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which Sir Joshua Reynolds has so happily illustrated, in one of hisnotes on our immortal poet[409]:'This castle hath a pleasant seat: the airNimbly and sweetly recommends itselfUnto our gentle sense,' &c.[410]Just as we came out of it, a raven perched on one of the chimney-tops,and croaked. Then I repeated'----The raven himself is hoarse,That croaks the fatal entrance of DuncanUnder my battlements[411].'We dined at Mr. Keith's. Mrs. Keith was rather too attentive to Dr.Johnson, asking him many questions about his drinking only water. Herepressed that observation, by saying to me, 'You may remember that LadyErrol took no notice of this.'Dr. Johnson has the happy art (for which I have heard my father praisethe old Earl of Aberdeen) of instructing himself, by making every man hemeets tell him something of what he knows best. He led Keith to talk tohim of the Excise in Scotland, and, in the course of conversation,mentioned that his friend Mr. Thrale, the great brewer, paid twentythousand pounds a year to the revenue; and that he had four casks, eachof which holds sixteen hundred barrels,--above a thousand hogsheads.After this there was little conversation that deserves to be remembered.I shall therefore here again glean what I have omitted on former days.Dr. Gerrard, at Aberdeen, told us, that when he was in Wales, he wasshewn a valley inhabited by Danes, who still retain their own language,and are quite a distinct people. Dr. Johnson thought it could not betrue, or all the kingdom must have heard of it. He said to me, as wetravelled, 'these people, Sir, that Gerrard talks of, may have somewhatof a _peregrinity_ in their dialect, which relation has augmented to adifferent language.' I asked him if _peregrinity_ was an English word:he laughed, and said, 'No.' I told him this was the second time that Ihad heard him coin a word[412]. When Foote broke his leg, I observedthat it would make him fitter for taking off George Faulkner as PeterParagraph[413], poor George having a wooden leg. Dr. Johnson at thattime said, 'George will rejoice at the _depeditation_ of Foote;' andwhen I challenged that word, laughed, and owned he had made it, andadded that he had not made above three or four in his _Dictionary_[414].Having conducted Dr. Johnson to our inn, I begged permission to leavehim for a little, that I might run about and pay some short visits toseveral good people of Inverness. He said to me 'You have all theold-fashioned principles, good and bad' I acknowledge I have. That ofattention to relations in the remotest degree, or to worthy persons, inevery state whom I have once known, I inherit from my father. It gave memuch satisfaction to hear every body at Inverness speak of him withuncommon regard. Mr. Keith and Mr. Grant, whom we had seen at Mr.M'Aulay's, supped with us at the inn. We had roasted kid, which Dr.Johnson had never tasted before. He relished it much.MONDAY, AUGUST 30.This day we were to begin our _equitation,_ as I said; for _I_ wouldneeds make a word too. It is remarkable, that my noble, and to me mostconstant friend, the Earl of Pembroke[415], (who, if there is too muchease on my part, will please to pardon what his benevolent, gay, socialintercourse, and lively correspondence have insensibly produced,) hassince hit upon the very same word. The title of the first edition of hislordship's very useful book was, in simple terms, _A Method of breakingHorses and teaching Soldiers to ride._ The title of the second editionis, 'MILITARY EQUITATION[416].'We might have taken a chaise to Fort Augustus, but, had we not hiredhorses at Inverness, we should not have found them afterwards: so weresolved to begin here to ride. We had three horses, for Dr. Johnson,myself, and Joseph, and one which carried our portmanteaus, and twoHighlanders who walked along with us, John Hay and Lauchland Vass, whomDr. Johnson has remembered with credit in his JOURNEY[417], though hehas omitted their names. Dr. Johnson rode very well. About three milesbeyond Inverness, we saw, just by the road, a very complete specimen ofwhat is called a Druid's temple. There was a double circle, one of verylarge, the other of smaller stones. Dr. Johnson justly observed, that'to go and see one druidical temple is only to see that it is nothing,for there is neither art nor power in it; and seeing one isquite enough.'It was a delightful day. Lochness, and the road upon the side of it,shaded with birch trees, and the hills above it, pleased us much. Thescene was as sequestered and agreeably wild as could be desired, and fora time engrossed all our attention[418].To see Dr. Johnson in any new situation is always an interesting