[615] 'Some of the old legendary stories put in verse by modern writers provoked him to caricature them thus one day at Streatham:—
"The tender infant, meek and mild,
Fell down upon the stone;
The nurse took up the squealing child,
But still the child squeal'd on."
'A famous ballad also beginning—Rio verde, Rio verde, when I commended the translation of it, he said he could do it better himself, as thus:—
"Glassy water, glassy water,
Down whose current clear and strong,
Chiefs confused in mutual slaughter,
Moor and Christian roll along."
"But, Sir," said I, "this is not ridiculous at all." "Why no," replied
he, "why should I always write ridiculously?"' Piozzi's Anec. p. 65.
See ante, ii. 136, note 4. Neither Boswell nor Mrs. Piozzi mentions
Percy by name as the subject of Johnson's ridicule.
[616] See Boswell's Hebrides, Oct. 4, 1773.
[617] Rogers (Table-Talk, p. 88) said that 'Fox considered Burnet's style to be perfect.'
[618] Johnson (Works, vii. 96) quotes; 'Dalrymple's observation, who says "that whenever Burnet's narrations are examined, he appears to be mistaken."' Lord Bolingbroke (Works, iv. 151) wrote of party pamphlets and histories:—'Read them with suspicion, for they deserve to be suspected; pay no regard to the epithets given, nor to the judgments passed; neglect all declamation, weigh the reasoning, and advert to fact. With such precautions, even Burnet's history may be of some use.' Horace Walpole, noticing an attack on Burnet, says (Letters, vi. 487):—'It shows his enemies are not angry at his telling falsehoods, but the truth … I will tell you what was said of his History by one whose testimony you yourself will not dispute. That confessor said, "Damn him, he has told a great deal of truth, but where the devil did he learn it?" This was St. Atterbury's testimony.'
[619] The cross-buns were for Boswell and Levet. Johnson recorded (Pr. and Med. p. 121):—'On this whole day I took nothing of nourishment but one cup of tea without milk; but the fast was very inconvenient. Towards night I grew fretful and impatient, unable to fix my mind or govern my thoughts.'
[620] It is curious to compare with this Johnson's own record:—'I found the service not burdensome nor tedious, though I could not hear the lessons. I hope in time to take pleasure in public works.' Pr. and Med. p. 121.