liarly remarkable this day; but the general contemplation of insanity was very affecting. I accompanied him home, and dined and drank tea with him. You prefixed by Mr. Mason to his poems. I have borrowed mine, and therefore cannot lend it, and I can hardly recommend the purchase."] Talking of an acquaintance of ours', dis-him by invitation, accompanied by Mr. Andrew On Saturday, May 13., I breakfasted with tinguished for knowing an uncommon variety Crosbie, a Scotch advocate, whom he had seen of miscellaneous articles both in antiquities at Edinburgh [p. 270.], and the Hon. Colonel and polite literature, he observed, know, Sir, he runs about with little weight Lord Courtown, who was desirous of being intro(now General) Edward Stopford, brother to upon his mind." And talking of another very duced to him. His tea and rolls and butter, ingenious gentleman2, who, from the warmth of his temper, was at variance with many of and whole breakfast apparatus, were all in such his acquaintance, and wished to avoid them, that Colonel Stopford was quite surprised, and decorum, and his behaviour was so courteous, he said, "Sir, he lives the life of an outlaw." On Friday, May 12., as he had been so good wondered at his having heard so much said of Johnson's slovenliness and roughness. I have as to assign me a room in his house, where I might sleep occasionally, when I happened to preserved nothing of what passed, except that sit with him to a late hour, I took possession of Crosbie pleased him much by talking learnedly it this night, found every thing in excellent of alchymy, as to which Johnson was not a order, and was attended by honest Francis positive unbeliever, but rather delighted in with a most civil assiduity. I asked Johnson considering what progress had actually been whether I might go to a consultation with made in the transmutation of metals, what near another lawyer upon Sunday, as that appeared approaches there had been to the making of to me to be doing work as much in my way, as gold; and told us that it was affirmed that a if an artisan should work on the day appro- the secret, but died without revealing it, as person in the Russian dominions had discovered priated for religious rest. JOHNSON." Why, Sir, when you are of consequence enough to imagining it would be prejudicial to society. He added, that it was not impossible but it oppose the practice of consulting upon Sunday, you should do it; but you may go now. It is might in time be generally known. not criminal, though it is not what one should do, who is anxious for the preservation and increase of piety, to which a peculiar observance of Sunday is a great help. The distinction is clear between what is of moral and what is of ritual obligation." [JOHNSON TO MRS. THRALE. (Extract.) "12th May, 1775.—I wish I could say or send any thing to divert you; but I have done nothing, and seen nothing. I dined one day with Paoli, and yesterday with Mrs. Southwell's, and called on Congreve. Mr. Twiss is going to Ireland, and I have given him letters to Dr. Leland and Mr. Falkner. 4 "Boswell has made me promise not to go to Oxford till he leaves London; I had no great reason for haste, and therefore might as well gratify a friend. I am always proud and pleased to have my company desired. Boswell would have thought my absence a loss, and I know not who else would have considered my presence as a profit. He has entered himself at the Temple, and I joined in his bond. He is to plead before the Lords, and hopes very nearly to gain the cost of his journey. He lives much with his friend Paoli, who says, a man must see Wales to enjoy England. "The book which is now most read, but which as far as I have gone, is but dull, is Gray's Letters 1 Probably Dr. Percy. - CROKER. 2 No doubt Mr. George Steevens. CROker. 3 See antè, p. 246. n. 2. — C. 4 See post, 22d March, 1776. — C. George Faulkner, the celebrated printer. Mr. Twiss published his tour in Ireland, which gave more offence to the It being asked whether it was reasonable for had preferred to him;-JOHNSON. "I do not a man to be angry at another whom a woman see, Sir, that it is reasonable for a man to be angry at another whom a woman has preferred to him; but angry he is, no doubt; and he is loth to be angry at himself." Before setting out for Scotland on the 23d, I was frequently in his company at different places, but during this period have recorded only two remarks; one concerning Garrick: "He has not Latin enough. He