anecdotes of the late samuel johnson-第1部分

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Anecdotes　of　the　late　Samuel　Johnson

by　Hesther　Lynch　Piozzi



INTRODUCTION


Mrs。　Piozzi；　by　her　second　marriage；　was　by　her　first　marriage　the　Mrs。　Thrale　in　whose　house　at　Streatham　Doctor　Johnson　was；　after　the　year　of　his　first　introduction；　1765；　in　days　of　infirmity；　an　honoured　and　a　cherished　friend。　　The　year　of　the　beginning　of　the　friendship　was　the　year　in　which　Johnson；　fifty…six　years　old；　obtained　his　degree　of　LL。D。　from　Dublin；　andthough　he　never　called　himself　Doctorwas　thenceforth　called　Doctor　by　all　his　friends。

Before　her　marriage　Mrs。　Piozzi　had　been　Miss　Hesther　Lynch　Salusbury；　a　young　lady　of　a　good　Welsh　family。　　She　was　born　in　the　year　174O；　and　she　lived　until　the　year　1821。　　She　celebrated　her　eightieth　birthday　on　the　27th　of　January；　182O；　by　a　concert；　ball；　and　supper　to　six　or　seven　hundred　people；　and　led　off　the　dancing　at　the　ball　with　an　adopted　son　for　partner。　　When　Johnson　was　first　introduced　to　her；　as　Mrs。　Thrale；　she　was　a　lively；　plump　little　lady；　twenty…five　years　old；　short　of　stature；　broad　of　build；　with　an　animated　face；　touched；　according　to　the　fashion　of　life　in　her　early　years；　with　rouge；　which　she　continued　to　use　when　she　found　that　it　had　spoilt　her　complexion。　　Her　hands　were　rather　coarse；　but　her　handwriting　was　delicate。

Henry　Thrale；　whom　she　married；　was　the　head　of　the　great　brewery　house　now　known　as　that　of　Barclay　and　Perkins。　　Henry　Thrale's　father　had　succeeded　Edmund　　Halsey；　who　began　life　by　running　away　from　his　father；　a　miller　at　St。　Albans。　　Halsey　was　taken　in　as　a　clerk…of…all…work　at　the　Anchor　Brewhouse　in　Southwark；　became　a　house…clerk；　able　enough　to　please　Child；　his　master；　and　handsome　enough　to　please　his　master's　daughter。　　He　married　the　daughter　and　succeeded　to　Child's　Brewery；　made　much　money；　and　had　himself　an　only　daughter；　whom　he　married　to　a　lord。　　Henry　Thrale's　father　was　a　nephew　of　Halseys；　who　had　worked　in　the　brewery　for　twenty　years；　when；　after　Halsey's　death；　he　gave　security　for　thirty　thousand　pounds　as　the　price　of　the　business；　to　which　a　noble　lord　could　not　succeed。　　In　eleven　years　he　had　paid　the　purchase…money；　and　was　making　a　large　fortune。　　To　this　business　his　son；　who　was　Johnson's　friend；　Henry　Thrale；　succeeded；　and　upon　Thrale's　death　it　was　bought　for　15O；OOO　pounds　by　a　member　of　the　Quaker　family　of　Barclay；　who　took　Thrale's　old　manager；　Perkins；　into　partnership。

Johnson　became；　after　1765；　familiar　in　the　house　of　the　Thrales　at　Streatham。　　There　was　much　company。　　Mrs。　Thrale　had　a　taste　for　literary　guests　and　literary　guests　had；　on　their　part；　a　taste　for　her　good　dinners。　　Johnson　was　the　lion…in…chief。　　There　was　Dr。　Johnson's　room　always　at　his　disposal；　and　a　tidy　wig　kept　for　his　special　use；　because　his　own　was　apt　to　be　singed　up　the　middle　by　close　contact　with　the　candle；　which　he　put；　being　short…sighted；　between　his　eyes　and　a　book。　Mrs。　Thrale　had　skill　in　languages；　read　Latin；　French；　Italian；　and　Spanish。　　She　read　literature；　could　quote　aptly；　and　put　knowledge　as　well　as　playful　life　into　her　conversation。　　Johnson's　regard　for　the　Thrales　was　very　real；　and　it　was　heartily　returned；　though　Mrs。　Thrale　had；　like　her　friend；　some　weaknesses；　in　common　with　most　people　who　feed　lions　and　wish　to　pass　for　wits　among　the　witty。

