immediately entered on the subject, and treated it in a masterly manner; and so far as I have been able to recollect, his thoughts were these:  ’Sir, as men become in a high degree refined, various causes of offence arise; which are considered to be of such importance, that life must be staked to atone for them, though in reality they are not so.  A body that has received a very fine polish may be easily hurt.  Before men arrive at this artificial refinement, if one tells his neighbour he lies, his neighbour tells him he lies; if one gives his neighbour a blow, his neighbour gives him a blow:  but in a state of highly polished society, an affront is held to be a serious injury.  It must therefore be resented, or rather a duel must be fought upon it; as men have agreed to banish from their society one who puts up with an affront without fighting a duel.  Now, Sir, it is never unlawful to fight in self-defence.  He, then, who fights a duel, does not fight from passion against his antagonist, but out of self-defence; to avert the stigma of the world, and to prevent himself from being driven out of society.  I could wish there was not that superfluity of refinement; but while such notions prevail, no doubt a man may lawfully fight a duel.’

The General told us, that when he was a very young man, I think only fifteen, serving under Prince Eugene of Savoy, he was sitting in a company at table with a Prince of Wirtemberg.  The Prince took up a glass of wine, and, by a fillip, made some of it fly in Oglethorpe’s face.  Here was a nice dilemma.  To have challenged him instantly, might have fixed a quarrelsome character upon the young soldier:  to have taken no notice of it might have been considered as cowardice.  Oglethorpe, therefore, keeping his eye upon the Prince, and smiling all the time, as if he took what his Highness had done in jest, said ‘Mon Prince,—­’.  (I forget the French words he used, the purport however was,) ’That’s a good joke; but we do it much better in England;’ and threw a whole glass of wine in the Prince’s face.  An old General who sat by, said, ’Il a bien fait, mon Prince, vous l’avez commence:’  and thus all ended in good humour.

Dr. Johnson said, ’Pray, General, give us an account of the siege of Belgrade.’  Upon which the General, pouring a little wine upon the table, described every thing with a wet finger:  ’Here we were, here were the Turks,’ &c. &c.  Johnson listened with the closest attention.

A question was started, how far people who disagree in a capital point can live in friendship together.  Johnson said they might.  Goldsmith said they could not, as they had not the idem velle atque idem nolle—­the same likings and the same aversions.  Johnson.  ’Why, Sir, you must shun the subject as to which you disagree.  For instance, I can live very well with Burke:  I love his knowledge, his genius, his diffusion, and affluence of conversation; but I would not talk to him of the Rockingham party.’