finds out the Latin by the meaning, rather than the meaning by the Latin." And another concerning writers of travels, who, he observed, “were more defective than any other writers." I passed many hours with him on the 17th, of which I find all my memorial is, "much laughing." It should seem he had that day been in a humour for jocularity and merriment, and upon such occasions I never knew a man laugh more heartily. We may suppose that the high relish of a state so different from his habitual gloom produced more than ordinary exertions of that distinguishing faculty of man, which has puzzled philosophers so much to explain. Johnson's laugh was as remarkable as any circumstance in his manner. It was a kind of good-humoured growl. Tom Davies described it drolly enough: "He laughs like a rhinoceros." Irish than even Johnson's Journey had done to the Scotch. 6 Nothing but a strong prejudice could have made John- JOHNSON TO LANGTON. 'May 21. 1775. "DEAR SIR, I have an old amanuensis in great distress. I have given what I think I can give, and begged till I cannot tell where to beg again. I put into his hands this morning four guineas. If you could coilect three guineas more, it would clear him from his present difficulty. I am, Sir, your most humble servant, SAM. JOHNSON." [JOHNSON TO MRS. THRALE. (Extracts.) "London, May 22. 1775.—Boswell went away at two this morning. Langton] I suppose goes this week. B[oswell] got two and forty guineas in fees while he was here. He has, by his wife's persuasion and mine, taken down a present for his mother-in-law. "I am not sorry that you read Boswell's journal. Is it not a merry piece? There is much in it about poor me. "Do not buy C[handler]'s travels, they are duller than T[wiss] 's. W[raxall] is too fond of words, but you may read him. I shall take care that Adair's account of America may be sent you, for I shall have it of my own. "Beattie has called once to see me. He lives grand at the archbishop's."4 JOHNSON TO BOSWELL. Bid May 27. 1775. "DEAR SIR, I make no doubt but you are now safely lodged in your own habitation, and have told all your adventures to Mrs. Boswell and Miss Veronica. Pray teach Veronica to love me. her not mind mamma. "Mrs. Thrale has taken cold, and been very much disordered, but I hope is grown well. Mr. Langton went yesterday to Lincolnshire, and has invited Nicolaida to follow him. Beauclerk talks of going to Bath. I am to set out on Monday; so there is nothing but dispersion. "I have returned Lord Hailes's entertaining sheets, but must stay till I come back for more, because it will be inconvenient to send them after me in my vagrant state. "I promised Mrs. Macaulay that I would try to serve her son at Oxford. I have not forgotten it, nor am unwilling to perform it. If they desire to give him an English education, it should be considered whether they cannot send him for a year or two to an English school. If he comes immediately from Scotland, he can make no figure in our Universities. The schools in the north, I believe, are cheap; and when I was a young man, were eminently good. He had written to Mrs. Thrale the day before: "Peyton and Macbean are both starving, and I cannot keep them.". Letters.-CROKER. Travels in Asia Minor.- CROKER. 3" Cursory Remarks made in a Tour through some of the Northern Parts of Europe."- CROKER. Beattie was on a visit to his friend, Dr. Porteus, who had apartments in Lambeth Palace, as chaplain to Archbishop Secker, CROKER, 1846. 5 A learned Greek.- Boswell. enthusiast about Greek. - CROKER. Mr. Langton was an Wife of the Rev. Kenneth Macaulay, author of "The History of St. Kilda." - BOSWELL. See antè, p. 303. — C. "There are two little books published by the Foulis, Telemachus and Collins's Poems, each a shilling; I would be glad to have them. "Make my compliments to Mrs. Boswell, though You see what perverse she does not love me. things ladies are, and how little fit to be trusted with feudal estates. When she mends and loves me, there may be more hope of her daughters. "I will not send compliments to my friends by name, because I would be loth to leave any out in the enumeration. Tell them, as you see them, how well I speak of Scotch politeness, and Scotch hospitality, and Scotch beauty, and of every thing Scotch, but Scotch oat-cakes and Scotch prejudices. decision relating to Sir Allan. "Let me know the answer of Rasuy', and the Sir, with great affection, &c., I am, my dearest SAM. JOHNSON." After my return to Scotland, I