On Friday, March 31, having arrived in London the night before, I was glad to find him at Mrs. Thrale’s house, in Argyll-street, appearances of friendship between them being still kept up.  I was shewn into his room, and after the first salutation he said, ’I am glad you are come.  I am very ill.’  He looked pale, and was distressed with a difficulty of breathing; but after the common inquiries he assumed his usual strong animated style of conversation.  Seeing me now for the first time as a Laird, or proprietor of land, he began thus:  ’Sir, the superiority of a country-gentleman over the people upon his estate is very agreeable; and he who says he does not feel it to be agreeable, lies; for it must be agreeable to have a casual superiority over those who are by nature equal with us[510].’  BOSWELL.  ’Yet, Sir, we see great proprietors of land who prefer living in London.’  JOHNSON.  ’Why, Sir, the pleasure of living in London, the intellectual superiority that is enjoyed there, may counter-balance the other.  Besides, Sir, a man may prefer the state of the country-gentleman upon the whole, and yet there may never be a moment when he is willing to make the change to quit London for it.’  He said, ’It is better to have five per cent. out of land than out of money, because it is more secure; but the readiness of transfer, and promptness of interest, make many people rather choose the funds.  Nay, there is another disadvantage belonging to land, compared with money.  A man is not so much afraid of being a hard creditor, as of being a hard landlord.’  BOSWELL.  ’Because there is a sort of kindly connection between a landlord and his tenants.’  JOHNSON.  ’No, Sir; many landlords with us never see their tenants.  It is because if a landlord drives away his tenants, he may not get others; whereas the demand for money is so great, it may always be lent.’

He talked with regret and indignation of the factious opposition to Government at this time[511], and imputed it in a great measure to the Revolution.  ’Sir, (said he, in a low voice, having come nearer to me, while his old prejudices seemed to be fermenting in his mind,) this Hanoverian family is isolee here[512].  They have no friends.  Now the Stuarts had friends who stuck by them so late as 1745.  When the right of the King is not reverenced, there will not be reverence for those appointed by the King.’

His observation that the present royal family has no friends, has been too much justified by the very ungrateful behaviour of many who were under great obligations to his Majesty; at the same time there are honourable exceptions; and the very next year after this conversation, and ever since, the King has had as extensive and generous support as ever was given to any monarch, and has had the satisfaction of knowing that he was more and more endeared to his people[513].

He repeated to me his verses on Mr. Levett, with an emotion which gave them full effect[514]; and then he was pleased to say, ’You must be as much with me as you can.  You have done me good.  You cannot think how much better I am since you came in.’