Mrs. Prichard being mentioned, he said, ’Her playing was quite mechanical.  It is wonderful how little mind she had.  Sir, she had never read the tragedy of Macbeth all through.  She no more thought of the play out of which her part was taken, than a shoemaker thinks of the skin, out of which the piece of leather, of which he is making a pair of shoes, is cut.’

On Saturday, April 8, I dined with him at Mr. Thrale’s, where we met the Irish Dr. Campbell.  Johnson had supped the night before at Mrs. Abington’s, with some fashionable people whom he named; and he seemed much pleased with having made one in so elegant a circle.  Nor did he omit to pique his mistress a little with jealousy of her housewifery; for he said, (with a smile,) ’Mrs. Abington’s jelly, my dear lady, was better than yours.’

Mrs. Thrale, who frequently practised a coarse mode of flattery, by repeating his bon-mots in his hearing, told us that he had said, a certain celebrated actor was just fit to stand at the door of an auction-room with a long pole, and cry ‘Pray gentlemen, walk in;’ and that a certain authour, upon hearing this, had said, that another still more celebrated actor was fit for nothing better than that, and would pick your pocket after you came out.  Johnson.  ’Nay, my dear lady, there is no wit in what our friend added; there is only abuse.  You may as well say of any man that he will pick a pocket.  Besides, the man who is stationed at the door does not pick people’s pockets; that is done within, by the auctioneer.’

On Monday, April 10, I dined with him at General Oglethorpe’s, with Mr. Langton and the Irish Dr. Campbell, whom the General had obligingly given me leave to bring with me.  This learned gentleman was thus gratified with a very high intellectual feast, by not only being in company with Dr. Johnson, but with General Oglethorpe, who had been so long a celebrated name both at home and abroad.

I must, again and again, intreat of my readers not to suppose that my imperfect record of conversation contains the whole of what was said by Johnson, or other eminent persons who lived with him.  What I have preserved, however, has the value of the most perfect authenticity.

He urged General Oglethorpe to give the world his Life.  He said, ’I know no man whose Life would be more interesting.  If I were furnished with materials, I should be very glad to write it.’

Mr. Scott of Amwell’s Elegies were lying in the room.  Dr. Johnson observed, ‘They are very well; but such as twenty people might write.’  Upon this I took occasion to controvert Horace’s maxim,

’------- mediocribus esse poetis
Non Di, non homines, non concessere columnae.’

For here, (I observed,) was a very middle-rate poet, who pleased many readers, and therefore poetry of a middle sort was entitled to some esteem; nor could I see why poetry should not, like every thing else, have different gradations of excellence, and consequently of value.  Johnson repeated the common remark, that, ’as there is no necessity for our having poetry at all, it being merely a luxury, an instrument of pleasure, it can have no value, unless when exquisite in its kind.’  I declared myself not satisfied.  ’Why then, Sir, (said he,) Horace and you must settle it.’  He was not much in the humour of talking.