42 Anecdotes by
��tho' he mentioned a fact which made against the opinion, which was that a paper having appeared against Junius, on this day, a Junius came out in answer to that the very next, when (every body knew) Burke was in Yorkshire. But all the Juniuses were evidently not written by the same hand. Burke's brother is a good writer, tho' nothing like Edward \sic\. The Doctor as he drinks no wine, retired soon after dinner, and Baretti, who I see is a sort of literary toad-eater to Johnson, told me that he was a man nowise affected by praise or dispraise 1 , and that the journey to the Hebrides would never have been published but for himself. The Doctor however returned again, and with all the fond anxiety of an author, I saw him cast out all his nets to know the sense of the town about his last pamphlet, Taxation no Tyranny, which he said did not sell 2 . Mr. Thrale told him such and such members of both houses admired it, and why did you not tell me this, quoth Johnson 3 . Thrale asked him what Sir Joshua Reynolds said of it. Sir Joshua, quoth the Doctor, has not read it. I suppose, quoth Thrale, he has been very busy of late ; no, says the Doctor, but I never look at his pictures, so he won't read my writings. Was this like a man insensible to glory ! Thrale then asked him if he had got Miss Reynolds' opinion, for she it seems is a politician ; as to that, quoth the Doctor, it is no great matter, for she could not tell after she had read it, on which side of the question Mr. Burke's speech was. N.B. We had a great deal of conversation about Archdeacon Congreve, who was his class-fellow at Litchfield School. He talked of him as a man of great coldness of mind, who could be two years in London without letting him know it till a few weeks ago, and then apologising by saying, that he did not know where to enquire for him 4 . This plainly raised his
lieved Burke to be Junius, because 2 On April 2, 'his Taxation no
I know no man but Burke who is Tyranny being mentioned, he said,
capable of writing these letters ; but " I think I have not been attacked
Burke spontaneously denied it to enough for it." ' Ib. ii.335- Six days
me."' Life, iii. 376. See ante, i. 172. later he wrote : 'The patriots pelt
1 'He loved praise when it was me with answers.' Letters, i. 314. brought to him ; but was too proud 3 See Life, iv. 32.
to seek for it. He was somewhat 4 Johnson wrote to Dr. Taylor on
susceptible of flattery.' Life, iv. 427. Dec. 22, 1774 : ' How long Charles
indignation
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