It was suggested that Kings must be unhappy,because they are deprived of the greatest of all satisfactions,easy and unreserved society.JOHNSON.'That is an ill-founded notion.Being a King does not exclude a man from such society.Great Kings have always been social.The King of Prussia,the only great King at present,is very social.Charles the Second,the last King of England who was a man of parts,was social;and our Henrys and Edwards were all social.'
Mr.Dempster having endeavoured to maintain that intrinsick merit OUGHT to make the only distinction amongst mankind.JOHNSON.
'Why,Sir,mankind have found that this cannot be.How shall we determine the proportion of intrinsick merit?Were that to be the only distinction amongst mankind,we should soon quarrel about the degrees of it.Were all distinctions abolished,the strongest would not long acquiesce,but would endeavour to obtain a superiority by their bodily strength.But,Sir,as subordination is very necessary for society,and contentions for superiority very dangerous,mankind,that is to say,all civilized nations,have settled it upon a plain invariable principle.A man is born to hereditary rank;or his being appointed to certain offices,gives him a certain rank.Subordination tends greatly to human happiness.Were we all upon an equality,we should have no other enjoyment than mere animal pleasure.'
He took care to guard himself against any possible suspicion that his settled principles of reverence for rank and respect for wealth were at all owing to mean or interested motives;for he asserted his own independence as a literary man.'No man (said he)who ever lived by literature,has lived more independently than I have done.'He said he had taken longer time than he needed to have done in composing his Dictionary.He received our compliments upon that great work with complacency,and told us that the Academia della Crusca could scarcely believe that it was done by one man.
At nightMr.Johnson and I supped in a private room at the Turk's Head coffee-house,in the Strand.'I encourage this house (said he;)for the mistress of it is a good civil woman,and has not much business.'
July 21.
'Sir,I love the acquaintance of young people;because,in the first place,I don't like to think myself growing old.In the next place,young acquaintances must last longest,if they do last;and then,Sir,young men have more virtue than old men:they have more generous sentiments in every respect.I love the young dogs of this age:they have more wit and humour and knowledge of life than we had;but then the dogs are not so good scholars.Sir,in my early years I read very hard.It is a sad reflection,but a true one,that I knew almost as much at eighteen as I do now.My judgement,to be sure,was not so good;but I had all the facts.Iremember very well,when I was at Oxford,an old gentleman said to me,"Young man,ply your book diligently now,and acquire a stock of knowledge;for when years come upon you,you will find that poring upon books will be but an irksome task."'
He again insisted on the duty of maintaining subordination of rank.
'Sir,I would no more deprive a nobleman of his respect,than of his money.I consider myself as acting a part in the great system of society,and I do to others as I would have them to do to me.Iwould behave to a nobleman as I should expect he would behave to me,were I a nobleman and he Sam.Johnson.Sir,there is one Mrs.
Macaulayin this town,a great republican.One day when I was at her house,I put on a very grave countenance,and said to her,"Madam,I am now become a convert to your way of thinking.I am convinced that all mankind are upon an equal footing;and to give you an unquestionable proof,Madam,that I am in earnest,here is a very sensible,civil,well-behaved fellow-citizen,your footman;Idesire that he may be allowed to sit down and dine with us."Ithus,Sir,shewed her the absurdity of the levelling doctrine.She has never liked me since.Sir,your levellers wish to level DOWNas far as themselves;but they cannot bear levelling UP to themselves.They would all have some people under them;why not then have some people above them?'I mentioned a certain authour who disgusted me by his forwardness,and by shewing no deference to noblemen into whose company he was admitted.JOHNSON.'Suppose a shoemaker should claim an equality with him,as he does with a Lord;how he would stare."Why,Sir,do you stare?(says the shoemaker,)I do great service to society.'Tis true I am paid for doing it;but so are you,Sir:and I am sorry to say it,paid better than I am,for doing something not so necessary.For mankind could do better without your books,than without my shoes."Thus,Sir,there would be a perpetual struggle for precedence,were there no fixed invariable rules for the distinction of rank,which creates no jealousy,as it is allowed to be accidental.'
This ONE Mrs.Macaulay was the same personage who afterwards made herself so much known as the celebrated female historian.'--BOSWELL.
He said he would go to the Hebrides with me,when I returned from my travels,unless some very good companion should offer when I was absent,which he did not think probable;adding,'There are few people to whom I take so much to as you.'And when I talked of my leaving England,he said with a very affectionate air,'My dear Boswell,I should be very unhappy at parting,did I think we were not to meet again.'I cannot too often remind my readers,that although such instances of his kindness are doubtless very flattering to me;yet I hope my recording them will be ascribed to a better motive than to vanity;for they afford unquestionable evidence of his tenderness and complacency,which some,while they were forced to acknowledge his great powers,have been so strenuous to deny.