I beheld his body half wasted away with long expectation and confinement, and felt what kind of sickness of the heart it was which arises from hope deferr'd. Upon looking nearer I saw him pale and feverish: in thirty years the western breeze had not once fann'd his blood–he had seen no sun, no moon, in all that time–nor had the voice of friend or kinsman breathed through his lattice:–his children–
But here my heart began to bleed–and I was forced to go on with another part of the portrait.
He was sitting upon the ground upon a little straw, in the furthest corner of his dungeon, which was alternately his chair and bed: a little calendar of small sticks were laid at the head, notch'd all over with the dismal days and nights he had passed there–he had one of these little sticks in his hand, and with a rusty nail he was etching another day of misery to add to the heap. As I darkened the little light he had, he lifted up a hopeless eye towards the door, then cast it down–shook his head, and went on with his work of affliction. I heard his chains upon his legs, as he turned his body to lay his little stick upon the bundle.–He gave a deep sigh–I saw the iron enter into his soul–I burst into tears–I could not sustain the picture of confinement which my fancy had drawn–I started up from my chair, and called La Fleur–I bid him bespeak me a remise, and have it ready at the door of the hotel by nine in the morning.

In "A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy," Laurence Sterne's protagonist, Yorick, is confronted with an imagined portrait of despair and confinement that deeply affects him. The phrase "I saw the iron enter into his soul" conveys the profound emotional and psychological toll that imprisonment takes on an individual, symbolizing the crushing weight of hopelessness and despair. This passage illustrates Yorick's empathetic nature as he is moved to tears by the thought of a man's prolonged suffering and isolation. The scene underscores the broader themes of freedom and constraint, both physical and metaphorical, that permeate the narrative. The impact of this vision is so profound that it prompts Yorick to take immediate action, arranging for his departure, which also reflects his own desire for liberation and avoidance of similar constraints. This empathetic response indicates a deeper moral introspection, transforming a whimsical journey into a deeper exploration of human suffering.