My acquaintance, the Reverend Mr John M'Aulay, one of the ministers of
Inveraray, and brother to our good friend at Calder, 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. [Footnote: On
reflection, at the distance of several years, I wonder that my
venerable fellow-traveller should have read this passage without
censuring my levity.]
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 McDonald, of his ancestors not suffering their arms to
rust. '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 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.' [Footnote: As
this book is now become very scarce, I shall subjoin the title, which
is curious:
'The Doctrines of a Middle State between Death and the Resurrection:
Of Prayers for the Dead: And the Necessity of Purification: plainly
proved from the holy Scriptures, and the Writings of the Fathers of
the Primitive Church: And acknowledged by several learned Fathers and
great Divines of the Church of England and others since the
Reformation. To which is added, an Appendix concerning the Descent of
the Soul of Christ into Hell, while his Body lay in the Grave.
Together with the Judgment of the Reverend Dr Hickes concerning this
Book, so far as relates to a Middle State, particular Judgment, and
Prayers for the Dead as it appeared in the first Edition. And a
Manuscript of the Right Reverend Bishop Overall upon the Subject of a
Middle State, and never before printed. Also, a Preservative against
several of the Errors of the Roman Church, in six small Treatises. By
the Honourable Archibald Campbell.' Folio, 1721.] 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 in gaol on account of his tenets;
but, on application by letter to the old Lord Townshend, 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, 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 Inveraray:
The Honourable Archibald Campbell was, I believe, the nephew 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 and
Nelson; a man of letters, but injudicious; and very curious and
inquisitive, but credulous. He lived 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 unwholsome?' 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.' 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 show 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, 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, 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. 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 Inveraray. 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?'
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.