My acquaintance, the Reverend Mr. John M'Aulay[950], one of the
Ministers of Inverary, and brother to our good friend at Calder[951],
came to us this morning, and accompanied us to the castle, where I
presented Dr. Johnson to the Duke of Argyle. We were shewn through the
house; and I never shall forget the impression made upon my fancy by
some of the ladies' maids tripping about in neat morning dresses. After
seeing for a long time little but rusticity, their lively manner, and
gay inviting appearance, pleased me so much, that I thought, for the
moment, I could have been a knight-errant for them[952].
We then got into a low one-horse chair, ordered for us by the Duke, in
which we drove about the place. Dr. Johnson was much struck by the
grandeur and elegance of this princely seat. He thought, however, the
castle too low, and wished it had been a story higher. He said, 'What I
admire here, is the total defiance of expence.' I had a particular pride
in shewing him a great number of fine old trees, to compensate for the
nakedness which had made such an impression on him on the eastern coast
of Scotland.
When we came in, before dinner, we found the duke and some gentlemen in
the hall. Dr. Johnson took much notice of the large collection of arms,
which are excellently disposed there. I told what he had said to Sir
Alexander M'Donald, of his ancestors not suffering their arms to
rust[953]. 'Well, (said the doctor,) but let us be glad we live in times
when arms _may_ rust. We can sit to-day at his grace's table, without
any risk of being attacked, and perhaps sitting down again wounded or
maimed.' The duke placed Dr. Johnson next himself at table. I was in
fine spirits; and though sensible that I had the misfortune of not being
in favour with the duchess, I was not in the least disconcerted, and
offered her grace some of the dish that was before me. It must be owned
that I was in the right to be quite unconcerned, if I could. I was the
Duke of Argyle's guest; and I had no reason to suppose that he adopted
the prejudices and resentments of the Duchess of Hamilton.
I knew it was the rule of modern high life not to drink to any body; but
that I might have the satisfaction for once to look the duchess in the
face, with a glass in my hand, I with a respectful air addressed
her,--'My Lady Duchess, I have the honour to drink your grace's good
health.' I repeated the words audibly, and with a steady countenance.
This was, perhaps, rather too much; but some allowance must be made for
human feelings.
The duchess was very attentive to Dr. Johnson. I know not how a _middle
state[954]_ came to be mentioned. Her grace wished to hear him on that
point. 'Madam, (said he,) your own relation, Mr. Archibald Campbell, can
tell you better about it than I can. He was a bishop of the nonjuring
communion, and wrote a book upon the subject[955].' He engaged to get it
for her grace. 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[956], 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[957], 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 Inverary:--
'_The Honourable_ ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL _was, I believe, the Nephew[958] of
the Marquis of Argyle. He began life 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 Hicks[959] and
Nelson[960]; a man of letters, but injudicious; and very curious and
inquisitive, but credulous. He lived[961] in 1743, or 44, about 75 years
old.'_ The subject of luxury having been 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[962].' 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 out of the room, to shew his independency. On
my 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 Session, 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[963], 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 expression, upon her enjoying the three titles of
Hamilton, Brandon, and Argyle[964]. 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 Inverary. 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 to them. The
Doctor grew warm, and said, 'Sir, you are so grossly ignorant of human
nature, as not to know that a man may be very sincere in good
principles, without having good practice[965]!'
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.