singular manner: 'This is the nephew of the gentleman who was lately
hung in chains for murdering his brother.'

In the evening I introduced to Mr Johnson [Footnote: It may be
observed, that I sometimes call my great friend, MR Johnson, sometimes
DR Johnson, though he had at this time a doctor's degree from Trinity
College, Dublin. The University of Oxford afterwards conferred it upon
him by a diploma, in very honourable terms. It was some time before I
could bring myself to call him Doctor; but as he has been long known
by that title, I shall give it to him in the rest of this Journal.]
two good friends of mine, Mr William Nairne, advocate, and Mr Hamilton
of Sundrum, my neighbour in the country, both of whom supped with us.
I have preserved nothing of what passed, except that Dr Johnson
displayed another of his heterodox opinions--a contempt of tragick
acting. He said, 'the action of all players in tragedy is bad. It
should be a man's study to repress those signs of emotion and passion,
as they are called.' He was of a directly contrary opinion to that of
Fielding, in his Tom Jones; who makes Partridge say, of Garrick, 'why,
I could act as well as he myself. I am sure, if I had seen a ghost, I
should have looked in the very same manner, and done just as he did.'
For, when I asked him, 'Would not you, sir, start as Mr Garrick does,
if you saw a ghost?' He answered, 'I hope not. If I did, I should
frighten the ghost.'


Monday, 16th August

Dr William Robertson came to breakfast. We talked of Ogden on Prayer.
Dr Johnson said, 'The same arguments which are used against God's
hearing prayer, will serve against his rewarding good, and punishing