The Life of Samuel Johnson

CONTENTS.

(Second Edition.)

Page 191
194

INTRODUCTION. Character of Dr. Johnson. He arrives in Scotland.
August 15. Sir W. Forbes. Practice of the law. Emigration. Dr. Beattie and
Mr. Hume. Dr. Robertson. Mr. Burke's various and extraordinary talents.
Question concerning genius. Whitfield and Wesley. Instructions to political
parties. Dr. Johnson's opinion of Garrick as a tragedian.
August 16. Ogden on Prayer. Aphoristick writing. Edinburgh surveyed. Char-
acter of Swift's works. Evil spirits and witchcraft. Lord Monboddo.

August 17. Poetry and Dictionary-writing. Scepticism. Eternal necessity refuted.

Lord Hailes's criticism on "The Vanity of human Wishes." Mr. Maclaurin.

Decision of the Judges in Scotland on literary property.

225

August 18. Set out for the Hebrides. Sketch of the authour's character. Trade
of Glasgow. Suicide. Inchkeith. Parliamentary knowledge. Influence
of Peers. Popular clamours. Arrive at St. Andrews.

August 19. Dr. Watson. Literature and patronage. Writing and conversation

compared. Change of manners. The Union. Value of money. St.

Andrews and John Knox. Retirement from the world. Dinner with the

Professors. Question concerning sorrow and content. Instructions for com-

position. Dr. Johnson's method. Uncertainty of memory.

234

August 20. Effect of prayer. Observance of Sunday. Professor Shaw. Tran-

substantiation. Literary property. Mr. Tyers's remark on Dr. Johnson

Arrives at Montrose.

240

229

August 21. Want of trees. Laurence Kirk. Dinner at Monboddo. Emigration.

Homer. Biography and history compared. Decrease of learning. Causes

of it. Promotion of bishops. Warburton. Louth. Value of Politeness.

Dr. Johnson's sentiments concerning Lord Monboddo. Arrive at Aber-

deen.

243

August 22.

Professor Thomas Gordon. Publick and private education. Sir

Alexander Gordon. Trade of Aberdeen. Prescription of murder in Scot-

land. Mystery of the Trinity. Satisfaction of Christ. Importance of old

friendships.

250

August 23. Dr. Johnson made a burgess of Aberdeen. Dinner at Sir Alexander
Gordon's. Warburton's powers of invective.
His " Doctrine of Grace."

August 24. Goldsmith and Graham. Slains castle. Education of children. Buller

of Buchan. Entails. Consequence of Peers. Sir Joshua Reynolds. Earl

of Errol.

259

August 25. The advantage of being on good terms with relations. Nabobs.

Feudal state of subordination. Dinner at Strichen. Life of country gentle-

men. THE LITERARY CLUB. -

265

268

August 26. Lord Monboddo. Use and importance of wealth. Elgin. Macbeth's
heath. Fores.
August 27. Leonidas. Paul Whitehead. Derrick. Origin of Evil. Calder-manse.
Reasonableness of ecclesiastical subscription. Family worship.
August 28. Fort George. Sir Adolphus Oughton.
and Lowth. Dinner at Sir Eyre Coote's.
compared. The Stage.
Clive. Inverness.

August 29. Macbeth's Castle.

272

Contest between Warburton

Arabs and English soldiers
Mr. Garrick, Mrs. Cibber, Mrs. Pritchard, Mrs.

276

Incorrectness of writers of Travels. Coinage of
new words. Dr. Johnson's Dictionary.

280

282

285

August 30. Dr. Johnson on horse-back. A Highland hut. Fort Augustus. Go-
vernour Trapaud.
August 31. Anoch. Emigration. Goldsmith. Poets and soldiers compared.
Life of a sailor. Landlord's daughter at Anoch.

September 1. Glensheal. The Macraas. Dr. Johnson's anger at being left for a

little while by the authour on a wild plain. Wretched inn at Glenelg 288

September 2. Dr. Johnson relents. Isle of Sky. Armidale.

September 3. Colonel Montgomery, now Earl of Eglintoune.

