At the end of an
act, however, he said, "Come let's have some more, let's go into the
slaughter-house again, Lanky. But I am afraid there is more blood than
brains."
'Snatches of reading (said he,) will not make a Bentley or a Clarke.
They are, however, in a certain degree advantageous. I would put a
child into a library (where no unfit books are) and let him read at his
choice. A child should not be discouraged from reading any thing that he
takes a liking to, from a notion that it is above his reach. If that
be the ease, the child will soon find it out and desist; if not, he of
course gains the instruction; which is so much the more likely to come,
from the inclination with which he takes up the study.'
'A gentleman who introduced his brother to Dr. Johnson was earnest to
recommend him to the Doctor's notice, which he did by saying, "When
we have sat together some time, you'll find my brother grow very
entertaining."--"Sir, (said Johnson,) I can wait."'
'In the latter part of his life, in order to satisfy himself whether his
mental faculties were impaired, he resolved that he would try to learn
a new language, and fixed upon the Low Dutch, for that purpose, and this
he continued till he had read about one half of Thomas a Kempis; and
finding that there appeared no abatement of his power of acquisition, he
then desisted, as thinking the experiment had been duly tried.
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