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my own-he lives at great expense.-'Twas an odd incident when I was introduced to the count de Bissie, which I was at his desire-I found him reading Tristram-this grandee does me great honours, and gives me leave to go a private way through his apartments into the Palais Royal, to view the duke of Orleans' collections, every day I have time. -I have been at the doctors of Sorbonne-I hope in a fortnight to break through, or rather from, the delights of this place, which, in the sçavoir-vivre, exceed all the places, I believe, in this section of the globe

I am going, when this letter is wrote, with Mr. Fox and Mr. Maccartney to Versailles—the next morning I wait upon Mons. Titon, in company with Mr. Maccartney, who is known to him, to deliver your commands. I have bought you the pamphlet upon theatrical, or rather tragical declamation. I have bought another in verse, worth reading, and you will receive them, with what I can pick up this week, by a servant of Mr. Hodges, whom he is sending back to England.

I was last night with Mr. Fox to see Mademoiselle Claron, in Iphigene-she is extremely great -would to God you had one or two like herwhat a luxury, to see you with one of such powers in the same interesting scene-but 'tis too much -Ah! Preville! thou art Mercury himself.-By virtue of taking a couple of boxes, we have bespoke this week, The Frenchman in London, in which Preville is to send us home to supper all happy I mean about fifteen or sixteen English of distinction, who are now here, and live well with each other.

I am under great obligations to Mr. Pitt, who has behaved in every respect to me like a man of good-breeding and good-nature-in a post or two, I will write again-Foley is an honest soul—I could write six volumes of what has passed comically in this great scene, since these last fourteen days-but more of this hereafter.-We are all going into mourning; nor you, nor Mrs. Garrick, would know me, if you met me in my remise— bless you both! Service to Mrs. Denis. Adieu, adieu!

LETTER XXXIX.

MR. STERNE TO LADY D

Paris, July 9, 1762.

I WILL not send your ladyship the trifles, you bid me purchase without a line. I am very well pleased with Paris-indeed I meet with so many civilities amongst the people here, that I must sing their praises-the French have a great deal of urbanity in their composition, and to stay a little time amongst them will be agreeable.—I splutter French so as to be understood-but I have had a droll adventure here, in which my Latin was of some service to me-I had hired a chaise and a horse to go about seven miles into the country, but, Shandean-like, did not take notice that the horse was almost dead when I took him.-Before I got half-way, the poor animal dropped down dead-so I was forced to appear before the police, and began to tell my story in French, which was,

that the poor beast had to do with a worse beast than himself, namely, his master, who had driven him all the day before (Jehu like), and that it had neither had corn, nor hay, therefore I was not to pay for the horse-but I might as well have whistled, as have spoke French, and I believe my Latin was equal to my uncle Toby's Lilabulero-being not understood because of its purity; but by dint of words I forced my judge to do me justice-no common thing, by the way, in France.-My wife and daughter are arrived—the latter does nothing but look out of the window, and complain of the torment of being frizzled.—I wish she may ever remain a child of nature-I hate children of art.

I hope this will find your ladyship well; and that you will be kind enough to direct for me at Toulouse, which place I shall set out for very soon. I am, with truth and sincerity, your ladyship's most faithful, &c.

LETTER XL.

MR. STERNE TO MR. FOLEY, AT PARIS,

MY DEAR FOLEY, Toulouse, August 14, 1762. AFTER many turnings (alias digressions), to say nothing of downright overthrows, stops, and delays, we have arrived in three weeks at Toulouse, and are now settled in our houses with servants, &c. about us, and look as composed as if we had been here seven years.—In our journey we suffered so much from the heats, it gives me pain to remember it. I never saw a cloud from Paris to Nismes,

half as broad as a twenty-four sols piece.-Good God! we were toasted, roasted, grill'd, stew'd, and carbonaded on one side or other all the way-and being all done enough (assez cuits) in the day, we were eat up at night by bugs, and other unsweptout vermin, the legal inhabitants (if length of possession gives right) of every inn we lay at-Can you conceive a worse accident than that in such a journey, in the hottest day and hour of it, four miles from either tree or shrub which could cast a shade of the size of one of Eve's fig-leaves-that we should break a hind wheel in ten thousand pieces, and be obliged in consequence to sit five hours on a gravelly, road, without one drop of water, or possibility of getting any? To mend the matter, my two postilions were two dough-hearted fools, and fell a crying-Nothing was to be done! By Heaven, quoth I, pulling off my coat and waistcoat, something shall be done, for I'll thrash you both within an inch of your lives-and then make you take each of you a horse, and ride like two devils to the next post, for a cart to carry my baggage, and a wheel to carry ourselves.-Our luggage weighed ten quintals-'twas the fair of Baucaire-all the world was going or returning-we were asked by every soul who passed by us, if we were going to the fair of Baucaire-No wonder, quoth I, we have goods enough! Vous avez raison, mes amis.

Well here we are after all, my dear friend-and most deliciously placed at the extremity of the town, in an excellent house well furnished, and elegant beyond any thing I looked for 'tis built in the form of a hotel, with a pretty court towards

the town-and behind, the best garden in Toulouse, laid out in serpentine walks, and so large that the company in our quarter usually come to walk there in the evenings, for which they have my consent "the more the merrier."-The house consists of a good salle à manger above-stairs joining to the very great salle à compagnie as large as the baron d'Holbach's; three handsome bed-chambers with dressing-rooms to them-below-stairs two very good rooms for myself, one to study in, the other to see company.-I have moreover cellars round the court, and all other offices-Of the same landlord I have bargained to have the use of a country-house which he has two miles out of town; so that myself and all my family have nothing more to do than to take our hats and remove from the one to the other.-My landlord is moreover to keep the gardens in order-and what do you think I am to pay for all this? neither more nor less than thirty pounds a year-all things are cheap in proportion-so we shall live for very, very little. I dined yesterday with Mr. H; he is most pleasantly situated, and they are all well. -As for the books you have received for D

the bookseller was a fool not so send the bill along with them. I will write to him about it.-I wish you was with me for two months; it would cure you of all evils ghostly and bodily-but this, like many other wishes both for you and myself, must have its completion elsewhere-Adieu, my kind friend, and believe that I love you as much from inclination as reason, for I am most truly yours.

My wife and girl join in compliments to you

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