Royal54-06-3039My Uncle Toby

The National Broadcasting Company present, transcribed Sir Ralph Richardson in Theatre Royal. This is Ralph Richardson. This week we turn to Lawrence Stern's famous novel, Tristram Shanday.

The literature of England is rich in lovable eccentrics, but none more lovable, if not more eccentric, The Lawrence turns Uncle Toby. Most of us are familiar with the old soldier who lives again in memory of the battles and sieges of his earlier days, and such was Tristram Shandie's Uncle Toby, a veteran of the campaigns of Morbira, two hundred and more years ago. I

myself will play the role of Toby and James McKechnay as Tristram will relate these scenes from Tristram Chanday which we have called my Uncle Toby. I very believe that a man might walk from Dan to Beer Sheba where he and the walking wound, there he met up with a worthy or more amiable man than my Uncle Toby.

Although my uncle may have taken upon him to ride somewhat upon his hobby horse, can I think any of the less of him for that? May, if it come to that, sir, have not the wisest men in all ages, not accepting Solomon himself, have they not had their hobby horses to?

It had been my uncle Toby's fortune to serve his king, not without honor, in the late wars in Flanders, and it was only by reason of the wound in his groin that he received at the siege of Nandur, rendering him unfit for further service, that my uncle Toby became possessed of his hobby horse at all.

For back in London, the wound confined him four years to his bent. Come in, brother. I'm not asleep. I met with a friend of ours in the street, brother, and he inquired how you did.