agine that it is a land of famine. But they amused
themselves with persevering in the old jokes. When I claimed a
superiority for Scotland over England in one respect, that no man can be
arrested there for a debt merely because another swears it against him;
but there must first be the judgment of a court of law ascertaining its
justice; and that a seizure of the person, before judgment is obtained,
can take place only if his creditor should swear that he is about to fly
from the country, or, as it is technically expressed, is _in meditatione
fugae_;--_Wilkes._ "That, I should think, may be safely sworn of all the
Scotch nation." _Johnson_ (to Mr. Wilkes). "You must know, Sir, I lately
took my friend Boswell, and showed him genuine civilized life in an
English provincial town. I turned him loose at Lichfield, my native
city, that he might see for once real civility; for you know he lives
among savages in Scotland and among rakes in London." _Wilkes._ "Except
when he is with grave, sober, decent people, like you and me." _Johnson_
(smiling). "And we ashamed of him."

... This record, though by no means so perfect as I could wish, will
serve to give a notion of a very curious interview, which was not only
pleasing at the time, but had the agreeable and benignant effect of
reconciling any animosity, and sweetening any acidity, which, in the
various bustle of political contest, had been produced in the minds of
two men, who, though widely different, had so many things in
common--classical learning, modern literature, wit and humor, and ready
repartee--that it would have been much to be regretted if they had been
forever at a distance from each other.

Mr. Burke gave me much credit for this successful _negotiation_; and
pleasantly said, "that there was nothing equal to it in the whole
history of the _corps diplomatique_."

I attended Dr. Johnson home, and had the satisfaction to hear him tell
Mrs. Williams how much he had been pleased with Mr. Wilkes's company,
and what an agreeable day he had passed.

FOOTNOTES:

[E] Johnson's dislike of Mr. Wilkes was so great that it extended
even to his connections. He happened to dine one day at Sir Joshua
Reynolds's with a large and distinguished company, amongst whom were
Mr. Wilkes's brother, Israel, and his lady. In the course of
conversation, Mr. Israel Wilkes was about to make some remark, when
Johnson suddenly stopped him with, "I hope, sir, what you are going
to say may be