orn at Kames Castle, Bute,
son of Captain Sterling of the _Times_; studied at Glasgow and Cambridge;
a man of brilliant parts and a liberal-minded, but of feeble health; had
Julius Hare for tutor at Cambridge, and became Hare's curate at
Hurstmonceaux for eight months; wrote for reviews, and projected literary
enterprises, but achieved nothing; spent his later days moving from place
to place hoping to prolong life; formed an acquaintanceship with Carlyle
in 1832; became an intelligent disciple, and believed in him to the last;
Hare edited his papers, and wrote his life as a clergyman, and Carlyle,
dissatisfied, wrote another on broader lines, and by so doing
immortalised his memory (1806-1843).

STERN, DANIEL. See AGOULT.

STERNE, LAURENCE, English humourist, born at Clonmel, Ireland, son
of Roger Sterne, captain in the army; his mother an Irishwoman; was
educated at Halifax and Cambridge, by-and-by took orders, and received
livings in Sutton and Shillington, became a prebend at York, and finally
got a living at Coxwold; in 1759 appeared the first two volumes of
"Tristram Shandy," and in 1767 the last two; in 1768 his "Sentimental
Journey," and in the interim his "Sermons," equally characteristic of the
man as the two former productions. Stopford Brooke says, "They have no
plot, they can scarcely be said to have any story. The story of 'Tristram
Shandy' wanders like a man in a labyrinth, and the humour is as
labyrinthine as the story. It is carefully invented, and whimsically
subtle; and the sentiment is sometimes true, but mostly affected. But a
certain unity is given to the book by the admirable consistency of the
characters," his masterpieces, among which is "Uncle Toby"; the author
died in London of pulmonary consumption (1713-1763).

STERNHOLD, THOMAS, principal author of the first English metrical
version of the Psalms, originally attached to the Prayer-Book as
augmented by John Hopkins; continued in general use till Tate and Brady's
version of 1696 was substituted in 1717; was a Hampshire man, and held
the post of Groom of the Robes to Henry VIII. and Edward VI. (1500-1549).

STEROPES, one of the three CYCLOPS (q. v.).

STESICHORUS, a celebrated Greek lyric poet, born in Sicily;
contemporary of Sappho, Aleacus, and Pittacus; at his birth it is said a
nightingale alighted on his lips and sang a sweet strain (632-652 B.C.).

STETTIN (116), capital of Pomerania, and a flourishing river-port on
both