Doctor to hear, "Our friend here has no meaning now in all this, except
just to relate at club to-morrow how he teased Johnson at dinner
to-day--this is all to do himself _honour_." "No, upon my word," replied
the other, "I see no _honour_ in it, whatever you may do." "Well, sir!"
returned Mr. Johnson, sternly, "if you do not _see_ the _honour_, I am
sure I _feel_ the _disgrace_."

A young fellow, less confident of his own abilities, lamenting one day
that he had lost all his Greek--"I believe it happened at the same time,
sir," said Johnson, "that I lost all my large estate in Yorkshire."

But however roughly he might be suddenly provoked to treat a harmless
exertion of vanity, he did not wish to inflict the pain he gave, and was
sometimes very sorry when he perceived the people to smart more than they
deserved. "How harshly you treated that man to-day," said I once, "who
harangued us so about gardening." "I am sorry," said he, "if I vexed the
creature, for there is certainly no harm in a fellow's rattling a rattle-
box, only don't let him think that he thunders." The Lincolnshire lady
who showed him a grotto she had been making, came off no better, as I
remember. "Would it not be a pretty cool habitation in summer," said
she, "Mr. Johnson?" "I think it would, madam," replied he, "for a toad."

All desire of distinction, indeed, had a sure enemy in Mr. Johnson. We
met a friend driving six very small ponies, and stopped to admire them.
"Why does nobody," said our Doctor, "begin the fashion of driving six
spavined horses, all spavined of the same leg? It would have a mighty
pretty effect, and produce the distinction of doing something worse than
the common way."

When Mr. Johnson had a mind to compliment any one he did it with more
dignity to himself, and better effect upon the company, than any man. I
can recollect but few instances, indeed, though perhaps that may be more
my fault than his. When Sir Joshua Reynolds left the room one day, he
said, "There goes a man not to be spoilt by prosperity." And when Mrs.
Montague showed him some China plates which had once belonged to Queen
Elizabeth, he told her "that they had no reason to be ashamed of their
present possessor, who was so little inferior to the first." I likewise
remember that he pronounced one day at my house a most lofty panegyric
upon Jones the Orientalist, who seemed little pleased with the praise,
for what cause I know not. He was not at a