约翰逊4-6-80

of it. This, he assured us, was a true story.M'Quarrie insisted that the _Mercheta Mulierum_, mentioned in our oldcharters, did really mean the privilege which a lord of the manor, or abaron, had, to have the first night of all his vassals' wives. Dr.Johnson said, the belief of such a custom having existed was also heldin England, where there is a tenure called _Borough English_, by whichthe eldest child does not inherit, from a doubt of his being the son ofthe tenant[860]. M'Quarrie told us, that still, on the marriage of eachof his tenants, a sheep is due to him; for which the composition isfixed at five shillings[861]. I suppose, Ulva is the only place wherethis custom remains.Talking of the sale of an estate of an ancient family, which was said tohave been purchased much under its value by the confidential lawyer ofthat family, and it being mentioned that the sale would probably be setaside by a suit in equity, Dr. Johnson said, 'I am very willing thatthis sale should be set aside, but I doubt much whether the suit will besuccessful; for the argument for avoiding the sale is founded on vagueand indeterminate principles, as that the price was too low, and thatthere was a great degree of confidence placed by the seller in theperson who became the purchaser. Now, how low should a price be? or whatdegree of confidence should there be to make a bargain be set aside? abargain, which is a wager of skill between man and man. If, indeed, anyfraud can be proved, that will do.'When Dr. Johnson and I were by ourselves at night, I observed of ourhost, '_aspectum generosum habet;'--'et generosum animum_', he added.For fear of being overheard in the small Highland houses, I often talkedto him in such Latin as I could speak, and with as much of the Englishaccent as I could assume, so as not to be understood, in case ourconversation should be too loud for the space.We had each an elegant bed in the same room; and here it was that acircumstance occurred, as to which he has been strangely misunderstood.From his description of his chamber, it has erroneously been supposed,that his bed being too short for him, his feet during the night were inthe mire; whereas he has only said, that when he undressed, he felt hisfeet in the mire: that is, the clay-floor of the room, on which he stoodupon before he went into bed, was wet, in consequence of the windowsbeing broken, which let in the rain[862].SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17.Being informed that there was nothing worthy of observation in Ulva, wetook boat, and proceeded to Inchkenneth, where we were introduced by ourfriend Col to Sir Allan M'Lean, the Chief of his clan, and to two youngladies, his daughters. Inchkenneth is a pretty little island, a milelong, and about half a mile broad, all good land[863].As we walked up from the shore, Dr. Johnson's heart was cheered by thesight of a road marked with cart-wheels, as on the main land; a thingwhich we had not seen for a long time. It gave us a pleasure similar tothat which a traveller feels, when, whilst wandering on what he fears isa desert island, he perceives the print of human feet. Military menacquire excellent habits of having all conveniences about them. SirAllan M'Lean, who had been long in the army, and had now a lease of theisland, had formed a commodious habitation, though it consisted but of afew small buildings, only one story high[864]. He had, in his littleapartments, more things than I could enumerate in a page or two.Among other agreeable circumstances, it was not the least, to find herea parcel of the _Caledonian Mercury_, published since we left Edinburgh;which I read with that pleasure which every man feels who has been forsome time secluded from the animated scenes of the busy world.Dr. Johnson found books here. He bade me buy Bishop Gastrell's_Christian Institutes_[865], which was lying in the room. He said, 'I donot like to read any thing on a Sunday, but what is theological; notthat I would scrupulously refuse to look at any thing which a friendshould shew me in a newspaper; but in general, I would read only what istheological. I read just now some of Drummond's _Travels_[866], before Iperceived what books were here. I then took up Derham's_Physico-Theology_[867].'Every particular concerning this island having been so well described byDr. Johnson, it would be superfluous in me to present the publick withthe observations that I made upon it, in my _Journal_.I was quite easy with Sir Allan almost instantaneously. He knew thegreat intimacy that had been between my father and his predecessor, SirHector, and was himself of a very frank disposition. After dinner, SirAllan said he had got Dr. Campbell about an hundred subscribers to his_Britannia Elucidata_, (a work since published under the title of _APolitical Survey of Great Britain_[868],) of whom he believed twentywere dead, the publication having been so long delayed. JOHNSON. 