This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1786 edition. Excerpt: ...Johnson)?" Friendship, Sir (replied I). "Why now, is it not strange that a wife man, like our dear little Evans, should take it in his head to preach on such a subject, in a place where no one can be thinking of it?" Why, what are they thinking upon, Sir (said I)? "Why, the men are thinking.on their money I ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1786 edition. Excerpt: ...Johnson)?" Friendship, Sir (replied I). "Why now, is it not strange that a wife man, like our dear little Evans, should take it in his head to preach on such a subject, in a place where no one can be thinking of it?" Why, what are they thinking upon, Sir (said I)? "Why, the men are thinking.on their money I suppose, and the women are thinking of their mops." Dr. Johnson's knowledge and esteem of what we call low or coarse life was indeed prodigious; and he did not like, that the upper ranks should be dignified with the name of the vsorld. Sir Joshua Reynolds said one day, that nobody wore laced coats now; and that once every body wore them. "See now (fays Johnson) how absurd that is; as if the bulk of mankind consisted of fine gentlemen that came to him to sit for their pictures. If every man who wears a laced coat (that he can pay for) was extirpated, who would miss them?'.' With all this haughty contempt of gentility, no praise was more welcome to Dr. Johnson than that which he said had the notions or manners of a gentleman: which character I have heard him define with accuracy, and describe with elegance. "Officers (he said) were falsely supposed to have the carriage of gentlemen; whereas no profession left a stronger brand behind it than that of a soldier; and it was the essence of a gentleman's character to bear the visible mark of no profession whatever." He once named Mr. Berenger as the standard of true elegance; but some one objecting that he too much resembled the gentleman in Congreve's comedies, Mr. Johnson said, "We must fix them upon the famous Thomas Hervey, whose manners were polished even to acuteness and brilliancy, though he lost but little in solid power of reasoning, and in genuine force of mind." Mr. Johnson had however an...
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