1764:AETAT.55.]--Early in 1764Johnson paid a visit to the Langton family,at their seat of Langton,in Lincolnshire,where he passed some time,much to his satisfaction.His friend Bennet Langton,it will not he doubted,did every thing in his power to make the place agreeable to so illustrious a guest;and the elder Mr.Langton and his lady,being fully capable of understanding his value,were not wanting in attention.
Johnson,during his stay at Langton,had the advantage of a good library,and saw several gentlemen of the neighbourhood.I have obtained from Mr.Langton the following particulars of this period.
He was now fully convinced that he could not have been satisfied with a country living;for,talking of a respectable clergyman in Lincolnshire,he observed,'This man,Sir,fills up the duties of his life well.I approve of him,but could not imitate him.'
To a lady who endeavoured to vindicate herself from blame for neglecting social attention to worthy neighbours,by saying,'Iwould go to them if it would do them any good,'he said,'What good,Madam,do you expect to have in your power to do them?It is shewing them respect,and that is doing them good.'
So socially accommodating was he,that once when Mr.Langton and he were driving together in a coach,and Mr.Langton complained of being sick,he insisted that they should go out and sit on the back of it in the open air,which they did.And being sensible how strange the appearance must be,observed,that a countryman whom they saw in a field,would probably be thinking,'If these two madmen should come down,what would become of me?'
Soon after his return to London,which was in February,was founded that CLUB which existed long without a name,but at Mr.Garrick's funeral became distinguished by the title of THE LITERARY CLUB.
Sir Joshua Reynolds had the merit of being the first proposer of it,to which Johnson acceded,and the original members were,Sir Joshua Reynolds,Dr.Johnson,Mr.Edmund Burke,Dr.Nugent,Mr.
Beauclerk,Mr.Langton,Dr.Goldsmith,Mr.Chamier,and Sir John Hawkins.They met at the Turk's Head,in Gerrard-street,Soho,one evening in every week,at seven,and generally continued their conversation till a pretty late hour.This club has been gradually increased to its present number,thirty-five:After about ten years,instead of supping weekly,it was resolved to dine together once a fortnight during the meeting of Parliament.Their original tavern having been converted into a private house,they moved first to Prince's in Sackville-street,then to Le Telier's in Dover-street,and now meet at Parsloe's,St.James's-street.Between the time of its formation,and the time at which this work is passing through the press,(June 1792,)the following persons,now dead,were members of it:Mr.Dunning,(afterwards Lord Ashburton,)Mr.
Samuel Dyer,Mr.Garrick,Dr.Shipley Bishop of St.Asaph,Mr.
Vesey,Mr.Thomas Warton and Dr.Adam Smith.The present members are,--Mr.Burke,Mr.Langton,Lord Charlemont,Sir Robert Chambers,Dr.Percy Bishop of Dromore,Dr.Barnard Bishop of Killaloc,Dr.
Marlay Bishop of Clonfert,Mr.Fox,Dr.George Fordyce,Sir William Scott,Sir Joseph Banks,Sir Charles Bunbury,Mr.Windham of Norfolk,Mr.Sheridan,Mr.Gibbon,Sir William Jones,Mr.Colman,Mr.Steevens,Dr.Burney,Dr.Joseph Warton,Mr.Malone,Lord Ossory,Lord Spencer,Lord Lucan,Lord Palmerston,Lord Eliot,Lord Macartney,Mr.Richard Burke junior,Sir William Hamilton,Dr.
Warren,Mr.Courtenay,Dr.Hinchcliffe Bishop of Peterborough,the Duke of Leeds,Dr.Douglas Bishop of Salisbury,and the writer of this account.
Not very long after the institution of our club,Sir Joshua Reynolds was speaking of it to Garrick.'I like it much,(said he),I think I shall be of you.'When Sir Joshua mentioned this to Dr.Johnson,he was much displeased with the actor's conceit.
'HE'LL BE OF US,(said Johnson)how does he know we will PERMIThim?The first Duke in England has no right to hold such language.'However,when Garrick was regularly proposed some time afterwards,Johnson,though he had taken a momentary offence at his arrogance,warmly and kindly supported him,and he was accordingly elected,was a most agreeable member,and continued to attend our meetings to the time of his death.
It was Johnson's custom to observe certain days with a pious abstraction;viz.New-year's-day,the day of his wife's death,Good Friday,Easter-day,and his own birth-day.He this year says:--'Ihave now spent fifty-five years in resolving;having,from the earliest time almost that I can remember,been forming schemes of a better life.I have done nothing.The need of doing,therefore,is pressing,since the time of doing is short.O GOD,grant me to resolve aright,and to keep my resolutions,for JESUS CHRIST'Ssake.Amen.'
About this time he was afflicted with a very severe return of the hypochondriack disorder,which was ever lurking about him.He was so ill,as,notwithstanding his remarkable love of company,to be entirely averse to society,the most fatal symptom of that malady.
Dr.Adams told me,that as an old friend he was admitted to visit him,and that he found him in a deplorable state,sighing,groaning,talking to himself,and restlessly walking from room to room.He then used this emphatical expression of the misery which he felt:'I would consent to have a limb amputated to recover my spirits.'
Talking to himself was,indeed,one of his singularities ever since I knew him.I was certain that he was frequently uttering pious ejaculations;for fragments of the Lord's Prayer have been distinctly overheard.His friend Mr.Thomas Davies,of whom Churchill says,'That Davies hath a very pretty wife,'
when Dr.Johnson muttered 'lead us not into temptation,'used with waggish and gallant humour to whisper Mrs.Davies,'You,my dear,are the cause of this.'