it up again. Every one should get the habit of doing it quickly. I would fay to a young divine, Here is your text; let me fee how "foon you can make a fermon. Then I'd fay, Let me fee how much better you can make it.' Thus I fhould fee both his powers and his judgment."

We all went to Dr. Watfon's to fupper. Mifs Sharp, great grandchild of Archbishop Sharp, was there; as was Mr. Craig, the ingenious architect of the new town of Edinburgh, and nephew of Thomson, to whom Dr. Johnfon has fince done fo much justice, in his "Lives of the Poets."

We talked of memory, and its various modes. ---Johnfon. Memory will play ftrange tricks. One sometimes lofes a single word. I once lost fugaces in the Ode Pofthume, Pofthume." I mentioned to him, that a worthy gentleman of my acquaintance actually forgot his own name.--Johnson. Sir, that was a morbid oblivion."

Friday, 20th Auguft.

Dr. Shaw, the profeffor of divinity, breakfafted with us. I took out my Ogden on Prayer," and read fome of it to the company. Dr. Jonhfon praised him. "Abernethy (faid he) allows only of a phyfical effect of prayer upon the mind, which may be produced many ways, as well as by prayer; for inftance, by meditation. Ogden goes farther. In truth,

we

we have the confent of all nations for the efficacy of prayer, whether offered up by individuals, or by affemblies; and Revelation has told us it will be effectual."---I said, "Leechman feemed to incline to Abernethy's doctrine." ---Watfon obferved, that Leechman meant to shew, that, even admitting no effect to be produced by prayer, refpecting the Deity, it was ufeful to our minds. He had given only a part of his fyftem: Dr. Johnfon thought he should have given the whole.

Dr. Johnfon enforced the strict obfervance of Sunday. Said he, "It should be different from another day. People may walk; but not throw ftones at birds. There may be relaxation, but there should be no levity."

We went and faw Colonel Nairne's garden and grotto. Here was a fine old plane tree. Unluckily the colonel faid, there was but this and another large tree in the county. This was an excellent cue for Dr. Johnson, who laughed enormously, calling to me to hear this. He had expatiated to me on the nakedness of that part of Scotland which he had seen. His Journey has been violently abused, for what he has faid upon this fubject. But let it be confidered, that, when Dr. Johnson talks of trees, he means trees of good fize, fuch as he was accustomed to fee in England; and of these there are certainly very few upon the eaftern

F 2

eaftern coaft of Scotland. Befides, he faid, that he meant to give only a map of the road; and let any traveller observe how many trees, which deferve the name, he can fee from the road from Berwick to Aberdeen. Had Dr. Johnson faid "there are no trees" upon this line, he would have faid what is colloquially true; because, by no trees, in common speech, we mean few. When he is particular in counting, he may be attacked. I know not how Colonel Nairne came to say there were but two large trees in the county of Fife. I did not perceive that he fmiled. There are not a great many, to be fure; but I could have shewn him more than two at Balmuto, from whence my ancestor came.

In the grotto, we faw a wonderful large lobfter claw. In front of it were petrified ftocks of fir, plane, and fome other tree. Dr. Johnfon faid, "Scotland has no right to boast of this grotte; it is owing to perfonal merit. I never denied perfonal merit to many of you." ---Profeffor Shaw faid to me, as we walked, "This is a wonderful man: he is mafter of every fubject he handles."---Dr. Watfon allowed him a very strong understanding, but wondered at his total inattention to established manners, as he came from London.

I have not preferved, in my Journal, any of the converfation which paffed between Dr.

Johnfon

Johnfon and Profeffor Shaw; but I recollect Dr. Johnson faid to me afterwards, "I took much to Shaw."

We left St. Andrew's about noon, and fome miles from it obferving, at Leuchars, a church with an old tower, we ftopped to look at it. The manse, as the parfonage-house is called in Scotland, was close by. I waited on the minister, mentioned our names, and begged he would tell us what he knew about it. He was a very civil old man; but could only inform us, that it was supposed to have fstood eight hundred years. He told us, there was a colony of Danes in his parish; that they had landed at a remote period of time, and still remained a distinct people. Dr. Johnson fhrewdly inquired if they had brought women with them. We were not satisfied, as to this colony.

We faw, this day, Dundee and Aberbrothick, the laft of which Dr. Johnson has celebrated in his "Journey." Upon the road we talked of the Roman Catholic faith. He mentioned (I think) Tillotson's argument against transubftantiation: "That we are as fure we fee bread and wine only, as that we read in the Bible the text on which that falfe doctrine is founded. We have only the evidence of our senses for both." If (he added) GOD had never spoken figuratively, we might hold that he speaks literally, when he says, This is my body."

Bofwell

Bofwell. "But what do you fay, Sir, to the

ancient and continued tradition of the church upon this point?"---Johnson. Tradition, Sir, has no place, where the Scriptures are plain; and tradition cannot perfuade a man into a belief of tranfubftantiation. Able men, indeed, have faid they believed it.'

This is an awful fubject. I did not then prefs Dr. Johnson upon it; nor fhall I now enter upon a difquifition concerning the import of those words uttered by our Saviour, which had fuch an effect upon many of his difciples, that they "went back, and walked no more with him." The Catechifm and folemn office for Communion, in the Church of England, maintain a myfterious belief in more than a mere commemoration of the death of Christ, by partaking of the elements of bread

and wine.

Dr. Johnson put me in mind, that, at St. Andrew's, I had defended my profeffion very well, when the queftion had again been started, Whether a Lawyer might honestly engage with the first side that offers him a fee?" Sir (faid I) it was with your arguments against Sir William Forbes. But it was much that I could wield the arms of Goliath."

He faid our judges had not gone deep in literary property. I mentioned Lord Monboddo's opinion, that if a man could get a

work