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fettled order among them; and he says, that the Macdonalds were not placed

1773

upon the right of the army at Culloden; the Stuarts were. I fhall, however, Atat. 64. examine witneffes of every name that I can find here. Dr. Webster shall be quickened too. I like your little memorandums; they are symptoms of your being in earnest with your book of northern travels.

"Your box fhall be fent next week by fea. You will find in it fome pieces of the broom bush, which you faw growing on the old caftle of Auchinleck. The wood has a curious appearance when fawn across. You may either have a little writing-standish made of it, or get it formed into boards for a treatise on witchcraft, by way of a fuitable binding."

Mr. BOSWELL to Dr. JOHNSON.

Edinburgh, Dec. 18, 1773

YOU promised me an inscription for a print to be taken from an hiftorical picture of Mary Queen of Scots being forced to refign her crown, which Mr. Hamilton at Rome has painted for me. The two following have been fent to me:

• Maria Scotorum Regina meliori feculo digna, jus regium civibus feditiofis. invita refignat.'

• Cives feditiofi Mariam Scotorum Reginam fefe muneri abdicare invitam cogunt.'

"Be fo good as to read the paffage in Robertfon, and fee if you cannot give me a better infcription. I must have it both in Latin and English; fo if you should not give me another Latin one, you will at least choose the best of these two, and send a translation of it."

His humane forgiving difpofition was put to a pretty ftrong teft on his return to London, by a liberty which Mr. Thomas Davies had taken with him in his abfence, which was, to publifh two volumes, entitled, "Mifcellaneous and fugitive Pieces," which he advertised in the newspapers, "By the Authour of the Rambler." In this collection, feveral of Dr. Johnson's acknowledged writings, and feveral of his anonymous performances, and fome which he had written for others, were inferted; but there were also fome in which he had no concern whatever. He was at firft very angry, as he had

good

1773.

Ætat. 64.

1774.

good reafon to be. But, upon consideration of his poor friend's narrow circumstances, and that he had only a little profit in view, and meant no harm, he foon relented, and continued his kindness to him as formerly.

In the courfe of his felf-examination with retrofpect to this year, he seems to have been much dejected; for he fays, January 1, 1774, "This year has past with so little improvement, that I doubt whether I have not rather impaired than increased my learning':" and yet we have seen how he read, and we know how he talked during that period.

He was now seriously engaged in writing an account of our travels in the Hebrides, in confequence of which I had the pleasure of a more frequent correfpondence with him.

"DEAR SIR,

TO JAMES BOSWELL, Efq.

"MY operations have been hindered by a cough; at least I flatter myself, that if the cough had not come, I should have been further advanced. But I have had no intelligence from Dr. W, [Webster,] nor from the excife-office, nor from you. No account of the little borough. Nothing of the Erfe language. I have yet heard nothing of my box.

"You must make hafte and gather me all you can, and do it quickiy, or I will and fhall do without it.

"Make my compliments to Mrs. Bofwell, and tell her that I do not love her the less for wifhing me away. I gave her trouble enough, and fhall be glad, in recompence, to give her any pleasure.

"I would fend fome porter into the Hebrides, if I knew which way it could be got to my kind friends there. Enquire, and let me know.

“Make my compliments to all the Doctors of Edinburgh, and to all my friends from one end of Scotland to the other.

"Write to me, and fend me what intelligence you can: and if any thing is too bulky for the post, let me have it by the carrier. I do not like trusting winds and waves. I am, dear Sir,

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To the fame.

1774.

Etat. 65.

"DEAR SIR,

"IN a day or two after I had written the last discontented letter, I received my box, which was very welcome. But ftill I must entreat you to haften Dr. Webster, and continue to pick up what

"Mr. Oglethorpe was with me this morning. was not unwelcome.

you can that may be useful.
You know his errand. He

"Tell Mrs. Bofwell that my good intentions towards her still continue. I fhould be glad to do any thing that would either benefit or please her.

"Chambers is not yet gone, but fo hurried, or fo negligent, or fo proud, that I rarely fee him. I have, indeed, for fome weeks past, been very ill of a cold and cough, and have been at Mrs. Thrale's, that I might be taken care of. I am much better, nova redeunt in prælia vires; but I am yet tender, and easily disordered. How happy it was that neither of us were ill in the Hebrides.

"The question of Literary Property is this day before the Lords. Murphy drew up the appellants' cafe, that is, the plea against the perpetual right. I have not feen it, nor heard the decifion. I would not have the right perpetual.

