e of his illness, when he was much distressed by
the dropsy. He had shut himself up, and employed a day in particular
exercises of religion--fasting, humiliation, and prayer. On a sudden
he obtained extraordinary relief, for which he looked up to Heaven with
grateful devotion. He made no direct inference from this fact; but from
his manner of telling it, I could perceive that it appeared to him as
something more than an incident in the common course of events. For my
own part, I have no difficulty to avow that cast of thinking, which by
many modern pretenders to wisdom is called SUPERSTITIOUS. But here
I think even men of dry rationality may believe, that there was an
intermediate interposition of Divine Providence, and that 'the fervent
prayer of this righteous man' availed.

On Saturday, May 15, I dined with him at Dr. Brocklesby's, where were
Colonel Vallancy, Mr. Murphy, and that ever-cheerful companion Mr.
Devaynes, apothecary to his Majesty. Of these days, and others on which
I saw him, I have no memorials, except the general recollection of his
being able and animated in conversation, and appearing to relish
society as much as the youngest man. I find only these three small
particulars:--When a person was mentioned, who said, 'I have lived
fifty-one years in this world without having had ten minutes of
uneasiness;' he exclaimed, 'The man who says so, lies: he attempts to
impose on human credulity.' The Bishop of Exeter in vain observed, that
men were very different. His Lordship's manner was not impressive, and
I learnt afterwards that Johnson did not find out that the person who
talked to him was a Prelate; if he had, I doubt not that he would have
treated him with more respect; for once talking of George Psalmanazar,
whom he reverenced for his piety, he said, 'I should as soon think of
contradicting a BISHOP.' One of the company* provoked him greatly by
doing what he could least of all bear, which was quoting something of
his own writing, against what he then maintained. 'What, Sir, (cried the
gentleman,) do you say to

"The busy day, the peaceful night,
Unfelt, uncounted, glided by?"'--

Johnson finding himself thus presented as giving an instance of a man
who had lived without uneasiness, was much offended, for he looked upon
such a quotation as unfair. His anger burst out in an unjustifiable
retort, insinuating that the gentleman's remark was a sally of ebriety;
'Sir, there is one passion