His Lordship endeavoured to justify himself to Dodsley from the charges
brought against him by Johnson; but we may judge of the flimsiness of
his defence, from his having excused his neglect of Johnson, by saying
that 'he had heard he had changed his lodgings, and did not know where
he lived;' as if there could have been the smallest difficulty to inform
himself of that circumstance, by inquiring in the literary circle with
which his Lordship was well acquainted, and was, indeed, himself one of
its ornaments.

Dr. Adams expostulated with Johnson, and suggested, that his not being
admitted when he called on him, was, probably, not to be imputed to Lord
Chesterfield; for his Lordship had declared to Dodsley, that 'he would
have turned off the best servant he ever had, if he had known that he
denied him to a man who would have been always more than welcome;' and,
in confirmation of this, he insisted on Lord Chesterfield's general
affability and easiness of access, especially to literary men. 'Sir
(said Johnson) that is not Lord Chesterfield; he is the proudest man
this day existing.' 'No, (said Dr. Adams) there is one person, at least,
as proud; I think, by your own account, you are the prouder man of the
two.' 'But mine (replied Johnson, instantly) was DEFENSIVE pride.' This,
as Dr. Adams well observed, was one of those happy turns for which he
was so remarkably ready.

Johnson having now explicitly avowed his opinion of Lord Chesterfield,
did not refrain from expressing himself concerning that nobleman with
pointed freedom: 'This man (said he) I thought had been a Lord among
wits; but, I find, he is only a wit among Lords!' And when his Letters
to his natural son were published, he observed, that 'they teach the
morals of a whore, and the manners of a dancing master.'

On the 6th of March came out Lord Bolingbroke's works, published by
Mr. David Mallet. The wild and pernicious ravings, under the name of
Philosophy, which were thus ushered into the world, gave great offence
to all well-principled men. Johnson, hearing of their tendency, which
nobody disputed, was roused with a just indignation, and pronounced this
memorable sentence upon the noble authour and his editor. 'Sir, he was a
scoundrel, and a coward: a scoundrel, for charging a blunderbuss against
religion and morality; a coward, because he had not resolution to fire
it off himself, but left half a crown to a beggarly Scotchman, to draw
the trigger after his