ock him down_,
or lock him up, you have my full authority, Sam." The despotism of this
amiable man was truly extraordinary, he ruled his "followers" with a rod
of iron. That such should be exercised, or accepted even by the reader,
is a note of the time. It was, however, only a logical consequence of
the other summary methods.

The altercation between Mr. Pickwick and his other "follower," Tupman,
arising out of the "two-inch tail" question, was on the same lines. For
the affront of being called fat and old the latter scientifically turned
up his cuffs and announced that he would inflict summary chastisement on
his leader. Mr. Pickwick met him with a cordial "come on," throwing
himself into a pugilistic attitude, supposed by the two bystanders to
have been intended as a posture of defence. This seems to have been
accepted as a natural incident, though it was deprecated. In the Fleet
Prison, when Mr. Pickwick's nightcap was snatched off, he retorted with a
smart blow, and again invited everyone, "all of you," to "come on." When
the coachmen attended Sam to the Fleet, walking eight abreast, they had
to leave behind one of the party "to fight a ticket porter, it being
arranged that his friends should call for him as they came back." Even
in a moment of agitation--as when Ben Allen learned that his sister had
"bolted," his impulse was to rush at Martin the groom and throttle him;
the latter, in return, "felling the medical student to the ground." Then
we have the extraordinary and realistic combat between Pott and Slurk in
the kitchen of the "Saracen's Head," Towcester--the one armed with a
shovel, the other with a carpet bag--and old Weller's chastisement of
Stiggins. In short, this system of chastisement on the spot, it is
clear, was a necessary equipment, and everybody, high and low, was
understood to be ready to secure satisfaction for himself by the aid of
violence. No doubt this was a consequence of the duel which was, of
course, to be had recourse to only as the last resort.

When the wretched Jingle, and the still more wretched Job met Mr.
Pickwick in the Fleet, and the latter, giving money, had said, "Take
that, sir," the author adds, "Take what? . . . As the world runs, it
ought to have been a sound, hearty cuff, for Mr. Pickwick had been duped,
deceived, &c." Thus, Boz thought, as of course, that this was the
suitable method of treatment in such cases. "Must we tell the truth?" he
goes on; "it was