Note 2: — Chapter IV

There were some, no doubt, who had a high opinion of Boswell's abilities; it was admitted by everyone THE LONDON CIRCLE that he had written a good book, and not all, like Gray and Walpole,2 can have thought that he wrote it by chance. And Boswell too, if not a good literary critic, was interested in books and able to talk about them. The opinions to which he gave expression in the 'Life of Johnson' about various books which came under discussion are often more appreciative and better supported by reason than the dicta of Johnson, and he sometimes shows considerable sagacity. His views about Johnson's own books, and especially his criticism of Johnson's style and the high estimate he formed of the 'Lives of the Poets,' are excellent.