After we had exhausted the Erse poems, is this fellow?" Upon being informed, of which Dr. Johnson said nothing, Miss he said, "If I had known who he was, M'Lean gave us several tunes on a spinnet, I should have thrown it in his face." which, though made so long ago as in 1667, JOHNSON. "There is much want of sense was still very well toned. She sung along in all this. He had no business to speak with it. Dr. Johnson seemed pleased with with the serjeant. He might have been the musick, though he owns he neither likes in haste, and trotted on. He has not learnt it, nor has hardly any perception of it, to be a miser: I believe we must take him At Mr. McPherson's, in Slate, he told us, apprentice." BoswELL. "He would grudge that "he knew a drum from a trumpet, and giving half a guinea, to be taught." JOHNa bagpipe from a guitar, which was about soN. "Nay, sir, you must teach him grathe extent of his knowledge of musick." tis. You must give him an opportunity to To-night he said, that, "if he had learnt practise your precepts." musick, he should have been afraid he would have done nothing else but play. It was a method of employing the mind, without the labour of thinking at all, and with some applause from a man's self." We had the musick of the bagpipe every day, at Armidale, Dunvegan, and Col. Dr. Johnson appeared fond of it, and used often to stand for some time with his ear close to the great drone. Let me now go back, and glean Johnsoniana. The Saturday before we sailed from Slate, I sat awhile in the afternoon with Dr. Johnson in his room, in a quiet serious frame. I observed, that hardly any man was accurately prepared for dying; but almost every one left something undone, something in confusion; that my father, indeed, told me he knew one man (Carlisle of Limekilns), after whose death all his papers were found in exact order; and nothing was omitted in his will. JOHNSoN. "Sir, I had an uncle 2 who died so; but such attention requires great leisure, and great firmness of mind. If one was to think constantly of death, the business of life would stand still. I am no friend to making religion appear too hard. Many good people have done harm, by giving severe notions of it. In the same way as to learning: I never frighten young people with difficulties; on the contrary, I tell them that they may very easily get as much as will do very well. I do not indeed tell them that they will be Bentleys." The penurious gentleman 1 of our acquaintance, formerly alluded to, afforded us a topick of conversation to-night. Dr. Johnson said, I ought to write down a collection of the instances of his narrowness, as they almost exceeded belief. Col told us, that O'Kane, the famous Irish harper, was once at that gentleman's house. He could not find in his heart to give him any money, but gave him a key for a harp, which was finely ornamented with gold and silver, and with a precious stone, and was worth eighty or a hundred guineas. He did not know the value of it; and when he came to know it, he would fain have had it back; but O'Kane took care that he should not. The night we rode to Col's house, I JOHNSON. 66 They exaggerate the value; said, "Lord Elibank is probably wonderevery body is so desirous that he should be ing what is become of us." JOHNSON. fleeced. I am very willing it should be" No, no; he is not thinking of us." Bosworth eighty or a hundred guineas; but I do not believe it." BosWELL. "I do not think O'Kane was obliged to give it back." JOHNSON, "No, sir. If a man with his eyes open, and without any means used to deceive him, gives me a thing, I am not to let him have it again when he grows wiser. I like to see how avarice defeats itself: how, when avoiding to part with money, the miser gives something more valuable." Col said, the gentleman's relations were angry at his giving away the harp key, for it had been long in the family. JOHNSON. "Sir, he values a new guinea more than an old friend." WELL. "But recollect the warmth with which he wrote. Are we not to believe a man, when he says he has a great desire to see another? Do n't you believe that I was very impatient for your coming to Scotland?" JOHNSON. "Yes, sir; I believe you were; and I was impatient to come to you. A young man feels so, but seldom an old man." I however convinced him that Lord Elibank, who has much of the spirit of a young man, might feel so. He asked me if our jaunt had answered expectation. I said it had much exceeded it. I expected much difficulty with him, and had not found it. "And," he added, "wherever we have come, we have been received like princes in their progress." He said, he would not wish not to be disgusted in the Highlands; for that would be * [If Miss Seward's story of his having had an uncle hanged had been true, Johnson could not have made such an allusion as this.