Now I wish to God I was at your elbow. I have just finished one volume of Shandy, and I want to read it to some one who I know can taste and relish humour; this by the way is a little impudent in me, for I take the thing for granted, which their high mightinesses the world have yet to determine; but I mean no such thing, I could wish only to have your opinion: shall I, in truth, give you mine; I dare not, but I will; provided you keep it to yourself know then, that I think there is more laughable humour, with an equal degree of Cervantic satire, if not more than in the last, but we are bad judges of the merit of our children.

I return you a thousand thanks for your friendly congratulations upon my habitation and I will take care, you shall never wish me but well, for I am, Madam,

With great esteem and truth,

Your most obliged,

L. STERNE.

P.S. I have wrote this so vilely and so precipitately, I fear you must carry it to a decypherer. I beg you'll do me the honour to write, otherwise you draw me in, instead of Mr. drawing you into a scrape, for I should sorrow to have a taste of so agreeable a correspondent and no more.

Adieu,

C—, ESQ.

London, Christmas Day, 1760.

I HAVE been in such a continual hurry since the moment I arrived here what with my books, and

what with visitors and visitings, that it was not in my power sooner to sit down and acknowledge the favour of your obliging letter: and to thank you for the most friendly motives which led you to write it: I am not much in pain upon what gives my kind friends at Stillington so much on the chapter of Noses because, as the principal satire throughout that part is levelled at those learned blockheads who, in all ages, have wasted their time and much learning upon points as foolish it shifts off the idea of what you fear to another point, and 'tis thought here very good, 'twill pass muster, I mean not with all; no, no! I shall be attacked and pelted, either from cellars or garrets, write what I will and besides, must expect to have a party against me of many hundreds, who either do not, or will not, laugh. 'Tis enough if I divide the world; at least, I will rest contented with it. I wish you was here to see what changes of looks and political reasoning have taken place in every company and coffeehouse since last year; we shall be soon Prussians, and Anti-Prussians, B-s and Anti-B --s, and those distinctions will just do as well as Whig and Tory; and for aught I know, serve the same ends. The king seems resolved to bring all things back to their original principles, and to stop the torrent of corruption and laziness. He rises every morning at six to do business, rides out at eight to a minute, returns at nine to give himself up to his people. By persisting, 'tis thought he will oblige his ministers and dependants to dispatch affairs with him many hours sooner than of late, and 'tis much to be questioned whether they will not be enabled to wait upon him sooner by being freed from long levees of their own, and applications; which will,

in all likelihood, be transferred from them directly to himself, the present system being to remove that phalanx of great people, which stood betwixt the throne and the subjects, and suffer them to have immediate access without the intervention of a cabal (this is the language of others): however, the king gives every thing himself, knows every thing, and weighs every thing maturely, and then is inflexible this puts old stagers off their game how it will end we are all in

the dark.

'Tis feared the war is quite over in Germany; never was known such havoc amongst troops I was told yesterday, by a colonel from Germany, that, out of two battallions of nine hundred men, to which he belonged, but seventy-one are left! Prince Ferdinand. has sent word, 'tis said, that he must have forty thousand men directly to take the field and with provisions for them too, for he can but subsist them for a fortnight. I hope this will find you all got to York. I beg my compliments to the amiable Mrs. Croft, &c. Though I purposed going first to Golden-Square, yet fate has thus long disposed of me so I have never been able to set a foot towards that quarter. I am, dear Sir,

I HAVE just time to acknowledge the favour of yours, but not to get the two prints you mention

which shall be sent you by next post I have bought them, and lent them to Miss Gilbert, but will assuredly send for them and enclose them to you: I will take care to get your pictures well copied, and at a moderate price. And if I can be of further use, I beseech you to employ me; and from time to time will send you an account of whatever may be worth transmitting. The stream now sets in strong against the German war. Loud complaints of making a trade of the

war, &c. &c.; much expected from Ld. Granby's evidence to these matters, who is expected every hour: the King wins every day upon the people, shews himself much at the play (but at no opera), rides out with his brothers every morning, half-an-hour after seven, till nine returns with them, spends an hour with them at breakfast and chat and then sits down to business. I never dined at home once since I arrived am fourteen dinners deep engaged just now, and fear matters will be worse with me in that point than better. As to the main points in view, at which you hint all I can say is that I see my way, and unless Old Nick throws the dice shall in due time come off winner. Tristram will be out the twentieth There is a great rout about him before he enters the stage whether this will be of use or no, I can't say some wits of the first magnitude here, both as to wit and station, engage me success time will

shew

Adieu.

[March, 1761.]

SINCE I had the favour of your obliging letter nothing has happened, or been said one day, which has not been contradicted the next; so, having little certain to write, I have foreborne writing at all, in hopes every day of something worth filling up a letter. We had the greatest expectations yesterday that ever were raised of a pitched battle in the House of Commons, wherein Mr. Pitt was to have entered and thrown down the gauntlet, in defence of the German war. There never was so full a house the gallery full to the top I was there all the day when lo! a political fit of the gout seized the great combatant he entered not the lists Beckford got up, and begged the house, as he saw not his right honorable friend there, to put off the debate it could not be done, so Beckford rose up, and made a most long, passionate, incoherent speech, in defence of the Germanic war but very severe upon the unfrugal manner it was carried on in which he addressed himself principally to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and laid him on terribly. It seems the chancery of Hanover had laid out 350,000 pounds on account, and brought in our treasury debtor and the grand debate was for an honest examination of the particulars of this extravagant account, and for vouchers to authenticate it. Legge answered Beckford very rationally and coolly. Lord N. spoke long Sir F. Dashwood maintained the German war was most pernicious Mr. C—, of Surry, spoke well against the account, with some others. L. Barrington at last got up, and spoke half