About　fourteen　years　after　Johnson's　first　acquaintance　with　the　Thrales　when　Johnson　was　seventy　years　old　and　Mrs。　Thrale　near　fortythe　little　lady；　who　had　also　lost　several　children；　was　unhappy　in　the　thought　that　she　had　ceased　to　be　appreciated　by　her　husband。　　Her　husband's　temper　became　affected　by　the　commercial　troubles　of　1762；　and　Mrs。　Thrale　became　jealous　of　the　regard　between　him　and　Sophy　Streatfield；　a　rich　widow's　daughter。　　Under　January；　1779；　she　wrote　in　her　〃Thraliana；〃　　〃Mr。　Thrale　has　fallen　in　love；　really　and　seriously；　with　Sophy　Streatfield；　but　there　is　no　wonder　in　that；　she　is　very　pretty；　very　gentle；　soft；　and　insinuating；　hangs　about　him；　dances　round　him；　cries　when　she　parts　from　him；　squeezes　his　hand　slily；　and　with　her　sweet　eyes　full　of　tears　looks　so　fondly　in　his　faceand　all　for　love　of　me；　as　she　pretends；　that　I　can　hardly　sometimes　help　laughing　in　her　face。　　A　man　must　not　be　a　MAN　but　an　IT　to　resist　such　artillery。〃　　Mrs。　Thrale　goes　on　to　record　conquests　made　by　this　irresistible　Sophy　in　other　directions；　showing　the　same　temper　of　jealousy。　　Thrale　died　on　the　4th　of　April；　1781。

Mrs。　Thrale　had　entered　in　her　〃Thraliana〃　under　July；　178O；　being　then　at　Brighton；　〃I　have　picked　up　Piozzi　here；　the　great　Italian　singer。　　He　is　amazingly　like　my　father。　　He　shall　teach　Hesther。〃　　On　the　25th　of　July；　1784；　being　at　Bath；　her　entry　was；　〃I　am　returned　from　church　the　happy　wife　of　my　lovely；　faithful　Piozzi。　。　。　。　subject　of　my　prayers；　object　of　my　wishes；　my　sighs；　my　reverence；　my　esteem。〃　　Her　age　then　was　forty…four；　and　on　the　13th　of　December　in　the　same　year　Johnson　died。　　The　newspapers　of　the　day　dealt　hardly　with　her。　　They　called　her　an　amorous　widow；　and　Piozzi　a　fortune…hunter。　　Her　eldest　daughter　（afterwards　Viscountess　Keith）　refused　to　recognise　the　new　father；　and　shut　herself　up　in　a　house　at　Brighton　with　a　nurse；　Tib；　where　she　lived　upon　two　hundred　a　year。　　Two　younger　sisters；　who　were　at　school；　lived　afterwards　with　the　eldest。　　Only　the　fourth　daughter；　the　youngest；　went　with　her　mother　and　her　mother's　new　husband　to　Italy。　　Johnson；　too；　was　grieved　by　the　marriage；　and　had　shown　it；　but　had　written　afterwards　most　kindly。　　Mrs。　Piozzi　in　Florence　was　playing　at　literature　with　the　poetasters　of　〃The　Florence　Miscellany〃　and　〃The　British　Album〃　when　she　was　working　at　these　〃Anecdotes　of　the　Late　Samuel　Johnson。〃　　Her　book　of　anecdotes　was　planned　at　Florence　in　1785；　the　year　after　her　friend's　death；　finished　at　Florence　in　October；　1785；　and　published　in　the　year　1786。　　There　is　a　touch　of　bitterness　in　the　book　which　she　thought　of　softening；　but　her　〃lovely；　faithful　Piozzi〃　wished　it　to　remain。　H。　M。



AUTHOR'S　PREFACE。

I　have　somewhere　heard　or　read　that　the　preface　before　a　book；　like　the　portico　before　a　house；　should　be　contrived　so　as　to　catch；　but　not　detain；　the　attention　of　those　who　desire　admission　to　the　family　within；　or　leave　to　look　over　the　collection　of　pictures　made　by　one　whose　opportunities　of　obtaining　them　we　know　to　have　been　not　unfrequent。　　I　wish　not　to　keep　my　readers　long　from　such　intimacy　with　the　manners　of　Dr。　Johnson；　or　such　knowledge　of　his　sentiments　as　these　pages　can　convey。　　To　urge　my　distance　from　England　as　an　excuse　for　the　book's　being　ill…written　would　be　ridiculous；　it　might　indeed　serve　as　a　just　reason　for　my　having　written　it　at　all；　because；　though　others　may　print　the　same　aphorisms　and　stories；　I　cannot　HERE　be　sure　that　they　have　done　so。　　As　the　Duke　says；　however；　to　the　Weaver；　in　A　Midsummer　Night's　Dream；　〃Never　excuse；　if　your　play　be　a　bad　one；　keep　at　least　the　excuses　to　yourself。〃

