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 execution. He had no personal acquaintance with Dodd. I believe he never was in his company *.

No man, I believe, was ever more desirous of doing good than Dr. Johnson, whether propel'd [sic] by Nature or by Reason ; by both I should have thought, had I not so often heard him say, That ' Man's chief merit consists in resisting the impulses of his nature.' Not what may be call'd his second Nature, evil habits, &c., but his Nature originally corrupted from the fall. * Nay, nay,' he would say (to a person who thought that Nature, Reason, and Virtue were indivisable \sic\ in the mind of man, as inherent characteristic principles) 'If man is by nature prompted to act virtuously and right, all the divine precepts of the Gospel, all its denunciations, all the laws enacted by man to restrain man from evil had been needless 2 .'

It is certain that he was rather apt to doubt the sincerity of those who express'd much pity and compassion for the distresses of others 3. How strange in Him, who 'had a tear for Pity And a Hand, open as Day for melting Charity 4 .'

And it has been thought almost equally as strange that he should have had no taste for music 5 or for Painting ; but being so precluded as he was (I believe even from his infancy) from

1 He had been once. Ltfe,\\\. 140. very ready to do you good. They

2 'Whatever (said Johnson) is the pay you by feeling"' Ib. ii. 94. See cause of human corruption, men are also ib. ii. 469, 471 ; ante^ i. 205, 268. evidently and confessedly so corrupt, 4 2 Henry IV, Act. iv. Sc. 4, 1. 31. that all the laws of heaven and earth 5 In one of her manuscripts Miss are insufficient to restrain them from Reynolds writes: * Music apparently crimes.' Ib. iv. 123. had a power to disgust him, par-

3 ' Talking of our feeling for the ticularly in Churches, which, I have distresses of others: JOHNSON. heard him say, almost tempted him " Why, Sir, there is much noise to go out of the Church. How very made about it, but it is greatly ex- strange in so good a man, so good aggerated. No, Sir, we have a certain a poet, and so deep a philosopher ! ' degree of feeling to prompt us to do ' Music (he said) excites in my good ; more than that Providence mind no ideas, and hinders me does not intend. It would be misery from contemplating my own.' Ante, to no purpose." ... BOSWELL. " I have ii. 103. In his seventy-fourth year, often blamed myself, Sir, for not feel- he said, on hearing the music of a ing for others as sensibly as many say funeral procession : ' This is the they do." JOHNSON. " Sir, don't be first time that I have ever been duped by them any more. You will affected by musical sounds.' Life, find these very feeling people are not iv. 22.

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