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 of a lively or epigrammatick turn, he fell asleep, or perhaps pretended to do so x.

Talking one day of the patronage the great sometimes affect to give to literature, and literary men : ' Andrew Millar,' says he, ' is the Maecenas of the age V

Of the state of learning among the Scots, he said : ' It is with their learning as with provisions in a besieged town, every one

Of Sir Joshua Reynolds he requested three things ; that he would not work on a Sunday ; that he would read a portion of Scripture on that day; and that he would forgive him a debt which he had incurred for some benevolent purpose 4.

When he first felt the stroke of palsy, he prayed to God that he would spare his mind, whatever he thought fit to do with his body 5.

To some lady who was praising Shenstone's poems very much, and who had an Italian greyhound lying by the fire, he said, e Shenstone holds amongst poets the same rank your dog holds amongst dogs ; he has not the sagacity of the hound, the docility of the spaniel, nor the courage of the bull-dog, yet he is still a pretty fellow 6 .'

1 'When he wanted to sleep he 4 In these requests Reynolds " nodded in company " ; and once ' readily acquiesced.' However, after slumbered at his own table while the a time he resumed his Sunday work. Prince of Wales was talking of poetry.' Ib. iv. 414, n. i. 'Sir Godfrey Works, viii. 309. Kneller,' according to Pope, ' called

2 For Andrew Millar, the book- employing the pencil the prayer of a seller, see Life, i. 287, n. 3. painter.' Warton's Pope's Works,

3 Ib. ii. 363. ed. 1822, viii. 213. Szt post, p. 203. Sir Walter Scott, in his Address 5 Describing the stroke to Mrs.

at the opening of the Edinburgh Thrale, he wrote : ' I was alarmed Academy, quoting Johnson's saying, and prayed God that however he continued : ' Sturdy Scotsman as might afflict my body he would spare he was, he was not more attached to my understanding. This prayer that Scotland than to truth ; and it must I might try the integrity of my facul- be admitted that there was some ties I made in Latin verse.' Letters, foundation for the Doctor's remark.' ii. 301 ; Life, iv. 230 ; ante, i. in. Lockhart's Scott, ed. 1839, vii. 271. 6 'We talked of Shenstone. Dr. ' A Scotchman must be a very sturdy Johnson said he was a good layer- moralist who does not love Scot- out of land, but would not allow him land better than truth.' Life, ii. to approach excellence as a poet.' 311, #. 4. Ib. v. 267.

Johnson

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