I　am　aware　that　many　will　say　I　have　not　spoken　highly　enough　of　Dr。　Johnson；　but　it　will　be　difficult　for　those　who　say　so　to　speak　more　highly。　　If　I　have　described　his　manners　as　they　were；　I　have　been　careful　to　show　his　superiority　to　the　common　forms　of　common　life。　　It　is　surely　no　dispraise　to　an　oak　that　it　does　not　bear　jessamine；　and　he　who　should　plant　honeysuckle　round　Trajan's　column　would　not　be　thought　to　adorn；　but　to　disgrace　it。

When　I　have　said　that　he　was　more　a　man　of　genius　than　of　learning；　I　mean　not　to　take　from　the　one　part　of　his　character　that　which　I　willingly　give　to　the　other。　　The　erudition　of　Mr。　Johnson　proved　his　genius；　for　he　had　not　acquired　it　by　long　or　profound　study：　　nor　can　I　think　those　characters　the　greatest　which　have　most　learning　driven　into　their　heads；　any　more　than　I　can　persuade　myself　to　consider　the　River　Jenisca　as　superior　to　the　Nile；　because　the　first　receives　near　seventy　tributary　streams　in　the　course　of　its　unmarked　progress　to　the　sea；　while　the　great　parent　of　African　plenty；　flowing　from　an　almost　invisible　source；　and　unenriched　by　any　extraneous　waters；　except　eleven　nameless　rivers；　pours　his　majestic　torrent　into　the　ocean　by　seven　celebrated　mouths。

But　I　must　conclude　my　preface；　and　begin　my　book；　the　first　I　ever　presented　before　the　public；　from　whose　awful　appearance　in　some　measure　to　defend　and　conceal　myself；　I　have　thought　fit　to　retire　behind　the　Telamonian　shield；　and　show　as　little　of　myself　as　possible；　well　aware　of　the　exceeding　difference　there　is　between　fencing　in　the　school　and　fighting　in　the　field。　　Studious；　however；　to　avoid　offending；　and　careless　of　that　offence　which　can　be　taken　without　a　cause；　I　here　not　unwillingly　submit　my　slight　performance　to　the　decision　of　that　glorious　country；　which　I　have　the　daily　delight　to　hear　applauded　in　others；　as　eminently　just；　generous；　and　humane。



ANECDOTES　OF　THE　LATE　SAMUEL　JOHNSON；　LL。D。



Too　much　intelligence　is　often　as　pernicious　to　biography　as　too　little；　the　mind　remains　perplexed　by　contradiction　of　probabilities；　and　finds　difficulty　in　separating　report　from　truth。　　If　Johnson　then　lamented　that　so　little　had　ever　been　said　about　Butler；　I　might　with　more　reason　be　led　to　complain　that　so　much　has　been　said　about　himself；　for　numberless　informers　but　distract　or　cloud　information；　as　glasses　which　multiply　will　for　the　most　part　be　found　also　to　obscure。　　Of　a　life；　too；　which　for　the　last　twenty　years　was　passed　in　the　very　front　of　literature；　every　leader　of　a　literary　company；　whether　officer　or　subaltern；　naturally　becomes　either　author　or　critic；　so　that　little　less　than　the　recollection　that　it　was　ONCE　the　request　of　the　deceased；　and　TWICE　the　desire　of　those　whose　will　I　ever　delighted　to　comply　with；　should　have　engaged　me　to　add　my　little　book　to　the　number　of　those　already　written　on　the　subject。　　I　used　to　urge　another　reason　for　forbearance；　and　say；　that　all　the　readers　would；　on　this　singular　occasion；　be　the　writers　of　his　life：　　like　the　first　representation　of　the　Masque　of　Comus；　which；　by　changing　their　characters　from　spectators　to　performers；　was　ACTED　by　the　lords　and　ladies　it　was　WRITTEN　to　entertain。　　This　o