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The youth was juft ftooping down to take up the cushion, upon which I fuppofed he had been kneeling-the book was laid upon the bed,-and as he rose, in taking up the cushion with one hand, he reached out his other to take it away at the fame time.Let it remain there, my dear, faid the lieutenant.

He did not offer to fpeak to me, till I had walked up clofe to his bed-fide: -If you are Captain Shandy's fervant, faid he, you must prefent my thanks to your mafter, with my little boy's thanks along with them, for his courtefy to me, -if he was of Leven's-faid the lieutenant. I told him your honour was.

Then, faid he, I ferved three campaigns with him in Flanders, and remember him-but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honour of any acquaintance with him, that he knows nothing of me. -You will tell him, however, that the perfon his good-nature has laid under obligations to him, is one Le Fevre, a lieutenant in Angus's-but he knows me not,-faid he, a fecond time, mufing;-poffibly he may my ftory-added he-pray tell the captain, I was the enfign at Breda, whofe wife was moft unfortunately killed with a mufket-fhot, as the lay in my arms in my tent.--I remember the ftory, an't please your honour, faid I, very well-Do you fo? faid he, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief, then well may I.-In faying this, he drew a little ring out of his bofom, which feemed tied with a black ribband about his neck, and kiff ed it twice.--Here, Billy, faid he, the boy flew across the room to the bed. fide, and falling down upon his knee, took the ring in his hand, and kiffed it too, then kiffed his father, and fat down upon the bed and wept.

I wifh, faid my uncle Toby with a deep figh, I wish, Trim, I was aЛleep.

Your honour, replied the corporal, is too much concerned;-fhall I pour your honour out a glass of fack to your pipe? -Do, Trim, faid my uncle Toby.

I remember, faid my uncle Toby, fighing again, the ftory of the enfign and his wife, with a circumftance his modesty omitted; and particularly well that he, as well as fhe, upon fome ac

count or other, (I forget what) was univerfally pitied by the whole regiment;

but finish the ftory thou art upon : -'Tis finished already, said the corporal, for I could ftay no longer,-fo wifhed his honour a good night; young Le Fevre rofe from off the bed, and faw me to the bottom of the ftairs; and as we went down together, told me, they had come from Ireland, and were on their route to join their regiment in Flanders-But alas! faid the corporal, the lieutenant's laft day's march is over.--Then what is to become of his poor boy? cried my uncle Toby.

It was to my uncle Toby's eternal honour,- though I tell it only for the fake of thofe, who, when cooped in betwixt a natural and a positive law, know not for their fouls, which way in the world to turn themselves--That notwithstanding my uncle Toby was warmly engaged at that time in carrying on the fiege of Dendermond, parallel with the allies, who preffed theirs on fo vigorously that they fcarce allowed him time to get his dinner-that neverthelefs he gave up Dendermond, though he had already made a lodgment upon the counterfcarp; and bent his whole thoughts towards the private distresses at the inn; and, except that he ordered the garden-gate to be bolted up, by which he might be faid to have turned the fiege of Dendermond into a blockade-he left Dendermond to itfelf,-to be relieved or not by the French king, as the French king thought good; and only confidered how he himself should relieve the poor lieutenant and his fon.

That kind Being, who is a friend to the friendlefs, fhall recompenfe thee for this.

Thou haft left this matter fhort, faid my uncle Toby to the corporal, as he was putting him to bed,and I will tell thee in what, Trim.-In the first place, when thou madeft an offer of my fervices to Le Fevre,- as ficknefs and travelling are both expenfive, and thou knoweft he was but a poor lieutenant, with a fon to fubfift as well as himself, out of his pay, that thou didst not make an offer to him of my purfe; becaufe, had he flood in need, thou knoweft, Trim, he had been as welcome to it

as

as myself. Your honour knows, faid of death prefs'd heavy upon his eye

the corporal, I had no orders;--True, quoth my uncle Toby,-thou didst very right, Trim, as a foldier, but certainly very wrong as a man.

In the fecond place, for which, indeed, thou haft the fame excufe, continued my uncle Toby,--when thou offeredft him whatever was in my houfe, -thou should't have offered him my houfe too:- A fick brother officer fhould have the beft quarters, Trim; and if we had him with us, we could tend and look to him:thou art an excellent nurse thyfelf, Trim, and what with thy care of him, and the old woman's, and his boy's, and mine together, we might recruit him again at once, and fet him upon his legs.

