244 head. Dr. Johnson was then mounted, and Joseph very slowly and gravely led the horse. I said to Dr. Johnson, I wish, Sir, the club saw you in this attitude."1 There was It was a very heavy rain, and I was wet to the skin. Captain M'Lean had but a poor temporary house, or rather hut; however, it was a very good haven to us. a blazing peat fire, and Mrs. M'Lean, daughter of the minister of the parish, got us tea. I felt still the motion of the sea. Dr. Johnson said, it was not in the imagination, but a continuation of motion on the fluids, like that of the sea itself after the storm is over. There were some books on the board which served as a chimney-piece. Dr. Johnson took up "Burnet's History of his own Times." He said, “The first part of it is one of the most entertaining books in the English language: it is quite dramatic; while he went about every where, saw every where, and heard every where. By the first part, mean so far as it appears that Burnet himself was actually engaged in what he has told; tinguished." Captain M'Lean censured Burnet, for his and this may be easily dis I 1 This curious exhibition may, perhaps, remind some of my readers of the ludicrous lines made, during Sir Robert Walpole's administration (1741), on Mr. George (afterwards Lord) Lyttelton, though the figures of the two personages must be allowed to be very different : "But who is this astride the pony, So long, so lean, so lank, so bony? These lines are part of a song printed under a political caricature print, levelled against Sir Robert Walpole, called The Motion, representing a chariot drawn by six spirited horses, in and about which are the chiefs of the opposition of the day, Lords Chesterfield and Carteret, Duke of Argyll, Mr. Sandys, &c.-Croker. The exact words are: Who's dat who ride astride de Pony," The print contains an interesting view of Whitehall. "I have received," says Horace Walpole, "a print by this post that diverts me extremely, The Motion. Tell me, dear, now who made the design, and who took the likenesses; they are admirable: the lines are as good as one sees on such occasions."-Walpole to Conway, March 25, 1741.-P. Cunningham. high praise of Lauderdale in a dedication, when he shows him in his history to have been so bad a man. JOHNSON. "I do not think, myself, that a man should say in a dedition what he could not say in a history. However, allowance should be made; for there is a great difference. The known style of a dedication is flattery: it professes to flatter. There is the same difference between what a man says in a dedication, and what he says in a history, as between a lawyer's pleading a cause, and reporting it.' The day passed away pleasantly enough. The wind became fair for Mull in the evening, and Mr. Simpson resolved to sail next morning: but having been thrown into the island of Col, we were unwilling to leave it unexamined, especially as we considered that the Campbell-town vessel would sail for Mull in a day or two; and therefore we determined to stay. Tuesday, Oct. 5.-I rose, and wrote my Journal till about nine, and then went to Dr. Johnson, who sat up in bed and talked and laughed. I said, it was curious to look back ten years, to the time when we first thought of visiting the Hebrides. How distant and improbable the scheme then appeared! Yet here we were actually among them. Sir," said he, "people may come to do any thing almost, by talking of it. I really believe I could talk myself into building a house upon Island Isa, though I should probably never come back again to see it. I could easily persuade Reynolds to do it; and there would be no great sin in persuading him to do it. Sir, he would reason thus: 'What will it cost me to be there once in two or three summers? Why, perhaps, five hundred pounds; and what is that, in comparison of having a fine retreat, to which a man can go, or to which he can send a friend?' He would never find out that he may have this within twenty miles of London. Then I would tell him, that he may marry one of the Miss Macleods, a lady of great family. Sir, it is suprising, how people will go to a distance, for what they may have at home. I knew a lady' who came up from Lincolnshire to Knightsbridge with one of her daughters, and gave five guineas a week for a lodging and a warm 1 Mrs. Langton, the mother of his friend.--Croker. 1 bath; that is, mere warm water. That, you know, could not be had in Lincolnshire! She said, it was made either too hot or too cold there." After breakfast, Dr. Johnson and I, and Joseph, mounted horses, and Col and the captain walked with us about a short mile across the island. We paid a visit to the Rev. Mr. Hector M'Lean. His parish consists of the islands of Col and Tyr-yi. He was about seventy-seven years of age, a decent ecclesiastic, dressed in a full suit of black clothes, and a black wig. He appeared like a Dutch pastor, or one of the "Assembly of Divines" at Westminster. Dr. Johnson observed to me afterwards, "that he was a fine old man, and was as well dressed, and had as much dignity in his appearance, as the dean of a cathedral." We were told that he had a valuable library, though but poor accommodation for it, being obliged to keep his books in large chests. It was curious to see him and Dr. Johnson together. Neither of them heard very distinctly; so each of them talked in his own way, and at the same