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 420 Minor Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson.

caricature, which he thought clever, of the nine muses flogging Dr. Johnson round Parnassus. The admirers of Gray and others, who thought their favourites hardly treated in the Lives, were laughing at Dr. Farr's account of the print, when Dr. Johnson was himself announced. Dr. Farr being the only stranger, Sir Joshua introduced him, and, to Dr. Farr's infinite embarrassment, repeated what he had just been telling them. Johnson was not at all surly on the occasion, but said, turning to Dr. Farr, ' Sir, I am very glad to hear this. I hope the day will never arrive when I shall neither be the object of calumny or ridicule, for then I shall be neglected and forgotten V

It was near the close of his life that two young ladies, who were warm admirers of .his works, but had never seen himself, went to Bolt Court, and, asking if he was at home, were shown up stairs, where he was writing. He laid down his pen on their entrance, and, as they stood before him, one of the females repeated a speech of some length, previously prepared for the occasion. It was an enthusiastic effusion, which, when the speaker had finished, she panted for her idol's reply. What was her mortification when all .he said was, ' Fiddle-de-dee, my dear.'

Much pains were taken by Mr. Hayley's friends to prevail on Dr. Johnson to read The Triumphs of Temper, when it was in its zenith 2 ; at last he consented, but never got beyond the two first

1 Ante, i. 270 ; ii. 207. mixture of strong sense and flowing

2 It was published in 1781. Horace numbers.' Misc. Works, ii. 259. Walpole wrote on March 3 of that Person, who calls him ' poetarum year (Letters, viii. 15): 'For want et criticorum pessimus ' (Person's of subject of admiration Sir Joseph Tracts, ed. 1815, p. 307), wrote the Yorke is called by the newspapers following lines in ridicule of the a great man, and for want of taste flattery exchanged between Hayley the Monthly Reviewers call Mr. and Miss Seward :

Hayley a great poet, though he has < Miss S eward loquitur

no more ear or imagination than they Tuneful ^ Britain > s glory>

a y. e *, Mr. Hayley, that is you."

Gibbon wrote on July 3, 1782 :


 * I hope you like Mr. Hayley's poem ; Hayley respondet

he rises with his subject, and, since " Ma'am, you carry all before you, Pope's death, I am satisfied that Trust me, Lichfield Swan, you

England has not seen so happy a do."

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