at a wicked house it would be, and a wicked house it
is. Of you, however, I have no complaint to make, for I owe you a
letter. Still I live here by my own self, and have had of late very
bad nights; but then I have had a pig to dinner, which Mr. Perkins
gave me. Thus life is chequered."

On February 24th, 1784, Dr. Lort writes to Bishop Percy:

"Poor Dr. Johnson has had a very bad winter, attended by Heberden and
Brocklesby, who neither of them expected he would have survived the
frost: that being gone, he still remains, and I hope will now
continue, at least till the next severe one. It has indeed carried
off a great many old people."

Johnson to Mrs. Thrale:

"March 10th, 1784.

"Your kind expressions gave me great pleasure; do not reject me from
your thoughts. Shall we ever exchange confidence by the fireside
again?"

He was so absorbed with his own complaints as to make no allowance
for hers. Yet her health was in a very precarious state, and in the
autumn of the same year, his complaints of silence and neglect were
suspended by the intelligence that her daughter Sophia was lying at
death's door. On March 27th, 1784, she writes:

"You tell one of my daughters that you know not with distinctness the
cause of my complaints. I believe she who lives with me knows them no
better; one very dreadful one is however removed by dear Sophia's
recovery. It is kind in you to quarrel no more about expressions
which were not meant to offend; but unjust to suppose, I have not
lately thought myself dying. Let us, however, take the Prince of
Abyssinia's advice, _and not add to the other evils of life the
bitterness of controversy._ If courage is a noble and generous
quality, let us exert it _to_ the last, and _at_ the last: if faith
is a Christian virtue, let us willingly receive and accept that
support it will most surely bestow--and do permit me to repeat those
words with which I know not why you were displeased: _Let us leave
behind us the best example that we can_.

"All this is not written by a person in high health and happiness,
but by a fellow-sufferer, who has more to endure than she can tell,
or you can guess; and now let us talk of the Severn salmons, which
will be coming in soon; I shall send you one of the finest, and shall
be glad to hear that your appetite is good."

Johnson to Mrs. Thrale:

"April 21st, 1784.

"The Hooles, Miss Burney, and Mrs. Hull (Wesley's sister), feasted
yesterday with me very che