'Sir, Iimagine the delay of publication is owing to this;--that, afterpublication, there will be no more subscribers, and few will send theadditional guinea to get their books: in which they will be wrong; forthere will be a great deal of instruction in the work. I think highly ofCampbell[869]. In the first place, he has very good parts. In the secondplace, he has very extensive reading; not, perhaps, what is properlycalled learning, but history, politicks, and, in short, that popularknowledge which makes a man very useful. In the third place, he haslearned much by what is called the _vox viva_. He talks with a greatmany people.'Speaking of this gentleman, at Rasay, he told us, that he one day calledon him, and they talked of Tull's _Husbandry_[870]. Dr. Campbell saidsomething. Dr. Johnson began to dispute it. 'Come, (said Dr. Campbell,)we do not want to get the better of one another: we want to encreaseeach other's ideas.' Dr. Johnson took it in good part, and theconversation then went on coolly and instructively. His candour inrelating this anecdote does him much credit, and his conduct on thatoccasion proves how easily he could be persuaded to talk from a bettermotive than 'for victory[871].'Dr. Johnson here shewed so much of the spirit of a Highlander, that hewon Sir Allan's heart: indeed, he has shewn it during the whole of ourTour. One night, in Col, he strutted about the room with a broad swordand target, and made a formidable appearance; and, another night, I tookthe liberty to put a large blue bonnet on his head. His age, his size,and his bushy grey wig, with this covering on it, presented the imageof a venerable _Senachi_[872]: and, however unfavourable to the LowlandScots, he seemed much pleased to assume the appearance of an ancientCaledonian. We only regretted that he could not be prevailed with topartake of the social glass. One of his arguments against drinking,appears to me not convincing. He urged, that 'in proportion as drinkingmakes a man different from what he is before he has drunk, it is bad;because it has so far affected his reason.' But may it not be answered,that a man may be altered by it _for the better_; that his spirits maybe exhilarated, without his reason being affected[873]. On the generalsubject of drinking, however, I do not mean positively to take the otherside. I am _dubius, non improbus_.In the evening, Sir Allan informed us that it was the custom of hishouse to have prayers every Sunday; and Miss M'Lean read the eveningservice, in which we all joined. I then read Ogden's second and ninth_Sermons on Prayer_, which, with their other distinguished excellence,have the merit of being short. Dr. Johnson said, that it was the mostagreeable Sunday he had ever passed[874]; and it made such an impressionon his mind, that he afterwards wrote the following Latin verses uponInchkenneth[875]:--INSULA SANCTI KENNETHI.Parva quidem regio, sed relligione priorumNota, Caledonias panditur inter aquas;Voce ubi Cennethus populos domuisse ferocesDicitur, et vanos dedocuisse deos.Hue ego delatus placido per coerula cursuScire locum volui quid daret ille novi.Illic Leniades humili regnabat in aula,Leniades magnis nobilitatus avis:Una duas habuit casa cum genitore puellas,Quas Amor undarum fingeret esse deas:Non tamen inculti gelidis latuere sub antris,Accola Danubii qualia saevus habet;Mollia non decrant vacuae solatia vitae,Sive libros poscant otia, sive lyram.Luxerat ilia dies, legis gens docta supernaeSpes hominum ac curas cum procul esse jubet,Ponti inter strepitus sacri non munera cultusCessarunt; pietas hic quoque cura fuit:Quid quod sacrifici versavit femina libros,Legitimas faciunt pectora pura preces[876].Quo vagor ulterius? quod ubique requiritur hic est;Hic secura quies, hic et honestus amor[877].MONDAY, OCTOBER 18.We agreed to pass this day with Sir Allan, and he engaged to have everything in order for our voyage to-morrow.Being now soon to be separated from our amiable friend young Col, hismerits were all remembered. At Ulva he had appeared in a new character,having given us a good prescription for a cold. On my mentioning himwith warmth, Dr. Johnson said, 'Col does every thing for us: we willerect a statue to Col.' 