’I am sorry that your pretty letter has been so long without being answered; but, when I am not pretty well, I do not always write plain enough for young ladies.  I am glad, my dear, to see that you write so well, and hope that you mind your pen, your book, and your needle, for they are all necessary.  Your books will give you knowledge, and make you respected; and your needle will find you useful employment when you do not care to read.  When you are a little older, I hope you will be very diligent in learning arithmetick[835], and, above all, that through your whole life you will carefully say your prayers, and read your Bible.

’I am, my dear,

’Your most humble servant,

‘SAM.  JOHNSON.’

‘May 10, 1784.’

On Wednesday, May 5, I arrived in London, and next morning had the pleasure to find Dr. Johnson greatly recovered.  I but just saw him; for a coach was waiting to carry him to Islington, to the house of his friend the Reverend Mr. Strahan, where he went sometimes for the benefit of good air, which, notwithstanding his having formerly laughed at the general opinion upon the subject, he now acknowledged was conducive to health.

One morning afterwards, when I found him alone, he communicated to me, with solemn earnestness, a very remarkable circumstance which had happened in the course of his illness, when he was much distressed by the dropsy.  He had shut himself up, and employed a day in particular exercises of religion,—­fasting, humiliation, and prayer.  On a sudden he obtained extraordinary relief, for which he looked up to Heaven with grateful devotion.  He made no direct inference from this fact; but from his manner of telling it, I could perceive that it appeared to him as something more than an incident in the common course of events[836].  For my own part, I have no difficulty to avow that cast of thinking, which by many modern pretenders to wisdom is called superstitious.  But here I think even men of dry rationality may believe, that there was an intermediate[837] interposition of Divine Providence, and that ’the fervent prayer of this righteous man[838]’ availed[839].

On Sunday, May 9, I found Colonel Valiancy, the celebrated antiquarian and Engineer of Ireland, with him.  On Monday, the 10th, I dined with him at Mr. Paradise’s, where was a large company; Mr. Bryant, Mr. Joddrel, Mr. Hawkins Browne, &c.  On Thursday, the 13th, I dined with him at Mr. Joddrel’s, with another large company; the Bishop of Exeter, Lord Monboddo[840], Mr. Murphy, &c.

On Saturday, May 15[841], I dined with him at Dr. Brocklesby’s, where were Colonel Vallancy, Mr. Murphy, and that ever-cheerful companion Mr. Devaynes, apothecary to his Majesty.  Of these days, and others on which I saw him, I have no memorials, except the general recollection of his being able and animated in conversation, and appearing to relish society as much as the youngest man.  I find only these three