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which is to be fix fhillings, as I would fubfcribe for all the Erfe that can be Etat. 66. printed, be it old or new, that the language may be preserved. This man fays, that fome of his manuscripts are ancient; and, to be fure, one of them which was fhewn to me does appear to have the duskynefs of antiquity.

"The inquiry is not yet quite hopeless, and I should think that the exact truth may be discovered, if proper means be used. I am, &c. "JAMES BOSWELL."

"DEAR SIR,

To JAMES BOSWELL, Efq.

"I AM sorry that I could get no books for my friends in Scotland. Mr. Strahan has at laft promised to fend two dozen to you. If they come, put the names of my friends into them; you may cut them out, and paste

them with a little ftarch in the book.

"You then are going wild about Offian. Why do you think any part can be proved? The dusky manufcript of Egg is probably not fifty years old; if it be an hundred, it proves nothing. The tale of Clanranald has no proof. Has Clanranald told it? Can he prove it? There are, I believe,. no Erfe manuscripts. None of the old families had a single letter in Erfe that we heard of. You fay it is likely that they could write. The learned, if any learned there were, could; but knowing by that learning fome written language, in that language they wrote, as letters had never been applied to their own. If there are manufcripts, let them be fhewn, with fome proof that they are not forged for the occafion. You fay many can remember parts of Offian. I believe all those parts are versions of the English, at least there is no proof of their antiquity.

Macpherson is faid to have made fome tranflations himself; and having taught a boy to write it, ordered him to fay that he had learned it of his grandmother. The boy, when he grew up, told the story. This Mrs. Williams heard at Mr. Strahan's table. Do not be credulous; you know how little a Highlander can be trufted. Macpherson is, fo far as I know, very quiet. Is not that proof enough? Every thing is against him. No vifible manuscript; no infcription in the language: no correfpondence among friends: no tranfaction of business, of which a single scrap remains in the ancient families. Macpherson's pretence is, that the character was Saxon. If he had not talked

From a lift in his hand-writing.

unskilfully

unfkilfully of manufcripts, he might have fought with oral tradition much

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longer. As to Mr. Grant's information, I suppose he knows much less of the Etat. 66. matter than ourselves.

"In the mean time, the bookseller says that the fale' is fufficiently quick. They printed four thoufand. Correct your copy wherever it is wrong, and bring it up. Your friends will all be glad to fee you. I think of going myfelf into the country about May.

"I am forry that I have not managed to fend the books fooner. I have left four for you, and do not reftrict you abfolutely to follow my directions in the distribution. You must use your own discretion.

"Make my compliments to Mrs. Boswell; I suppose she is now just beginning to forgive me. I am, dear Sir,

Feb. 25, 1775.

"Your humble fervant,

SAM. JOHNSON."

On Tuesday, March 21, I arrived in London; and on repairing to Dr. Johnson's before dinner, found him in his study, fitting with Mr. Peter Garrick, the elder brother of David, strongly resembling him in his countenance and voice, but of more fedate and placid manners. Johnfon informed me, that "though Mr. Beauclerk was in great pain, it was hoped he was not in danger, and that he now wifhed to confult Dr. Heberden to try the effect of a new understanding." Both at this interview, and in the evening at Mr. Thrale's, where he and Mr. Peter Garrick and I met again, he was vehement on the subject of the Offian controverfy; obferving, "We do not know that there are any ancient Erfe manuscripts; and we have no other reason to difbelieve that there are men with three heads, but that we do not know that there are any fuch men." He alfo was outrageous, upon his fuppofition that my countrymen "loved Scotland better than truth," faying, "All of them,—nay not all,—but droves of them, would come up, and atteft any thing for the honour of Scotland.' He also perfevered in his wild allegation, that he queftioned if there was a tree between Edinburgh and the English border older than himself. I affured him he was mistaken, and suggested that the proper punishment would be that he should receive a stripe at every tree above a hundred years old, that was found within that space. He laughed, and said, “ I believe I might fubmit to it for a bawbie!"

1775.

The doubts which, in my correfpondence with him, I had ventured to state Etat. 66. as to the juftice and wifdom of the conduct of Great-Britain towards the American colonies, while I at the fame time requested that he would enable me to inform myself upon that momentous fubject, he had altogether difregarded; and had recently publifhed a pamphlet, entitled, "Taxation no Tyranny; an Anfwer to the Refolutions and Addrefs of the American Congrefs.*"

He had long before indulged moft unfavourable fentiments of our fellow fubjects in America. For, as early as 1769, I was told by Dr. John Campbell, that he had faid of them, "Sir, they are a race of convicts, and ought to be thankful for any thing we allow them fhort of hanging."

Of this performance I avoided to talk with him; for I had now formed a clear and fettled opinion, that the people of America were well warranted to refift a claim that their fellow-fubjects in the mother-country fhould have the entire command of their fortunes, by taxing them without their own confent ; and the extreme violence which it breathed, appeared to me fo unsuitable to the mildness of a Chriftian philofopher, and fo directly oppofite to the principles of peace which he had so beautifully recommended in his pamphlet fo refpecting Falkland's Islands, that I was forry to fee him appear in so unfavourable a light. Befides, I could not perceive in it that ability of argument, or that felicity of expreffion, for which he was, upon other occafions, so emiPofitive affertion, farcaftical feverity, and extravagant ridicule, which he himself reprobated as a teft of truth, were united in this rhapfody.

