13 APRIL 1912, Page 17

BOSWELL'S LITTLE MISTAKE.

[To TUX EDITOR or T1119 " SPECTATOR.1 SIR,—Boswell's inability to see anything moving in the writings of Dr. Johnson may have been owing to a lack of sympathetic imagination. Against Boswell we may cite Sir. Walter Scott, whose favourite poem was " The Vanity of Human Wishes." "Its deep and pathetic morality," be says,. " has often extracted tears from those whose eyes wander dry over pages professedly sentimental." Lockhart tells us that the last line which Sir Walter sent to the press was a quotation from it.—I am, Sir, &o.,