The Life of Samuel Johnson, vol 3 | Page 8

so teachable then. One is
not willing to be taught by a young man.' When I expressed a wish to
know more about Mr. Ballow, Johnson said, 'Sir, I have seen him but
once these twenty years. The tide of life has driven us different ways.' I
was sorry at the time to hear this; but whoever quits the creeks of
private connections, and fairly gets into the great ocean of London, will,
by imperceptible degrees, unavoidably experience such cessations of
acquaintance.
'My knowledge of physick, (he added,) I learnt from Dr. James, whom I
helped in writing the proposals for his Dictionary and also a little in the
Dictionary itself.[63] I also learnt from Dr. Lawrence, but was then
grown more stubborn.'
A curious incident happened to-day, while Mr. Thrale and I sat with
him. Francis announced that a large packet was brought to him from
the post-office, said to have come from Lisbon, and it was charged
seven pounds ten shillings. He would not receive it, supposing it to be
some trick, nor did he even look at it. But upon enquiry afterwards he
found that it was a real packet for him, from that very friend in the East
Indies of whom he had been speaking; and the ship which carried it
having come to Portugal, this packet, with others, had been put into the
post-office at Lisbon.
I mentioned a new gaming-club,[64] of which Mr. Beauclerk had given
me an account, where the members played to a desperate extent.
JOHNSON. 'Depend upon it, Sir, this is mere talk. Who is ruined by
gaming? You will not find six instances in an age. There is a strange
rout made about deep play: whereas you have many more people ruined
by adventurous trade, and yet we do not hear such an outcry against it.'
THRALE. 'There may be few people absolutely ruined by deep play;
but very many are much hurt in their circumstances by it.' JOHNSON.
'Yes, Sir, and so are very many by other kinds of expence.' I had heard

him talk once before in the same manner; and at Oxford he said, 'he
wished he had learnt to play at cards.'[65] The truth, however, is, that
he loved to display his ingenuity in argument; and therefore would
sometimes in conversation maintain opinions which he was sensible
were wrong, but in supporting which, his reasoning and wit would be
most conspicuous.[66] He would begin thus: 'Why, Sir, as to the good
or evil of card-playing--' 'Now, (said Garrick,) he is thinking which side
he shall take.'[67] He appeared to have a pleasure in contradiction,
especially when any opinion whatever was delivered with an air of
confidence[68]; so that there was hardly any topick, if not one of the
great truths of Religion and Morality, that he might not have been
incited to argue, either for or against. Lord Elibank[69] had the highest
admiration of his powers. He once observed to me, 'Whatever opinion
Johnson maintains, I will not say that he convinces me; but he never
fails to shew me, that he has good reasons for it.' I have heard Johnson
pay his Lordship this high compliment: 'I never was in Lord Elibank's
company without learning something.'[70]
We sat together till it was too late for the afternoon service. Thrale said
he had come with intention to go to church with us. We went at seven
to evening prayers at St. Clement's church, after having drank coffee;
an indulgence, which I understood Johnson yielded to on this occasion,
in compliment to Thrale[71].
On Sunday, April 7, Easter-day, after having been at St. Paul's
Cathedral, I came to Dr. Johnson, according to my usual custom. It
seemed to me, that there was always something peculiarly mild and
placid in his manner upon this holy festival, the commemoration of the
most joyful event in the history of our world, the resurrection of our
LORD and SAVIOUR, who, having triumphed over death and the
grave, proclaimed immortality to mankind[72].
I repeated to him an argument of a lady of my acquaintance, who
maintained, that her husband's having been guilty of numberless
infidelities, released her from conjugal obligations, because they were
reciprocal. JOHNSON. 'This is miserable stuff, Sir. To the contract of
marriage, besides the man and wife, there is a third party--Society; and

if it be considered as a vow--GOD: and, therefore, it cannot be
dissolved by their consent alone. Laws are not made for particular cases,
but for men in general. A woman may be unhappy with her husband;
but she cannot be freed from him without the approbation of the civil
and ecclesiastical power. A man may be unhappy, because he is not so
rich as another; but he is not to seize upon another's property with his
own