The mirror: a periodical paper, published at Edinburgh in the

cations,

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No 79* The M i r & o k* 37

cations, while they fee the rewards of virtue as certainly attained at a much foialler ex« pence.

From my coHcern for the few I have mentioned, I have been confidering whether it were not poflible to devife fome means of ua*

mafking thofe of the former character, fome ftandard by which the two clafles might be compared, or ftatical balance which fhould fliow the difference of weight and folidity of fuch objedVs as have a fimilar appearance. I think| Sir, I have been fuccefsful, and fhall now propofc to you my plan..

Imprimis, I lay it down as a rule, that mca fliall not be judged of by the aftions they perform, but by fiich as they do not perform. Now, Sir, as thofe ufcful chronicles of fafts, called newS'paperSi have hitherto been only the records of what men have been daily a-doing, I propofe to publifli a news-paper of a different kind, which ihall contain the daily intelligence of all fuch things as are not done.

For the benefit of fuch as chufe to encourage my undertaking, I fend you a fpecimea of the work, which I can fafely promife, and hereby engage, fhall contain more in quantity than any other periodical regifter whatever. Vol. III. D "Saturday Digitized by Google

3*' The Mirror. N® yy.

" Saturday laft, being the feftival of Chrift'* mas, a day which the late worthy Sir Tho

**^ mas W ufed to commemorate by giving

*' a warm dinner to all the poor of the pariflii ** the fame was^

celebrated by his fan, the pre** fent Sir Thomas, 'with no folemnity what* ** ever.*'

*' Tefterday George B ——, Efq; who, by " the death of an uncle, fucceedcd htely to ** an eftate of L. 4000 per annimtj gave no **

anfwer to five charity-letters from the na*^ tural children of his deceafed relation, and *' their mother, who works hard for their ^

maintenance.*'

. '^ In the courfe of laft week four poor people *^ died in the ftreets,—

owing to the great in* •« clemency of the feafon/*

«< On Friday the 24th ult. the Puke of ■ ♦* vifited the Royal Infirmary of this city, and, ** after perufing the lift of contributrons to ." that humane and nfcful foundation, was

" pleafed to gtve-i a. pinch of fnuff to the

." gentleman that ftood next him.'* :

*' It was confidently reported,,fome days a

<»' go, that C W , Efq; iad paid his

** father's debts; but this, we are aflured, is *^ without foundation."

♦«In

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N^79' T H B M I R R o R. j9

** In the aAion lately brought by E. L. a ** paupert againft her fon-in-law, Lord — ** for an alimony, fcveral eminent counfel be* " ing applied to in behalf of the plaintiflF, re" fufed to take any concern in fo fhameful a ** profecution.*'

" W. P. Efq5 who lately fuftained ,a con" fiderable lofs by play, has not, as was aflcrt* '< ed, fold his hunters and pack of harriers* '' He has only difmifled his chaplain, and cut '^ off the allowance of foine fuperannuated do« " mcftics on whom his father bellowed an" nual penfions.'*

" Whereas it has been reported, that R. V, " Efqj who feme time ago made a compofi" tion with his creditors of five fhillings in the **

pound, has of late given fevcral entertain*^ ments of three, courfcs^

we are defired to *' inform the public, from the beft authority, " viz. his butler, that the faid gentleman ne** ver gives more than two courfes and a de* « fert."

** Laft n-ightj between the hours of nine and " ten, a fire broke out in the kitchen of R. H, " Efq; which, after burning with fome vio" knee for two hours, was happily extinguifh'* ed. It did no farther damage than the conD 3 " fuming

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40 The M x tt r o r. N® 'j^^

•* fuming of about 20 lb. of coals. It is fur** priiing how very few fuch accidents have happened of late years.**'

M

Such, Mr Mirror^ is the nature of the paper which I propofe ihall give daily intelli--« gence of whatever is omitted to be done ia this city and its environs. Beiides the reconrmendation of novelty, its general ufeful'neis muft be fo apparent, that I can have very little 4oubt of its extenfive circulatioa. I am,

S I R,

Tour moft obedient fervant^

INTEGILR;

To the Author of the Mirror.

Sir,

T Am one of a family of young Adies wharead your paper, with which we have been hitherto tolerably well pleafed, though we could wi£h it were not quite fo grave^ and had a little more lov^ in it. But we have found'

out,.

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N^79' The Mirrok.. 49

eut, pf late^ that it is none of your own, but moftly borFOwed from other people. A coufint of oursi 'who is himfelf a fine fcholar, and has a great acquaintance among the critics, fhowed us many different

inftances of this. Your firft paper, he told us, was copied from the firft paper of the Spe8ator\ and, upon looking into both, we found them cxaftly the fame, all about the author and the work from beginBing to end. Your Umphraville^ he faid, \fdi^ juft Sir Moger de Coverley \ which we perfectly agreed in, except that my fifter Betjey obfer* vcd, Umphravilk wanted the IVidow^ which all of us think the very bcft part of Sir Roger^ Tour Bobby Button, he affiired us, was bor^ rowed from N'^ 13. of tbe True Patriot, publilhed by Mr Fielding, who writes Tom Jones %, and there, indeed, we found there was a ftory of a young gentleman who liked French, wine better than his country, juft like Sir Bgbby. N° 72. which we thought a vcry/weef paper, he informed us was taken from the. Night Thoughts \ and indeed, though we don*c underftand Latin^ we faw plainly,, that the Mottos were the fame to a TJS)fAW this, how* ever, we might have overlooked, had not a •gentleman, who called here this morning,, D J

who*

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42 The M r r r cr Rc K^7s^

who ufed formerly to be a great advocate for the Mirror, confefled to us^ that our coufin's intelligence was literally true ; and, more than all that, he told us, that your very lafl; number was to be found, CYcry

'word of ity in Johnfon^s DiSlionary.