-ED.] to lose the power of distinguishing, and a man might then lie down in the middle of them. He wished only to conceal his disgust. At Captain M'Lean's, I mentioned Pope's friend, Spence. JOHNSON. "He was a weak conceited man 1." BOSWELL. "A good scholar, sir?" JOHNSON. "Why no, sir." BOSWELL. "He was a pretty scholar." JOHNSON. "You have about reached him." Last night at the inn, when the factor in Tyr-yi spoke of his having heard that a roof was put on some part of the buildings at Icolmkill, I unluckily said, "It will be fortunate if we find a cathedral with a roof on it." I said this from a foolish anxiety to engage Dr. Johnson's curiosity more. He took me short at once. 66 What, sir? how can you talk so? If we shall find a cathedral roofed! as if we were going to a terra incognita: when every thing that is at Icolmkill is so well known. You are like some New England-men who came to the mouth of the Thames. Come,' said they, let us go up and see what sort of inhabitants there are here.' They talked, sir, as if they had been to go up the Susquehannah, or any other American river." Saturday, 16th October.—This day there was a new moon, and the weather changed for the better. Dr. Johnson said of Miss M'Lean, "She is the most accomplished lady that I have found in the Highlands. She knows French, musick, and drawing, sews neatly, makes shell-work, and can milk cows; in short, she can do every thing. She talks sensibly, and is the first person whom I have found, that can translate Erse poetry literally." We set out, mounted on little Mull horses. Mull corresponded exactly with the idea which I had always had of it; a hilly country, diversified with heath and grass, and many rivulets. Dr. Johnson was not in very good humour. He said, it was a dreary country, much worse than Sky. I differed from him. "O, sir," said he, "a most dolorous country!" We had a very hard journey to-day. I had no bridle for my sheltie, but only a halter; and Joseph rode without a saddle. At one place, a loch having swelled over the road, we were obliged to plunge through pretty deep water. Dr. Johnson observed, how helpless a man would be, were he travelling here alone, and should meet with any accident; and said, "he longed to get Mr. Langton thinks this must have been the hasty expression of a splenetick moment, as he has heard Dr. Johnson speak of Mr. Spence's judgment in criticism with so high a degree of respect, as to show that this was not his settled opinion of him. Let me add that, in the preface to the Preceptor, he recommends Spence's Essay on Pope's Odyssey, and that his admirable Lives of the English Poets are much enriched by Spence's Anecdotes of Pope.-BoSWELL. to a country of saddles and bridles." He was more out of humour to-day than he has been in the course of our tour, being fretted to find that his little horse could scarcely support his weight; and having suffered a loss, which, though small in itself, was of some consequence, to him, while travelling the rugged steeps of Mull, where he was at times obliged to walk. The loss that I allude to was that of the large oak-stick, which, as I formerly mentioned, he had brought with him from London. It was of great use to him in our wild peregrination; for, ever since his last illness in 1766, he has had a weakness in his knees, and has not been able to walk easily. It had too the properties of a mea sure; for one nail was driven into it at the length of a foot; another at that of a yard. In return for the services it had done him, he said, this morning, he would make a present of it to some museum; but he little thought he was so soon to lose it. As he preferred riding with a switch, it was intrusted to a fellow to be delivered to our baggage-man, who followed us at some distance; but we never saw it more. I could not persuade him out of a suspicion that it had been stolen." No, no, my friend," said he; "it is not to be expected that any man in Mull, who has got it, will part with it. Consider, sir, the value of such a piece of timber here!" As we travelled this forenoon, we met Dr. M'Lean, who expressed much regret at his having been so unfortunate as to be absent while we were at his house. We were in hopes to get to Sir Allan Maclean's, at Inchkenneth, to-night; but the eight miles, of which our road was said to consist, were so very long, that we did not reach the opposite coast of Mull till seven at night, though we had set out about eleven in the forenoon; and when we did arrive there, we found the wind strong against us. Col determined that we should pass the night at M'Quarrie's, in the island of Ulva, which lies between Mull and Inchkenneth; and a servant was sent forward to the ferry, to secure the boat for us: but the boat was gone to the Ulva side, and the wind was so high that the people could not hear him call; and the night so dark that they could not see a signal. We should have been in a very bad situation, had there of Ulva an Irish vessel, the Bonnetta, of Lonnot fortunately been lying in the little sound donderry, Captain M'Lure, master. He himself was at M'Quarrie's; but his men obligingly came with their long-boat, and ferried us over. M'Quarrie's house was mean, but we were agreeably surprised with the appearance of the master, whom we found to be intelligent, polite, and much a man of the world'. Though his clan is not numerous, the marriage of each of his tenants, a sheep ne is a very ancient chief, and has