40 Anecdotes by
��1 4th. The first entire fair day, since I came to London. This day I called at Mr. Thrale's, where I was received with all respect by Mr. and Mrs. Thrale. She is a very learned lady *, and joyns to the charms of her own sex, the manly understanding of ours. The immensity of the Brewery astonished me. One large house contains, and cannot contain more, only four store vessels, each of which contains fifteen hundred barrels ; and in one of which one hundred persons have dined with ease 2 . There are besides in other houses, thirty six of the same construction, but of one half the contents.
1 5th. A fair day. Dined with Archdeacon Congreve, to whom Dr. S. Johnson was schoolfellow at Litchfield 3 . The Doctor had visited the Archdeacon yesterday, by which accident I learned this circumstance.
i6th. A fair day. Dined with Mr. Thrale along with Dr. John son, and Baretti. Baretti is a plain sensible man, who seems to know the world well. He talked to me of the invitation given him by the College of Dublin, but said it (one hundred pounds a year, and rooms,) was not worth his acceptance ; and if it had been, he said, in point of profit, still he would not have accepted it, for that now he could not live out of London. He had returned a few years ago to his own country 4 , but he could not enjoy it; and he was obliged to return to London, to those connections he had been making for near thirty years past. He told me he had several families, with whom, both in town and country, he could go at any time, and spend' a month : he is at this time on these terms at Mr. Thrale's, and he knows how to keep his ground. Talking as we were at tea of the magnitude of the beer vessels, he said there was one thing in Mr. Thrale's house, still more extraordinary ; meaning his wife. She gulped
' Her learning,' said Johnson, him to brew in afterwards.' Ante,
' is that of a school-boy in one of the i. 214.
lower forms.' Life, i. 494. 3 Life, i. 45. Johnson described
' Here is Thrale has a thousand him as 'a very pious man, but always
tun of copper (said Johnson to Rey- muddy.' Ib. ii. 460. See also ib. ii.
nolds) ; you may paint it all round 474 ; Letters, i. 304, 378, 9.
if you will, I suppose; it will serve 4 Life, i. 361.
the
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