human species
by superfluous attention to brutes, that when the creature was grown sick
and old, and could eat nothing but oysters, Mr. Johnson always went out
himself to buy Hodge's dinner, that Francis the black's delicacy might
not be hurt, at seeing himself employed for the convenience of a
quadruped.

No one was, indeed, so attentive not to offend in all such sort of things
as Dr. Johnson; nor so careful to maintain the ceremonies of life: and
though he told Mr. Thrale once that he had never sought to please till
past thirty years old, considering the matter as hopeless, he had been
always studious not to make enemies by apparent preference of himself. It
happened very comically that the moment this curious conversation passed,
of which I was a silent auditress, was in the coach, in some distant
province, either Shropshire or Derbyshire, I believe; and as soon as it
was over, Mr. Johnson took out of his pocket a little book and read,
while a gentleman of no small distinction for his birth and elegance
suddenly rode up to the carriage, and paying us all his proper
compliments, was desirous not to neglect Dr. Johnson; but observing that
he did not see him, tapped him gently on the shoulder. "'Tis Mr. Ch-lm---
ley," says my husband. "Well, sir! and what if it is Mr. Ch-lm---ley!"
says the other, sternly, just lifting his eyes a moment from his book,
and returning to it again with renewed avidity.

He had sometimes fits of reading very violent; and when he was in earnest
about getting through some particular pages, for I have heard him say he
never read but one book, which he did not consider as obligatory, through
in his whole life (and "Lady Mary Wortley's Letters," was the book); he
would be quite lost to the company, and withdraw all his attention to
what he was reading, without the smallest knowledge or care about the
noise made round him. His deafness made such conduct less odd and less
difficult to him than it would have been to another man: but his advising
others to take the same method, and pull a little book out when they were
not entertained with what was going forward in society, seemed more
likely to advance the growth of science than of polished manners, for
which he always pretended extreme veneration.

Mr. Johnson, indeed, always measured other people's notions of everything
by his own, and nothing could persuade him to believe that the books
which he disliked were agreeable to thousands, or that