But in most of them one is
liable to come at any moment across one of those strange sallies to
which Gray alluded, when he said of the effect of Sterne's sermons
upon a reader that "you often see him tottering on the verge of
laughter, and ready to throw his periwig in the face of the audience."
CHAPTER VII.
FRANCE AND ITALY.--MEETING WITH WIFE AND DAUGHTER.--RETURN TO
ENGLAND.--"TRISTRAM SHANDY," VOL. IX.--"THE SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY."
(1765-1768.)
In the first week of October, 1765, or a few days later, Sterne
set out on what was afterwards to become famous as the "Sentimental
Journey through France and Italy." Not, of course, that all the
materials for that celebrated piece of literary travel were collected
on this occasion. From London as far as Lyons his way lay by a route
which he had already traversed three years before, and there is
reason to believe that at least some of the scenes in the _Sentimental
Journey_ were drawn from observation made on his former visit. His
stay in Paris was shorter this year than it had been on the previous
occasion. A month after leaving England he was at Pont Beauvoisin,
and by the middle of November he had reached Turin.
Pages:
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161