In a fortnight or three weeks, added my uncle Toby, fmiling,-he might march. He will never march, an' please your honour, in the world, faid the corporal: He will march, faid my uncle Toby, rifing up from the fide of the bed, with one hoe off:-An' please your honour, faid the corporal, he will never march but to his grave :-He shall march, cried my uncle Toby, marching the foot which had a fhoe on, though without advancing an inch,-he fhall march to his regiment.He cannot ftand it, faid the corporal.-He fhall be fupported, faid my uncle Toby. He'll drop at laft, faid the corporal, and what will become of his boy? He fhall not drop, faid my uncle Toby, firmly.-A-well-o'day,-do what we can for him, faid Trim, maintaining his point, the poor foul will die :He fhall not die, by G-, cried my uncle Toby.

--The accufing Spirit which flew up to heaven's chancery with the oath, blushed as he gave it in-and the recording angel as he wrote it down, dropp'd a tear upon the word, and blotted it out for ever.

My uncle Toby went to his bureau,-put his purfe into his breeches pocket, and having ordered the corporal to go early in the morning for a phyfician, he went to bed and fell asleep.

lids, and hardly could the wheel at the ciftern turn round its circle,-when my uncle Toby, who had rose up an hour before his wonted time, entered the lieutenant's room, and without preface or apology fat himself down upon the chair, by the bed-fide, and independently of all modes and customs opened the curtain in the manner an old friend and brother officer would have done it, and asked him how he did, how he had refted in the night,-what was his complaint, where was his pain,—and what he could do to help him?--and without giving him time to answer any one of the enquiries, went on and told him of the little plan which he had been concerting with the corporal the night before for him.

You fhall go home directly, Le Fevre, faid my uncle Toby, to my house, and we'll fend for a doctor to fee what's the matter,-and well have an apothecary, and the corporal fhall be your nurfe;--and I'll be your servant, Le Fevre.

There was a franknefs in my uncle Toby,-not the effect of familiarity,but the cause of it,-which let you at once into his foul, and thewed you the goodness of his nature; to this, there was fomething in his looks, and voice, and manner, fuperadded, which eternally beckoned to the unfortunate to come and take fhelter under him; fo that before my uncle Toby had half finished the kind offers he was making to the father, had the fon infenfibly preffed up close to his knees, and had taken hold of the breast of his coat, and was pulling it towards him.The blood and fpirits of Le Fevre, which were waxing cold and flow within him, and were retreating to their laft citadel, the heart,-rallied back, the film forfook his eyes for a moment, he looked up wishfully in my uncle Toby's face,

then caft a look upon his boy,-and that ligament, fine as it was, was never broken.

Nature inftantly ebb'd again,--the film returned to its place, -the pulle The fun looked bright the morning flutter'd-topp'd-went on- —throbb'd after, to every eye in the village but Le-topp'd again-moved-stopp'dFevre's and his afflicted fon's; the hand fhall I go on --No. Sterne.

§ 2. YORICK'S

$2. YORICK's Death. A few hours before Yorick breathed his laft, Eugenius ftept in, with an intent to take his laft fight and laft farewel of him. Upon his drawing Yorick's curtain, and afking how he felt himfelf, Yorick looking up in his face, took hold of his hand, and, after thanking him for the many tokens of his friendship to him, for which, he faid, if it was their fate to meet hereafter, he would thank him again and again; he told him, he was within a few hours of giving his enemies the flip for ever.-I hope not, anfwered Eugenius, with tears trickling down his cheeks, and with the tenderelt tone that ever man fpoke,-I hope not, Yorick, faid he,Yorick replied, with a look up, and a gentle fqueeze of Eugenius's hand, and that was all, but it cut Eugenius to his heart.-Come, come, Yorick, quoth Eugenius, wiping his eyes, and fummoning up the man within him, my dear lad, be comforted,-let not all thy fpirits and fortitude forfake thee at this crifis when thou moft wanteft them;who knows what refources are in ftore, and what the power of God may yet do for thee?Yorick laid his hand upon his heart, and gently fhook his head; for my part continued Eugenius, crying bitterly as he uttered the words,I declare, I know not, Yorick, how to part with thee, and would gladly flatter my hopes, added Eugenius, chearing up his voice, that there is still enough of thee left to make a bishop, and that I may live to fee it. -I beseech thee, Eugenius, quoth Yorick, taking off his night-cap as well as he could with his left hand,his right being ftill grafped close in that of Eugenius, I befeech thee to take a view of my head.--I fee nothing that ails it, replied Eugenius. Then, alas! my friend, faid Yorick, let me tell you, that it is fo bruifed and mif- fhapened with the blows which have been fo unhandfomely given me in the dark, that I might fay with Sancho Panca, that fhould I recover, and " mitres thereupon be fuffered to rain down from "heaven as thick as hail, not one of them would fit it.-Yorick's laft breath was hanging upon his trembling

