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he could get from his larger book, working at a Grecian History, in the hope of procuring means to meet his daily liabilities. The future was thus gradually and gloomily darkening; but, while he could, he was happy and content not to look beyond the present, cheerful or careless as it might be. He sought relief in society, and went more than ever to the Club. The change he had advocated was now made in the latter; the circle of its members was enlarged to twenty; and he took renewed interest in its meetings. A sort of understanding had been entered into that the limit of attendances to secure continued membership, should be at least twice in five weeks; and that more frequent attendance would be expected from all. The election of Garrick was proposed to fill the first vacancy. This had been zealously seconded by Goldsmith; and three nights before She Stoops to Conquer came out, Garrick made his first appearance in Gerrard Street. On Beauclerc's proposition the same night they elected his friend and fellow-traveller Lord Charlemont, the Irish peer whose subsequent patriotism made the title so illustrious. Burke then proposed a friend of Lord Charlemont's and his own, Mr. Agmondesham Vesey; introducing his name with the remark that he was a man of gentle manners. 'Sir,' interrupted Johnson, 'you need say no more. When you

' have said a man of gentle manners, you have said enough.' (Nevertheless, when Vesey, with schoolboy gentleness of talk, introduced one day at the Club the subject of Catiline's conspiracy, Johnson withdrew his attention and

thought about Tom Thumb). Not many days after Vesey's election, Mr. William Jones, a young lawyer and accomplished scholar of the Temple, who had distinguished himself at University College with Chambers and Scott, and had this year made pleasing addition to the select store of Eastern literature, was proposed by Chambers and elected. A fifth candidate was now in agitation; proposed on the 23rd of April (when Goldsmith occupied the chair) by Johnson, and strenuously seconded by Beauclerc. This was no other than Boswell; and not a little surprised were the majority of the members to hear the name. They did not think that Johnson's love of flattery, or Beauclerc's love of a joke, would have carried either so far. But Johnson was resolute, and had but one answer to all who objected. If they had refused, sir,' he said afterwards to Boswell, they knew they'd never have 'got in another. I'd have kept them all out.' Burke had not yet seen the busy, consequential, officious young Scotchman, who had so effectually tacked himself on to Johnson but what he had heard, induced him to express a doubt if he was 'fit' for Gerrard Street; and the doubt was not likely to be removed by Boswell's own efforts to secure his election. He recommended himself to the various members he tells us, 'as in a canvass for an election into parliament.' He well deserved the seat nevertheless. Johnson invented the right word to express his merit, when he called him a 'clubable' man. Burke afterwards admitted that though he and several of the members had

wished to keep him out, none of them were sorry when he had got in. Boswell was eminently social. Society indeed was his idol, to which he made sacrifice of everything. He had all kinds of brisk and lively ways, good humour, and perpetual cheerfulness. He was to Reynolds the harbinger of festivity. He was Lord Stowell's realization of a good-natured jolly fellow. The frost of our English reserve melted at his approach. Malone knew his weaknesses, and always made battle' against his account of Goldsmith as a folly and a mistake (so, I may add, and in positive terms, did Reynolds, Burke, Lord Charlemont, Percy, and even George Steevens); but he also knew his strength. His eye glistened, says that unimpassioned observer, and his countenance brightened up, 'when he " saw the human face divine.' The drawback from all this, in social life, was his incontinence of tongue; which had made his name a bye-word for eavesdropper, talebearer, and babbling spy. He had in this respect but one fault, as Goldsmith said of Hickey, but that one was a thumper. Even this fault, however, served for protection against his failings in other respects. He blabbed them all, as he blabbed everything else; and his friends had ample notice to act on the defensive. He told Johnson one day that he was occasionally troubled with fits of stinginess. Why, sir, 'so am I,' returned Johnson, but I do not tell it;' and, mindful of the warning, he took care the next time he borrowed sixpence, to guard himself against being dunned for it. 'Boswell,' he said, 'lend me sixpence.. not to be repaid.'

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The day fixed for Boswell's ballot was Friday the 30th of April, when Beauclerc invited him to dinner, at his new house in the Adelphi; and among the members of the Club

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of conversation. They did not sit long, however; but went off in a body to the Club, leaving Boswell at Beauclerc's till the fate of his election should be announced to him. He sat in a state of anxiety, he tells us, which even the charming conversation of Lady Di Beauclerc could not entirely dissipate; but in a short time received the welcome tidings of his election, hastened to Gerrard Street, 'and was introduced 'to such a society as can seldom be found.' the first time saw Burke: and at the same supper-table, sat Johnson, Garrick, and Goldsmith; Mr. Jones and Doctor Nugent; Reynolds, Lord Charlemont, Langton, Chamier, Vesey, and Beauclerc. As he entered, Johnson rose with gravity to acquit himself of a pledge to his fellow members; and leaning on his chair as on a desk or pulpit, gave Bozzy a charge with humorous formality, pointing out the conduct expected from him as a good member of the Club. A warning not to blab or tattle doubtless formed part of it, and the injunction was on the whole not unfaithfully obeyed. We owe to Langton, not to Boswell, the report of a capital bit of Johnson's criticism on this particular evening; when, Goldsmith having produced a printed Ode which he had been hearing read by its author in a public room (at the rate of five shillings each for admission!), Johnson thus disposed of it: 'Bolder words and more timorous meaning, 'I think, never were brought together.' Only once, does any of the Club conversation appear to have been carried away, in detail, by Boswell; and a portion of that report conveys so agreeably the unaffected social character of the Gerrard

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