He was now fully convinced that he could not have been satisfied with a country living; for, talking of a respectable clergyman in Lincolnshire, he observed, ’This man, Sir, fills up the duties of his life well.  I approve of him, but could not imitate him.’

To a lady who endeavoured to vindicate herself from blame for neglecting social attention to worthy neighbours, by saying, ’I would go to them if it would do them any good,’ he said, ’What good, Madam, do you expect to have in your power to do them?  It is shewing them respect, and that is doing them good.’

So socially accommodating was he, that once when Mr. Langton and he were driving together in a coach, and Mr. Langton complained of being sick, he insisted that they should go out and sit on the back of it in the open air, which they did.  And being sensible how strange the appearance must be, observed, that a countryman whom they saw in a field, would probably be thinking, ’If these two madmen should come down, what would become of me?’

Soon after his return to London, which was in February, was founded that club which existed long without a name, but at Mr. Garrick’s funeral became distinguished by the title of the literary club.  Sir Joshua Reynolds had the merit of being the first proposer of it, to which Johnson acceded, and the original members were, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Dr. Johnson, Mr. Edmund Burke, Dr. Nugent, Mr. Beauclerk, Mr. Langton, Dr. Goldsmith, Mr. Chamier, and Sir John Hawkins.  They met at the Turk’s Head, in Gerrard-street, Soho, one evening in every week, at seven, and generally continued their conversation till a pretty late hour.  This club has been gradually increased to its present number, thirty-five:  After about ten years, instead of supping weekly, it was resolved to dine together once a fortnight during the meeting of Parliament.  Their original tavern having been converted into a private house, they moved first to Prince’s in Sackville-street, then to Le Telier’s in Dover-street, and now meet at Parsloe’s, St. James’s-street.  Between the time of its formation, and the time at which this work is passing through the press, (June 1792,) the following persons, now dead, were members of it:  Mr. Dunning, (afterwards Lord Ashburton,) Mr. Samuel Dyer, Mr. Garrick, Dr. Shipley Bishop of St. Asaph, Mr. Vesey, Mr. Thomas Warton and Dr. Adam Smith.  The present members are,—­Mr. Burke, Mr. Langton, Lord Charlemont, Sir Robert Chambers, Dr. Percy Bishop of Dromore, Dr. Barnard Bishop of Killaloc, Dr. Marlay Bishop of Clonfert, Mr. Fox, Dr. George Fordyce, Sir William Scott, Sir Joseph Banks, Sir Charles Bunbury, Mr. Windham of Norfolk, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Gibbon, Sir William Jones, Mr. Colman, Mr. Steevens, Dr. Burney, Dr. Joseph Warton, Mr. Malone, Lord Ossory, Lord Spencer, Lord Lucan, Lord Palmerston, Lord Eliot, Lord Macartney, Mr. Richard Burke junior, Sir William Hamilton, Dr. Warren, Mr. Courtenay, Dr. Hinchcliffe Bishop of Peterborough, the Duke of Leeds, Dr. Douglas Bishop of Salisbury, and the writer of this account.