In
1812 Dr. John Ferriar published his _Illustrations of Sterne_, and
the prefatory sonnet, in which he solicits pardon for his too minute
investigations, is sufficient proof of the curiously reverent spirit
in which he set about his damaging task:
"Sterne, for whose sake I plod through miry ways
Of antic wit, and quibbling mazes drear,
Let not thy shade malignant censure fear,
If aught of inward mirth my search betrays.
Long slept that mirth in dust of ancient days,
Erewhile to Guise or wanton Valois dear," &c.
Thus commences Dr. Ferriar's apology, which, however, can hardly
be held to cover his offence; for, as a matter of fact, Sterne's
borrowings extend to a good deal besides "mirth;" and some of the
most unscrupulous of these forced loans are raised from passages of a
perfectly serious import in the originals from which they are taken.
Here, however, is the list of authors to whom Dr. Ferriar holds Sterne
to have been more or less indebted: Rabelais, Beroalde de Verville,
Bouchet, Bruscambille, Scarron, Swift, an author of the name or
pseudonym of "Gabriel John," Burton, Bacon, Blount, Montaigne, Bishop
Hall.
Pages:
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196