wrote three letters to him, from which I extract the following passages: "I have seen Lord Hailes since I came down. He thinks it wonderful that you are pleased to take so much pains in revising his Annals.' I told him that you said you were well rewarded by the entertainment which you had in reading them." "There has been a numerous flight of Hebrideans in Edinburgh this summer, whom I have been happy to entertain at my house. Mr. Donald Macqueen and Lord Monboddo supped with me one evening. They joined in controverting your proposition, that the Gaelic of the Highlands and Isles of Scotland was not written till of late." "My mind has been somewhat dark this sumI have need of your warming and vivifying rays; and I hope I shall have them frequently. I am going to pass some time with my father at Auchinleck." mer. the epitaph" before last night, and this morning I have found it too long; I send it to you as it is, to pacify you, and will make it shorter * Don't suppose that I live here as we live at Streatham. I went this morning to the chapel at six, and if I were to stay would try to conform to all wholesome rules. Mr. Coulson 19 is well, and still willing to keep me, but I delight not in being long here. Mr. Smollett, of LochLomond1s and his lady have been here we were glad to meet." " June 6. - Such is the uncertainty of all human things, that Mr. [Coulson] has quarrelled 7 Boswell has not given us Rasay's answer. See antè p. 169. I suppose it was not quite satisfactory - CROKER. A lawsuit carried on by Sir Allan Maclean, chief of his clan, to recover certain parts of his family estates from the Duke of Argyle. -BOSWELL. 9 The very learned minister in the Isle of Sky, whom both Dr. Johnson and I have mentioned with regard.- BoswELL. See antè, p. 316. — C. 10 In the latter end of May he set out on what he called "his annual ramble into the middle counties," of which his letters to Mrs. Thrale afford a kind of journal. - CROKER. 11 On Mrs Salusbury. - CRoker. 12 Of University College. - Croker, 13 See antè, p. 392. — C. with me.' He says I raise the laugh upon him, and he is an independent man, and all he has is his own, and he is not used to such things. And so I shall have no more good of C[oulson], of whom I never had any good but flattery, which my dear mistress knows I can have at home. " June 7. Coulson] and I am pretty well again, I grudge the cost of going to LichfieldFrank and I-in a post-chaise- yet I think of thundering away to-morrow. So you will write your next dear letter to Lichfield." "Lichfield, June 10. On Thursday I took a post-chaise, and intended to have passed a day or two at Birmingham, but Hector had company in his house, and I went on to Lichfield, where I know not how long I shall stay." You "June 11. I go every day to Stowhill: both the sisters are now at home. Every body remembers you all. You left a good impression behind you. I hope you will do the same at [Lewes]. Do not make them speeches. Unusual compliments, to which there is no stated and prescriptive answer, embarrass the feeble, who do not know what to say, and disgust the wise, who, knowing them to be false, suspect them to be hypocritical. never told me, and I omitted to inquire, how you were entertained by Boswell's Journal.' One would think the man had been hired to be a spy upon me; he was very diligent, and caught opportunities of writing from time to time. You may now conceive yourself tolerably well acquainted with the expedition. Folks want me to go to Italy, but I say you are not for it." "June 13. Mr. Green has got a cast of Shakspeare, which he holds to be a very exact resemblance. "There is great lamentation here for the death of Col. Lucy is of opinion that he was wonderfully handsome. "Boswell is a favourite, but he has lost ground since I told them that he is married, and all hope 1 My venerable and amiable friend, Dr. Fisher, formerly Master of the Charter House, told me, in 1833 (he being then in his eighty-fourth year, in the full possession of his clear mind and happy temper), that he was present at this quarrel. Coulson was going out on a country living, and talking of it with the same pomp, as to Lord Stowell (ante, p. 425.). Johnson chose to imagine his becoming an archdeacon, and made himself merry Dr. Fisher thought too merry at Coulson's expense; at last they got to warm words, and Johnson concl ded the debate by exclaiming emphatically" Sir, having meant you no offence, I will make you no apology."