I sent a card to his Lordship, to be
left at Johnson's house, acquainting him, that Dr. Johnson could not be
in town next day, but would do himself the honour of waiting on him at
another time. I give this account fairly, as a specimen of that unhappy
temper with which this great and good man had occasionally to struggle,
from something morbid in his constitution. Let the most censorious of
my readers suppose himself to have a violent fit of the tooth-ach, or to
have received a severe stroke on the shin-bone, and when in such a
state to be asked a question; and if he has any candour, he will not
be surprized at the answers which Johnson sometimes gave in moments of
irritation, which, let me assure them, is exquisitely painful. But it
must not be erroneously supposed that he was, in the smallest degree,
careless concerning any work which he undertook, or that he was
generally thus peevish. It will be seen, that in the following year he
had a very agreeable interview with Lord Marchmont, at his Lordship's
house; and this very afternoon he soon forgot any fretfulness, and fell
into conversation as usual.
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