1775. be not a Doctor. If the title of Doctor be a defamatory truth, it is time Atat. 66. to diffolve our colleges, for why should the publick give falaries to men whose approbation is reproach? It may likewise deserve the notice of the publick to confider what help can be given to the professors of physick, who all fhare with this unhappy gentleman the ignominious appellation, and of whom the very boys in the street are not afraid to fay, There goes the Doctor. "What is implied by the term Doctor is well known. It distinguishes him to whom it is granted, as a man who has attained fuch knowledge of his profeffion as qualifies him to inftruct others. A Doctor of Laws is a man who can form lawyers by his precepts. A Doctor of Medicine is a man who can teach the art of curing difeafes. There is an old axiom which no man has yet thought fit to deny, Nil dat quod non habet. Upon this principle to be a Doctor implies fkill, for nemo docet quod non didicit. In England, whoever practifes phyfick, not being a Doctor, muft practice by a licence: but the doctorate conveys a licence in itself. "By what accident it happened that he and the other physicians were mentioned in different terms, where the terms themselves were equivalent, or where in effect that which was applied to him was the more honourable, perhaps they who wrote the paper cannot now remember. Had they expected a lawsuit to have been the confequence of fuch petty variation, I hope they would have avoided it'. But, probably, as they meant no ill, they fufpected no danger, and, therefore, confulted only what appeared to them propriety or convenience." A few days afterwards I confulted him upon a caufe, Paterfon and others against Alexander and others, which had been decided by a casting vote in the Court of Seffion, determining that the Corporation of Stirling was corrupt, and fetting afide the election of fome of their officers, because it was proved that three of the leading men who influenced the majority, had entered into an unjustifiable compact, of which, however, the majority were ignorant. He dictated to me, after a little confideration, the following fentences upon the fubject: "THERE is a difference between majority and fuperiority; majority is applied to number, and fuperiority to power; and power like many other things,, is to be estimated non numero fed pondere. Now though the greater number is not corrupt, the greater weight is corrupt, fo that corruption 3 In juftice to Dr. Memis, though I was against him as an Advocate,. I muft mention, that he objected to the variation very earnestly, before the tranflation was printed off. predominates predominates in the borough, taken collectively, though, perhaps, taken numerically, the greater part may be uncorrupt. That borough which is fo conftituted as to act corruptly, is in the eye of reafon corrupt, whether it be by the uncontroulable power of a few, or by an accidental pravity of the multitude. The objection, in which is urged the injustice of making the innocent fuffer with the guilty, is an objection not only against society, but against the poffibility of fociety. All focieties, great and fmall, fubfift upon this condition; that as the individuals derive advantages from union, they may likewife fuffer inconveniences; that as those who do nothing and fometimes those who do ill, will have the honours and emoluments of general virtue and general profperity, fo thofe likewife who do nothing or perhaps do well, must be involved in the confequences of predominant corruption." This in my opinion was a very nice cafe; but the decifion was affirmed in the House of Lords. On Monday, May 8, we went together and visited the manfions of Bedlam. I had been informed that he had once been there before with Mr. Wedderburne, (now Lord Loughborough,) Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Foote; and I had heard Foote give a very entertaining account of Johnson's happening to have his attention arrested by a man who was very furious, and who, while beating his ftraw, fuppofed it to be William Duke of Cumberland, whom he was punishing for his cruelties in Scotland in 1746. There was nothing peculiarly remarkable this day; but the general contemplation of infanity was very affecting. I accompanied him home, and dined and drank tea with him. Talking of an acquaintance of ours, diftinguished for knowing an uncommon variety of mifcellaneous articles both in antiquities and polite literature, he obferved, "You know, Sir, he runs about with little weight upon his mind." And talking of another very ingenious gentleman, who from the warmth of his temper was at variance with many of his acquaintance, and wifhed to avoid them, he faid, "Sir, he leads the life of an outlaw." On Friday, May 12, as he had been fo good as to affign me a room in his houfe, where I might fleep occafionally, when I happened to fit with him to a late hour, I took poffeffion of it this night, found every thing in excellent order, and was attended by honeft Francis with a most civil affiduity. I asked him whether I might go to a confultation with another lawyer upon Sunday, as that appeared to me to be doing work as much in my way, as if an artifan fhould work on the day appropriated for religious reft. JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, when you are of confequence enough to oppose the practice of confulting upon Sunday, you should do it: but you may go 1775 Etat. 66. now 1775 now. It is not criminal, though it is not what one should do, who is anxious tat. 66. for the prefervation and increase of piety, to which a peculiar obfervance of Sunday is a great help. The diftinction is clear between what is of moral and what is of ritual obligation." On Saturday, May 13, I breakfasted with him by invitation, accompanied by Mr. Andrew Crosbie, a Scotch Advocate, whom he had seen at Edinburgh, and the Hon. Colonel (now General) Edward Stopford, brother to Lord Courtown, who was defirous of being introduced to him. His tea and rolls and butter, and whole breakfast apparatus were all in fuch decorum, and his behaviour was fo courteous, that Colonel Stopford was quite furprized, and wondered at his having heard fo much faid of Johnson's flovenliness and roughnefs. I have