[1105] See ante, iii. 266, and v. 20, where ’Mr. Crosbie said that the English are better animals than the Scots.’

[1106] Johnson himself had laughed at them (ante, ii. 210) and accused them of foppery (ante, ii. 237).

[1107] Johnson said, ’I never think I have hit hard, unless it rebounds (ante, ii. 335), and, ‘I would rather be attacked than unnoticed’ (ante, iii. 375).  When he was told of a caricature ’of the nine muses flogging him round Parnassus,’ he said, ’Sir, I am very glad to hear this.  I hope the day will never arrive when I shall neither be the object of calumny or ridicule, for then I shall be neglected and forgotten.’  Croker’s Boswell, p. 837.  See ante, ii. 61, and pp. 174, 273.  ’There was much laughter when M. de Lesseps mentioned that on his first visit to England the publisher who brought out the report of his meeting charged, as the first item of his bill, “L50 for attacking the book in order to make it succeed.”  “Since then,” observed M. de Lesseps, “I have been attacked gratuitously, and have got on without paying."’ The Times, Feb. 19, 1884.

[1108]

     ‘To wing my flight to fame.’

DRYDEN.  Virgil, Georgics, iii. 9.

[1109] On Nov. 12 he wrote to Mrs. Thrale:—­’We came hither (to Edinburgh) on the ninth of this month.  I long to come under your care, but for some days cannot decently get away.’ Piozzi Letters, i. 202.

[1110] He would have been astonished had he known that a few miles from Edinburgh he had passed through two villages of serfs.  The coal-hewers and salt-makers of Tranent and Preston-Pans were still sold with the soil.  ’In Scotland domestic slavery is unknown, except so far as regards the coal-hewers and salt-makers, whose condition, it must be confessed, bears some resemblance to slavery; because all who have once acted in either of the capacities are compellable to serve, and fixed to their respective places of employment during life.’  Hargrave’s Argument in the case of James Sommersett, 1772.  Had Johnson known this he might have given as his toast when in company with some very grave men at Edinburgh:—­’Here’s to the next insurrection of the slaves in Scotland.’ Ante, iii. 200.

[1111] The year following in the House of Commons he railed at the London booksellers, ’who, he positively asserted, entirely governed the newspapers.’  ‘For his part,’ he added, ’he had ordered that no English newspaper should come within his doors for three months.’ Parl.  Hist. xvii. 1090.

[1112] See ante, iii. 373.

[1113] ’At the latter end of 1630 Ben Jonson went on foot into Scotland, on purpose to visit Drummond.  His adventures in this journey he wrought into a poem; but that copy, with many other pieces, was accidentally burned.’  Whalley’s Ben Jonson, Preface, p. xlvi.