JOHNSON AND THE SCOTS

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 177, 28 July 1928, Page 16 (Supplement)

JOHNSON AND THE SCOTS

A LEXICOGRAPHER'S PREJUDICE. WAS IT DUE TO HAGGIS 7 HIS ASSOCIATION WITH BOSWELL. Dr. Samuel Johnson had many hard tilings to say about "Caledonia, stern and wild." Yet his close friend and biographer. Boswell, was a Scotsman. It is difficult to understand the cause of his prejudice. Perhaps he had tasted haggis at one of the famous Mitre Tavern suppers and it had disarranged his digestive organs. Boswell was desperately anxious lo meet Johnson, who had won fame with his dictionary and iiad accepted a King's pension. Boswell had an inveterate hankering after acquaintance with any celebrity—Paoli the Corsican, or John Wilkes, or Churchill the satirist, or Tom Paine, it was all the same to him. He was always pestering his friend Thomas Davies, the actor, to introduce him. At last the memorable day came—l6th May, 17R3, when Johnson was in his 54th year. On that day Boswell and Davies were drinking tea in Churchill- !>ack parlour at No. 8 Russell Street, Co vent Garden. To the delight of Boswell, the stalwart

form of the great lexicographer was sijen stalking through the shop towards them.

"Look, my lord, it comes I" cried the theatrical Davies in the words of Horatio in Hamlet. Bos well was in a flutter, and knowing Juiiiisun'.s prejudice against North Britons alike in human and in ncwspaper form, whispered an injunction to l>a\ies to comval his nationality, whereupon that waggish bibliophile introduced him a- "Mr. Boswell limn Scoll.ind." ()t course Boswell, belter at a Ijlunder ill.lll (ioldsmith himself, made •natters worse by stamnieriii'_ r * >• 11, "Mr. •Johnson, 1 do indeed come from Scotland, but I f.imiot ilelp it." This "wise' speech brought upon him the retort, "That, sir. I hud, is what a very great many of V"iir countrymen cannot help' ; which stroke, Boswell assures us, "stunned him a good deal.'' Bozay. indeed, was well clawed ill this first encounter, but he had his own obtrusive toadyism to thank for what be received. A Lifelong Friendship. But John-nii had taken an immediate fancy to B'>-woll, and Boswell lost no time in improving the acquaintance thus auspieii >11s 1 y begun. He called upon Johnson Ln the Temple a few days afterwards. and icing a-ked to stay, modestly said, "Sir, I am afiaid that I intrude upon vou—it is benevolent to allow ine to ait and hear you/' whereat the sage, not impervious to compliment, was evidently pleaded, and a.-ked Boswell to come again, which Boswel. accordingly did. Johnson informed h -> visitor that he generally went abroad at 4 in the afternoon, and seldom relumed till "«2 in the morning. The two supped at the Mitre in Fleet Street, and the ingenious Boswell proceeded to lay his irmenpost thoughts open to the sage, whereupon the latter, appreciating the honest admiration in which the confidence arose, suddenly reached across to his delighted companion and roared out, "Give me your hand —I have taken a liking to you." "It is very good of you," .-aid Boswell in his enthusiasm, "to allow me to be with you thus. Had it been foretold to me some years ago that I should pass an evening with the author of the 'Rambler' how I should have exulted!" Johnson cordially answered, "I am glad we met. I hope we shall pass many evenings, and mornings too, together." \V hereupon thev finished a couple uf bottles of port and sat till between 1 and 2 in the morning. A lifelong friendship was thus struck between these two men, so different from each other.