VTt fend you, therefore, notice, Sir, that unlefs you can contrive to give us fomething new for the future, we (hall be obliged to countermand our fubfcription for the Mir^ ror. We can have a reading of a frefh N<h vel every mornings for the money, with a /pick and/pan new ftory in it, fuch as none of us ever read or beard of in aU our lives be^ ibre.

Yours, &c.

EVELIN-A.

N<'8ou

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fJ^So. Sattthday, FeBraarx 12. 1780. ^Ex fuma dare he em.

Cogttaty ut fpeciqfa dehinc miraculo promat*

AUTHORS have been divided into two claiTesi the iaftruAive and the entertaining, to which has been added a thirds whomix, according to Horace, the •* utiie dulci^ and are, in his opinion, intitled to the higheft degree of applaufc.

Readers complain^ that, in none of thefe departments is there, in modern writing, much preteniion to originality. In fcience, they fay, fo much has been already difcavered, that all a modern writer has left is, to -explain and enforce the fyftems of our prcdeceflbr^ 5 and, in literature, our fathers have fo exhaufted the acutenefs of reafoning, the fialhes of wit, the luxuriance of defcription,^ and the invention of incident,, that an author now-a-days can only give new form, not matter, to his argum^&t) anewturn^ not thought, to his epigram \

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44 The Mirror. N^ 8a.

epigram; new attitudes, not objeft, to his piAure; new language^ not iituation, to his ftory.

Hqwever true this cooaphiim iB^y b^ in the main^ there is One clafs of writers to whom the charge of triteaefs ddes^ 1 apprehend, very Ihtk apply. They ari generally oi the ^rft fpecifesf mentioned above, who publifh ufeful information to mankind ; yet, in the laft quarter of the i-Sth century, their information is often as new as if tk^y bad written in t>he- lOBm fianry of art and of fi:ien<:«i when every &sld Was opentoth« tefcarehes of iridarfi:ry,,and the invention of genius.

The writers I alhide . to, are the authors of tnofc little eflays which appear in the learned world under the title of

-AbVERTISEMENTS,

irhe neceffary and ornamental arts of life are equally the objefts of the cUfs of authors whom I defcribe. In both, I will ventusie to nffert, that the novelty of their produ£tioQs i» equal to their ufefulnefs.

It was formerly imagined,- that difeafe was an evil which mankind had inherited as a punifliment for the lapfe of their progenitor, Milton has given, in his Paradife Loft, a catalogue of fome of thofc tormenting maladies

which.

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N^8o. The M i r r o »• 45:

which wiere to be feh by the race of fallen A'» dam.-^So has Dr Dominiceti in aa advcrtifcment, which is now lying before me; but, with the moft extraordinary force of original difcovery, has informed us> that,, in his treatment of thofe difordcrs, there is no evil, no pain, but, on the contrary, mnch pleafure, and even luxury. «* / engage^

fays the Doctor, " with pleafure, and even luxury, to the ** patient^ to increafe or diminijb the vital heat^ *' and the circulatory^ fecretory^

and excretory *^fiinHions ;. to /often and relax the too hard ** and dry mufculdr and nervous fibres^ and " contra^ed ligaments; and to harden and make " compa^j and give the proper tone and elafti* **

city ta thi too moiji and flabby mufcular and " nervous [fibres and relaxed finev^Sy and prO'^ *' vide and ejlablijb an equilibrium betwe&n th6 *^fluids and vejfels; tofweeten acridy corrofive; ** and faline- humours 5 and to cure the dropfy'j ^ aflhmay confumptions^

colic^ gravely rheu*_ ** matifm^ palfyy pleurijy^ and feversy ftoni •*

and gouty fcxtrvy and leprofy j to moUify and " and deflroy inveterate callofttieSy to, detergi ** and cure ^bjiinate ulcers^ '&c. *

** Tbefe are not the reprefentations of a ^ ^aclCs bill y Idetefi the arts

<f quackery ar

*« muck

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4$ T H e M I It R o 1. N^So.

^* much ^as any/nidn livings J deal not fn lio^ •* ft rums or myfieriest or magic or expedUnt t» <* captivate :

f Hon fibi» f^d totq geoutcim ft cr^d<re maivdo.^'

If he who invented, one ^ new pleafure ii^as formerly thought intitled to.imperial munificepcei what reward does the DoAor defery^ iH^ho has added as many luxuries to tha U{1 as there,are difeafes In the catalogues o£

' Quv own country has tl;e honour of pro-i dXKJng an author, who, in an advertlfemeiH paabiifhed aot long ago^ has - added to the.

ftoaces.. Q£].naturai hifiory- the .foUowing . yeryi cwicnw fa<3ts, with regiu'4\to the ^properties, of air and heat.. ../kfr Faify mafpn> oppoGte .tft ^hc White-Hart Ino, Grafs-. Market, Edin-i ^rgh> thus delivers himfelf <>«, the fubjeftof fn^miatks. y 4tr {jLnifrmke^^' f^ys he, *' are. ** tiMO tlaftjc fluidsi^ ^<^P.^PM 9f being condeujed

^^and^^xpande^. Htnt^yor^^hi^jiTe in th ^*£rate, \expands ike .o/>./

U/i}ig expanded, «' it becomes ligbUr. ^"A,nd% as it is in nature ^^for light matter tofwim to the t<^ ofheavier^ ^ it^ rJfes. up tkf. v^nt, carryings tie, /moke a

<« long

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N^8o. The M x r & o r» 47

^ long with it. This is the principle by ivbich ^^fire bumSy and fmoke afcends. No'w^ that ^' the particles of air may be brought above the

*^firef that, they may be heated to expand and ** carry off the fmokej

Jbouli be the chief care ** of a mafon in finifbing of the fire^placeu ^*

On the contrary^ it is the caufeof fmoke.

