I never
catched Mallet in a Scotch accent; and yet Mallet, I suppose, was past
five-and-twenty before he came to London.'
I again visited him at night. Finding him in a very good humour, I
ventured to lead him to the subject of our situation in a future state,
having much curiosity to know his notions on that point. . . .
BOSWELL. 'I do not know whether there are any well-attested stories
of the appearance of ghosts. You know there is a famous story of the
appearance of Mrs. Veal, prefixed to Drelincourt on Death.' JOHNSON. 'I
believe, Sir, that is given up. I believe the woman declared upon her
death-bed that it was a lie.' BOSWELL. 'This objection is made against
the truth of ghosts appearing: that if they are in a state of happiness,
it would be a punishment to them to return to this world; and if they
are in a state of misery, it would be giving them a respite.' JOHNSON.
'Why, Sir, as the happiness or misery of embodied spirits does not
depend upon place, but is intellectual, we cannot say that they are less
happy or less miserable by appearing upon earth.
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