Dr Johnson & Fanny Burney; being the Johnsonian passages from the works of Mme D'Arblay; . Lytteltonmade him so much hurt by the Life, that he feared hecould not discuss the matter without a quarrel, which,especially in the house of Mrs. Thrale, he wished toavoid. It was, however, utterly impossible for me to servehim. I could have stopped Mrs. Thrale, with ease,and Mr. Seward with a hint, had either of thembegun the subject; but, unfortunately, in the middle ofdinner it was begun by Dr. Johnson himself, to op- .pose whom, especially as he spoke with great anger, ;would have been madness and f
Dr Johnson & Fanny Burney; being the Johnsonian passages from the works of Mme D'Arblay; . Lytteltonmade him so much hurt by the Life, that he feared hecould not discuss the matter without a quarrel, which,especially in the house of Mrs. Thrale, he wished toavoid. It was, however, utterly impossible for me to servehim. I could have stopped Mrs. Thrale, with ease,and Mr. Seward with a hint, had either of thembegun the subject; but, unfortunately, in the middle ofdinner it was begun by Dr. Johnson himself, to op- .pose whom, especially as he spoke with great anger, ;would have been madness and folly. Never before havT I seen Dr. Johnson speak with 1so much passion. Mr. Pepys, he cried, in a voice the most en-raged, * I understand you are offended by my Lifeof Lord Lyttelton. What is it you have to sayagainst it? Come forth, man! Here am I, ready toanswer any charge you can bring! No, sir, cried Mr. Pepys, not at present; Imust beg leave to decline the subject. I told MissBurney before dinner that I hoped it would not bestarted. I was quite frightened to hear my own name men-. ? a , /.< fi //- /.^, , //?/.<//,OT/rf/r//j ? A caricature of Johnson, published soon after the Lives of the Poets 1781] Johnsons Quarrel with Pepys 125 tioned in a debate which began so seriously; but made not to this any answer; he repeatedhis attack and his challenge, and a violent disputationensued, in which this great but mortal man did, toown the truth, appear unreasonably furious andgrossly severe. I never saw him so before, and Iheartily hope I never shall again. He has been longprovoked, and justly enough, at the sneaking com-plaints and murmurs of the Lytteltonians; and, there-fore, his long-excited wrath, which hitherto had metno object, now burst forth with a vehemence and bit-terness almost incredible. Mr. Pepys meantime never appeared to so muchadvantage; he preserved his temper, uttered all thatbelonged merely to himself with modesty, and all thatmore immediately r
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