386 Extracts from Windham's Diary.
repentant sinners.' These were the last words I ever heard him speak. I hurried out of the room with tears in my eyes, and more affected than I had been on any former occasion.
December 13. In the morning meant to have met Mr. Cruik- shank in Bolt Court ; but while I was deliberating about going, was sent for by Mr. Burke. Went to Bolt Court about half-past three. Found Dr. Johnson had been almost constantly asleep since nine in the morning, and heard from Mr. Des Moulins an account of what had passed in the night. He had compelled Frank to give him a lancet, and had besides concealed in the bed a pair of scissors, and with one or the other of these had scarified himself in three places, two in the leg, &c. On Mr. Des Moulins making a difficulty of giving him the lancet, he said, ' Don't you, if you have any scruples ; but I will compel Frank : ' and on Mr. Des Moulins attempting afterwards to prevent Frank from giving it to him, and at last to restrain his hands, he grew very outrageous, so as to call Frank scoundrel, and to threaten Mr. Des Moulins that he would stab him. He then made the three incisions above mentioned, of which one in the leg, &c. were not unskilfully made ; but the other in the leg was a deep and ugly wound from which, with the others, they suppose him to have lost nearly eight ounces of blood x . Upon Dr. Heberden expressing his fears about the scarification, Dr. Johnson told him he was timidorum timidissimus 2 .
A few days before his death, talking with Dr. Brocklesby, he said, ' Now will you ascribe my death to my having taken eight grains of squills, when you recommended only three ; Dr. Heberden, to my having opened my left foot, when nature was pointing out the discharge in the right V The conversation was introduced by his quoting some lines to the same purpose, from Swift's verses on his own death 4 .
��1 Ante, ii. 134. He might have liv'd these twenty
2 Ib. i. 199. 3 Ib. ii. 7. years ;
4 'The doctors, tender of their fame, For, when we open'd him, we found
Wisely on me lay all the blarne. That all his vital parts were sound." '
" We must confess his case was nice ; On the Death of Dr. Swiff. Swift's
But he would never take advice. Works, ed. 1803, xi. 245.
Had he been rul'd, for aught appears, Johnson in his last years often
It
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