"Andrew Millar, the bookseller who published Johnson's Dictionary, had great difficulty in extracting the copy for this work from the author. At last a messenger was dispatched to Millar with the final page. Upon the messenger's return Johnson asked, 'Well, what did he say?'
'Sir,' replied the messenger, 'he said, 'Thank God I have done with him'
'I am glad,' said Johnson, 'that he thanks God for anything.' "
"Dr. Johnson was taken to task by a lady who asked why he had defined 'pastern' as 'the knee of a horse' in his dictionary. She expected an elaborate defense. He replied, 'Ignorance, madam, pure ignorance.' "
[Johnson's dictionary took eleven years to complete.]
~ THE LITTLE, BROWN BOOK OF Anecdotes, Clifton Fadiman, General Editor.
* (1709 - 1784)
