“Dear Sir,—If it was not for having you older than your friends would wish you, I should be glad you had been of the party, where I heard an argument between Dr. Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds, on the wonderful power of the human eye. Dr. Johnson made a quotation which I do not remember. ‘Sir,’ said Sir Joshua, in reply, ‘that divine effect is produced by the parts appertaining to the eye, and not from its globe, as is generally supposed; the skull must be justly proportioned.’
“Mrs. Cholmondeley.[256]—‘My dear Sir Joshua, was there nothing in the magic of Garrick’s eye? its comicality. The Duke of Richmond, the Duke of Dorset, and young Sheridan[257] have superb eyes; but I don’t know what effect they would have on the stage.’
“Sir Joshua.—‘Little or none, Madam; the great beauty of the Duke of Richmond’s eye proceeded from its fine and uncommon colour, dark blue, which would be totally lost on the stage, the light being constantly either too high or too low. Garrick’s eye, unaccompanied by the action of his mouth, would not fascinate. When you are near a person, a pretty woman for instance, and have a good light, the contraction and expansion of the pupilla, which bids defiance to our art, is delightful; it is more perceptible in fine grey and light blue eyes, than in any other colour. We, however, cannot deny the majestic look of the Belvedere Apollo, though unassisted by iris, pupil, eye-lashes, or colour.’
“Dr. Johnson.—‘Sir, a tiger’s eye, and, I am told, a snake’s, will intimidate birds, so that they will drop from trees for its prey, without using their wings.’
“After Dr. Johnson had quaffed about twenty-four cups of tea, he gave a blow of considerable length from his mouth, drew his breath, and said, ‘Sir, I believe you are right, it is but rational to suppose so: I wish that rogue Burke was here.’
“I am sorry, my dear Sir, that my memory is not better, so as to give you verbatim what passed. I feel like a person giving evidence in a court, trammelled by the apprehension of saying too much, or, as a late friend of mine said, ‘remembering a great many circumstances that never happened;’ and I only write this to show my readiness to comply with any request you could possibly make of your obliged friend,
“M. Phillips.”
“If you ask how it comes, the faithful Bossy was not present; Bossy was not always producible after dinner.”
RICHARD BRINSLEY SHERIDAN