examined
them, and as I saw Dr. Johnson inspecting and measuring several of the
ruins of which he has since given so full an account, my mind was
quiescent; and I resolved to stroll among them at my ease, to take no
trouble to investigate minutely, and only receive the general impression
of solemn antiquity, and the particular ideas of such objects as should
of themselves strike my attention.

We walked from the monastery of Nuns to the great church or cathedral,
as they call it, along an old broken causeway. They told us, that this
had been a street; and that there were good houses built on each side.
Dr. Johnson doubted if it was any thing more than a paved road for the
nuns. The convent of Monks, the great church, Oran's chapel, and four
other chapels, are still to be discerned. But I must own that Icolmkill
did not answer my expectations; for they were high, from what I had read
of it, and still more from what I had heard and thought of it, from my
earliest years. Dr. Johnson said, it came up to his expectations,
because he had taken his impression from an account of it subjoined to
Sacheverel's _History of the Isle of Man_[900], where it is said, there
is not much to be seen here. We were both disappointed, when we were
shewn what are called the monuments of the kings of Scotland, Ireland,
and Denmark, and of a King of France. There are only some grave-stones
flat on the earth, and we could see no inscriptions. How far short was
this of marble monuments, like those in Westminster Abbey, which I had
imagined here! The grave-stones of Sir Allan M'Lean's family, and of
that of M'Quarrie, had as good an appearance as the royal grave-stones;
if they were royal, we doubted.

My easiness to give credit to what I heard in the course of our Tour was
too great. Dr. Johnson's peculiar accuracy of investigation detected
much traditional fiction, and many gross mistakes. It is not to be
wondered at, that he was provoked by people carelessly telling him, with
the utmost readiness and confidence, what he found, on questioning them
a little more, was erroneous[901]. Of this there were innumerable
instances.

I left him and Sir Allan at breakfast in our barn, and stole back again
to the cathedral, to indulge in solitude and devout meditation[902].
While contemplating the venerable ruins, I refleeted with much
satisfaction, that the solemn scenes of piety never lose their sanctity
and influence, though the cares and follies of l