"ounce of ballaft: he was utterly unprac"tifed in the world; and, at the age of "twenty-fix, knew juft about as well how "to fteer his courfe in it, as a romping "unfufpicious girl of thirteen: So that,

cr

--

upon his firft setting out, the brisk gale "of his spirits, as you will imagine, ran "him foul, ten times in a day, of fome"body's tackling; and as the grave and more flow-paced were ofteneft in his "way, -you may likewife ima"gine, 'twas with fuch he generally had "the ill luck to get the moft entangled. "For aught I know, there might be some "mixture of unlucky wit at the bottom "of fuch fracas For, to speak the "truth, Yorick had an invincible diflike "and oppofition in his nature to gravi“ ty ;––– --not to gravity as fuch"for, where gravity was wanted, "would be the moft grave and serious of "mortal men for days and weeks toge--but he was an enemy to

he

"ther; "the affectation of it, and declared open "war against it, only as it appeared a "cloak for ignorance, or for folly; and "then, whenever it fell in his way, how.

"ever sheltered and protected, he fel"dom gave it much quarter.

"Sometimes, in his wild way of talk. ing, he would say, that gravity was "an arrant fcoundrel; and he would “add,— — of the moft dangerous kind "too,-- ——because a fly one; and that "he verily believed, more honeft, well"meaning "people were bubbled out of

their goods and money by it in one "twelvemonth, than by pocket-picking "and shop-lifting in feven. In the naked "temper which a merry heart discovered, "he would fay, There was no danger—— "but to itself:---whereas the very "effence of gravity was design, and con"fequently deceit ;--it was a taught "trick to gain credit of the world for "more sense and knowledge than a man "was worth; and that, with all its pre"tenfions --it was no better, but "often worse, than what a French wit "had long ago defined it- -viz. A. 66 'mysterious carriage of the body, to co"ver the defects of the mind:- -which "definition of gravity, Yorick, with great. "imprudence, would fay, deferved to be "wrote in letters of gold.

66

But, in plain truth, he was a man "unhackneyed and unpractifed in the world, and was altogether as indiscreet "and foolish on every other fubject of discourse, where policy is wont to im'prefs reftraint. Yorick had no impression "but one, and that was what arofe from "the nature of the deed spoken of; which "impreffion he would ufually tranflate "into plain English without any periphrafis, and too oft without "much diftinction of either perfonage, time "or place;-fo that when mention ' was made of a pitiful or an ungenerous

6c

66

proceeding,----he never gave him"felf a moment's time to reflect who "was the Hero of the piece--what his "ftation-- ——or how far he had power to hurt him hereafter; "was a dirty action,- -without more "ado,- -the man was a dirty fel

"low--and fo on :

— but,

if it

And as

"his comments had usually the ill fate to "be terminated either in a bon mot, or "to be enlivened throughout with some

66

drollery or humour of expreffion, it "gave wings to Yorick's indifcretion. In

a word, though he never fought, yet, "at the fame time, as he feldom fhunn'd "occafions of faying what came uppermoft, "and without much ceremony,———he "had but too many temptations in life, "of fcattering his wit and his humour, his gibes and his jefts about “him.———They were not loft for want "of gathering."

661

At the end of the year 1767, Mr. Sterne left York, and came to London in order to publifh The Sentimental Journey *), which he had written during the preceding summer at his favourite living of Coxwould. His health had been for fome time declining, but he continued to vifit his friends, and retained his ufual flow of fpirits. In February, 1768, he began to perceive the approaches of death, and with the concern of a good man, and the

*) Published at London in 1768, in two volumes. The third and fourth volumes were continued by his friend, under the name of Eugenius, fince by the death of the Author we are deprived of his own continuation. The remainder of his works were alfo publifhed -after his death.

folicitude of an affectionate parent, devoted his attention to the future welfare of his daughter. After a fhort ftruggle with his diforder, his debilitated and worn out frame fubmitted to fate on the 18th day of March 1768, at his lodgings in Bond-Street. He was buried privately in a new burying ground, belonging to the parish of St. George's, HanoverSquare, at twelve o' clock at noon, attended only by two gentlemen in a mourning coach, no bell tolling. His death was announced in the news-papers of March 22 d, 1768, by the following paragraph:

Died at his lodgings in Bond-Street, "the Rev. Mr. Sterne."

Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well; a Fellow of infinite Jeft, moft excellent Fancy, etc.

Wit, Humour, Genius hadft thou, all

agree;

One grain of WISDOM bad been worth the

THREE!