himself.  He began the world with a great hunger for money; the son of a half-pay officer, bred in a family, whose study was to make four-pence do as much as others made four-pence halfpenny do.  But, when he had got money, he was very liberal.’  I presumed to animadvert on his eulogy on Garrick, in his Lives of the Poets.  ’You say, Sir, his death eclipsed the gaiety of nations.’  Johnson.  ’I could not have said more nor less.  It is the truth; eclipsed, not extinguished; and his death did eclipse; it was like a storm.’  Boswell.  ’But why nations?  Did his gaiety extend farther than his own nation?’ Johnson.  ’Why, Sir, some exaggeration must be allowed.  Besides, nations may be said—­if we allow the Scotch to be a nation, and to have gaiety,—­which they have not.  You are an exception, though.  Come, gentlemen, let us candidly admit that there is one Scotchman who is cheerful.’  Beauclerk.  ’But he is a very unnatural Scotchman.’  I, however, continued to think the compliment to Garrick hyperbolically untrue.  His acting had ceased some time before his death; at any rate he had acted in Ireland but a short time, at an early period of his life, and never in Scotland.  I objected also to what appears an anticlimax of praise, when contrasted with the preceding panegyrick,—­’and diminished the public stock of harmless pleasure!’—­’Is not harmless pleasure very tame?’ Johnson.  ’Nay, Sir, harmless pleasure is the highest praise.  Pleasure is a word of dubious import; pleasure is in general dangerous, and pernicious to virtue; to be able therefore to furnish pleasure that is harmless, pleasure pure and unalloyed, is as great a power as man can possess.’  This was, perhaps, as ingenious a defence as could be made; still, however, I was not satisfied.

Talking of celebrated and successful irregular practisers in physick; he said, ’Taylor was the most ignorant man I ever knew; but sprightly.  Ward the dullest.  Taylor challenged me once to talk Latin with him; (laughing).  I quoted some of Horace, which he took to be a part of my own speech.  He said a few words well enough.’  Beauclerk.  ’I remember, Sir, you said that Taylor was an instance how far impudence could carry ignorance.’  Mr. Beauclerk was very entertaining this day, and told us a number of short stories in a lively elegant manner, and with that air of the world which has I know not what impressive effect, as if there were something more than is expressed, or than perhaps we could perfectly understand.  As Johnson and I accompanied Sir Joshua Reynolds in his coach, Johnson said, ’There is in Beauclerk a predominance over his company, that one does not like.  But he is a man who has lived so much in the world, that he has a short story on every occasion; he is always ready to talk, and is never exhausted.’

Soon after this time a little incident occurred, which I will not suppress, because I am desirous that my work should be, as much as is consistent with the strictest truth, an antidote to the false and injurious notions of his character, which have been given by others, and therefore I infuse every drop of genuine sweetness into my biographical cup.