time. Mr. M‘Lean said, he had a confutation of Bayle, by Leibnitz. JOHNSON. "A confutation of Bayle, Sir! What part of Bayle do you mean? The greatest part of his writings is not confutable: it is historical and critical." Mr. M'Lean said, "the irreligious part;" and proceeded to talk of Leibnitz's controversy with Clarke, calling Leibnitz a great JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, Leibnitz persisted in affirming that Newton called space sensorium numinis, notwithstanding he was corrected, and desired to observe that Newton's words were QUASI sensorium numinis. No, Sir; Leibnitz was as paltry a fellow as I know. Out of respect to Queen Caroline, who patronized him, Clarke treated him man. too well." During the time that Dr. Johnson was thus going on, the old minister was standing with his back to the fire, cresting up erect, pulling down the front of his periwig, and talking what a great man Leibnitz was. idea of the scene would require a page with two columns; To give an but it ought rather to be represented by two good players. The old gentleman said, Clarke was very wicked, for going so much into the Arian system. "I will not wicked," said Dr. Johnson; say he might be mistaken.' 66 he was 66 I M'LEAN. "He was wicked, to shut his eyes against the Scriptures; and worthy men in England have since confuted him to all intents and purposes." JOHNSON. know not who has confuted him to all intents and purposes." Here again there was a double talking, each continuing to maintain his own argument, without hearing exactly what the other said. I regretted that Dr. Johnson did not practise the art of accommodating himself to different sorts of people. Had he been softer with this venerable old man, we might have had more conversation; but his forcible spirit and impetuosity of manner, may be said to spare neither sex nor age. I have seen even Mrs. Thrale stunned; but I have often maintained, that it is better he should retain his own manner. Pliability of address I conceive to be inconsistent with that majestic power of mind which he possesses, and which produces such noble effects. A lofty oak will not bend like a supple willow. He told me afterwards, he liked firmness in an old man, and was pleased to see Mr. M'Lean so orthodox. "At his age, it is too late for a man to be asking himself questions as to his belief." We rode to the northern part of the island, where we saw the ruins of a church or chapel. We then proceeded to a place called Grissipol, or the rough pool. 66 At Grissipol we found a good farm-house, belonging to the Laird of Col, and possessed by Mr. M'Sweyn. On the beach here there is a singular variety of curious stones. I picked up one very like a small cucumber. By the by, Dr. Johnson told me that Gay's line in the "Beggar's Opera," 'As men should serve a cucumber," &c.,' has no waggish meaning, with reference to men flinging away cucumbers as too cooling, which some have thought; for it has been a common saying of physicians in England, that a cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing. Mr. M'Sweyn's predecessors had been in Sky from a very remote period, upon the estate belonging to Macleod; probably before "I wonder any man alive should ever rear a daughter; For when she's dress'd with care and cost, all tempting, fine, and gay, As men should serve a cucumber, she flings herself away."-Wright. Macleod had it. The name is certainly Norwegian,' from Sueno, King of Norway. The present Mr. M'Sweyn left Sky upon the late Macleod's raising his rents. He then got this farm from Col. He appeared to be near fourscore; but looked as fresh, and was as strong, as a man of fifty. His son Hugh looked older; and, as Dr. Johnson observed, had more the manners of an old man than he. I had often heard of such instances, but never saw one before. Mrs. M'Sweyn was a decent old gentlewoman. She was dressed in tartan, and could speak nothing but Erse. She said, she taught Sir James M'Donald Erse, and would teach me soon. I could now sing a verse of the song Hatyin foam' eri, made 1 M'Swyne has an awkward sound, but the name is held to be of high antiquity, both in the Hebrides and the north of Ireland.-Walter Scott. In the county of Donegal, in the north of Ireland, a singular hole in a cliff, communicating with a cave below, through which, in certain circumstances of the sea and wind, the spray is driven up with great force, is called M'Swine's (for M'Sweyn's) Gun. The name, no doubt, was originally Scandinavian, but seems to have been established in England before the Conquest. "In Ferleiâ (Fernely, Yorkshire) Goduin et Suen habuerunt, &c., ubi nunc habet Ilbertus de Lacy."-Doomsday Book.— Croker. 2 A very popular air in the Hebrides, written to the praise and glory of Allan Muidartach, or Allan of Muidart, a chief of the Clanranald family. The following is a translation of it by a fair friend of mine [the late Margaret Maclean Clephane, Marchioness of Northampton]:Come, here's a pledge to young and old, We quaff the blood-red wine; A health to Allan Muidart bold, The dearest love of mine. CHORUS. "Along, along, then haste along, I'll braid and bind my tresses long, "When waves blow gurly off the strand, The grasp of Allan's strong right hand Compels her home to veer. Along, along, &c. "And when to old Kilphedar* came Such troops of damsels gay; St. Peter's Church in Sky.-Croker. |