the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第24章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


im；　soothed　him；　coaxed　him；　and；　if　she　sometimes　provoked　him　by　her　flippancy；　made　ample　amends　by　listening　to　his　reproofs　with　angelic　sweetness　of　temper。　　When　he　was　diseased　in　body　and　in　mind；　she　was　the　most　tender　of　nurses。　　No　comfort　that　wealth　could　purchase；　no　contrivance　that　womanly　ingenuity；　set　to　work　by　womanly　compassion；　could　devise；　was　wanting　to　his　sick…room。　　He　requited　her　kindness　by　an　affection　pure　as　the　affection　of　a　father；　yet　delicately　tinged　with　a　gallantry；　which；　though　awkward；　must　have　been　more　flattering　than　the　attentions　of　a　crowd　of　the　fools　who　gloried　in　the　names；　now　obsolete；　of　Buck　and　Maccaroni。　　It　should　seem　that　a　full　half　of　Johnson's　life；　during　about　sixteen　years；　was　passed　under　the　roof　of　the　Thrales。　　He　accompanied　the　family　sometimes　to　Bath；　and　sometimes　to　Brighton；　once　to　Wales；　and　once　to　Paris。　　But　he　had　at　the　same　time　a　house　in　one　of　the　narrow　and　gloomy　courts　on　the　north　of　Fleet　Street。　　In　the　garrets　was　his　library；　a　large　and　miscellaneous　collection　of　books；　falling　to　pieces　and　begrimed　with　dust。　　On　a　lower　floor　he　sometimes；　but　very　rarely；　regaled　a　friend　with　a　plain　dinner；　a　veal　pie；　or　a　leg　of　lamb　and　spinage；　and　a　rice　pudding。　　Nor　was　the　dwelling　uninhabited　during　his　long　absences。　　It　was　the　home　of　the　most　extraordinary　assemblage　of　inmates　that　ever　was　brought　together。　　At　the　head　of　the　establishment　Johnson　had　placed　an　old　lady　named　Williams；　whose　chief　recommendations　were　her　blindness　and　her　poverty。　　But；　in　spite　of　her　murmurs　and　reproaches；　he　gave　an　asylum　to　another　lady　who　was　as　poor　as　herself；　Mrs　Desmoulins；　whose　family　he　had　known　many　years　before　in　Staffordshire。　　Room　was　found　for　the　daughter　of　Mrs　Desmoulins；　and　for　another　destitute　damsel；　who　was　generally　addressed　as　Miss　Carmichael；　but　whom　her　generous　host　called　Polly。　　An　old　quack　doctor　named　Levett；　who　bled　and　dosed　coal…heavers　and　hackney　coachmen；　and　received　for　fees　crusts　of　bread；　bits　of　bacon；　glasses　of　gin；　and　sometimes　a　little　copper；　completed　this　strange　menagerie。　　All　these　poor　creatures　were　at　constant　war　with　each　other；　and　with　Johnson's　negro　servant　Frank。　　Sometimes；　indeed；　they　transferred　their　hostilities　from　the　servant　to　the　master；　complained　that　a　better　table　was　not　kept　for　them；　and　railed　or　maundered　till　their　benefactor　was　glad　to　make　his　escape　to　Streatham；　or　to　the　Mitre　Tavern。　　And　yet　he；　who　was　generally　the　haughtiest　and　most　irritable　of　mankind；　who　was　but　too　prompt　to　resent　anything　which　looked　like　a　slight　on　the　part　of　a　purse…proud　bookseller；　or　of　a　noble　and　powerful　patron；　bore　patiently　from　mendicants；　who；　but　for　his　bounty；　must　have　gone　to　the　workhouse；　insults　more　provoking　than　those　for　which　he　had　knocked　down　Osborne　and　bidden　defiance　to　Chesterfield。　　Year　after　year　Mrs　Desmoulins；　Polly；　and　Levett；　continued　to　torment　him　and　to　live　upon　him。　The　course　of　life　which　has　been　described　was　interrupted　in　Johnson's　sixty…fourth　year　by　an　important　event。　　He　had　early　read　an　account　of　the　Hebrides；　and　had　been　much　interested　by　learning　that　there　was　so　near　him　a　land　peopled　by　a　race　which　was　still　as　rude　and　simple　as　in　the　middle　ages。　　A　wish　to　become　intimately　acquainted　with　a　state　of　society　so　utterly　unlike　all　that　he　had　ever　seen　frequently　crossed　his　mind。　　