JOHNSON SETS OUT ON HIS "TOUR TO THE HEBRIDES"-ARRIVES IN EDINBURGH, AND VISITS THE ISLES BY WAY OF ABERDEEN AND INVERNESS-LETTERS TO BOSWELL-DAVIES EXCITES JOHNSON'S ANGER BY PUBLISHING HIS "MISCELLANEOUS AND FUGITIVE PIECES," WITHOUT PERMISSION-JOHNSON WRITES AN ACCOUNT OF HIS "TOUR"-LETTERS TO GEORGE STEEVENS, HIS ASSOCIATE IN EDITING SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS-DEATH OF GOLDSMITH, ON WHOM JOHNSON COMPOSES A GREEK EPITAPH-VISITS WALES WITH MR. AND MRS. THRALE -WRITES THE "PATRIOT"-MR. PERKINS-HOOLE'S TRAGEDY, "CLEONICE." IN Na letter from Edinburgh, dated the 29th of May, I pressed him to persevere in his resolution to make this year the projected visit to the Hebrides, of which he and I had talked for many years, and which I was confident would afford us much entertainment. "DEAR SIR, "TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ. "Johnson's-court, Fleet-street, July 5, 1773. "When your letter came to me, I was so darkened by an inflammation in my eye that I could not for some time read it. I can now write without trouble, and can read large prints. My eye is gradually growing stronger; and I hope will be able to take some delight in the survey of a Caledonian loch. "Chambers is going a Judge, with six thousand a-year, to Bengal. He and I shall come down together as far as Newcastle, and thence I shall easily get to Edinburgh. Let me know the exact time when your Courts intermit. I must conform a little to Chambers's occasions, and he must conform a little to mine. The time which you shall fix must be the common point to which we will come as near as we can. Except this eye, I am very well. "Beattie is so caressed, and invited, and treated, and liked, and flattered, by the great, that I can see nothing of him. I am in great hope that he will be well provided for, and then we will live upon him at the Marischal College, without pity or modesty. -1 left the town without taking leave of me, and is gone in deep dudgeon to Is not this very childish? Where is now my legacy? "I hope your dear lady and her dear baby are both well. I shall see them too when I come; and I have that opinion of your choice, as to suspect that when I have seen Mrs. Boswell, I shall be less willing to go away. "I am, dear Sir, "Your affectionate humble servant, "Write to me as soon as you can. "SAM. JOHNSON." Chambers is now at Oxford." I again wrote to him, informing him that the Court of Session rose on the twelfth of August, hoping to see him before that time, and expressing, perhaps in too extravagant terms, my admiration of him, and my expectation of pleasure from our intended tour. "DEAR SIR, "TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ. «August 3, 1773. "I shall set out from London on Friday the sixth of this month, and purpose not to loiter much by the way. Which day I shall be at Edinburgh I cannot exactly tell. I suppose I must drive to an inn, and send a porter to find you. "I am afraid Beattie will not be at his College soon enough for us, and I shall be sorry to miss him; but there is no staying for the concurrence of all conveniences. We will do as well as we can. "Not being at Mr. Thrale's when your letter came, I had written the inclosed paper and sealed it; bringing it hither for a frank, I found your's. If any thing could repress my ardour, it would be such a letter as yours. To disappoint a friend is unpleasing: and he that forms expectations like yours, must be disappointed. Think only when you see me, that you see a man who loves you, and is proud and glad that you love him. "I am, Sir, TO THE SAME. "SAM. JOHNSON." "DEAR SIR, "Newcastle, Aug. 11, 1773. "I came hither last night, and hope, but do not absolutely promise, to be in Edinburgh on Saturday. Beattie will not come so soon. "I am, Sir, "Your most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON." "My compliments to your lady." 1 Bennet Langton. 2 Langton Hall.-ED. TO THE SAME. "Saturday night. "MR. JOHNSON sends his compliments to Mr. Boswell, being just arrived at Boyd's." His stay in Scotland was from the 18th of August, on which day he arrived, till the 22nd of November, when he set out on his return to London; and I believe ninety-four days were never passed by any man in a more vigorous exertion. He came by the way of Berwick-upon-Tweed to Edinburgh, where he remained a few days, and then went by St. Andrew, Aberdeen, Inverness, and Fort Augustus, to the Hebrides, to visit which was the principal object he had in view. He visited the isles of Sky, Rasay, Coll, Mull, Inchkenneth, and Icolmkill.' He travelled through Argyleshire, by Inverary, and from thence by Lochlomond and Dunbarton to Glasgow, then by Loudon to Auchinleck in Ayrshire, the seat of my family, and then by Hamilton, back to Edinburgh, where he again spent some time. He thus saw the four Universities of Scotland, its three principal cities, and as much of the Highland and insular life as was sufficient for his philosophical contemplation. I had the pleasure of accompanying him during the whole of his journey. He was respectfully entertained by the great, the learned, and the elegant, wherever he went; nor was he less delighted with the hospitality which he experienced in humbler life. His various adventures, and the force and vivacity of his mind, as exercised during this peregrination, upon innumerable topics, have been faithfully, and, to the best of my abilities, displayed in my " Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides," to which, as the public has been pleased to honour it 1 Iona.