Oct. 14.] The harbour of Tobermorie. 351 a circumstance which I was highly pleased to hear from him, as it gave me an opportunity of observing that, notwithstanding his joke on the article of OATS', he was himself a proof that this kind of food was not peculiar to the people of Scotland. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14. When Dr. Johnson awaked this morning, he called 'Lanky!' having, I suppose, been thinking of Langton; but corrected himself instantly, and cried, Bozzy! He has a way of contracting the names of his friends. Goldsmith feels himself so important now, as to be displeased at it. I remember one day, when Tom Davies was telling that Dr. Johnson said, 'We are all in labour for a name to Goldy's play,' Goldsmith cried I have often desired him not to call me Goldy'.' Between six and seven we hauled our anchor, and set sail with a fair breeze; and, after a pleasant voyage, we got safely and agreeably into the harbour of Tobermorie, before the wind rose, which it always has done, for some days, about noon. Tobermorie is an excellent harbour. An island lies before it, and it is surrounded by a hilly theatre'. The island is too low, otherwise this would be quite a secure port; but, the island not being a sufficient protection, some storms blow very hard here. Not long ago, fifteen vessels were blown from their moorings. There are sometimes sixty or seventy sail here: to-day there were twelve or fourteen 3 Ante, i. 341. See ante, ii. 296. The richness of the round steep green knolls, clothed with copse, and glancing with cascades, and a pleasant peep at a small fresh-water loch embosomed among them-the view of the bay, surrounded and guarded by the island of Colvay-the gliding of two or three vessels in the more distant Sound-and the row of the gigantic Ardnamurchan mountains closing the scene to the north, almost justify the eulogium of Sacheverell, [post, p. 382] who, in 1688, declared the bay of Tobermory might equal any prospect in Italy.' Lockhart's Scott, iv. 338. vessels. 352 Johnson called 'Honest man.' [Oct. 14. vessels. To see such a fleet was the next thing to seeing a town. The vessels were from different places; Clyde, Campbelltown, Newcastle, &c. One was returning to Lancaster from Hamburgh. After having been shut up so long in Col, the sight of such an assemblage of moving habitations, containing such a variety of people, engaged in different pursuits, gave me much gaiety of spirit. When we had landed, Dr. Johnson said, 'Boswell is now all alive. He is like Antæus; he gets new vigour whenever he touches the ground. I went to the top of a hill fronting the harbour, from whence I had a good view of it. We had here a tolerable inn. Dr. Johnson had owned to me this morning, that he was out of humour. Indeed, he shewed it a good deal in the ship; for when I was expressing my joy on the prospect of our landing in Mull, he said, he had no joy, when he recollected that it would be five days before he should get to the main land. I was afraid he would now take a sudden resolution to give up seeing Icolmkill. A dish of tea, and some good bread and butter, did him service, and his bad humour went off. I told him, that I was diverted to hear all the people whom we had visited in our tour, say, ' Honest man! he's pleased with every thing; he's always content!'-Little do they know,' said I. He laughed, and said, 'You rogue'!' We sent to hire horses to carry us across the island of Mull to the shore opposite to Inchkenneth, the residence of Sir Allan M'Lean, uncle to young Col, and Chief of the M'Leans, to whose house we intended to go the next day. Our friend Col went to visit his aunt, the wife of Dr. Alexander M'Lean, a physician, who lives about a mile from Tobermorie. Dr. Johnson and I sat by ourselves at the inn, and talked a good deal. I told him, that I had found, in Leandro 'The saying of the old philosopher who observes, that he who wants least is most like the gods who want nothing, was a favorite sentence with Dr. Johnson, who, on his own part, required less attendance, sick or well, than ever I saw any human creature. Conversation was all he required to make him happy.' Piozzi's Anec. p. 275. Alberti's Addison's REMARKS ON ITALY. 353 Oct. 14.] Alberti's Description of Italy, much of what Addison has given us in his Remarks'. He said, 'The collection of passages from the Classicks has been made by another Italian: it is, however, impossible to detect a man as a plagiary in such a case, because all who set about making such a collection must find the same passages; but, if you find the same applications in another book, then Addison's learning in his Remarks tumbles down. It is a tedious book; and, if it were not attached to Addison's previous reputation, one would not think much of it. Had he written nothing else, his name would not have lived. Addison does not seem to have gone deep in Italian literature: he shews nothing of it in his subsequent writings. He shews a great deal of French learning. There is, perhaps, more knowledge circulated in the French language than in any other. There is more original knowledge in English.' 'But the French (said I) have the art of accommodating' literature.' JOHNSON. 