Scottish Men of Letters in the Eighteenth Century Volume 3 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 Excerpt: ...Blair, Kames, and Monboddo--were meek before him. David Hume had only quitted that James' Court the year before for St. Andrew Square, having lived in the very stair in which the Boswells dwelt, else the portly bodies of the moralist and the philosopher might have come in collision in the turnpike staircase.1 Scotsmen of fashion and men of letters thought little of his English breeding; he disgusted hosts by his manner, and hostesses by his manners. What could they say, Whigs as they were, as the Tory vociferated at the table of a Lord of Session: "Sir, George the First was a robber, George the Second was a brute, George the Third is an idiot "-Yet how deferential he was at the evening party at James' Court to the old Duchess of Douglas, stupid and illiterate, whom Johnson describes as " talking broad Scots with a paralytic voice, scarce understood by her own countrymen." There he was, devoting his uncouth attention to her vulgar old Grace, whose unintelligible stupidity Boswell translated for the ear of his guest.3 All this was true; but what triumph was it for Bozzy to introduce his distinguished companion to the great persons in Edinburgh? to point out to his purblind vision the sights of the capital; to conduct him arm-in-arm to the Parliament Close, and pose before his brother advocates as the bosom friend of a very great man; although he was taken aback by Henry Erskine, with gross frivolity, slipping a shilling into his hand, saying it was payment "for a sight of his bear." Right glad was Mrs. Boswell when she saw the broad back of the learned rambler turned, as he set forth on his journey with her spouse, in his huge brown coat with vast capacious pockets able to contain two volumes folio, in his huge boots, and bearing...