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common prejudice fhould not be found in one whofe trade it is to rectify

errour."

A gentleman having come in who was to go as a Mate in the fhip along with Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, Dr. Johnson afked what were the names of the ships destined for the expedition. The gentleman answered, they were once to be called the Drake and the Raleigh, but now they were to be called the Refolution and the Adventure. JOHNSON. "Much better; for had the Raleigh returned without going round the world, it would have been ridiculous. To give them the names of the Drake and the Raleigh was laying a trap for fatire." BOSWELL. "Had not you fome defire to go upon -this expedition, Sir?" JOHNSON. "Why yes; but I foon laid it afide. Sir, there is very little of intellectual in the courfe. Befides, I fee but at a fimall distance. So it was not worth my while to go to see birds fly, which I should not have seen fly; and fishes swim, which I fhould not have seen swim."

The gentleman being gone, and Dr. Johnfon having left the room for fome time, a debate arose between the Reverend Mr. Stockdale and Mrs. Defmoulins, whether Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander were entitled to any share of glory from their expedition. When Dr. Johnson returned to us, I told him the fubject of their difpute. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, it was properly for botany that they went out: I believe they thought only of culling of fimples.”

I thanked him for fhewing civilities to Beattie. "Sir, (faid he,) I should thank you. We all love Beattie. Mrs. Thrale fays, if ever fhe has another husband, she'll have Beattie. He funk upon us that he was married; else we should have fhewn his lady more civilities. She is a very fine woman. But how can you fhew civilities to a non-entity? I did not think he had been married. Nay, I did not think about it one way or other; but he did not tell us of his lady till late."

We muft build a tolerable

He then spoke of St. Kilda, the moft remote of the Hebrides. I told him, I thought of buying it. JOHNSON. Pray do, Sir. We fhall go and pass a winter amid the blafts there. We fhall have fine fifh, and we fhall take fome dried tongues with us, and fome books. We fhall have a strong built veffel, and fome Orkney men to navigate her. houfe but we may carry with us a wooden houfe ready made, and requiring nothing but to be put up. Confider, Sir, by buying St. Kilda, you may keep the people from falling into worfe hands. We must give them a clergyman, and he shall be one of Beattie's choofing. He fhall be educated at Marischal College. I'll be your Lord Chancellor, or what you pleafe." BOSWELL. "Are you serious, Sir, in advifing me to buy St. Kilda? for if you fhould

advise me to go to Japan, I believe I fhould do it." JOHNSON. "Why yes, Sir, I am serious." BOSWELL. "Why then I'll fee what can be done."

I gave him an account of the two parties in the church of Scotland, those for fupporting the rights of patrons, independent of the people, and those against it. JOHNSON. "It should be fettled one way or other. I cannot wish well to a popular election of the clergy, when I confider that it occafions fuch animofities, fuch unworthy courting of the people, fuch flanders between the contending parties, and other disadvantages. It is enough to allow the people to remonstrate against the nomination of a minifter for folid reafons;" (I fuppofe he meant herefy or immorality.) He was engaged to dine abroad, and asked me to return to him in the evening at nine, which I accordingly did.

We drank tea with Mrs. Williams, who told us a ftory of fecond fight, which happened in Wales where she was born.-He liftened to it very attentively, and faid he fhould be glad to have fome inftances of that faculty well authenticated. His elevated wish for more and more evidence for fpirit, in oppofition to the groveling belief of materialism, led him to a love of fuch myfterious difquifitions. He again justly observed, that we could have no certainty of the truth of fupernatural appearances, unless fomething was told us which we could not know by ordinary means, or fomething done which could not be done but by fupernatural power; that Pharaoh in reafon and justice required fuch evidence from Moses; nay, that our Saviour faid, "If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had fin." He had faid in the morning, that "Macaulay's Hiftory of St. Kilda," was very well written, except fome foppery about liberty and slavery. I mentioned to him that Macaulay told me, he was advised to leave out of his book the wonderful story that upon the approach of a stranger all the inhabitants catch cold; but that it had been fo well authenticated, he determined to retain it. JOHNSON. "Sir, to leave things out of a book, merely because people tell you they will not be believed, is meannefs. Macaulay acted with more

magnanimity."

