214 Anecdotes.
��recollected the offence, except to rejoice in its consequences. He repented just as certainly however, if he had been led to praise any person or thing by accident more than he thought it deserved ; and was on such occasions comically earnest to destroy the praise or pleasure he had unintentionally given T .
Sir Joshua Reynolds mentioned some picture as excellent. ' It has often grieved me, Sir (said Mr. Johnson), to see so much mind as the science of painting requires, laid out upon such perishable materials: why do not you oftener make use of copper ? I could wish your superiority in the art you profess, to be preserved in stuff more durable than canvas/ Sir Joshua urged the difficulty of procuring a plate large enough for his torical subjects, and was going to raise further objections : ' What foppish 2 obstacles are these ! (exclaims on a sudden Dr. John son :) Here is Thrale has a thousand tun of copper ; you may paint it all round if you will, I suppose ; it will serve him to brew in afterwards : Will it not, Sir ? ' (to my husband who sat by). Indeed Dr. Johnson's utter scorn of painting was such, that I have heard him say, that he should sit very quietly in a room hung round with the works of the greatest masters, and never feel the slightest disposition to turn them if their backs were outermost, unless it might be for the sake of telling Sir Joshua that he had turned them 3 . Such speeches may
1 ' It may be alleged that ... as and Dr. Goldsmith, as you know a false satire ought to be recanted good impressions. If any of your for the sake of him whose reputation own pictures are engraved buy them may be injured, false praise ought for me. I am fitting up a little room likewise to be obviated, lest the with prints.' Letters, ii. 107. Among distinction between vice and virtue his effects that were sold after his should be lost,' &c. Works, viii. 126. death were 146 portraits, of which See also Life, iv. 82, andante, p. 185. 61 were framed and glazed. Life,
2 Johnson defines /0//wA as iv. 441. See also ib. i. 363, n. 3.
(1) Foolish, idle, vain. Horace Walpole wrote on May 6,
(2) Vain in show j foolishly osten- 1770 (Letters, v. 236): 'Another tatious; vain of dress. rage is for prints of English por-
See /<?.?/, p. 2 19 for 'foppish lamen- traits; I have been collecting them
tations.' above thirty years, and originally
3 He wrote to Miss Reynolds on never gave for a mezzotinto above Oct. 19, 1779: 'You will do me one or two shillings. The lowest a great favour if you will buy for me are now a crown ; most from half the prints of Mr. Burke, Mr. Dyer, a guinea to a guinea.'
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