约翰逊4-6-77

water, so anxious were they to make what haste they could before thenight should be worse. I now saw what I never saw before, a prodigioussea, with immense billows coming upon a vessel, so as that it seemedhardly possible to escape. There was something grandly horrible in thesight. I am glad I have seen it once. Amidst all these terrifyingcircumstances, I endeavoured to compose my mind. It was not easy to doit; for all the stories that I had heard of the dangerous sailing amongthe Hebrides, which is proverbial[767], came full upon my recollection.When I thought of those who were dearest to me, and would sufferseverely, should I be lost, I upbraided myself, as not having asufficient cause for putting myself in such danger. Piety afforded mecomfort; yet I was disturbed by the objections that have been madeagainst a particular providence, and by the arguments of those whomaintain that it is in vain to hope that the petitions of an individual,or even of congregations, can have any influence with the Deity;objections which have been often made, and which Dr. Hawkesworth haslately revived, in his Preface to the _Voyages to the South Seas_[768];but Dr. Ogden's excellent doctrine on the efficacy of intercessionprevailed.It was half an hour after eleven before we set ourselves in the coursefor Col. As I saw them all busy doing something, I asked Col, with muchearnestness, what I could do. He, with a happy readiness, put into myhand a rope, which was fixed to the top of one of the masts, and told meto hold it till he bade me pull. If I had considered the matter, I mighthave seen that this could not be of the least service; but his objectwas to keep me out of the way of those who were busy working the vessel,and at the same time to divert my fear, by employing me, and making methink that I was of use. Thus did I stand firm to my post, while thewind and rain beat upon me, always expecting a call to pull my rope.The man with one eye steered; old M'Donald, and Col and his servant, layupon the fore-castle, looking sharp out for the harbour. It wasnecessary to carry much _cloth_, as they termed it, that is to say, muchsail, in order to keep the vessel off the shore of Col. This madeviolent plunging in a rough sea. At last they spied the harbour ofLochiern, and Col cried, 'Thank GOD, we are safe!' We ran up till wewere opposite to it, and soon afterwards we got into it, andcast anchor.Dr. Johnson had all this time been quiet and unconcerned. He had laindown on one of the beds, and having got free from sickness, wassatisfied. The truth is, he knew nothing of the danger we were in[769]but, fearless and unconcerned, might have said, in the words which hehas chosen for the motto to his _Rambler_,'Quo me cunque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes.[770]'Once, during the doubtful consultations, he asked whither we were going;and upon being told that it was not certain whether to Mull or Col, hecried, 'Col for my money!' I now went down, with Col and Mr. Simpson, tovisit him. He was lying in philosophick tranquillity with a greyhound ofCol's at his back, keeping him warm. Col is quite the _Juvenis quigaudet canibus_[771]. He had, when we left Talisker, two greyhounds,two terriers, a pointer, and a large Newfoundland water-dog. He lost oneof his terriers by the road, but had still five dogs with him. I wasvery ill, and very desirous to get to shore. When I was told that wecould not land that night, as the storm had now increased, I looked somiserably, as Col afterwards informed me, that what Shakspeare has madethe Frenchman say of the English soldiers, when scantily dieted,_'Piteous they will look, like drowned mice!'_[772] might, I believe,have been well applied to me. There was in the harbour, before us, aCampbelltown vessel, the Betty, Kenneth Morrison master, taking inkelp, and bound for Ireland. We sent our boat to beg beds for twogentlemen, and that the master would send his boat, which was largerthan ours. He accordingly did so, and Col and I were accommodated in hisvessel till the morning.MONDAY, OCTOBER 4.About eight o'clock we went in the boat to Mr. Simpson's vessel, andtook in Dr. Johnson. He was quite well, though he had tasted nothing buta dish of tea since Saturday night. On our expressing some surprise atthis, he said, that, 'when he lodged in the Temple, and had no regularsystem of life, he had fasted for two days at a time, during which hehad gone about visiting, though not at the hours of dinner or supper;that he had drunk tea, but eaten no bread; that this was no intentionalfasting, but happened just in the course of a literary life.'