Martyrdom is the test."'
'Goldsmith one day brought to THE CLUB a printed Ode, which he, with
others, had been hearing read by its authour in a publick room at the
rate of five shillings each for admission. One of the company having
read it aloud, Dr. Johnson said, "Bolder words and more timorous
meaning, I think never were brought together."
'Talking of Gray's Odes, he said, "They are forced plants raised in a
hot-bed; and they are poor plants; they are but cucumbers after all." A
gentleman present, who had been running down Ode-writing in general,
as a bad species of poetry, unluckily said, "Had they been literally
cucumbers, they had been better things than Odes."--"Yes, Sir, (said
Johnson,) for a HOG."'
'It is very remarkable, that he retained in his memory very slight and
trivial, as well as important things. As an instance of this, it seems
that an inferiour domestick of the Duke of Leeds had attempted to
celebrate his Grace's marriage in such homely rhimes as he could make;
and this curious composition having been sung to Dr.
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