Mr. Sheridan
happened to come early, and having learned that Dr. Johnson was to be
there, went away; so I found, with sincere regret, that my friendly
intentions were hopeless. I recollect nothing that passed this day,
except Johnson's quickness, who, when Dr. Beattie observed, as something
remarkable which had happened to him, that he had chanced to see both
No. 1, and No. 1000, of the hackney-coaches, the first and the last;
'Why, Sir, (said Johnson,) there is an equal chance for one's seeing
those two numbers as any other two.'
On Friday, June 25, I dined with him at General Paoli's, where, he says
in one of his letters to Mrs. Thrale, 'I love to dine.' There was a
variety of dishes much to his taste, of all which he seemed to me to eat
so much, that I was afraid he might be hurt by it; and I whispered to
the General my fear, and begged he might not press him. 'Alas! (said the
General,) see how very ill he looks; he can live but a very short time.
Would you refuse any slight gratifications to a man under sentence
of death? There is a humane custom in Italy, by which persons in that
melancholy situation are indulged with having whatever they like best to
eat and drink, even with expensive delicacies.
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