rick, than all that laboured eloquence could fupply. Lean then thy whole weight, Eliza, upon them and upon me. "May poverty, diftrefs, anguish, and fhame, be my portion, if ever I give thee reafon to repent the knowledge of me!"- -With this affeveration, made in the prefence of a just God, I pray to him, that fo it may speed me, as I deal candidly, and honourably with thee! I would not mislead thee, Eliza; I would not injure thee, in the opinion of a fingle individual, for the richest crown the proudeft monarch wears.

Remember, that while I have life and power, whatever is mine, you may ftyle, and think yours Though forry fhould I be, if ever my friendship was put to the teft thus, for your own delicacy's fake.— Money and counters are of equal use in my opinion; they both ferve to fet up with.

I hope you will anfwer me this letter, but if thou art debarred by the elements, which hurry thee away, I will write one for thee; and knowing it is fuch a one as thou would'st have written, I will regard it as my Eliza's.

Honour, and happiness, and health, and comforts of every kind, fail along with thee, thou most worthy of girls! I will live for thee, and my Lydia-be rich for the children of my heart-gain wisdom, gain fame, and happiness, to fhare with them-with thee— and her in my old age.-Once for all, adieu. Preferve thy life; steadily pursue the ends we proposed;

and

and let nothing rob thee of those powers Heaven has given thee for thy well-being.

What can I add more, in the agitation of mind I am in, and within five minutes of the laft poftman's bell, but recommend thee to Heaven, and recommend myself to Heaven with thee, in the fame fervent ejaculation," that we may be happy, and meet again: if not in this world, in the next."-Adieu.-I am thine, Eliza, affectionately, and everlastingly.

YORICK.

THE

PRECEPTOR.

YOU fee 'tis high time, faid my father, addreffing

You

himself equally to my uncle Toby and Yorick, to take this young creature out of thefe women's hands, and put him into thofe of a private governor.

Now as I confider the perfon who is to be about my fon, as the mirror in which he is to view himfelf from morning to night, and by which he is to adjust his looks, his carriage, and perhaps the inmost fentiments of his heart;-I would have one, Yorick, if poffible, polished at all points, fit for my child to look into.

There is, continued my father, a certain mien and motion of the body and all its parts, both in acting and speaking, which argues a man well within. There are a thousand unnoticed openings, continued my father, which let a penetrating eye at once into a

man's

man's foul; and I maintain it, added he, that a man of fenfe does not lay down his hat in coming into a room, or take it up in going out of it, but fomething efcapes, which discovers him.

I will have him, continued my father, cheerful, faceté, jovial; at the fame time, prudent, attentive to bufinefs, vigilant, acute, argute, inventive, quick in refolving doubts and fpeculative questions ;-he fhall be wife and judicious, and learned:-And why not humble, and moderate, and gentle tempered, and good? faid Yorick :-And why not, cried my uncle Toby, free, and generous, and bountiful, and brave?-He fhall, my dear Toby, cried my father, getting up and fhaking him by his hand,Then, brother Shandy, anfwered my uncle Toby, raifing himself off the chair, and laying down his pipe to take hold of my father's other hand-I humbly beg I may recommend poor Le Fevre's fon to you; a tear of joy of the first water sparkled in my uncle Toby's eye, and another, the fellow to it, in the Corporal's, as the propofition was made ;— you will fee why, when you read Le Feure's ftory.

THE STORY OF LE FEVRE.

T was fome time in the fummer of that year in

IT

which Dendermond was taken by the Allies; when my uncle Toby was one evening getting hist fupper, with Trim fitting behind him at a fmall fideboard, I fay fitting-for in confideration of the Cor

poral's

poral's lame knee (which fometimes gave him exquifite pain)-when my uncle Toby dined or fupped alone he would never fuffer the Corporal to ftand; and the poor fellow's veneration was fuch, that with a proper artillery, my uncle Toby could have taken Dendermond itself, with lefs trouble than he was able to gain this point over him; for many a time when my uncle Toby fuppofed the Corporal's leg was at reft, he would look back, and detect him standing behind him with the most dutiful respect: this bred more little fquabbles betwixt them, than all other caufes for five and twenty years together-But this is neither here nor there why do I mention it ? Afk my pen,-it governs me,-I govern not it..

He was one evening fitting thus at fupper, when the landlord of a little inn in the village came into the parlour with an empty phial in his hand, to beg a glafs or two of fack; 'Tis for a poor gentleman,-[ think of the army, faid the landlord, who has been taken ill at my houfe four days ago, and has never held up his head fince, or had a defire to taste any thing, 'till just now, that he has a fancy for a glafs of fack and a thin toast :-" I think," says he, taking his hand from his forehead," it would comfort me." —

-If I could neither beg, borrow, or buy such a thu g, added the landlord,I would almost steal it for the poor gentleman, he is fo ill-I hope in God he will ftil mend, continued he-we are all of us concerned for him.

Thou

Thou art a good-natured foul, I will anfwer for thee, cried my uncle Toby; and thou shalt drink the poor gentleman's health in a glafs of fack thyfelf,— and take a couple of bottles with my service, and tell him he is heartily welcome to them, and to a dozen more if they will do him good.

Though I am perfuaded, faid my uncle Toby, as the landlord fhut the door, he is a very compaffionate fellow-Trim,-yet I cannot help entertaining a high opinion of his guest too; there must be fomething more than common in him, that in fo fhort a time should win fo much upon the affections of his host : -And of his whole family, added the Corporal, for they are all concerned for him. Step after him, faid my uncle Toby,do, Trim, and afk if he knows his

name.

-I have quite forgot it, truly, faid the landlord, coming back into the parlour with the Corporal,but I can ask his fon again.- -Has he a fon with him then? faid my uncle Toby.-A boy, replied the landlord, of about eleven or twelve years of age; -but the poor creature has tafted almoft as little as his father; he does nothing but mourn and lament for him night and day- -He has not ftirred from the bed-fide thefe two days.

My uncle Toby laid down his knife and fork, and thruft his plate from before him, as the landlord gave him the account; and Trim, without being ordered, took away, without faying one word; and in a few minutes after brought him his pipe and tobacco.

Trim!