But　it　is　not　probable　that　his　curiosity　would　have　overcome　his　habitual　sluggishness；　and　his　love　of　the　smoke；　the　mud；　and　the　cries　of　London；　had　not　Boswell　importuned　him　to　attempt　the　adventure；　and　offered　to　be　his　squire。　　At　length；　in　August　1773；　Johnson　crossed　the　Highland　line；　and　plunged　courageously　into　what　was　then　considered；　by　most　Englishmen；　as　a　dreary　and　perilous　wilderness。　　After　wandering　about　two　months　through　the　Celtic　region；　sometimes　in　rude　boats　which　did　not　protect　him　from　the　rain；　and　sometimes　on　small　shaggy　ponies　which　could　hardly　bear　his　weight；　he　returned　to　his　old　haunts　with　a　mind　full　of　new　images　and　new　theories。　　During　the　following　year　he　employed　himself　in　recording　his　adventures。　　About　the　beginning　of　1775；　his　Journey　to　the　Hebrides　was　published；　and　was；　during　some　weeks；　the　chief　subject　of　conversation　in　all　circles　in　which　any　attention　was　paid　to　literature。　　The　book　is　still　read　with　pleasure。　　The　narrative　is　entertaining；　the　speculations；　whether　sound　or　unsound；　are　always　ingenious；　and　the　style；　though　too　stiff　and　pompous；　is　somewhat　easier　and　more　graceful　than　that　of　his　early　writings。　　His　prejudice　against　the　Scotch　had　at　length　become　little　more　than　matter　of　jest；　and　whatever　remained　of　the　old　feeling　had　been　effectually　removed　by　the　kind　and　respectful　hospitality　with　which　he　had　been　received　in　every　part　of　Scotland。　　It　was；　of　course；　not　to　be　expected　that　an　Oxonian　Tory　should　praise　the　Presbyterian　polity　and　ritual；　or　that　an　eye　accustomed　to　the　hedgerows　and　parks　of　England　should　not　be　struck　by　the　bareness　of　Berwickshire　and　East　Lothian。　　But　even　in　censure　Johnson's　tone　is　not　unfriendly。　　The　most　enlightened　Scotchmen；　with　Lord　Mansfield　at　their　head；　were　well　pleased。　　But　some　foolish　and　ignorant　Scotchmen　were　moved　to　anger　by　a　little　unpalatable　truth　which　was　mingled　with　much　eulogy；　and　assailed　him　whom　they　chose　to　consider　as　the　enemy　of　their　country　with　libels　much　more　dishonourable　to　their　country　than　anything　that　he　had　ever　said　or　written。　　They　published　paragraphs　in　the　newspapers；　articles　in　the　magazines；　sixpenny　pamphlets；　five…shilling　books。　　One　scribbler　abused　Johnson　for　being　blear…eyed；　another　for　being　a　pensioner；　a　third　informed　the　world　that　one　of　the　Doctor's　uncles　had　been　convicted　of　felony　in　Scotland；　and　had　found　that　there　was　in　that　country　one　tree　capable　of　supporting　the　weight　of　an　Englishman。　　Macpherson；　whose　Fingal　had　been　proved　in　the　Journey　to　be　an　impudent　forgery；　threatened　to　take　vengeance　with　a　cane。　　The　only　effect　of　this　threat　was　that　Johnson　reiterated　the　charge　of　forgery　in　the　most　contemptuous　terms；　and　walked　about；　during　some　time；　with　a　cudgel；　which；　if　the　impostor　had　not　been　too　wise　to　encounter　it；　would　assuredly　have　descended　upon　him；　to　borrow　the　sublime　language　of　his　own　epic　poem；　〃like　a　hammer　on　the　red　son　of　the　furnace。〃　Of　other　assailants　Johnson　took　no　notice　whatever。　　He　had　early　resolved　never　to　be　drawn　into　controversy；　and　he　adhered　to　his　resolution　with　a　steadfastness　which　is　the　more　extraordinary；　because　he　was；　both　intellectually　and　morally；　of　the　stuff　of　which　controversialists　are　made。　　In　conversation；　he　was　a　singularly　eager；　acute；　and　pertinacious　disputant。　　When　at　a　loss　for　good　reasons；　he　had　recourse　to　sophistry；　and；　when　heated　by　altercation；　he　made　unsparing　use　of　sarcasm　and　invective。　　But；　when　he　took　his　pen　in　his　hand；　his　whole　character　seemed　to　be　changed。　　A　hundred　bad　writers　misrepresented　him　and　reviled　him；　but　not　one　of　the　hundred　could　boast　of　having