My Lord, if you examine it over again, it is far from being a gross piece of daubing, as some dedications are. The design, your Lordship sees, is good, --the colouring transparent, --the drawing not amiss; --or to speak more like a man of science, --and measure my piece in the painter’s scale, divided into 20, --I believe, my Lord, the outlines will turn out as 12, --the composition as 9, --the colouring as 6, --the expression 13 and a half, --and the design, --if I may be allowed, my Lord, to understand my own _design_, and supposing absolute perfection in designing, to be as 20, --I think it cannot well fall short of 19. Besides all this, --there is keeping in it, and the dark strokes in the HOBBY-HORSE, (which is a secondary figure, and a kind of back-ground to the whole) give great force to the principal lights in your own figure, and make it come off wonderfully; ----and besides, there is an air of originality in the _tout ensemble_. Be pleased, my good Lord, to order the sum to be paid into the hands of Mr. _Dodsley_, for the benefit of the author; and in the next edition care shall be taken that this chapter be expunged, and your Lordship’s titles, distinctions, arms, and good actions, be placed at the front of the preceding chapter: All which, from the words, _De gustibus non est disputandum_, and whatever else in this book relates to HOBBY-HORSES, but no more, shall stand dedicated to your Lordship. --The rest I dedicate to the MOON, who, by the bye, of all the PATRONS or MATRONS I can think of, has most power to set my book a-going, and make the world run mad after it. _Bright Goddess_, If thou art not too busy with CANDID and Miss CUNEGUND’S affairs, --take _Tristram Shandy’s_ under thy protection also. CHAPTER X Whatever degree of small merit the act of benignity in favour of the midwife might justly claim, or in whom that claim truly rested, --at first sight seems not very material to this history; ----certain however it was, that the gentlewoman, the parson’s wife, did run away at that time with the whole of it: And yet, for my life, I cannot help thinking but that the parson himself, though he had not the good fortune to hit upon the design first, --yet, as he heartily concurred in it the moment it was laid before him, and as heartily parted with his money to carry it into execution, had a claim to some share of it, --if not to a full half of whatever honour was due to it. The world at that time was pleased to determine the matter otherwise. Lay down the book, and I will allow you half a day to give a probable guess at the grounds of this procedure.