objectto me; and, as I saw him now for the first time on horseback, jauntingabout at his ease in quest of pleasure and novelty, the very differentoccupations of his former laborious life, his admirable productions, his_London_, his _Rambler_, &c. &c., immediately presented themselves to mymind, and the contrast made a strong impression on my imagination.When we had advanced a good way by the side of Lochness, I perceived alittle hut, with an old-looking woman at the door of it. I thought heremight be a scene that would amuse Dr. Johnson; so I mentioned it to him.'Let's go in,' said he. We dismounted, and we and our guides entered thehut. It was a wretched little hovel of earth only, I think, and for awindow had only a small hole, which was stopped with a piece of turf,that was taken out occasionally to let in light. In the middle of theroom or space which we entered, was a fire of peat, the smoke going outat a hole in the roof. She had a pot upon it, with goat's flesh,boiling. There was at one end under the same roof, but divided by a kindof partition made of wattles, a pen or fold in which we saw a goodmany kids.Dr. Johnson was curious to know where she slept. I asked one of theguides, who questioned her in Erse. She answered with a tone of emotion,saying, (as he told us,) she was afraid we wanted to go to bed to her.This _coquetry_, or whatever it may be called, of so wretched a being,was truly ludicrous. Dr. Johnson and I afterwards were merry upon it. Isaid it was he who alarmed the poor woman's virtue. 'No, Sir, (said he,)she'll say "there came a wicked young fellow, a wild dog, who I believewould have ravished me, had there not been with him a grave oldgentleman, who repressed him: but when he gets out of the sight of histutor, I'll warrant you he'll spare no woman he meets, young or old."''No, Sir, (I replied,) she'll say, "There was a terrible ruffian whowould have forced me, had it not been for a civil decent young man who,I take it, was an angel sent from heaven to protect me."'Dr. Johnson would not hurt her delicacy, by insisting on 'seeing herbed-chamber,' like _Archer_ in the _Beaux Stratagem_[419]. But mycuriosity was more ardent; I lighted a piece of paper, and went into theplace where the bed was. There was a little partition of wicker, rathermore neatly done than that for the fold, and close by the wall was akind of bedstead of wood with heath upon it by way of bed! at the footof which I saw some sort of blankets or covering rolled up in a heap.The woman's name was Fraser; so was her husband's. He was a man ofeighty. Mr. Fraser of Balnain allows him to live in this hut, and keepsixty goats, for taking care of his woods, where he then was. They hadfive children, the eldest only thirteen. Two were gone to Inverness tobuy meal[420]; the rest were looking after the goats. This contentedfamily had four stacks of barley, twenty-four sheaves in each. They hada few fowls. We were informed that they lived all the spring withoutmeal, upon milk and curds and whey alone. What they get for their goats,kids, and fowls, maintains them during the rest of the year. She askedus to sit down and take a dram. I saw one chair. She said she was ashappy as any woman in Scotland. She could hardly speak any Englishexcept a few detached words. Dr. Johnson was pleased at seeing, for thefirst time, such a state of human life. She asked for snuff. It is herluxury, and she uses a great deal. We had none; but gave her sixpence apiece. She then brought out her whiskey bottle. I tasted it; as didJoseph and our guides, so I gave her sixpence more. She sent us awaywith many prayers in Erse.We dined at a publick house called the General's Hut[421], from GeneralWade, who was lodged there when he commanded in the North. Near it isthe meanest parish _Kirk_ I ever saw. It is a shame it should be on ahigh road. After dinner, we passed through a good deal of mountainouscountry. I had known Mr. Trapaud, the deputy governour of Fort Augustus,twelve years ago, at a circuit at Inverness, where my father was judge.I sent forward one of our guides, and Joseph, with a card to him, thathe might know Dr. Johnson and I were coming up, leaving it to him toinvite us or not[422]. It was dark when we arrived. The inn waswretched. Government ought to build one, or give the resident governouran additional salary; as in the present state of things, he mustnecessarily be put to a great expence in entertaining travellers. Josephannounced to us, when we alighted, that the governour waited for us atthe gate of the fort. We walked to it. He met us, and with much civilityconducted us to his house. It was comfortable to find ourselves in awell-built little square, and a neatly furnished house, in good company,and with a good supper before us; in short, with all the conveniences ofcivilised life in the midst of rude mountains. Mrs. Trapaud, and thegovernour's daughter, and her husband, Captain Newmarsh, were all mostobliging and polite. The governour had excellent animal spirits, theconversation of a soldier, and somewhat of a Frenchman, to which hisextraction entitles him. He is brother to General Cyrus Trapaud. Wepassed a very agreeable evening.