--There are some very bad characters in this, however, said my father, and I do not think the sermon a jot the worse for 'em. ----But pray, quoth my uncle _Toby_, --who's can this be? --How could it get into my _Stevinus?_ A man must be as great a conjurer as _Stevinus_, said my father, to resolve the second question: --The first, I think, is not so difficult; --for unless my judgment greatly deceives me, ----I know the author, for 'tis wrote, certainly, by the parson of the parish.
The similitude of the stile and manner of it, with those my father constantly had heard preached in his parish-church, was the ground of his conjecture, --proving it as strongly, as an argument _ priori_ could prove such a thing to a philosophic mind, That it was _Yorick's_ and no one's else: --It was proved to be so, _ posteriori_, the day after, when _Yorick_ sent a servant to my uncle _Toby's_ house to enquire after it.
It seems that _Yorick_, who was inquisitive after all kinds of knowledge, had borrowed _Stevinus_ of my uncle _Toby_, and had carelessly popped his sermon, as soon as he had made it, into the middle of _Stevinus_; and by an act of forgetfulness, to which he was ever subject, he had sent _Stevinus_ home, and his sermon to keep him company.
Ill-fated sermon! Thou wast lost, after this recovery of thee, a second time, dropped thro' an unsuspected fissure in thy master's pocket, down into a treacherous and a tattered lining, --trod deep into the dirt by the left hind-foot of his Rosinante inhumanly stepping upon thee as thou falledst; --buried ten days in the mire, ----raised up out of it by a beggar, --sold for a halfpenny to a parish-clerk, ----transferred to his parson, ----lost for ever to thy own, the remainder of his days, ----nor restored to his restless MANES till this very moment, that I tell the world the story.
Can the reader believe, that this sermon of _Yorick's_ was preached at an assize, in the cathedral of _York_, before a thousand witnesses, ready to give oath of it, by a certain prebendary of that church, and actually printed by him when he had done, ----and within so short a space as two years and three months after _Yorick's_ death? --_Yorick_ indeed, was never better served in his life; ------but it was a little hard to maltreat him after, and plunder him after he was laid in his grave.
However, as the gentleman who did it was in perfect charity with _Yorick_, --and, in conscious justice, printed but a few copies to give away; --and that I am told he could moreover have made as good a one himself, had he thought fit, --I declare I would not have published this anecdote to the world; ----nor do I publish it with an intent to hurt his character and advancement in the church; ----I leave that to others; --but I find myself impelled by two reasons, which I cannot withstand.

'There are some very bad characters in this,' said my father, 'but I do not think the sermon a jot worse for 'em.'
'But pray,' quoth my uncle Toby, 'whose can this be? How could it get into my Stevinus?'
'In answer to the first question, I know the author,' quoth my father; 'for 'tis the parson of the parish.'
The style of it matching those my father constantly heard preached in his parish-church, he guessed that it was Yorick's. - It was proved to be so the next day, when Yorick sent a servant to my uncle Toby's house to enquire after it.
It seems that Yorick had borrowed Stevinus, and had carelessly popped his sermon, which he had just written, into the middle of it; and forgetfully sent Stevinus home with his sermon to keep him company.
Ill-fated sermon! Thou wast lost, after this recovery, a second time, dropped through an unsuspected hole in thy master's pocket, down into a treacherous and tattered lining, - trod deep into the dirt by the hind-foot of his horse; buried ten days in the mire, - raised up out of it by a beggar - sold for a halfpenny to a parish-clerk, transferred to his parson, and lost for ever to thine owner; nor restored till this very moment that I tell the world the story.
Can the reader believe, that this sermon was preached in York cathedral before a thousand witnesses, by a certain prebendary of that church, and actually printed by him, only two years after Yorick's death?* Yorick indeed, was never better served in his life; but it was a little hard to plunder him after he was laid in his grave.
However, as the gentleman who did it was in perfect agreement with Yorick, and printed copies to give away; - I do not tell this anecdote to hurt his character and advancement in the church; but find myself impelled by two reasons.
