faid I, very well. Do youfo, faid he, wip- Your honour, replied the corporal, is too much concerned:-fhall I pour your honour out a glafs of fack to your pipe?-Do, Trim, faid my uncle Toby. the | of Dendermond, parallel with the allies, who preffed theirs on fo vigorously that they scarce allow him time to get his dinner------that neverthelefs he gave up Dendermond, though he had already made a lodgment upon counterfcarp; and bent his whole thoughts towards the private diftreffes 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 itself,--- 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. I remember, faid my uncle Toby, fighing again, the story of the enfign and his wife, with a circumftance his modefty omitted;- Thou has left this matter fhort, faid my and particularly well that he, as well as the, uncle Toby to the corporal, as he was putting upon fome account or other, (I forgot what) him to bed, and I will tell thee in what, was univerfally pitied by the whole regiment; Trim.-In the first place, when thou madeft -but finish the fhory thou art upon :'Tis an offer of my fervices to Le Fevre,---as fickfinished already, faid the corporal,-for Inefs and travelling are both expensive, and could ftay no longer,-fo wifhed his honour, a good night; young Le Fevre rose 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 last 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 pofitive 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 thou knoweft he was but a poor lieutenant, with a son to subsist as well as himself, out of his pay,---that thou didst not make an offer to him of my purfe; because, had he stood in need, thou knoweft, Trim, he had been as welcome to it as myfelf-----Your honour knows, faid the corporal, I had no orders; --True, quoth my uncle Toby,-----thou didft 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 house,-----thou shouldeft have of fered him my houfe too :-----A fick brother officer thould have the best quarters, Trim; and if we had him with us,---we could tend and look to him-thou art an excellent nurfe thyself, Trim,——and what with thy care of him, and the old woman's, and his boys, and mine together, we might recruit him again at once, and fet him upon his kgs. do to help him?and, without giving him time to anfwer 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. when my uncle Toby, who had rose up an hour before his wonted time, entered the licutenant's room, and without preface or apology fat himself down upon the chair, by the bed-fide, and independently of all modes and cuftoms, opened the curtain in the manner an -In a fortnight or three weeks, added old friend and brother officer would have done my uncle Toby, fmiling, he might march. it, and afked him how he did, how he had -He will never march, an' pleafe your ho- refted in the night,-what was his complaint, nour, in the world, faid the corporal:-He--where was his pain, and what he could will march, faid my uncle Toby, rifing up from the fide of the bed, with one thoc off: An' please your honour, faid the corporal, he will never march but to his grave:He thall march, cried my uncle Toby, marching the foot which had a fhoe on, though without advancing an inch, he thall 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 thall not drop, faid my uncle Toby, firmly.-A-well- There was a franknefs in my uncle Toby, y'day, do what we can, faid Trim, for him,not the effect of familiarity, but the caufe maintaining his point, the poor foul will die -He fhall not die, by G-, cried my uncle Toby.@ -You fhall go home directly, Le Fevre, faid my uncle Toby, to my houfe, and we'll fend for a doctor to fec what's the matter,— and we'll have an apothecary, and the corporal fhall be your nurfe, and I'll be your fervant, Le Fevre. 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 -The accusing spirit, which flew up to voice, and manner, fuperadded, which eterheaven's chancery with the oath, blushed as nally beckoned to the unfortunate to come he gave it in-and the recording angel, as he and take fhelter under him; fo that before my wrote it down, dropp'd a tear upon the word, uncle Toby had half finished the kind offers and blotted it out for ever. he was making to the father, had the fon in--My uncle Toby went to his bureau,fenfibly preffed up clofe to his knees, and had put his purfe into his breeches pocket, and having ordered the corporal to go early in the oming for a physician, he went to bed, and fell asleep. The fun looked bright the morning after, to every eye in the village but Le Fevre's and his afflicted fon's; the hand of death preffed eavy upon his eye-lids,-and hardly could wheel at the ciftern turn round it's circle, 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 withfully in my uncle Toby's face, then caft a look upon his boy,-and that ligament, fine as it was, was never broken. Ꭵ ; Nature inftantly ebb'd again, the film returned to its place, the pulfe flutter'd ftopp'd-went on-throbb'd-topp'd again -mov'd-stopp'd-shall I go on ——No. Sterne. § 2. YORICK's Death. taking off his night-cap as well as he could with his left hand, his right being fill grafped clofe 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-shapened with the blows which have been so unhand fomely given me in the dark, that I might say 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 last 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 spoke it, Eugenius could perceive ftream of lambent fire lighted up for a mo ment in his eyes;faint picture of thofe flathes of his fpirit, which (as Shakespeare faid of his ancestor) were wont to set the a A few hours before Yorick breathed his Jaft, Eugenius stept in, with an intent to take his last fight and laft farewel of him. Upon his drawing Yorick's curtain, and asking how he felt himself, 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 tender ft tone that ever man fpoke,-1 hope not, Yorick, faid he.Yo-table in a roar ! rick replied, with a look up, and a gentle Eugenius was convinced from this, that the fquecze of Eugenius's hand,-and that was heart of his friend was broke; he fqueezed all, but it cut Eugenius to his heart. his