many people came in, that I began to feel foolish, and soon I sneaked off. He has written some very pretty verses on his friend Levett *, which he gave me, and which I will send you when I can. He was all kindness to me. Memoirs, i. 278.
London, May 5, 1783.
Saturday we had a dinner at home, Mrs. Carter, Miss Hamilton, the Kennicotts 2 , and Dr. Johnson. Poor Johnson exerted him self exceedingly ; but he was very ill and looked so dreadfully, that it quite grieved me 3 . He is more mild and complacent than he used to be. His sickness seems to have softened his Vmind, without having at all weakened it. I was struck with the
��radiance of this setting sun. We had but a small party of such of his friends as we knew would be most agreeable to him, and as we were all very attentive, and paid him the homage he both expects and deserves, he was very communicative, and of course instructive and delightful in the highest degree. Memoirs, i. 280.
April, 1784.
I had a very civil note 4 from Johnson about a week since ; it was written in good spirits ; and as it was a volunteer, and not an answer, it looks as if he were really better. He tells me he longs to see me, to praise the Bas Bleu 5 as much as envy can praise ; there's for you !
1 Life, iv. 137. in 1825, mentioning the death of Sir
2 Dr. Kennicott was a Canon of W. W. Pepys says :' Our acquaint- Christ Church and author of the ance began nearly fifty years ago ; Collations. Life, ii. 128 ; Letters, ii. he was the Ltzlius in my little poem 77> n > 2 - The Bas Bleu. As he was the chief
3 He had just gone through a ornament, so he was the last sur- three days' course of violent physick- vivor of the select society which gave ing. Letters, ii. 294. birth to that trifle.' Memoirs, iv.
4 It has not been published. 238.
5 On April 19 he wrote to Mrs. 'General Paoli described a Blue- Thrale : ' Miss Moore [sic] has stocking meeting very well : Here, written a poem called Le Bas Bleu ; four or five old ladies talking formally, which is in my opinion a very great and a priest (Dr. Barnard, Provost performance. It wanders about in of Eton), with a wig like the globe, manuscript.' Letters, ii. 390. See sitting in the middle, as if he were ib. n. 4 for some extracts from it, confessing them/ Rogers's Bos- and Life, iv. 108. Hannah More, ivelliana, p. 321.
Did
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