| Citation |
NM.783.009
22 Feb 1783:12 (1117)
A late publication has the following Anecdote. The
whimsical and immortal author of Tristram Shandy, was
married to Mrs. Sterne on a Saturday morning. His
parishoners 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 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 man for a pulpit
lecturer: However, they attended to his discourse, which
turned as usual, very instructive, and all went home very
highly delighted with the text, but poor Mrs. Sterne, who
blushed down to her fingers ends every step of the way to
her house.
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