290 A necdotes.
��Mr. Thomas Tyers said, he was like the ghosts, who never speak till they are spoken to : and he liked the expression so well, that he often repeated it x . He had indeed no necessity to lead the stream of chat to a favourite channel, that his fulness on the subject might be shewn more clearly, whatever was the topic ; and he usually left the choice to others. His information best enlightened, his argument strengthened, and his wit made it ever remembered. Of him it might have been said, as he often delighted to say of Edmund Burke, ' that you could not stand five minutes with that man beneath a shed while it rained, but you must be convinced you had been standing with the greatest man you had ever yet seen V
As we had been saying one day that no subject failed of receiving dignity from the manner in which Mr. Johnson treated it, a lady at my house said, she would make him talk about love ; and took her measures accordingly, deriding the novels of the day because they treated about love. ' It is not (replied our philosopher) because they treat, as you call it, about love, but because they treat of nothing, that they are despicable : we must not ridicule a passion which he who never felt never was happy, and he who laughs at never deserves to feel a passion which has caused the change of empires, and the loss of worlds a passion which has inspired heroism and subdued avarice V He thought he had already said too much. ' A passion, in short (added he, with an altered tone), that consumes me away for my pretty Fanny here, and she is very cruel (speaking of another lady in the room).' He told us however in the course of the same chat, how his negro Francis had been eminent for his success among the girls. Seeing us all laugh, ' I must have you
1 Life, iii. 307 ; v. 73, and ante, p. extraordinary man here." ' Ib. iv. 160. For Tyers see Life, iii. 308. 275. See also v. 34, and^j^, p. 309.
2 'Yes, Sir; if a man were to go by 3 'Of the passion of love Dr. John- chance at the same time with Burke son remarked, that its violence and under a shed to shun a shower, he ill effects were much exaggerated ; would say, " this is an extraordinary for who knows any real sufferings man." If Burke should go into a on that head, more than from the stable to see his horse dressed, the exorbitancy of any other passion ? ' ostler would say, " we have had an Life, ii. 122.
know,
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