smart altercation.’  Miss Reynolds continues:—­’When the Dean came up into the drawing-room, Dr. Johnson immediately rose from his seat, and made him sit on the sofa by him, and with such a beseeching look for pardon and with such fond gestures—­literally smoothing down his arms and his knees,’ &c.  The Annual Register says that Barnard the next day sent the verses addressed to ‘Sir Joshua Reynolds & Co.’  On the next page I give Richard Burke’s version of the lines, and show the various readings.

MISS REYNOLD’S RICHARD BURKE’S VERSION. Annual Register
  VERSION
                    I lately thought no man alive
                    Could e’er improve past forty-five,
                      And ventured to assert it;
                    The observation was not new,
                    But seem’d to me so just and true,
                      That none could controvert it.

‘No, Sir,’ says Johnson, ’’tis not so;
’Tis That’s your mistake, and I can show
An instance, if you doubt it;
You who perhaps are You, Sir, who are near forty-eight,
still May much improve, ’tis not too late;
I wish you’d set about it.’

Encouraged thus to mend my faults,
I turn’d his counsel in my thoughts,
could Which way I should apply it:  Genius I knew was Learning and wit seem’d past my reach, what none can For who can learn where none will teach? when
And wit—­I could not buy it.

Then come, my friends, and try your skill,
may You can improve me, if you will; inform
(My books are at a distance). 
With you I’ll live and learn; and then
Instead of books I shall read men,
So_ lend me your assistance.  To

Dear Knight of Plympton[1301], teach me how
unclouded           To suffer with unruffled brow,
as                    And smile serene like thine,
and                 The jest uncouth or truth severe,
Like thee to turn   To such apply my deafest ear,            To such
And calmly drink my wine.                 I’ll turn

Thou say’st, not only skill is gain’d,
attained But genius too may be obtain’d, attained invitation By studious imitation;
Thy temper mild, thy genius fine,
study I’ll copy till I make them mine, thee meditation By constant application.

Thy art of pleasing teach me, Garrick,
reverest (sic) Thou who reversest odes Pindarick[1302],
A second time read o’er;
Oh! could we read thee backwards too,
Past Last thirty years thou shouldst review,
And charm us thirty more.

If I have thoughts and can’t express ’em,
Gibbon shall teach me how to dress ’em
In terms select and terse;
Jones teach me modesty—­and Greek;
Smith how to think; Burke how to speak, Burk
And Beauclerk to converse.