** The other caufe offmoke is the wind. Wind ^* is a current of the air always rufhing inf$ ^* voids. At the fame time it goes forward by ^*

the law of gravity^ it has a tendency t$ ** prefs downwards. Now, when it blows over ** any one objedi higher than the chimney-top^ ^*

gravity brings it downward^ P^^ffi^g il>9 ^'fmoke before it^

It will be obferved)' that, like many other great theoriils, Mr Fair ufes a language in fome places a little obfcure \ and that, in others, at where he mentions the tendency of wind to prefs downwards, his expreiEon borders on the jocular ; a liberty in which fome of the greateft philofophers have frequently indulged.

Thcfc difcoveries, however new and aftoniihing, are not fupeYhaturaU But I have juft now read an advertifement, which carries its infonnatioa beyond the bounds pf fpo,ce and time 9

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4^ The Mirror. N^JJo;

timei and, though the modefty of its author allows that fhe has borrowed fpinethiiig from the Eq/lern Magi, may fairly be deemed an o* riginal. *^ Mrs Corbyn, 4^N®4i. Stanhope'* ^^ftreeti Clare-market^

Lmdon^ by the ge-^ nuine rules of the real aftronomical arcana^ «for which the Viife men of the Eafi 'mere fi ** noftei^ undertakes to anfwer all legal ajbro" ** logical quejlions, in a mojl furprifing man* **

tier. Continues to give the moji amazing ac** counts ofperfons by fea and land. Gives at'* f* tendantf at the'ivarehoufe every day from **

ten in the morning to eight at nighiJ* The wife men of the £aft, .and fome other aftrologersi might perhaps retail fome prediSions ; but the idea of a wareboufe of prophecy was, 1 am perfuaded, referved for 3frj Corbyn o£ Ciarermarket.

In the ornamental department of fcicncej lias there been any thing, fince the "days of Medeay that could fo cffeftually give beauty 40

homelinefs, or reftbrc youth to age, as the CircaJJian Wafhy or the Venetian Flower-iva' ter ? ' or has the cunning of art ever rivalled the produftions of nature more fuccefsfully than in the Elajiic Cufhion and Spring Curls^ «** "which,^ fays the advertifcmenj, *' are as

** natural

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N^ 8o. _ The M i r r o k. 49

*' natural and becomings nay^ by many thought ** morefo^ than the natural hair itfelf?

Nor is the merit of thofe gentlemen much inFerior, where they apply arts already difcovered to purpofes which ^heir inventors never dreamed of. Socrates was faid to have brought down phllofophy from heaven to dwell with men. I think the fame eulogium may be fairly beftowed on the very ingenious artifty who has informed us in an advertifcment, ** That he makes leather breeches by the ^* rules of trigonometry."

Having thus done juftice to the merit 06 thofe authors, in point of fubflance, I proceed to fhew their excellence in the compofition and ftyle of their productions. Amtdft a variety of inftances, I (hall make choice of one, merely becaiife it ftrikes my view in laft night^s Public Advertifer. It is the produftion of a very voluminous writer in this department, Mr Norton of Golden-Square.

" £. S. Gent, of Tenterden in Kent, was •* hng affliBed vjith an inveterate fcorbutic ** diforder* It Jlrji broke out in hot pimples ♦* and dry fcales all over his face; then ap•* peared in great blotches on various parts of *' his body^ and oedematous fjjelUngs in his legs^^

.Vol. III. E ^^-vohich

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50 TijE MiRKOit. N°8o.

•* which terminated in dreadful excoriations, ** and foetid ulcers, j^ll this was attended with •* a total lofs of appetite^ and, at lajl, with

**fuch extreme languor and debility^ that the " poor gentleman was utterly defpaired of by •• feveral of the mojl eminent of the faculty ^

who attended him ; till^ at lajlj by the pro^ ^* vidential difcovery in the news^papers of the *« efficacy of Marcdant's drops, by taking a

^^few bottles of them, all the abqve terrible *^ fymptoms began gradually to difappear^ his ** appetite returned, his complexion regained '* its prifiine bloom, his ftin became as fmooth ** as that of a new born babe, and his flefb r^«< covered the foundnefs and elajiicity of the ** mofl vigorous habit. He has ever fmce been '*

perfeQly flouts hale, and aBive, and has ^* had three children born to him, all thriving ^^ and healthy,

This may be confidered as a fort of tragicomic recital, and, if examined by the rules of Ariftotle, will be found to contain all the re«

quifites of the beft dramatic compoiition* Here Is a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning, the breaking out of Mr S*s diforder \ the middle, the progrefs of the 4ifeafe \ the end^ its perfeA cure. Here, too,

in

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N°8o. The M i r r o r. 51

in fome fort, is the Ayvafmc, and here evi« dcntly the JltftriTeia, the two great beauties of a perfcft drama; the Ayrwf kt/c, the providential difcovery of Maredant*s drops i the liiftfTiTetoi, the change of fituation fromr pimples and fcales to a blooming complexion, from blotches and ulcers, to fmoothnefs of ikin and foundnefs of fleOi, from extreme debility and langour, to being the father of healthy children.

