father will be well again.- Mr. Yorick's curate was fmoaking a pipe by the kitchen fire, but faid not a word good or bad to comfort the youth. -I thought it wrong; added the Corporal-I think fo too, faid my uncle Toby.

When the Lieutenant had taken his glass of fack and toast, he felt himself a little revived, and fent down into the kitchen, to let me know, that in about ten minutes he fhould be glad if I would ftep up ftairs.-I believe, faid the landlord, he is going to fay his prayers, for there was a book laid upon the chair by his bed-fide, and as I fhut the door, I faw his fon take up a cushion.

I thought, faid the curate, that you gentlemen of the army, Mr. Trim, never said your prayers at all.--I heard the poor gentleman fay his prayers laft night, faid the landlady, very devoutly, and with my own ears, or I could not have believed it. Are you fure of it, replied the curate.-A foldier, an' please your reverence, faid I, prays as often (of his own accord) as a parson ;—and when he is fighting for his king, and for his own life, and for his honour too, he has the most reafon to pray to God, of any one in the whole world. 'Twas well faid of thee, Trim, faid mý uncle Toby. But when a foldier, faid I,an' please your reverence, has been ftanding for twelve hours together in the trenches, up to his kneesin cold water, or engaged, faid I, for months to

gether

gether in long and dangerous marches; haraffed, perhaps, in his rear to-day ;-haraffing others tomorrow;-detached here ;-countermanded there; refting this night out upon his arms;beat up in his fhirt the next ;-benumbed in his joints;-perhaps without straw in his tent to kneel on;

muit fay his prayers how and when he can. -I believe, said I, for I was piqued, quoth the Corporal, for the reputation of the army, I believe an' please your reverence, faid I, that when a foldier gets time to pray, he prays as heartily as a parfon, though not with all his fufs and hypocrify-Thou shouldst not have said that, Trim, faid my uncle Toby,-for God only knows. who is a hypocrite, and who is not: At the great and general review of us all, Corporal, at the day of judgment, (and not till then)-it will be feen who has done their duties in this work, -and who has not; and we shall be advanced, Trim, accordingly.-I hope we fhall, faid Trim: -It is in the Scripture, faid my uncle Foby; and I will fhew it thee to-morrow :-In the mean time we may depend upon it, Trim, for our comfort, faid my uncle Toby, that God Almighty is fo good and just a governor of the world, that if we have but done our duties in it,it will never be enquired into, whether we have done them in a red coat or a black one:-I hope not; faid the Corporal-but go on, Trim, faid my uncle Toby, with the ftory.

When

When I went up, continued the Corporal, in o the Lieutenant's room, which I did not do till the expiration of the ten minutes, he was lying in his bed, with his head raifed upon his hand, with his elbow upon the pillow, and a clean white cambrick handkerchiefbefide it:-The youth was just stooping down to take up the cushion, upon which I fuppofed he had been kneeling,―the book was laidupon the bed, and as he arose, in taking up the cushion with one hand, he reached out his other to take it away at the fame time. Let it remain there, my dear, faid the Lieutenant.

He did not offer to fpeak to me, till I had walked up close to his bed-fide: If you are Captain Shandy's fervant, faid he, you must present my thanks to your master, with my little boy's thanks along with them, for his courtesy to me; -if he was of Levens's-faid the Lieutenant.I told him your honour was-Then, faid he, I served three campaigns with him in Flanders, and remember him,—but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honour of any acquaintance with him, that he knows nothing of me.- -You will tell him, however, that the perfon his good nature has laid under obligations to him, is one Le Fever, a Lieutenant in Angus's-but he knows me not,-said he a fecond time, mufing;-poffibly he may my ftory-added he-pray tell the Captain, I was the Enfign at Breda, whose wife

was

was most unfortunately killed with a musketfhot, as fhe lay in my arms in my tent.-I remember the story, an't please your honour, faid I, very well.-Do you fo? faid he, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief,-then well may I.In faying this, he drew a little ring out of his bofom, which feemed tied with a black ribband about his neck, and kiffed it twice-Here, Billy, faid he,-the boy flew across the room to the bed-fide, and falling down upon his knee, took the ring in his hand, and kifs'd it too, then kifs'd his father, and fat down upon the bed and wept.

I wish, faid my uncle Toby, with a deep figh, I wifh, Trim, I was asleep.

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.

I remember, faid my uncle Toby, fighing again, the ftory of the Enfign and his wife, and particularly well that he, as well as fhe, upon fome account or other, (I forget what) was univerfally pitied by the whole regiment; but finish the story thou art upon:-'Tis finished already, faid the Corporal, for I could stay no longer,-fo wifhed his honour a good night; young Le Fever

rofe

1

rofe from off the bed, and faw me to the bottom of the stairs; and as we went down together, told me, they had come from Ireland, and were on their route to join the regiment in Flanders.— But alas! faid the Corporal,-the Lieutenant's laft 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, that he fet afide every other concern, and only confidered how he himself fhould relieve the poor Lieutenant and his fon.

That kind BEING, who is a friend to the friendless, fhall recompence thee for this.

Thou haft left this matter fhort, faid my uncle Toby to the Corporal, as he was putting him to bed, and I will tell thee in what, Trim-In the first place, when thou madeft an offer of my fervices to Le Fevre,-as fickness and travelling are both expensive, and thou knoweft he was but a poor Lieutenant, with a fon to fubfift as well as himself out of his pay,-that thou didst not make an offer to him of my purfe; becaufe, had he ftood in need, thou knowest, Trim, he had been as welcome to it as myielf.-Your honour knows, faid the Corporal, I had no orders;-True, quoth my uncle Toby,-thou didst very right, Trim, as a foldier, but certainly very wrong as a man. C

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