STERNE REBUKED. 



229 



rest there was a very elegant book- 

 case, filled with a select collection 

 of the French classics, handsomely 

 bound, the price 100 guineas. Gray 

 had a great longing for this lot, 

 but could not afford to buy it. 

 The conversation between him and 

 his friend was overheard by the 

 Duchess of Northumberland, who, 

 knowing the other gentleman, took 

 an opportunity to ask who his 

 friend was. She was told it" was 

 the celebrated Gray. Upon their 

 retiring, she bought the book-case 

 and its contents, and sent it to 

 Gray's lodgings, with a note, im- 

 porting that she was ashamed of 

 sending so small an acknowledg- 

 ment for the infinite pleasure she 

 had received in reading the Elegy 

 in a Country Churchyard of all 

 others her favourite poem. 



JAMES SMITH. 



The following playful colloquy 

 in verse took place at a dinner-table 

 between Sir George Eose and James 

 Smith, one of the authors of the 

 Rejected Addresses, in allusion to 

 Craven Street, Strand, where he 

 resided : 



" J. S ' At the top of my street the 



attorneys abound, 

 And down at the bottom the barges 



arc found: 



Flv. lione>ty, fly to some safer retreat, 

 For there's craft in Jhe river, and 

 craft iu the street.'" 



" SIR O. R ' Why should Honesty fly 



to some safer retreat, 

 From attorneys and barges, od rot 



'em ? 

 For tho lawyers arc just at the top of 



the street, 



An:l the barges arc just at tho bot- 

 tom.' " 



BISHOP HOUGH. 



Doctor Hough, bishop of Wor- 

 cester, who was as remarkable for 

 the evenness of his temper as for 

 many other qualities, having a good 

 deal of company at his hou 

 gentleman present desired his lord- 

 ship to show him a curious weather- 



glass, which the bishop had lately 

 purchased, and which cost him 

 above thirty guineas. The servant 

 was accordingly desired to bring it, 

 who, in delivering it to the gentle- 

 man, accidentally let it fall, and 

 broke it to pieces. The company 

 were all a little deranged by the 

 accident. 



" Be under no concern, my dear 

 sir," says the bishop, smiling, " I 

 think it is rather a lucky omen ; 

 we have hitherto had a dry season ; 

 and I hope we shall have some rain, 

 for I protest I do not remember 

 ever to have seen the glass so low." 



STERNE REBUKED. 



Steme being in company with 

 three or four clergymen, was re- 

 lating a circumstance which hap- 

 pened to him at York. 



After preaching at the cathedral, 

 an old woman, whom he observed 

 sitting on the pulpit stairs, stopped 

 him as he came down, and begged 

 to know where she should have the 

 honour of hearing him preach the 

 next Sunday. Mr. Sterne having 

 mentioned the place where he was 

 to exhibit, found her situated in 

 the same manner on that day; when 

 she put the same question to him 

 as before. 



The following Sunday he was to 

 preach four miles out of York, 

 which he told her ; and to his great 

 surprise, found her there too ; and, 

 that the same question was put to 

 him as he descended from tho pul- 

 pit. On which, adds he, I took for 

 my text these words, expecting to 

 find my old woman as before : " I 

 will grant the request of this poor 

 widow; lest by her often coming, 

 she weary me." One of the com- 

 pany immediately replied, "Why, 

 Sterne, you omitted the most ap- 

 plicable part of the passage, which 

 is, ' Though I neither fear God nor 

 regard man.' " This unexpected re- 

 tort silenced the wit for the whole 

 evening. 



