Given the understanding of coach travel that readers of Sterne's time could have had, are there ways in which the coach ride itself is adding to the "vexation" of Mr. and Mrs. Shandy in different ways?
"From Stilton, all the way to Grantham, nothing in the whole affair provoked him so much as the condolences of his friends, and the foolish figure they should both make at church the first Sunday;-of which, in the satirical vehemence of his wit, now sharpen'd a little by vexation, he would give so many humorous and provoking descriptions,-and place his rib and self in so many tormenting lights and attitudes in the face of the whole congregation;-that my mother declared, these two stages were so truly tragi-comical, that she did nothing but laugh and cry in a breath, from one end to the other of them all the way. " (Tristram Shandy 75)
"Although coach travel would have provided some protection from the irritations of the street, it was far from ideal, and not always the most comfortable option. Passengers in coaches would be "cruelly shaken" by the ruts and pot-holes, and travel unsteadily along the narrow lanes...Conversation in coaches could be awkward, stilted and frustrating. Crammed up close to strangers while being joggled about along the rutted tracks was some people's idea of a nightmare (Cockayne 179).
Within this scene from Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, the reader witnesses Tristram's father getting increasingly upset during a coach ride in which he had to go retrieve his wife from London (a place he hates). Also, it is hinted that she miscarried, so this is most likely the reason since she prefers to "lye-in" in London. During his antics, Mrs. Shandy becomes increasingly upset, but amused because his behavior is so ridiculous. In a coach that has many strangers he gives "so many humorous and provoking descriptions" of how silly they will look at church. He is being extremely confrontational in front of people that do not know him or his wife or have any interest in his angry ramblings.
This situation alone is enough to make a long coach ride from London to their country home very uncomfortable and vexing, but on top of this Cockayne adds some other problems that apply most likely not only to urban areas but to roads leading to the country. The combination of the coach and the poor state of the roads leads to a very bumpy, jarring ride for those traveling in it, sometimes dangerously so. Also, the passengers are often "crammed up close to strangers." This is never a pleasant experience, and the conversation is usually awkward, so probably it is better to avoid it when possible. Mr. Shandy does not pick up on this and decides to talk as much as he pleases about what is making him mad. He is adding to the discomfort that is already there simply by riding in a coach. No wonder his wife is amused, upset, and embarrassed by him. Also, the coach ride probably agitated Mr. Shandy even more by adding all of these natural implications of the journey and the discomfort they bring to his disappointment, anger, and the like. People during Sterne's probably time knew how vexing a coach ride itself could be, and they could pick up on the humor of this situation and sympathize at the same time in a way we modern readers perhaps cannot without background knowledge.
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