med of my country, a strong black fellow among them
said, "Inglese! sono barbari; non credono in Dio grande. English! they
are barbarians; they don't believe in the great GOD." I told him,
"Excuse me Sir. We do believe in GOD, and in Jesus Christ too." "Um,"
said he, "e nel Papa? and in the Pope?" "No." "E perche? And why?" This
was a puzzling question in these circumstances; for there was a great
audience to the controversy. I thought I would try a method of my own,
and very gravely replied, "Perche siamo troppo lontani. Because we are
too far off."[96] A very new argument against the universal
infallibility of the Pope. It took however; for my opponent mused a
while, and then said, "Troppo lontano! La Sicilia e tanto lontana che
l'Inghilterra; e in Sicilia si credono nel Papa. Too far off! Why Sicily
is as far off as England. Yet in Sicily they believe in the Pope." "O,"
said I "noi siamo dieci volte piu lontani che la Sicilia! We are ten
times farther off than Sicily." "Aha!" said he; and seemed quite
satisfied. In this manner I got off very well. I question much whether
any of the learned reasonings of our protestant divines would have had
so good an effect.

[Footnote 96: According to Macaulay ("Essays," vol. i., p. 378), "wit
was utterly wanting to Boswell."--ED.]

My journey over the mountains was very entertaining. I past some immense
ridges and vast woods. I was in great health and spirits, and fully able
to enter into the ideas of the brave rude men whom I found in all
quarters.

At Bastelica where there is a stately spirited race of people, I had a
large company to attend me in the convent. I liked to see their natural
frankness and ease;[97] for why should men be afraid of their own
species? They just came in making an easy bow, placed themselves round
the room where I was sitting, rested themselves on their muskets, and
immediately entered into conversation with me. They talked very
feelingly of the miseries that their country had endured, and complained
that they were still but in a state of poverty. I happened at that time
to have an unusual flow of spirits; and as one who finds himself amongst
utter strangers in a distant country has no timidity, I harangued the
men of Bastelica with great fluency. I expatiated on the bravery of the
Corsicans, by which they had purchased liberty, the most valuable of all
possessions, and rendered themselves glorious over all Europe. Their
poverty, I told them, might b