- CROKER, 1846. 2 Mrs. Gastrell and Miss (now Mrs.) Aston. — CROKER. 3 My Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides," which that lady read in the original manuscript.- BoswELL. cause of his misbehaviour I am afraid he has learned part of me. I hope to set him hereafter a better example." "21st July. You and [Baretti] are friends again. My dear mistress has the quality of being easily reconciled, and not easily offended. Kindness is a good thing in itself; and there are few things that are worthy of anger, and still fewer that can justify malignity. "In the mean time, however, life is gliding away, and another state is hastening forwards. You were but five-and-twenty when I knew you first. What I shall be next September [67], I confess I have lacheté enough to turn aside from thinking. "I am glad you read Boswell's Journal. You are now sufficiently informed of the whole transaction, and need not regret that you did not make the tour of the Hebrides." Lichfield, July [27]. "I have passed one day at Birmingham with my old friend Hector-there's a name! and his sister, an old love. My mistress is grown much older than my friend. 'O quid habes illius, illius JOHNSON TO BOSWELL "London, Aug. 27. 1775. DEAR SIR, -I am returned from the annual ramble into the middle counties. Having seen nothing I had not seen before, I have nothing to relate. Time has left that part of the island few antiquities; and commerce has left the people no singularities. I was glad to go abroad, and, perhaps, glad to come home; which is, in other words, I was, I am afraid, weary of being at home, and weary of being abroad. Is not this the state of life? But if we confess this weariness, let us not lament it; for all the wise and all the good say, that we may cure it. "For the black fumes which rise in your mind, I can prescribe nothing but that you disperse them by honest business or innocent pleasure, and by reading, sometimes easy and sometimes serious. Change of place is useful; and I hope that your residence at Auchinleck will have many good effects. That I should have given pain Mrs. Montagu had secured to Mrs. Williams, and which, as we shall see, was long afterwards a subject of acknowledg ment from Johnson to that lady.— CHOKER "MRS. WILLIAMS TO MRS. MONTAGU. "Johnson's Court, 26th June, 1773, "MADAM, Often have I heard of generosity, benevolence, and compassion, but never have I known or experienced the reality of those virtues, till this joyful morning, when I received the honour of your most tender and affectionate letter with its most welcome contents. Madam, I may with truth say, I have not words to express my gratitude as I ought to a lady, whose bounty has, by an act of benevole ce, doubled my income, and whose tender, compassionate assurance has removed the future anxiety of trusting to chance, the terror of which only could have prompted me to stand a publick candidate for Mr. Hetherington's bounty. May my sincere and grateful thanks be accepted by you, and may the Author of all good bless and long continue a life, whose shining virtues are so conspicuous and exemplary, is the most ardent prayer of her who is, with the greatest respect. Madam, your most devoted, truly obliged, and obedient humble ANNA WILLIAMS,” servant, Mont. MSS. to Rasay, I am sincerely sorry; and am therefore very much pleased that he is no longer uneasy. He still thinks that I have represented him as personally giving up the chieftainship. I meant only that it was no longer contested between the two houses, and supposed it settled, perhaps, by the cession of some remote generation, in the house of Dunvegan. I am sorry the advertisement was not continued for three or four times in the paper. "That Lord Monboddo and Mr. Macqueen should controvert a position contrary to the imaginary interest of literary or national prejudice, might be easily imagined; but of a standing fact there ought to be no controversy: if there are men with tails, catch a homo caudatus; if there was writing of old in the Highlands or Hebrides, in the Erse language, produce the manuscripts. Where men write they will write to one another, and some of their letters, in families studious of their ancestry, will be kept. In Wales there are many manuscripts. "I have now three parcels of Lord Hailes's history, which I purpose to return all the next week that his respect for my little observations should keep his work in suspense, makes one of the evils of my journey. It is in