Here Learning, blinded first and then beguil'd,
Looks dark as Ignorance, as Fancy wild."

You see they'd have fitted him to a T,' (smiling.) Dr. ADAMS. 'But you
did not write against Warburton.' JOHNSON. No, Sir, I treated him with
great respect both in my Preface and in my Notes.'

After dinner, when one of us talked of there being a great enmity
between Whig and Tory;--Johnson. 'Why not so much, I think, unless when
they come into competition with each other. There is none when they are
only common acquaintance, none when they are of different sexes. A Tory
will marry into a Whig family, and a Whig into a Tory family, without
any reluctance. But indeed, in a matter of much more concern than
political tenets, and that is religion, men and women do not concern
themselves much about difference of opinion; and ladies set no value on
the moral character of men who pay their addresses to them; the greatest
profligate will be as well received as the man of the greatest virtue,
and this by a very good woman, by a woman who says her prayers three
times a day.' Our ladies endeavoured to defend their sex from this
charge; but he roared them down! 'No, no, a lady will take Jonathan Wild
as readily as St. Austin, if he has threepence more; and, what is worse,
her parents will give her to him. Women have a perpetual envy of our
vices; they are less vicious than we, not from choice, but because we
restrict them; they are the slaves of order and fashion; their virtue is
of more consequence to us than our own, so far as concerns this world.'

Miss Adams mentioned a gentleman of licentious character, and said,
'Suppose I had a mind to marry that gentleman, would my parents
consent?' JOHNSON. 'Yes, they'd consent, and you'd go. You'd go though
they did not consent.' Miss ADAMS. 'Perhaps their opposing might make me
go.' JOHNSON. 'O, very well; you'd take one whom you think a bad man,
to have the pleasure of vexing your parents. You put me in mind of Dr.
Barrowby, the physician, who was very fond of swine's flesh. One day,
when he was eating it, he said, "I wish I was a Jew." "Why so? (said
somebody;) the Jews are not allowed to eat your favourite meat."
"Because, (said he,) I should then have the gust of eating it, with the
pleasure of sinning."' Johnson then proceeded in his declamation.

Miss Adams soon afterwards made an observation that I do not recollect,
which pleased him much: he said with a good-humoured smile, 'That ther