84 Comments on Sterne. 
Shandy, in one of the foreign Journals, and did 
not charge their author with the imitation of any 
perfons but Rabelais and Swift. He was probably 
not very jealous of the reputation of a modern 
Englifh writer. 
Such are the cafual notes, with the colladiten of 
which I have fometimes diverted a vacant half-hour. 
They leave Sterne in poffeffion of every praife 
but that of curious erudition, to which he had no 
great pretence, and of unparellelled originality, 
which ignorance only can afcrite to any polifhed 
writer. It would be enjoining an impoflible tafk, 
‘to exact much knowledge on fubjects frequently 
treated, and yet to prohibit the ufe of thoughts and 
expreffions rendered fam liar by ftudy, merely 
becaufe they had been occupied by former Authors. 
There is a kind of imitation which the Ancients 
encouraged ,and which even our GothicCriticifm ad- 
mits, when acknowledged. But juftice cannot permit _ 
the Polygraphic Copy to becelebrated at the expence 
of the Original. 
Voltaire has compared the merits of Rabelais 
and Sterne, as Satirifts of the Abufe of Learning, 
and, I think, has done neither of them juftice. 
This great diftinétion is obvious; that Rabelais 
derided abfurdities then exifting in full force, and 
intermingled much fterling fenfe with the groffeft 
parts of his book; Sterne, on the contrary, laughs 
at many exploded opinions, and abandoned fool~ 
eries, and contrives to degrade fome of his moft 
folemn 