Petulance of the Great Cham. From then onwards at the many entertainments at the theatre and elsewhere, Boswell picked up and carried home for insertion in his humorous journal every word of wisdom, of sophistry, of petulance or downright rudeness that fell from the lips of "the great cham." Even his Scottish patriotism did not prevent Boswell recording the hard things Johnson said about the Scots. A Mr. Ogilvie. at one of these Mitre suppers, had chosen to launch out in praise of his native country, its fertility, etc. Driven at la-t into a corner by the contradiction of Coldsmitli. who. having studied at Edinburgh, claimed to know something of the country, he took refuge in the impregnable position that Scotland certainly had a great many noble, wild prospects. But the tremendous Johnson cam.3 swooping down on hmi with his satirical lance in rest. "1 believe, sir, you have a great many. Norway, too, has noble, wild prospects, and Lapland is remarkable for prodigious noble, wild prospects. But, sir, let me tell you. the noblest prospect that a Scot-mail "vcr sees is the high road that leads h:ni to Kngland." This unexpected, pointed sally was rewarded with roars of laughter. Bosw ell's great triumph was when lie induced John-oil to visit, not only the Highlands of Scotland, but the remote Hebrides. Johnson was essentially a fjondon man. A walk down Fleet Street had greater charm® for him than a ramble through the most magnificent scenery, though he described the exhilaration of fast travelling in a post-chaise as realising his nio.st complete idea of happiness. It was some \can-. after h» lir-t. sttggi -t.e 1 it that I'., s'.v ell managed to persuade Jolni-"n t.> go nor; n. "f knew that if he were once launched fr >m the metropolis h" would go forward very well," 80-well sagely remarked, "and I got our common friends to assist in fretting him afloat." Boswell w;i- in the seventh heaven of exultation in 177-'!. when his ponderous idol actually arrived in Edinburgh. TTe> 'bore him off to Lis own house, and Mrs. Boswell sedulously prepared the tea-board in read;nes«s for the distinguished visitor, who in a critique on a work by Jonas Hanway. t ne deepiser of tea. had declared ;iim-elf "a liardem-d and shameless tea drinker, who has for twenty years diluted h : - meals with the infur-ioii of this fa-.-mat-ing plant." Boswell As a Bear Leader. On this journey Johnson benaved very well. Fie was n:ucii flattered by the respect shown him by such men a; Robertson, the historian, and Adam Smith, of "Wealth of Nation.-" fame. He was much impressed with the novelty of the -cenes through which he passed, and put up gojd-ninnoredly •nough with the inconvenience of the journey. Of course, he could not give ip the .-port of tea-ifig Bozzy about Scotland; that would have been too much to ask; but he kept- criticism within the bounds of good humour.

" w « <111 xi (• ur- to tr,,; ~nt j|U "illu-trioi:- i'i l '1I'l.** and to o\]iil>it ,l.>li:i-->"U to ;i:i ,i I miring company. murli a.l -••• i -~ji: »'nv.v migilt evMiii'l '!l'' t• i - I'f ;i •1 I !!••;?!_- i-c.ir. At t - In' r>\<')•■!lll i;. yit<l received a rtn>r.-iI flap witll ill-- ;A". Olli-f v. j.-i; p„,z zv l-.v'l been in->ri' iii<|n;-i! ivc t !»:iu ,i-n;i I, wii h a view ot extra-'ting information. from -tilt- L'roai lexicographer. Johnson roared at him. '"Sir. 1 will not I>:■ put to tin; f)i!i-i-t;oii! .!)-> y;ni not ciin-ider, sir, that ilii'-i' aro ji.ii tlio maimer- of a gentleman?" '"Why. sir. you aro so pood that I veu-turo to trouble yon," urged Boswell. '"Sir, my being so gook is no reason why you should be so ill," was the ri'.irt of the unmollified Johnson. "Sit down. sir," was hi.- grail" injunction on anotlir-r occasion, when Boswell had come behind liis chair at dinner, to catch the words of wisdom. "Running about at meals!"' During this memorable tour Johnson learnt much. He became possessed of an unea.sy, but by no means nnwholosome, feeling that he had been all hi 3 life inclined to judge things by too narrow a standard. Yet when lie was reminded that he had never seen anvfhing beyond his native land, he replied, "But. sir, bv seeing London T have seen as much of life as the world can show." When he was in the mood he would jeer at the Scots until even Boswell's patience was tried. One of these fits of railing came upon him on the passage in Ulinieh's boat to Talisker. He declared of the Scots that, -they bad hardly any trade, any money, or any elegance before the Union," until which time he declared they had been like savages who had not yet come into contact with n civilised people. "We have taught you," ho said, "and we'll do the same in time to all barbarous nations— to the Cherokee*, and at bust to the o ran g - out a tig-

Johnson's Jacobitisrn was gratified by an introduction to tlio celebrated Flora Macdonald, who aid-ed so materially in tno escape of the oung Chevalier, Charles Edward, a tier the fatal day of Cullnden. Shi' was "a little, woman of genteel appea ra nre. and uncommonly mild and well-bred." according to Boswell's account, and Johnson, with considerable satisfaction, occupied the very lied in which the unfortunate grandson of James IT. had slept, in IT-til. when a reward of £30,000 had been offered for his capture.