‘Yet ne’er looks forward farther than his nose[262].’

I objected to the last phrase, as being low.  JOHNSON.  ’Sir, it is intended to be low:  it is satire.  The expression is debased, to debase the character.’

When Gory was about to part from us, Dr. Johnson called to him, ’Mr. Gory, give me leave to ask you a question! are you baptised?’ Gory told him he was, and confirmed by the Bishop of Durham.  He then gave him a shilling.

We had tedious driving this afternoon, and were somewhat drowsy.  Last night I was afraid Dr. Johnson was beginning to faint in his resolution; for he said, ’If we must ride much, we shall not go; and there’s an end on’t.’  To-day, when he talked of Sky with spirit, I said, ’Why, Sir, you seemed to me to despond yesterday.  You are a delicate Londoner;—­you are a maccaroni[263]; you can’t ride.’  JOHNSON.  ’Sir, I shall ride better than you.  I was only afraid I should not find a horse able to carry me.’  I hoped then there would be no fear of getting through our wild Tour.

We came to Aberdeen at half an hour past eleven.  The New Inn, we were told, was full.  This was comfortless.  The waiter, however, asked, if one of our names was Boswell, and brought me a letter left at the inn:  it was from Mr. Thrale, enclosing one to Dr. Johnson[264].  Finding who I was, we were told they would contrive to lodge us by putting us for a night into a room with two beds.  The waiter said to me in the broad strong Aberdeenshire dialect, ’I thought I knew you by your likeness to your father.’  My father puts up at the New Inn, when on his circuit.  Little was said to-night.  I was to sleep in a little press-bed in Dr. Johnson’s room.  I had it wheeled out into the dining-room, and there I lay very well.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22.

I sent a message to Professor Thomas Gordon, who came and breakfasted with us.  He had secured seats for us at the English chapel.  We found a respectable congregation, and an admirable organ, well played by Mr. Tait.

We walked down to the shore:  Dr. Johnson laughed to hear that Cromwell’s soldiers taught the Aberdeen people to make shoes and stockings, and to plant cabbages[265].  He asked, if weaving the plaids[266] was ever a domestick art in the Highlands, like spinning or knitting.  They could not inform him here.  But he conjectured probably, that where people lived so remote from each other, it was likely to be a domestick art; as we see it was among the ancients, from Penelope.  I was sensible to-day, to an extraordinary degree, of Dr. Johnson’s excellent English pronunciation.  I cannot account for its striking me more now than any other day:  but it was as if new to me; and I listened to every sentence which he spoke, as to a musical composition.  Professor Gordon gave him an account of the plan of education in his college.  Dr. Johnson said, it was similar to that at Oxford.  Waller the poet’s