[773]There was a little miserable publick-house close upon the shore, towhich we should have gone, had we landed last night: but this morningCol resolved to take us directly to the house of Captain LauchlanM'Lean, a descendant of his family, who had acquired a fortune in theEast-Indies, and taken a farm in Col[774]. We had about an English mileto go to it. Col and Joseph, and some others, ran to some little horses,called here _Shelties_, that were running wild on a heath, and catchedone of them. We had a saddle with us, which was clapped upon it, and astraw halter was put on its head. Dr. Johnson was then mounted, andJoseph very slowly and gravely led the horse. I said to Dr. Johnson, 'Iwish, Sir, _the Club_ saw you in this attitude.[775]'It was a very heavy rain, and I was wet to the skin. Captain M'Lean hadbut a poor temporary house, or rather hut; however, it was a very goodhaven to us. There was a blazing peat-fire, and Mrs. M'Lean, daughter ofthe minister of the parish, got us tea. I felt still the motion of thesea. Dr. Johnson said, it was not in imagination, but a continuation ofmotion on the fluids, like that of the sea itself after the stormis 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_[776]. He said, 'Thefirst part of it is one of the most entertaining books in the Englishlanguage; it is quite dramatick: while he went about every where, sawevery where, and heard every where. By the first part, I mean so far asit appears that Burnet himself was actually engaged in what he has told;and this may be easily distinguished.' Captain M'Lean censured Burnet,for his high praise of Lauderdale in a dedication[777], when he shewshim in his history to have been so bad a man. JOHNSON. 'I do not myselfthink that a man should say in a dedication what he could not say in ahistory. However, allowance should be made; for there is a greatdifference. The known style of a dedication is flattery: it professesto flatter. There is the same difference between what a man says in adedication, and what he says in a history, as between a lawyer'spleading a cause, and reporting it.'The day passed away pleasantly enough. The wind became fair for Mull inthe evening, and Mr. Simpson resolved to sail next morning: but havingbeen thrown into the island of Col we were unwilling to leave itunexamined, especially as we considered that the Campbelltown vesselwould sail for Mull in a day or two, and therefore we determinedto stay.TUESDAY, OCTOBER 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 wascurious to look back ten years, to the time when we first thought ofvisiting the Hebrides[778]. How distant and improbable the scheme thenappeared! Yet here we were actually among them. 'Sir, (said he,) peoplemay come to do any thing almost, by talking of it. I really believe, Icould talk myself into building a house upon island Isa[779], though Ishould probably never come back again to see it. I could easily persuadeReynolds to do it; and there would be no great sin in persuading him todo it. Sir, he would reason thus: "What will it cost me to be there oncein two or three summers? Why, perhaps, five hundred pounds; and what isthat, in comparison of having a fine retreat, to which a man can go, orto which he can send a friend?" He would never find out that he may havethis within twenty miles of London. Then I would tell him, that he maymarry one of the Miss M'Leods, a lady of great family. Sir, it issurprising how people will go to a distance for what they may have athome. I knew a lady who came up from Lincolnshire to Knightsbridge withone of her daughters, and gave five guineas a week for a lodging and awarm bath; that is, mere warm water. _That_, you know, could not be hadin _Lincolnshire_! She said, it was made either too hot or toocold there.'After breakfast, Dr. Johnson and I, and Joseph, mounted horses, and Coland the Captain walked with us about a short mile across the island. Wepaid a visit to the Reverend Mr. Hector M'Lean. His parish consists ofthe islands of Col and Tyr-yi. He was about seventy-seven years of age,a decent ecclesiastick, dressed in a full suit of black clothes, and ablack wig. He appeared like a Dutch pastor, or one of the assembly ofdivines at Westminster. Dr. Johnson observed to me afterwards, 'that hewas a fine old man, and was as well-dressed, and had as much dignity inhis appearance as the dean of a cathedral.' We were told, that he had avaluable library, though but poor accommodation for it, being obliged tokeep his books in large chests. It was curious to see him and Dr.Johnson together. Neither of them heard very distinctly; so each of themtalked in his own way, and at the same time. Mr. M'Lean said, he had aconfutation of Bayle, by Leibnitz. JOHNSON. 