Earl Alexander, who loved to cultivate the acquaintance of men of talents, in every department. All who knew his lordship, will allow that his understanding and accomplishments were of no ordinary rate. From the gay habits which he had early acquired, he spent too much of his time with men, and in pursuits, far beneath such a mind as his. He afterwards became sensible of it, and turned his thoughts to objects of importance; but was cut off in the prime of his life. I cannot speak, but with emotions of the most affectionate regret, of one, in whose company many of my early days were passed, and to whose kindness I was much indebted. Often must I have occasion to upbraid myself, that, soon after our return to the main land, I allowed indolence to prevail over me so much, as to shrink from the labour of continuing my Journal with the same minuteness as before; sheltering myself in the thought, that we had done with the Hebrides; and not considering, that Dr. Johnson's Memorabilia were likely to be the more valuable when we were restored to a more polished society. Much has thus been irrecoverably lost. In the course of our conversation this day, it came out, that Lady Eglintoune was married the year before Dr. Johnson was born; upon which she graciously said to him, that she might have been his mother, and that she now adopted him; and when we were going away, she embraced him, saying, "My dear son, farewell!" My friend was much pleased with this day's entertainment, and owned that I had done well to force him out. Tuesday, 2d November. We were now in a country not only "of saddles and bridles," but of post-chaises; and having ordered one from Kilmarnock, we got to Auchinleck before dinner. My father was not quite a year and a half older than Dr. Johnson; but his conscientious discharge of his laborious duty as a judge in Scotland, where the law proceedings are almost all in writing, a severe complaint which ended in his death,—and the loss of my mother, a woman of almost unexampled piety and goodness, had before this time in some degree affected his spirits, and 'As we have seen, he had married a second time; but Mr. Boswell lived on bad terms with his stepmother, and perhaps intended this as an indirect stroke at her. rendered him less disposed to exert his faculties: for he had originally a very strong mind, and cheerful temper. He assured me he never had felt one moment of what is called low spirits, or uneasiness without a real cause. He had a great many good stories, which he told uncommonly well, and he was remarkable for "humour, incolumi gravitate," as Lord Monboddo used to characterise it. His age, his office, and his character, had long given him an acknowledged claim to great attention, in whatever company he was; and he could ill brook any diminution of it. He was as sanguine a Whig and presbyterian, as Dr. Johnson was a Tory, and church of England man: and as he had not much leisure to be informed of Dr. Johnson's great merits, by reading his works, he had a partial and unfavourable notion of him, founded on his supposed political tenets; which were so discordant to his own, that, instead of speaking of him with that respect to which he was entitled, he used to call him "a Jacobite fellow."1 Knowing all this, I should not have ventured to bring them together, had not my father, out of kindness to me, desired me to invite Dr. Johnson to his house. I was very anxious that all should be well; and begged of my friend to avoid three topicks, as to which they differed very widely; Whiggism, Presbyterianism, and Sir John Pringle. He said courteously, "I shall certainly not talk on subjects which I am told are disagreeable to a gentleman under whose roof I am; especially, I shall not do so to your father." Our first day went off very smoothly. It rained, and we could not get out; but my father shewed Dr. Johnson his library, which, in curious editions of the Greek and Roman classicks is, I suppose, 1 Here is a less official sketch from the Boswelliana :-"Lord Auchinleck and his son were very different men. My lord was solid and composed, Boswell was light and restless. My lord rode very slow, Boswell was one day impatient to get on, and begged my lord to ride a little faster, for,' said he, 'it is not the exercise that fatigues me, but the lingering on a beast.' His father replied, 'What's the matter, man, how a chield hings, if he dinna hing upon a gallows?"" "My father had all along so firm, so dry a mind, that religious principles, however carefully inculcated by his father and mother, and however constantly they remained on the surface, never incorporated with his thoughts. He was one of the most firm and indefatigable judges that ever lived. He once said, The great point for a judge is to conduct a case with safety and expedition, like a skilful pilot. The agents always endeavour to keep a cause afloat, but I keep my eye upon the haven, and the moment I have got her fairly in order, I give one hearty push, and then she is landed."" It is worth noting here that the deed of entail which, as we have seen, caused Mr. Boswell and his father so much trouble and anxiety, met with a disastrous fate so lately as 1851. Mr. Carruthers tells us, it was discovered that some important words had been written over an erasure, which made the whole invalid, and the proprietor, Sir James Boswell, had full power to sell, settle, or dispose of the estate in any way he pleased. not excelled by any private collection in Great Britain. My father had studied at Leyden, and been very intimate with the Gronovii, and other learned men there. He was a sound scholar, and, in particular, had collated manuscripts and different editions of Anacreon, and others of the Greek Lyrick poets, with great care; so that my friend and he had much matter for conversation without touching on the fatal topicks of difference. Dr. Johnson found here Baxter's Anacreon, which he told me he had long inquired for in vain, and began to suspect there was no such book. Baxter was the keen antagonist of Barnes. His life is in the " Biographia Britannica." My father has written many notes on this book, and Dr. Johnson and I talked of having it reprinted. Wednesday, 3d November. It rained all day, and gave Dr. Johnson an impression of that incommodiousness of climate in the west, of which he has taken notice in his Journey; but, being well accommodated, and furnished with variety of books, he was not dissatisfied. Some gentlemen of the neighbourhood came to visit my father; but there was little conversation. One of them asked Dr. Johnson, how he liked the Highlands. The question seemed to irritate him, for he answered, How, sir, can you ask me what obliges me to speak unfavourably of a country where I have been hospitably entertained? Who can like the Highlands ?