indeed, Mr. Johnson loved all that he heard, from one whom he tells us, in his Lives of the Poets, Gray found "a poet, a philosopher, and "a good man." My Lord Elibank did not answer my letter to his lordship for fome time. The reason will appear, when we come to the isle of Sky. I shall then infert my letter, with letters from his lordship, both to myself and Mr. Johnson. I beg to be understood, that I infert my own letters as I relate my own sayings, rather as keys to what is valuable belonging to others, than for their own fake. Luckily Mr. Juftice (now Sir Robert) Chambers, who was about to fail for the Eaft-Indies, was going to take leave of his relations at Newcaftle, and he conducted Dr. Johnson to that town. Mr. Scott, of University College, Oxford (now Dr. Scott, of the Commons) accompanied him from thence to Edinburgh. With fuch propitious convoys did he proceed to my native city. But, left metaphor should make it be fuppofed he actually went by fea, I choose to mention that he travelled in poft-chaifes, of which the rapid motion was one of his moft favourite amusements. Dr. Samuel Johnson's character, religious, moral, political, and literary, nay his figure and manner, are, I believe, more generally known than those of almoft any man; yet it may not be fuperfluous here to attempt a sketch of of him. Let my readers then remember that he was a fincere and zealous chriftian, of highchurch of England and monarchical principles, which he would not tamely fuffer to be queftioned; fteady and inflexible in maintaining the obligations of piety and virtue, both from a regard to the order of fociety, and from a veneration for the Great Source of all order; correct, nay stern in his tafte; hard to please, and easily offended; impetuous and irritable in his temper; but of a most humane and benevolent heart; having a mind ftored with a vast and various collection of learning and knowledge, which he communicated with peculiar perfpicuity and force, in rich and choice expreffion. He united a moft logical head with a moft fertile imagination, which gave him an extraordinary advantage in arguing; for he could reafon close or wide, as he faw beft for the moment. He could, when he chofe it, be the greatest fophift that ever wielded a weapon in the schools of declamation; but he indulged this only in conversation, for he owned he fometimes talked for victory. He was too confcientious to make error permanent and pernicious, by deliberately writing it. He was confcious of his fuperiority. He loved praise when it was brought to him; but was too proud to seek for it. He was fomewhat fufceptible of flattery. His mind was fo full of imagery, that he might have been perpetually a poet. It has been been often remarked, that in his poetical pieces, which it is to be regretted are fo few, because fo excellent, his style is easier than in his profe. There is deception in this: it is not eafier, but better fuited to the dignity of verfe; as one may dance with grace, whofe motions, in or dinary walking in the common ftep, are aukward. He had a conftitutional melancholy, the clouds of which darkened the brightness of his fancy, and gave a gloomy caft to his whole course of thinking yet, though grave and awful in his deportment, when he thought it neceffary or proper, he frequently indulged himself in pleasantry and sportive fallies. He was prone to fuperftition, but not to credulity, Though his imagination might incline him to a belief of the marvellous, and the myfterious, his vigorous reafon examined the evidence with jealoufy. He had a loud voice, and a flow deliberate utterance, which no doubt gave fome additional weight to the fterling metal of his converfation. Lord Pembroke faid once to me at Wilton, with a happy pleasantry, and fome truth, that "Dr. Jobafon's fayings, "would not appear fo extraordinary were it "not for his bow-wow way" but I admit the truth of this only on fome occafions. The Meffiah, played upon the Canterbury organ, is more fublime than when played upon an infe rior inftrument: but very flight music will feem feem grand, when conveyed to the ear through that majestic medium. While therefore Doctor Johnson's fayings are read, let his manner be taken along. Let it however be obferved, that the fayings themselves are generally great; that, though he might be an ordinary compofer at times, he was for the most part a Handel, His perfon was large, robuft, I may say approaching to the gigantic, and grown unwieldy from corpulency. His countenance was naturally of the caft of an ancient ftatue, but fomewhat dif figured by the fcars of that evil, which, it was formerly imagined, the royal touch could cure. He was now in his fixty-fourth year: he was become a little dull of hearing. His fight had always been fomewhat weak; yet, fo much does mind govern, and even fupply the deficiency of organs, that his perceptions were uncommonly quick and accurate: His head, and fometimes alfo his body, fhook with a kind of motion like the effect of a palfy: he was frequently disturbed by cramps, or convulfive contractions, of the nature of that diftemper called St. Vitus's dance. He wore a full fuit of plain brown clothes, with twisted hair buttons of the fame colour, a large bushy greyish wig, a plain shirt, black worsted stockings, and silver buckles. Upon this tour, when journeying, he wore boots, and a very wide brown cloth great coat, with pockets which might have al most moft held the two volumes of his folio dictionary; and he carried in his hand a large Englifh oak ftick. Let me not be cenfured for mentioning fuch minute particulars. Every thing relative to fo great a man is worth obferving. I remember Dr. Adam Smith, in his rhetorical lectures at Glasgow, told us he was glad to know that Milton wore latchets in his fhoes, inftead of buckles. When I mention the oak ftick, it is but letting Hercules have his club; and, by-and-by, my readers will find this stick will bud and produce a good joke. This imperfect sketch of " the COMBINATION and the form" of that Wonderful Man, whom I venerated and loved while in this world, and after whom I gaze with humble hope, now that it has pleased ALMIGHTY GOD to call him to a better world, will ferve to introduce to the fancy of my readers the capital object of the following journal, in the courfe of which I truft they will attain to a confiderable degree of acquaintance with him. His prejudice against Scotland was announced almost as foon as he began to appear in the world of letters. In his London, a poem, are the following nervous lines: For who would leave, unbrib'd, Hibernia's land ? The |