When Dr Johnson and I were left by ourselves, I read to him my notes
of the opinions of our Judges upon the questions of Literary Property.
He did not like them; and said, 'they make me think of your Judges not
with that respect which I should wish to do'. To the argument of one
of them, that there can be no property in blasphemy or nonsense, he
answered, 'then your rotten sheep are mine! By that rule, when a man's
house falls into decay, he must lose it.' I mentioned an argument of
mine, that literary performances are not taxed. As Churchill says,

No statesman yet has thought it worth his pains
To tax our labours, or excite our brains;

and therefore they are not property. 'Yet,' said he, 'we hang a man
for stealing a horse, and horses are not taxed.' Mr Pitt has since put
an end to that argument.


Wednesday, 18th August

On this day we set out from Edinburgh. We should gladly have had Mr
Scott to go with us; but he was obliged to return to England. I have
given a sketch of Dr Johnson: my readers may wish to know a little of
his fellow traveller. Think then, of a gentleman of ancient blood, the
pride of which was his predominant passion. He was then in his
thirty-third year, and had been about four years happily married. His
inclination was to be a soldier; but his father, a respectable judge,
had pressed him into the profession of the law. He had travelled a
good deal, and seen many varieties of human life. He had thought more
than any body supposed, and had a pretty good stock of general