| Citation |
IL.783.013
17 Feb 1783:21 (5/250)
The whimsical and immortal author of Tristram Shandy, was
married to Mrs. Sterne on a Saturday morning: his
parishioners had timely information of this circumstance,
and knowing that he would preach the next morning at his
parish church, and desirous at the same time of seeing the
bride, they assembled in such crouds, that the church was
full before the bell had done tolling. The bride, as was
expected, made her appearance, and the country folks
indulged themselves with the usual observations, till Sterne
mounted the pulpit; here every eye was directed to him, and
every ear ready to catch the words of his text, which turned
out, to their astonishment, to be the following, "We have
toiled all night, and have caught no fish." The
congregation looked at each other, some smiled, others
stopped their mouths with their handkerchiefs to prevent
them from laughing, while the old folks wore very serious
faces, and thought the humourist a very odd sort of a man
for a pulpit lecturer: however, they attended to his
discourse, which turned out, as usual, very instructive, and
all went home very highly delighted with the text, but poor
Mrs. Sterne, who blushed down to her very fingers ends every
step of the way to her house.
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