a burial- is due to him; for which the composition place at Icolmkill. He told us, his family is fixed at five shillings. I suppose, Ulva had possessed Ulva for nine hundred years; is the only place where this custom remains 4. but I was distressed to hear that it was soon to be sold for payment of his debts. Captain M'Lure, whom we found here, was of Scotch extraction, and properly a Macleod, being descended of some of the Macleods who went with Sir Norman of Bernera to the battle of Worcester 2; and after the defeat of the royalists, fled to Ireland, and, to conceal themselves, took a different name. He told me, there was a great number of them about Londonderry; some of good property. I said, they should now resume their real name. The Laird of Macleod should go over, and assemble them, and make them all drink the large horn full, and from that time they should be Macleods. The captain informed us, he had named his ship the Bonnetta, out of gratitude to Providence; for once, when he was sailing to America with a good number of passengers, the ship in which he then sailed was becalmed for five weeks, and during all that time, numbers of the fish Bonnetta swam close to her, and were caught for food; he resolved, therefore, that the ship he should next get should be called the Bonnetta. M'Quarrie told us a strong instance of the second-sight. He had gone to Edinburgh, and taken a man-servant along with him. An old woman, who was in the house, said one day, "M'Quarrie will be at home to-morrow, and will bring two gentlemen with him;" and she said, she saw his servant return in red and green. He did come home next day. He had two gentlemen with him, and his servant had a new red and green livery, which M'Quarrie had bought for him at Edinburgh, upon a sudden thought, not having the least intention when he left home to put his servant in livery; so that the old woman could not have heard any previous mention of it. This, he assured us, was a true story. M'Quarrie insisted that the Mercheta Mulierum, mentioned in our old charters, fid really mean the privilege which a lord of a manor or a baron had, to have the first night of all his vassals' wives. Dr. Johnson said, the belief of such a custom having existed was also held in England, where there is a tenure called Borough English, by which the eldest child does not inherit, from a doubt of his being the son of the tenant 3. M'Quarrie told us, that still, on 1 [McQuarrie was hospitable to an almost romantic degree. He lived to an extreme old age. -WALTER SCOTT.] 2 [See Macleod's Memoirs, Appendix, p. 264.-ED.] 3 Sir William Blackstone says in his "Commentaries," that "he cannot find that ever this Talking of the sale of an estate of an ancient family, which was said to have been purchased much under its value by the confidential lawyer of that family, and it being mentioned that the sale would probably be set aside by a suit in equity, Dr. Johnson said, "I am very willing that this sale should be set aside, but I doubt much whether the suit will be successful; for the argument for avoiding the sale is founded on vague and indeterminate principles,-as that the price was too low, and that there was a great degree of confidence placed by the seller in the person who became the purchaser. Now, how low should a price be? or what degree of confidence should there be to make a bargain be set aside? a bargain, which is a wager of skill between man and man. If, indeed, any fraud can be proved, that will do." When Dr. Johnson and I were by ourselves at night, I observed of our host," Aspectum generösum habet;"" Et generosum animum," he added. For fear of being overheard in the small Highland houses, I often talked to him in such Latin as I could speak, and with as much of the English accent as I could assume, so as not to be understood, in case our conversation should be too loud for the space. We had each an elegant bed in the same room; and here it was that a circumstance occurred, as to which he has been strangely misunderstood. From his description of his chamber, it has erroneously been supposed, that his bed being too short for him, his feet, during the night, were in the mire; whereas he has only said, that when he undressed, he felt his feet in the mire: that is, the clay-floor of the room, which he stood upon before he went into bed, was wet, in consequence of the windows being broken, which let in the rain. Sunday, 17th October.-Being informed that there was nothing worthy of observation in Ulva, we took boat, and proceeded to Inchkenneth 5, where we were introduced custom prevailed in England;" and therefore he is of opinion that it could not have given rise to Borough-English. [2. Com. 83.-ED.] 4 [This custom still continues in Ulva.