hand,and then walked foftly out of Come, come, Yorick, quoth Eugenius, wip- the room, weeping as he walked. Yorick ing his eyes, and fummoning up the man followed Eugenius with his eyes to the door, within him, my dear lad, be comforted,-let--he then clofed them-and never opened nct all thy fpirits and fortitude forfake thee them more. at this crifis when thou most 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 befeech thee, Eugenius, quoth Yorick, 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→ Alas, poor YORICK! Ten times a day has Yorick's ghoft the remained but her being conducted in triumph. confolation to hear his monumental infcription to the apartment of the intended brideread over with fuch a variety of plaintive groom. tones, as denote a general pity and cfteem for him, a foot-way croffing the church-yard clofe by his grave, not a paffenger goes by, without ftopping to cast a look upon it, and fighing as he walks on, Alas, poor YORICK! Sterne. Alcander's exultation in his own happiness, or being unable to enjoy any fatisfaction without making his friend Septimius a partner, prevailed upon him to introduce Hypatia to his fellow-firdent; which he did with all the gaiety of a man who found himfelf equally happy in friendship and love. But this was an-interview fatal to the future peace of both; 3. The Story of ALCANDER and SEP-for Septimius no fooner faw her, but he was TIMIUS. marian. Taken from a Byzantine Hif though he used every effort to fupprefs defires fmitten with an involuntary paffion; and, at once fo imprudent and unjust, the emotions Athens, long after the decline of the Ro- of his mind in a thort time became fo ftrong, man empire, ftill continued the feat of learn- that they brought on a fever, which the phying, politenefs, and wildom. Theodoric theficians judged incurable. Oftrogoth repaired the schools which barbarity During this illness, Alcander watched him was fuffering to fall into decay, and continued with all the anxiety of fondnefs, and brought those penfions to men of learning which ava- his mistress to join in thofe amiable offices of ricious governors had monopolized. friendship. The fagacity of the phyficians, In this city, and about this period, Alcan-by thefe means, foon discovered, that the der and Septimies were fellow-ftudents together: the one the most subtle reasoner of all the Lyceum, the other the moft eloquent fpeaker in the academic grove. Mutual admiration foon begot a friendship. Their for- It would but delay the narrative to defcribe tunes were nearly equal, and they were na- the conflict between love and friendship in tives of the two moft celebrated cities in the the breaft of Alcander on this occafion; it world; for Alcander was of Athens, Sep-is enough to fay, that the Athenians were at timius came from Rome. canfe of their patient's diforder was love: and Alcander being apprised of their difcovery, at length extorted a confeffion from the reluctant dying lover. that time arrived in fuch retinement in morals, In this state of harmony they lived for fome hat every virtue was carried to excefs. In time together; when Alcander, after paffing thort, forgetful of his own felicity, he gave the first part of his youth in the indolence of up his intended bride, in aller charms, to the philofophy, thought at length of entering young Roman. They were married privately into the bufy world; and, as a step previous by his connivance; and this unlocked-for to this, placed his affections on Hypatia, a change of fortuite wrought as unexpected a laly of exquifite beauty. The day of their change in the conftitution of the now happy intended prials was fixed; the previous ce-Septimius: in a few days he was perfectl remonies were performed; and nothing now recovered, and fet out with his fair partner M 6 for for Rome. Here, by an exertion of thofe talents which he was fo eminently poffeffed of, Septimius, in a few years, arrived at the higheft dignities of the state, and was confituted the city-judge, or prætor. he stood the whole day amongst the crowd, watching the eyes of the judge, and 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 wretchednefs; and fleeping in the streets might be attended with interruption or dan In the mean time, Alcander not only felt the pain of being feparated from his friend and his miftrefs, but a profecution was alfo commenced against him by the relations of Hypatia, for having bafely given up his bride, as was fuggefted, 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 raife fo large a fum at the time appointed, his pof-ger: in fhort, he was obliged to take up his thons were confifcated, he himself was ftrippcd 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 fterility. His ftated employment was to follow the herds of an imperious mafter, and his fuccefs in hunting was all that was allowed him to fupply his precarious fubfiftence. Every morning awaked him to a renewal of famine or toil, and every change of feason ferved but to aggravate his untheltered distress. After foine years of bondage, however, an opportunity of escaping offered; he embraced it with ardour; fo that travelling by night, and lodging in caverns by day, to fhorten a long ftory, he at last arrived in Rome. The fame day on which Alcander arrived, Septimius fat adminiftering juftice in the forum, whither our wanderer came, expecting to be inftantly known, and publicly acknowledged by his former friend. Here lodging in one of the tombs without the city, the ufual retreat of guilt, poverty, and despair. 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 cafe 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 ftabbed the other to the heart, and left him weltering in blood at the entrance. In thefe circumftances he was found next morning dead at the mouth of the vault. This naturally inducing a farther enquiry, an alarm was ipread; the cave was examined; and Alcander being found, was immediately apprehended, and accuted of robbery and murder. The circumstances against him were ftrong, and the wretchedness of his appearance confirmed fufpicion. Mis fortune 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, |