must be heavy V * A rather dull man of my acquaintance asked me,' said I, 'to lend him some book to entertain him, and I offered him Harris's Hermes, and as I expected, from the title, he took it for a novel ; when he returned it, I asked him how he liked it, and, what he thought of it? "Why, to speak the truth," says he, " I was not much diverted ; I think all these imitations of Tristram Shandy fall far short of the original!'" This had its effect, and almost produced from Johnson a rhinocerous laugh 2 .
One of Dr. Johnson's rudest speeches was to a pompous
gentleman coming out of Lichfield cathedral, who said, ' Dr.
Johnson, we have had a most excellent discourse to-day !' 'That
, may be,' said Johnson ; ' but, it is impossible that you should
know it.'
Of his kindness to me during the last years of his most valuable life, I could enumerate many instances. One slight circumstance, if any were wanting, would give an excellent proof of the goodness of his heart, and that to a person whom he found in distress. In such a case he was the very last man that would have given even the least momentary uneasiness to any one, had he been aware of it. The last time I saw him was just before I went to France. He said, with a deep sigh, c I wish I was going with you.' He had just then been disappointed of going to Italy 3 . Of all men I ever knew, Dr. Johnson was the most instructive.
1 Ante, i. 187. described it drolly enough : " He ' For my own part, I like Harris's laughs like a rhinoceros." ' Life,
writings much. But Tooke thought ii. 378.
meanly of them: he would say, "Lord 3 Cradock started for Italy on
Malmesbury is as great a fool as his Oct. 29, 1783. Johnson was dis-
father" [Harris was the father of the appointed of going there in 1776.
first Earl of Malmesbury].' Rogers's Life, iii. 27. There was some project
Table Talk, p. 128. of his going in 1780 and 1781 (Let-
2 'Johnson's laugh was a kind of ters, ii. 191), and again in 1784. good-humoured growl. Tom Davies Life, iv. 326.
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