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his friend, who would have trusted him with his life. > > “When old age comes on, and repentance calls him to look back upon this black account, and state it over again with his conscience⁠— Conscience looks into the Statutes at Large ;⁠—finds no express law broken by what he has done;⁠—perceives no penalty or forfeiture of goods and chattels incurred;⁠—sees no scourge waving over his head, or prison opening his gates upon him:⁠—What is there to affright his conscience?⁠—Conscience has got safely entrenched behind the Letter of the Law; sits there invulnerable, fortified with Cases and Reports so strongly on all sides;⁠—that it is not preaching can dispossess it of its hold.” > > [Here Corporal Trim and my uncle Toby exchanged looks with each other.⁠—Aye, aye, Trim! quoth my uncle Toby , shaking his head,⁠⸻these are but sorry fortifications, Trim .⁠⸻O! very poor work, answered Trim , to what your Honour and I make of it.⁠⸺⁠The character of this last man, said Dr. Slop , interrupting Trim , is more detestable than all the rest; and seems to have been taken from some pettifogging Lawyer amongst you:⁠—Amongst us, a man’s conscience could not possibly continue so long blinded ,⁠⸺⁠three times in a year, at least, he must go to confession. Will that restore it to sight? quoth my uncle Toby .⁠⸺⁠Go on, Trim , quoth my father, or Obadiah will have got back before thou hast got to the end of thy sermon.⁠⸺’Tis a very short one, replied Trim .⁠⸺⁠I wish it was longer, quoth my uncle Toby , for I like it hugely.⁠— Trim went on.] > > “A fourth man shall want