looks and carriage, he took a chair, and without much apology, but with great civility at the fame time, placed it close to her at the table, and fat down.

Now a widow, an't please your honour, always chooses a second husband as unlike the first as she can: fo the affair was fettled in her mind before Tom mentioned it.

She figned the capitulation-and Tem fealed it; and there was an end of the matter.

T. SHANDY, VOL. IV. C.

c. 64.

I

THE BEGUINE.

MUST here inform you, that this fervant of my uncle Toby's, who went. by the name of Trim, had been a Corporal in my uncle's own company,-his real name was James Butler,-but having got the nick-name of Trim in the regiment, my uncle Toby, unless when he happened to be very angry with him, would never call him by any other name.

The poor fellow had been difabled for the service, by a wound on his left knee by a mufket bullet at the battle of Landen, which was two years before the affair of Namur ; and as the fellow was well-beloved in the regiment, and a handy fellow into the bargain, my uncle Toby took him for his servant; and of an excellent use was he, attending my uncle Toby in the

camp and in his quarters, as a valet, groom, barber, cook, fempfter, and nurfe; and indeed, from first to laft, waited upon him and served him with great fidelity and affection.

My uncle Toby loved the man in return, and what attached him more to him still, was the fimilitude of their knowledge-For Corporal Trim (for fo, for the future, I fhall call him), by four years occafional attention to his master's discourse upon fortified towns, and the advantage of prying and peeping continually into his master's plans, &c. exclufive and befides what he gained HOBBY-HORSICALLY, as a body fervant, Non Hobby-Horfical fer fe ;—had become no mean proficient in the fcience; and was thought, by the cook and chamber-maid, to know as much of the nature of strong-holds as my uncle Toly himself.

I have but one more stroke to give to finish Corporal Trim's character,--and it is the only dark line in it. The fellow loved to advife,-or rather to hear himfelf talk; his carriage, however, was fo perfectly refpectful, 'twas easy to keep him filent when you had him fo; but fet his tongue a-going,you had no hold of him-he was voluble;—the eternal interlardings of your Honour, with the refpectfulness of Corporal Trim's manner, interceding so strong in behalf of his elocution,-that though you might have been incommoded,you could not well be angry. My uncle Toby was feldom either the one or the other with him,or, at least, this fault, in Trim, broke no fquares with them. My uncle Toby,

■з I said, loved the man ;—and besides, as he ever looked upon a faithful fervant-but as an humble friend, he could not bear to ftop his mouth. Such was the Corporal Trim.

So, thou waft once in love, Trim! faid my uncle Tely, fmiling

Soufe, replied the Corporal-over head and ears; an't pleafe your honour. Prithee when? where?—and how came it to pass ?--I never heard one word of it before, quoth my uncle Toby.-I dare fay, anfwered Trim, that every drummer and ferjeant's fon in the regiment knew of it.-It's high time I fhould-faid my uncle Toby.

. Your honour remembers with concern, faid the Corporal, the total rout and confusion of our camp, and the army, at the affair of Laden; every one was left to shift for himself; and if it had not been for the regiments of Wyndham, Lumly and Galway, which covered the retreat over the bridge of Neerfpeaken, the King* himself could scarce have gained it-he was preffed hard, as your honour knows, on every fide. of him

Gallant mortal! cried my uncle Toby, caught up with enthusiasm-this moment, now that all is loft, I fee him galloping acrofs me, Corporal, to the left, to bring up the remains of the English horfe along with him to fupport the right, and tear the laurel from Luxembourg's brows, if yet 'tis poffible--I fee

* King William.

him with the knot of his fcarf, juft fhot off, infufing fresh fpirits into poor Galway's regiment-riding along the line-then wheeling about, and charging Conti at the head of it-Brave! brave, by Heaven ! cried my uncle Toby, he deferves a crown-As richly as a thief a halter, fhouted Trim.

My uncle Toby knew the Corporal's loyalty!-otherwife the comparison was not at all to his mind→→→ it did not altogether ftrike the Corporal's fancy when he had made it but it could not be recalled-fo he had nothing to do but proceed.

As the number of wounded was prodigious, and no one had time to think of any thing but his own fafety-Though Talmash, faid my uncle Toby, brought off the foot with great prudence-But I was left upon the field, faid the Corporal.-Thou waft fo, poor fellow! replied my uncle Toby-So that it was noon the next day, continued the Corporal, before I was exchanged, and put into a cart with thirteen or fourteen more, in order to be conveyed to our hofpital.-The anguifh of my knee, continued the Corporal, was exceffive in itself; and the uneafiness of the cart, with the roughness of the roads, which were terribly cut up-making bad ftill worse-every step was death to me: fo that with the lofs of blood, and the want of care-taking of me, and a fever I felt coming on befides -(Poor foul! faid my uncle Toby) all together, an't please your honour, was more than I could fuftain.

I was telling my fufferings to a young woman at a peafant's houfe where our cart, which was the laft