'Yes, said I, and we will have him with hisvarious attributes and characters, like Mercury, or any other of theheathen gods. We will have him as a pilot; we will have him as afisherman, as a hunter, as a husbandman, as a physician.'I this morning took a spade, and dug a little grave in the floor of aruined chapel[878], near Sir Allan M'Lean's house, in which I buriedsome human bones I found there. Dr. Johnson praised me for what I haddone, though he owned, he could not have done it. He shewed in thechapel at Rasay[879] his horrour at dead men's bones. He shewed it againat Col's house. In the Charter-room there was a remarkable largeshin-bone, which was said to have been a bone of _John Garve_[880], oneof the lairds. Dr. Johnson would not look at it; but started away.At breakfast, I asked, 'What is the reason that we are angry at atrader's having opulence[881]?' JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, the reason is,(though I don't undertake to prove that there is a reason,) we see noqualities in trade that should entitle a man to superiority. We are notangry at a soldier's getting riches, because we see that he possessesqualities which we have not. If a man returns from a battle, having lostone hand, and with the other full of gold, we feel that he deserves thegold; but we cannot think that a fellow, by sitting all day at a desk,is entitled to get above us.' BOSWELL. 'But, Sir, may we not suppose amerchant to be a man of an enlarged mind, such as Addison in the_Spectator_ describes Sir Andrew Freeport to have been?' JOHNSON. 'Why,Sir, we may suppose any fictitious character. We may suppose aphilosophical day-labourer, who is happy in reflecting that, by hislabour, he contributes to the fertility of the earth, and to the supportof his fellow-creatures; but we find no such philosophical day-labourer.A merchant may, perhaps, be a man of an enlarged mind; but there isnothing in trade connected with an enlarged mind[882].'I mentioned that I had heard Dr. Solander say he was a SwedishLaplander[883]. JOHNSON. 'Sir, I don't believe he is a Laplander. TheLaplanders are not much above four feet high. He is as tall as you; andhe has not the copper colour of a Laplander.' BOSWELL. 'But what motivecould he have to make himself a Laplander?' JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, he musteither mean the word Laplander in a very extensive sense, or may mean avoluntary degradation of himself. "For all my being the great man thatyou see me now, I was originally a Barbarian;" as if Burke should say,"I came over a wild Irishman." Which he might say in his present stateof exaltation.'Having expressed a desire to have an island like Inchkenneth, Dr.Johnson set himself to think what would be necessary for a man in such asituation. 'Sir, I should build me a fortification, if I came to livehere; for, if you have it not, what should hinder a parcel of ruffiansto land in the night, and carry off every thing you have in the house,which, in a remote country, would be more valuable than cows and sheep?add to all this the danger of having your throat cut.' BOSWELL. 'I wouldhave a large dog.' JOHNSON. 'So you may, Sir; but a large dog is of nouse but to alarm.' He, however, I apprehend, thinks too lightly of thepower of that animal. I have heard him say, that he is afraid of no dog.'He would take him up by the hinder legs, which would render him quitehelpless,--and then knock his head against a stone, and beat out hisbrains.' Topham Beauclerk told me, that at his house in the country, twolarge ferocious dogs were fighting. Dr. Johnson looked steadily at themfor a little while; and then, as one would separate two little boys, whowere foolishly hurting each other, he ran up to them, and cuffed theirheads till he drove them asunder[884]. But few men have his intrepidity,Herculean strength, or presence of mind. Most thieves or robbers wouldbe afraid to encounter a mastiff.I observed, that, when young Col talked of the lands belonging to hisfamily, he always said, '_my_ lands[885].' For this he had a plausiblepretence; for he told me, there has been a custom in this family, thatthe laird resigns the estate to the eldest son when he comes of age,reserving to himself only a certain life-rent. He said, it was avoluntary custom; but I think I found an instance in the charter-room,that there was such an obligation in a contract of marriage. If thecustom