Mr. Warton, being engaged, could not sup with us at our inn; we had therefore another evening by ourselves.  I asked Johnson, whether a man’s being forward to make himself known to eminent people, and seeing as much of life, and getting as much information as he could in every way, was not yet lessening himself by his forwardness.  Johnson.  ’No, Sir, a man always makes himself greater as he increases his knowledge.

I censured some ludicrous fantastick dialogues between two coach-horses and other such stuff, which Baretti had lately published.  He joined with me, and said, ‘Nothing odd will do long.  Tristram Shandy did not last.’  I expressed a desire to be acquainted with a lady who had been much talked of, and universally celebrated for extraordinary address and insinuation.  Johnson.  ’Never believe extraordinary characters which you hear of people.  Depend upon it, Sir, they are exaggerated.  You do not see one man shoot a great deal higher than another.’  I mentioned Mr. Burke.  Johnson.  ’Yes; Burke is an extraordinary man.  His stream of mind is perpetual.’  It is very pleasing to me to record, that Johnson’s high estimation of the talents of this gentleman was uniform from their early acquaintance.  Sir Joshua Reynolds informs me, that when Mr. Burke was first elected a member of Parliament, and Sir John Hawkins expressed a wonder at his attaining a seat, Johnson said, ’Now we who know Mr. Burke, know, that he will be one of the first men in this country.’  And once, when Johnson was ill, and unable to exert himself as much as usual without fatigue, Mr. Burke having been mentioned, he said, ’That fellow calls forth all my powers.  Were I to see Burke now it would kill me.’  So much was he accustomed to consider conversation as a contest, and such was his notion of Burke as an opponent.

Next morning, Thursday, March 21, we set out in a post-chaise to pursue our ramble.  It was a delightful day, and we rode through Blenheim park.  When I looked at the magnificent bridge built by John Duke of Marlborough, over a small rivulet, and recollected the Epigram made upon it—­

     ’The lofty arch his high ambition shows,
     The stream, an emblem of his bounty flows:’ 

and saw that now, by the genius of Brown, a magnificent body of water was collected, I said, ‘They have drowned the Epigram.’  I observed to him, while in the midst of the noble scene around us, ’You and I, Sir, have, I think, seen together the extremes of what can be seen in Britain:—­the wild rough island of Mull, and Blenheim park.’