Hebrid. Tour to may be altered by it for the better; that his spirits 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 Inchkenneth: upon INSULA SANCTI KENNETHI. Huc ego delatus placido per cœrula cursu Quid quod sacrifici versavit femina libros, 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 accendat 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. 66 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.' وو I this morning took a spade, and dug a little grave in the floor of a ruined chapel1, 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. 66 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 66 1 [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.] Hebrid. titious character. We may suppose a philosophical Tour to day-labourer, who is happy in reflecting that, by his labour, he contributes to the fertility of the earth, and to the support of his fellow-creatures; but we find no such philosophical day-labourer. A merchant may, perhaps, be a man of an enlarged mind; but there is nothing in trade connected with an enlarged mind." I mentioned that I had heard Dr. Solander say he was a Swedish Laplander'. JOHNSON. "Sir, I don't believe he is a Laplander. The Laplanders are not much above four feet high. He is as tall as you; and he has not the copper colour of a Laplander." BOSWELL. "But what motive could he have to make himself a Laplander?" JOHNSON." Why, sir, he must either mean the word Laplander in a very extensive sense, or may mean a voluntary degradation of himself. For all my being the great man that you see me now, I was originally a barbarian ;' as if Burke should say, 'I came over a wild Irishman' which he might say in his present state of exaltation." Having expressed a desire to have an island like Inchkenneth, Dr. Johnson set himself to think what would be necessary for a man in such a situation. 66 Sir, I should build me a fortification, if I came to live here; for, if you have it not, what should hinder a parcel of ruffians to land in the night, and carry off every thing you have in the house, which, in a remote country, would be more valuable than cows and sheep? add to all this the danger of having your throat cut." BOSWELL. "I would have a 1 [Daniel Charles Solander was born in the province of Nordland, in Sweden, in 1736; he came to England in 1760; became F.R.S. 1764. In 1768 he accompanied Sir Joseph Banks in his voyage with Captain Cook. He died one of the librarians of the British Museum, in 1782. The Biographical Dictionary says, that he was a short fair man, rather fat, with small eyes, and good humoured expression of countenance."-ED.] Hebrid. Tour to large dog." large dog." JOHNSON. "So you may, sir; but a large dog is of no use but to alarm." He, however, I apprehend, thinks too lightly of the power of that animal. I have heard him say, that he is afraid of no dog. "He would take him up by the hinder legs, which would render him quite helpless; and then knock his head against a stone, and beat out his brains." Topham Beauclerk told me, that at his house in the country, two large ferocious dogs were fighting1. Dr. Johnson looked steadily at them for a little while; and then, as one would separate two little boys, who are foolishly hurting each other, he ran up to them, and cuffed their heads till he drove them asunder. But few men have his intrepidity, Herculean strength, or presence of mind. Most thieves or robbers would be afraid to encounter a mastiff. I observed, that when young Col talked of the lands belonging to his family, he always said, "my lands." For this he had a plausible pretence; for he told me, there has been a custom in this family, that the laird resigns the estate to the eldest son when he comes of age, reserving to himself only a certain life-rent. He said, it was a voluntary custom; but I think I found an instance in the charter-room, that there was such an obligation in a contract of marriage. If the custom was voluntary, it was only curious; but if founded on obligation, it might be dangerous; for I have been told, that in Otaheité, whenever a child is born (a son, I think), the father loses his right to the estate and honours, and that this unnatural, or rather absurd custom, occasions the murder of many children. Young Col told us he could run down a greyhound; [See post, sub Feb. 1775, where this story is repeated.-ED.] |