Johnson's
conversation, that to his honour be it recorded, when I complained that
drinking port and sitting up late with him affected my nerves for some
time after, he said, 'One had better be palsied at eighteen than not
keep company with such a man[1286].'
[Page 435: The King of Prussia. AEtat 54.]
On Tuesday, July 18[1287], I found tall Sir Thomas Robinson[1288]
sitting with Johnson. Sir Thomas said, that the king of Prussia valued
himself upon three things;--upon being a hero, a musician, and an
authour. JOHNSON. 'Pretty well, Sir, for one man. As to his being an
authour, I have not looked at his poetry; but his prose is poor stuff.
He writes just as you might suppose Voltaire's footboy to do, who has
been his amanuensis. He has such parts as the valet might have, and about
as much of the colouring of the style as might be got by transcribing his
works.' When I was at Ferney, I repeated this to Voltaire, in order to
reconcile him somewhat to Johnson, whom he, in affecting the English mode
of expression, had previously characterised as 'a superstitious dog;' but
after hearing such a criticism on Frederick the Great, with whom he was
then on bad terms, he exclaimed, 'An honest fellow[1289]!'
But I think the criticism much too severe; for the _Memoirs of the House
of Brandenburgh_ are written as well as many works of that kind. His
poetry, for the style of which he himself makes a frank apology,
'_Jargonnant un Francois barbare_,' though fraught with pernicious
ravings of infidelity, has, in many places, great animation, and in some
a pathetick tenderness[1290].
Pages:
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451