our language, I think, a new mode of history which tells all that is wanted, and, I suppose, all that is known, without laboured splendour of language, or affected subtilty of conjecture. The exactness of his dates raises my wonder. He seems to have the closeness of Henault without his constraint. "Mrs. Thrale was so entertained with your 'Journal,' that she almost read herself blind. She has a great regard for you. "Of Mrs. Boswell, though she knows in her heart that she does not love me, I am always glad to hear any good, and hope that she and the little dear ladies will have neither sickness nor any other affliction. But she knows that she does not care what becomes of me, and for that she may be sure that I think her very much to blame. Never, my dear Sir, do you take it into your head to think that I do not love you; you may settle yourself in full confidence both of my love and esteem: I love you as a kind man, I value you as a worthy man, and hope in time to reverence you as a man of exemplary piety. I hold you, as Hamlet has it, in my heart of hearts,' and therefore, it is little to say, that I am, Sir, your affectionate humble servant, SAM. JOHNSON." your glasses. I have written this post to the ladies at Stowehill, and you may, the day after you have this, or at any other time, send Mrs. Gastrell's books. "Be pleased to make my compliments to all my good friends. I hope the poor dear hand is recovered, and you are now able to write, which, however, you need not do, for I am going to Brighthelmstone, and when I come back will take care to tell you. In the mean time take great care of your health, and drink as much as you can. I am, dearest love, your most humble servant, "SAM. JOHNSON."] Pearson MSS. JOHNSON TO BOSWELL. Sept. 14. 1775. MY DEAR SIR, I now write to you, lest in some of your freaks and humours you should Such fancies I must fancy yourself neglected. entreat you never to admit, at least never to indulge; for my regard for you is so radicated and fixed, that it is become part of my mind, and cannot be effaced but by some cause uncommonly violent; therefore, whether I write or not, set your thoughts at rest. I now write to tell you that I shall not very soon write again, for I am to set out to-morrow on another journey. Your friends are all well at Streatham, and in Leicester Fields. Make my compliments to Mrs. I am, Boswell, if she is in good humour with me. Sir, &c., Bellevue. Meudon. Grande- Chartreuse. Luxembourg. Friar Wilkes. St. Denis. Chantilly. Compeigne. Cambray. - State of Society in France. Madame de Boufflers. Voltaire. Dr. Burney's Collectanea. Letters to Mrs. Montagu, &c. WHAT he mentions in such light terms as, "I am to set out to-morrow on another journey," I soon afterwards discovered was no less than a tour to France with Mr. and Mrs. Thrale. This was the only time in his life that he went upon the Continent. JOHNSON TO LEVETT. "Calais, Sept. 18. 1775. "DEAR SIR, - We are here in France, after a very pleasing passage of no more than six hours, I know not when I shall write again, and there. fore I write now, though you cannot suppose that 2 Where Sir Joshua Reynolds lived. - BOSWELL. I have much to say. You have seen France yourself. From this place we are going to Rouen, and from Rouen to Paris, where Mr. Thrale designs to stay about five or six weeks. We have a regular recommendation to the English resident, so we shall not be taken for vagabonds. We think to go one way and return another, and see as much as we I will try to speak a little French; I tried hitherto but little, but I spoke sometimes. heard better, I suppose I should learn faster. am, Sir, your humble servant, can. If I "SAM. JOHNSON." 1 I It is to be regretted, that Johnson did not write an account of his travels in France; for as he is reported to have once said, that "he could write the Life of a Broomstick," so, notwithstanding so many former travellers have exhausted almost every subject for remark in that great kingdom, his very accurate observation, and peculiar vigour of thought and illustration, would have produced a wonderful work. During his visit to it, which lasted but about two months, he wrote notes or minutes of what he saw. He promised to show me them, but I neglected to put him in mind of it; and the greatest part of them has been lost, or perhaps destroyed in a precipitate burning of his papers a few days before his death, which must ever be lamented: one small paper book, however, entitled "France II.," has been preserved, and is in my possession. It is a diurnal register of his life and observations, from the 10th of October to the 4th of November, inclusive, being twenty-six days, and shows an extraordinary attention to various minute particulars. Being the only memorial of this tour that remains, my readers, I am confident, will peruse it with pleasure, though his notes are very short, and evidently written only to assist his own recollection. "Tuesday, Oct. 10.