me. "I fee you have not been well aught for, you have not charity." He had been in fome meafure forced into this warmth, by the exulting air which I affumed; for, when he began, he faid, "Since you will drive the nail!" He again thought of good Mr. M'Queen, and, taking him by the hand, faid, "Sir, I did not mean any difrefpect to you." Here I muft obferve, that he conquered by deferting his ground, and not meeting the argument as I had put it. The affiduity of the Scottish clergy is certainly greater than that of the English. His taking up the topic of their not having fo much learning, was, though ingenious, yet a fallacy in logic. It was as if there fhould be a difpute whether a man's hair is well dreffed, and Dr. Johnfon fhould fay, Sir, his hair cannot be well dreffed; for he has a dirty flirt., No man who has not clean linen, has his hair well dreffed." 66 When fome days afterwards he read this paflage, he faid, "No, fir; I did nt fay that a man's hair could not be well dreffed because he has not clean linen, but because he is bald." a form of wind and rain as I have almost ever seen, which neceffarily confined us to the houfe; but we were fully compenfated by Dr. Johnfon's convertation. He faid, he did not gruge Burke's being the first man in the house of commons; for he was the firft man every where; but he grudged that a fellow who makes no figure in company, and has a mind as narrow as the neck of a vinegar cruet, fhould make a figure in the houfe of commons, merely by having the knowledge of a few forms, and being furnished "He used one argument against the Scottish clergy being learned, which I doubt was not good: “As we believe a man dead till we know that he is alive; fo we believe men ignorant till we know that they are learned." Now our maxim in law is, to prefume a man alive, till we know he is dead. However, indeed, it may be anfwered, that we must first know he has lived; and that we have never known the learning of the Scottish cle gy. Mr. M'Queen, though he was of opinion that Dr. Johnfon had deferted the point really in difpute, was much pleated with what he faid, and owned to me, he thought it very juft; and Mrs. M'Leod was fo much captivated by his eloquence, that the told me I was a good advocate for a bad caufe." SPECIMEN of Dr. JOHNSON's CONVERSATION. [From the fame Work. ] with a little occafional He told us, the first time he faw Dr. Young was at the house of Mr. Richardíon the author of Clariffa. He was fent for, that the doctor might read to him his Conjectures on Original Compotition, which he did, and Dr. John on made his remarks; and he was furp fed to find Young receive as novcities what he thought very common maxims. He faid he believed Young was not a great scholar, nor had studied regularly the art of writing; that there were very fine things in his Night Thoughts, though you coula not find twenty lines together with- Dr. Doddridge being mentioned, he observed that " he was author of one of the finest epigrams ju the English language. It is in Orton's Life of him. The fubject is his family-motto—Dum vivimus, vivamus; which, in its primary fignification, is, to be fure, not very fuitable to a Chriftian divine; but he paraphrased it thus: "Live, while you live, the epicure would fay, And feize the pleasures of the prefent day. And give to God each moment as it flies. "M Y acquaintance, the reve, rend Mr. John M'Aulay, one of the minifters of Inveraray, "I afked, if it was not ftrange that government should permit fo many infidel writings to pafs with out cenfure.-Johnjon. Sir, it is mighty foolish. It is for want of knowing their own power. The prefent family on the throne came to the crown against the will of nine-tenths of the people. Whe ther thefe nine-tenths were right or wrong, it is not our bufinefs now to enquire. But fuch being the fi tuation of the royal family, they were glad to encourage all who would be their friends. Now you know every bad man is a Whig; every man who has loofe notions. The church was all against this fa mily. They were, as I fay, glad to encourage any friends; and therefore, fince their acceffion, there is no inftance of any man being -kept back on account of his bad principles; and hence this inundation of impiety." I obferved that Mr. Hume, fome of whofe writings were very unfavourable to religion, was, however, a Tory.