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 hear you play on the violoncello.
THAT should have been YOUR instrument.' JOHNSON. 'Sir, I might as
well have played on the violoncello as another; but I should have done
nothing else. No, Sir; a man would never undertake great things, could
he be amused with small. I once tried knotting. Dempster's sister
undertook to teach me; but I could not learn it.' BOSWELL. 'So, Sir; it
will be related in pompous narrative, "Once for his amusement he
tried knotting; nor did this Hercules disdain the distaff."' JOHNSON.
'Knitting of stockings is a good amusement. As a freeman of Aberdeen I
should be a knitter of stockings.
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