his and my hearing one day, and he did not deny it, that when Murphy joked
him the week before for having been so diligent of late between Dodd's
sermon and Kelly's prologue, Dr. Johnson replied, "Why, sir, when they come
to me with a dead staymaker and a dying parson, what can a man do?" He
SAID, however, that "he hated to give away literary performances, or even
to sell them too cheaply. The next generation shall not accuse me," added
he, "of beating down the price of literature. One hates, besides, ever to
give that which one has been accustomed to sell. Would not you, sir,"
turning to Mr. Thrale, "rather give away money than porter?"

Mr. Johnson had never, by his own account, been a close student, and used
to advise young people never to be without a book in their pocket, to be
read at bye-times when they had nothing else to do. "It has been by that
means," said he to a boy at our house one day, "that all my knowledge has
been gained, except what I have picked up by running about the world with
my wits ready to observe, and my tongue ready to talk. A man is seldom in
a humour to unlock his bookcase, set his desk in order, and betake himself
to serious study; but a retentive memory will do something, and a fellow
shall have strange credit given him, if he can but recollect striking
passages from different books, keep the authors separate in his head, and
bring his stock of knowledge artfully into play. How else," added he, "do
the gamesters manage when they play for more money than they are worth?"
His Dictionary, however, could not, one would think, have been written by
running up and down; but he really did not consider it as a great
performance; and used to say "that he might have done it easily in two
years had not his health received several shocks during the time."

When Mr. Thrale, in consequence of this declaration, teased him in the year
1768 to give a new edition of it, because, said he, there are four or five
gross faults: "Alas! sir," replied Johnson, "there are four or five