Miss Adams soon afterwards made an observation that I do not recollect, which pleased him much:  he said with a good-humoured smile, ’That there should be so much excellence united with so much depravity, is strange.’

Indeed, this lady’s good qualities, merit, and accomplishments, and her constant attention to Dr. Johnson, were not lost upon him.  She happened to tell him that a little coffee-pot, in which she had made his coffee, was the only thing she could call her own.  He turned to her with a complacent gallantry, ’Don’t say so, my dear; I hope you don’t reckon my heart as nothing.’

I asked him if it was true as reported, that he had said lately, ’I am for the King against Fox; but I am for Fox against Pitt.’  JOHNSON.  ’Yes, Sir; the King is my master; but I do not know Pitt; and Fox is my friend[898].’

’Fox, (added he,) is a most extraordinary man; here is a man (describing him in strong terms of objection in some respects according as he apprehended, but which exalted his abilities the more) who has divided the Kingdom with Caesar[899]; so that it, was a doubt whether the nation should be ruled by the sceptre of George the Third, or the tongue of Fox.’

Dr. Wall, physician at Oxford, drank tea with us.  Johnson had in general a peculiar pleasure in the company of physicians, which was certainly not abated by the conversation of this learned, ingenious, and pleasing gentleman.  Johnson said, ’It is wonderful how little good Radcliffe’s travelling fellowships[900] have done.  I know nothing that has been imported by them; yet many additions to our medical knowledge might be got in foreign countries.  Inoculation, for instance, has saved more lives than war destroys[901]:  and the cures performed by the Peruvian-bark are innumerable.  But it is in vain to send our travelling physicians to France, and Italy, and Germany, for all that is known there is known here; I’d send them out of Christendom; I’d send them among barbarous nations.’

On Friday, June 11, we talked at breakfast, of forms of prayer.  JOHNSON.  ‘I know of no good prayers but those in the Book of Common Prayer.’  DR. ADAMS, (in a very earnest manner):  ’I wish, Sir, you would compose some family prayers.’  JOHNSON.  ’I will not compose prayers for you, Sir, because you can do it for yourself.  But I have thought of getting together all the books of prayers which I could, selecting those which should appear to me the best, putting out some, inserting others, adding some prayers of my own, and prefixing a discourse on prayer.’  We all now gathered about him, and two or three of us at a time joined in pressing him to execute this plan.  He seemed to be a little displeased at the manner of our importunity, and in great agitation called out, ’Do not talk thus of what is so aweful.  I know not what time GOD will allow me in this world.  There are many things which I wish to do.’  Some of us persisted, and Dr. Adams said, ’I never was more serious about any thing in my life.’  JOHNSON.  ‘Let me alone, let me alone; I am overpowered.’  And then he put his hands before his face, and reclined for some time upon the table[902].