hat if he had made out what the
French call une catalogue raisonnee of all the people who had passed
under his observation, it would have afforded a very rich fund of
instruction and entertainment. The suddenness with which his accounts
of some of them started out in conversation, was not less pleasing than
surprizing. I remember he once observed to me, 'It is wonderful, Sir,
what is to be found in London. The most literary conversation that I
ever enjoyed, was at the table of Jack Ellis, a money-scrivener behind
the Royal Exchange, with whom I at one period used to dine generally
once a week.'

Volumes would be required to contain a list of his numerous and various
acquaintance, none of whom he ever forgot; and could describe and
discriminate them all with precision and vivacity. He associated with
persons the most widely different in manners, abilities, rank, and
accomplishments. He was at once the companion of the brilliant Colonel
Forrester of the Guards, who wrote The Polite Philosopher, and of the
aukward and uncouth Robert Levet; of Lord Thurlow, and Mr. Sastres,
the Italian master; and has dined one day with the beautiful, gay,
and fascinating Lady Craven, and the next with good Mrs. Gardiner, the
tallow-chandler, on Snow-hill.

On my expressing my wonder at his discovering so much of the knowledge
peculiar to different professions, he told me, 'I learnt what I know of
law, chiefly from Mr. Ballow, a very able man. I learnt some, too, from
Chambers; but was not so teachable then. One is not willing to be taught
by a young man.' When I expressed a wish to know more about Mr. Ballow,
Johnson said, 'Sir, I have seen him but once these twenty years. The
tide of life has driven us different ways.' I was sorry at the time
to hear this; but whoever quits the creeks of private connections,
and fairly gets into the great ocean of London, will, by imperceptible
degrees, unavoidably experience such cessations of acquaintance.

'My knowledge of physick, (he added,) I learnt from Dr. James, whom I
helped in writing the proposals for his Dictionary and also a little
in the Dictionary itself. I also learnt from Dr. Lawrence, but was then
grown more stubborn.'

A curious incident happened to-day, while Mr. Thrale and I sat with
him. Francis announced that a large packet was brought to him from the
post-office, said to have come from Lisbon, and it was charged SEVEN
POUNDS TEN SHILLINGS. He would not receive it, supposing it