-WALTER SCOTT.] [Inchkenneth is a most beautiful little islet of the most verdant green, while all the neighbouring shore of Greban, as well as the large islands of Colinsay and Ulva, are as black as heath and moss can make them. But Ulva has a good anchorage, and Inchkenneth is surrounded by shoals. It is now uninhabited. The ruins of the huts, in which Dr. Johnson was received by Sir Allan M'Lean, were still to be seen, and some tatters of by our friend Col to Sir Allan M'Lean, | ly what is theological. I read just now some the chief of his clan, and to two young la- of Drummond's Travels,' before I perceivdies, his daughters. Inchkenneth is a pret-ed what books were here. I then took up ty little island, a mile long, and about half | Derham's Physico-Theology.” a mile broad, all good land. · 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. As we walked up from the shore, Dr. Johnson's heart was cheered by the sight of a road marked with cart-wheels, as on the main land; a thing which we had not seen for a long time. It gave us a pleasure simi- I was quite easy with Sir Allan almost. lar to that which a traveller feels, when, instantaneously. He knew the great intiwhilst wandering on what he fears is a desert macy there had been between my father island, he perceives the print of human feet. and his predecessor, Sir Hector, and was Military men acquire excellent habits of himself of a very frank disposition. After having all conveniences about them. Sir dinner, Sir Allan said he had got Dr. CampAllan M'Lean, who had been long in the bell about a hundred subscribers to his army, and had now a lease of the island," Britannia Elucidata" (a work since pubhad formed a commodious habitation, lished under the title of " A Political Surthough it consisted but of a few small build-vey of Great Britain "), of whom he believings, only one story high. He had, in his little apartments, more things than I could enumerate in a page or two. ed twenty were dead, the publication having been so long delayed. JOHNSON. "Sir, I imagine the delay of publication is owing Among other agreeable circumstances, it to this;-that, after publication, there will was not the least, to find here a parcel of be no more subscribers, and few will send the "Caledonian Mercury," published since the additional guinea to get their books: in we left Edinburgh; which I read with that which they will be wrong; for there will be pleasure which every man feels who has a great deal of instruction in the work. I been for some time secluded from the ani-think highly of Campbell. In the first place, mated 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 2, 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 onthe paper hangings were to be seen on the walls. Sir George Onesiphorus Paul was at Inchkenneth with the same party of which I was a member. He seemed to me to suspect many of the Highland tales which he heard, but he showed most incredulity on the subject of Johnson's having been entertained in the wretched huts of which we saw the ruins, He took me aside, and conjured me to tell him the truth of the matter. "This Sir Allan," said he, "was he a regular baronet, or was his title such a' traditional one as you find in Ireland?" I assured my excellent acquaintance that, "For my own part, I would have paid more respect to a knight of Kerry, or knight of Glynn; yet Sir Allan M'Lean was a regular baronet by patent; and, having given him this information, I took the liberty of asking him, in return, whether ne would not in conscience prefer the worst cell n the jail at Gloucester (which he had been very active in overlooking while the building was going on) to those exposed hovels where Johnson had been entertained by rank and beauty. He looked round the little islet, and allowed Sir Allan had some advantage in exercising ground; but in other respects he thought the compulsory tenants of Gloucester had greatly the advantage. Such was nis opinion of a place, concerning which Johnson has recorded that "it wanted little which palaces could afford."-WALTER SCOTT. 2 ' [See ante, p 255 and 344.—ED.] he has very good parts. In the second place, he has very extensive reading; 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 vox viva. 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. John66 Come," " said son began to dispute it. Dr. Campbell, "we do not want to get the better of one another; we want to increase Dr. Johnson took it each other's ideas." 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 pearance of an ancient Caledonian. We only regretted that he could not be prevail ap ed 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 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 upon Inchkenneth: INSULA SANCTI KENNETHI. Parva quidem regio, sed religione priorum Sive libros poscant otia, sive lyram. [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 amendments 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. Monday, 18th October.-We agreed to pass the 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, "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 2, near Sir Allan M'Lean's house, in which ĺ 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 Una duas cepit casa cum genitore puellas, Quas Amor undarum crederet esse deas. Sive libros poscant otia, sive lyram. Et summi accendat pectus amore boni. 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 Epist. lib. 2, ep. i. v. 216.-ED.] [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.] |