yet pleasure is not given, nor affection conciliated, but by fofter accomplishments, and qualities more eafily communicable to thofe about us. He that can only converfe upon queftions, about which only a small part of mankind has knowledge fufficient to make them curious, muft lose his days in unfocial filence, and live in the crowd of life without a companion. He that can only be useful on great occafions, may die without exerting his abilities, and stand a helpless spectator of a thoufand vexations which fret away happiness, and which nothing is required to remove but a little dexterity of conduct and readiness of expedient.

No degree of knowledge attainable by man is able to fet him above the want of hourly affiftance, or to extinguish the defire of fond endearments and tender officioufnefs; and, therefore, no one fhould think it unneceffary to learn thofe arts by which friendship may be gained. Kindness is preferved by a conftant reciprocation of benefits or interchange of pleasures: But fuch benefits only can be beftowed as others are capable of receiving, and fuch pleasures only imparted as others are qualified to enjoy.

By this descent from the pinnacle of art, no honour will be loft; for the condefcenfions of learning are always overpaid by gratitude. An elevated genius employed in little things, appears, to use the fimile of Longinus, like the fun in his evening declination: He remits his fplendour, but retains his magnitude; and pleases more, though he dazzles lefs.

The

T was fome time in the fummer of that year in which It Dendermond, was taken by the allies,-which was about feven before years father came into the counmy try, and about as many, after the time, that my uncle Toby and Trim had privately decamped from my father's house in town, in order to lay fome of the fineft fieges to fome of the fineft fortified cities in Europe-when my uncle Toby was one evening getting his fupper, with Trim fitting behind him at a fmall fideboard;-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,-I think of the army, faid the landlord, who was taken ill at my houfe four days ago, and has never held up his head fince, or had a defire to tafte any thing, till juft now, that he has a fancy for a glass of fack and a thin toast,I think, fays he, taking his hand from his forehead, it would comfort me.

If

-If I could neither beg, borrow, nor buy such a thing,-added the landlord,-I could almoft fteal it for the poor gentleman, he is fo ill.I hope in God he will still mend, continued he-we are all of us concerned for him.

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

Though I am perfuaded, said 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 fhould win fo much upon the affections of his hoft;And of hist 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 almost 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 these two days.

My uncle Toby laid down his knife and fork, and thruft his plate down 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.

-Stay in the room a little, faid my uncle Toby. -Trim! faid my uncle Toby, after he had lighted his pipe and fmoaked about a dozen whiffsTrim.came in front of his mafter and made his bow;

-my uncle Toby smoaked on, and faid no more.

Corporal!

-Corporal! faid my uncle Toby

the corporal made his bow.— -My uncle Toby proceeded no farther, but finished his pipe.

Trim! faid my uncle Toby, I have a project in my head, as it is a bad night, of wrapping myself up warm in my roquelaure, and paying a vifit to this poor gentleman. Your honour's roquelaure, replied the corporal, has not once been had on, fince the night before your honour received your wound, when we mounted guard in the trenches before the gate of St Nicholas; -and befides it is fo cold and rainy a night, that what with the roquelaure, and what with the weather, 'twill be enough to give your honour your death, and bring on your honour's torment in your groin. I fear fo, replied my uncle Toby: But I am not at reft in my mind, Trim, fince the account the landlord has given me.I wish I had not known fo much of this affair,added my uncle Toby,or that I had known more of it :How fhall we manage it? Leave it, an't pleafe your honour, to me, quoth the corporal;-I'll take my hat and stick, and go to the house and reconnoitre, and act accordingly; and I will bring your honour a full account in an hour. -Thou shalt go, Trim, faid my uncle Toby; and here's a fhilling for thee to drink with his fervant.I fhall get it all out of him, said the corporal, fhutting

the door.

My uncle Toby filled his fecond pipe; and had it not been that he now and then wandered from the point, with confidering whether it was not full as well to have the curtain of the tennail a ftraight line as a crooked one ;-he might be faid to have thought of nothing else but poor Le Fevre and his boy the whole time he fmoaked it.

It was not till my uncle Toby had knocked the afhes out of his third pipe, that corporal Trim returned from the inn, and gave him the following account.

I defpaired at firft, faid the corporal, of being able to bring back your honour any kind of intelligence concerning

cerning the poor fick lieutenant-Is he in the army, then? faid my uncle TobyHe is, faid the corporal -And in what regiment? faid my uncle Toby

-I'll tell your honour, replied the corporal, every thing ftraight forwards as I learnt it-Then, Trim, I'll fill another pipe, faid my uncle Toby, and not interrupt thee till thou haft done; fo fit down at thy eafe, Trim, in the window feat, and begin thy ftory again. The corporal made his old bow, which generally spoke, as plain as a bow could speak it,-Your honour is good:And having done that, he fat down, as he was ordered,and began the story to my uncle Toby over again in pretty near the fame words..

I despaired at firft, faid the corporal, of being able to bring back any intelligence to your honour about the lieutenant and his fon; for when I asked where his fervant was, from whom I made myself fure of knowing every thing which was proper to be asked,

That's a right diftinction, Trim, faid my uncle Toby I was anfwered, an' pleafe your honour, that he had no fervant with him that he had come to the inn with hired horses, which, upon finding himself unable to proceed, (to join, I fuppofe, the regiment) he had difmiffed the morning after he came. If I get better, my dear, said he, as he gave his purse to his fon to pay the man,-we can hire horses from hence. But, alas! the poor gentleman will never get from hence, faid the landlady to me,-for I heard the death-watch all night long ;- -and when he dies, the youth, his fon, will certainly die with him; for he is broken-hearted already.

I was hearing this account, continued the corporal, when the youth came into the kitchen, to order the thin toaft the landlord fpoke of;but I will do it for my father myself, faid the youth. -Pray let me fave you the trouble, young gentleman, faid I, taking up a fork for the purpose, and offering him my chair to fit down upon by the fire, whilft I did it.-I believe, Sir, faid he, very modeftly, I can please him beft my

feíf.