Page:Johnsonian Miscellanies II.djvu/340

 332 Anecdotes by the Rev. Per dual Stockdale.

Lord Lyttelton told me, that on a visit to Mr. Pope, while he was translating the Iliad, he took the liberty to express to that great poet his surprise, that he had not determined to translate Homer's poem into blank verse ; as it was an epic poem, and as he had before him the illustrious example of Milton, in the Paradise Lost. Mr. Pope's answer to Lord Lyttelton was, that ' he could translate it more easily into rhyme.' I communicated this anecdote to Dr. Johnson ; his remark on it to me was, very erroneous in criticism, ' Sir, when Pope said that, he knew that he lied 1 /

When Dr. Johnson and I were talking of Garrick, I observed that he was a very moderate, fair, and pleasing companion ; when we considered what a constant influx had flowed upon him, both of fortune and fame, to throw him off of his bias of moral and social self-government. ' Sir,' replied Johnson, in his usual emphatical and glowing manner, ' you are very right in your remark ; Garrick has undoubtedly the merit of a temperate and unas suming behaviour in society ; for more pains have been taken to spoil that fellow, than if he had been heir apparent to the empire of India 2 ! '

When Garrick was one day mentioning to me Dr. Johnson's illiberal treatment of him, on different occasions ; ' I question,' said he, c whether, in his calmest and most dispassionate moments, he would allow me the high theatrical merit which the public have been so generous as to attribute to me.' I told him, that I would take an early opportunity to make the trial, and that I would not fail to inform him of the result of my experiment. As I had rather an active curiosity to put Johnson's disinterested generosity fairly to the test, on this apposite subject, I took an early opportunity of waiting on him, to hear his verdict on Garrick's pretensions to his great and universal fame. I found him in very good and social humour ; and I began a conversa tion which naturally led to the mention of Garrick. I said something particular on his excellence as an actor; and I added,

1 For Johnson's expression ' he verse see ib. iv. 42. lies and he knows he lies,' see Life, 2 Ib. iii. 263 ; ante, ii. 244. iv. 49, and for his opinion of blank

'But

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