unfkilfully of manufcripts, he might have fought with oral tradition much 1775. longer. As to Mr. Grant's information, I fuppofe he knows much less of the Etat. 66. matter than ourselves. "In the mean time, the bookfeller fays that the fale' is fufficiently quick. They printed four thousand. Correct your copy wherever it is wrong, and bring it up. Your friends will all be glad to fee you. I think of going myfelf into the country about May. "I am forry that I have not managed to fend the books fooner. I have left four for you, and do not restrict you absolutely to follow my directions in the distribution. You must use your own difcretion, "Make my compliments to Mrs. Bofwell; I suppose she is now just beginning to forgive me. I am, dear Sir, "Feb. 25, 1775. "Your humble fervant, SAM. JOHNSON." On Tuesday, March 21, I arrived in London; and on repairing to Dr. Johnson's before dinner, found him in his ftudy, fitting with Mr. Peter Garrick, the elder brother of David, ftrongly refembling him in his countenance and voice, but of more fedate and placid manners. Johnson informed me, that "though Mr. Beauclerk was in great pain, it was hoped he was not in danger, and that he now wished to confult Dr. Heberden to try the effect of a new understanding." Both at this interview, and in the evening at Mr. Thrale's, where he and Mr. Peter Garrick and I met again, he was vehement on the fubject of the Offian controverfy; obferving, "We do not know that there are any ancient Erfe manufcripts; and we have no other reafon to difbelieve that. there are men with three heads, but that we do not know that there are any fuch men." He alfo was outrageous, upon his fuppofition that my countrymen "loved Scotland better than truth," faying, "All of them,-nay not all,-but droves of them, would come up, and atteft any thing for the honour of Scotland." He also perfevered in his wild allegation, that he queftioned if there was a tree between Edinburgh and the English border older than himself. I affured him he was mistaken, and suggested that the proper punishment would be that he should receive a stripe at every tree above a hundred years old, that was found within that space. He laughed, and faid, "I believe I might fubmit to it for a bawbie!" Of his "Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland." Nnn The 1775. The doubts which, in my correfpondence with him, I had ventured to state Etat. 66, as to the juftice and wifdom of the conduct of Great-Britain towards the American colonies, while I at the fame time requested that he would enable me to inform myself upon that momentous fubject, he had altogether difregarded; and had recently published a pamphlet, entitled, "Taxation no Tyranny; an Answer to the Refolutions and Addrefs of the American Congrefs.*" He had long before indulged moft unfavourable fentiments of our fellow fubjects in America. For, as early as 1769, I was told by Dr. John Campbell, that he had faid of them, "Sir, they are a race of convicts, and ought to be thankful for any thing we allow them fhort of hanging." Of this performance I avoided to talk with him; for I had now formed a clear and fettled opinion, that the people of America were well warranted to refift a claim that their fellow-fubjects in the mother-country fhould have the entire command of their fortunes, by taxing them without their own confent; and the extreme violence which it breathed, appeared to me fo unsuitable to the mildness of a Chriftian philofopher, and fo directly oppofite to the principles of peace which he had fo beautifully recommended in his pamphlet respecting Falkland's Islands, that I was forry to see him appear in fo unfavourable a light. Befides, I could not perceive in it that ability of argument, or that felicity of expreffion, for which he was, upon other occafions, fo emiPositive affertion, farcaftical severity, and extravagant ridicule, which he himself reprobated as a teft of truth, were united in this rhapfody. nent. That this pamphlet was written at the defire of those who were then in power, I have no doubt; and, indeed, he owned to me, that it had been revifed and curtailed by fome of them. He told me, that they had ftruck out one paffage, which was to this effect: "That the Colonists could with no folidity argue from their not having been taxed while in their infancy, that they fhould not now be taxed. We do not put a calf into the plow; we wait till he is an ox." He faid, "They ftruck it out either critically, as too ludicrous, or politically, as too exafperating. I care not which. It was their bufinefs. If an architect fays, I will build five ftories, and the man who employs him fays, I will have only three, the employer is to decide." "Yes, Sir, (faid I,) in ordinary cafes. But fhould it be fo when the architect gives his fkill and labour gratis?" I Unfavourable as I am conftrained to fay my opinion of this pamphlet was, yet, fince it was congenial th the fentiments of numbers at that time, and as every thing relating to the writings of Dr. Johnfon is of importance in literary I 1775. literary history, I fhall therefore infert fome paffages which were ftruck out, it does not appear why, either by himself or those who revised it. They appear Etat. 66. printed in a few proof leaves of it in my poffeffion, marked with corrections in his own hand-writing. I shall distinguish them by Italicks. In the paragraph where he fays, the Americans were incited to refiftance by European intelligence from "men whom they thought their friends, but who were friends only to themfelves," there followed," and made, by their felfishnefs, the enemies of their country." And the next paragraph ran thus: "On the original contrivers of mischief, rather than on those whom they have deluded, let an infulted nation pour out its vengeance." The paragraph which came next was in thefe words: " Unhappy is that country, in which men can hope for advancement by favouring its enemies. The tranquillity of stable government is not always eafily preferved against the machinations of fingle innovators; but what can be the hope of quiet, when factions hoftile to the legislature can be openly formed and openly avowed?" After the paragraph which now concludes the pamphlet, there followed this, in which he certainly means the great Earl of Chatham, and glances at a certain popular Lord Chancellor : If, by the fortune of war, they drive us utterly away, what they