’Tis a point settled,⁠—and I mention it for the comfort of Confucius, who is apt to get entangled in telling a plain story⁠—that provided he keeps along the line of his story,⁠—he may go backwards and forwards as he will,⁠—’tis still held to be no digression.

This being premised, I take the benefit of the act of going backwards myself.