This month he lost not only Mr. Thrale, but another friend, Mr. William Strahan, Junior, printer, the eldest son of his old and constant friend, Printer to his Majesty.

’TO MRS. STRAHAN.

’DEAR MADAM,

’The grief which I feel for the loss of a very kind friend is sufficient to make me know how much you suffer by the death of an amiable son; a man, of whom I think it may truly be said, that no one knew him who does not lament him.  I look upon myself as having a friend, another friend, taken from me.

’Comfort, dear Madam, I would give you if I could, but I know how little the forms of consolation can avail.  Let me, however, counsel you not to waste your health in unprofitable sorrow, but go to Bath, and endeavour to prolong your own life; but when we have all done all that we can, one friend must in time lose the other.

’I am, dear Madam,

’Your most humble servant,

‘SAM.  JOHNSON.’

‘April 23, 1781.’

On Tuesday, May 8[325], I had the pleasure of again dining with him and Mr. Wilkes, at Mr. Billy’s[326].  No negociation was now required to bring them together; for Johnson was so well satisfied with the former interview, that he was very glad to meet Wilkes again, who was this day seated between Dr. Beattie and Dr. Johnson; (between Truth[327] and Reason, as General Paoli said, when I told him of it.) WILKES.  ’I have been thinking, Dr. Johnson, that there should be a bill brought into parliament that the controverted elections for Scotland should be tried in that country, at their own Abbey of Holy-Rood House, and not here; for the consequence of trying them here is, that we have an inundation of Scotchmen, who come up and never go back again.  Now here is Boswell, who is come up upon the election for his own county, which will not last a fortnight.’  JOHNSON.  ’Nay, Sir, I see no reason why they should be tried at all; for, you know, one Scotchman is as good as another.’  WILKES.  ’Pray, Boswell, how much may be got in a year by an Advocate at the Scotch bar?’ BOSWELL.  ‘I believe two thousand pounds.’  WlLKES.  ’How can it be possible to spend that money in Scotland?’ JOHNSON.  ’Why, Sir, the money may be spent in England:  but there is a harder question.  If one man in Scotland gets possession of two thousand pounds, what remains for all the rest of the nation?’ WILKES.  ’You know, in the last war, the immense booty which Thurot[328] carried off by the complete plunder of seven Scotch isles; he re-embarked with three and six-pence.’  Here again Johnson and Wilkes joined in extravagant sportive raillery upon the supposed poverty of Scotland, which Dr. Beattie and I did not think it worth our while to dispute.

The subject of quotation being introduced, Mr. Wilkes censured it as pedantry[329].  JOHNSON.  ’No, Sir, it is a good thing; there is a community of mind in it.  Classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world.’  WlLKES.  ’Upon the continent they all quote the vulgate Bible.  Shakspeare is chiefly quoted here; and we quote also Pope, Prior, Butler, Waller, and sometimes Cowley[330].’