an manners, "that from his
scenes a hermit might estimate the value of society, and a confessor
predict the progress of the passions." I have not the book with me here,
but am pretty sure that such is his expression.

The general and constant advice he gave, too, when consulted about the
choice of a wife, a profession, or whatever influences a man's particular
and immediate happiness, was always to reject no positive good from fears
of its contrary consequences. "Do not," said he, "forbear to marry a
beautiful woman if you can find such, out of a fancy that she will be
less constant than an ugly one; or condemn yourself to the society of
coarseness and vulgarity for fear of the expenses or other dangers of
elegance and personal charms, which have been always acknowledged as a
positive good, and for the want of which there should be always given
some weighty compensation. I have, however," continued Mr. Johnson,
"seen some prudent fellows who forbore to connect themselves with beauty
lest coquetry should be near, and with wit or birth lest insolence should
lurk behind them, till they have been forced by their discretion to
linger life away in tasteless stupidity, and choose to count the moments
by remembrance of pain instead of enjoyment of pleasure."

When professions were talked of, "Scorn," said Mr. Johnson, "to put your
behaviour under the dominion of canters; never think it clever to call
physic a mean study, or law a dry one; or ask a baby of seven years old
which way his _genius_ leads him, when we all know that a boy of seven
years old has no _genius_ for anything except a pegtop and an apple-pie;
but fix on some business where much money may be got, and little virtue
risked: follow that business steadily, and do not live as Roger Ascham
says the wits do, 'men know not how; and at last die obscurely, men mark
not where.'"

Dr. Johnson had indeed a veneration for the voice of mankind beyond what
most people will own; and as he liberally confessed that all his own
disappointments proceeded from himself, he hated to hear others complain
of general injustice. I remember when lamentation was made of the
neglect showed to Jeremiah Markland, a great philologist, as some one
ventured to call him. "He is a scholar, undoubtedly, sir," replied Dr.
Johnson, "but remember that he would run from the world, and that it is
not the world's business to run after him. I hate a fellow whom pride,
or cowardice, or laziness dr