On Saturday, May 15, I dined with him at Dr. Brocklesby’s, where were Colonel Vallancy, Mr. Murphy, and that ever-cheerful companion Mr. Devaynes, apothecary to his Majesty.  Of these days, and others on which I saw him, I have no memorials, except the general recollection of his being able and animated in conversation, and appearing to relish society as much as the youngest man.  I find only these three small particulars:—­When a person was mentioned, who said, ’I have lived fifty-one years in this world without having had ten minutes of uneasiness;’ he exclaimed, ’The man who says so, lies:  he attempts to impose on human credulity.’  The Bishop of Exeter in vain observed, that men were very different.  His Lordship’s manner was not impressive, and I learnt afterwards that Johnson did not find out that the person who talked to him was a Prelate; if he had, I doubt not that he would have treated him with more respect; for once talking of George Psalmanazar, whom he reverenced for his piety, he said, ’I should as soon think of contradicting a bishop.’  One of the company* provoked him greatly by doing what he could least of all bear, which was quoting something of his own writing, against what he then maintained.  ’What, Sir, (cried the gentleman,) do you say to

“The busy day, the peaceful night,
Unfelt, uncounted, glided by?"’—­

Johnson finding himself thus presented as giving an instance of a man who had lived without uneasiness, was much offended, for he looked upon such a quotation as unfair.  His anger burst out in an unjustifiable retort, insinuating that the gentleman’s remark was a sally of ebriety; ’Sir, there is one passion I would advise you to command:  when you have drunk out that glass, don’t drink another.’  Here was exemplified what Goldsmith said of him, with the aid of a very witty image from one of Cibber’s Comedies:  ’There is no arguing with Johnson; for if his pistol misses fire, he knocks you down with the butt end of it.’  Another was this:  when a gentleman of eminence in the literary world was violently censured for attacking people by anonymous paragraphs in news-papers; he, from the spirit of contradiction as I thought, took up his defence, and said, ’Come, come, this is not so terrible a crime; he means only to vex them a little.  I do not say that I should do it; but there is a great difference between him and me; what is fit for Hephaestion is not fit for Alexander.’  Another, when I told him that a young and handsome Countess had said to me, ’I should think that to be praised by Dr. Johnson would make one a fool all one’s life;’ and that I answered, ‘Madam, I shall make him a fool to-day, by repeating this to him,’ he said, ’I am too old to be made a fool; but if you say I am made a fool, I shall not deny it.  I am much pleased with a compliment, especially from a pretty woman.’

     * Boswell himself, likely enough.—­Hill.