or me.  For why should not Dr.[263] Johnson add to his other powers a little corporeal agility?  Socrates learnt to dance at an advanced age, and Cato learnt Greek at an advanced age.  Then it might proceed to say, that this Johnson, not content with dancing on the ground, might dance on the rope; and they might introduce the elephant dancing on the rope.  A nobleman[264] wrote a play, called Love in a hollow Tree.  He found out that it was a bad one, and therefore wished to buy up all the copies, and burn them.  The Duchess of Marlborough had kept one; and when he was against her at an election, she had a new edition of it printed, and prefixed to it, as a frontispiece, an elephant dancing on a rope; to shew, that his Lordship’s writing comedy was as aukward as an elephant dancing on a rope[265].’

On Sunday, April 1, I dined with him at Mr. Thrale’s, with Sir Philip Jennings Clerk and Mr. Perkins[266], who had the superintendence of Mr. Thrale’s brewery, with a salary of five hundred pounds a year.  Sir Philip had the appearance of a gentleman of ancient family, well advanced in life.  He wore his own white hair in a bag of goodly size, a black velvet coat, with an embroidered waistcoat, and very rich laced ruffles; which Mrs. Thrale said were old fashioned, but which, for that reason, I thought the more respectable, more like a Tory; yet Sir Philip was then in Opposition in Parliament[267].  ’Ah, Sir, (said Johnson,) ancient ruffles and modern principles do not agree.’  Sir Philip defended the Opposition to the American war ably and with temper, and I joined him.  He said, the majority of the nation was against the ministry.  JOHNSON. ’I, Sir, am against the ministry[268]; but it is for having too little of that, of which Opposition thinks they have too much.  Were I minister, if any man wagged his finger against me, he should be turned out[269]; for that which it is in the power of Government to give at pleasure to one or to another, should be given to the supporters of Government.  If you will not oppose at the expence of losing your place, your opposition will not be honest, you will feel no serious grievance; and the present opposition is only a contest to get what others have.  Sir Robert Walpole acted as I would do.  As to the American war, the sense of the nation is with the ministry.  The majority of those who can understand is with it; the majority of those who can only hear, is against it; and as those who can only hear are more numerous than those who can understand, and Opposition is always loudest, a majority of the rabble will be for Opposition.’

This boisterous vivacity entertained us; but the truth in my opinion was, that those who could understand the best were against the American war, as almost every man now is, when the question has been coolly considered.