[423]TUESDAY, AUGUST 31.The governour has a very good garden. We looked at it, and at the restof the fort, which is but small, and may be commanded from a variety ofhills around. We also looked at the galley or sloop belonging to thefort, which sails upon the Loch, and brings what is wanted for thegarrison. Captains Urie and Darippe, of the 15th regiment of foot,breakfasted with us. They had served in America, and entertained Dr.Johnson much with an account of the Indians.[424] He said, he could makea very pretty book out of them, were he to stay there. Governour Trapaudwas much struck with Dr. Johnson. 'I like to hear him, (said he,) it isso majestick. I should be glad to hear him speak in your court.' Hepressed us to stay dinner; but I considered that we had a rude roadbefore us, which we could more easily encounter in the morning, and thatit was hard to say when we might get up, were we to sit down to goodentertainment, in good company: I therefore begged the governour wouldexcuse us. Here too, I had another very pleasing proof how much myfather is regarded. The governour expressed the highest respect for him,and bade me tell him, that, if he would come that way on the Northerncircuit, he would do him all the honours of the garrison.Between twelve and one we set out, and travelled eleven miles, through awild country, till we came to a house in Glenmorison, called _Anoch_,kept by a McQueen[425]. Our landlord was a sensible fellow; he hadlearned his grammar[426], and Dr. Johnson justly observed, that 'a manis the better for that as long as he lives.' There were some books here:_a Treatise against Drunkenness_, translated from the French; a volumeof _The Spectator_; a volume of _Prideaux's Connection_, and _Cyrus'sTravels_[427]. McQueen said he had more volumes; and his pride seemed tobe much piqued that we were surprised at his having books.Near to this place we had passed a party of soldiers, under a serjeant'scommand, at work upon the road. We gave them two shillings to drink.They came to our inn, and made merry in the barn. We went and paid thema visit, Dr. Johnson saying, 'Come, let's go and give 'em anothershilling a-piece.' We did so; and he was saluted 'MY LORD' by all ofthem. He is really generous, loves influence, and has the way of gainingit. He said, 'I am quite feudal, Sir.' Here I agree with him. I said, Iregretted I was not the head of a clan; however, though not possessed ofsuch an hereditary advantage, I would always endeavour to make mytenants follow me. I could not be a _patriarchal_ chief, but I would bea _feudal_ chief.The poor soldiers got too much liquor. Some of them fought, and leftblood upon the spot, and cursed whiskey next morning. The house here wasbuilt of thick turfs, and thatched with thinner turfs and heath. It hadthree rooms in length, and a little room which projected. Where we sat,the side-walls were _wainscotted_, as Dr. Johnson said, with wicker,very neatly plaited. Our landlord had made the whole with his own hands.After dinner, McQueen sat by us a while, and talked with us. He said,all the Laird of Glenmorison's people would bleed for him if they werewell used; but that seventy men had gone out of the Glen to America.That he himself intended to go next year; for that the rent of his farm,which twenty years ago was only five pounds, was now raised to twentypounds. That he could pay ten pounds and live; but no more.[428] Dr.Johnson said, he wished M'Queen laird of Glenmorison, and the laird togo to America. M'Queen very generously answered, he should be sorry forit; for the laird could not shift for himself in America as he could do.I talked of the officers whom we had left to-day; how much service theyhad seen, and how little they got for it, even of fame. JOHNSON. 'Sir, asoldier gets as little as any man can get.' BOSWELL. 'Goldsmith hasacquired more fame than all the officers last war, who were notGenerals.'[429] JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, you will find ten thousand fit to dowhat they did, before you find one who does what Goldsmith has done. Youmust consider, that a thing is valued according to its rarity. A pebblethat paves the street is in itself more useful than the diamond upon alady's finger.' I wish our friend Goldsmith had heard this.