lips, ready to depart as he uttered this;

yet ftill it was uttered with fomething of a Cervantic tone;-and as he fpoke it, Eugenius could perceive a ftream of lambent fire lighted up for a moment in his eyes ;-faint picture of thofe flashes of his fpirit, which (as Shakespeare faid of his ancestor) were

wont to fet the table on a roar !

Eugenius was convinced from this, that the heart of his friend was broke; he fqueezed his hand, and then walked foftly out of the room, weeping as he walked. Yorick followed Eugenius with his eyes to the door,-he then clofed them--and never opened them more.

He lies buried in a corner of his church-yard, under a plain marble-flab, which his friend Eugenius, by leave of his executors, laid upon his grave, with

no more than these three words of infcription, ferving both for his epitaph, and elegy-

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other the most eloquent fpeaker in the academic grove. Mutual admiration foon begot a friendship. Their fortunes were nearly equal, and they were natives of the two most celebrated cities in the world; for Alcander was of Athens, Septimius came from Rome.

In this ftate of harmony they lived for fome time together; when Alcander, af. ter paffing the first part of his youth in the indolence of philofophy, thought at length of entering into the bufy world; and, as a step previous to this, placed his affections on Hypatia, a lady of exquifite beauty. The day of their intended nuptials was fixed; the previous ceremonies were performed; and nothing now remained but her being conducted in triumph to the apartment of the intended bridegroom,

Alcander's exultation in his own happinefs, or being unable to enjoy any fatisfaction without making his friend Septimius a partner, prevailed upon him to introduce Hypatia to his fellowftudent; which he did with all the gaiety of a man who found himself equally happy in friendship and love. But this was an interview fatal to the future peace of both; for Septimius no fooner faw her, but he was fmitten with an involuntary paffion; and, though he ufed every effort to fupprefs defires at once fo imprudent and unjust, the emotions of his mind in a short time became fo ftrong, that they brought on a fe. ver, which the phyficians judged incurable,

During this illness, Alcander watched him with all the anxiety of fondness, and brought his mistress to join in thofe amiable offices of friendship. The fa gacity of the phyficians, by thefe means, foon difcovered that the caufe of their patient's diforder was love: and Alcander being apprized of their discovery, at length extorted a confeffion from the reluctant dying lover.

It would but delay the narrative to defcribe the conflict between love and friendship in the breast of Alcander on this occafion; it is enough to say, that the Athenians were at that time arrived at fuch refinement in morals, that every virtue was carried to excefs. In fhort, forgetful of his own felicity, he gave

up his intended bride, in all her charms, to the young Roman, They were married privately by his connivance, and this unlooked-for change of fortune wrought as unexpected a change in the conftitution of the now happy Septimius: in a few days he was perfectly recovered, and fet out with his fair partner for Rome. Here, by an exertion of those talents which he was fo eminently poffeffed of, Septimius in a few years arrived at the higheft dignities of the ftate, and was constituted the city-judge, or prætor.

In the mean time Alcander not only felt the pain of being separated from his friend and his mistress, but a profecution was alfo commenced against him by the relations of Hypatia, for having bafely given up his bride, as was suggested, for money. His innocence of the crime laid to his charge, and even his eloquence in his own defence, were not able to withstand the influence of a powerful party. He was caft, and condemned to pay an enormous fine. However, being unable to raise fo large a fum at the time appointed, his poffeffions were confifcated, he himself was stripped of the habit of freedom, expofed as a flave in the market-place, and fold to the highest bidder.

