At that sale the younger Richardson was a considerable purchaser, and he afterwards added greatly to his collection, which upon his own death about the year 1772, was sold by auction. There Mr. P. bought the drawings; two of Pope; two of Milton, one of them very highly finished; two of Shakspeare, one of them from the picture now in the Duke of Chandos’ possession, and the other from the print prefixed to his poems in 1640; one of the elder Richardson; and one of the late Dr. Birch.
Mrs. Thrale has grossly misrepresented the story which she has told of Dr. Johnson’s saying a harsh thing to her at table (see her Anecdotes). The fact was this. A Mr. Thrale, related to Mr. Thrale, Johnson’s friend, for whom they both had a great regard, had gone some time before to the East or West Indies. Dr. Johnson had not yet heard of his fate; and Mrs. Thrale very abruptly while she was eating some larks most ravenously, laid down her knife and fork—“Oh dear, Dr. Johnson, do you know what has happened? The last letters from abroad have brought us an account that poor Tom Thrale’s head was taken off by a cannon ball in the action of .” Johnson, who was shocked both at the fact and at her gross manner of telling it, replied,—“Madam, it would give you very little concern if all your relations were spitted like those larks, and dressed for Presto’s supper.” Presto was the dog which lay under the table, and which Mrs. Thrale was feeding just as she mentioned the death of Mr. Thrale’s cousin.
