The journal of a tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson (Everyman's library. Travel and topography)

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. 1807 edition. Excerpt: ...like a shirt made for a man when he was a child, and enlarged always as he grows older," We talked to night of Luther's allowing the Landgrave of Hesse two wives, and that it was with the consent of the wife to whom he was first married.--Johnson. "There was no harm in this, so far as she was only concerned, because volenti rionjit injuria. But it was an offence against the general order of society, and against the law of the Gospel, by which one'man and one woman are to be united. No man can have two wives, but by preventing somebody else from having one," FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17. After dinner yesterday, we had a conversation upon cunning. M'Leod said that he was not afraid qf cunning people; but would let them play their tricks about him like monkeys, f But, (said I,) they'll scratch;" and Mr. M'Queen added, "they'll invent new tricks, as soon as you find out what they do."--Johnson. "Cunning has effect from the credulity of others, rather than from the abilities of those who are cunning. It requires no extraordi-r nary talents to lie and deceive."--This led us to consider whether it did not require great abilities to be very wickecl.-JoHNSON. "It requires great abilities to have the power of being very wicked; but not to be very wicked. A man who has the power, which great abilities procure him, may use it well or ill; and it requires more abilities to use it well, than to use it ill. Wickedness is always easier than virtue; for it takes the short cut to every thing. It is much easier to steal a hundred pounds, than to get it by labour, or any other way. Consider only what act of wickedness requires great abilities to commit it, when once the person who is to do it has the power; for there is the distinction. It requires great abilities to...