VI
вАЬWhat prodigious armies you had in Flanders!вАЭвБ†вЄЇвБ†Brother Toby, quoth my father, I do believe thee to be as honest a man, and with as good and as upright a heart as ever God created;вБ†вАФnor is it thy fault, if all the children which have been, may, can, shall, will, or ought to be begotten, come with their heads foremost into the world:вБ†вЄЇвБ†but believe me, dear Toby, the accidents which unavoidably waylay them, not only in the article of our begetting вАЩemвБ†вЄЇвБ†though these, in my opinion, are well worth considering,вБ†вЄЇвБ†but the dangers and difficulties our children are beset with, after they are got forth into the world, are enowвБ†вАФlittle need is there to expose them to unnecessary ones in their passage to it.вБ†вЄЇвБ†Are these dangers, quoth my uncle Toby, laying his hand upon my fatherвАЩs knee, and looking up seriously in his face for an answer,вБ†вЄЇвБ†are these dangers greater now oвАЩ days, brother, than in times past? Brother Toby, answered my father, if a child was but fairly begot, and born alive, and healthy, and the mother did well after it,вБ†вАФour forefathers never looked farther.вБ†вЄЇвБ†My uncle Toby instantly withdrew his hand from off my fatherвАЩs knee, reclined his body gently back in his chair, raised his head till he could just see the cornice of the room, and then directing the buccinatory muscles along his cheeks, and the orbicular muscles around his lips to do their dutyвБ†вАФhe whistled Lillabullero.