'A confutation of Bayle,Sir! What part of Bayle do you mean? The greatest part of his writingsis not confutable: it is historical and critical.' Mr. M'Lean said, 'theirreligious part;' and proceeded to talk of Leibnitz's controversy withClarke, calling Leibnitz a great man. JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, Leibnitzpersisted in affirming that Newton called space _sensorium numinis_,notwithstanding he was corrected, and desired to observe that Newton'swords were QUASI _sensorium numinis_[780]. No, Sir; Leibnitz was aspaltry a fellow as I know. Out of respect to Queen Caroline, whopatronised him, Clarke treated him too well.[781]' During the timethat Dr. Johnson was thus going on, the old minister was standing withhis back to the fire, cresting up erect, pulling down the front of hisperiwig, and talking what a great man Leibnitz was. To give an idea ofthe scene, would require a page with two columns; but it ought rather tobe represented by two good players. The old gentleman said, Clarke wasvery wicked, for going so much into the Arian system[782]. 'I will notsay he was wicked, said Dr. Johnson; he might be mistaken.' M'LEAN. 'Hewas wicked, to shut his eyes against the Scriptures; and worthy men inEngland have since confuted him to all intents and purposes.' JOHNSON.'I know not _who_ has confuted him to _all intents and purposes_.' Hereagain there was a double talking, each continuing to maintain his ownargument, without hearing exactly what the other said.I regretted that Dr. Johnson did not practice the art of accommodatinghimself to different sorts of people. Had he been softer with thisvenerable old man, we might have had more conversation; but his forciblespirit, and impetuosity of manner, may be said to spare neither sex norage. I have seen even Mrs. Thrale stunned; but I have often maintained,that it is better he should retain his own manner[783]. Pliability ofaddress I conceive to be inconsistent with that majestick power of mindwhich he possesses, and which produces such noble effects. A lofty oakwill not bend like a supple willow.He told me afterwards, he liked firmness in an old man, and was pleasedto see Mr. M'Lean so orthodox. 'At his age, it is too late for a man tobe asking himself questions as to his belief[784].' We rode to thenorthern part of the island, where we saw the ruins of a church orchapel[785]. We then proceeded to a place called Grissipol, or therough Pool.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 singularvariety 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 Beggars Opera_,'As men should serve a cucumber[786],' &c. has no waggish meaning, withreference to men flinging away cucumbers as too _cooling_, which somehave thought; for it has been a common saying of physicians in England,that a cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper andvinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing. Mr. M'Sweyn'spredecessors had been in Sky from a very remote period, upon the estatebelonging to M'Leod; probably before M'Leod had it The name is certainlyNorwegian, from _Sueno_, King of Norway. The present Mr. M'Sweyn leftSky upon the late M'Leod's raising his rents. He then got this farmfrom Col.He appeared to be near fourscore; but looked as fresh, and was as strongas a man of fifty. His son Hugh looked older; and, as Dr. Johnsonobserved, had more the manners of an old man than he. I had often heardof such instances, but never saw one before. Mrs. M'Sweyn was a decentold gentlewoman. She was dressed in tartan, and could speak nothing butErse. She said, she taught Sir James M'Donald Erse, and would teach mesoon. I could now sing a verse of the song _Hatyin foam'eri_[787], madein honour of Allan, the famous Captain of Clanranald, who fell atSherrif-muir[788]; whose servant, who lay on the field watching hismaster's dead body, being asked next day who that was, answered, 'He wasa man yesterday.'We were entertained here with a primitive heartiness. Whiskey was servedround in a shell, according to the ancient Highland custom. Dr. Johnsonwould not partake of it; but, being desirous to do honour to the modes'of other times,' drank some water out of the shell.In the forenoon Dr. Johnson said, 'it would require great resignation tolive in one of these islands.' BOSWELL. 