50 Anecdotes by
��subject he wrote upon x . He said that Kendric 2 had borrowed all his dictionary from him. f Why,' says Boswell, e every man who writes a dictionary must borrow.' ' No Sir/ says Johnson, 'that is not necessary.' 'Why/ says Boswell, 'have not you a great deal in common with those who wrote before you/ ' Yes Sir/ says Johnson, ( I have the words, but my business was not to make words but to explain them. 5 Talking of Garrick and Barry 3 , he said he always abused Garrick himself, but when anybody else did so, he fought for the dog like a tiger 4 ; as to Barry, he said he supposed he could not read. ' And how does he get his part ?' says one. ' Why, somebody reads it to him, and yet I know/ says he, ' that he is very much admired.' Mrs. Thrale then took him by repeating a repartee of Murphy, the setting Barry up in com petition with Garrick, is what irritates the English Criticks, and Murphy standing up for Barry. Johnson said that he was fit for nothing but to stand at an auction room door with his pole. Murphy said that Garrick would do the business as well, and pick the people's pockets at the same time. Johnson admitted the fact, but said, Murphy spoke nonsense, for that people's pockets were riot picked at the door, but in the room 5 ; then said I, he was worse than the pick- pockets, forasmuch as he was Pandar to them ; this went off with a laugh. Vive la bagatelle 6 . It was a case decided here, that there was no harm, and much pleasure in laughing at our absent friends, and I own, if the character is not damaged, I can see no injury done.
APRIL 9th. A fair day, went to St. Clements to hear Mr. Burrows 7 , so cried up by Lord Dartrey 8 , preach, but I was wofully disappointed ; his matter is cold, his manner hot, his voice weak, and his action affected. Indeed I thought he
1 'JOHNSON. "Whether indeed 6 Swift's 'favourite maxim.' Works ^ we take Goldsmith as a poet, as a viii. 217.
comick writer, or as an historian, he 7 Life, iii. 379.
stands in the first class.'" Life, 8 Dartrey, Lord. Thomas Daw-
ii. 236. son, created a peer of Ireland, May
2 William Kenrick. /<$. i. 497 ; ii. 61. 28, 1770, as Baron Dartrey, of Daw-
3 Spranger Barry, the actor. son's Grove, and also Viscount
4 Ib. i. 397, n. I ; iii. 70, 312. Cremorne, June, 1785. B. 1725 ;
5 Ib. ii. 349. d. 1813.
preached
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