n she
some time afterwards mentioned this to him, he said with equal truth
and politeness; 'Madam, if I had thought so, I certainly should not have
said it.'

Another evening Johnson's kind indulgence towards me had a pretty
difficult trial. I had dined at the Duke of Montrose's with a very
agreeable party, and his Grace, according to his usual custom, had
circulated the bottle very freely. Lord Graham and I went together to
Miss Monckton's, where I certainly was in extraordinary spirits, and
above all fear or awe. In the midst of a great number of persons of the
first rank, amongst whom I recollect with confusion, a noble lady of
the most stately decorum, I placed myself next to Johnson, and thinking
myself now fully his match, talked to him in a loud and boisterous
manner, desirous to let the company know how I could contend with Ajax.
I particularly remember pressing him upon the value of the pleasures
of the imagination, and as an illustration of my argument, asking him,
'What, Sir, supposing I were to fancy that the ----- (naming the most
charming Duchess in his Majesty's dominions) were in love with me,
should I not be very happy?' My friend with much address evaded my
interrogatories, and kept me as quiet as possible; but it may easily be
conceived how he must have felt. However, when a few days afterwards I
waited upon him and made an apology, he behaved with the most friendly
gentleness.

While I remained in London this year, Johnson and I dined together at
several places. I recollect a placid day at Dr. Butter's, who had
now removed from Derby to Lower Grosvenor-street, London; but of his
conversation on that and other occasions during this period, I neglected
to keep any regular record, and shall therefore insert here some
miscellaneous articles which I find in my Johnsonian notes.

His disorderly habits, when 'making provision for the day that was
passing over him,' appear from the following anecdote, communicated to
me by Mr. John Nichols:--'In the year 1763, a young bookseller, who was
an apprentice to Mr. Whiston, waited on him with a subscription to his
Shakspeare: and observing that the Doctor made no entry in any book of
the subscriber's name, ventured diffidently to ask, whether he would
please to have the gentleman's address, that it might be properly
inserted in the printed list of subscribers. "I shall print no list
of subscribers;" said Johnson, with great abruptness: but almost
immediately re