'I don't know, Sir; I have feltmyself at times in a state of almost mere physical existence, satisfiedto eat, drink, and sleep, and walk about, and enjoy my own thoughts; andI can figure a continuation of this.' JOHNSON. 'Ay, Sir; but if you wereshut up here, your own thoughts would torment you. You would think ofEdinburgh or London, and that you could not be there.'We set out after dinner for _Breacacha_, the family seat of the Laird ofCol, accompanied by the young laird, who had now got a horse, and by theyounger Mr. M'Sweyn, whose wife had gone thither before us, to prepareevery thing for our reception, the laird and his family being absent atAberdeen. It is called _Breacacha_, or the Spotted Field, because insummer it is enamelled with clover and daisies, as young Col told me. Wepassed by a place where there is a very large stone, I may call it a_rock_;--'a vast weight for Ajax[789].' The tradition is, that a giantthrew such another stone at his mistress, up to the top of a hill, at asmall distance; and that she in return, threw this mass down tohim[790]. It was all in sport.'Malo me petit lasciva puella[791].'As we advanced, we came to a large extent of plain ground. I had notseen such a place for a long time. Col and I took a gallop upon it byway of race. It was very refreshing to me, after having been so longtaking short steps in hilly countries. It was like stretching a man'slegs after being cramped in a short bed. We also passed close by a largeextent of sand-hills, near two miles square. Dr. Johnson said, 'he neverhad the image before. It was horrible, if barrenness and danger could beso.' I heard him, after we were in the house of _Breacacha_, repeatingto himself, as he walked about the room,'And smother'd in the dusty whirlwind, dies[792].'Probably he had been thinking of the whole of the simile in _Cato_, ofwhich that is the concluding line; the sandy desart had struck him sostrongly. The sand has of late been blown over a good deal of meadow,and the people of the island say, that their fathers remembered much ofthe space which is now covered with sand, to have been undertillage[793]. Col's house is situated on a bay called _Breacacha_ Bay.We found here a neat new-built gentleman's house, better than any we hadbeen in since we were at Lord Errol's. Dr. Johnson relished it much atfirst, but soon remarked to me, that 'there was nothing becoming a Chiefabout it: it was a mere tradesman's box[794].' He seemed quite at home,and no longer found any difficulty in using the Highland address; for assoon as we arrived, he said, with a spirited familiarity, 'Now, _Col_,if you could get us a dish of tea.' Dr. Johnson and I had each anexcellent bed-chamber. We had a dispute which of us had the bestcurtains. His were rather the best, being of linen; but I insisted thatmy bed had the best posts, which was undeniable. 'Well, (said he,) ifyou _have_ the best _posts_, we will have you tied to them and whipped.'I mention this slight circumstance, only to shew how ready he is, evenin mere trifles, to get the better of his antagonist, by placing him ina ludicrous view. I have known him sometimes use the same art, when hardpressed in serious disputation. Goldsmith, I remember, to retaliate formany a severe defeat which he has suffered from him, applied to him alively saying in one of Cibber's comedies, which puts this part of hischaracter in a strong light.--'There is no arguing with Johnson; for,_if his pistol misses fire, he knocks you down with the butt end ofit_[795].'WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6.After a sufficiency of sleep, we assembled at breakfast. We were just asif in barracks. Every body was master. We went and viewed the old castleof Col, which is not far from the present house, near the shore, andfounded on a rock. It has never been a large feudal residence, and hasnothing about it that requires a particular description. Like other oldinconvenient buildings of the same age, it exemplified Gray'spicturesque lines,'Huge[796] windows that exclude the light,And passages that lead to nothing.'It may however be worth mentioning, that on the second story we saw avault, which was, and still is, the family prison. There was a woman putinto it by the laird, for theft, within these ten years; and