Authors, Scottish -- 18th century -- Biography; Biographers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Boswell, James, 1740-1795
Ellon, Slains Castle, and Elgin were visited. They passed Gordon Castle
at Fochabers, drove over the heath where Macbeth met the witches,
'classic ground to an Englishman,' as the old editor of Shakespeare
felt, and reached Nairn, where now they heard for the first time the
Gaelic tongue,--'one of the songs of Ossian,' quoth the justly
incredulous doctor,--and saw peat fires. At Fort George they were
welcomed by Sir Eyre Coote. The old military aspirations of Bozzy flared
up and were soothed: 'for a little while I fancied myself a military
man, and it pleased me.' As they left, the commander reminded them of
the hardships by the way, in return as Boswell interposed for the rough
things Johnson had said of Scotland. 'You must change your name, sir,'
said Sir Eyre. 'Ay, to Dr M'Gregor,' replied Bozzy. The notion of the
lexicographer's assuming the forbidden name of the bold outlaw, with
'his foot upon his native heath,' is rather comic, though later on we
find him striding about with a target and broad sword, and a bonnet
drawn over his wig! Though both professed profuse addiction to Jacobite
sentiments, it is curious no mention is made of Culloden. It may be that
Boswell, who some days later weeps over the battle, may have
diplomatically avoided it, or it may have been dark as their chaise
passed it, though it is not impossible that Boswell, who at St Andrews
had not known where to look for John Knox's grave, and has no mention of
Airsmoss where Cameron fell in his own parish of Auchinleck, was
ignorant of the site. From their inn at Inverness he wrote to Garrick
gleefully over his tour with Davy's old preceptor, and then begged
permission to leave Johnson for a time, 'that I might run about and pay
some visits to several good people,' finding much satisfaction in
hearing every one speak well of his father.
On Monday, August 30, they began their _equitation_; 'I would needs make
a word too.' They took horses now, a third carried his man Ritter, and a
fourth their portmanteaus. The scene by Loch Ness was new to the sage,
and he rises in his narrative a little to it and the 'limpid waters
beating their bank, and waving their surface by a gentle agitation.'
Through Glenshiel, Glenmorison, Auchnasheal, they passed on to the inn
at Glenelg. They made beds for themselves with fresh hay, and, like
Wolfe at Quebec, they had their 'choice of difficulties;' but the
philosophic Rambler maintained they might have been worse on the
hillside, and buttoning himself up in his greatcoat he lay down, while
Boswell had his sheets spread on the hay, and his clothes and greatcoat
laid over him by way of blankets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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