I invited home with me the man whose pious behaviour I had for several years observed on this day, and found him a kind of Methodist, full of texts, but ill-instructed *. I talked to him with temper, and offered him twice wine, which he refused. I suffered him to go without the dinner which I had purposed to give him. I thought this day that there was something irregular and particular 2 in his look and gesture, but having intended to invite him to acquaintance, and having a fit oppor tunity by rinding him near my own seat after I had missed him, I did what I at first designed, and am sorry to have been so much disappointed. Let me not be prejudiced hereafter against the appearance of piety in mean persons, who, with indeterminate notions, and perverse or inelegant conversation perhaps are doing all that they can.
At night I used the occasional prayer with proper collects.
55.
Jtdy 2. I paid Mr. Simpson ten guineas, which he had formerly lent me in my necessity and for which Tetty expressed her gratitude.
July 8. I lent Mr. Simpson ten guineas more.
July 1 6. I received seventy-five pounds. Lent Mr. Davis
twenty-five 3 .
56.
Sept. 26, 1765.
Before the Study of Law 4 .
Almighty God, the Giver of wisdom, without whose help resolutions are vain, without whose blessing study is ineffectual, enable me, if it be thy will, to attain such knowledge as may qualify me to direct the doubtful, and instruct the ignorant, to
1 Ante, p. 30. a barrister-at-law, of good parts, but
2 Johnson defines 'particular' in who fell into a dissipated course of one of its significations as 'Odd; life.' Ib. iii. 28. See ib. i. 346, Piozzi's having something that eminently dis- Anecdotes, p. 120, and Hayward's tinguishes him from others. This is Piozzi, 1.322, for an account of his im- commonly used in a sense of con- providence. The money received was tempt.' Richardson often uses the one quarter's pension. Life, i. 376. word without any sense of contempt. 4 At an earlier time of his life he
3 Life, i. 488. Joseph Simpson had wished to practise in Doctors' was 'a schoolfellow of Dr. Johnson's, Commons. Ib. i. 134.
D 2, prevent
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