The journal of a tour to the Hebrides Author:James Boswell Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The truth is, like the ancient Greeks and Remans, he allowed himfelf to look upon all nations but his own as barbarians: not only Ilibernia, but Spain, Italy, an... more »d France are attacked in the fame poem. If he was particularly prejudiced againft the Scots, it was becaufe they were more in his way; becaufe he thought their fuccefs in England rather exceeded the due proportion of their real merit ; and becaufe h could not but fee in them that nationality which I fliould think no liberal minded Scotfman will deny. He was indeed, if I may be allowed the phrafe, at bottom much of a Jobn Bull; much of a blunt true-born EngHJhman. There was a ftratiim of common clay under the rock of marble. "He was voracioufly fond of good eating ; and he had a great deal of that quality called humour, which gives an oilioefs and a glofs to every other quality. I am, I flatter myfelf, compleatly a citizen of the world.—In my travels through Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Corfica, France, I never felt myfelf from home; and I fincerely love " every kindred and tongue, and people " and nation.' I fubfcribe to what my late truly 'learned and philofophical friend 'Crojtie faid, that the Englifh are better animals than the Scots ; they are nearer the fun ; their blood is richer, and more mellow: 'but When I humour any of them in an outrageous v ''"" ' ' contempt chapter{Section 4contempt of Scotland, I fairly own I treat then? as children. And thus I have, at fome mo ments, found myfelf obliged to treat even. Dr. Johnfon. To Scotland however he ventured ; and he returned from it in great good humour, with his prejudices much leffened, and with very grateful feelings of the hofpitality with which he was treated; as is evident from that admirable work, his "Journey to the Weftern Iflands of Scotlan...« less