Hebrid. Tour to Mercury," published since we left Edinburgh; which I read with that pleasure which every man feels who has been for some time secluded from the animated scenes of the busy world. Dr. Johnson found books here. He bade me buy Bishop Gastrell's "Christian Institutes," which was lying in the room. He said, "I do not like to read any thing on a Sunday', but what is theological; not that I would scrupulously refuse to look at any thing which a friend should show me in a newspaper; but in general, I would read only what is theological. I read just now some of "Drummond's Travels," before I perceived what books were here. I then took up "Derham's Physico-Theology." Every particular concerning this island having been so well described by Dr. Johnson, it would be superfluous in me to present the public with the observations that I made upon it, in my journal. I was quite easy with Sir Allan almost instantaneously. He knew the great intimacy there had been between my father and his predecessor, Sir Hector, and was himself of a very frank disposition. After dinner, Sir Allan said he had got Dr. Campbell about a hundred subscribers to his "Britannia Elucidata" (a work since published under the title of "A Political Survey of Great Britain"), of whom he believed twenty were dead, the publication having been so long delayed. JOHNSON. "Sir, I imagine the delay of publication is owing to this ;-that, after publication, there will be no more subscribers, and few will send the additional guinea to get their books: in which they will be wrong; for there will be a great deal of instruction in the work. I think highly of Campbell. In the first place, he has very good parts. 1 [See ante, vol. ii. p. 74 and 304.-ED.] Hebrid. In the second place, he has very extensive reading; Tour to not, perhaps, what is properly called learning, but history, politicks, and, in short, that popular knowledge which makes a man very useful. In the third place, he has learned much by what is called the rox rira. He talks with a great many people." Speaking of this gentleman, at Rasay, he told us, that he one day called on him, and they talked of "Tull's Husbandry." Dr. Campbell said something. Dr. Johnson began to dispute it. "Come," said Dr. Campbell, "we do not want to get the better of one another; we want to increase each other's ideas." Dr. Johnson took it in good part, and the conversation then went on coolly and instructively. His candour in relating this anecdote does him much credit, and his conduct on that occasion proves how easily he could be persuaded to talk from a better motive than " for victory." Dr. Johnson here showed so much of the spirit of a Highlander, that he won Sir Allan's heart: indeed, he has shown it during the whole of our tour. One night, in Col, he strutted about the room with a broad sword and target, and made a formidable appearance; and, another night, I took the liberty to put a large blue bonnet on his head. His age, his size, and his bushy gray wig, with this covering on it, presented the image of a venerable Senachi: and, however unfavourable to the Lowland Scots, he seemed much pleased to assume the appearance of an ancient Caledonian. We only regretted that he could not be prevailed with to partake of the social glass. One of his arguments against drinking appears to me not convincing. He urged, that, " in proportion as drinking makes a man different from what he is before he has drunk, it is bad; because it has so far affected his reason." But may it not be answered, that a man Tour to may be altered by it for the better; that his spirits Hebrid. may be exhilarated, without his reason being affected? On the general subject of drinking, however, I do not mean positively to take the other side. I am dubius non improbus. In the evening, Sir Allan informed us that it was the custom of his house to have prayers every Sunday; and Miss M'Lean read the evening service, in which we all joined. I then read Ogden's second and ninth sermons on prayer, which, with their other distinguished excellence, have the merit of being short. Dr. Johnson said, that it was the most agreeable Sunday he had ever passed; and it made such an impression on his mind, that he afterwards wrote the following ode upon Inchkenneth: 1 INSULA SANCTI KENNETHI. Parva quidem regio, sed religione priorum Huc ego delatus placido per cœrula cursu Spes hominum ac curas cum procul esse jubet. Quid quod sacrifici versavit femina libros, Legitimas faciunt pectora pura preces. Quo vagor ulterius? quod ubique requiritur hic est; [The sentiments of these lines are very beautiful, but many of the expressions are awkward: of this Johnson himself was so well aware, that although he did not send these verses to Boswell till Jan. 1775, he, even after that long pause, was still so little satisfied with them, that he made a great many amend Hebrid. Monday, 18th October.-We agreed to pass the Tour to day with Sir Allan, and he engaged to have every thing in order for our voyage to-morrow. Being now soon to be separated from our amiable friend young Col, his merits were all remembered. At Ulva he had appeared in a new character, having given us a good prescription for a cold. On my mentioning him with warmth, Dr. Johnson said, ments and additions, as will appear from the following copy of these verses, as printed from his Works. The variations are marked in italics. INSULA KENNETHI, INTER HEBRIDAS. Parva quidem regio, sed relligione priorum Huc ego delatus placido per cærula cursu, Quas Amor undarum crederet esse deas. Sive libros poscant otia, sive lyram. Et summi accendut pectus amore boni. Nil opus est æris sacra de turre sonantis Quo vagor ulterius? quod ubique requiritur hic est, The reader will observe that most of these alterations are improvements. The alteration of the third line from the end, "Legitimas faciunt," is not happy; but will be explained hereafter (post, 2d Feb. 1775). It has been observed as strange, that so nice a critic as Johnson should have within six lines made the first syllable of libros both long and short. But Mr. Peel (to whom the observation was repeated) reminded the Editor, with happy readiness, that Horace had done the same: "Curam redde brevem, si munus Apolline dignum Vis complere libris, et vatibus addere calcar, Ut studio majore petant Helicona virentem. Multa quidem nobis facimus mala sæpe poetæ, (Ut vineta egomet cædam mea) cùm tibi librum Sollicito damus, aut fesso."-Epist. lib. 2, ep. i. v. 216.—Ed.] Hebrid. Tour to "Col does every thing for us: we will erect a statue to Col." "Yes," said I, "and we will have him with his various attributes and characters, like Mercury, or any other of the heathen gods. We will have him as a pilot; we will have him as a fisherman, as a hunter, as a husbandman, as a physician." I this morning took a spade, and dug a little grave in the floor of a ruined chapel', near Sir Allan M'Lean's house, in which I buried some human bones I found there. Dr. Johnson praised me for what I had done, though he owned he could not have done it. He showed in the chapel at Rasay his horrour at dead men's bones. He showed it again at Col's house. In the charter-room there was a remarkably large shin-bone, which was said to have been a bone of John Garve, one of the lairds. Dr. Johnson would not look at it, but started away. At breakfast, I asked, "What is the reason that we are angry at a trader's having opulence?" JOHNSON. "Why, sir, the reason is (though I don't undertake to prove that there is a reason) we see no qualities in trade that should entitle a man to superiority. We are not angry at a soldier's getting riches, because we see that he possesses qualities which we have not. If a man returns from a battle, having lost one hand, and with the other full of gold, we feel that he deserves the gold; but we cannot think that a fellow, by sitting all day at a desk, is entitled to get above us." BOSWELL." But, sir, may we not suppose a merchant to be a man of an enlarged mind, such as Addison in the Spectator describes Sir Andrew Freeport to have been?" JOHNSON. "Why, sir, we may suppose any fic [Mr. Boswell does not tell us that he had visited this chapel the evening before; but Johnson says to Mrs. Thrale, "Boswell, who is very pious, went into it at night to perform his devotions, but came back in haste, for fear of spectres."-Letters, vol. i. p. 173.—ED.] |