the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第19章

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ets　was　his　library；　a　large　and　miscellaneous　collection　of　books；　falling　to　pieces　and　begrimed　with　dust。　　On　a　lower　floor　he　sometimes；　but　very　rarely；　regaled　a　friend　with　a　plain　dinner；　a　veal　pie；　or　a　leg　of　lamb　and　spinage；　and　a　rice　pudding。　　Nor　was　the　dwelling　uninhabited　during　his　long　absences。　　It　was　the　home　of　the　most　extraordinary　assemblage　of　inmates　that　ever　was　brought　together。　　At　the　head　of　the　establishment　Johnson　had　placed　an　old　lady　named　Williams；　whose　chief　recommendations　were　her　blindness　and　her　poverty。　　But；　in　spite　of　her　murmurs　and　reproaches；　he　gave　an　asylum　to　another　lady　who　was　as　poor　as　herself；　Mrs　Desmoulins；　whose　family　he　had　known　many　years　before　in　Staffordshire。　　Room　was　found　for　the　daughter　of　Mrs　Desmoulins；　and　for　another　destitute　damsel；　who　was　generally　addressed　as　Miss　Carmichael；　but　whom　her　generous　host　called　Polly。　　An　old　quack　doctor　named　Levett；　who　bled　and　dosed　coal…heavers　and　hackney　coachmen；　and　received　for　fees　crusts　of　bread；　bits　of　bacon；　glasses　of　gin；　and　sometimes　a　little　copper；　completed　this　strange　menagerie。　　All　these　poor　creatures　were　at　constant　war　with　each　other；　and　with　Johnson's　negro　servant　Frank。　　Sometimes；　indeed；　they　transferred　their　hostilities　from　the　servant　to　the　master；　complained　that　a　better　table　was　not　kept　for　them；　and　railed　or　maundered　till　their　benefactor　was　glad　to　make　his　escape　to　Streatham；　or　to　the　Mitre　Tavern。　　And　yet　he；　who　was　generally　the　haughtiest　and　most　irritable　of　mankind；　who　was　but　too　prompt　to　resent　anything　which　looked　like　a　slight　on　the　part　of　a　purse…proud　bookseller；　or　of　a　noble　and　powerful　patron；　bore　patiently　from　mendicants；　who；　but　for　his　bounty；　must　have　gone　to　the　workhouse；　insults　more　provoking　than　those　for　which　he　had　knocked　down　Osborne　and　bidden　defiance　to　Chesterfield。　　Year　after　year　Mrs　Desmoulins；　Polly；　and　Levett；　continued　to　torment　him　and　to　live　upon　him。　The　course　of　life　which　has　been　described　was　interrupted　in　Johnson's　sixty…fourth　year　by　an　important　event。　　He　had　early　read　an　account　of　the　Hebrides；　and　had　been　much　interested　by　learning　that　there　was　so　near　him　a　land　peopled　by　a　race　which　was　still　as　rude　and　simple　as　in　the　middle　ages。　　A　wish　to　become　intimately　acquainted　with　a　state　of　society　so　utterly　unlike　all　that　he　had　ever　seen　frequently　crossed　his　mind。　　But　it　is　not　probable　that　his　curiosity　would　have　overcome　his　habitual　sluggishness；　and　his　love　of　the　smoke；　the　mud；　and　the　cries　of　London；　had　not　Boswell　importuned　him　to　attempt　the　adventure；　and　offered　to　be　his　squire。　　At　length；　in　August　1773；　Johnson　crossed　the　Highland　line；　and　plunged　courageously　into　what　was　then　considered；　by　most　Englishmen；　as　a　dreary　and　perilous　wilderness。　　After　wandering　about　two　months　through　the　Celtic　region；　sometimes　in　rude　boats　which　did　not　protect　him　from　the　rain；　and　sometimes　on　small　shaggy　ponies　which　could　hardly　bear　his　weight；　he　returned　to　his　old　haunts　with　a　mind　full　of　new　images　and　new　theories。　　During　the　following　year　he　employed　himself　in　recording　his　adventures。　　About　the　beginning　of　1775；　his　Journey　to　the　Hebrides　was　published；　and　was；　during　some　weeks；　the　chief　subject　of　conversation　in　all　circles　in　which　any　attention　was　paid　to　literature。　　The　book　is　still　read　with　pleasure。　　The　narrative　is　entertaining；　the　speculations；　whether　sound　or　unsound；　are　always　ingenious；　and　the　style；　though　too　stiff　and　pompous；　is　somewhat　easier　and　more　graceful　than　that　of　his　early　writings。　　His　prejudice　against　the　Scotch　had　at　length　become　little　more　than　matter　of　jest；　and　whatever　remained　of　the　old　feeling　had　been　effectually　removed　by　the　kind　and　respectful　hospitality　with　which　he　had　been　received　in　every　part　of　Scotland。　　It　was；　of　course；　not　to　be　expected　that　an　Oxonian　Tory　should　praise　the　Presbyterian　polity　and　ritual；　or　that　an　eye　accustomed　to　the　hedgerows　and　parks　of　England　should　not　be　struck　by　the　bareness　of　Berwickshire　and　East　Lothian。　　But　even　in　censure　Johnson's　tone　is　not　unfriendly。　　The　most　enlightened　Scotchmen；　with　Lord　Mansfield　at　their　head；　were　well　pleased。　　But　some　foolish　and　ignorant　Scotchmen　were　moved　to　anger　by　a　little　unpalatable　truth　which　was　mingled　with　much　eulogy；　and　assailed　him　whom　they　chose　to　consider　as　the　enemy　of　their　country　with　libels　much　more　dishonourable　to　their　country　than　anything　that　he　had　ever　said　or　written。　　