They both stole largely from the Moyen de Parvenir, as the editor of that book has observed. The original copy of the Pensees Faceticuses de Bruscambille was published in 1623, mine was printed at Cologne, in 1741.

There is little merit in this mass of buffoonery; the only originality consists in its galimatias; however, as the book is not casily to be procured, I shall insert the Prologue on Noses among the notes, that no future collector may sigh for Bruscambille.*

The false taste of Scarron's humour has occasioned a general neglect of his works; it was by mere accident that I discovered the origin of a very interesting scene in the Sentimental Journey, in taking up the Roman Comique. It is the chapter of the DWARF, which every reader of Sterne must immediately recollect, but I shall transcribe that part which is directly taken from Scarron.

* See note V.

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A poor defenceless being of this order [a dwarf], had got thrust somehow or other into this luckless place [the parterre]-the night was hot, and he was surrounded by beings two feet and a half higher than himself. The dwarf suffered inexpressibly on all sides; but the thing which incommoded him most, was a tall corpulent German, near seven feet high, who stood between him and all possibility of his seeing either the stage or the actors. The poor dwarf did all he could to get a peep at what was going forwards, by seeking for some little opening betwixt the German's arm and his body, trying first one side and then the other; but the German stood square in the most unaccommodating posture that can be imagined the dwarf might as well have been placed at the bottom of the deepest draw-well in Paris; so he civilly reached up his hand to the German's sleeve, and told him his distress.-The German turned his head back, looked down upon

him, as Goliah did upon David—and unfeelingly resumed his posture."

Such was the distress of Scarron's disastrous hero, Ragotin. "Il vint tard á la comedie, & pour la punition de ses pechez, il se plaça derriere un gentilhomme à large eschine, et couvert d' une grosse casaque qui grossissoit beaucoup sa figure. Il etoit d'une taille si haute au dessus des plus grandes, qu' encore qu'il fut assis, Ragotin qui n' etoit separé de lui que d' un rang de sieges, crut qu'il etoit debout, et lui cria incessament qu'il assit comme les autres, ne pouvant croire qu' un homme assis ne dust pas avoir sa tete au niveau de toutes celles de la compagnie. Ce gentilhomme qui se nommoit la Baguenodiere, ignora longtemps que Ragotin parlat á lui. Enfin Ragotin l'apella Mr. á la plume verte, et comme veritablement il en avoit une bien touffue, bien sale, et peu fine, il tourna la teste, et vit le petit impatient qui lui dit assez rudement qu'

il s' assit. La Baguenodiere en fut si peu ému, qu'il se retourna vers le theatre, comme si de rien n'eut eté. Ragotin lui recria encore qu'il s' assit. Il tourna encore la tete devers lui; le regarda, et se retourna vers le theatre. Ragotin recria, Baguenodiere tourna la tete pour la troisieme fois; regarda son homme, et pour la troisieme fois se retourna vers le theatre. Tant que dura la comedie, Ragotin, lui cria de meme force qu'il assit, et la Baguenodiere le regarda toujours d'un meme flegme, capable de faire enrager tout le genre humain."*

For the mean and disgusting turn which this story receives in the Roman Comique, Sterne has substituted a rich and beautiful chain of incidents which takes the strongest hold on our feelings. He has in no instance of his imitations shewed a truer taste: the character of Scarron's manner, indeed, is that it always disappoints expectation.

* Roman Comique, tom. ii. chap. xvii.

That Sterne frequently had in view the Tale of a Tub, in composing Tristram Shandy, cannot be doubted: Swift's Dissertation on Ears probably contributed towards Sterne's digressions on Noses, which shall be considered hereafter. I do not know that it has been observed, that in this pleasant and acute satire, Swift has formed his manner very much upon that of JOHN EACHARD. The style of Swift is much superior in correctness of taste, but the turn of pleasantry is very similar, and has little in common with other writers. Eachard was a writer of great celebrity in Swift's early days, when he composed his Tale of a Tub, á work produced in the vigour of his fancy, and the first heat of his literary attain

ments.

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I shall not presume to determine whether Sterne made any use of a whimsical book, apparently published about the year 1748, (for it has no date) under the title of, An Essay towards the Theory of