Head was continually
rolling about in a sort of convulsive way. Of this Infirmity, indeed, I
had known before; having heard of it from Mr. =Pope=, who took the
Trouble to make particular Inquiries.

Being nearly seventy-three, full nineteen Years older than Dr.
=Johnson=, (I say Doctor, tho' his Degree came not till two Years
afterward) I naturally expected him to have some Regard for my Age; and
was therefore not in that Fear of him, which others confess'd. On my
asking him what he thought of my favourable Notice of his Dictionary in
=The Londoner=, my periodical Paper, he said: "Sir, I possess no
Recollection of having perus'd your Paper, and have not a great Interest
in the Opinions of the less thoughtful Part of Mankind." Being more than
a little piqued at the Incivility of one whose Celebrity made me
solicitous of his Approbation, I ventur'd to retaliate in kind, and told
him, I was surpris'd that a Man of Sense shou'd judge the Thoughtfulness
of one whose Productions he admitted never having read. "Why, Sir,"
reply'd =Johnson=, "I do not require to become familiar with a Man's
Writings in order to estimate the Superficiality of his Attainments,
when he plainly shews it by his Eagerness to mention his own Productions
in the first Question he puts to me." Having thus become Friends, we
convers'd on many Matters. When, to agree with him, I said I was
distrustful of the Authenticity of =Ossian's= Poems, Mr. =Johnson= said:
"That, Sir, does not do your Understanding particular Credit; for what
all the Town is sensible of, is no great Discovery for a =Grub-Street=
Critick to make. You might as well say, you have a strong Suspicion that
=Milton= wrote 'Paradise Lost!'"

I thereafter saw =Johnson= very frequently, most often at Meetings of
THE LITERARY CLUB, which was founded the next Year by the Doctor,
together with Mr. =Burke=, the parliamentary Orator, Mr. =Beauclerk=, a
Gentleman of Fashion, Mr. =Langton=, a pious Man and Captain of Militia,
Sir =J. Reynolds=, the widely known Painter, Dr. =Goldsmith=, the Prose
and poetick Writer, Dr. =Nugent=, father-in-law to Mr. =Burke=, Sir
=John Hawkins=, Mr. =Anthony Chamier=, and my self. We assembled
generally at seven o'clock of an Evening, once a Week, at the
=Turk's-Head=, in =Gerrard-Street=, =Soho=, till that Tavern was sold
and made into a private Dwelling; after which Event we mov'd our
Gatherings successively to =Prince's= in =Sackville-Street=, =Le
Tellier's= in =