"I will write to you as any thing occurs, and do you fend me fomething about my Scottish friends. I have very great kindness for them. Let me know likewise how fees come in, and when we are to see you. I am, Sir,

"London, Feb. 7, 1774.

"Yours affectionately,

SAM. JOHNSON."

He wrote the following letters to Mr. Steevens, his able affociate in editing Shakspeare:

"SIR,

To GEORGE STEEVENS, Efq. in Hampstead.

"IF I am asked when I have feen Mr. Steevens, you know what answer I must give; if I am asked when I fhall fee him, I wish you would tell me what to say.

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"If you have Lefley's Hiftory of Scotland,' or any other book about Scotland, except Boetius and Buchanan, it will be a kindness if you fend them to, Sir,

Feb. 7, 1774.

"Your humble fervant,

SAM. JOHNSON."

To

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"WE are thinking to augment our club, and I am defirous of nominating you, if you care to ftand the ballot, and can attend on Friday nights at leaft twice in five weeks: lefs than that is too little, and rather more will be expected. Be pleased to let me know before Friday. I am, Sir,

Feb. 21, 1774.

"Your most, &c.

SAM. JOHNSON."

To the fame.

SIR,

"LAST night you became a member of the club; if you call on me on Friday, I will introduce you. A gentleman, proposed after you, was rejected.

"I thank you for Neander, but wish he were not fo fine. I will take care of him. I am, Sir,

March 5, 1774.

"DEAR SIR,

"Your humble fervant,

To JAMES BOSWELL, Efq.

SAM. JOHNSON."

"DR. WEBSTER'S informations were much less exact and much less determinate than I expected: they are, indeed, much less positive than, if he can truft his own book' which he laid before me, he is able to give. But I believe it will always be found, that he who calls much for information will advance his work but flowly.

"I am, however, obliged to you, dear Sir, for your endeavours to help me, and hope, that between us something will some time be done, if not on this, on fome occafion.

"Chambers is either married, or almoft married, to Mifs Wilton, a girl of fixteen, exquifitely beautiful, whom he has, with his lawyer's tongue, perfuaded to take her chance with him in the East.

3 A manufcript account drawn up by Dr. Webster of all the parishes in Scotland, afcertaining their length, breadth, number of inhabitants, and distinguishing Proteftants and Roman Catholicks. This book had been transmitted to government, and Dr. Johnson saw a copy of it in Dr. Webster's poffeffion.

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"We have added to the club, Charles Fox, Sir Charles Bunbury, Dr. Fordyce, and Mr. Steevens.

"Return my thanks to Dr. Webster. Tell Dr. Robertson that I have not much to reply to his cenfure of my negligence; and tell Dr. Blair that fince he has written hither what I said to him, we must now confider ourselves as even, forgive one another, and begin again. I care not how foon, for he is a very pleasing man. Pay my compliments to all my friends, and remind Lord Elibank of his promise to give me all his works.

"I hope Mrs. Bofwell and little Mifs are well.-When fhall I fee them again? She is a fweet lady, only fhe was fo glad to see me go, that I have almost a mind to come again, that she may again have the same pleasure.

"Enquire if it be practicable to send a small present of a cafk of porter to Dunvegan, Rafay, and Col. I would not wish to be thought forgetful of civilities. I am, Sir,

"March 5, 1774.

"Your humble fervant,

SAM. JOHNSON."

On the 5th of March I wrote to him, requefting his counsel whether I should this spring come to London. I stated to him on the one hand some pecuniary embarrassments, which, together with my wife's fituation at that time, made me hesitate; and, on the other, the pleasure and improvement which my annual visit to the metropolis always afforded me; and particularly mentioned a peculiar fatisfaction which I experienced in celebrating the festival of Eafter in St. Paul's cathedral; that to my fancy it appeared like going up to Jerufalem at the feast of the Passover; and that the strong devotion which I felt on that occafion diffused its influence on my mind through the rest of the year.

"DEAR SIR,

To JAMES BOSWELL, Efq.

[Not dated, but written about the 15th of March.]

"I AM afhamed to think that fince I received your lettter I have paffed fo many days without answering it.

"I think there is no great difficulty in refolving your doubts. The reafons for which you are inclined to vifit London, are, I think, not of fufficient ftrength to answer the objections. That you fhould delight to come once a

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1774•

Ætat. 65.

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