—I like the inhabitants very well." The gentleman asked no more questions. Let me now make up for present neglect, by again gleaning from the past. At Lord Monboddo's, after the conversation upon the decrease of learning in England, his lordship mentioned "Hermes by Mr. Harris of Salisbury, as the work of a living authour, for whom he had a great respect. Dr. Johnson said nothing at the time; but when we were in our post-chaise, told me, he thought Harris " a coxcomb." This he said of him, not as a man, but as an authour; and I give his opinions of men and books, faithfully, whether they agree with my own, or not. I do admit, that there always appeared to me something of affectation in Mr. Harris's manner of writing; something of a habit of clothing plain thoughts in analytick and categorical formality. But all his writings are This speech got into the Scotch newspapers of the day. imbued with learning; and all breathe that philanthropy and amiable disposition, which distinguished him as a man." At another time, during our Tour, he drew the character of a rapacious Highland Chief, with the strength of Theophrastus or La Bruyere; concluding with these words: "Sir, he has no more the soul of a Chief, than an attorney who has twenty houses in a street, and considers how much he can make by them."1 He this day, when we were by ourselves, observed, how common it was for people to talk from books; to retail the sentiments of others, and not their own; in short, to converse without any originality of thinking. He was pleased to say, "You and I do not talk from books." Thursday, 4th November. I was glad to have at length a very fine day, on which I could shew Dr. Johnson the Place of my family, which he has honoured with so much attention in his Journey. He is, however, mistaken in thinking that the Celtick name, Auchinleck, has no relation to the natural appearance of it. I believe every Celtick name of a place will be found very descriptive. Auchinleck does not signify a stony field, as he has said, but a field of flag-stones; and this place has a number of rocks, which abound in strata of that kind. The "sullen dignity of the old castle," as he has forcibly expressed it, delighted him exceedingly. On one side of the rock on which its ruins stand, runs the river Lugar, which is here of considerable breadth, and is bordered by other high rocks, shaded with wood. On the other side runs a brook, skirted in the same manner, but on a smaller scale. It is impossible to figure a more romantick scene.2 a This gentleman, though devoted to the study of grammar and dialecticks, was not so absorbed in it as to be without a sense of pleasantry, or to be offended at his favourite topicks being treated lightly. I one day met him in the street, as I was hastening to the House of Lords, and told him, I was sorry I could not stop, being rather too late to attend an appeal of the Duke of Hamilton against Douglas. “I thought (said he) their contest had been over long ago." I answered,." The contest concerning Douglas's filiation was over long ago; but the contest now is, who shall have the estate." Then, assuming the air of an ancient sage philosopher," I proceeded thus: "Were I to predicate concerning him, I should say, the contest formerly was, What is he? The contest now is, What has he?"" Right, (replied Mr. Harris, smiling,) you have done with quality, and have got into quantity." Second Edition.-Line 27: Read "I cannot figure," &c. 1 No doubt the penurious Sir A. Macdonald. 2 "The view here," says Mr. Grose, "is extremely beautiful, the river running down a deep, rocky, and well-wooded glen. Woods, particularly the fir, seem to thrive here, some firs in the garden measuring nearly six feet in height. In الله I felt myself elated here, and expatiated to my illustrious Mentor on the antiquity and honourable alliances of my family, and on the merits of its founder, Thomas Boswell, who was highly favoured by his sovereign James IV. of Scotland, and fell with him at the battle of Floddon-field; and, in the glow of what, I am sensible, will, in a commercial age, be considered as genealogical enthusiasm, did not omit to mention, what I was sure my friend would not think lightly of, my relation to the Royal Personage, whose liberality, on his accession to the throne, had given him comfort and independence. I have, in a former page, acknowledged my pride of ancient blood, in which I was encouraged by Dr. Johnson: my readers therefore will not be surprized at my having indulged it on this occasion. Not far from the old castle is a spot of consecrated earth, on which may be traced the foundations of an ancient chapel, dedicated to St. Vincent, and where, in old times, was the "place of graves " for the family. It grieves me to think that the remains of sanctity here, which were considerable, were dragged away, and employed in building a part of the house of Auchinleck, of the middle age; which was the family residence, till my father erected that "elegant modern mansion," of which Dr. Johnson speaks so handsomely. Perhaps this chapel may one day be restored. Dr. Johnson was pleased, when I shewed him some venerable old trees, under the shade of which my ancestors had walked. He exhorted me to plant assiduously, as my father had done to a great extent. As I wandered with my revered friend in the groves of Auchinleck, I told him, that, if I survived him, it was my intention to erect a monument to him here, among scenes which, in my mind, were all classical; for in my youth I had appropriated to them many of the descriptions of the Roman poets. He could not bear to have death presented to him in any shape; for, his constitutional melancholy made the king of terrors more frightful. He turned off the subject, saying, "Sir, I hope to see your grand-children!" This forenoon he observed some cattle without horns, of which he has taken notice in his Journey, and seems undecided whether they be of a particular race. My learned friend's doubts appear to the adjacent grounds there are the walls of a later mansion, seemingly of the time of Mary or James VI. These, though at present unroofed, might easily be made habitable. They at present belong to James Boswell, Esq., well VOL. III. known to the public by several ingenious 30 |