We stopped at Welwyn,where I wished much to see,in company with Dr.Johnson,the residence of the authour of Night Thoughts,which was then possessed by his son,Mr.Young.Here some address was requisite,for I was not acquainted with Mr.Young,and had Iproposed to Dr.Johnson that we should send to him,he would have checked my wish,and perhaps been offended.I therefore concerted with Mr.Dilly,that I should steal away from Dr.Johnson and him,and try what reception I could procure from Mr.Young;if unfavourable,nothing was to be said;but if agreeable,I should return and notify it to them.I hastened to Mr.Young's,found he was at home,sent in word that a gentleman desired to wait upon him,and was shewn into a parlour,where he and a young lady,his daughter,were sitting.He appeared to be a plain,civil,country gentleman;and when I begged pardon for presuming to trouble him,but that I wished much to see his place,if he would give me leave;he behaved very courteously,and answered,'By all means,Sir;we are just going to drink tea;will you sit down?'I thanked him,but said,that Dr.Johnson had come with me from London,and I must return to the inn and drink tea with him;that my name was Boswell,I had travelled with him in the Hebrides.'Sir,(said he,)Ishould think it a great honour to see Dr.Johnson here.Will you allow me to send for him?'Availing myself of this opening,I said that 'I would go myself and bring him,when he had drunk tea;he knew nothing of my calling here.'Having been thus successful,Ihastened back to the inn,and informed Dr.Johnson that 'Mr.Young,son of Dr.Young,the authour of Night Thoughts,whom I had just left,desired to have the honour of seeing him at the house where his father lived.'Dr.Johnson luckily made no inquiry how this invitation had arisen,but agreed to go,and when we entered Mr.
Young's parlour,he addressed him with a very polite bow,'Sir,Ihad a curiosity to come and see this place.I had the honour to know that great man,your father.'We went into the garden,where we found a gravel walk,on each side of which was a row of trees,planted by Dr.Young,which formed a handsome Gothick arch;Dr.
Johnson called it a fine grove.I beheld it with reverence.
We sat some time in the summer-house,on the outside wall of which was inscribed,'Ambulantes in horto audiebant vocem Dei;'and in reference to a brook by which it is situated,'Vivendi recte qui prorogat horam,'&c.I said to Mr.Young,that I had been told his father was cheerful.'Sir,(said he,)he was too well-bred a man not to be cheerful in company;but he was gloomy when alone.He never was cheerful after my mother's death,and he had met with many disappointments.'Dr.Johnson observed to me afterwards,'That this was no favourable account of Dr.Young;for it is not becoming in a man to have so little acquiescence in the ways of Providence,as to be gloomy because he has not obtained as much preferment as he expected;nor to continue gloomy for the loss of his wife.Grief has its time.'The last part of this censure was theoretically made.Practically,we know that grief for the loss of a wife may be continued very long,in proportion as affection has been sincere.No man knew this better than Dr.Johnson.
Upon the road we talked of the uncertainty of profit with which authours and booksellers engage in the publication of literary works.JOHNSON.'My judgement I have found is no certain rule as to the sale of a book.'BOSWELL.'Pray,Sir,have you been much plagued with authours sending you their works to revise?'JOHNSON.
'No,Sir;I have been thought a sour,surly fellow.'BOSWELL.
'Very lucky.for you,Sir,--in that respect.'I must however observe,that notwithstanding what he now said,which he no doubt imagined at the time to be the fact,there was,perhaps,no man who more frequently yielded to the solicitations even of very obscure authours,to read their manus,or more liberally assisted them with advice and correction.
He found himself very happy at 'Squire Dilly's,where there is always abundance of excellent fare,and hearty welcome.
On Sunday,June 3,we all went to Southill church,which is very near to Mr.Dilly's house.It being the first Sunday of the month,the holy sacrament was administered,and I staid to partake of it.
When I came afterwards into Dr.Johnson's room,he said,'You did right to stay and receive the communion;I had not thought of it.'
This seemed to imply that he did not choose to approach the altar without a previous preparation,as to which good men entertain different opinions,some holding that it is irreverent to partake of that ordinance without considerable premeditation.
Although upon most occasions I never heard a more strenuous advocate for the advantages of wealth,than Dr.Johnson:he this day,I know not from what caprice,took the other side.'I have not observed (said he,)that men of very large fortunes enjoy any thing extraordinary that makes happiness.What has the Duke of Bedford?What has the Duke of Devonshire?The only great instance that I have ever known of the enjoyment of wealth was,that of Jamaica Dawkins,who,going to visit Palmyra,and hearing that the way was infested by robbers,hired a troop of Turkish horse to guard him.'
Dr.Gibbons,the Dissenting minister,being mentioned,he said,'Itook to Dr.Gibbons.'And addressing himself to Mr.Charles Dilly,added,'I shall be glad to see him.Tell him,if he'll call on me,and dawdle over a dish of tea in an afternoon,I shall take it kind.'
The Reverend Mr.Smith,Vicar of Southill,a very respectable man,with a very agreeable family,sent an invitation to us to drink tea.I remarked Dr.Johnson's very respectful politeness.Though always fond of changing the scene,he said,'We must have Mr.
Dilly's leave.We cannot go from your house,Sir,without your permission.'We all went,and were well satisfied with our visit.
