took it into his head, that the soul perceives only what is contiguous to, or inclosed in, its own substance, and consequently perceives not outward things themselves, but only ideas of them, this ideal system has been increasing in bulk and absurdity; and it is astonishing to see, that so many men of parts could be the dupes of it. All this rubbish is now cleared away, and a happy riddance it is. Dr Reid treats his opponents, and their tenets, with a respect and a solemnity, that sometimes tempt me to smile. His style is clear and simple; and his aversion to the word idea so great, that I think he never once uses it in delivering his own opinions. That little word has indeed been a source of much perplexity to metaphysicians; but it is easy to use it without ambiguity; and it has now established itself in the language so effectually, that we cannot well do without it. It was not without reason, that the learned Stillingfleet took the alarm at Locke's indiscreet use of that word. It was indeed an ignis fatuus to poor Mr Locke, and decoyed him, in spite of his excellent understanding, into a thousand pits and quagmires. Berkeley it bewildered still more; and it reduced David Hume to the

condition of a certain old gentleman, of whom

we read, that,

"Fluttering his pinions vain, "Plumb down he dropped ten thousand fathom deep."

LETTER CLXXXV.

DR BEATTIE TO MRS MONTAGU.

Aberdeen, 15th November, 1785.

"Please to accept, Madam, of my best thanks for the elegant copy of the last edition of your work, which was forwarded to me by Mr Dilly. I am glad to see you have now claimed the property of the three beautiful Dialogues; but it gives me concern to observe, that you have paid too much attention to my foolish remarks.

"The death of the Duchess-dowager of Portland* affected me most sensibly. I was no stranger to her virtues; I was under great obligations to them; and, from the tranquillity of her life, the cheerfulness of her temper, and the amusing nature of her favourite studies, I had flattered

* Vol. I. p. 335.

myself, that great ornament of her sex and country would live many years. Poor Mrs Delany!* I pitied her from my soul; but had I known all the truth, I should have been much more in pain for her. Having heard that she brought Dr Delany ten thousand pounds, which was a great fortune sixty years ago, I presumed that her circumstances were at least independent, if not opulent. I must blame her extraordinary request of being omitted in the Duchess's will; and I wonder her Grace would comply with it. What a charming account you give me of their Majesties' generosity to Mrs Delany!† There was more in it than generosity: there was an affectionate sympathy, and a goodness and tenderness of heart, which does them more honour than even that high station, to which their pre-eminence in virtue, as well as the laws of their country, gives them so just a title. When the When the rage of party subsides, and misrepresentations are forgotten, how great, and how amiable, will those distinguished characters appear!

Among the many curiosities which the Duchess of Portland had collected, there was a vo

VOL. II.

* Vol. I. P. 364.

+ Ibid.

2 A

lume, which you have no doubt seen, containing some prose-treatises in manuscript of the poet Prior. Her Grace was so good as to permit me to read them, and I read them with great pleasure. One of them, a dialogue between Locke and Montaigne, is an admirable piece of ridicule on the subject of Locke's philosophy; and seemed to me, when I read it, to be, in wit and humour, not inferior even to the Alma' itself. I took the liberty to say to the Duchess, that it was pity they were not given to the world; but I found her rather averse to the publication. She said, she could not bear to see her old friend criticised and censured by such people as the Critical Reviewers, &c. I hope the work will no longer be suppressed.

"Mr Boswell has published what I am informed is an extraordinary book, of the 'Sayings of Dr Johnson.' Johnson, no doubt, said many good things: but his want of temper, and violent prejudices, often divested him of his candour, and made him say what was not only improper, but in a very high degree censurable. I hope Mr Boswell has made the due distinction between what deserves to be known, and what ought to be forgotten."

The following letter from Dr Beattie to Mr Arbuthnot, gives, I think, a very just criticism on Mr Boswell's 'Tour to the Hebrides.'

LETTER CLXXXVI.

DR BEATTIE TO ROBERT ARBUTHNOT, ESQ.

Aberdeen, 26th November, 1785.

"Mr Boswell's book is arrived at last, and I have just gone through it. He is very good to me, as Dr Johnson always was; and I am very grateful to both. But I cannot approve the plan of such a work. To publish a man's letters, or his conversation, without his consent, is not, in my opinion, quite fair: for how many things, in the hour of relaxation, or in friendly correspondence, does a man throw out, which he would never wish to hear of again; and what a restraint would it be on all social intercourse, if one were to suppose that every word one utters would be entered in a register! Mr Boswell indeed says,