-Johnfor Sir, Hume is a Tory by chance, as being a Scotchman; but not up on a principle of duty; for he has no principle. If he is any thing, he is a Hobbist." Dr. JOHNSON's VISIT to the DUKE of ARGYLE. [From the fame Work, ] and brother to our good friend at Calder, came to us this morning, and accompanied us to the caftle, where where I prefented Dr. Johnson to the duke of Argyle. We were fhewn through the houfe; and I never fhall forget the impreffion made upon my fancy by fome of the ladies' maids tripping about in neat morning dreffes. After feeing for a long time little but rufticity, their lively manner, and gay inviting appearance, pleafed me fo much, that I thought, for the moment, I could have been a knight-errant for them. "We then got into a low onehorfe chair, ordered for us by the duke, in which we drove about the place. Dr. Johnfon was much ftruck by the grandeur and elegance of this princely feat. He faid, "What I admire here, is the total defiance of expence." I had a particular pride in fhewing him a great number of fine old trees, to compenfate for the nakedness which had made fuch an impreffion on him on the eastern coast of Scotland. He thought the cattle too low, and wifhed it had been a story higher. "When we came in, before dinner, we found the duke and fome gentlemen in the hall. Dr. Johnfon took much notice of the large collection of arms, which are excellently difpofed there. I told what he had faid to fir Alexander M'Donald, of his ancestors not fuffering their arms to rust. "Well (faid the doctor), but let us be glad we live in times when arms may ruft." We can fit to-day at his grace's ta ble, without any risk of being attacked, and perhaps fitting down again wounded or maimed." The duke placed Dr. Johnfon next himfelf at table. • 33 he), your own relation, Mr. Archibald Campbell, can tell you better about it than I can. He was a bishop of the nonjuring communion, and wrote a book upon the fubject." He engaged to get it for her grace. He afterwards gave a full history of Mr. Archibald Campbell, which I am forry I do not recollect particularly. He faid, Mr. Campbell had been bred a violent Whig, but afterwards "kept better company, and became a Tory." He faid this with a fmile, in pleafant allufion, as I thought, to the oppofition between his own political principles, and thofe of the duke's clan. He added, that Mr. Campbell, after the Revolution, was thrown into jail on account of his tenets; but, on application by letter to the old lord Townshend, was released: that he always fpoke of his lordfhip with great gratitude, faying, "though a Whig, he had humanity." "The fubject of luxury was introduced. Dr. Johnfon defended it. "We have now (faid he), a fplendid dinner before us; which of all these dishes is unwholesome ?” The duke afferted, that he had obferved the grandees of Spain diminifhed in their fize by luxury. Dr. Johnfon politely refrained from oppoling directly an obfervation which the duke himself had made; but faid, "Man must be very different from other animals, if he is dimi. nifhed by good living; for the fize of all other animals is increased by it. I made fome remark that seemed to imply a belief in fecond fight. The duchefs faid, "I fancy you will be a Methodist." This was the only fentence her grace deigned to utter to me; and I take it for granted, the thought it a good hit on my credulity in the Douglas cause, "A gen "The duchefs was very attentive to Dr. Johnfon. I know not how a middle ftate came to be mentioned. Her grace wished to hear him on that point. "Madam (faid "A gentleman in company, after dinner, was defired by the duke to go to another room, for a fpicimen of curious marble, which his grace withed to fhew us. He brought a wrong piece, upon which the duke fent him b ck again. He could not refufe; but, to avoid any appearance of fervility, he whittled as he walked out of the room, to fhow his independency. On my mentioning this afterwards to Dr. Johnfon, he faid, it was a nice trait of character. me, I fhould have fufpected her of infenfibility or diffimulation. "Her grace made Dr. Johnfon come and it by her, and asked him why he made his journey fo late in the year. "Why madam (faid he), you know Mr. Bofwell muft atte d the court of feffion, and it dee not rise till the twelfth of Auguft." She faid, with fome fharphefs, "I know nothing of Mr. Boswell." Poor lady Lucy Douglas, to whom I mentioned this, obferved,She knew too much of Mr. Bofwell." I fhall make no remark on her grace's speech. I indeed felt it as