In the case of knots ,—by which, in the first place, I would not be understood to mean slipknots—because in the course of my life and opinions—my opinions concerning them will come in more properly when I mention the catastrophe of my great uncle Mr. Hammond Shandy ,—a little man,—but of high fancy:—he rushed into the duke of Monmouth’s affair:⸺nor, secondly, in this place, do I mean that particular species of knots called bowknots;—there is so little address, or skill, or patience required in the unloosing them, that they are below my giving any opinion at all about them.—But by the knots I am speaking of, may it please your reverences to believe, that I mean good, honest, devilish tight, hard knots, made bona fide, as Obadiah made his;⸺in which there is no quibbling provision made by the duplication and return of the two ends of the strings thro’ the annulus or noose made by the second implication of them—to get them slipp’d and undone by.—I hope you apprehend me.
In the case of these knots then, and of the several obstructions, which, may it please your reverences, such knots cast in our way in getting through life⸺every hasty man can whip out his penknife and cut through them.⸺’Tis wrong. Believe me, Sirs, the most virtuous way, and which both reason and conscience dictate⸺is to take our teeth or our fingers to them.⸺ Dr. Slop had lost his teeth—his favourite instrument, by extracting in a wrong direction, or by some misapplication of it, unfortunately slipping, he had formerly, in a hard labour, knock’d out three of the best of them with the handle of it:⸻he tried his fingers—alas; the nails of his fingers and thumbs were cut close.⸺The duce take it! I can make nothing of it either way, cried Dr. Slop .⸺The trampling overhead near my mother’s bedside increased.—Pox take the fellow! I shall never get the knots untied as long