[430]I yesterday expressed my wonder that John Hay, one of our guides, whohad been pressed aboard a man of war, did not choose to continue in itlonger than nine months, after which time he got off. JOHNSON. 'Why,Sir, no man will be a sailor, who has contrivance enough to get himselfinto a jail; for, being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance ofbeing drowned.'[431] We had tea in the afternoon, and our landlord'sdaughter, a modest civil girl, very neatly drest, made it for us. Shetold us, she had been a year at Inverness, and learnt reading andwriting, sewing, knotting[432], working lace, and pastry. Dr. Johnsonmade her a present of a book which he had bought at Inverness[433].The room had some deals laid across the joists, as a kind of ceiling.There were two beds in the room, and a woman's gown was hung on a ropeto make a curtain of separation between them. Joseph had sheets, whichmy wife had sent with us, laid on them. We had much hesitation, whetherto undress, or lie down with our clothes on. I said at last, 'I'llplunge in! There will be less harbour for vermin about me, when I amstripped!' Dr. Johnson said, he was like one hesitating whether to gointo the cold bath. At last he resolved too. I observed he might serve acampaign. JOHNSON. 'I could do all that can be done by patience: whetherI should have strength enough, I know not.' He was in excellent humour.To see the Rambler as I saw him to-night, was really an amusement. Iyesterday told him, I was thinking of writing a poetical letter to him,_on his return from Scotland_, in the style of Swift's humorous epistlein the character of Mary Gulliver to her husband, Captain LemuelGulliver, on his return to England from the country of the HOUYHNHUMS:--'At early morn I to the market haste,Studious in ev'ry thing to please thy taste.A curious _fowl_ and _sparagrass_ I chose;(For I remember you were fond of those:)Three shillings cost the first, the last sev'n groats;Sullen you turn from both, and call for OATS[434]:'He laughed, and asked in whose name I would write it. I said, in Mrs.Thrale's. He was angry. 'Sir, if you have any sense of decency ordelicacy, you won't do that!' BOSWELL. 'Then let it be in Cole's, thelandlord of the _Mitre tavern_; where we have so often sat together.'JOHNSON. 'Ay, that may do.'After we had offered up our private devotions, and had chatted a littlefrom our beds, Dr. Johnson said, 'GOD bless us both, for Jesus Christ'ssake! Good night!' I pronounced 'Amen.' He fell asleep immediately. Iwas not so fortunate for a long time. I fancied myself bit byinnumerable vermin under the clothes; and that a spider was travellingfrom the _wainscot_ towards my mouth. At last I fell into insensibility.WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.I awaked very early. I began to imagine that the landlord, being aboutto emigrate, might murder us to get our money, and lay it upon thesoldiers in the barn. Such groundless fears will arise in the mind,before it has resumed its vigour after sleep! Dr. Johnson had had thesame kind of ideas; for he told me afterwards, that he considered somany soldiers, having seen us, would be witnesses, should any harm bedone, and that circumstance, I suppose, he considered as asecurity.[435] When I got up, I found him sound asleep in his miserable_stye_, as I may call it, with a coloured handkerchief tied round hishead. With difficulty could I awaken him. It reminded me of Henry theFourth's fine soliloquy on sleep; for there was here as _uneasy apallet_[436] as the poet's imagination could possibly conceive.A _red coat_ of the 15th regiment, whether officer, or only serjeant, Icould not be sure, came to the house, in his way to the mountains toshoot deer, which it seems the Laird of Glenmorison does not hinder anybody to do. Few, indeed, can do them harm. We had him to breakfast withus. We got away about eight. M'Queen walked some miles to give us aconvoy. He had, in 1745, joined the Highland army at Fort Augustus, andcontinued in it till after the battle of Culloden. As he narrated theparticulars of that ill-advised, but brave attempt, I could not refrainfrom tears. There is a certain association of ideas in my mind upon thatsubject, by which I am strongly affected. The very Highland names, orthe sound of a bagpipe, will stir my blood, and fill me with a mixtureof melancholy and respect for courage; with pity for an unfortunate andsuperstitious regard for antiquity, and thoughtless inclination for war;in short, with a crowd of sensations with which sober rationality hasnothing to do.We passed through Glensheal, with prodigious mountains on each side. Wesaw where the battle was fought in the year 1719.