foot of his left leg, the defect of which was no disadvantage to his attitude, advanced a little,—not laterally, nor forwards, but in a line betwixt them;—his knee bent, but that not violently,—but so as to fall within the limits of the line of beauty;—and I add, of the line of science too;—for consider, it had one eighth part of his body to bear up;—so that in this case the position of the leg is determined,—because the foot could be no farther advanced, or the knee more bent, than what would allow him, mechanically to receive an eighth part of his whole weight under it, and to carry it too.
☞ This I recommend to painters:—need I add,—to orators!—I think not; for unless they practise it,⸻they must fall upon their noses.
So much for Corporal Trim’s body and legs.⸺He held the sermon loosely, not carelessly, in his left hand, raised something above his stomach, and detached a little from his breast;⸺his right arm falling negligently by his side, as nature and the laws of gravity ordered it,⸺but with the palm of it open and turned towards his audience, ready to aid the sentiment in case it stood in need.
Corporal Trim’s eyes and the muscles of his face were in full harmony with the other parts of him;—he looked frank,—unconstrained,—something assured,—but not bordering upon assurance.
Let not the critic ask how Corporal Trim could come by all this.⸺I’ve told him it should be explained;—but so he stood before my father, my uncle Toby , and Dr. Slop ,—so swayed his body, so contrasted his limbs, and with such an oratorical sweep throughout the whole figure,⸺a statuary might have modelled from it;⸺nay, I doubt whether the oldest Fellow of a College,—or the Hebrew Professor himself, could have much mended it.
Trim made a bow, and read as follows:
“ Trust! ⸺Trust we have a good