We talked of the Roman Catholick religion, and how little difference there was in effential matters between ours and it. JOHNSON. "True, Sir: all denominations of Chriftians have really little difference in point of doctrine, though they may differ widely in external forms. There is a prodigious difference between the external form of one of your Prefbyterian churches in Scotland, and a church in Italy; yet the doctrine taught is effentially the fame." I mentioned the petition to Parliament for removing the fubfcription to the Thirty-nine Articles. JOHNSON. "It was foon thrown out. Sir, they talk

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of not making boys at the University subscribe to what they do not underEtat. 63. ftand; but they ought to confider, that our Universities were founded to bring up members for the Church of England, and we must not supply our enemies with arms from our arfenal. No, Sir, the meaning of fubfcribing is, not that they fully understand all the articles, but that they will adhere to the Church of England. Now take it in this way, and fuppofe that they should only subscribe their adherence to the Church of England, there would be still the fame difficulty; for ftill the young men would be fubfcribing to what they do not understand. For if you should ask them, what do you mean by the Church of England? Do you know in what it differs from the Prefbyterian Church? from the Romish Church? from the Greek Church? from the Coptick Church? they could not tell you. So, Sir, it comes to the fame thing." BOSWELL. "But, Sir, would it not be fufficient to fubfcribe the Bible ?" JOHNSON. "Why no, Sir; for all fects will fubfcribe the Bible; nay, the Mahometans will fubfcribe the Bible, for the Mahometans acknowledge JESUS CHRIST, as well as Mofes, but maintain that God fent Mahomet as a ftilk greater prophet than either."

I mentioned the motion to abolish the faft of the 30th of January. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, I could have wished that it had been a temporary act, perhaps, to have expired with the century. I am against abolishing it; because that would be declaring it was wrong to establish it; but I should have no objection to make an act, continuing it for another century, and then letting it expire." He disapproved of the Royal Marriage Bill; "Because (said he,) I would not have the people think that the validity of marriage depends on the will of man, or that the right of a King depends on the will of man. I should not have been against making the marriage of any of the royal family, without the approbation of King and Parliament, highly criminal.”

In the morning we had talked of old families, and the refpect due to them. JOHNSON. "Sir, you have a right to that kind of refpect, and are arguing for yourself. I am for fupporting the principle, and am difinterested in doing it, as I have no fuch right." BOSWELL. "Why, Sir, it is one more incitement to a man to do well." JOHNSON. "Yes, Sir, and it is a matter of opinion, very neceffary to keep fociety together. What is it but opinion, by which we have a respect for authority, that prevents us, who are the rabble, from rifing up and pulling down you who are gentlemen from your places, and faying, We will be gentlemen in our turn?' Now, Sir, that refpect for authority is much more easily granted to a man whofe father has had it, than to an upstart, and fo Society is more easily fupported." BOSWELL. "Perhaps, Sir, it might be

done

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done by the respect belonging to office, as among the Romans, where the dress, the toga, infpired reverence." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, we "Why, Sir, we know very little about Ætat. 63. the Romans. But, furely, it is much easier to respect a man who has always had respect, than to respect a man who we know was last year no better than ourselves, and will be no better next year. In republicks there is not a refpect for authority, but a fear of power." BOSWELL." At prefent, Sir, I think riches seem to gain most respect." JOHNSON. "No, Sir, riches do not gain hearty refpect; they only procure external attention. A very rich man, from low beginnings, may buy his election in a borough; but, cæteris paribus, a man of family will be preferred. People will prefer a man for whose father their fathers have voted, though they fhould get no more money, or even lefs. That fhews that the refpect for family is not merely fanciful, but has an actual operation. If gentlemen of family would allow the rich upstarts to spend their money profufely, which they are ready enough to do, and not vie with them in expence, the upstarts would foon be at an end, and the gentlemen would remain: but if the gentlemen will vie in expence with the upftarts, which is very foolish, they must be ruined."