-ED, by a very extensive circulation, I beg leave to refer, as to a separate and remarkable portion of his life, which may be there seen in detail, and which exhibits as striking a view of his powers in conversation, as his works do of his excellence in writing. Nor can I deny to myself the very flattering gratification of inserting here the character which my friend Mr. Courtenay has been pleased to give of that work :— "With Reynolds' pencil, vivid, bold, and true, So fervent Boswell gives him to our view: The tuneful piper sounds a martial strain, And Samuel sings 'The King shall have his ain.' During his stay at Edinburgh, after his return from the Hebrides, he was at great pains to obtain information concerning Scotland; and it will appear, from his subsequent letters, that he was not less solicitous for intelligence on this subject after his return to London. "TO JAMES BOSWELL, ESQ. "DEAR SIR, "Nov. 27, 1773. "I came home last night, without any incommodity, danger, or weariness, and am ready to begin a new journey. I shall go to Oxford on Monday. I know Mrs. Boswell wished me well to go;3 her wishes have not been disappointed. Mrs. Williams has received Sir A.'s1 letter. The author was not a small gainer by this extraordinary journey; for Dr. Johnson thus writes to Mrs. Thrale, Nov. 3, 1773: "Boswell will praise my resolution an perseverance, and I shall in return celebrate his good humour and perpetual cheerfulness. He has better faculties than I had imagined; more justness of discernment, and more fecundity of images. It is very convenient to travel with him; for there is no house where he is not received with kindness and respect." Let. 90, to Mrs. Thrale.-MALONE. 2 "The celebrated Flora Macdonald." See Boswell's "Tour to the Hebrides." 3 In this he showed a very acute penetration. My wife paid him the most assiduous and respectful attention, while he was our guest; so that I wonder how he discovered her wishing for his departure. The truth is, that his irregular hours and uncouth habits, such as turning the candles with their heads downwards, when they did not burn bright enough, and letting the wax drop upon the carpet, could not but be disagreeable to a lady. Besides, she had not that high admiration of him which was felt by most of those who knew himn; and what was very natural to a female mind, she thought he had too much influence over her husband. She once in a little warmth, made, with more point than justice, this remark upon that subject: "I have seen many a bear led by a man; but I never before saw a man led by a bear."-BosWELL. 4 Sir Alexander Gordon, one of the Professors at Aberdeen.-BOSWELL. "Make my compliments to all those to whom my compliments may be welcome. "Let the box1 be sent as soon as it can, and let me know when to expect it. "Inquire, if you can, the order of the Clans: Macdonald is first, Maclean second; further I cannot go. Quicken Dr. Webster.2 "You shall have what information I can procure as to the order of the Clans. A gentleman of the name of Grant tells me that there is no settled order among them; and he says that the Macdonalds were not placed upon the right of the army at Culloden: the Stuarts were. I shall, however, examine witnesses of every name that I can find here. Dr. Webster shall be quickened too. I like your little memorandums; they are symptoms of your being in earnest with your book of northern travels. "Your box shall be sent next week by sea. You will find in it some pieces of the broom bush, which you saw growing on the old castle of Auchinleck. The wood has a curious appearance when sawn across. You may either have a little writing-standish made of it, or get it formed into boards for a treatise on witchcraft, by way of a suitable binding." tr MR. BOSWELL TO DR. JOHNSON. * * "Edinburgh, Dec. 18, 1773. * "You promised me an inscription for a print to be taken from an historical picture of Mary, Queen of Scots, being forced to resign her crown, which Mr. Hamilton at Rome has painted for me. The two following have been sent to me : Maria Scotorum Regina meliori seculo digna, jus regium civibus seditiosis invita resignat.' 'Cives seditiosi Mariam Scotorum Reginam sese muneri abdicare invitam cogunt.' "Be so good as to read the passage in Robertson, and see if you cannot give me a better inscription. I must have it both in Latin and English; so if you should not give me another Latin one, you will at least choose the best of these two, and send a translation of it." His humane forgiving disposition was put to a pretty strong test on 1 This was a box containing a number of curious things which he had picked up in Scotland, particularly some horn spoons.-BOSWELL. 2 The Reverend Dr. Alexander Webster, one of the ministers of Edinburgh, a man of distinguished abilities, who had promised him information concerning the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.-BOSWELL. |