Page:Johnsonian Miscellanies II.djvu/194

 i86 Anecdotes by Hannah More.

confounded in noise ; the gallant youth, at one in the morning, set us down at our lodgings. Memoirs, i. 66.

[From HANNAH MORE to her family.]

London, 1776.

At six, I begged leave to come home [from the Garricks], as I expected my petite assembled a little after seven. Mrs. Garrick offered me all her fine things, but, as I hate admixtures of finery and meanness, I refused every thing except a little cream, and a few sorts of cakes. They came at seven. The dramatis persona were, Mrs. Boscawen, Mrs. Garrick, and Miss Reynolds ; my beaux were Dr. Johnson, Dean Tucker x, and last, but not least in our love, David Garrick. You know that wherever Johnson is, the confinement to the tea-table is rather a durable situation ; and it was an hour and a half before I got my enlarge ment. However, my ears were opened, though my tongue was locked, and they all stayed till near eleven.

Garrick was the very soul of the company, and I never saw Johnson in such perfect good humour. Sally knows we have often heard that one can never properly enjoy the company of these two unless they are together 2. There is great truth in this remark ; for after the Dean and Mrs. Boscawen (who were the only strangers) were withdrawn, and the rest stood up to go, Johnson and Garrick began a close encounter, telling old stories, them above an hour, laughing in defiance of every rule of de corum and Chesterfield 4. I believe we should not have thought
 * e'en from their boyish days 3 ,' at Lichfield. We all stood round

1 Josiah Tucker, Dean of Glou- has a most shrewd and keen old face.'

cester, who had published Tracts Mme. D'Arblay's Diary, iv. 182. about the American Colonies, to 2 Boswell describes how one day

which Johnson had replied in Taxa- ' Garrick played round Johnson with

tion no Tyranny ( Works, vi. 259) a fond vivacity, taking hold of the

and Burke with great severity in his breasts of his coat, and, looking up

Speech on American Taxation. Burke in his face with a lively archness,

had said : ' This Dr. Tucker is al- complimented him on the good

ready a dean, and his earliest labours health which he seemed then to

in this vineyard will, I suppose, raise enjoy ; while the sage, shaking his

him to a bishopric.' Burke's Select head, beheld him with a gentle com-

Works, ed. E. J. Payne, i. 140. placency.' Life, ii. 82.

Miss Burney writing of him in 3 Othello, Act i. sc. 3, 1. 132.

1788 says, ' He is past eighty, and 4 Life, ii. 378, n. 2.

of

�� �