APRIL 5th. Dined with Dilly in the Poultry 1 , as guest to Mr. Boswell, where I met Dr. Johnson, (and a Mr. Miller, who lives near Bath 2 , who is a dilletanti man, keeps a weekly day for the Litterati, and is himself so litterate, that he gathereth all the flowers that ladies write, and bindeth into a garland, but enough of him) with several others, particularly a Mr. Scott 3 , who seems to be a very sensible plain man. The Doctor, when I came in, had an answer titled Taxation and Tyranny to his last pamphlet, in his hand. He laughed at it, and said he would read no more of it, for that it paid him compliments, but gave him no information. He asked if there were any more of them. I told him I had seen another, and that the Monthly Review had handled it in what I believed he called the way of information. ' Well,' says he, ' I should be glad to see it/ Then Boswell (who understands his temper well 4 ) asked him somewhat, for I was not attending, relative to the Provincial Assemblies 5 . The Doctor, in process of discourse with him, argued with great vehemence that the Assemblies were nothing more than our Vestries. I asked him, was there not this difference, that an Act of the Assemblies required the King's assent to pass into a law : his answer had more of wit than of argument. 'Well Sir,' says he, 'that only gives it more weight.' I thought I had gone too far, but dinner was then announced, and Dilly, who paid all attention to him, in placing him next to the fire, said, * Doctor, perhaps you will be too warm 6 .' ' No Sir,' says the Doctor, ' I am neither hot
by a wager, or some other pecuniary to talk, for which it was often neces-
engagement ' that he was moved to sary to employ some address.'
finish his Shakespeare. Life, i. 319, s The assemblies of the thirteen
n. 4. American colonies.
1 At Billy's table 'Johnson, who 6 'Johnson told Sir Joshua Rey- boasted of the niceness of his palate, nolds, that once when he dined in owned that " he always found a good a numerous company of booksellers, dinner.'" Life, iii. 285. For this where, the room being small, the particular dinner see id. ii. 338. head of the table at which he sat
2 Ib. ii. 336. was almost close to the fire, he
3 John Scott of Amwell, the Quaker persevered in suffering a great deal poet. Ib. ii. 338, 351. of inconvenience from the heat,
4 See ib. iii. 39, where Boswell rather than quit his place, and let asked him a question 'with an as- one of them sit above him.' Ib. sumed air of ignorance, to incite him iii. 311.
nor
�� �
