James Boswell -- 1 mei 1763

Sunday 1 May. I breakfasted with Macpherson, who had just returned from a trip through Holland and France with Lord Elibank. He said his ideas of this country were lessened by seeing the gaiety and splendour of France and the opulence and cleanliness of Holland. At the same time he said that to retain our high ideas of anything, we should not see it. He said too that few, if any, people were happy.

I was so bad this day that I could not settle to go to public worship. I met my friend Temple, who introduced me to his brother, a genteel, agreeable young man, a lieutenant in the Royal Volunteers. Temple sympathized much with my distress and forgave my not calling on him for some days. I dined at Doglas's , where was Captain Blair. This dinner was comfortable and hearty, and relieved me a good deal. Honest Blair was very good company. In the evening I called at Dempster's, where was Erskine.


James Boswell (1740-1795) was een Schotse advocaat en schrijver, bekend vanwege zijn The Life of Samuel Johnson, maar zeker ook vanwege zijn dagboeken, waaronder het London Journal 1762-1763.