preferved nothing of what paffed, except that Crosbie pleased him much by talking learnedly of alchymy, as to which Johnson was not a positive unbeliever, but rather delighted in confidering what progress had actually been made in the tranfmutation of metals, what near approaches there had been to the making of gold; and told us that it was affirmed, that a person in the Ruffian dominions had discovered the fecret, but died without revealing it, as imagining it would be prejudicial to fociety. He added, that it was not impoffible but it might in time be generally known. It being asked whether it was reasonable for a man to be angry at another whom a woman had preferred to him;-JOHNSON. "I do not fee, Sir, that it is reasonable for a man to be angry at another, whom a woman has preferred to him: but angry he is, no doubt; and he is loath to be angry at himself.” Before setting out for Scotland on the 23d, I was frequently in his company at different places, but during this period have recorded only two remarks: one concerning Garrick: "He has not Latin enough. He finds out the Latin by the meaning, rather than the meaning by the Latin." And another concerning writers of travels, who, he obferved, "were more defective than any other writers." I paffed many hours with him on the 17th, of which I find all my memorial is, “much laughing." It would feem he had that day been in a humour for jocularity and merriment, and upon fuch occafions I never knew a man laugh more heartily. We may fuppofe, that the high relish of a state fo different from his habitual gloom, produced more than ordinary exertions of that diftinguishing faculty of man, which has puzzled philofophers fo much to explain. Johnson's laugh was as remarkable as any circumstance in his manner. It was a kind of good humoured growl. Tom Davies described it drolly enough: "He laughs like a rhinoceros." To "DEAR SIR, To JAMES BOSWELL, Efq. "I MAKE no doubt but you are now fafely lodged in your own habitation, and have told all your adventures to Mrs. Bofwell and Miss Veronica. Pray teach Veronica to love me. Bid her not mind mamma. is "Mrs. Thrale has taken cold, and been very much difordered, but I hope grown well. Mr. Langton went yesterday to Lincolnshire, and has invited Nicolaida to follow him. Beauclerk talks of going to Bath. I am to fet out on Monday; fo there is nothing but dispersion. 4 "I have returned Lord Hailes's entertaining sheets, but muft ftay till I come back for more, because it will be inconvenient to fend them after me in my vagrant ftate. "I promised Mrs. Macaulay that I would try to ferve her fon at Oxford. I have not forgotten it, nor am unwilling to perform it. If they desire to give him an English education, it should be confidered whether they cannot fend him for a year or two to an English school. If he comes immediately from Scotland, he can make no figure in our Universities. The schools in the north, I believe, are cheap; and, when I was a young man, were eminently good. "There are two little books published by the Foulis, Telemachus and Collins's Poems, each a fhilling; I would be glad to have them. "Make my compliments to Mrs. Bofwell, though she does not love me. You see what perverse things ladies are, and how little fit to be trufted with feudal eftates. When she mends and loves me, there may be more hope of her daughters. "I will not fend compliments to my friends by name, because I would be loath to leave any out in the enumeration. Tell them, as you fee them, how well I fpeak of Scotch politenefs, and Scotch hofpitality, and Scotch beauty, and of every thing Scotch, but Scotch oat-cakes and Scotch prejudices. "Let me know the answer of Rafay, and the decifion relating to Sir Allan'. I am, my dearest Sir, with great affection, May 27, 1775 4 A learned Greek. "Your most obliged and moft humble servant, SAM. JOHNSON." 5 Wife of the Reverend Mr. Kenneth Macaulay, authour of "The Hiftory of St. Kilda." • A law-fuit carried on by Sir Allan Maclean, Chief of his Clan, to recover certain parts of his family eftate from the Duke of Argyle.. 1775. Ætat. 66. After. 1775. After my return to Scotland, I wrote three letters to him, from which I Etat. 66. extract the following paffages: "I have feen Lord Hailes fince I came down. He thinks it wonderful that you are pleased to take fo much pains in revifing his Annals.' I told him that you faid you were well rewarded by the entertainment which you had in reading them." "There has been a numerous flight of Hebrideans in Edinburgh this fummer, whom I have been happy to entertain at my houfe. Mr. Donald Macqueen and Lord Monboddo fupped with me one evening. They joined in controverting your propofition, that the Gaelick of the Highlands and Ines of Scotland was not written till of late." "My mind has been somewhat dark this fummer. I have need of your warming and vivifying rays; and I hope I fhall have them frequently. I am going to pafs fome time with my father at Auchinleck." "DEAR SIR, To JAMES BOSWELL, Efq. "I AM now returned from the annual ramble into the middle counties. Having feen nothing that I had not feen before, I have nothing to relate. Time has left that part of the island few antiquities; and commerce has left the people no fingularities. I was glad to go abroad, and, perhaps, glad to come home; which is, in other words, I was, I am afraid, weary of being at home, and weary of being abroad. Is not this the state of life? But, if we confefs this weariness, let us not lament it; for all the wife and all the good say, that we may cure it. "For the black fumes which rife in your mind, I can prefcribe nothing but that you disperse them by honest business or innocent pleasure, and by reading fometimes eafy and fometimes ferious. Change of place is useful; and I hope that your refidence at Auchinleck will have many good effects. "That I fhould have given pain to Rafay, I am fincerely forry; and am therefore very much pleased that he is no longer uneafy. He ftill thinks that I have reprefented him as perfonally giving up the Chieftainfhip. I meant only that it was no longe rcontested between the two houfes, and fuppofed it 7 A very learned minister in the Isle of Sky, whom both Dr. Johnson and I have mentioned with regard. fettled |