ere is no catching
him.' JOHNSON. 'At the same time one does not know what to say. For
perhaps one may, a year after, hang himself from uneasiness for having
shot a man. Few minds are fit to be trusted with so great a thing.'
BOSWELL. 'Then, Sir, you would not shoot him?' JOHNSON. 'But I might be
vexed afterwards for that too.'

Thrale's carriage not having come for him, as he expected, I accompanied
him some part of the way home to his own house. I told him, that I had
talked of him to Mr. Dunning a few days before, and had said, that in
his company we did not so much interchange conversation, as listen to
him; and that Dunning observed, upon this, 'One is always willing to
listen to Dr. Johnson:' to which I answered, 'That is a great deal from
you, Sir.'--'Yes, Sir, (said Johnson,) a great deal indeed. Here is a
man willing to listen, to whom the world is listening all the rest of
the year.' BOSWELL. 'I think, Sir, it is right to tell one man of such
a handsome thing, which has been said of him by another. It tends to
increase benevolence.' JOHNSON. 'Undoubtedly it is right, Sir.'

On Tuesday, April 7, I breakfasted with him at his house. He said,
'nobody was content.' I mentioned to him a respectable person in
Scotland whom he knew; and I asserted, that I really believed he was
always content. JOHNSON. 'No, Sir, he is not content with the present;
he has always some new scheme, some new plantation, something which is
future. You know he was not content as a widower; for he married again.'
BOSWELL. 'But he is not restless.' JOHNSON. 'Sir, he is only locally at
rest. A chymist is locally at rest; but his mind is hard at work. This
gentleman has done with external exertions. It is too late for him to
engage in distant projects.' BOSWELL. 'He seems to amuse himself quite
well; to have his attention fixed, and his tranquillity preserved by
very small matters. I have tried this; but it would not do with
me.' JOHNSON. (laughing,) 'No, Sir; it must be born with a man to be
contented to take up with little things. Women have a great advantage
that they may take up with little things, without disgracing themselves:
a man cannot, except with fiddling. Had I learnt to fiddle, I should
have done nothing else.' BOSWELL. 'Pray, Sir, did you ever play on any
musical instrument?' JOHNSON. 'No, Sir. I once bought me a flagelet;
but I never made out a tune.' BOSWELL. 'A flagelet, Sir!--so small an
instrument? I should have liked to he