IN OPTIMATIUM VERO MAGNÃ BRITANNIÃ SENATU, JURE HÃREDITARIO, OLIM CONSESSURO:
VIM INSITAM VARIA DOCTRINA PROMOVENTE, NEC TAMEN SE VENDITANTE, PRÃDITO:
PRISCA FIDE, ANIMO LIBERRIMO, ET MORUM ELEGANTIA INSIGNI:
IN ITALIÃ VISITANDÃ ITINERE, SOCIO SUO HONORATISSIMO, HASCE JURISPRUDENTÃ PRIMITIAS DEVINCTISSIMÃ AMICITIÃ ET OBSERVANTIÃ MONUMENTUM, D. D. C Q.
JACOBUS BOSWELL. BOSWELL.
[62] See ante, i. 211.
[63] See post, May 19, 1778.
[64] This alludes to the first sentence of the Proæmium of my Thesis. 'JURISPRUDENTà studio nullum uberius, nullum generosius: in legibus enim agitandis, populorum mores, variasque fortunæ vices ex quibus leges oriuntur, contemplari simul solemus_' BOSWELL.
[65] 'Mr. Boswell,' says Malone, 'professed the Scotch and the English law; but had never taken very great pains on the subject. His father, Lord Auchinleck, told him one day, that it would cost him more trouble to hide his ignorance in these professions than to show his knowledge. This Boswell owned he had found to be true.' European Magazine, 1798, p. 376. Boswell wrote to Temple in 1775:—'You are very kind in saying that I may overtake you in learning. Believe me though that I have a kind of impotency of study.' Letters of Boswell, p. 181.
[66] This is a truth that Johnson often enforced. 'Very few,' said the poet; 'live by choice: every man is placed in his present condition by causes which acted without his foresight, and with which he did not always willingly co-operate.' Rasselas, chap. 16. 'To him that lives well,' answered the hermit, 'every form of life is good; nor can I give any other rule for choice than to remove from all apparent evil.' Ib, chap. 21. 'Young man,' said Omar, 'it is of little use to form plans of life.' The Idler, No. 101.