Life of Johnson: Miscellaneous

A few disconnected bits before the last post:

Speaking of Lord Lyttelton's supposed vision of his own death and its occurrence as envisioned, which Johnson had heard from Lyttleton's uncle, he said "It is the most extraordinary thing that has happened in my day... I am so glad to have every evidence of the spiritual world, that I am willing to believe it," and when someone said he should already have enough evidence, he replied, "I like to have more." Several times, Johnson's eagerness for proof of spirits gives Boswell pains to clear him of the charge of superstition. Except when pressed, Johnson often described his fear of death as though it were a fear of damnation, but more proof of a spiritual world could not reassure someone fearing the worst from the spirit world. I take this to be further proof that his true fear was of annihilation.

Johnson told a funny story of human perversity:

You put me in mind of Dr. Barrowby, the physician, who was very fond of swine's flesh. One day, when he was eating it, he said, "I wish I was a Jew." "Why so? (said somebody;) the Jews are not allowed to eat your favorite meat." "Because, (said he, ) I should then have the gust of eating it, with the pleasure of sinning."

While discussing whether life was "upon the whole more happy or miserable," Johnson argued for misery and Boswell added the argument, "that no man would choose to lead over again the life which he had experienced." Boswell says, "Johnson acceded to that opinion in the strongest terms." I agree too, except that if I could go back with the knowledge I now have, I would risk it, though with not a lot of optimism. However, Burke argued for happiness:

Every man would lead his life over again; for every man is willing to go on and take an addition to his life, which, as he grows older, he has no reason to think will be better, or even so good as what has preceded.

Boswell blames false hope, and quotes the first line from the elegy Johnson wrote for the strange lower-class doctor who lived with him for decades. Here is the whole first stanza:

Condemn'd to Hope's delusive mine,
As on we toil from day to day,
By sudden blasts or slow decline
Our social comforts drop away.

He also quotes Dryden, who is much more on point:

When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat,
Yet fool'd with hope, men favor the deceit:
Trust on, and think tomorrow will repay;
Tomorrow's falser than the former day;
Lies worse; and while it says we shall be blest
With some new joys, cuts off what we possest.
Strange cozenage! none would live past years again;
Yet all hope pleasure in what yet remain;
And from the dregs of life think to receive
What the first sprightly running could not give