoluxury。JOHNSON。’Sir,inthefirstplace,Idoubtthefact。I
  believethereareasmanytallmeninEnglandnow,asevertherewere。But,secondly,supposingthestatureofourpeopletobediminished,thatisnotowingtoluxury;for,Sir,considertohowverysmallaproportionofourpeopleluxurycanreach。Oursoldiery,surely,arenotluxurious,wholiveonsixpenceaday;
  andthesameremarkwillapplytoalmostalltheotherclasses。
  Luxury,sofarasitreachesthepoor,willdogoodtotheraceofpeople;itwillstrengthenandmultiplythem。Sir,nonationwaseverhurtbyluxury;for,asIsaidbefore,itcanreachbuttoaveryfew。Iadmitthatthegreatincreaseofcommerceandmanufactureshurtsthemilitaryspiritofapeople;becauseitproducesacompetitionforsomethingelsethanmartialhonours,——acompetitionforriches。Italsohurtsthebodiesofthepeople;
  foryouwillobserve,thereisnomanwhoworksatanyparticulartrade,butyoumayknowhimfromhisappearancetodoso。Onepartorotherofhisbodybeingmoreusedthantherest,heisinsomedegreedeformed:but,Sir,thatisnotluxury。Atailorsitscross-legged;butthatisnotluxury。’GOLDSMITH。’Come,you’rejustgoingtothesameplacebyanotherroad。’JOHNSON。’Nay,Sir,IsaythatisnotLUXURY。LetustakeawalkfromCharing-
  crosstoWhite-chapel,through,Isuppose,thegreatestseriesofshopsintheworld;whatisthereinanyoftheseshopsifyouexceptgin-shops,thatcandoanyhumanbeinganyharm?’
  GOLDSMITH。’Well,Sir,I’llacceptyourchallenge。TheverynextshoptoNorthumberland-houseisapickle-shop。’JOHNSON。’Well,Sir:dowenotknowthatamaidcaninoneafternoonmakepicklessufficienttoserveawholefamilyforayear?nay,thatfivepickle-shopscanserveallthekingdom?Besides,Sir,thereisnoharmdonetoanybodybythemakingofpickles,ortheeatingofpickles。’
  Wedrankteawiththeladies;andGoldsmithsungTonyLumpkin’ssonginhiscomedy,SheStoopstoConquer,andaveryprettyone,toanIrishtune,whichhehaddesignedforMissHardcastle;butasMrs。Bulkeley,whoplayedthepart,couldnotsing,itwasleftout。Heafterwardswroteitdownforme,bywhichmeansitwaspreserved,andnowappearsamongsthispoems。Dr。Johnson,inhiswayhome,stoppedatmylodgingsinPiccadilly,andsatwithme,drinkingteaasecondtime,tillalatehour。
  ItoldhimthatMrs。Macaulaysaid,shewonderedhowhecouldreconcilehispoliticalprincipleswithhismoral;hisnotionsofinequalityandsubordinationwithwishingwelltothehappinessofallmankind,whomightlivesoagreeably,hadtheyalltheirportionsofland,andnonetodomineeroveranother。JOHNSON。
  ’Why,Sir,Ireconcilemyprinciplesverywell,becausemankindarehappierinastateofinequalityandsubordination。Weretheytobeinthisprettystateofequality,theywouldsoondegenerateintobrutes;——theywouldbecomeMonboddo’snation;——theirtailswouldgrow。Sir,allwouldbeloserswerealltoworkforall——
  theywouldhavenointellectualimprovement。Allintellectualimprovementarisesfromleisure;allleisurearisesfromoneworkingforanother。’
  TalkingofthefamilyofStuart,hesaid,’Itshouldseemthatthefamilyatpresentonthethronehasnowestablishedasgoodarightastheformerfamily,bythelongconsentofthepeople;andthattodisturbthisrightmightbeconsideredasculpable。AtthesametimeIown,thatitisaverydifficultquestion,whenconsideredwithrespecttothehouseofStuart。Toobligepeopletotakeoathsastothedisputedright,iswrong。IknownotwhetherI
