VOILA MON ONCLE. 149 



not investigate here, for we are only considering in- 

 creased weight as that weight is usually to be taken 

 along. As it is, if it was driven in the same way as 

 the gig, it would kill all the horses in England, for 

 we should only have, as Bobadil says, to find "twenty 

 more, kill them" and so on. It must be remembered 

 I am only supposing the four-wheel machine to go 

 nine miles an hour ; so it is not the pace that would 

 do the mischief, but the way the ground would be 

 driven over with the weight, which with such persons 

 as drive four to one horse is generally something in 

 this way. Supposing the horse to be a free one, 

 Uncle Thomas, whom 1 have supposed as the coachman 

 elect, sits rather low, as he does on another seat of a 

 different description : his FIST, for he has no hands 

 (at least no driving ones), I will answer for it, is 

 poked about one-foot-eight inches before his body : this 

 brings it within four inches of the dash. Now this is 

 quite necessary for him, for, as his reins are loose, 

 possibly with the kind intention of letting the horse 

 go where he likes, it requires a good long length of 

 pull to enable him to feel the horse's mouth, which is 

 only effected by throwing back his body in the face of 

 the person behind him. Uncle at the same time bringing 

 his fist with the reins in it up to his own chin, and 

 the whip (such a whip !) against the nose of Aunt who 

 sits beside him, for Uncle always holds his tool directly 

 across the vehicle, or pointing rather backwards, 

 angling for flies on the hind- wheels, in which ever 

 and anon it gets entangled. Here, as Sterne says, 

 "voila mon oncle!" If, as I have stated, the nag 

 happens to be a free one, Uncle Thomas being in dis- 

 position a kind man, the only use his whip is to him 

 is the very desirable one I have mentioned : if he does 



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