was voluntary, it was only curious; but if founded on obligation,it might be dangerous; for I have been told, that in Otaheite, whenevera child is born, (a son, I think,) the father loses his right to theestate and honours, and that this unnatural, or rather absurd custom,occasions the murder of many children.Young Col told us he could run down a greyhound; 'for, (said he,) thedog runs himself out of breath, by going too quick, and then I get upwith him[886].' I accounted for his advantage over the dog, by remarkingthat Col had the faculty of reason, and knew how to moderate his pace,which the dog had not sense enough to do. Dr. Johnson said, 'He is anoble animal. He is as complete an islander as the mind can figure. Heis a farmer, a sailor, a hunter, a fisher: he will run you down a dog:if any man has a _tail_[887], it is Col. He is hospitable; and he has anintrepidity of talk, whether he understands the subject or not. I regretthat he is not more intellectual.'Dr. Johnson observed, that there was nothing of which he would notundertake to persuade a Frenchman in a foreign country. 'I'll carry aFrenchman to St. Paul's Church-yard, and I'll tell him, "by our law youmay walk half round the church; but, if you walk round the whole, youwill be punished capitally," and he will believe me at once. Now, noEnglishman would readily swallow such a thing: he would go and inquireof somebody else[888].' The Frenchman's credulity, I observed, must beowing to his being accustomed to implicit submission; whereas everyEnglishman reasons upon the laws of his country, and instructs hisrepresentatives, who compose the legislature. This day was passed inlooking at a small island adjoining Inchkenneth, which afforded nothingworthy of observation; and in such social and gay entertainments as ourlittle society could furnish.TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19.After breakfast we took leave of the young ladies, and of our excellentcompanion Col, to whom we had been so much obliged. He had now put usunder the care of his Chief; and was to hasten back to Sky. We partedfrom him with very strong feelings of kindness and gratitude; and wehoped to have had some future opportunity of proving to him thesincerity of what we felt; but in the following year he wasunfortunately lost in the Sound between Ulva and Mull[889]; and thisimperfect memorial, joined to the high honour of being tenderly andrespectfully mentioned by Dr. Johnson, is the only return which theuncertainty of human events has permitted us to make to this deservingyoung man.Sir Allan, who obligingly undertook to accompany us to Icolmkill[890],had a strong good boat, with four stout rowers. We coasted along Mulltill we reached _Gribon_, where is what is called Mackinnon's cave,compared with which that at Ulinish[891] is inconsiderable. It is in arock of a great height, close to the sea. Upon the left of its entrancethere is a cascade, almost perpendicular from the top to the bottom ofthe rock. There is a tradition that it was conducted thitherartificially, to supply the inhabitants of the cave with water. Dr.Johnson gave no credit to this tradition. As, on the one hand, his faithin the Christian religion is firmly founded upon good grounds; so, onthe other, he is incredulous when there is no sufficient reason forbelief[892]; being in this respect just the reverse of modern infidels,who, however nice and scrupulous in weighing the evidences of religion,are yet often so ready to believe the most absurd and improbable talesof another nature, that Lord Hailes well observed, a good essay might bewritten _Sur la credulite des Incredules_.The height of this cave I cannot tell with any tolerable exactness; butit seemed to be very lofty, and to be a pretty regular arch. Wepenetrated, by candlelight, a great way; by our measurement, no lessthan four hundred and eighty-five feet. Tradition says, that a piper andtwelve men once advanced into this cave, nobody can tell how far; andnever returned. At the distance to which we proceeded the air was quitepure; for the candle burned freely, without the least appearance of theflame growing globular; but as we had only one, we thought it dangerousto venture farther, lest, should it have been extinguished, we shouldhave had no means of ascertaining whether we could remain withoutdanger. Dr. Johnson said, this was the greatest natural curiosity he hadever seen.We saw the island of Staffa, at no very great distance, but could notland upon it, the surge was so high on its