rate in his
head, and bring his stock of knowledge artfully into play. How else,"
added he, "do the gamesters manage when they play for more money than
they are worth?" His Dictionary, however, could not, one would think,
have been written by running up and down; but he really did not consider
it as a great performance; and used to say "that he might have done it
easily in two years had not his health received several shocks during the
time."

When Mr. Thrale, in consequence of this declaration, teased him in the
year 1768 to give a new edition of it, because, said he, there are four
or five gross faults: "Alas! sir," replied Johnson, "there are four or
five hundred faults instead of four or five; but you do not consider that
it would take me up three whole months' labour, and when the time was
expired the work would not be done." When the booksellers set him about
it, however, some years after, he went cheerfully to the business, said
he was well paid, and that they deserved to have it done carefully. His
reply to the person who complimented him on its coming out first,
mentioning the ill success of the French in a similar attempt, is well
known, and, I trust, has been often recorded. "Why, what would you
expect, dear sir," said he, "from fellows that eat frogs?" I have,
however, often thought Dr. Johnson more free than prudent in professing
so loudly his little skill in the Greek language; for though he
considered it as a proof of a narrow mind to be too careful of literary
reputation, yet no man could be more enraged than he if an enemy, taking
advantage of this confession, twitted him with his ignorance; and I
remember when the King of Denmark was in England one of his noblemen was
brought by Mr. Colman to see Dr. Johnson at our country house, and having
heard, he said, that he was not famous for Greek literature, attacked him
on the weak side, politely adding that he chose that conversation on
purpose to favour himself. Our Doctor, however, displayed so copious, so
compendious a knowledge of authors, books, and every branch of learning
in that language, that the gentleman appeared astonished. When he was
gone home, says Johnson, "Now, for all this triumph I may thank Thrale's
Xenophon here, as I think, excepting that _one_, I have not looked in a
Greek book these ten years; but see what haste my dear friends were all
in," continued he, "to tell this poor innocent foreigner that I know
nothing of Greek! Oh,