That this act was not done to hasten (^) his end, but
to discharge the water that he conceived to be in him,
I have not the least doubt. A dropsy was his disease ;
he looked upon himself as a bloated carcass ; and, to
attain the power of easy respiration, would have under^
gone any degree of temporary pain. He dreaded
neither punctures nor incisions, and, indeed, defied the
trochar and the lancet; he had often reproached his
physicians and surgeon with cowardice ; and when Mr.
€ruikshank scarified his leg, he cried out, ^^ Deeper,
deeper ; I will abide the consequence : you are afraid

(1) The clumsy solemnity with which Hawkins thinks it
necessary to defend Dr. Johnson from the suspicion of endea-
vouring to shorten his life by an act manifestly, avowedly, ard
eyen passionately meant to proUn^ it, is certainly very offensive ;
but it hardly, I think, justifies Mr. Boswell's suspicions (see
arU^, Vol. Vill. p. 399.), that there was some malevolence act
the bottom of the defence. — C.