'Yes, 1 Remarks on Several Parts of Italy (ante, ii. 397). Johnson (Works, vii. 424) says of these Travels:-'Of many parts it is not a very severe censure to say that they might have been written at home.' He adds that 'the book, though awhile neglected, became in time so much the favourite of the publick, that before it was reprinted it rose to five times its price.' 2 See ante, iii. 288, and iv. 274. 'Johnson (Works, viii. 320) says of Pope that he had before him not only what his own meditation suggested, but what he had found in other writers that might be accommodated to his present purpose.' Boswell's use of the word is perhaps derived, as Mr. Croker suggests, from accommoder, in the sense of dressing up or cooking meats. This word occurs in an amusing story that Boswell tells in one of his Hypochondriacks (London Mag. 1779, p. 55):-' A friend of mine told me that he engaged a French cook for Sir B. Keen, when ambassador in Spain, and when he asked the fellow if he had ever dressed any magnificent dinners the answer was:-" Monsieur, j'ai accommodé un dîner qui faisait trembler toute la France." Scott, in Guy Mannering (ed. 1860, iii. 138), describes Miss Bertram's solicitude to soothe and accommodate her parent.' See ante, iv. 46, note 1, for 'accommodated the ladies.' To sum up, we may say with Justice Shallow :- Accommodated! it comes of accommodo; very good; a good phrase.' 2 Henry IV, act iii. sc. 2. V.-23 Sir: 354 Description of a printing-house. [Oct. 14. Bos Sir: we have no such book as Moreri's Dictionary'. WELL. Their Ana' are good.' JOHNSON. 'A few of them are good; but we have one book of that kind better than any of them; Seldon's Table-talk. As to original literature, the French have a couple of tragick poets who go round the world, Racine and Corneille, and one comick poet, Moliere.' BOSWELL. 'They have Fenelon.' JOHNSON. Why, Sir, Telemachus is pretty well.' BoSWELL. And Voltaire, Sir.' JOHNSON. He has not stood his trial yet. And what makes Voltaire chiefly circulate is collection; such as his Universal History.' BOSWELL. What do you say to the Bishop of Meaux?' JOHNSON. 'Sir, nobody reads him'.' He would not allow Massilon and Bourdaloue to go round the world. In general, however, he gave the French much praise for their industry. He asked me whether he had mentioned, in any of the papers of the Rambler, the description in Virgil of the entrance into Hell, with an application to the press; for (said he) I do not much remember them.' I told him, 'No.' Upon which he repeated it: 'Vestibulum ante ipsum, primisque in faucibus orci, Pallentesque habitant Morbi, tristisque Senectus, Louis Moréri, né en Provence, en 1643. On ne s'attendait pas que l'auteur du Pays d'amour, et le traducteur de Rodriguez, entreprît dans sa jeunesse le premier dictionnaire de faits qu'on eût encore vu. Ce grand travail lui coûta la vie... Mort en 1680.' Voltaire's Works, ed. 1819, xvii. 133. Johnson looked upon Ana as an English word, for he gives it in his Dictionary. 'I take leave to enter my strongest protest against this judgement. Bossuet I hold to be one of the first luminaries of religion and literature. If there are who do not read him, it is full time they should begin. Boswell. 'Just in the gate, and in the jaws of hell. 'Now, Oct. 14.] Materials for Johnson's LIFE. 355 'Now, (said he,) almost all these apply exactly to an authour: all these are the concomitants of a printing-house.' I proposed to him to dictate an essay on it, and offered to write it. He said, he would not do it then, but perhaps would write it at some future period. The Sunday evening that we sat by ourselves at Aberdeen, I asked him several particulars of his life, from his early years, which he readily told me; and I wrote them down before him. This day I proceeded in my inquiries, also writing them in his presence. I have them on detached sheets. I shall collect authentick materials for THE LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL.D.; and, if I survive him, I shall be one who will most faithfully do honour to his memory. I have now a vast treasure of his conversation, at different times, since the year 1762', when I first obtained his acquaintance; and, by assiduous inquiry, I can make up for not knowing him sooner. A Newcastle ship-master, who house, intruded himself upon us. happened to be in the He was much in liquor, and talked nonsense about his being a man for Wilkes and And pale diseases, and repining age; Here toils and death, and death's half-brother, sleep, Dryden, Eneid, vi. 273. BOSWELL. Voltaire, in his Essay Sur les inconvéniens attachés à la Littérature (Works, xliii. 173), says:—' Enfin, après un an de refus et de négociations, votre ouvrage s'imprime; c'est alors qu'il faut ou assoupir les Cerbères de la littérature ou les faire aboyer en votre faveur.' He therefore carries on the resemblance one step further, 'Cerberus haec ingens latratu regna trifauci Eneid, vi. 417. 'It was in 1763 that Boswell made Johnson's acquaintance. Ante, i. 453. It is no small satisfaction to me to reflect, that Dr. Johnson read this, and, after being apprized of my intention, communicated to me, at subsequent periods, many particulars of his life, which probably could not otherwise have been preserved. BOSWELL. See ante, i. 30. Liberty, |