6a Comments on Sterne. 
almoft entirely from Burton. It is the Confolation 
of Mr. Shandy, on the death of Brother Bobby. 
‘** When Agrippina was told of her fon’s death, 
“« Tacitus informs us, that, not being able to mode- 
“« rate the violence of her paffions, fhe abruptly 
«¢ broke off her work.” ‘This quotation did not 
come to Sterne from Tacitus. ‘' Mezentius would not 
live after his fon ---- And Pompey's wife cry’d out 
at'the news of her hufband’s death, Turpe mori poft te, 
&c.—as Tacitus of Agrippina, not able to moderate her 
paffions: _ So when fhe heard her Son was flain, fhe 
abruptly broke off her work, changed countenance and colour, 
tore her hair, and fell a roaring downright.”* 
“Tis either Plato,” fays Sterne,” or Plutarch, 
'*t or Seneca, or Xenophon, or Epictetus, or ‘Theo- 
‘« phraftus, or Lucian—or fome one, perhaps of 
‘ later date—either Cardan, or Budzus, or Petrarch, 
‘ or Stella—or poffibly it may be fome divine 
‘ or father of the Church, St. Auftin, or St. 
‘¢ Cyprian, or Bernard, who affirms, that it is an 
‘* irrefiftible and natural paffion, to weep for the 
** lofs of our friends or children—and Seneca, 
“* (I’m pofitive) tells us fomewhere, that fuch griefs 
** evacuate themfelves beft by that particular chan- 
““ nel. And accordingly, we find that David wept 
“ for his fon Abfalom—Adrian for his Antinous}+— 
‘« Niobe 
Lad 
lod 
° 
* Anat. of Melanch. p. 213. 
+ The time has been, when this conjunfion with the 
King of Ifrael would have {melt a little of the faggot, 
