A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy

Yorick recounts the poor people whom crowd around him whenever he leaves an inn. He tells his readers to be kind to them, though admits that he rarely gives them any money, as he has no money to give. As Yorick leaves, he encounters such a crowd and considers giving away a small amount of money. When he has given away all of his money, he notices a “pauvre honteux” (25), whom he missed. Yorick gives the man some money, but he is “ashamed to say how much” (25) and then enters his carriage.

They depart; Yorick rides in the carriage, while La Fleur travels on a small horse. Before they get far, the horse is spooked by the body of a dead donkey on the roadside and it bucks La Fleur, who is then forced to ride in the carriage with Yorick.

After a short ride, they arrive at the post house in Nampont. There, they meet the owner of the dead donkey, who is still in mourning. A crowd has gathered around, intrigued by the “simplicity of his grief” (27) and they discover that the old man has traveled all the way from Germany.