I gave him an account of the excellent mimickry of a friend of mine in Scotland; obferving, at the fame time, that some people thought it a very mean thing. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, it is making a very mean use of a man's powers. But to be a good mimick, requires great powers, great acuteness of obfervation, great retention of what is obferved, and great pliancy of organs, to represent what is obferved. I remember a lady of quality in this town, Lady who was a wonderful mimick, and used to make me laugh immoderately. I have heard fhe is now gone mad." BOSWELL. "It is amazing how a mimick can not only give you the gestures and voice of a person whom he represents; but even what a person would fay on any particular fubject." JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, you are to confider that the manner and some particular phrases of a perfon do much to imprefs you with an idea of him, and you are not fure that he would fay what the mimick fays in his character." BOSWELL. "I don't think Foote a good mimick, Sir." JOHNSON. "No, Sir; his imitations are not like. He gives you fomething different from himself, but not the character which he means to affume. He goes out of himself without going into other people. He cannot take off any person unless he is very strongly marked, fuch as George Faulkner. He is like a painter, who can draw the portrait of a man who has a wen upon his face, and who, therefore, is easily known. If a man hops upon one leg, Foote can hop upon one leg. But he has not that nice difcrimination which

your

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your friend feems to poffefs. Foote is, however, very entertaining, with a kind of converfation between wit and buffoonery.”

On Monday, March 23, I found him busy, preparing a fourth edition of his folio Dictionary. Mr. Peyton, one of his original amanuenfes, was writing for him. I put him in mind of a meaning of the word fide, which he had omitted, viz. relationship; as, father's fide, mother's fide. He inferted it. I asked him if humiliating was a good word. He said, he had seen it frequently used, but he did not know it to be legitimate English. He would not admit civilization, but only civility. With great deference to him, I thought civilization, from to civilize, better in the fenfe opposed to barbarity, than civility, as it is better to have a distinct word for each sense, than one word with two fenfes, which civility is, in his way of using it.

He feemed bufy about fome fort of chymical operation. I was entertained by obferving how he contrived to fend Mr. Peyton on an errand, without seeming to degrade him. "Mr. Peyton,-Mr. Peyton,-will you be fo good as to take a walk to Temple-bar? You will there fee a chymift's shop; at which you will be pleased to buy for me an ounce of oil of vitriol; not spirit of vitriol, but oil of vitriol. It will coft three half-pence." Peyton immediately went, and returned with it, and told him it coft but a penny.

I then reminded him of the schoolmafter's caufe, and propofed to read to him the printed papers concerning it. "No, Sir, (faid he,) I can read quicker than I can hear." So he read them to himself.

After he had read for fome time, we were interrupted by the entrance of Mr. Kristrom, a Swede, who was tutor to fome young gentlemen in the city. He told me, that there was a very good Hiftory of Sweden, by Daline. Having at that time an intention of writing the history of that country, I asked Dr. Johnson whether one might write a history of Sweden without going thither. "Yes, Sir, (faid he,) one for common use."

We talked of languages. Johnson obferved, that Leibnitz had made fome progrefs in a work, tracing all languages up to the Hebrew. "Why, Sir, (faid he,) you would not imagine that the French jour, day, is derived from the Latin dies, and yet nothing is more certain; and the intermediate steps are very clear. From dies, comes diurnus. Diu is, by inaccurate ears or inaccurate pronunciation, easily confounded with giu; then the Italians form a fubftantive of the ablative of an adjective, and thence giurno, or, as they make it, giorno; which is readily contracted into giour, or jour." He obferved, that the Bohemian language was true Sclavonick. The Swede faid, it had some fimilarity