英国人和法国人是一对冤家，嘴仗打了几百年。读Boswell的The Life of Samuel Johnson，又见到一例。

1755年，约翰逊的英语字典出版，声名大噪。他的学生Garrick,写了一首十四行诗，题为《约翰逊的字典》，称颂约翰逊之余，却把法国人损了一通。

Garrick说，论“武”，一个英国兵可以对付十个法国佬。论“文”，英国人更厉害。科学界，有科学家洛克、牛顿等等。文学上，论戏剧、史诗，有莎士比亚、弥尔顿；论散文，有Dryden和Pope。现在又来了个约翰逊！

                          On Johnson's Dictionary

Talk of war with a Briton,he'll boldly advance,

That one English soldier will beat ten of France;

Would we alter the boast from the sword to the pen,

Our odds are still greater, still greater our men:

In the deep mines of science though French men may toil,

Can their strength be compar'd to Locke,Newton,and Boyle?

Let they rally their hereos,send forth all their powe'rs,

Their verse-men and prose-men; then match them with ours!

First Shakespeare and Milton,like gods in the fight,

Have put their whole drama and epic to flight;

In satires,epistles and odes,would they cope,

Their numbers retreat before Dryden and Pope;

And Johnson, well-arm'd like a hero of yore,

Has beat forty French, and will beat forty more!

Garrick洋洋自得，他不知道，一百年后，法国小说开始大放异彩，司汤达、大小仲马、巴尔扎克、雨果、福楼拜、莫泊桑，群星璀璨。

国家间的比较，三十年河西，三十年河东。话不能说的太绝。