Boswelliana: The Commonplace Book of James Boswell, with a Memoir and AnnotationsBoswell, James
History
Boswelliana: The Commonplace Book of James Boswell, with a Memoir and Annotations
Boswell, James
Boswell, James, 1740-1795
“Hall,[122] the author of ‘Crazy Tales,’ said he could not bear
David Hume for being such a monarchical dog. ‘Is it not shocking,’
said he, ‘that a fellow who does not believe^{fear} in God, should
believe^{fear} in a king?’”
MR. DEMPSTER.[123]
* * * * *
“Mr. Samuel Johnson, after being acquainted with Lord Chesterfield,
said, ‘I see now what this man is. I thought he had been a lord among
wits, but I find he is only a wit among lords.’”
DOCTOR ROBERTSON.[124]
* * * * *
“Mr. Samuel Johnson was once at Windsor, and dined with the mayor. But
the fellow (said he) not content with feeding my body, thought he must
feed my mind too, and so he told me a long story how he had sent three
criminals to the plantations. Tired to death with his nonsense, ‘I wish
(to God),’ said Johnson, ‘that I was the fourth.’”
MR. SHERIDAN.[125]
* * * * *
“A bishop was flattering Sir Robert Walpole[126] egregiously. A
gentleman asked him how he could bear such fulsome stuff. ‘Sir,’ said
he, ‘if you were as severely scourged in the House of Commons as I am,
you would be glad of any dog to lick your sores.’”
MR. DEMPSTER.
* * * * *
“An officer on the recruiting service made his regular returns to the
regiment, in which he said that he had as yet got none, but that he had
a man of six foot two in his eye. ‘All nonsense!’ said the colonel;
‘recall him immediately. He has had that fellow in his eye these six
years.’”
CAPTAIN WEBSTER.[127]
* * * * *
“Lord Chesterfield told a half-pay lieutenant that he would bring him
back to full pay in the same rank. ‘My lord,’ said he, ‘I detest the
name of lieutenant so much that I would not be made Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland.’”
A Stranger.
* * * * *
“Boswell said that a man is reckoned a wise man rather for what he does
not say than for what he says. Perhaps upon the whole _Limbertongue_
speaks a greater quantity of good sense than Manly does. But
_Limbertongue_ gives you such floods of frivolous nonsense that his
sense is quite drowned. _Manly_ gives you unmixed good sense only.
_Manly_ will always be thought the wisest man of the two.”
* * * * *
“Dempster, who was a great republican, was presenting an address one
day at court. He was hurt to see subordination prevail so much, and was
shocked to see the keen and able Lord Marchmont[128] bowing just like
the rest. He said he looked like a chained eagle at a gentleman’s gate.”
From himself.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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