Nor is this clafs of writers lefs remarkable for adaptation of ftyle than for corrcftncfs of compofition. The advertifement above recited of Dr

Dominicetif and the daily performances of Meff. Chrijiie and Anfell^

fhcw to what elevation they can raife it, when the fubjeA requires elevation. On the other hand, wherfr fliall we find more truly charafteriftic fimplicity than in the following notice from a gentleman-tailor ? ** Wanted^ by a Jingle gentle-^ *' man-tailor^ a fervant-maidy to a^ as houfe-^ " keeper and cooky 'where a girl is kept to attend' **"

and wait upon the majier. None need apply ** 'who ivill pretend to manage the kitchen* ^Jire viithout his direHionSy as he underjlandl

** the management of coaUJireSy which few ^Servants in this town do* As he commonly Ea ^dines^

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S% T IT E Mirror. N®8ov

** dities out of a Sunday y he expeFls hh fer-. ** vants to go to churchy injiead of cooking dain* ** ties to themfclvesj fiich as Jboulders of ueal ^^fiuff^d^ &c. J asy though he is a fingle man,. **

he is very well inflruEied by a neighbour ho-m ** to manage his family. —~ Apply next door •* to theJlepSy Panton Square-^^

Other writers, often equally poor and proud, may perhaps objeft to the clafs of au* thors whom I commemorate, that they write, not from the love of fcience, or the defire of fame, but from motives merely interefted and felfiih. But a little acquaintance with many of their productions will effeftually remove this reproach. Is it not benevolence alone that forces Mr Speedimany in fpite of his natural modefty, to addrefs the public in an advertifement ? ^* Mr Speediman i{}Ould be un-^ ^^juji to the public if he any longer delayed acm, ** quaintlng t^em (f the viKtues of his ftomach ** pills.**

Are there not daily advertifements of fales ^^far beloiu prime, cojly^

which continue for feveral. years,, to the evident advantage of the public, and lofs pf the advertifer > and does not Mr Molefvorth prefs advcnturera io the. lottery to purchafe his tickets and fharcsj.

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JH^So. The JST r tf w <r w. f^

fhares, though he i;aows^ by certain calcula* tioD, that they are to be drzvm prizes ?

To fuch men> may not the above-quoted^ motto of the llluftrious Dt Dmniniccti be mo(t defepvedly applied ?

" Non fibiy fed toto gem turn fe credere mundo/*

which, however^ as malice is always ready to dietraft from merit, I heard a wicked wag of" my acquaintance tranflate t'other day to acompany of Fadics^ " That the Dbftor's fumi•*gations were to make himfclf lixx, and ta> ^ kill all the world bcfide.'*^

Z

E 3. W 8r;

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K^8^. TuESDAT, FeFmaryirS'iT^bi.

, To'the AuxH,OR of the, I^IjRjioft.

I R.

SOme time agO'youiaferted ill.ypur papc»a letter from a lady who fubfcribed herfelf ^. M, giving an. account of thi: hai;cifliips Ifee has fuffered as the daughter of a man o£^ fortune, educated in, the roidfl:..Df ^^fBuence^, and thealeft tp the fupport of a very flender.

provifibn. I own. the fituation to be a hard; one J but it may, perhaps, afford her fome. ^onfblatioh to be told, that there are others,, feemingly enviable, which are yet as- diftreflV ful, that derive their diftreffes from circum^ ftances exadlly the reverfe of thofc in whicht Mifs S. M, is placed,

I loft my father, a gentleman of confiderat)le fortune, at an age fd early, that his death* lias fcarce left any traces on my mind* I can.

only recoUeft, • that there was fomethiiig of buftle, as well as of forrow, all. over the koufej thaf my coloured fajb was- changed, for

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N^8i.- T:hi;e. M r r r o- r. yj:

fbr^-bbck o&e fvahd that I was not allowed to.drin^ Pappa's Jieahh^afterJ dinner,! which,, before,. L had beem.taught.rcgularly to

.do,. Soon aftear, I caa remember day Mamma being: fick) and that there. :was ^ rlittle brother born,^ whov.was -much mqte attended to than I. As/ we grewfupj-lcan remember Ills.getting fnec; p*ay-tbitig5r, aacl being oftemer the ftibjca.of difcoiH^fe 'among our vifitors : and that ibmctniies, when there were little quarrels, in the; HHrfery, Silfy^s maid wouid, tell mine, that. Mifs muft irl&ir t^il her betters wcrc.fervcd. . A foperibi'ifytowhich. I was fo early ac*' cufto^fed, it gAve-iiie little imeafincfs'to bear^ The vivacity natural to children, which in me. was fupported by uninterrupted good health,, left'me ad leifuj^e to complain.of a preferences^ by which though tny biiothir.was diftinguifh-. ed', hew^s fcldoiii or h'eperi miade happier..

The notice, indeed, to which his birth-bright itftitl^d him, was often more a hardihip thaa. »privilege. He was :fi^equently kept in jtha drawiftg-iropm with Mamma,* when he wouhl^ Jiave-ipui:!* rather been.'with. mje. in the garrj d^n; he was made to repeat his le0bn ;to the company^ that they might admire his parts r ^odhis.progrefs, wMc I was.fuffered to be

playing

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50 T IT E iM 1 R R icr r; N® 8r.

playing bliad-man'd-balF below ftatrs-; he was. fet ac dioner with the did ffolk^, he%ed to: light things that wo^ald not hurt.him^' obligedb'

to drink toaift and wate^r^'and to behave him^ felf like a

gentlecnan^^ while i was. afilowe^^to^ devour a^jpplednmpliR, gulpdoim fmalUbeert. and play monkey-trkks at the iiderl^ble* - Tha^

care, however,: whicbtWjuchfcA. ,h»*^ health, wai^ not repaid with fuecers^ i. he wa»always more delicate, and more.fubjedito Uttlc.

