Mr. Thrale had married Miss Hesther Lynch Salusbury, of good Welsh extraction, a lady of lively talents, improved by education.  That Johnson’s introduction into Mr. Thrale’s family, which contributed so much to the happiness of his life, was owing to her desire for his conversation, is very probable and a general supposition:  but it is not the truth.  Mr. Murphy, who was intimate with Mr. Thrale, having spoken very highly of Dr. Johnson, he was requested to make them acquainted.  This being mentioned to Johnson, he accepted of an invitation to dinner at Thrale’s, and was so much pleased with his reception, both by Mr. and Mrs. Thrale, and they so much pleased with him, that his invitations to their house were more and more frequent, till at last he became one of the family, and an apartment was appropriated to him, both in their house in Southwark, and in their villa at Streatham.

Johnson had a very sincere esteem for Mr. Thrale, as a man of excellent principles, a good scholar, well skilled in trade, of a sound understanding, and of manners such as presented the character of a plain independent English Squire.  As this family will frequently be mentioned in the course of the following pages, and as a false notion has prevailed that Mr. Thrale was inferiour, and in some degree insignificant, compared with Mrs. Thrale, it may be proper to give a true state of the case from the authority of Johnson himself in his own words.

’I know no man, (said he,) who is more master of his wife and family than Thrale.  If he but holds up a finger, he is obeyed.  It is a great mistake to suppose that she is above him in literary attainments.  She is more flippant; but he has ten times her learning:  he is a regular scholar; but her learning is that of a school-boy in one of the lower forms.’  My readers may naturally wish for some representation of the figures of this couple.  Mr. Thrale was tall, well proportioned, and stately.  As for Madam, or my Mistress, by which epithets Johnson used to mention Mrs. Thrale, she was short, plump, and brisk.  She has herself given us a lively view of the idea which Johnson had of her person, on her appearing before him in a dark-coloured gown:  ’You little creatures should never wear those sort of clothes, however; they are unsuitable in every way.  What! have not all insects gay colours?’ Mr. Thrale gave his wife a liberal indulgence, both in the choice of their company, and in the mode of entertaining them.  He understood and valued Johnson, without remission, from their first acquaintance to the day of his death.  Mrs. Thrale was enchanted with Johnson’s conversation, for its own sake, and had also a very allowable vanity in appearing to be honoured with the attention of so celebrated a man.