[Illustration: Drop-A] very fair instance of Jacobite sentiment in London, in the year 1777, presents itself in a record by Boswell, in his ‘Life of Dr. Johnson.’ The doctor, in argument with the Whig Dr. Taylor, insisted that the popular inclination was still for the Stuart family, against that of Brunswick, and that if England were fairly polled, the present king would be sent away to-night, and his adherents hanged to-morrow!’ Taylor demurred, and Johnson gave this as the ‘state of the country.’――‘The people, knowing it to be agreed on all hands, that this king has not the hereditary right to the crown, and there being no hope that he who has it can be restored, have grown cold and indifferent upon the subject of loyalty and have no warm attachment to any king. They would not, therefore, risk anything to restore the exiled family. They would not give twenty shillings a piece to bring it about; but if a mere vote could do it, there would be twenty to one; at least, there would be a very great majority of voices for it. But, Sir, you are to consider that all those who consider that a king has a right to his crown, as a man has to his estate, which is the just opinion, would be for restoring the king who certainly has the hereditary right, could he be trusted with it; in which there would be no danger now, when laws and everything else are so much advanced, and every king will govern by the laws.’ It was in the same year, 1777, that Johnson called the design of the young Chevalier to gain a crown for his father ‘a noble attempt;’ and Boswell expressed his wish that ‘we could have an authentic history of it.’ More than a generation had passed away since the attempt had failed, but Johnson thought the history might be written: ‘If you were not an idle dog, you might write it by collecting from everybody what they can tell, and putting down your authorities.’ It was shortly after that, hearing of a Mr. Eld, as being a Whig, in Staffordshire, Johnson remarked, ‘There are rascals in all counties.’ It was then he made his celebrated assertion that ‘the first Whig was the Devil;’ but this Jacobite definition was provoked by Eld’s coarse description of a Tory as ‘a creature generated between a nonjuring parson and one’s grandmother.’ Lord Marchmont thought Johnson had distinguished himself by being the first man who had brought ‘Whig’ and ‘Tory’ into a dictionary. ‘Nonjuring parsons’ still existed; but the hierarchy was all but extinguished. [Sidenote: _THE LAST OF THE NONJURING BISHOPS._]