diforders than I; and/ at:Uft| .^K^t i^om'pl^* ting his feircnthycar^

wa^'feii^d with a fcver^ whichy in a. few daj[s,. put aa.ejid to his life,, andtiransferred to mejthe inhcdtance o£ mj anceftorsbi j After the firft tranfport$. o| tny- mother's grief were fubfided, fhe begaaiQ ^FiP^7: ^^r^f. to the care of her fuirviving cWW. ...I ^as noW. become ibheritrefi of her anxiety as. well as of jny father's fortun'e; a remarkable change was made in every department of my education, sriy company, and my amufements. Inftead cff going along with a. fet of other ^icls of my. own age to a< clafs>foc leavning Frencbi ^nd a, piublic v^riting-fcboolj teacha^ were brought into the houfe to inftruft nae privately.; and, though X ftill went to a dancing-£cbool three

days

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N«» Si. T H E' >:M I R r: o tl. sl\

days in the weefe, to praftife the Icflbns which I received from aa eminent matter at horne^ yet I was always attended by my mother, my governefs, or fomebody, by whofe fide I was ftuck up before and after the dance^ to the' gr^at vexfttion of niyfelf, and the ridicule, of my former companions. Of companions,' indeed, I was ftow altogejther deprived. I was too confiderable a perfon to aflbciate with thofe in whofe fports and.amufemeniis I had formerly been fo happy to fharc; if. at any. lime I ventured to;mention!a wiih for their fociety, I was immediately checked by an ob-fervation of my Mamma, that flie believed they were very good girls, but not fit company for me,

.To prevent tlie foliiude in which my fupe?riprity would have thus placed me, a little: girl, an orphan niece of my jnother's maid^ was taken into the houfe, whofe office it was to attend me during all- my

hours of ftiidy or amufement, to hold the pm-cufhion while my maid was drcffing me, to ^ck leflbns along, with n\e, and be chid if I neglected them,, to play games at Draughts^ which flie was never to win, and tolift the Shuftkcccky which L commonly let fall j in ihoi^ fhc was to,fcrvc:

me'

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5? T H E M f ji R o n. N^iu

0

mc for the prkSice of. all that iafokncc which the precepts of others had taught me I had a right to affume. I feel, at .this moment, Mr Mirror, the moft flncere compunftion for the hardfhips which this poor

,girl fuftered while ihe wa4 with me; tiardihip^ from which, at I^ft, flie freed herfelf, by running off with a recruiting ferjeant; yet I wa«

taught, at the time, to call her fubiiftcnce a bounty, and ta account myfelf generous when I bcftowed any trifle beyond it.

While my mind was thus encouraged in perveriion, the culture, of iny body was little Icfs prepofterous. The freedom and exercife, which formerly beftowed health and vigour, I now exchanged for the conftraints of faihion,' and the* lazinefs' of' pride* Every {hackle of drefs which the daughters of any great man were underflood to wear, I was immediately provided with, becaufe I could afford it as well as they. . I was never allowed the ufe of my limbs, becaufe I could afford a coach; and, when attacked by the. flighceft diforder, immediate recourfe was bad to the phyfician, becaufe I could afford a fee. The confcquence was natural; I loft all my former fpirits, as well as my former bloom; and,.

whea

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when I firft put on the womanly garb, I vns a fine lady complete, with cheeks as pale, and nerves as weak as the fineft.

I was now arrived at a period when attention and anxiety were to be pointed altnoft folelyvto otic objeft, the difpofaf of my pcrlbn in marriage. \Vhh regard to this event, I was equally the flave of my mother's hopes and fears. I was dreflcd and rc-drcfled, fqueezed and pinched, that I might catch a fine gentleman who had lately returned from his travels. I was often hurried fevcral miles in the dark to a ball at bur county-town, to difplay myfdf to a Lord who was to be of the party there; I was wdlked over hedge and ditch, in order to captivate a country-fquurc of a very large eflate in our neighbourhood; and I was once obliged to hazard my neck^ that I migitt go out a hunting with a Duke. On the other hand, I was in perfeft durance when any improper man had been feen to look at me. I was forced to leave the parifixchurch, upon information received of a young gentleman having bribed the beadle with a ihilling to admit him into the next pew j my dancing-mafter was changed, becaufe his wife died while he was attending raej and mf

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drawing-maOrer, an old bachelor of threefcore, was difmifled,

.bec>iufe Jie l^appened to put; his hand on mine in Are wing roe,how to manage .iny Crayons.. The only poor naan with whom I was allowed to aflbciate was the clergyman of our pariflr, a very-old gentleman of the mod irreproachable charafter. To this indulgence,

.however, I W2s more indebted than, my mother was aware, or I had any reafon to hppe. PofleiTed of excellent fenfe and gre*t learning, the .good man was at ^pains to teach me the ufe of the firft, and the value of the latter. By his afliftance, my m.Jnd, .which, be.fore, had always been .e^thfr uncultivated or mifled,. was informed with

^knowledge more ufeful than the extent of my fortune, or the privileges of my birth. HejChewed me the folly of pride., and the

meannefs of infolence; he taught me the refpeft due to. merit, the

,tenderne& to poverty, the reverence to mjffortune ; from him I firft learned, the dignity of condefcenfion, the pleafures of civility, the luxury of beneficence. He died, alas! before I could receive the full benefit of his ioftrudions, before he was able to eradicate the cffefts of early perverfion ?jind habitual indulgence \ and left me rather in a condition to

feel

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feel the weakaefs of my mind than to recover its firength.

