The works and life of Laurence Sterne Volume 8

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1904 Excerpt: ...These are not tokens of tremendous weight and significance; yet there is sometimes more delicacy and affection accompanying a small present, and its associations, than in the crude bulk of more costly and substantial tokens. Absence had not sunk him into laziness or indifference. As usual, Christmas again found him in London; and with the arrival of Mr Sterne came up, too, the ninth Shandy. He now chose out new lodgings, to which he always came for the future, at number 41 Old Bond Street, a very fashionable quarter; on the west side was a bag-wig maker's and on the first floor of the bag-wig maker's, were Mr Sterne's rooms. As we now walk down that old-fashioned thoroughfare, we may lift our eyes to Mr Sterne's windows, but the bag-wig maker has passed away with the bag-wigs he made; a cheesemonger took his place in our time, and finally a firm of picture dealers. Messrs Agnew have erected a handsome gallery on the site. Tristram had now passed through the press, and on the 29th of January, 1767, the customary advertisement appeared. But a note appended showed how keenly relished had been the new-bom loves of Captain Shandy. ',,,',,,, This volume contains the amours of my Uncle Toby.' There was but one volume, instead of the favourite number, two; and in that one volume, there was but half the customary number of pages. The price was only two shillings, 'sewed.' But a more curious interest attaches to the little volume, for it was the last of the Shandy series, and, begun abruptly, it stopped short as abruptly, and remains now, like his other works, a mere fragment. It came out prefaced by a strange dedication. Six years before he had dedicated his first Tristram instalment to Mr Pitt, the great patriot...