Reynolds’ portrait of Mrs. Thrale conveys a highly agreeable impression of her; and so does Hogarth’s, when she sat to him for the principal figure in “The Lady’s Last Stake.”  She was then only fourteen; and he probably idealised his model; but that he also produced a striking likeness, is obvious on comparing his picture with the professed portraits.  The history of this picture (which has been engraved, at Lord Macaulay’s suggestion, for this work) will be found in the Autobiography and the Letters.

Boswell’s account of his first visit to Streatham gives a tolerably fair notion of the footing on which Johnson stood there, and the manner in which the interchange of mind was carried on between him and the hostess.  This visit took place in October, 1769, four years after Johnson’s introduction to her; and Boswell’s absence from London, in which he had no fixed residence during Johnson’s life, will hardly account for the neglect of his illustrious friend in not procuring him a privilege which he must have highly coveted and would doubtless have turned to good account.

“On the 6th of October I complied with this obliging invitation; and found, at an elegant villa, six miles from town, every circumstance that can make society pleasing.  Johnson, though quite at home, was yet looked up to with an awe, tempered by affection, and seemed to be equally the care of his host and hostess.  I rejoiced at seeing him so happy.”

“Mrs. Thrale disputed with him on the merit of Prior.  He attacked him powerfully; said he wrote of love like a man who had never felt it; his love verses were college verses:  and he repeated the song, ‘Alexis shunn’d his fellow swains,’ &c. in so ludicrous a manner, as to make us all wonder how any one could have been pleased with such fantastical stuff.  Mrs. Thrale stood to her guns with great courage, in defence of amorous ditties, which Johnson despised, till he at last silenced her by saving, ’My dear lady, talk no more of this.  Nonsense can be defended but by nonsense.’

“Mrs. Thrale then praised Garrick’s talents for light gay poetry; and, as a specimen, repeated his song in ‘Florizel and Perdita,’ and dwelt with peculiar pleasure on this line:—­

  “‘I’d smile with the simple, and feed with the poor.’

“Johnson.—­’Nay, my dear lady, this will never do.  Poor David!  Smile with the simple!—­what folly is that?  And who would feed with the poor that can help it?  No, no; let me smile with the wise, and feed with the rich.’” Boswell adds, that he repeated this sally to Glarrick, and wondered to find his sensibility as a writer not a little irritated by it; on which Mrs. Thrale remarks, “How odd to go and tell the man!”

The independent tone she took when she deemed the Doctor unreasonable, is also proved by Boswell in his report of what took place at Streatham in reference to Lord Marchmont’s offer to supply information for the Life of Pope: