Bofwell. "The History of England is so strange, that, if it were not fo well vouched as it is, it would hardly be credible."-Johnson. "Sir, if it were told as shortly, and with as little preparation for introducing the different events, as the Hiftory of the Jewish Kings, it would be equally liable to objections of improbability."—Mr. M'Leod was much pleased with the justice and novelty of the thought.-Dr. Johnson illustrated what he had faid, as follows: "Take, as an inftance, Charles the Firft's conceffions to his parliament, which were greater and greater, in proportion as the parliament grew more infolent, and lefs deferving of truft. Had these conceffions been related nakedly, without any detail of the circumftances which generally led to them, they would not have been believed."

Sir Allan McLean bragged, that Scotland had the advantage of England, by its having more water. Johnson. "Sir we would not have your water, to take the vile bogs which produce it. You have too

much! A man who is drowned has more water than either of us;❞—and then he laughed.-(But this was furely robuft fophiftry: for the people of tafte in England, who have seen Scotland, own that its variety of rivers and lakes makes it naturally more beautiful than England, in that refpect.)-Pursuing his victory over Sir Allan, he proceeded: "Your

country

Let me add, in juftice to the gentleman here mentioned, that at a fubfequent period, he was elected chief magiftrate of London, and discharged the duties of that high office with great honour to himfelf, and advantage to the city.-Some years before Dr. Johnson died, I was fortunate enough to bring him and Mr. Wilkes together; the confequence of which was, that they were ever afterwards on easy and not unfriendly terms. The particulars I fhall have great pleasure in relating at large in my LIFE OF DR. JOHNSON.

country confifts of two things, ftone and water. There is, indeed, a little earth above the ftone in fome places, but a very little; and the ftone is always appearing. It is like a man in rags; the naked skin is ftill peeping out."

He took leave of Mr. M'Leod, faying, "Sir, I thank you for your entertainment, and your converfation."

Mr. Campbell, who had been fo polite yesterday, came this morning on purpose to breakfast with us, and very obligingly furnished us with horses to proceed on our journey to Mr. M'Lean's of Lochbuy, where we were to pafs the night. We dined at the house of Dr. Alexander M'Lean, another physician in Mull, who was so much struck with the uncommon converfation of Dr. Johnfon, that he obferved "This man is just a bogfhead of fenfe."

to me,

Dr. Johnson faid of the Turkish Spy, which lay in the room, that it told nothing but what every body might have known at that time; and that what was good in it, did not pay you for the trouble of reading to find it.

After a very tedious ride, through what appeared to me the most gloomy and defolate country I had ever beheld, we arrived, between seven and eight o'clock, at Moy, the feat of the Laird of Lochbuy.Buy, in Erfe, fignifies yellow, and I at first imagined that the loch or branch of the fea here, was thus denominated, in the fame manner as the Red Sea; but I afterwards learned that it derived its name from a hill above it, which being of a yellowish hue, has the epithet of Buy.

We had heard much of Lochbuy's being a great roaring braggadocio, a kind of Sir John Falstaff,

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both

both in fize and manners; but we found that they had fwelled him up to a fictitious fize, and clothed him with imaginary qualities.-Col's idea of him was equally extravagant, though very different: he told us, he was quite a Don Quixote; and faid, he would give a great deal to see him and Dr. Johnfon together. The truth is, that Lochbuy proved to be only a bluff, comely, noisy old gentleman, proud of his hereditary confequence, and a very hearty and hofpitable landlord. Lady Lochbuy was fifter to Sir Allan M'Lean, but much older. He faid to me, "They are quite Antediluvians." Being told that Dr. Johnson did not hear well, Lochbuy bawled out to him, "Are you of the Johnstons of Glencro, or of Ardnamurchan?"-Dr. Johnson gave him a fignificant look, but made no answer; and I told Lochbuy that he was not Johnston, but Johnson, and that he was an Englishman.

Lochbuy fome years ago tried to prove himself a weak man, liable to impofition, or, as we term it in Scotland, a facile man, in order to fet afide a lease which he had granted; but failed in the attempt. On my mentioning this circumftance to Dr. Johnson, he feemed much furprized that such a fuit was admitted by the Scottish law, and obferved, that "in England no man is allowed to ftultify himfelf *."

Sir Allan, Lochbuy, and I, had the converfation chiefly to ourselves to-night: Dr. Johnson, being extremely weary, went to bed foon after supper.

Friday,

This maxim, however, has been controverted. See Blackstone's COMMENTARIES,, Vol. II. p. 292; and the authorities there quoted.

Friday, 22d October.

Before Dr. Johnfon came to breakfast, Lady Lochbuy faid," he was a dungeon of wit," a very common phrase in Scotland to exprefs a profoundnefs of intellect, though he afterwards told me, that he never had heard it. She propofed that he should have fome cold fheep's-head for breakfast. Sir Allan feemed displeased at his fifter's vulgarity, and wondered how fuch a thought fhould come into her head. From a mifcheivous love of fport, I took the lady's part; and very gravely faid, "I think it is but fair to give him an offer of it. If he does not choose it, he may let it alone.""I think fo,' faid the lady, looking at her brother with an air of victory. Sir Allan, finding the matter defperate, ftrutted about the room, and took fnuff. When Dr. Johnson came in, fhe called to him, "Do you choose any cold fheep's-head, fir?"—" No, MADAM," faid he, with a tone of furprise and anger." It is here, fir," said fhe, fuppofing he had refused it to fave the trouble of bringing it in. They thus went on at crofs purposes, till he confirmed his refufal in a manner not to be misunderftood; while I fat quietly by, and enjoyed my fuccefs.

After breakfast, we furveyed the old caftle, in the pit or dungeon of which Lochbuy had fome years before taken upon him to imprison several perfons; and though he had been fined in a confiderable fum by the Court of Jufticiary, he was fo little affected by it, that while we were examining the dungeon, he faid to me, with a fmile, "Your father knows fomething of this;" (alluding to my father's

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father's having fat as one of the judges on his trial.) Sir Allan whispered me, that the laird could not be perfuaded, that he had loft his heritable jurif

diction.

We then fet out for the ferry, by which we were to cross to the main land of Argylefhire. Lochbuy and Sir Allan accompanied us. We were told much of a war-faddle, on which this reputed Don Quixote used to be mounted; but we did not fee it, for the young laird had applied it to a less noble purpose, having taken it to Falkirk fair with a drove of black cattle.

We bade adieu to Lochbuy, and to our very kind conductor, Sir Allan M'Lean, on the fhore of Mull, and then got into the ferry-boat, the bottom of which was ftrewed with branches of trees or bushes, upon which we fat. which we fat. We had a good day and a fine paffage, and in the evening landed at Oban, where we found a tolerable inn. After having been so long confined at different times in islands, from which it was always uncertain when we could get away, it was comfortable to be now on the main land, and to know that, if in health, we might get to any place in Scotland or England in a certain number of days.

Here we discovered from the conjectures which were formed, that the people on the main land were intirely ignorant of our motions; for in a Glasgow news-paper we found a paragraph, which, as it contains a juft and well-turned compliment to my illuftrious friend, I fhall here infert:

"We are well affured that Dr. Johnfon is con"fined by tempeftuous weather to the isle of Sky; "it being unfafe to venture, in a small boat upon "fuch a ftormy furge as is very common there at