My mother did not long furvive him* I Jiad been forced to fee the errors of her judgement, though I could never doubt the warmth of her affeftipn. I was unfortunate enough to lofe her afiiftance, when her aiSftance would have been more ufefui^ and her indulgence leis prejudicial. In the management of my fortune, which has now devolved on me, I am perplexed with budnefs which I do not underftand, and haraffed by applications which I know not how to anfwer. I am fometimes puzzled with fchemes for improving my eftatc, fometimes frightened with dangers that threaten to diminifh it; I am vexed with the complaints of poor tenants, and plagued with the litigioufnefs of rich ones. I never open a letter fr«m my fteward in the country without uneafinefs} and a viiit from my agent in town is to me like that of a bkiliff. Amidll ail thefe difficulties, I have no relation whom I can truft, and no friend to whom I can lean 5 the intereft which people have in deceiving me, deprives me of confidence in advice, or plcafure in approbation. In fliort, it is my fingular Vox* III. F

misfortune

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misfortune to pofiefs wealth with all the em* barrafTment of poverty, and power with all the dependence of meannefs*

I am, &c.

OLIVIA.

V

N®82.

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N°82. Saturday, February xp* 1780,

THE paper of to-day was received from an unknown hand fbveral weeks ago* The publication of it may, perhaps, appear rather unfeafonable after the laft Gazette. There is ftill, however, much truth in my corrcfpondent's obfervations, who, 1 dare fay, will not regret that Sir George Jlodney^s fucjcefs has fomewhat IciTened their force.

For the Mirror,

Romulus et Liber paterj et cum Cajtore Pollux, Pofi ingentia fa^a^

Deorum in templa recepti*

HoR. Ep.

\yf EN who either poflcfs a natural fournefs of temper, or who have been unfortunate in, the world from accident or imprudence, or perhaps think they have been fa from over-rating their own deferts, are apt to afcribe to human nature a variety of vices and imperfeftions. They confider thefe as the F 2 chief Digitized by Google

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chief ingredients of the compofition of man* kind, and that their virtues and good qualities are only exceptions from the general rule, like . accidental ftrokes of genius, or colourhrg, ki the works of a painter whofe performances, on the whole, are coarfe and irregular. •

Nothing can be more groundlefs and unjuft than this accufatioiv^ I am convincedy that, upon a thorough examination, though we might difcover many vicious andj profligate Individuals, we fhould find> in general, that human nature is virtuous and well difpofed, and little merits the abule that peevifh oi: un*fortunate men are inclined to beftow upon it.

One charge,, much infifted upon againft mankind, is public ingratitude. With what iuftice or truth this is urged, we may j.udg«^ by examining the behayiour of men from the earlieft period to the prefent times ; and, in doing fo, I flatter myfelf we fliall be able to difcover that the reverfe is true, and that a .ftrong fpirit of gratitude has appeared on all occafions where it was due,, though, in dit ferent ages and countries, it. has been exprefl"ed in a different manner.

In ^gypt and ancient Greece, the tribute paid by the publLc voice to the bcnefaftors of

mankind,.

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mankind, was to confider them as objefts of divine worfliip, and, for that purpofe, to inroll them among the gods. Such was Ceres, for the invention of corn, Bacchus^ for the difcovery of wine, and a variety of others, with whom every fchool-boy is acquainted. If a man of fupcrior .ftrength and valour happened to repel an invader, deflroy a monfter^ or perforni any notable deed of public fervice, he was revered while living, and, after his death, his memory was refpcAed, and a fpecies of inferior worfhip was paid to him, as a hero, or a demi-god.

In later times, in the Grecian ftates, the general who fought a fuccefsful battle, or deftroyed an enemy's fleet, had ftatues erefledto him by the public voice, and at the expence of the public. The Romans did not think of honouring their a<aive or fortunate commanders with ftatues ; but they had their triumphs and ovations bcftowed by the public,, and fupported by the voluntary appiaufe andattendance of a grateful populace.

I fhould be extremely forry if the moderns*

yielded in the article of public gratitude either to the Greeks or Romans. I fhall not enter

upon the praftice or manners of other Euro-

I 3, ]?eaa*

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pean nations; but I can venture to aflcrt, with fome degree of confidence, that the people of Great Britain poflcfs a: degree of public gratitude unexampkd in any other age or country*

In making this affertion, I do not allude to public monuments, hereditary penfions, or thanks of parliament, which, though of a public, and feemingly of a general nature, may neverthelefs proceed from a very limited caufe. —-I allude to that univerfal effufion of honeft gratitude which the good people of England frequently beftow on fuccefsfulcommander«, by putting up their piftures as Jigns for their taverns and ale houfes, and frequenting theib more than any other, till the reputation of the original begins to be obfcured, by the i?i'fing glory of fome new favourite.

I muft, at the fame time, obferve, that great ftatefmen have feldom experienced this mark of public applaufe. The late Mr Pitt was,

indeed, an exception from the remarfc^-; but he was, in faft, a minifter of war only, and never meddled with finance. A firft Lord of the Tfeafury, let him be as wife as Ximenes^ and as moderate as Fleury^ cannot expe£t to be revered on the fignpoft of an alehoufe; every.

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ever^ article of confumpt there has felt the weight of his hand; and^

whether the convpany get drunk in wine or puochi or enjoy the cool collations of tea and coffee, ftill the reckoning cecals ideas that lead to execra* tioxis on the whole fyftem of finance and taxar tion, from the department of the firft mini^fter to the walk of the loweft excifeman ; and, by an eafy tranfition^ the difUke of the fydeoi and the offices pafies, in {bme degree, to the perfons of thofe who fill them.

