Dilly's, where were Colonel
Valiancy, the Reverend Dr. Gibbons[859], and Mr. Capel Lofft, who,
though a most zealous Whig, has a mind so full of learning and
knowledge, and so much exercised in various departments, and withal so
much liberality, that the stupendous powers of the literary Goliath,
though they did not frighten this little David of popular spirit, could
not but excite his admiration[860]. There was also Mr. Braithwaite of
the Post-office, that amiable and friendly man, who, with modest and
unassuming manners, has associated with many of the wits of the age.
Johnson was very quiescent to-day. Perhaps too I was indolent. I find
nothing more of him in my notes, but that when I mentioned that I had
seen in the King's library sixty-three editions of my favourite _Thomas
a Kempis_, amongst which it was in eight languages, Latin, German,
French, Italian, Spanish, English, Arabick, and Armenian, he said, he
thought it unnecessary to collect many editions of a book, which were
all the same, except as to the paper and print; he would have the
original, and all the translations, and all the editions which had any
variations in the text.
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