rocky coast[893].Sir Allan, anxious for the honour of Mull, was still talking of its_woods_, and pointing them out to Dr. Johnson, as appearing at adistance on the skirts of that island, as we sailed along. JOHNSON.'Sir, I saw at Tobermorie what they called a wood, which I unluckilytook for _heath_. If you shew me what I shall take for _furze_, it willbe something.'In the afternoon we went ashore on the coast of Mull, and partook of acold repast, which we carried with us. We hoped to have procured somerum or brandy for our boatmen and servants, from a publick-house nearwhere we landed; but unfortunately a funeral a few days before hadexhausted all their store[894]. Mr. Campbell, however, one of the Dukeof Argyle's tacksmen, who lived in the neighbourhood, on receiving amessage from Sir Allan, sent us a liberal supply.We continued to coast along Mull, and passed by Nuns' Island, which, itis said, belonged to the nuns of Icolmkill, and from which, we weretold, the stone for the buildings there was taken. As we sailed along bymoon-light, in a sea somewhat rough, and often between black and gloomyrocks, Dr. Johnson said, 'If this be not _roving among the Hebrides_,nothing is[895]. The repetition of words which he had so oftenpreviously used, made a strong impression on my imagination; and, by anatural course of thinking, led me to consider how our presentadventures would appear to me at a future period.I have often experienced, that scenes through which a man has passed,improve by lying in the memory: they grow mellow. _Acti labores suntjucundi_[896]. This may be owing to comparing them with present listlessease. Even harsh scenes acquire a softness by length of time[897]; andsome are like very loud sounds, which do not please, or at least do notplease so much, till you are removed to a certain distance. They may becompared to strong coarse pictures, which will not bear to be viewednear. Even pleasing scenes improve by time, and seem more exquisite inrecollection, than when they were present; if they have not faded todimness in the memory. Perhaps, there is so much evil in every humanenjoyment, when present,--so much dross mixed with it, that it requiresto be refined by time; and yet I do not see why time should not meltaway the good and the evil in equal proportions;--why the shade shoulddecay, and the light remain in preservation.After a tedious sail, which, by our following various turnings of thecoast of Mull, was extended to about forty miles, it gave us no smallpleasure to perceive a light in the village at Icolmkill, in whichalmost all the inhabitants of the island live, close to where theancient building stood. As we approached the shore, the tower of thecathedral, just discernible in the air, was a picturesque object.When we had landed upon the sacred place, which, as long as I canremember, I had thought on with veneration, Dr. Johnson and I cordiallyembraced. We had long talked of visiting Icolmkill; and, from thelateness of the season, were at times very doubtful whether we should beable to effect our purpose. To have seen it, even alone, would havegiven me great satisfaction; but the venerable scene was rendered muchmore pleasing by the company of my great and pious friend, who was noless affected by it than I was; and who has described the impressions itshould make on the mind, with such strength of thought, and energy oflanguage, that I shall quote his words, as conveying my own sensationsmuch more forcibly than I am capable of doing:--'We were now treading that illustrious Island, which was once theluminary of the Caledonian regions, whence savage clans and rovingbarbarians derived the benefits of knowledge, and the blessings ofreligion. To abstract the mind from all local emotion would beimpossible, if it were endeavoured, and would be foolish if it werepossible. Whatever withdraws us from the power of our senses, whatevermakes the past, the distant, or the future, predominate over thepresent, advances us in the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me, andfrom my friends, be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us indifferentand unmoved over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery,or virtue. That man is little to be envied, whose patriotism would notgain force upon the plain of _Marathon_, or whose piety would not growwarmer among the ruins of _Iona_[898]!'Upon hearing that Sir Allan M'Lean was arrived, the inhabitants, whostill consider themselves as the people of M'Lean, to whom the island