BvLt, as the fame caiife of unmerited oblo* quy does not exift with refpeA to our admipals and generals, they have been often and much the objefls of this fpecies of public gratitude. It is needlefs to go far back. In the year 1739, Admiral Vernon. took Porto belh with fix fisipi only. The public gratitude to him was boundlefs.—He was fung in ballads. —Arthe enfuing general elcftion in 1741, he was returned from three different corporations; but, above all, his portrait filled every fign-poft; and he may be figuratively faid to -have fold the ale, beec, porter, and purl of England for fix year$> Towards the clofc of that period, the Admivars favour began to fade apace ^with the

colours

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colours of his unifom ;.and the battle of Culloden wks tbtal annihrlacion to him. Whenthe new* of that viftory reached England, a new objeft prefented itfelf to the public faTour; and the honeft Admiral, in every fign^oft, made way for the more portly figure of the glorious Duke of Cumberland*'

The Duke kept pofleffion of the fign«pofts a long time. In the beginning of laft war, * 4Dur Admiral in the Mediterranean» and our Generals in Noith America^ did nothing that . Could tend| in the leaft degree, to move bis -Royal Highnefs froni his place ; but the doubtful battle of Hamellan, followed by the unfortunate convention of Stade^

and the rifing glories of the King of Pruffia^ obliterated the glorious Duk( of Cumberland as efiectually, as his Royal Highnefs, and the battle of Culloden, had effaced the figure, the memory, and the renown of Admiral Vernon.

The Duke was fo totally difplaced by his Pruffian Majefty, that I have fome doubtswhether he met with fair play. One circumfiancei indeed^

was much againft him'; his fi** gure being marked by a hat with the Keven^' huller cock, a military uniform, and a fierce look, a very flight to^ich of the. painter converted

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verted him into the King of Fniffia; but what crowned the fuccefs of his; Prufiian Majefiy^ was the title beftowed upon hinv by the bro«

thcrs of the brufh^ " The glorious Proteflant *• hero i" words which added fplendoup to cvery fign-poft, and which no Britifh fubjeA could read^ without peculicar fenfations of ve* neration and of thirft.

For two years the gkrious Protejiant her^ was unrivalled ; but the French being, beat at Minden upon the ift of Auguft ^759, by the army under Prince Ferdinand of Brun/wick, the King of Pruflia began to give place aJUttle to two popular favourites who ftarted at the fame time, I mean Prince Ferdinand and the Marquis of Granhy» —

Prince Ferdinand was fupported altogether by his good condu<5t at

Minden, and his high reputation over Europe as a general;—the Marqms of Granby beha* ved with fpirit and perfonal courage every where; but his fuccefs in the fignpofts of England was much owin^g to a comparifoo generally made between him and another Briti(h general of higher rank, but who was fuppofed not to have behaved fa well. Perhaps too, he was a good deal indebted to another circumAance, to wit,, the baldnefi of his head*.

The

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The rtiext who figured In the fignpoft way was the celebrated John Wilkes, Efq;—This public honour conferred on him was alfo an cffufion of gratitude ; for he was fuppofed to have written the Earl of Bute^ who was both a Scotfman and a fevoifrite, out of power, mtd to have refifted and explained the illegality of general warrants.

Beddes^ he fought a bloodlefs duel with E. Talbot, and was fhot in the caufe of liberty by Mr Martin of the treafury. All thefe were great Weights in th« fcale of popularity \ and, though Mr JVilkef never attained the glory either of AdmiralVer^ titfn or the Duke of Cumberland, yet his vifage has filled many a fign-poft, and much ale and gin has been fold under his aufpices.

Thefe are the laft whom the people of Great Britain have thought Worthy of being fo honoured ; and, thougii the thing itfelf may icem ludicrous, yet the talc has a morale by no means flattering to the well-wifbers of this country.——We have been now for five years employed in attempting to reduce our rebellious colonies \ we have been two years at war with France, and one with Spain \ many troops have been raifed, many millions have been expended j expeditions without number

have

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have been pUoQed'and fupported, and the moft pawerful fleets hdYC been fitted out that the coafts and dock«yards of Eogland ever be^ held; yet, during this long period, with fb many opportunities and fo much force, wc have not an admiral whofe head would fell a fiogle can of flip, i^or a. general whofe futl length would procure cuftom for an additional pot of porter.

That this ezpreffion of public gratitude may be fometimes mifplaced, I will by no meant deny; but ftill this tribute paid by the people is more likely^ than any other circum(^aDoe, to be a fure prpof of real merit.

The Sove« reign may be miii£^ormed as to the defervings of thofe whQm he is pleafed to honour ; and although, in the prefent reign«

no fubftantial mark of unmerited favour has been conferred, yet every body remembers the late Cene^ ral Blackney^ who gave up Minorca, made a Lord for defending it, merely to fupport a Unking adminiftration, What reliance can be had on the thanks of parliament as a proof.of public merit, may be learned from the anfwcr of a gallant fea-officer, (not an admiral), who, upon being told that the Houfe of Commons meant to give him thanks for bis intrepid and fuccefsful

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fuccefsful conduA on the coaft of France, fwbre, if they did, he would inftantly refiga his commiffion.

Perhaps, at that time, feme recent inftance of party-in}«ftice and •

partiality had broiaght the thanks of parliament into difrepute $ but, be that as it may, I fh'all never think our af« ^alrs, either by Tea or land, in a profperous condition, till I fke the fign-pofis of England filled with frefh figures of generals and admirals. When that happens, it will be a fure proof, that our affairs have taken a favourable turn, and that fbmie of our commanders have, at lail, a^led in a manner

fuitable'to the troops and treafure with^ which, from the beginning of this war, they have all been fo Kberally fuppHed.

