rdship told us, that Foote had intended to bring
on the stage a father who had thus tutored his son, and to shew the son
an honest man to every one else, but practising his father's maxims upon
him, and cheating him. JOHNSON. 'I am much pleased with this design;
but I think there was no occasion to make the son honest at all. No; he
should be a consummate rogue: the contrast between honesty and knavery
would be the stronger. It should be contrived so that the father should
be the only sufferer by the son's villainy, and thus there would be
poetical justice.'

A young gentleman present took up the argument against him, and
maintained that no man ever thinks of the NOSE OF THE MIND, not
adverting that though that figurative sense seems strange to us, as very
unusual, it is truly not more forced than Hamlet's 'In my MIND'S EYE,
Horatio.' He persisted much too long, and appeared to Johnson as putting
himself forward as his antagonist with too much presumption; upon which
he called to him in a loud tone, 'What is it you are contending for, if
you BE contending?' And afterwards imagining that the gentleman retorted
upon him with a kind of smart drollery, he said, 'Mr. ***** it does not
become you to talk so to me. Besides, ridicule is not your talent; you
have THERE neither intuition nor sagacity.' The gentleman protested that
he had intended no improper freedom, but had the greatest respect
for Dr. Johnson. After a short pause, during which we were somewhat
uneasy,--JOHNSON. 'Give me your hand, Sir. You were too tedious, and I
was too short.' Mr. *****. 'Sir, I am honoured by your attention in any
way.' JOHNSON. 'Come, Sir, let's have no more of it. We offended
one another by our contention; let us not offend the company by our
compliments.'

He now said, 'He wished much to go to Italy, and that he dreaded
passing the winter in England.' I said nothing; but enjoyed a secret
satisfaction in thinking that I had taken the most effectual measures to
make such a scheme practicable.

On Monday, June 28, I had the honour to receive from the Lord Chancellor
the following letter:--

'TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ.

'SIR,--I should have answered your letter immediately, if (being much
engaged when I received it) I had not put it in my pocket, and forgot to
open it till this morning.

'I am much obliged to you for the suggestion; and I will adopt and press
it as far as I can. The best argument, I am sure, and I hope it is not
likely