To Dr. Robertson, so far as my letter concerned the present subject, I wrote as follows: 

’Our friend, Mr. Samuel Johnson, is in great health and spirits; and, I do think, has a serious resolution to visit Scotland this year.  The more attraction, however, the better; and therefore, though I know he will be happy to meet you there, it will forward the scheme, if, in your answer to this, you express yourself concerning it with that power of which you are so happily possessed, and which may be so directed as to operate strongly upon him.’

His answer to that part of my letter was quite as I could have wished.  It was written with the address and persuasion of the historian of America.  ’When I saw you last, you gave us some hopes that you might prevail with Mr. Johnson to make out that excursion to Scotland, with the expectation of which we have long flattered ourselves.  If he could order matters so, as to pass some time in Edinburgh, about the close of the summer session, and then visit some of the Highland scenes, I am confident he would be pleased with the grand features of nature in many parts of this country:  he will meet with many persons here who respect him, and some whom I am persuaded he will think not unworthy of his esteem.  I wish he would make the experiment.  He sometimes cracks his jokes upon us; but he will find that we can distinguish between the stabs of malevolence, and the rebukes of the righteous, which are like excellent oil[14], and break not the head[15].  Offer my best compliments to him, and assure him that I shall be happy to have the satisfaction of seeing him under my roof.

To Dr. Beattie I wrote, ’The chief intention of this letter is to inform you, that I now seriously believe Mr. Samuel Johnson will visit Scotland this year:  but I wish that every power of attraction may be employed to secure our having so valuable an acquisition, and therefore I hope you will without delay write to me what I know you think, that I may read it to the mighty sage, with proper emphasis, before I leave London, which I must do soon.  He talks of you with the same warmth that he did last year[16].  We are to see as much of Scotland as we can, in the months of August and September.  We shall not be long of being at Marischal College[17].  He is particularly desirous of seeing some of the Western Islands.’

Dr. Beattie did better:  ipse venit.  He was, however, so polite as to wave his privilege of nil mihi rescribas[18], and wrote from Edinburgh, as follows:—­’Your very kind and agreeable favour of the 20th of April overtook me here yesterday, after having gone to Aberdeen, which place I left about a week ago.  I am to set out this day for London, and hope to have the honour of paying my respects to Mr. Johnson and you, about a week or ten days hence.  I shall then do what I can, to enforce the topick you mention; but at present I cannot enter upon it, as I am in a very great hurry; for I intend to begin my journey within an hour or two.’