Miss Adams mentioned a gentleman of licentious character, and said, ’Suppose I had a mind to marry that gentleman, would my parents consent?’ Johnson.  ’Yes, they’d consent, and you’d go.  You’d go though they did not consent.’  Miss Adams.  ’Perhaps their opposing might make me go.’  Johnson.  ’O, very well; you’d take one whom you think a bad man, to have the pleasure of vexing your parents.  You put me in mind of Dr. Barrowby, the physician, who was very fond of swine’s flesh.  One day, when he was eating it, he said, “I wish I was a Jew.”  “Why so? (said somebody;) the Jews are not allowed to eat your favourite meat.”  “Because, (said he,) I should then have the gust of eating it, with the pleasure of sinning."’ Johnson then proceeded in his declamation.

Miss Adams soon afterwards made an observation that I do not recollect, which pleased him much:  he said with a good-humoured smile, ’That there should be so much excellence united with so much depravity, is strange.’

Indeed, this lady’s good qualities, merit, and accomplishments, and her constant attention to Dr. Johnson, were not lost upon him.  She happened to tell him that a little coffeepot, in which she had made his coffee, was the only thing she could call her own.  He turned to her with a complacent gallantry, ’Don’t say so, my dear; I hope you don’t reckon my heart as nothing.’

On Friday, June 11, we talked at breakfast, of forms of prayer.  Johnson.  ‘I know of no good prayers but those in the Book of Common Prayer.’  Dr. Adams. (in a very earnest manner:) ’I wish, Sir, you would compose some family prayers.’  Johnson.  ’I will not compose prayers for you, Sir, because you can do it for yourself.  But I have thought of getting together all the books of prayers which I could, selecting those which should appear to me the best, putting out some, inserting others, adding some prayers of my own, and prefixing a discourse on prayer.’  We all now gathered about him, and two or three of us at a time joined in pressing him to execute this plan.  He seemed to be a little displeased at the manner of our importunity, and in great agitation called out, ’Do not talk thus of what is so aweful.  I know not what time god will allow me in this world.  There are many things which I wish to do.’  Some of us persisted, and Dr. Adams said, ’I never was more serious about any thing in my life.’  Johnson.  ‘Let me alone, let me alone; I am overpowered.’  And then he put his hands before his face, and reclined for some time upon the table.