! charged with slavish tenets by superficial observers, because he was at all 1763. This generous sentiment, which he uttered with great fervour, struck me "Great abilities (faid he) are not requifite for an Historian; for in historical composition, all the greatest powers of the human mind are quiefcent. He has facts ready to his hand; so there is no exercise of invention. Imagination is not required in any high degree; only about as much as is used in the lower kinds of poetry. Some penetration, accuracy, and colouring will fit a man for the task, if he can give the application which is neceffary." " Bayle's Dictionary is a very useful work for those to confult who love the biographical part of literature, which is what I love most." Talking of the eminent writers in Queen Anne's reign, he observed, "I think Dr. Arbuthnot the first man among them. He was the most universal genius, being an excellent physician, a man of deep learning, and a man of much humour. Mr. Addison was, to be sure, a great man; his learning was not profound; but his morality, his humour, and his elegance of writing, fet him very high.” Mr. Ogilvie was unlucky enough to choose for the topick of his conversation the praises of his native country. He began with saying, that there was very rich land round Edinburgh. Goldsmith, who had studied physick there, contradicted this, very untruly, with a sneering laugh. Disconcerted a little by this, Mr. Ogilvie then took new ground, where, I suppose, he thought himself perfectly safe; for he observed, that Scotland had a great many noble wild profpects. JOHNSON. "I believe, Sir, you have a great many. Norway, too, has noble wild profpects; and Lapland is remarkable for prodigious noble wild profpects. But, Sir, let me tell you, the noblest prospect which a Scotchman ever fees, is the high road that leads him to England!" This unexpected and pointed fally produced a roar of applause. After all, however, those, who admire the rude grandeur of Nature, cannot deny it to Caledonia. On Saturday, July 9, I found Johnson furrounded with a numerous levee, but have not preserved any part of his conversation. On the 14th we had another evening by ourselves at the Mitre. It happening to be a very rainy 1763. Etat. 54. night, I made some common-place observations on the relaxation of nerves and depreffion of spirits which such weather occafioned; adding, however, that it was good for the vegetable creation. Johnson, who, as we have already seen, denied that the temperature of the air had any influence on the human frame, answered, with a smile of ridicule, "Why yes, Sir, it is good for vegetables, and for the animals who eat those vegetables, and for the animals who eat those animals." This observation of his aptly enough introduced a good supper; and I foon forgot, in Johnson's company, the influence of a moist atmosphere. Feeling myself now quite at ease as his companion, though I had all possible reverence for him, I expressed a regret that I could not be so easy with my father, though he was not much older than him, and certainly had not more learning and greater abilities to depress me. I asked him the reafon of this. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, I am a man of the world. I live in the world, and I take, in fome degree, the colour of the world as it moves along. Your father is a Judge in a remote part of the island, and all his notions are taken from the old world. Besides, Sir, there must always be a struggle between a father and fon, while one aims at power and the other at independence." I faid, I was afraid my father would force me to be a lawyer. Johnson. " Sir, you need not be afraid of his forcing you to be a laborious practising lawyer; that is not in his power. For as the proverb says, 'One man may lead a horfe to the water, but twenty cannot make him drink.' He may be displeased that you are not what he wishes you to be; but that displeasure will not go far. If he infifts only on your having as much law as is necessary for a man of property, and then endeavours to get you into Parliament, he is quite in the right." He enlarged very convincingly upon the excellence of rhyme over blank verse in English poetry. I mentioned to him that Dr. Adam Smith, in his lectures upon composition, when I studied under him in the College of Glasgow, had maintained the same opinion ftrenuously, and I repeated some of his arguments. JOHNSON. " Sir, I was once in company with Smith, and we did not take to each other; but had I known that he loved rhyme as much as you tell me he does, I should have HUGGED him." Talking of those who denied the truth of Christianity, he said, "It is always easy to be on the negative side. If a man were now to deny that there is falt upon the table, you could not reduce him to an absurdity. Come, let us try this a little further. I deny that Canada is taken, and I can fupport my denial by pretty good arguments. The French are a much more numerous people than we; and it is not likely that they would allow us to take it. But 1763. the ministry have assured us, in all the formality of the Gazette, that it is Etat. 54. taken.'-Very true. But the ministry have put us to an enormous expence by the war in America, and it is their interest to perfuade us that we have got fomething for our money. But the fact is confirmed by thousands of men who were at the taking of it.'