N^Sj.

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N^Bj* Tuesday, February 2%. i*]t%.

IN a paperpubliflied at Edinburgh^ it would be improper to enter into any comparifon of the writers of this country with thofe on tfee otber fide of the Tweed, But, whatever k the comparative rank of Scottijb and Englijb authors, it muft Purely be allowed, that, of late, there have been writers in this country, upon different fubjedls, who are pofleflled of very confiderable merit. In one fpecies of nvtriting, however, in works and compolitions of humour^ there can be no fort of doubt that the Englifh ftand perfeAly unrivalled by their northern neighbours. The Englifh excel in comedy z feveral of their romances are replete with the moft humorous reprefentations of life and character, and many of their other vrorks are full of excellent ridicule.

But, in Scodand, V9& have hardly any book which aims at humour, and, of the very few which do, ftilt fewer have any <iegree of merit.

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74 The Mirror. N^Sj^

Shepherd \ and, though we have tender novels, wc have none of humour, excepting thofe oi Smollety who, from hjs long refidence in England, can hardly be faid to have acqui^p red in this country his talent for writing; nor can we, for the fame reafon, lay a perfcft claim to ArhuthnQt^ who is a ftill more illuArious exception to my general remark* There muft be fomething in th^ national genius of the two people which makes this remarkable difference in their writings, though it may be difficult to difcover from what caiufe it arifi^s. '

I am inclin^ed to fufpeA, ^hat there is fome* Ihing in the iituation and prefent government of Scotland, which may, in part, account for this difference in the genius of the two coun« tries. Scotland, before the union of the two kingdoms, was a feparate flate, with a parliament and conftitiition of its own. Now the feat of government is removed, and its conOjtution is involved in that of England. At the time the two nations came to be fo intimately connefted, its great men were lefs affluent than thofe of England, its agriculture vras little advanced, and its manufa^ureswere bl th^ir infancy. A Sgotfrn^;) yvas^

th^refore^

ia

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in this fituation, obliged to exert every nervc/ that he might be able to hold his j^lace.

If preferment, or offices in public life, were his object, he was^

obliged to remove froxi^ home to a city, which, though now the metropolis of the united kingdoms, had former•« ly been to him a fort of foreign capital. If wealth was thp objeft of his purfuit, he could only acquire it at home by great induftry and perfevcrancc •, and, if he found he could not eafily (ucceed in his own countiy, be repaired to other countries, where he expefted to be able to amafs a fortune.

Hence it has beei^ remarked, that there are more iKitlves of Scotland to be fouxld abroad than of any other country.

People in this fituation are not apt to indulge themfelve^ in humour \ and few humorous ehavaflers will appear. It is only in countries where men wanton in the extravagancies of wealth, that fome are led to indulge a particular vein of charafter, and thajt others are ipduced to delineate and exprefs iic in writing* . Befides, where men aire in a fituation which makes it heceflary for them to pufli their way in the world, more particularly if they are obliged to do fo among ftranG 2

gers,.

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gers, though this may give them a firmnc6 and a refolutencfs in their conduft, it will na*turally produce a modeft caution and rcfervc in their deportment, which muft chill every approach to humour* Hence, though the Scots are allowed to be brave and undaunted in dangeroys fituations, yet ba&fulnefs, referve, and even timidity of manner, unleis when they are called forth to aftion, are juftly confidered as making part of their character. Men of this difpofition are not apt to have humour : it is the open, the carelefs,^ the indifierent, and the forward, who indulge la k \ it is the man who does not think of intereft^ and who fets himfelf above attending to the proprieties of conduA. But he who has ob« jcfts of intereft in view, who attends with circumfpe£tk>n to his conduft, and finds it necef^

fary to do fo, is generally grave and filenfi^ and feldom makes any attempt at humour.

Thefe circumftances may have had a confiderablc intiuence upon the genius and temper of the people in Scotland j and, if they have given a particular formation to the genius of the people in general, they would naturally have a limilar cSeSt upon its authors: the geniuA

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genius of an author commonly takes its direction from that q{ his countrymen.

To thef? caufes, ariiing from the prefent fituatioaand government of our country, may "be added another circumftancc, that of there being no court or feat of the Monarch in Scotland. It is ouly where the court is^ that the fiandard of manners can be fixed; and, of coafequencei, it is only in the neighbourhood of the court that a deviation from that

ftandard caq be exa^ly ^fcertained, or a departure from it be ealily made the objedt of ridicule. "Where there is no courts it becomes ot little importance what drcfs the people wear, what hours they obferve, what language they exprefs themfclvcs in, or what is their general deportment. Men living at a diftance from the court become alfo unacquainted with the rules of fafeion which it eilablifhes, and are unable to mark or ppint them out. But the . great fubjeft for wit and ludicrous reprefentation arifes from mens having a thorough knowledge of what is the fafliionable ftandard of manners, and being,able to feize upon, and hold out a departure from it, in an humorous point of view. In Scotland, therefore, which, fince the removal of the court, has become, G3 in

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in a certain degree, a provincial country, there being no fixed ftandard of manners witliin the country hfelf, one great fource of ridicule i» cut off*, and an author, by that means, is not led to attempt humorous compofition, or, if be does, has little chance of fucceeding,.

There is another particular which may hare had a very confiderable effeA upon the genius of the Scots writers, and that is, the nature of the language in which they wri&e. The okl Scottish diakftjisnow hanifhed fi*om-our books^ stnd the Engllih is fubftituted iu its place.