will do next ean only be conjectured. If a new monarchy is erected, they will want a KING. He who first takes into his band the fceptre of America, fhould have a name of good omen. WILLIAM has been known both as conqueror and deliverer; and perhaps England, however contemned, might yet fupply them with ANOTHER William. Whigs, indeed, are not willing to be governed; and it is poffible that KING WILLIAM may be strongly inclined to guide their measures: but Whigs have been cheated like other mortals, and fuffered their leader to become their tyrant, under the name of their PROTECTOR. What more they will receive from England, no man can tell. In their rudiments of empire they may want a CHANCELLOR." Then came this paragraph: "Their numbers are, at prefent, not quite fufficient for the greatness which, in fome form of government or other, is to rival the ancient monarchies; but, by Dr. Franklin's rule of progreffion, they will, in a century and a quarter, be more than equal to the inhabitants of Europe. When the Whigs of America are thus multiplied, let the Princes of the earth tremble in their palaces. If they should continue to double and to double, their own hemisphere will not contain them. But let not our boldest oppugners of authority look forward with delight to this futurity of Whiggifm." 1775. Etat. 66. How it ended I know not, as it is cut off abruptly at the foot of the last of thefe proof pages. His pamphlets in fupport of the measures of administration were published on his own account, and he afterwards collected them into a volume, with the title of "Political Tracts, by the Authour of the Rambler," with this motto, "Fallitur egregio quifquis fub Principe credit "Servitium, numquam libertas gratior extat CLAUDIANUS. These pamphlets drew upon him numerous attacks. Against the common weapons of literary warfare he was hardened; but there were two instances of animadverfion which I communicated to him, and from what I could judge, both from his filence and his looks, appeared to me to impress him much. One was, a "A Letter to Dr. Samuel Johnson, occafioned by his late political Publications." It appeared previous to his " Taxation no Tyranny," and was written by Dr. Jofeph Towers. In that performance, Dr. Johnson was treated with the respect due to fo eminent a man, while his conduct as a political writer was boldly and pointedly arraigned, as inconfiftent with the character of one, who, if he did employ his pen upon politicks, " it might reasonably be expected should distinguish himself, not by party violence and rancour, but by moderation and by wisdom.” It concluded thus: "I would, however, wifh you to remember, fhould you again address the publick under the character of a political writer, that luxuriance of imagination or energy of language will ill compenfate for the want of candour, of justice, and of truth. And I shall only add, that should I hereafter be disposed to read, as I heretofore have done, the most excellent of all your performances, THE RAMBLER,' the pleasure which I have been accuftomed to find in it will be much diminished by the reflection that the writer of fo moral, fo elegant, and fo valuable a work, was capable of proftituting his talents in fuch productions as The Falfe Alarm,' the Thoughts on the Transactions refpecting Falkland's Islands,' and The Patriot." I am willing to do juftice to the merit of Dr. Towers, of whom I will fay, that although I abhor his Whiggish democratical notions and propenfities, (for I will not call them principles,) I esteem him as an ingenious, knowing, and very convivial man. The other inftance was a paragraph of a letter to me, from my old and most intimate friend the Reverend Mr. Temple, who wrote the character of Gray, Gray, which has had the honour to be adopted both by Mr. Mafon and 1775Dr. Johnfon in their accounts of that poet. The words were, "How can Etat. 66. your great, I will not fay your pious, but your moral friend, fupport the barbarous measures of administration, which they have not the face to ask even their infidel penfioner Hume to defend." However confident of the rectitude of his own mind, Johnfon may have felt fincere uneafinefs that his conduct fhould be erroneously imputed to unworthy motives, by good men, and that the influence of his valuable writings fhould on that account be in any degree obftructed or leffened. He complained to a Right Honourable friend of diftinguished talents and very elegant manners, with whom he maintained a long intimacy, and whose generofity towards him will afterwards appear, that his penfion having been given to him as a literary character, he had been applied to by administration to write political pamphlets; and he was even fo much irritated, that he delared his refolution to refign his penfion. His friend fhewed him the impropriety of fuch a measure, and he afterwards expreffed his gratitude, and faid he had received good advice. To that friend he once fignified a wish to have his penfion fecured to him for his life; but he neither asked nor received from government any reward whatsoever for his political labours. On Friday, March 24, I met him at the LITERARY CLUB, where were Mr. Beauclerk, Mr. Langton, Mr. Colman, Dr. Percy, Mr. Vesey, Sir Charles Bunbury, Dr. George Fordyce, Mr. Steevens, and Mr. Charles Fox. Before he came in, we talked of his "Journey to the Western Islands,” and of his coming away, "willing to believe the second fight," which seemed to excite fome ridicule. I was then fo impreffed with the truth of many of the stories of it which I had been told, that I avowed my conviction, saying, "He is only willing to believe, I do believe. The evidence is enough for me, though not for his great mind. What will not fill a quart bottle will fill a pint bottle. I am filled with belief." "Are you? (faid Colman,) then cork it up." I found his "Journey" the common topick of converfation in London at this time, wherever I happened to be. At one of Lord Mansfield's formal Sunday evening conversations, strangely called Levées, his Lordship addreffed me, "We have all been reading your travels, Mr. Bofwell." I answered, "I was but the humble attendant of Dr. Johnfon." The Chief Juftice replied, with that air and manner which none, who ever faw and heard him, can forget, "He speaks ill of nobody but Offian." Johnson's "Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland," edit. 1785, p. 256. Johnfon |