fit while pronouncing sentence of death. Consider a class of men whose business it is to distribute death-soldiers, who die scattering bullets.-Nobody thinks they die ill on that account."

Talking of Biography, he said, he did not think that the life of any literary man in England had been well written. Beside the common incidents of life, it should tell us his studies, his mode of living, the means by which he attained to excellence, and his opinion of his own works. He told us, he had sent Derrick to Dryden's relations, to gather materials for his Life; and he believed Derrick had got all that he himself should have got; but it was nothing. He added, he had a kindness for Derrick, and was sorry he was dead.

His notion as to the poems published by Mr. M'Pherson, as the works of Ossian, was not shaken here. Mr. M'Queen always evaded the point of authenticity, saying only that Mr. McPherson's pieces fell far short of those he knew in Erse, which were said to be Ossian's.-JOHNSON. "I hope they do. I am not disputing that you may have poetry of great merit; but that M'Pherson's is not a translation from ancient poetry. You do not believe it. Ï say before you, you do not believe it, though you are very willing that the world should believe it."Mr. McQueen made no answer to this.-Dr. Johnson proceeded. "I look upon M'Pherson's Fingal to be as gross an imposition as ever the world was troubled with. Had it been really an ancient work, a true specimen how men thought at that time, it would have been a curiosity of the first rate. As a modern production, it is nothing."-He said, he could never get the meaning of an Erse song ex

plained to him. They told him, the chorus was generally unmeaning. "I take it, (said he,) Erse songs are like a song which I remember: it was composed in Queen Elizabeth's time, on the Earl of Essex and the burthen was

Radaratoo, radarate, radara tadara tandore.”

1

"But surely, said Mr. M'Queen, there were words to it, which had meaning.-JOHNSON. "Why, yes, sir; I recollect a stanza, and you shall have it:

"O! then bespoke the prentices all,

Living in London, both proper and tall, "For Essex's sake they would fight all.

"Radaratoo, radarate, radara, tadara, tandore."*

When Mr. M'Queen began again to expatiate on the beauty of Ossian's poetry, Dr. Johnson entered into no farther controversy, but, with a pleasant smile, only cried, Ay, ay; Radaratoo radarate."

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23.

I took Fingal down to the parlour in the morning, and tried a test proposed by Mr. Roderick M'Leod, son to Ulinish. Mr. M'Queen had said he had some of the poem in the original. I desired

* This droll quotation, I have since found, was from a song in honour of the Earl of Essex, called "Queen Elizabeth's Champion," which is preserved in a collection of Old Ballads, in three volumes, published in London in different years, between 1720 and 1730. The full verse is as follows:

"Oh! then bespoke the prentices all,

Living in London, both proper and tall, "In a kind letter sent straight to the Queen,

*** For Essex's sake they would fight all.

"Raderer too, tandarote,
"Raderer, tandofer, tan do re."

him to mention any passage in the printed book, of which he could repeat the original. He pointed out one in page 50 of the quarto edition, and read the Erse, while Mr. Roderick M'Leod and I looked on the English ;-and Mr. M'Leod said, that it was' pretty like what Mr. M'Queen had recited. But when Mr. M'Queen read a description of Cuchillin's sword in Erse, together with a translation of it in English verse, by Sir James Foulis, Mr. McLeod said, that was much more like than Mr. McPherson's translation of the former passage. Mr. M'Queen then repeated in Erse a description of one of the horses in Cuchillin's car. Mr. M'Leod said, Mr. M'Pherson's English was nothing like it,

When Dr. Johnson came down, I told him that I had now obtained some evidence concerning Fingal; for that Mr. M'Queen had repeated a passage in the original Erse, which Mr. M'Pherson's translation was pretty like; and reminded him that he' himself had once said, he did not require Mr. McPherson's Ossian to be more like the original than Pope's Homer.-JOHNSON. "Well, sir, this is just

the

what I always maintained. He has found names, and stories, and phrases, nay, passages in old songs, and with them has blended his own compositions, and so made what he gives to the world as the translation of an ancient poem."-If this was the case, was I observed, it was wrong to publish it as a poem in six books. JOHNSON. "Yes, sir; and to ascribe it to a time too when the Highlanders knew nothing of books, and nothing of six;-or perhaps were got the length of counting six. We have been told, by Condamine, of a nation that could count no more than four. This should be told to Monboddo; it

would help him. There is as much charity in helping a man down-hill, as in helping him up-hill."BOSWELL. "I don't think there is as much charity.". -JOHNSON. "Yes, sir, if his tendency be downwards. Till he is at the bottom, he flounders; get him once there, and he is quiet. Swift tells, that Stella had a trick, which she learned from Addison, of encou raging a man in absurdity, instead of endeavouring to extricate him."

Mr. M'Queen's answers to the inquiries concerning Ossian were so unsatisfactory, that I could not help observing, that, were he examined in a court of justice, he would find himself under a necessity of being more explicit.-JOHNSON. "Sir, he has told Blair a little too much, which is published; and he sticks to it. He is so much at the head of things here, that he has never been accustomed to be closely examined; and so he goes on quite smoothly."-BoSWELL. "He has never had any body to work him."-JOHNSON. "No, sir; and a man is seldom disposed to work himself; though he ought to work himself, to be sure."-Mr. M'Queen made no reply.*

Having talked of the strictness with which witnesses are examined in courts of justice, Dr. John-. son told us, that Garrick, though accustomed to face multitudes, when produced as a witness in Westminster-hall, was so disconcerted by a new mode of publick appearance, that he could not understand what was asked. It was a cause where an actor claimed a free benefit; that is to say, a

I think it but justice to say, that I believe Dr. Johnson meant to ascribe Mr. M'Queen's conduct to inaccuracy and enthusiasm, and did not mean any severe imputation against him.

benefit without paying the expence of the house but the meaning of the term was disputed. Garrick was asked, "Sir, have you a free benefit?"— "Yes."-" Upon what terms have you it?""Upon-the terms-of-a free benefit.". -He was dismissed as one from whom no information could be obtained.--Dr. Johnson is often too hard on our friend Mr. Garrick. When I asked him, why he did not mention him in the Preface to his Shakspeare, he said, "Garrick has been liberally paid for any thing he has done for Shakspeare. If I should praise him, I should much more praise the nation who paid him. He has not made Shakspeare better known; he cannot illustrate Shakspeare: So I have reasons enough against mentioning him, were reasons necessary. There should be reasons for it."--I spoke of Mrs. Montague's very high praises of Garrick.-JOHNSON. "Sir, it is fit she should say so much, and I should say nothing. Reynolds is fond of her book, and I wonder at it; for

It has been triumphantly asked, "Had not the plays of Shakspeare lain dormant for many years before the appearance of Mr. Garrick? Did he not exhibit the most excellent of them frequently for thirty years together, and render them extremely popular by his own inimitable performance?" He undoubtedly did. But Dr. Johnson's assertion has been misunderstood. Knowing as well as the objectors what has been just stated, he must necessarily have meant, that "Mr. Garrick did not as a critick make Shakspeare better known; he did not illustrate any one passage in any of his plays by acuteness of disquisition, or sagacity of conjecture:" and what had been done with any degree of excellence in that way was the proper and immediate subject of his preface. I may add in support of this explanation the following anecdote, related to me by one of the ablest commer,tators on Shakspeare, who knew much of Dr. Johnson: "Now I have quitted the theatre, cries Garrick, I will sit down and read Shakspeare." ""Tis time you should, exclaimed Johnson, for I much doubt if you ever examined one of his plays from the first scene to the last."