desired him not to call me _Goldy_.' "

This is one of several of Boswell's depreciatory mentions of
Goldsmith--which may well irritate biographers and admirers--and also
those who take that more kindly and more profound view of Boswell's
own character, which was opened up by Mr. Carlyle's famous article
on his book. No wonder that Mr. Irving calls Boswell an "incarnation
of toadyism". And the worst of it is, that Johnson himself has
suffered from this habit of the Laird of Auchenleck's. People are
apt to forget under what Boswellian stimulus the great Doctor
uttered many hasty things:--things no more indicative of the nature
of the depths of his character than the phosphoric gleaming of the
sea, when struck at night, is indicative of radical corruption of
nature! In truth, it is clear enough on the whole that both Johnson
and Goldsmith _appreciated_ each other, and that they mutually knew
it. They were, as it were, tripped up and flung against each other,
occasionally, by the blundering and silly gambolling of people in
company.

Something must be allowed for Boswell's "rivalry for Johnson's good
graces" with Oliver (as Sir Walter Scott has remarked), for Oliver
was intimate with the Doctor before his biographer was,--and as we
all remember, marched off with him to "take tea with Mrs. Williams"
before Boswell had advanced to that honourable degree of intimacy.
But, in truth, Boswell--though he perhaps showed more talent in his
delineation of the Doctor than is generally ascribed to him--had not
faculty to take a fair view of _two_ great men at a time. Besides,
as Mr. Forster justly remarks, "he was impatient of Goldsmith from
the first hour of their acquaintance."--_Life and Adventures_, p.
292.

186 The above portraits are from contemporary prints of this princess,
before her marriage, and in her old age.

187 Here [below in the text] are the figures, as drawn by young Gilray,
of Lord North, Mr. Fox, Mr. Pitt, and Mr. Burke.

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HENRY ESMOND; THE ENGLISH HUMOURISTS; THE FOUR GEORGES***

CREDITS

July 10, 2008

Project Gutenberg TEI edition 1
Produced by Chris Curnow, David King, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at <http://www.pgdp.net/>.