-We saw the Ecole Militaire, in which 150 young boys are educated for the army. They have arms of different sizes, according to the age-flints of wood. The building is very large, but nothing fine except the council-room-The French have large squares in the windows. They make good iron palisades - Their meals are gross.3 "We visited the Observatory, a large building of a great height. The upper stones of the parapet very large, but not cramped with iron. -The flat on the top is very extensive; but on the insulated part there is no parapet 1 It is probable that the author's memory here deceived him, and that he was thinking of Stella's remark, that Swift could write finely upon a broomstick.-J. BOSWELL. jun. 2 Alluding, probably, to the fine grilles so frequent in France. He had, probably, just seen that of the Hôtel des Invalides, which is one of the finest. - CROKER 3 The contrary has been the general opinion; and Johnson was certainly a bad judge in that point, if he believed that his own taste was delicate.-CROKER. 4 There was neither iron nor wood used in any part of the building; an iron rail to the stairs was afterwards added. — -CROKER. - Though it was broad enough, I did not care to go upon it. Maps were printing in one of the rooms. We walked to a small convent of the fathers of the oratory. In the readingdesk of the refectory lay the Lives of the Saints. We went to see 66 Hôtel de Chatlois 6, a house not very large, but Wednesday, Oct. 11. very elegant. One of the rooms was gilt to a degree that I never saw before. The upper part for servants and their masters was pretty. "Thence we went to Mr. Monvil's, a house divided into small apartments, furnished with effeminate and minute elegance - Porphyry. "Thence we went to St. Roque's [Roch] church, which is very large. The lower part of the pillars incrusted with marble. Three chapels, behind the high_altar; the last a mass of low arches. Altars, I believe, all round. "We passed through Place de Vendime, s fine square [octagon], about as big as Hanoversquare. Inhabited by the high families. Louis XIV. on horseback in the middle. "Monville is the son of a farmer-general. In the house of Chatlois is a room furnished with japan, fitted up in Europe. "We dined with Bocage, the Marquis Blanchetti, and his lady - The sweetmeats taken by the Marchioness Blanchetti, after observing that they were dear Mr. Le Roy, Count Manucci, the abbé, the prior, and Father Wilson, who stayed with me till I took him home in the coach-Bathiani is gone. "The French have no laws for the maintenance of their poor-Monk not necessarily a priest-Benedictines rise at four; are at church an hour and half; at church again half an hour before, half an hour after, dinner; and again from half an hour after seven to eightThey may sleep eight hours - Bodily labour wanted in monasteries - The poor taken into hospitals, and miserably kept - Monks in the convent fifteen: accounted poor. 66 Thursday, Oct. 12. We went to the Gobelins-Tapestry makes a good picture-imitates flesh exactly-one piece with a gold ground the birds not exactly coloured Thence we went to the king's cabinet; very nest, not, perhaps, perfect-gold ore-candles of the candle-tree-seeds-woods - Thence to Gag nier's house, where I saw rooms nine, furnished with a profusion of wealth and elegance which I never had seen before - vases-picturesthe dragon china- The lustre is said to be of crystal, and to have cost 3,500l. The whole 5 A convent close to the Observatory, now a kind of lyingin hospital-CROKER. 6 Probably the Hotel of the Duke du Chatelet, at the corner of the Rue de Grenelle and the Boulevard des invalides.- CROKER. 7 Madame Du Bocage. See post, p. 465. n. 3.-CROKER. 8 Who the abbé was does not appear, but the others were members of the English Benedictine convent at Paris.CROKER. The then prior of the English Benedictines was named Cowley. - MARKLAND. 9 Perhaps Gagny, intendant des Finances, who had a fine house in the Rue de Varennes.- CROKER. |