  couldtakethem:butIdonotblamethosewhodo。’Soconscientiousandsodelicatewasheuponthissubject,whichhasoccasionedsomuchclamouragainsthim。
  OnThursday,April15,IdinedwithhimandDr。GoldsmithatGeneralPaoli’s。
  IspokeofAllanRamsay’sGentleShepherd,intheScottishdialect,asthebestpastoralthathadeverbeenwritten;notonlyaboundingwithbeautifulruralimagery,andjustandpleasingsentiments,butbeingarealpictureofmanners;andIofferedtoteachDr。Johnsontounderstandit。’No,Sir,saidhe,Iwon’tlearnit。Youshallretainyoursuperioritybymynotknowingit。’
  IthavingbeenobservedthattherewaslittlehospitalityinLondon;——JOHNSON。’Nay,Sir,anymanwhohasaname,orwhohasthepowerofpleasing,willbeverygenerallyinvitedinLondon。
  Theman,Sterne,Ihavebeentold,hashadengagementsforthreemonths。’GOLDSMITH。’Andaverydullfellow。’JOHNSON。’Why,no,Sir。’
  Martinellitoldus,thatforseveralyearshelivedmuchwithCharlesTownshend,andthatheventuredtotellhimhewasabadjoker。JOHNSON。’Why,Sir,thusmuchIcansayuponthesubject。
  Onedayheandafewmoreagreedtogoanddineinthecountry,andeachofthemwastobringafriendinhiscarriagewithhim。
  CharlesTownshendaskedFitzherberttogowithhim,buttoldhim,“Youmustfindsomebodytobringyouback:Icanonlycarryyouthere。“Fitzherbertdidnotmuchlikethisarrangement。Hehoweverconsented,observingsarcastically,“Itwilldoverywell;
  forthenthesamejokeswillserveyouinreturningasingoing。“’
  Aneminentpublickcharacterbeingmentioned;——JOHNSON。’I
  rememberbeingpresentwhenheshewedhimselftobesocorrupted,oratleastsomethingsodifferentfromwhatIthinkright,astomaintain,thatamemberofparliamentshouldgoalongwithhispartyrightorwrong。Now,Sir,thisissoremotefromnativevirtue,fromscholastickvirtue,thatagoodmanmusthaveundergoneagreatchangebeforehecanreconcilehimselftosuchadoctrine。Itismaintainingthatyoumaylietothepublick;foryouliewhenyoucallthatrightwhichyouthinkwrong,orthereverse。Afriendofours,whoistoomuchanechoofthatgentleman,observed,thatamanwhodoesnotstickuniformlytoaparty,isonlywaitingtobebought。Whythen,saidI,heisonlywaitingtobewhatthatgentlemanisalready。’
  WetalkedoftheKing’scomingtoseeGoldsmith’snewplay——’I
  wishhewould,’saidGoldsmith;adding,however,withanaffectedindifference,’Notthatitwoulddometheleastgood。’JOHNSON。
  ’Wellthen,Sir,letussayitwoulddoHIMgood,laughing。No,Sir,thisaffectationwillnotpass;——itismightyidle。Insuchastateasours,whowouldnotwishtopleasetheChiefMagistrate?’
  GOLDSMITH。’IDOwishtopleasehim。IrememberalineinDryden,——
  “Andeverypoetisthemonarch’sfriend。“
  Itoughttobereversed。’JOHNSON。’Nay,therearefinerlinesinDrydenonthissubject:——
  “ForcollegesonbounteousKingsdepend,Andneverrebelwastoartsafriend。“’
  GeneralPaoliobserved,that’successfulrebelsmight。’
  MARTINELLI。’Happyrebellions。’GOLDSMITH。’Wehavenosuchphrase。’GENERALPAOLI。’ButhaveyounottheTHING?’GOLDSMITH。
  ’Yes;allourHAPPYrevolutions。Theyhavehurtourconstitution,andwillhurtit,tillwemenditbyanotherHAPPYREVOLUTION。’I
  neverbeforediscoveredthatmyfriendGoldsmithhadsomuchoftheoldprejudiceinhim。