-Ay, but these men have still more interest in deceiving us. They don't want you should think the French have beat them, but that they have beat the French. Now suppose you should go over and find that it is really taken, that would only fatisfy yourself; for when you come home we will not believe you. We will say you have been bribed. Yet, Sir, notwithstanding all these plausible objections, we have no doubt that Canada is really ours. Such is the weight of common teftimony. How much stronger are the evidences of the Christian religion?" people " Idleness is a disease which must be combated; but I would not advise a rigid adherence to a particular plan of study. I myself have never persisted în any plan for two days together. A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good. A young man should read five hours in a day, and so may acquire a great deal of knowledge." To a man of vigourous intellect and ardent curiosity like his own, reading without a regular plan may be beneficial; though even fuch a man must submit to it, if he would attain a full understanding of any of the sciences. To fuch a degree of unrestrained frankness had he now accustomed me, that in the course of this evening I talked of the numerous reflections which had been thrown out against him on account of his having accepted a pension from his present Majesty. "Why, Sir, (faid he, with a hearty laugh,) it is a mighty foolish noise that they make. I have accepted of a pension as a reward which has been thought due to my literary merit; and now that I have this pension, I am the same man in every respect that I have ever been; I retain the fame principles. It is true, that I cannot now curse (fmiling) the house of Hanover; nor would it be decent for me to drink King James's health in the wine that King George gives me money to pay for. But, Sir, I think that the pleasure of curfing the house of Hanover, and drinking King James's health, are amply overbalanced by three hundred pounds a year." * When I mentioned the fame idle clamour to him several years afterwards, he said, with a smile, I wish my penfion were twice as large, that they might make twice as much noise." 1763. { There was here, most certainly, an affectation of more Jacobitism than he Etat. 54. really had, and indeed an intention of admitting, for the moment, in a much greater extent than it really existed, the charge of disaffection imputed to him by the world, merely for the purpose of shewing how dexterously he could repel an attack, even though he were placed in the most disadvantageous position; for I have heard him declare, that if holding up his right hand would have fecured victory at Culloden to Prince Charles's army, he was not fure he would have held it up; so little confidence had he in the right claimed by the house of Stuart, and fo fearful was he of the consequences of another revolution on the throne of Great-Britain; and Mr. Topham Beauclerk assured me, he had hear i him say this before he had his pension. At another time he faid to Mr. Langton, "Nothing has ever offered that has made it worth my while to confider the question fully." He, however, also said to the same gentleman, talking of King James the Second, "It was become impoffible for him to reign any longer in this country." He no doubt had an early attachment to the house of Stuart, but his zeal had cooled as his reason strengthened. Indeed I heard him once say, that "after the death of a violent Whig, with whom he used to contend with great eagerness, he felt his Toryism much abated." I suppose he meant Mr. Walmsley. e He advifed me, when abroad, to be as much as I could with the Profeffors in the Universities, and with the Clergy; for from their conversation I might expect the best accounts of every thing in whatever country I should be, with the additional advantage of keeping my learning alive. It will be observed, that when giving me advice as to my travels, Dr. Johnfon did not dwell upon cities, and palaces, and pictures, and shews, and Arcadian scenes. He was of Lord Effex's opinion, who advises his kinsman Roger Earl of Rutland, " rather to go an hundred miles to speak with one wife man, than five miles to fee a fair town 4." I described to him an impudent fellow from Scotland, who affected to be 3 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 402. speaks, } speaks, he is lying; and I fee not what honour he can propose to himself 1763. from having the character of a lyar. But if he does really think that there is Etat. 54. no diftinction between virtue and vice, why, Sir, when he leaves our houses, let us count our spoons." Sir David Dalrymple, now one of the Judges of Scotland by the title of Lord Hailes, had contributed much to increase my high opinion of Johnfon, on account of his writings, long before I attained to a personal acquaintance with him; I, in return, had informed Johnson of Sir David's eminent character for learning and religion; and Johnson was so much pleased, that at one of our evening meetings he gave him for his toast. I at this time kept up a very frequent correspondence with Sir David; and I read to Dr. Johnfon to-night the following passage from the letter which I had last received from him: " It gives me pleasure to think that you have obtained the friendship of Mr. Samuel Johnson. He is one of the best moral writers which England has produced. At the fame time, I envy you the free and undisguised converse with such a man. May I beg you to present my best respects to him, and to affure him of the veneration which I entertain for the authour of the Rambler and of Raffelas? Let me recommend this last work to you, with the Rambler you certainly are acquainted. In Rasselas you will fee a tenderhearted operator, who probes the wound only to heal it. Swift, on the contrary, mangles human nature. He cuts and fslashes, as if he took pleasure in the operation, like the tyrant who faid, Ita feri ut fe fentiat emori." Johnson feemed to be much gratified by this just and well-turned compliment. He recommended to me to keep a journal of my life, full and unreferved. He faid it would be a very good exercise, and would yield me great fatisfaction when the particulars were faded from my remembrance. I was uncommonly fortunate in having had a previous coincidence of opinion with him upon this subject, for I had kept such a journal for fome time; and it was no small pleasure to me to have this to tell him, and to receive his approbation. He counselled me to keep it private, and said I might furely have a friend who would burn it in cafe of my death. From this habit I have been enabled to give the world so many anecdotes, which would otherwise have been loft to pofterity. I mentioned that I was afraid I put into my journal too many little incidents. JOHNSON. "There is nothing, Sir, too little for fo little a creature as man. It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as poffible." |