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display the truly tender and benevolent heart of Johnson, who, as soon as he found a friend was at all hurt by anything which he had 'said in his wrath,' was not only prompt and desirous to be reconciled, but exerted himself to make ample reparation.

Books of travels having been mentioned, Johnson praised Pennant very highly, as he did at Dunvegan, in the Isle of Skye.1 Dr. Percy knowing himself to be the heir-male of the ancient Percies, and having the warmest and most dutiful attachment to the noble house of Northumberland, could not sit quietly and hear a man praised who had spoken disrespectfully of Alnwick Castle and the Duke's pleasure-grounds, especially as he thought meanly of his travels. He therefore opposed Johnson eagerly. JOHNSON: 'Pennant, in what he has said of Alnwick, has done what he intended; he has made you very angry.' PERCY: 'He has said the garden is trim, which is representing it like a citizen's parterre, when the truth is, there is a very large extent of fine turf and gravel walks.'

1 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3rd edit., p. 221.

See this accurately stated, and the descent of his family from the Earls of Northumberland clearly deduced, in the Reverend Dr. Nash's excellent History of Worcestershire, vol. ii. p. 318. The Doctor has subjoined a note, in which he says, "The editor hath seen and carefully examined the proofs of all the particulars above-mentioned, now in the possession of the Reverend Thomas Percy.'

The same proofs I have also myself carefully examined, and have seen some additional proofs which have occurred since the Doctor's book was published; and both as a lawyer accustomed to the consideration of evidence, and as a genealogist versed in the study of pedigrees, I am fully satisfied. I cannot help observing, as a circumstance of no small moment, that in tracing the Bishop of Dromore's genealogy, essential aid was given by the late Elizabeth, Duchess of Northumberland, heiress of that illustrious house; a lady not only of high dignity of spirit, such as became her noble blood, but of excellent understanding and lively talents. With a fair pride I can boast of the honour of her Grace's correspondence, specimens of which adon my archives.

VOL. IV.

JOHNSON: 'According to your own account, sir, Pennant is right. It is trim. Here is grass cut close and gravel rolled smooth. Is not that trim? The extent is nothing against that; a mile may be as trim as a square yard. Your extent puts me in mind of the citizen's enlarged dinner, two pieces of roast-beef and two puddings. There is no variety, no mind exerted in laying out the ground, no trees.' PERCY: 'He pretends to give the natural history of Northumberland, and yet takes no notice of the immense number of trees planted there of late.' JOHNSON: 'That, sir, has nothing to do with the natural history; that is civil history. A man who gives the natural history of the oak is not to tell how many oaks have been planted in this place or that. A man who gives the natural history of the cow is not to tell how many cows are milked at Islington. The animal is the same, whether milked in the park or at Islington.' PERCY: 'Pennant does not describe well: a carrier who goes along the side of Loch Lomond would describe it better.' JOHNSON: 'I think he describes very well.' PERCY: 'I travelled after him.' JOHNSON: And I travelled after him.' PERCY: 'But, my good friend, you are short-sighted, and do not see so well as I do.' I wondered at Dr. Percy's venturing thus. Dr. Johnson said nothing at the time; but inflammable particles were collecting for a cloud to burst. In a little while Dr. Percy said something more in disparagement of Pennant. JOHNSON (pointedly): This is the resentment of a narrow mind, because he did not find everything in Northumberland.' PERCY (feeling the stroke): 'Sir, you may be as rude as you please.' JOHNSON: 'Hold sir! Don't talk of rudeness;

remember, sir, you told me (puffing hard with passion struggling for a vent) I was short-sighted. We have done with civility. We are to be as rude as we please.' PERCY: 'Upon my honour, sir, I did not mean to be uncivil.' JOHNSON: 'I cannot say so, sir; for I did mean to be uncivil, thinking you had been uncivil.' Dr. Percy rose, ran up to him, and taking him by the hand, assured him affectionately that his meaning had been misunderstood; upon which a reconciliation instantly took place. JOHNSON: 'My dear sir, I am willing you shall hang Pennant.' PERCY (resuming the former subject): 'Pennant complains that the helmet is not hung out to invite to the hall of hospitality. Now I never heard that it was a custom to hang out a helmet.' JOHNSON: 'Hang him up, hang him up.' BOSWELL (humouring the joke): 'Hang out his skull instead of a helmet, and you may drink ale out of it in your hall of Odin, as he is your enemy; that will be truly ancient. There will be Northern Antiquities. JOHNSON: 'He's a Whig, sir; a sad dog (smiling at his own violent expressions, merely for political difference of opinion). But he's the best traveller I ever read; he observes more things than any one else does.'

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I could not help thinking that this was too high praise of a writer who had traversed a wide extent of

1 It certainly was a custom, as appears from the following passage in Perceforest, vol. iii. p. 108: 'Fasoient mettre au plus hault de leur hostel un heaulme, en signe que tous les gentils hommes et gentilles femmes entrassent hardiment en leur hostel comme en leur propre,' etc.-KEARNEY.

[The author's second son, Mr. James Boswell, late of Brasenose College, in Oxford, and now of the Inner Temple, had noticed this passage in Perceforest, and suggested to me the same remark.-M.] 2 The title of a book translated by Dr. Percy.

country in such haste that he could put together only curt frittered fragments of his own, and afterwards procured supplemental intelligence from parochial ministers, and others not the best qualified or most impartial narrators, whose ungenerous prejudice against the house of Stuart glares in misrepresentation; a writer, who at best treats merely of superficial objects, and shows no philosophical investigation of character and manners, such as Johnson has exhibited in his masterly Journey over part of the same ground; and who, it should seem, from a desire of ingratiating himself with the Scotch, has flattered the people of North Britain so inordinately and with so little discrimination, that the judicious and candid amongst them must be disgusted, while they value more the plain, just, yet kindly report of Johnson.

Having impartially censured Mr. Pennant as traveller in Scotland, let me allow him, from authorities much better than mine, his deserved place as an able zoologist: and let me also from my own understanding and feelings, acknowledge the merit of his London, which, though said not to be quite accurate in some particulars, is one of the most pleasing topographical performances that ever appeared in any language. Mr. Pennant, like his countrymen in general, has the true spirit of a Gentleman. As a proof of it, I shall quote from his London the passage in which he speaks of my illustrious friend :

'I must by no means omit Bolt Court, the long residence of Doctor Samuel Johnson, a man of the strongest natural

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