He afterwards gave a full history of Mr. Archibald Campbell, which I am sorry I do not recollect particularly. He said, Mr. Campbell had been bred a violent Whig, but afterwards "kept better company, and became a Tory." He said this with a smile, in pleasant allusion, as I thought, to the opposition between his own political principles and those of the duke's clan. He added, that Mr. Campbell, after the Revolution, was thrown into gaol on account of his tenets; but, on application by letter to the old Lord Townshend, was released: that he always spoke of his Lordship with great gratitude, saying, "though a Whig, he had humanity." Dr. Johnson and I passed some time together, in June, 1784, at Pembroke college Oxford, with the Reverend Dr. Adams, the master; and I having expressed a regret that my note relative to Mr. Archibald Campbell was imperfect, he was then so good as to write with his own hand, on the blank page of my Journal opposite to that which contains what I have now mentioned, the following paragraph; which, however, is not quite so full as the narrative he gave at Inve raray: "The Honourable Archibald Campbell was, I believe, "the nephew of the Marquis of Argyle. He began life "The Doctrines of a Middle State between Death and the Resurrection: Of "Prayers for the Dead: And the necessity of Purification; plainly proved from "the Holy Scriptures, and the Writings of the Fathers of the Primitive Church: "And acknowledged by several learned Fathers and great Divines of the Church "of England and others since the Reformation. To which is added, an Appen"dix concerning the Descent of the Soul of Christ into Hell, while his Body lay "in the Grave. Together with the Judgment of the Reverend Dr. Hickes concerning this Book, so far as relates to a Middle State, particular Judgment, and "Prayers for the Dead as it appeared in the first Edition. And a Manuscript of "the Right Reverend Bishop Overall upon the Subject of a Middle State, and "never before printed. Also, a Preservative against several of the Errors of the "Roman Church, in six small Treatises. By the Honourable Archibald Camp"bell." Folio, 1721. Y y 66 66 "by engaging in Monmouth's rebellion, and, to escape "the law, lived some time in Surinam. When he returned, he became zealous for episcopacy and monarchy; and at the Revolution adhered not only to the Nonjurors, but to those who refused to communicate "with the Church of England, or to be present at any worship where the usurper was mentioned as king. He "was, I believe, more than once apprehended in the reign of king William, and once at the accession of George. He was the familiar friend of Hickes and "Nelson; a man of letters, but injudicious; and very "curious and inquisitive, but credulous. He lived in "1743, or 44, about 75 years old." The subject of luxury was introduced. Dr. Johnson defended it. "We have now (said he) a splendid dinner before us; Which of all these dishes is unwholesome?" The duke asserted, that he had observed the grandees of Spain diminished in their size by luxury. Dr. Johnson politely refrained from opposing directly an observation which the duke himself had made; but said, "Man must be very different from other animals, if he is diminished by good living; for the size of all other animals is increased by it." I made some remark that seemed to imply a belief in second sight. The duchess said, “I fancy you will be a Methodist."―This was the only sentence her grace deigned to utter to me; and I take it for granted, she thought it a good hit on my credulity in the Douglas cause. A gentleman in company, after dinner, was desired by the duke to go to another room, for a specimen of curious marble, which his grace wished to shew us. He brought a wrong piece, upon which the duke sent him back again. He could not refuse; but, to avoid any appearance of servility, he whistled as he walked On my out of the room, to show his independency. mentioning this afterwards to Dr. Johnson, he said, it was a nice trait of character. Dr. Johnson talked a great deal, and was so entertaining, that Lady Betty Hamilton, after dinner, went and placed her chair close to his, leaned upon the back of it, and listened eagerly. It would have made a fine picture to have drawn the Sage and her at this time in their several attitudes. He did not know, all the while, how much he was honoured. I told him afterwards. I never saw him so gentle and complaisant as this day. We went to tea. The duke and I walked up and down the drawing-room, conversing. The duchess still continued to shew the same marked coldness for me; for which, though I suffered from it, I made every allowance, considering the very warm part that I had taken for Douglas, in the cause in which she thought her son deeply interested. Had not her grace discovered some displeasure towards me, I should have suspected her of insensibility or dissimulation. Her grace made Dr. Johnson come and sit by her, and asked him why he made his journey so late in the year. Why, madam, (said he,) you know Mr. Boswell must attend the Court of Ses ion, and it does not rise till the twelfth of August."-She said, with some sharpness, "I know nothing of Mr. Boswell." Poor Lady Lucy Douglas, to whom I mentioned this, observed, "She knew too much of Mr. Boswell." I shall make no remark on her grace's speech. I indeed felt it as rather too severe; but when I recollected that my punishment was inflicted by so dignified a beauty, I had that kind of consolation which a man would feel who is strangled by a silken cord. Dr. Johnson was all attention to her grace. He used afterwards a droll expres sion, upon her enjoying the three titles of Hamilton, Brandon, and Argyle. Borrowing an image from the Turkish empire, he called her a Duchess with three tails. He was much pleased with our visit at the castle of Inveraray. The Duke of Argyle was exceedingly polite to him, and, upon his complaining of the shelties which he had hitherto ridden being too small for him, his grace told him he should be provided with a good horse to carry him next day. Mr. John M'Aulay passed the evening with us at our inn. When Dr. Johnson spoke of people whose principles were good, but whose practice was faulty, Mr. M'Aulay said, he had no notion of people being in earnest in their good professions, whose practice was not suitable. The Doctor grew warm, and said, “Sir, are you so grossly ignorant of human nature, as not to know that a man may be very sincere in good principles, without having good practice ?” Dr. Johnson was unquestionably in the right; and whoever examines himself candidly, will be satisfied of it, though the inconsistency between principles and practice is greater in some men than in others. I recollect very little of this night's conversation. I am sorry that indolence came upon me towards the conclusion of our journey, so that I did not write down what passed with the same assiduity as during the greatest part of it. Tuesday, 26th October. Mr. M'Aulay breakfasted with us, nothing hurt or dismayed by his last night's correction. Being a man of good sense, he had a just admiration of Dr. Johnson. Either yesterday morning or this, I communicated to Dr. Johnson, from Mr. M'Aulay's information, the news that Dr. Beattie had got a pension of two hundred pounds a year. He sat up in his bed, clapped his hands, and cried, "O brave we !"-a peculiar exclamation of his when he rejoices.* As we sat over our tea, Mr. Home's Tragedy of Douglas was mentioned. I put Dr. Johnson in mind, that once, in a coffee-house at Oxford, he called to old Mr. Sheridan, "How came you, sir, to give Home a gold medal for writing that foolish play ?" and defied Mr. Sheridan to shew ten good lines in it. He did not insist they should be together; but that there were not ten good lines in the whole play. He now persisted in this. I endeavoured to defend that pathetick and beautiful tragedy, and repeated the following passage: "Sincerity, "Thou first of virtues! let no mortal leave Johnson. "That will not do, sir. Nothing is good but what is consistent with truth or probability, which this is not. Juvenal, indeed, gives us a noble picture of inflexible virtue : * "Esto bonus miles, tutor bonus, arbiter idem Having mentioned, more than once, that my Journal was perused by Dr. Johnson, I think it proper to inform my readers that this is the last paragraph which he read. |