348 A Biographical Sketch of Dr. Johnson
set for his emulation the Preface of Chambers to his Cyclopedia x . Johnson undoubtedly expected beneficial patronage. It should seem that he was in the acquaintance of his Lordship, and that he had dined at his table, by an allusion to him in a letter to his son, printed by Mrs. Stanhope, and which he himself would have been afraid to publish. While he was ineffectually hallooing the Graces in the ear of his son, he set before him the slovenly be haviour of our author at his table, whom he acknowledges as a great genius, but points him out as a rock to avoid, and considers him only as ' a respectable Hottentot V When the book came out, Johnson took his revenge, by saying of it, ' that the instruc tions to his son inculcated the manners of a dancing master, and the morals of a prostitute 3 .' Within this year or two he observed (for anger is a short-lived passion), that, bating some impro prieties, it contained good directions, and was not a bad system of education 4 . But Johnson probably did not think so highly of his own appearance as of his morals. For, on being asked if Mr. Spence had not paid him a visit 5 ? ' Yes,' says he, ' and he probably may think he visited a bear.' ' Johnson,' says the author of the Life of Socrates, ' is a literary savage.' ( Very likely,' replied Johnson ; ' and Cooper (who was as thick as long) is a literary Punchinello 6 .'
1 'He once told me that he had 4 ' Lord Chesterfield's Letters to his formed his style upon that of Sir Son, I think, might be made a very William Temple, and upon Cham- pretty book. Take out the im- bers's Proposal for his Dictionary. 9 morality, and it should be put into Life, i. 218. the hands of every young gentleman.'
2 I had proved, I thought, beyond Ib. iii. 53.
a doubt that it was not Johnson, but 5 'I mentioned Pope's friend,
the first Lord Lyttelton, who was Spence. JOHNSON. "He was a
Chesterfield's Hottentot. Life, i. 267, weak conceited man." BOSWELL.
n. 2 ; Lord Chesterfield's Worldly " A good scholar, Sir ? " JOHNSON.
Wisdom, p. 134. I was disappointed "Why, no, Sir." BOSWELL. " He
to find that the Professor of English was a pretty scholar." JOHNSON.
Literature in Glasgow, the late Mr. " You have about reached him." '
John Nichol, held to the old opinion in Ib. v. 317.
his Thomas Carlyle (English Men of 6 Cooper wrote the Life of Socrates.
Letters Series), p. 44. See ante, i. 384. ' Being told that Gilbert Cowper
3 ' They teach the morals of a [sic] called him the Caliban of Litera- whore, and the manners of a dancing ture ; " Well (said he,) I must dub master.' Life, i. 266. him the Punchinello." ' Life, ii. 129.
It
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