oncerning Pope,
whose Life he was about to write. Johnson had not flattered himself with
the hopes of receiving any civility from this nobleman; for he said to
me, when I mentioned Lord Marchmont as one who could tell him a great
deal about Pope,--'Sir, he will tell ME nothing.' I had the honour of
being known to his Lordship, and applied to him of myself, without being
commissioned by Johnson. His Lordship behaved in the most polite and
obliging manner, promised to tell all he recollected about Pope, and was
so very courteous as to say, 'Tell Dr. Johnson I have a great respect
for him, and am ready to shew it in any way I can. I am to be in the
city to-morrow, and will call at his house as I return.' His Lordship
however asked, 'Will he write the Lives of the Poets impartially? He was
the first that brought Whig and Tory into a Dictionary. And what do
you think of his definition of Excise? Do you know the history of his
aversion to the word transpire?' Then taking down the folio Dictionary,
he shewed it with this censure on its secondary sense: '"To escape
from secrecy to notice; a sense lately innovated from France, without
necessity." The truth was Lord Bolingbroke, who left the Jacobites,
first used it; therefore, it was to be condemned. He should have shewn
what word would do for it, if it was unnecessary.' I afterwards put the
question to Johnson: 'Why, Sir, (said he,) GET ABROAD.' BOSWELL. 'That,
Sir, is using two words.' JOHNSON. 'Sir, there is no end of this. You
may as well insist to have a word for old age.' BOSWELL. 'Well, Sir,
Senectus.' JOHNSON. 'Nay, Sir, to insist always that there should be
one word to express a thing in English, because there is one in another
language, is to change the language.'

I proposed to Lord Marchmont that he should revise Johnson's Life
of Pope: 'So (said his Lordship,) you would put me in a dangerous
situation. You know he knocked down Osborne the bookseller.'

Elated with the success of my spontaneous exertion to procure material
and respectable aid to Johnson for his very favourite work, The Lives
of the Poets, I hastened down to Mr. Thrale's at Streatham, where he now
was, that I might insure his being at home next day; and after dinner,
when I thought he would receive the good news in the best humour, I
announced it eagerly: 'I have been at work for you to-day, Sir. I have
been with Lord Marchmont. He bade me tell you he has a great respect for
you, and will call on you