[437] Dr. Johnsonowned he was now in a scene of as wild nature as he could see; but hecorrected me sometimes in my inaccurate observations. 'There, (said I,)is a mountain like a cone.' JOHNSON. 'No, Sir. It would be called so ina book; and when a man comes to look at it, he sees it is not so. It isindeed pointed at the top; but one side of it is larger than theother[438].' Another mountain I called immense. JOHNSON. 'No; it is nomore than a considerable protuberance.'We came to a rich green valley, comparatively speaking, and stopped awhile to let our horses rest and eat grass[439]. We soon afterwards cameto Auchnasheal, a kind of rural village, a number of cottages beingbuilt together, as we saw all along in the Highlands. We passed manymiles this day without seeing a house, but only little summer-huts,called _shielings_. Evan Campbell, servant to Mr. Murchison, factor tothe Laird of Macleod in Glenelg, ran along with us to-day. He was avery obliging fellow. At Auchnasheal, we sat down on a green turf seatat the end of a house; they brought us out two wooden dishes of milk,which we tasted. One of them was frothed like a syllabub. I saw a womanpreparing it with such a stick as is used for chocolate, and in the samemanner. We had a considerable circle about us, men, women, and children,all M'Craas, Lord Seaforth's people. Not one of them could speakEnglish. I observed to Dr. Johnson, it was much the same as being with atribe of Indians. JOHNSON. 'Yes, Sir; but not so terrifying[440].' Igave all who chose it, snuff and tobacco. Governour Trapaud had made usbuy a quantity at Fort Augustus, and put them up in small parcels. Ialso gave each person a bit of wheat bread, which they had never tastedbefore. I then gave a penny apiece to each child. I told Dr. Johnson ofthis; upon which he called to Joseph and our guides, for change for ashilling, and declared that he would distribute among the children. Uponthis being announced in Erse, there was a great stir; not only did somechildren come running down from neighbouring huts, but I observed oneblack-haired man, who had been with us all along, had gone off, andreturned, bringing a very young child. My fellow traveller then orderedthe children to be drawn up in a row; and he dealt about his copper, andmade them and their parents all happy. The poor M'Craas, whatever may betheir present state, were of considerable estimation in the year 1715,when there was a line in a song,'And aw the brave M'Craas are coming[441].'There was great diversity in the faces of the circle around us: somewere as black and wild in their appearance as any American savageswhatever. One woman was as comely almost as the figure of Sappho, as wesee it painted. We asked the old woman, the mistress of the house wherewe had the milk, (which by the bye, Dr. Johnson told me, for I did notobserve it myself, was built not of turf, but of stone,) what we shouldpay. She said, what we pleased. One of our guides asked her in Erse, ifa shilling was enough. She said, 'yes.' But some of the men bade her askmore[442]. This vexed me; because it shewed a desire to impose uponstrangers, as they knew that even a shilling was high payment. Thewoman, however, honestly persisted in her first price; so I gave herhalf a crown. Thus we had one good scene of life uncommon to us. Thepeople were very much pleased, gave us many blessings, and said they hadnot had such a day since the old Laird of Macleod's time.Dr. Johnson was much refreshed by this repast. He was pleased when Itold him he would make a good Chief. He said, 'Were I a chief, I woulddress my servants better than myself, and knock a fellow down if helooked saucy to a Macdonald in rags: but I would not treat men asbrutes. I would let them know why all of my clan were to have attentionpaid to them. I would tell my upper servants why, and make them tell theothers.' We rode on well[443], till we came to the high mountaincalled the Rattakin, by which time both Dr. Johnson and the horses werea good deal fatigued. It is a terrible steep to climb, notwithstandingthe road is formed slanting along it; however, we made it out. On thetop of it we met Captain M'Leod of Balmenoch (a Dutch officer who hadcome from Sky) riding with his sword slung across him. He asked, 'Isthis Mr. Boswell?' which was a proof that we were expected. Going downthe hill on the other side was no easy task. As Dr. Johnson was a greatweight, the two guides agreed that he should ride the horsesalternately. Hay's were the two best, and the Doctor would not ride butupon one or other of them, a black or a brown. But as Hay complainedmuch after ascending the _Rattakin_, the Doctor was prevailed with to