They　published　paragraphs　in　the　newspapers；　articles　in　the　magazines；　sixpenny　pamphlets；　five…shilling　books。　　One　scribbler　abused　Johnson　for　being　blear…eyed；　another　for　being　a　pensioner；　a　third　informed　the　world　that　one　of　the　Doctor's　uncles　had　been　convicted　of　felony　in　Scotland；　and　had　found　that　there　was　in　that　country　one　tree　capable　of　supporting　the　weight　of　an　Englishman。　　Macpherson；　whose　Fingal　had　been　proved　in　the　Journey　to　be　an　impudent　forgery；　threatened　to　take　vengeance　with　a　cane。　　The　only　effect　of　this　threat　was　that　Johnson　reiterated　the　charge　of　forgery　in　the　most　contemptuous　terms；　and　walked　about；　during　some　time；　with　a　cudgel；　which；　if　the　impostor　had　not　been　too　wise　to　encounter　it；　would　assuredly　have　descended　upon　him；　to　borrow　the　sublime　language　of　his　own　epic　poem；　〃like　a　hammer　on　the　red　son　of　the　furnace。〃　Of　other　assailants　Johnson　took　no　notice　whatever。　　He　had　early　resolved　never　to　be　drawn　into　controversy；　and　he　adhered　to　his　resolution　with　a　steadfastness　which　is　the　more　extraordinary；　because　he　was；　both　intellectually　and　morally；　of　the　stuff　of　which　controversialists　are　made。　　In　conversation；　he　was　a　singularly　eager；　acute；　and　pertinacious　disputant。　　When　at　a　loss　for　good　reasons；　he　had　recourse　to　sophistry；　and；　when　heated　by　altercation；　he　made　unsparing　use　of　sarcasm　and　invective。　　But；　when　he　took　his　pen　in　his　hand；　his　whole　character　seemed　to　be　changed。　　A　hundred　bad　writers　misrepresented　him　and　reviled　him；　but　not　one　of　the　hundred　could　boast　of　having　been　thought　by　him　worthy　of　a　refutation；　or　even　of　a　retort。　　The　Kenricks；　Campbells；　MacNicols；　and　Hendersons；　did　their　best　to　annoy　him；　in　the　hope　that　he　would　give　them　importance　by　answering　them。　　But　the　reader　will　in　vain　search　his　works　for　any　allusion　to　Kenrick　or　Campbell；　to　MacNicol　or　Henderson。　　One　Scotchman；　bent　on　vindicating　the　fame　of　Scotch　learning；　defied　him　to　the　combat　in　a　detestable　Latin　hexameter。　〃Maxime；　si　tu　vis；　cupio　contendere　tecum。〃　But　Johnson　took　no　notice　of　the　challenge。　　He　had　learned；　both　from　his　own　observation　and　from　literary　history；　in　which　he　was　deeply　read；　that　the　place　of　books　in　the　public　estimation　is　fixed；　not　by　what　is　written　about　them；　but　by　what　is　written　in　them；　and　that　an　author　whose　works　are　likely　to　live　is　very　unwise　if　he　stoops　to　wrangle　with　detractors　whose　works　are　certain　to　die。　　He　always　maintained　that　fame　was　a　shuttlecock　which　could　be　kept　up　only　by　being　beaten　back；　as　well　as　beaten　forward；　and　which　would　soon　fall　if　there　were　only　one　battledore。　　No　saying　was　oftener　in　his　mouth　than　that　fine　apophthegm　of　Bentley；　that　no　man　was　ever　written　down　but　by　himself。　Unhappily；　a　few　months　after　the　appearance　of　the　Journey　to　the　Hebrides；　Johnson　did　what　none　of　his　envious　assailants　could　have　done；　and　to　a　certain　extent　succeeded　in　writing　himself　down。　　The　disputes　between　England　and　her　American　colonies　had　reached　a　point　at　which　no　amicable　adjustment　was　possible。　　Civil　war　was　evidently　impending；　and　the　ministers　seem　to　have　thought　that　the　eloquence　of　Johnson　might　with　advantage　be　employed　to　inflame　the　nation　against　the　opposition　here；　and　against　the　rebels　beyond　the　Atlantic。　　He　had　already　written　two　or　three　tracts　in　defence　of　the　foreign　and　domestic　policy　of　the　government；　and　those　tracts；　though　hardly　worthy　of　him；　were　much　superior　to　the　crowd　of　pamphlets　which　lay　on　the　counters　of　Almon　and　Stockdale。　　But　his　Taxation　No　Tyranny　was　a　pitiable　failure。　　The　very　title　was　a　silly　phrase；　which　can　have　been　recommended　to　his　choice　by　nothing　but　a　jingling　alliteration　which　he　ought　to　have　despised。　　The　arguments　were　such　as　boys　use　in　debating　societies。　　The　pleasantry　was　as　awkward　as　the　gambols　of　a　hippopotamus。　　Even　Boswell　was　forced　to　own　that；　in　this　unfortunate　piece；　he　could　detect　no　trace　of　his　master's　powers。　　The　general　opinion　was　that　the　strong　faculties　which　had　produced　the　Dictionary　and　the　Rambler　were　beginning　to　feel　the　effect　of　time　and　of　disease；　and　that　the　old　man　would　best　consult　his　credit　by　writing　no　more。　But　this　was　a　great　mistake。　　Johnson　had　failed；　not　because　his　mind　was　less　vigorous　than　when　he　wrote　Rasselas　in　the　evenings　of　a　week；　but　because　he　had　foolishly　chosen；　or　suffered　others　to　choose　for　him；　a　subject　such　as　he　would　at　no　time　have　been　competent　to　treat。　　He　was　in　no　sense　a　statesman。　　He　never　willingly　read　or　thought　or　talked　abou