not find every thing in Northumberland.’  Percy. (feeling the stroke,) ’Sir, you may be as rude as you please.’  Johnson.  ’Hold, Sir!  Don’t talk of rudeness; remember, Sir, you told me (puffing hard with passion struggling for a vent,) I was shortsighted.  We have done with civility.  We are to be as rude as we please.’  Percy.  ‘Upon my honour, Sir, I did not mean to be uncivil.’  Johnson.  ’I cannot say so, Sir; for I did mean to be uncivil, thinking you had been uncivil.’  Dr. Percy rose, ran up to him, and taking him by the hand, assured him affectionately that his meaning had been misunderstood; upon which a reconciliation instantly took place.  Johnson.  ‘My dear Sir, I am willing you shall hang Pennant.’  Percy. (resuming the former subject,) ’Pennant complains that the helmet is not hung out to invite to the hall of hospitality.  Now I never heard that it was a custom to hang out a helmet.’  Johnson.  ‘Hang him up, hang him up.’  Boswell. (humouring the joke,) ’Hang out his skull instead of a helmet, and you may drink ale out of it in your hall of Odin, as he is your enemy; that will be truly ancient.  There will be Northern Antiquities.’  Johnson.  ’He’s a whig, Sir; a sad dog. (smiling at his own violent expressions, merely for political difference of opinion.) But he’s the best traveller I ever read; he observes more things than any one else does.’

On Monday, April 13, I dined with Johnson at Mr. Langton’s, where were Dr. Porteus, then Bishop of Chester, now of London, and Dr. Stinton.  He was at first in a very silent mood.  Before dinner he said nothing but ‘Pretty baby,’ to one of the children.  Langton said very well to me afterwards, that he could repeat Johnson’s conversation before dinner, as Johnson had said that he could repeat a complete chapter of The Natural History of Iceland, from the Danish of Horrebow, the whole of which was exactly thus:—­

’Chap.  LXXII.  Concerning snakes.

‘There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island.’

Mr. Topham Beauclerk came in the evening, and he and Dr. Johnson and I staid to supper.  It was mentioned that Dr. Dodd had once wished to be a member of the literary club.  Johnson.  ’I should be sorry if any of our Club were hanged.  I will not say but some of them deserve it.’  Beauclerk. (supposing this to be aimed at persons for whom he had at that time a wonderful fancy, which, however, did not last long,) was irritated, and eagerly said, ’You, Sir, have a friend, (naming him) who deserves to be hanged; for he speaks behind their backs against those with whom he lives on the best terms, and attacks them in the newspapers.  He certainly ought to be kicked.’  Johnson.  ’Sir, we all do this in some degree, “Veniam petimus damusque vicissim.”  To be sure it