Miss M’Lean produced some Erse poems by John M’Lean, who was a famous bard in Mull, and had died only a few years ago.  He could neither read nor write.  She read and translated two of them; one, a kind of elegy on Sir John M’Lean’s being obliged to fly his country in 1715; another, a dialogue between two Roman Catholick young ladies, sisters, whether it was better to be a nun or to marry.  I could not perceive much poetical imagery in the translation.  Yet all of our company who understood Erse, seemed charmed with the original.  There may, perhaps, be some choice of expression, and some excellence of arrangement, that cannot be shewn in translation.

After we had exhausted the Erse poems, of which Dr. Johnson said nothing, Miss M’Lean gave us several tunes on a spinnet, which, though made so long ago as in 1667, was still very well toned.  She sung along with it.  Dr. Johnson seemed pleased with the musick, though he owns he neither likes it, nor has hardly any perception of it.  At Mr. M’Pherson’s, in Slate, he told us, that ’he knew a drum from a trumpet, and a bagpipe from a guittar, which was about the extent of his knowledge of musick.’  To-night he said, that, ’if he had learnt musick, he should have been afraid he would have done nothing else but play.  It was a method of employing the mind without the labour of thinking at all, and with some applause from a man’s self[851].’

We had the musick of the bagpipe every day, at Armidale, Dunvegan, and Col.  Dr. Johnson appeared fond of it, and used often to stand for some time with his ear close to the great drone.

The penurious gentleman of our acquaintance, formerly alluded to[852], afforded us a topick of conversation to-night.  Dr. Johnson said, I ought to write down a collection of the instances of his narrowness, as they almost exceeded belief.  Col told us, that O’Kane, the famous Irish harper, was once at that gentleman’s house.  He could not find in his heart to give him any money, but gave him a key for a harp, which was finely ornamented with gold and silver, and with a precious stone, and was worth eighty or a hundred guineas.  He did not know the value of it; and when he came to know it, he would fain have had it back; but O’Kane took care that he should not.  JOHNSON.  ’They exaggerate the value; every body is so desirous that he should be fleeced.  I am very willing it should be worth eighty or a hundred guineas; but I do not believe it.’  BOSWELL.  ‘I do not think O’Kane was obliged to give it back.’  JOHNSON.  ’No, Sir.  If a man with his eyes open, and without any means used to deceive him, gives me a thing, I am not to let him have it again when he grows wiser.  I like to see how avarice defeats itself:  how, when avoiding to part with money, the miser gives something more valuable.’  Col said, the gentleman’s relations were angry at his giving away the harp-key, for it had been long in the family.  JOHNSON.  ’Sir, he values a new guinea more than an old friend.’