anyoffender would be confined there yet; for, from the necessity of thething, as the island is remote from any power established by law, thelaird must exercise his jurisdiction to a certain degree.We were shewn, in a corner of this vault, a hole, into which Col saidgreater criminals used to be put. It was now filled up with rubbish ofdifferent kinds. He said, it was of a great depth, 'Ay, (said Dr.Johnson, smiling,) all such places, that _are filled up_, were of agreat depth.' He is very quick in shewing that he does not give creditto careless or exaggerated accounts of things. After seeing the castle,we looked at a small hut near it. It is called _Teigh Franchich, i.e._the Frenchman's House. Col could not tell us the history of it. A poorman with a wife and children now lived in it. We went into it, and Dr.Johnson gave them some charity. There was but one bed for all thefamily, and the hut was very smoky. When he came out, he said to me,_'Et hoc secundum sententiam philosophorum est esse beatus_[797].'BOSWELL. 'The philosophers, when they placed happiness in a cottage,supposed cleanliness and no smoke.' JOHNSON. 'Sir, they did not thinkabout either.'We walked a little in the laird's garden, in which endeavours have beenused to rear some trees; but, as soon as they got above the surroundingwall, they died. Dr. Johnson recommended sowing the seeds of hardytrees, instead of planting.Col and I rode out this morning, and viewed a part of the island. In thecourse of our ride, we saw a turnip-field, which he had hoed with hisown hands. He first introduced this kind of husbandry into the Westernislands[798]. We also looked at an appearance of lead, which seemed verypromising. It has been long known; for I found letters to the latelaird, from Sir John Areskine and Sir Alexander Murray, respecting it.After dinner came Mr. M'Lean, of Corneck, brother to Isle of Muck, whois a cadet of the family of Col. He possesses the two ends of Col, whichbelong to the Duke of Argyll. Corneck had lately taken a lease of themat a very advanced rent, rather than let the Campbells get a footing inthe island, one of whom had offered nearly as much as he. Dr. Johnsonwell observed, that, 'landlords err much when they calculate merelywhat their land _may_ yield. The rent must be in a proportionate ratioof what the land may yield, and of the power of the tenant to make ityield. A tenant cannot make by his land, but according to the corn andcattle which he has. Suppose you should give him twice as much land ashe has, it does him no good, unless he gets also more stock. It is clearthen, that the Highland landlords, who let their substantial tenantsleave them, are infatuated; for the poor small tenants cannot give themgood rents, from the very nature of things. They have not the means ofraising more from their farms[799].' Corneck, Dr. Johnson said, was themost distinct man that he had met with in these isles: he did not shuthis eyes, or put his fingers in his ears, which he seemed to think was agood deal the mode with most of the people whom we have seen of late.THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7.Captain M'Lean joined us this morning at breakfast. There came on adreadful storm of wind and rain, which continued all day, and ratherincreased at night. The wind was directly against our getting to Mull.We were in a strange state of abstraction from the world: we couldneither hear from our friends, nor write to them. Col had brought Daille_on the Fathers_[800], Lucas _on Happiness_[801], and More's_Dialogues_[802], from the Reverend Mr. M'Lean's, and Burnet's _Historyof his own Times_, from Captain M'Lean's; and he had of his own somebooks of farming, and Gregory's _Geometry_[803]. Dr. Johnson read a gooddeal of Burnet, and of Gregory, and I observed he made some geometricalnotes in the end of his pocket-book. I read a little of Young's _SixWeeks' Tour through the Southern Counties_; and Ovid's _Epistles_, whichI had bought at Inverness, and which helped to solace many a weary hour.We were to have gone with Dr. Johnson this morning to see the mine; butwere prevented by the storm. While it was raging, he said, 'We may beglad we are not _damnati ad metalla_.'FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8.Dr. Johnson appeared to-day very weary of our present confinedsituation. He said, 'I want to be on the main land, and go on withexistence. This is a waste of life.'I shall here insert, without regard to chronology, some of his