without any general preference of system, I must disapprove.'

"

He told us of Cooke, who translated Hesiod, and lived twenty years on a translation of Plautus, for which he was always taking subscriptions; and that he presented Foote to a Club, in the following singular manner: "This is the nephew of the gentleman who was lately hung in chains for murdering his brother."

* If due attention were paid to this observation, there would be more virtue, even in politicks. What Dr. Johnson justly condemned, has, I am sorry to say, greatly increased in the present reign. At the distance of four years from this conversation, 21st February 1777, My Lord Archbishop of York, in his "sermon before the Society for the "Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," thus indignantly describes the then state of parties:

Parties once had a principle belonging to them, absurd perhaps, ❝and indefensible, but still carrying a notion of duty, by which honest "minds might easily be caught..

"But there are now combinations of individuals, who, instead of "being the sons and servants of the community, make a league for “advancing their private interests. It is their business to hold high "the notion of political honour. I believe and trust, it is not injurious to say, that such a bond is no better than that by which the lowest "and wickedest combinations are held together; and that it denotes the last stage of political depravity."

66

To find a thought, which just shewed itself to us from the mind of Johnson, thus appearing again at such a distance of time, and without any communication between them, enlarged to full growth in the mind of Markham, is a curious object of philosophical contemplation.-That two such great and luminous minds should have been so dark in one corner, that they should have held it to be " Wicked rebellion in the British subjects established in America, to resist the abject condition of holding all their property at the mercy of British subjects remaining at home, while their allegiance to our common Lord the King was to be preserved inviolate," is a striking proof to me, either that "He who sitteth in Heaven," scorns the loftiness of human pride, or that the Evil Spirit, whose personal existence I strongly believe, and even in this age am confirmed in that belief by a Fell, nay, by a Hurd, has more power than some choose to allow,

In the evening I introduced to Mr. Johnson* two good friends of mine, Mr. William Nairne, Advocate, and Mr. Hamilton of Sundrum, my neighbour in the country, both of whom supped with us. I have preserved nothing of what passed, except that Dr. Johnson displayed another of his heterodox opinions, a contempt of tragick acting. He said, "the action of all players in tragedy is bad. It should be a man's study to repress those signs of emotion and passion, as they are called." they are called." He was of a directly contrary opinion to that of Fielding, in his Tom Jones; who makes Partridge say, of Gar rick, "why, I could act as well as he myself. I "am sure, if I had seen a ghost, I should have "looked in the very same manner, and done just "as he did." For, when I asked him, "Would not you, sir, start as Mr. Garrick does, if you saw a ghost? He answered, "I hope not. If I did, I should frighten the ghost."

MONDAY, AUGUST 16.

Dr. William Robertson came to breakfast. We talked of Ogden on Prayer. Dr. Johnson said, "The same arguments which are used against God's hearing prayer, will serve against his rewarding good, and punishing evil. He has resolved, he has declared, in the former case as in the latter."

It may be observed, that I sometimes call my great friend, Mr. Johnson, sometimes Dr. Johnson; though he had at this time a doctor's degree from Trinity College, Dublin. The University of Oxford afterwards conferred it upon him by a diploma, in very honourable terms. It was some time before I could bring myself to call him Doctor; but, as he has been long known by that title, I shall give it to him in the rest of this Journal.

He had last night looked into Lord Hailes's "Remarks on the History of Scotland."-Dr. Ro bertson and I said, it was a pity Lord Hailes did not write greater things. His lordship had not then published his " Annals of Scotland."-JOHNSON. "I remember I was once on a visit at the house of a lady for whom I had a high respect. There was a good deal of company in the room. When they were gone, I said to this lady, 'What foolish talking have we had!'' Yes, (said she,) but while they talked, you said nothing.'-I was struck with the reproof. How much better is the man who does any thing that is innocent, than he who does nothing. Besides, I love anecdotes. I fancy mankind may come, in time, to write all aphoristically, except in narrative; grow weary of preparation, and connection, and illustration, and all those arts by which a big book is made.-If a man is to wait till he weaves anecdotes into a system, we may be long in getting them, and get but few, in comparison of what we might get."

Dr. Robertson said, the notions of Eupham Macallan, a fanatick woman, of whom Lord Hailes gives a sketch, were still prevalent among some of the Presbyterians; and therefore it was right in Lord Hailes, a man of known piety, to undeceive them.

We walked out, that Dr. Johnson might see some of the things which we have to show at Edinburgh. We went to the Parliament-House, where the Parliament of Scotland sat, and where the Ordinary Lords of Session hold their courts; and to the New Session- House adjoining to it, where our Court of Fifteen (the fourteen Ordinaries, with the Lord President at their head,) sit as a court of Review.

We went to the Advocates' Library, of which Dr. Johnson took a cursory view, and then to what is called the Laigh (or under) Parliament-House, where the records of Scotland, which have a universal security by register, are deposited, till the great Register Office be finished. I was pleased to behold Dr. Samuel Johnson rolling about in this old magazine of antiquities. There was, by this time, a pretty numerous circle of us attending upon him. Somebody talked of happy moments for composi tion; and how a man can write at one time, and not at another." Nay, (said Dr. Johnson) a man may write at any time, if he will set himself doggedly* to it."

I here began to indulge old Scottish sentiments, and to express a warm regret, that, by our Union with England, we were no more;-our independent kingdom was lost.-JOHNSON. "Sir, never talk of your independency, who could let your Queen remain twenty years in captivity, and then be put to death, without even a pretence of justice, without your ever attempting to rescue her; and such a Queen too; as every man of any gallantry of spirit would have sacrificed his life for."-Worthy Mr. JAMES KERR, Keeper of the Records. "Half our nation was bribed by English money."-JOHNSON. "Sir, that is no defence: that makes you worse. -Good Mr. BROWN, Keeper of the Advocates' Library. "We had better say nothing about it." BOSWELL. "You would have been glad, however,

This word is commonly used to signify sullenly, gloomily; and in that sense alone it appears in Dr. Johnson's Dictionary. I suppose he meant by it, "with an obstinate resolution, similar to that of a sullen mah."

to have had us last war, sir, to fight your battles !" -JOHNSON. "We should have had you for the same price, though there had been no Union, as we might have had Swiss, or other troops. No, no, I shall agree to a separation. You have only to go home." -Just as he had said this, I, to divert the subject, shewed him the signed assurances of the three successive Kings of the Hanover family, to maintain the Presbyterian establishment in Scotland." We'll give you that (said he) into the bargain."

We next went to the great church of St. Giles, which has lost its original magnificence in the inside, by being divided into four places of Presbyterian worship. Come, (said Dr. Johnson jocularly to Principal Robertson,*) let me see what was once a church !" We entered that division which was formerly called the New Church, and of late the High Church, so well known by the eloquence of Dr. Hugh Blair. It is now very elegantly fitted up; but it was then shamefully dirty. Dr. Johnson said nothing at the time; but when we came to the great door of the Royal Infirmary, where, upon a board was this inscription," Clean your feet!" he turned about slyly and said, "There is no occasion for putting this at the doors of your churches!"

We then conducted him down the Post-house stairs, Parliament-close, and made him look up from the Cow-gate to the highest building in Edinburgh, (from which he had just descended,) being thirteen floors or stories from the ground upon the

* I have hitherto called him Dr. William Robertson, to distinguish him from Dr. James Robertson, who is soon to make his appearance. But Principal from his being the head of our college, is his usual designation, and is shorter; so I shall use it hereafter.