Samuel Johnson on Scotland and the Scots, as Reported by Boswell

.

The Battle of Culloden: David Morier, 1746

"He would not allow Scotland to derive any credit from Lord Mansfield; for he was educated in England. 'Much may be made of a Scotchman, if he be *caught* young.'"

"Mr. Arthur Lee mentioned some Scotch who had taken possession of a barren part of America, and wondered why they would choose it. Johnson: 'Why, Sir, all barrenness is comparative. The *Scotch* would not know it to be barren.'"

"Your country consists of two things, stone and water. There is, indeed, a little earth above the stone in some places, but a very little; and the stone is always appearing. It is like a man in rags; the naked skin is still peeping out."

"What enemy would invade Scotland, where there is nothing to be got?"

"Knowledge was divided among the Scots, like bread in a besieged town, to every man a mouthful, to no man a bellyful."

"Asked by a Scot what Johnson thought of Scotland: 'That it is a very vile country, to be sure, Sir' 'Well, Sir! (replies the Scot, somewhat mortified), God made it.' Johnson: 'Certainly he did; but we must always remember that he made it for Scotchmen.'"

From James Boswell: The Life of Samuel Johnson, 1791

Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh: Joseph William Mallord Turner, c. 1819 (National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh)

Serpentine heath, Virda Field. Serpentine heath, a sedge-rich heath growing on basic serpentine rocks, on the southern slopes of Virda Field, looking towards the islands of Balta and Huney: photo by Mike Pennington, 21 June 2003

The Flow country in Sutherland. A very small part of the 4000 sq km blanket bog in Sutherland and Caithness taken from near the top of Maovally. The drizzle encourages the feeling of total saturation! The lochans seems to follow the line of the watershed. The ridges seem to be bog "stretch marks" as it flows down the slope in the foreground to Glen Cassley and in the background to Loch Shin: photo by Graeme Smith, 5 September 2008

Heather Moorland, Meall Reamhar. Photo taken near the southwestern top of Meall Reamhar where the heather is 'thinner' and there are occasional outcrops of exposed rock: photo by Robert Bone, 23 April 2007

Glacial Erratics. A number of erratic rocks are scattered here by Allt a' Bhealaich Dhuibh: photo by OLU, 17 October 2006

Glacial Erratics. Glacial erratics photographed at evening across Gorm Loch Mor: photo by AlastairG, 22 March 2005

Stream on Ben Killilan by Creag Mhor. Looking toward Loch Carron in the distance: photo by Paul Farr, 16 December 2005

Coast of Lunna Ness south of Neegirth, near to Hamnavoe, Shetland Islands. The large stones on the hill, just in the adjoining square, are named Stofast: photo by Mike Pennington, 30 April 2010

Inhabitants of St. Kildans sitting on the village street: photographer unknown, 1886 (National Trust of Scotland)

Northwest Highlands of Scotland, empty land in the northern part: photo by Manfred Heyde, 1995

John Forbes: Death, an Ode

.

"I didnae ken!": A Scotsman being hit by a pie: Adam Cuerden, 2008

Death, you’re more successful than America,
even if we don’t choose to join you, we do.
I’ve just become aware of this conscription
where no one’s marble doesn’t come up;
no use carving your name on a tree, exchanging vows
or not treading on the cracks for luck
where there’s no statistical anomalies at all
& you know not the day nor the hour, or even if you do
timor mortis conturbat me. No doubt we’d
think this in a plunging jet & the black box recorder
would note each individual, unavailing scream
but what gets me is how compulsory it is --
‘he never was a joiner’ they wrote on his tomb.
At least bingeing becomes heroic & I can see
why the Victorians
so loved drawn-out death-bed scenes:
huddled before our beautiful century, they knew
what first night nerves were all about.

Zeus: Portrait of a God (Portrait of John Forbes): Ken Searle, n.d.; photo by Watters Gallery Sydney (via Jacket 3, April 1998)


John Forbes: photo by John Tranter, 20 July 1990 (via Jacket 3, April 1998)

John Forbes (1950-1998): Death, an Ode, from The Stunned Mullet, 1988

William Dunbar: Lament, When He Was Seik

.

The Cripples: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1568 (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

.I that in heill wes and gladnes,

Am trublit now with gret seiknes,

And feblit with infermité;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.Our plesance heir is all vane glory,

This fals warld is bot transitory,

The flesche is brukle, the Fend is sle;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.The stait of man dois change and vary,

Now sound, now seik, now blith, now sary,

Now dansand mery, now like to dee;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.No stait in erd heir standis sickir;

As with the wynd wavis the wickir

Wavis this warldis vanité.

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.On to the ded gois all estatis,

Princis, prelotis, and potestatis,

Baith riche and pur of al degré;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He takis the knychtis in to feild,

Anarmit under helme and scheild;

Victour he is at all mellé;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.That strang unmercifull tyrand

Takis on the moderis breist sowkand

The bab full of benignité;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He takis the campion in the stour,

The capitane closit in the tour,

The lady in bour full of bewté;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He sparis no lord for his piscence,

Na clerk for his intelligence;

His awfull strak may no man fle;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.Art-magicianis, and astrologgis,

Rethoris, logicianis, and theologgis --

Thame helpis no conclusionis sle;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.In medicyne the most practicianis,

Lechis, surrigianis, and phisicianis,

Thame self fra ded may not supplé;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.I se that makaris amang the laif

Playis heir ther pageant, syne gois to graif;

Sparit is nocht ther faculté;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

.He hes done petuously devour,

The noble Chaucer, of makaris flour,

The Monk of Bery, and Gower, all thre;

...Timor mortis conturbat me.

The Triumph of Death: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)

The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)



The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)



The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)


The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)


The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)


The Triumph of Death (detail): Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1562 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)

heill = health
Timor mortis conturbat me = The fear of death confounds me
bruckle = brittle
sle = sly
sary = sorrowful
like = likely
erd = earth
sickir = secure
wickir = willow branch
the ded = death
potentatis = rulers
in to = in (the)
anarmyt = armed
mellé = combat, skirmish
sowkand = sucking
benignité = graciousness, meekness
campion = champion
stour = battle
closit = enclosed (for defence)
bour = bower
piscence = puissance, power
clerk = scholar
strak = stroke
Thame helpis no conclusionis sle = 'No subtle conclusions can help them'
most = greatest
lechis = physicians
supplé = deliver
laif = rest
pageant = pageant (of life)
syne = then
graif = grave
faculté = profession
of makaris flour = the flower of makers (poets)


William Dunbar (1456?-1513?): from Lament, When He Was Seik, c. 1500