September 4. Ancient Highland Enthusiasm.

September 5. Sir James Macdonald's epitaph and last letters to his mother. Dr.

Johnson's Latin Ode on the Isle of Sky. Isaac Hawkins Browne.

September 6. Corrichatachin. Highland hospitality and mirth. Dr. Johnson's

Latin ode to Mrs. Thrale.

September 7. Uneasy state of dependence on the weather. State of those who live
in the country. Dr. M'Pherson's Dissertations. Second Sight

September 8. Rev. Mr. Donald M'Queen. Mr. Malcolm M'Cleod. Sail to

Rasay. Fingal. Homer. Elegant and gay entertainment at Rasay. 304

September 9. Antiquity of the family of Rasay. Cure of infidelity.

309

September 10. Survey of the island of Rasay. Bentley. Mallet. Hooke. Duchess

of Marlborough.

310

September 11. Heritable jurisdictions. Insular life. The Laird of M'Cleod. 315

September 12. Sail to Portree. Dr. Johnson's discourse on death. Letters from

Lord Elibank to Dr. Johnson and the authour. Dr. Johnson's answer. Ride

to Kingsburgh. Flora Macdonald.

317

September 13. Distresses and escape of the grandson of King James II. Arrive at

Dunvegan.

September 14. Importance of the chastity of women. Dr. Cadogan.

322

Whether

the practice of authours is necessary to enforce their doctrines. Good humour

acquirable.

340

September 15. Sir George Mackenzie. Mr. Burke's wit, knowledge, and eloquence 342

September 16. Dr. Johnson's hereditary melancholy. His minute knowledge in

various arts. Apology for the authour's ardour in his pursuits. Dr. Johnson's

imaginary seraglio. Polygamy.

344

September 17. Cunning. Whether great abilities are necessary to be wicked.
Temple of the Goddess Anaitis. Family Portraits. Records not consulted
by old English historians. Mr. Pennant's Tours criticised

September 18. Ancient residence of a Highland Chief.

nations. Laird of the Isle of Muck.

350

September 19. Choice of a wife. Women an over-match for men. Lady Grange in

St. Kilda. Poetry of savages. French Literati. Prize-fighting. French

and English soldiers. Duelling.

353

356

361

September 20. Change of London manners. Laziness censured. Landed and
traded interest compared. Gratitude considered.

September 21. Description of Dunvegan. Lord Lovat's Pyramid. Ride to Ulinish.

Phipps's Voyage to the North Pole.

358

September 22. Subterraneous house and vast cave in Ulinish. Swift's Lord Orrery.
Defects as well as virtues the proper subject of biography, though the life be
written by a friend. Studied conclusions of letters. Whether allowable in
dying men to maintain resentment to the last. Instructions for writing the
lives of literary men. Fingal denied to be genuine, and pleasantly ridi-
culed.

September 23. Further disquisition concerning Fingal. Eminent men disconcerted

by a new mode of publick appearance. Garrick. Mrs. Montague's Essay on

Shakspeare. Persons of consequence watched in London. Learning of the

Scots from 1550 to 1650. The arts of civil life little known in Scotland till

the Union. Life of a sailor. The folly of Peter the Great in working in a

dock-yard. Arrive at Talisker. Presbyterian clergy deficient in learning.

364

Young Col. Dr. Birch. Dr. Percy. Lord

Hailes. Historical impartiality. Whiggism unbecoming in a clergyman. 372

September 25. Every island a prison. A Sky cottage. Return to Corrichatachin.
Good fellowship carried to excess.
September 26. Morning review of last night's intemperance. Old Kingsburgh's
Jacobite song. Lady Margaret Macdonald adored in Sky. Different views
of the same subject at different times. Self-deception.
September 27. Dr. Johnson's popularity in the Isle of Sky. His good-humoured
gaiety with a Highland lady.

September 24. French hunting.

374

376

378

September 28. Ancient Irish pride of family. Dr. Johnson on threshing and thatch-

ing. Dangerous to increase the price of labour. Arrive at Ostig. Dr.

