Did Dr. Samuel Johnson engage in a coffee house colloque which went
something like this:
Interlocutor: How free should man be?
Dr. Johnson:  Man should be free to do what he ought to do.
Interlocutor: And if man does not do what he ought to do?
Dr. Johnson:  Then he should be forced to do it.

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Request for Question Clarification by xemion-ga on 05 Jul 2002 22:42 PDT

I found notes on the book at this website:
http://newark.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/BLJ/

I searched the entire website for keywords in the conversation you
listed and didn't find any mention of such a conversation.  For
example:

site:newark.rutgers.edu choice boswell
://www.google.com/search?q=site:newark.rutgers.edu+choice+boswell

site:newark.rutgers.edu "be free" boswell
://www.google.com/search?q=site:newark.rutgers.edu+%22be+free%22+boswell

The "site:newark.rutgers.edu" keeps it defined to that particular
website.  The "boswell" made sure that it only searched the portion of
the website concerning the book (all the pages of the notes had
"boswell" in the page title).

I also searched for these keywords (and others):
"ought to do"
free coffee
forced

In conclusion, I feel that this conversation DID NOT take place. 
However, since I did not actually read the actual book, I am posting
this as a clarification, not an answer.  I was unable to get to the
library at this time of night to check out the book.  If this does in
fact satisfy your answer, please let me know and I will repost it as
an answer.  Otherwise, I'm leaving it open for other reserachers. 
Please let me know whether or not this answers your question.  Thank
you.

xemion-ga

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Request for Question Clarification by chromedome-ga on 08 Jul 2002 11:55 PDT

Hello, drawde-ga!

For all things related to the good doctor's words of wisdom, my site
of choice is the authoritative "Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Web Page":
http://www.samueljohnson.com/

As well as providing an exhaustive reference point for Johnson
quotations, webmaster Frank Lynch has tracked down and documented many
Johnson apocrypha, ie quotes attributed incorrectly or on insufficient
authority.

I'd e-mailed him regarding your query, and received a response today. 
He says that the dialogue you've provided is definitely not in
Boswell, as my colleagues had already determined.  The quote is not
known to him, either, as an example of apocryphal "Johnsoniana".

I've e-mailed him again asking for any suggestions he might have of
other contemporary authors likely to have quoted Johnson.  It is
possible that something of the sort may exist, although I am doubtful.

As researchers, we are always reluctant to post a "no" answer, given
the difficulties inherent in proving the nonexistence of a thing.  In
this instance, however, that is the likely answer.

-Chromedome

The 1917 abridged version of Boswell's _Life of Johnson_ can be
downloaded as a plain text file from Project Gutenberg. The following
website will give you a list of download options, if you're
interested:

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=1564

I looked for the string "free" and did not find the conversation you
mentioned. Charles Osgood, who abridged the book, wrote in the
preface: "In making this abridgement of Boswell's Life of Johnson I
have omitted most of Boswell's criticisms, comments, and notes, all of
Johnson's opinions in legal cases, most of the letters, and parts of
the conversation dealing with matters which were of greater importance
in Boswell's day than our own." I think it is unlikely, therefore,
that he would have omitted a conversation similar to the one you
mentioned.

Not Boswell, but I came across that sequence of quotes somewhere in
the past couple years, probably a current biography of a politician or
a lawyer.

Sorry, drawde, I can't hold out any further hope for this quote, from
my end.  I'm personally satisfied that this quote cannot be reliably
attributed to Johnson, but you may wish to persevere.

Having some experience of Morris-ga's memory and erudition, though, I
suspect he's probably right in his suggestion.