A merchant of Thrace becoming his purchafer, Alcander, with fome other companions of diftrefs, was carried into that region of defolation and sterility. His ftated employment was to follow the herds of an imperious mafter, and his fuccefs in hunting was all that was allowed him to supply his precarious fubfiftence. Every morning awaked him to a renewal of famine or toil, and every change of feafon ferved but to aggravate his unfheltered distress. After fome years of bondage, however, an opportu nity of escaping offered; he embraced it with ardour; fo that travelling by night, and lodging in caverns by day, to fhorten a long story, he at last arrived in Rome. The fame day on which Alcander arrived, Septimius fate adminiftering juftice in the forum, whither our wanderer came, expecting to be inftantly known, and publicly acknowledged by his former friend. Here he ftood the whole day amongst the crowd, watching the eyes of the judge, and

expecting

expecting to be taken notice of; but he was fo much altered by a long fucceffion of hardships, that he continued unnoted among the reft; and, in the evening, when he was going up to the prætor's chair, he was brutally repulfed by the attending lictors. The attention of the poor is generally driven from one ungrateful object to another; for night coming on, he now found himself under a neceffity of feeking a place to lie in, and yet knew not where to apply. All emaciated, and in rags as he was, none of the citizens would harbour fo much wretchedness; and fleeping in the streets might be attended with interruption or danger: in fhort, he was obliged to take up his lodging in one of the tombs without the city, the ufual retreat of guilt, poverty, and defpair. In this manfion of horror, laying his head upon an inverted urn, he forgot his miferies for a while in fleep; and found, on his flinty couch, more eafe than beds of down can fupply to the guilty.

As he continued here, about midnight two robbers came to make this their retreat; but happening to difagree about the divifion of their plunder, one of them stabbed the other to the heart, and left him weltering in blood at the entrance. In these circumftances he was found next morning dead at the mouth of the vault. This naturally inducing a farther enquiry, an alarm was fpread; the cave was examined; and Alcander being found, was immediately apprehended, and accufed of robbery and murder. The circumftances against him were ftrong, and the wretchednefs of his appearance confirmed fufpicion. Misfortune and he were now fo long acquainted, that he at laft became regardless of life. He detefted a world where he had found only ingratitude, falfehood, and cruelty; he was deter. mined to make no defence; and thus, lowering with refolution, he was dragged, bound with cords, before the tribunal of Septimius. As the proofs were pofitive against him, and he offered nothing in his own vindication, the judge was proceeding to doom him to a moft cruel and ignominious death, when the attention of the multitude was foon divided by another object. The robber,

who had been really guilty, was apprehended felling his plunder, and, ftruck with a panic, had confeffed his crime, He was brought bound to the fame tribunal, and acquitted every other perfon of any partnership in his guilt. Alcander's innocence therefore appeared, but the fullen rafhnefs of his conduct remained a wonder to the furrounding multitude; but their aftonishment was ftill farther encreased, when they faw their judge ftart from his tribunal to embrace the fuppofed criminal: Septi. mius recollected his friend and former benefactor, and hung upon his neck with tears of pity and of joy. Need the fequel be related? Alcander was acquitted; fhared the friendship and honours of the principal citizens of Rome; lived afterwards in happiness and ease; and left it to be engraved on his tomb, That no circumftances are so desperate, which Providence may not relieve.

§ 4. The Monk.

A poor Monk of the order of St. Francis came into the room to beg fomething for his convent. The moment I caft my eyes upon him, I was pre-deter mined not to give him a fingle fous, and accordingly I put my purfe into my pocket-buttoned it up-fet myself a little more upon my center, and advanced up gravely to him: there was fomething, I fear, forbidding in my look: I have his figure this moment before my eyes, and think there was that in it which deferved better.

The Monk, as I judge from the break in his tonfure, a few scatterred white hairs upon his temples being all that remained of it, might be about feventy

but from his eyes, and that fort of fire which was in them, which seemed more tempered by courtesy than years, could be no more than fixty-truth might lie between-He was certainly fixty-five; and the general air of his countenance, notwithstanding fomething feemed to have been planting wrinkles in it before their time, agreed to the account.

It was one of those heads which Guido has often painted-mild-palepenetrating, free from all common-place ideas of fat contented ignorance looking

downwards

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