STERNE, LAURENCE, an Engliſh writer of a very peculiar caſt, was born at Clomwell, in the ſouth of Ireland, on 24th November 1713. His father Roger Sterne was the grandſon of Sterne archbiſhop of York, who has been ſuppoſed, we know not upon what grounds, to have been the author of the excellent book entitled "The Whole Duty of Man." Laurence inherited nothing of his anceſtor's manner of writing, but rather reſembled Rabelais, whose wit he carried with him even into the pulpit.
In 1722 he was ſent to ſchool at Halifax in Yorkſhire, where he continued till 1732, when he was removed to Jeſus College in Cambridge. How long he reſided in college, or what progreſs he made in literature or ſcience, is not known: his works display rather native genius than profound erudition. Upon quitting the univerſity he went to York, and being in orders was preſented to the living of Sutton by the intereſt of his uncle Dr Sterne, a prebendary of that church. In 1741 he married, and was ſoon afterwards made a prebendary of York, by the intereſt alſo of his uncle, who was then upon very good terms with him; but "quickly quarrelled with him (he ſays), and became his bitterneſt enemy, becauſe he would not be a party man, and write paragraphs in the newspapers." By his wife's means he got the living of Stillington, but remained near 20 years at Sutton, doing duty at both places. He was then in very good health, which, however, ſoon after forſook him; and books, painting, fiddling, and ſhooting, were, as he tells us, his amuſements.
In 1760, he went to London to publiſh his two firſt volumes of "Triftram Shandy;" and was that year preſented to the curacy of Coxwold. In 1762 he went to France, and two years after to Italy, for the recovery of his health; but his health never was recovered. He languiſhed under a conſumption of the lungs, without the ſlighteſt depression of ſpirits, till 1768, when death put a period to his terreſtrial exiſtence.
The works of Sterne are very generally read. They conſiſt of, 1. The Life and Opinions of Triftram Shandy; 2. Sermons; 3. A Sentimental Journey; 4. Letters, publiſhed ſince his death. In every ſerious page, and in many of much levity, the author writes in praiſe of benevolence, and declares that no one who knew him could ſuppoſe him one of thoſe wretches who heap miſfortune upon miſfortune: But we have heard anecdotes of him extremely well authenticated, which proved that it was eaſier for him to praiſe this virtue than to praſiſe it. His wit is univerſally allowed; but many readers have perſuaded themſelves that they found wit
in his blank pages, while it is probable that he intended nothing but to amuſe himſelf with the idea of the ſage conjectures to which theſe pages would give occaſion.
Even his originality is not ſuch as is generally ſuppoſed by thoſe fond admirers of the Shandean manner, who have preſumed to compare him with Swift, Arbuthnot, and Butler. He has borrowed both matter and manner from various authors, and in particular from an old work, "The Anatomy of Melancholy by Burton," as every reader may be convinced by the learned, elegant, and candid comments on his works publiſhed by Dr Ferrari, in the fourth volume of the Memoirs of the Literary and Philoſophical Society of Manchester.