not always skill that prevails.  It depends much on presence of mind; nay on accidents.  The wind may be in a man’s face.  He may fall.  Many such things may decide the superiority.  A man is sufficiently punished, by being called out, and subjected to the risk that is in a duel.’  But on my suggesting that the injured person is equally subjected to risk, he fairly owned he could not explain the rationality of duelling.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20.

When I awaked, the storm was higher still.  It abated about nine, and the sun shone; but it rained again very soon, and it was not a day for travelling.  At breakfast, Dr. Johnson told us, ’there was once a pretty good tavern in Catherine-street in the Strand, where very good company met in an evening, and each man called for his own half-pint of wine, or gill, if he pleased; they were frugal men, and nobody paid but for what he himself drank.  The house furnished no supper; but a woman attended with mutton-pies, which any body might purchase.  I was introduced to this company by Cumming the Quaker[632], and used to go there sometimes when I drank wine.  In the last age, when my mother lived in London, there were two sets of people, those who gave the wall, and those who took it; the peaceable and the quarrelsome.  When I returned to Lichfield, after having been in London, my mother asked me whether I was one of those who gave the wall, or those who took it.  Now, it is fixed that every man keeps to the right; or, if one is taking the wall, another yields it, and it is never a dispute[633].’  He was very severe on a lady, whose name was mentioned.  He said, he would have sent her to St. Kilda.  That she was as bad as negative badness could be, and stood in the way of what was good:  that insipid beauty would not go a great way; and that such a woman might be cut out of a cabbage, if there was a skilful artificer.

M’Leod was too late in coming to breakfast.  Dr. Johnson said, laziness was worse than the tooth-ach.  BOSWELL.  ’I cannot agree with you, Sir; a bason of cold water or a horse whip will cure laziness.’  JOHNSON.  ’No, Sir, it will only put off the fit; it will not cure the disease.  I have been trying to cure my laziness all my life, and could not do it.’  BOSWELL.  ’But if a man does in a shorter time what might be the labour of a life, there is nothing to be said against him.’  JOHNSON (perceiving at once that I alluded to him and his Dictionary).  ’Suppose that flattery to be true, the consequence would be, that the world would have no right to censure a man; but that will not justify him to himself[634].’