e; and
upon his saying he had not, I amus'd myself with the following Amendment
of it:

When Gallant LEEDS auspiciously shall wed
The virtuous Fair, of antient Lineage bred,
How must the Maid rejoice with conscious Pride
To win so great an Husband to her Side!

On shewing this to Dr. =Johnson=, he said, "Sir, you have straightened
out the Feet, but you have put neither Wit nor Poetry into the Lines."

It wou'd afford me Gratification to tell more of my Experiences with Dr.
=Johnson= and his circle of Wits; but I am an old Man, and easily
fatigued. I seem to ramble along without much Logick or Continuity when
I endeavour to recall the Past; and fear I light upon but few Incidents
which others have not before discuss'd. Shou'd my present Recollections
meet with Favour, I might later set down some further Anecdotes of old
Times of which I am the only Survivor. I recall many Things of =Sam
Johnson= and his Club, having kept up my Membership in the Latter long
after the Doctor's Death, at which I sincerely mourn'd. I remember how
=John Burgoyne=, Esq., the General, whose Dramatick and Poetical Works
were printed after his Death, was blackballed by three Votes; probably
because of his unfortunate Defeat in the =American= War, at =Saratoga=.
Poor =John=! His Son fared better, I think, and was made a Baronet. But
I am very tired. I am old, very old; it is Time for my Afternoon Nap.

DEPARTMENT _of_ PUBLIC CRITICISM

=The Dabbler=, for September, in the entire unexpectedness and splendor
of its appearance, must be counted as one of the most effective of
recent rebukes to the pessimists. There have been several such rebukes,
and those who had already prepared themselves for another barren year in
amateur journalism are beginning to realize that even history cannot be
relied upon to repeat itself indefinitely. =The Dabbler= is issued by
H. L. Lindquist of Chicago, and contains 16 pages, exclusive of the
covers. The initial letters and a few incidental adornments are printed
in green, and the title-page, with its harmonious arrangement of type
and decoration, is a delight to the eye. The typography, throughout, is
almost flawless, and the contents, in general, are worthy of the care
with which they have been presented to the reader. Paul J. Campbell, in
his article, "What Does Amateur Journalism Mean to You?" once again
defines the peculiar benefits and pleasures to be derived from our
hobby, and warns away