196 Anecdotes by Hannah More.
London, 1782.
Poor Johnson is in a bad state of health x ; I fear his constitu tion is broken up : I am quite grieved at it, he will not leave an abler defender of religion and virtue behind him, and the following little touch of tenderness which I heard of him last night from one of the Turk's Head Club 2 , endears him to me exceedingly. There are always a great many candidates ready, when any vacancy happens in that club, and it requires no small interest and reputation to get elected 3 ; but upon Garrick's death, when numberless applications were made to succeed him, Johnson was deaf to them all ; he said, No, there never could be found any successor worthy of such a man ; and he insisted upon it there should be a year's widowhood in the club, before they thought of a new election 4 . In Dr. Johnson some con- trarieties very harmoniously meet ; if he has too little charity for the opinions of others, and too little patience with their y^faults, he has the greatest tenderness for their persons. He told me the other day, he hated to hear people whine about meta physical distresses s , when there was so much want and hunger in the world. I told him I supposed then he never wept at any tragedy but Jane Shore, who had died for want of a loaf 6 . He
that has stuck in his gizzard ever Boswell (Life, i. 477), who was evi-
since some friendly person was so dently proud of the name. The
obliging as to repeat it to him : members however cling as much to
" Yes, yes, Davy has some convivial the title of The Club as the head of
pleasantries in him ; but 'tis a futile a Scotch clan clings to 7^he before
Fellow." A little while after he took his name.
him off in one of his own convivial 3 ' A single black-ball excludes a
pleasantries. " No, Sir, I'm for the candidate.' Ib. iii. 116. Lord Cam-
musick of the ancients, it has been den (the ex-Lord Chancellor) and
corrupted so." ' Early Diary of F. the Bishop of Chester were rejected
Burney, \\. 282, where the editor has on the same day. Ib. iii. 311, n. 2. an interesting note on 'the musick 4 Garrick died on Jan. 20, 1779.
of the ancients.' The next election was Bishop Ship-
1 The entry was made about the ley's in Nov. 1780. Croker's /far- middle of April. For his Latin letter well, ed. 1844, ii. 327.
about his health, dated Mails Calen- 5 Ante, i. 252.
dis f see Life, iv. 143. 6 'Nor does Rowe much interest
2 ' The Club which existed long or affect the auditor except in Jane without a name, but at Mr. Garrick's Shore, who is always seen and heard funeral became distinguished by the with pity.' Works, vii. 416.
title of THE LITERARY CLUB,' writes Charles Burney's little daughter,
called
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