e will be full, and that an order would be worth three
shillings." Eager to take any opening to get into conversation with
him, I ventured to say, "Oh, sir, I can not think Mr. Garrick would
grudge such a trifle to you."

"Sir" (said he, with a stern look), "I have known David Garrick longer
than you have done; and I know no right you have to talk to me on the
subject." Perhaps I deserved this check; for it was rather
presumptuous in me, an entire stranger, to express any doubt of the
justice of his animadversion upon his old acquaintance and pupil. I
now felt myself much mortified, and began to think that the hope which
I had long indulged of obtaining his acquaintance was blasted. And in
truth, had not my ardor been uncommonly strong, and my resolution
uncommonly persevering, so rough a reception might have deterred me
forever from making any further attempts....

I was highly pleased with the extraordinary vigor of his conversation,
and regretted that I was drawn away from it by an engagement at
another place. I had for a part of the evening been left alone with
him, and had ventured to make an observation now and then, which he
received very civilly; so that I was satisfied that tho there was a
roughness in his manner, there was no ill-nature in his disposition.
Davies followed me to the door, and when I complained to him a little
of the hard blows which the great man had given me, he kindly took
upon him to console me by saying, "Don't be uneasy. I can see he likes
you very well."

A few days afterward I called on Davies, and asked him if he thought I
might take the liberty of waiting on Mr. Johnson at his chambers in
the Temple. He said I certainly might, and that Mr. Johnson would take
it as a compliment. So on Tuesday the 24th of May, after having been
enlivened by the witty sallies of Messieurs Thornton, Wilkes,
Churchill, and Lloyd, with whom I had passed the morning, I boldly
repaired to Johnson. His chambers were on the first floor of No. 1,
Inner Temple Lane, and I entered them with an impression given me by
the Rev. Dr. Blair,[2] of Edinburgh, who had been introduced to him
not long before, and described his having "found the giant in his
den"; an expression which, when I came to be pretty well acquainted
with Johnson, I repeated to him, and he was diverted at this
picturesque account of himself. Dr. Blair had been presented to him
by Dr. James Fordyce. At this time the controversy concerning the
piece