My father, who was a great MOTIVE-MONGER, and consequently a very dangerous person for a man to sit by, either laughing or crying, --for he generally knew your motive for doing both, much better than you knew it yourself--would always console my uncle _Toby_ upon these occasions, in a way, which shewed plainly, he imagined my uncle _Toby_ grieved for nothing in the whole affair, so much as the loss of his _hobby-horse_. ----Never mind, brother _Toby_, he would say, --by God's blessing we shall have another war break out again some of these days; and when it does, --the belligerent powers, if they would hang themselves, cannot keep us out of play. ----I defy 'em, my dear _Toby_, he would add, to take countries without taking towns, ----or towns without sieges.

My father, who was a great Motive-monger, and generally knew your motive for laughing or crying much better than you knew it yourself - would always console my uncle Toby upon these occasions as if he imagined my uncle Toby grieved for nothing so much as the loss of his hobby-horse.
'Never mind, brother Toby,' he would say; 'by God's blessing we shall have another war break out again one of these days. - For I defy 'em, my dear Toby, to take countries without taking towns, or towns without sieges.'