380

M'Pherson's Latin poetry.

September 29. Reverend Mr. McPherson.

Hanbury Williams.

September 30. Mr. Burke the first man every where. Very moderate talents requi-

site to make a figure in the House of Commons. Dr. Young. Dr. Doderidge.

Increase of infidel writings since the accession of the Hanover family.

Gradual impression made by Dr. Johnson. Particular minutes to be kept of

our studies.

384

October I. Dr. Johnson not answerable for all the words in his Dictionary. Attacks

on authours useful to them. Return to Armidale.

387

October 2. Old manners of great families in Wales. German courts,

Goldsmith's

love of talk. Emigration. Curious story of the people of St. Kilda. 388

October 3. Epictetus on the voyage of death. Sail from Mull. A storm. Driven

into Col.

391

October 4. Dr. Johnson's mode of living in the Temple. His curious appearance
on a sheltie.
Nature of sea-sickness. Burnet's History of his own Times.

Difference between dedications and histories.

394

October 5. People may come to do any thing by talking of it. The Reverend Mr.
Hector Maclean. Bayle. Leibnitz and Clarke. Survey of Col. Insular
life. Arrive at Breacacha. Dr. Johnson's powers of ridicule.

October 6. Heritable jurisdictions.

The opinion of philosophers concerning happi-

ness in a cottage, considered. Advice to landlords.

400

October 7. Books the best solace in a state of confinement.

407

409

October 8. Pretended brother of Dr. Johnson. No redress for a man's name being

affixed to a foolish work. Lady Sydney Beauclerk. Carte's Life of the Duke

of Ormond. Col's cabinet. Letters of the great Montrose. Present state of

the island of Col.

402

October 9. Dr. Johnson's avidity for a variety of books. Improbability of a High-
land tradition. Dr. Johnson's delicacy of feeling.

October 10. Dependence of tenants on landlords.

October II. London and Pekin compared. Dr. Johnson's high opinion of the

former.

410

October 12. Return to Mr. M'Sweyn's. Other superstition besides those connected

with religion. Dr. Johnson disgusted with coarse manners. His peculiar habits 410

October 13. Bustle not necessary to dispatch. Oats the food not of the Scotch
alone.

October 14. Arrive in Mull.

conversant with Italian literature.

modating literature. Their Ana.

Voltaire. Bossuet. Massillon. Bourdaloue. Virgil's description of the en-

trance into hell, compared to a printing-house.

412

Addison's Remarks on Italy. Addison not much
The French masters of the art of accom-
Racine. Corneille. Moliere. Fenelon.

413

423

October 15. Erse poetry. Danger of a knowledge of musick. The propriety of

settling our affairs so as to be always prepared for death. Religion and

literary attainments not to be described to young persons as too hard. Recep-

tion of the travellers in their progress. Spence.

416

October 16. Miss Maclean. Account of Mull. The value of an oak walking-stick

in the Hebrides. Arrive at Mr. M'Quarrie's in Ulva. Captain Macleod.

Second sight. Mercheta Mulierum, and Borough-English. The grounds on

which the sale of an estate may be set aside in a court of equity.

420

October 17. Arrive at Inchkenneth. Sir Allan Maclean and his daughters. None
but theological books should be read on Sunday. Dr. Campbell. Dr. John-
son exhibited as a Highlander. Thoughts on drinking. Dr. Johnson's Latin
verses on Inchkenneth.

October 18. Young Col's various good qualities. No extraordinary talents requisite

to success in trade. Dr. Solander. Mr. Burke. Dr. Johnson's intrepidity

and presence of mind. Singular custom in the Islands of Col and Otaheité,

Further elogium on young Col. Credulity of a Frenchman in foreign coun-

tries.

426

October 19. Death of young Col. Dr. Johnson slow of belief without strong evidence.

La credulité des incredules. Coast of Mull. Nun's Island. Past scenes pleas-

ing in recollection. Land on Icolmkill.

428

October 20. Sketch of the ruins at Icolmkill. Influences of solemn scenes of piety.

Feudal authority in the extreme. Return to Mull.