rather too fevere; but when I recollected that my punifhment was inflicted by fo dignified a beauty, I had that kind of confolation which a man would feel who is ftrangled by a filken cord: Dr. Johnfon was all attention to her grace. he ufed afterwards a droll expreffion, upon her enjoying the three titles of Hamilton, Brandon, and Argle. Borrowing an image from the Turkish empire, he called her a duchefs with three tails. "He was much pleased with our vifit at the caftle of Inveraray. The duke of Argyle was exceedingly polite to him, and, upon his complaining of the fhelties which he had hitherto ridden being too fmall for him, his grace told him he fhould be provided with a good horfe to carry him next day." STORY of AMELIA NE VIL. [From the Philofophical, Hiftorical, and Moral Effay on Old Maids.] T was the of Mrs. fhe wished to con "I Wormwood to profefs the fidered as their patronefs, becaufe fuch an idea afforded her the fairest opportunities of fecretly mortify moft friendly folicitude for female youth, and the highest admiration fhe was perfecuted by fortune. The beauty of Amelia was fo friking, and the charms of her lively underflanding began to difplay themfelves in fo enchanting a manner, that her affectionate aunt could not bear the idea of placing her in any lower order of life: the gave her the education of a gentlewoman, in the flattering and generous hope that her various attractions muft fupply the abfolute want of fortune, and that the fhould enjoy the delight of fecing her dear Anelia fettled happily in marriage, before her death expofed her lovely ward to that poverty, which was her only inheritance. Heaven difpofed it otherwife. This amiable woman, after having afted the part of a moft affectionate parent to her indigent niece, died before Amelia attained the age of twenty. The poor girl was now apparently delitute of every refource, and expofed to penury, with a heart bleeding for the lofs of a most indulgent protector. A widow lady of her acquaintance very kindly afforded her a refuge in the first moments of her diftrefs, and proposed to two of her opulent friends, that Amelia fhould refide with them by turns, dividing her year between them, and pailing four months with each. As foon as Mrs. Wormwood was informed of this event, as the delighted in thofe oftentatious acts of apparent beneficence, which are falfely called charity, fhe defired to be admitted among the voluntary guardians of the poor Amelia. To this propofal all the parties affented, and it was fettled that Amelia fhould pafs the last quarter of every year, as long as the remained fingle, under the roof of Mrs. Wormwood. This lovely orphan had a fentibility of heart, which rendered her extremely grateful for the protec ing their infufferable prefumption. With a peculiar refinement in malice, the firft encouraged, and afterwards defeated, thofe amuling matrimonial projects, which the young and the beautiful are fo apt to entertain. The highest gratification which her ingenious malignity could devife, contified in torturing fome lovely inexperienced girl, by playing upon the tender paffions of an open and unfufpecting heart. Accident threw within her reach a moit tempting fubject for fuch fiend-like diverfion, in the perfon of Amelia Nevil, the daughter of a brave and accomplished officer, who, cloting a laborious and honourable life in very indigent circumftances, had left his unfortunate child to the care of his maiden fifter. The aunt of Amelia was fuch an old maid as might alone fuffice to refcue the fifterhood from ridicule and contempt. She had been attached, in her early days, to a gallant youth, who un happily loft his own life in preferving that of his dear friend, her brother: the devoted herself to his memory with the moft tender, un affected, and invariable attachment; refuting feveral advantageous of fers of marriage, though her income was fo narrow, that neceffity obliged her to convert her whole fortune into an annuity, just before the calamitous event happened, which made her the only guardian of the poor Amelia. This lovely but unfortunate girl was turned of fourteen on the death of her father. She found, in the houfe of his fifter, the most friendly afylum, and a relation, whofe heart and mind made her most able and will ing to form the character of this engaging orphan, who appeared to be as highly favoured by nature as |
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