That this pamphlet was written at the defire of those who were then in power, I have no doubt; and, indeed, he owned to me, that it had been revifed and curtailed by fome of them. He told me, that they had ftruck out one paffage, which was to this effect: "That the Colonists could with no folidity argue from their not having been taxed while in their infancy, that they should not now be taxed. We do not put a calf into the plow; we wait till he is an ox." He faid, "They ftruck it out either critically, as too ludicrous, or politically, as too exafperating. I care not which. It was their bufinefs. If an architect fays, I will build five ftories, and the man who employs him fays, I will have only three, the employer is to decide.” "Yes, Sir, (faid I,) in ordinary cafes. But fhould it be fo when the architect gives his skill and labour gratis?"

Unfavourable as I am conftrained to fay my opinion of this pamphlet was, yet, fince it was congenial with the fentiments of numbers at that time, and as every thing relating to the writings of Dr. Johnfon is of importance in literary

I

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literary hiftory, I fhall therefore infert fome paffages which were struck out, it does not appear why, either by himself or those who revised it. They appear Etat. 66. printed in a few proof leaves of it in my poffeffion, marked with corrections

in his own hand-writing. I fhall diftinguish them by Italicks.

In the paragraph where he says, the Americans were incited to refiftance by European intelligence from "men whom they thought their friends, but who were friends only to themfelves," there followed," and made, by their felfifhnefs, the enemies of their country."

And the next paragraph ran thus: "On the original contrivers of mischief, rather than on those whom they have deluded, let an infulted nation pour out its vengeance.

The

The paragraph which came next was in these words: " Unhappy is that country, in which men can hope for advancement by favouring its enemies. tranquillity of ftable government is not always eafly preferved against the machinations of single innovators; but what can be the hope of quiet, when faltions boftile to the legislature can be openly formed and openly avowed?”

After the paragraph which now concludes the pamphlet, there followed this, in which he certainly means the great Earl of Chatham, and glances at a certain popular Lord Chancellor :

omen.

If, by the fortune of war, they drive us utterly away, what they will do next can only be conjectured. If a new monarchy is erected, they will want a KING. He who firft takes into his hand the fceptre of America, fhould have a name of good WILLIAM has been known both as conqueror and deliverer; and perhaps England, however contemned, might yet fupply them with ANOTHER WILLIAM. Whigs, indeed, are not willing to be governed; and it is poffible that KING WILLIAM may be strongly inclined to guide their measures: but Whigs have been cheated like other mortals, and fuffered their leader to become their tyrant, under the name of their PROTECTOR. What more they will receive from England, no man can tell. In their rudiments of empire they may want a CHANCELLOR."

Then came this paragraph:

"Their numbers are, at prefent, not quite fufficient for the greatness which, in fome form of government or other, is to rival the ancient monarchies; but, by Dr. Franklin's rule of progreffion, they will, in a century and a quarter, be more than equal to the inhabitants of Europe. When the Whigs of America are thus multiplied, let the Princes of the earth tremble in their palaces. If they fhould continue to double and to double, their own hemifphere will not contain them. But let not our boldest oppugners of authority look forward with delight to this futurity of Whiggifm."

1775.

How it ended I know not, as it is cut off abruptly at the foot of the last of Etat. 66. thefe proof pages.

His pamphlets in fupport of the measures of administration were published on his own account, and he afterwards collected them into a volume, with the title of "Political Tracts, by the Authour of the Rambler," with this motto,

"Fallitur egregio quifquis fub Principe credit

"Servitium, numquam libertas gratior extat

These pamphlets drew upon him numerous attacks. Against the common weapons of literary warfare he was hardened; but there were two instances of animadverfion which I communicated to him, and from what I could judge, both from his filence and his looks, appeared to me to imprefs him much.

One was, a "A Letter to Dr. Samuel Johnson, occafioned by his late political Publications." It appeared previous to his " Taxation no Tyranny," and was written by Dr. Jofeph Towers. In that performance, Dr. Johnfon was treated with the respect due to fo eminent a man, while his conduct as a political writer was boldly and pointedly arraigned, as inconfiftent with the character of one, who, if he did employ his pen upon politicks, "it might reafonably be expected should distinguish himself, not by party violence and rancour, but by moderation and by wisdom.”

It concluded thus: "I would, however, wifh you to remember, fhould you again address the publick under the character of a political writer, that luxuriance of imagination or energy of language will ill compenfate for the want of candour, of justice, and of truth. And I fhall only add, that should I hereafter be difpofed to read, as I heretofore have done, the most excellent of all your performances, THE RAMBLER,' the pleafure which I have been accuftomed to find in it will be much diminished by the reflection that the writer of fo moral, fo elegant, and fo valuable a work, was capable of prostituting his talents in fuch productions as The Falfe Alarm,' the Thoughts on the Tranfactions refpecting Falkland's Iflands,' and The Patriot."

I am willing to do justice to the merit of Dr. Towers, of whom I will fay, that although I abhor his Whiggish democratical notions and propensities, (for I will not call them principles,) I esteem him as an ingenious, knowing, and very convivial man.

The other inftance was a paragraph of a letter to me, from my old and moft intimate friend the Reverend Mr. Temple, who wrote the character of

Gray,