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

BiK^ though our books be written in Englifli, our converfation is in Scotch. Of our language, it may be faid, as we are told of the wit of Sir Hudlbraf, that we have a fiiit for holidays, and another for working-days. The Scotti& dialed): is our ordinary fuit; the English is^

ufed only on folemproccafions. By this means, when a Scotfmatt comes to write, he does-it generally in trammels. His own native original language, which he hears fpoken around him, he does not make ufe of; but he ex- ■ preflcs himfelf in a language in fome refpefis foreign to him, and which he has acquired by ftudy and obfervation. When a celebrated ScottiJ[h writer, after the publication of hb Mi'

fiOTJ

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ftory of Scotland^ was firft introduced to Lord ChefterfieU^ his Lordfhip, with that happy talent of compliment for which be was fo remarkable, addrefled him, at parting, in thefe words: <^ I am happy, Sir, to have met widi «* you,— happy to have pallida day with you,

«< —and extremely happy to find that you fpeak •* Scotch,—It would be too much, were you to ^ fpeak^ as well as nurite our language, better ** than we do ourfelves,**^

This cireumftance of aScottifh author not writing his own natural dialeA, muft have a con* fidcrablc inffuence upon the nature of his Hteraly produdion$« When he is employed in any grave dignified compofition, when he writes hiftory, politics, of poetry, the pains he muft take to write in a manner different from that m which he fpeaks, will not much affis^ h«s productions \ the language of fuch compofi«

tioDs is, in «very cafe, raifed above that of common Ufe; and, therefore, the deviation which a Scottish author is obliged to make from the common language of the country, can be of' little prejudice to htm. But, if a writer is €o defcend to common and ludicrous pi^res of life ; if, in (hort, he is to deal in humorous compofition, his language muft be, as

nearly

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neafly asppffiblCf,: thait ^f commun iffe, that of the l^ulk of the people. But a Sqptfman

.who wiihes to write Engliili cannot eafily <|a this. He neither, fpeaks the.Englifli dialed):, nor is it fpoken .by.thofe .around him.: aniy

knowledge l^e has acquired of the language, is

-go,t fcom books, not frofp converfation^

^Henc6S<;ottiih authors may ha^e been prevented from ^ attempting to write books of humour J and, when they have tried it, we may be abie> ia fpme.meafuve,. to account for their failure, ...

. In confirjpciation of thefe remarks, it may be obferved, that almoft the only works of humour which we have in this cduntry, are in the Scottifh dialeft, and- moft of them were written before the union of the kingdoms, when

} the Scotch was the written, as well as the fpo

.kep langiiiigc .of ^e countiy.. The Gentle Shepherd^ whida is full of natural ^d ludi

. crous reprefentations of low life, is written in -broad Scotich* Many of our ancient Scottish ballads are full of humour. H there have been

.lately any publications of humour in this country, written in. good Englifh, they have

^been moftly of that graver fort, called irony. In this fpecics of writing, where the.author

himfelf

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himfelf never appears to laugb^ a more digni* fied compofition is admiffible} and. in that cafe, the difadvantage of writing in a language diffirrent from that in which the author fpeaks^ or thofe around him converfei is not Co tax* fiblyfclt.

K'

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N^«4- SA»ruiti>AYi Febhiary^%6. 1780^

Clamant periiffe pudorem Cundii pene patres. Hon.

TO difpute the right of Fajhion^ to calarge^ to vary, or to change the idcas> both of man and woman kind, were a want of good breeding, of which the amhor of a periodical paper, who throws himfelf, as it were, from day to day, on the proteftion of the police world, cannot be fuppofed capable. I pay, therefore, very little regard to the obfervations of fome antiquated correfpondents, who ^pretend tafet up what they call the invariable notions of things, againft the opinions apd practice of people of condition. At the fame time, I murt obf^rve, that, as there is a College in Phyficy and a Faculty (as it is called in Scotland) in Law, fo, in Fajbioriy there is a feleft body, who enjoy many privileges and immunities, to which pretenders, or inferior praftitioners in the art, are by no means intitled. There is a certain grace in the rude

neis,

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tie^i and wit in the foliar of a perfon of faftiion, to whith qne of a lower rank has no manner of pretenfion.

1 am afraid that our city (talking like a man who has travelled) is but a fort of mimic metropolis, and .cannot fairly pretend to the fame licenfe of making a fool of itielf, as London or Paris, The circle, therefore, taking them in the groSf of our fafhionable people here, bave feidom ventured on the fame beautiful irregularity in drefs, in behaviour, or in manners, that is frequently praftifed by the leaders of the ton in the capitals oi^ Frame ot England*

With individuals, the fame rule of fubordination is to be obferved, which, however, perfons of extraordinary parts, of genius ab6ve their condition, are fometimcs apt to overlook. I perceive, in the pit of the playhoufe, fome young men, who have got fuddled in punchy as noify and as witty as the gentlemen in the boxes, who have been drinking Burgundy; and others, who have come ftfbcr from the counter, or the writing-defk, giye almoft as little attention to the play as the men of L. 3000 a-year.—My old fchoolacquaintance. Jack IVoudbe, t'other morning,

had

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bad a neckcloth as dirty as a Lord's, aad pkked his teeth after Klinner, for a quarter of an hour, by the ai&dance of the little mirror in the lid of his tooth-fick cafe, I take the firft opportunity of giving him a friendly hinc^ that this pradice is elegant only in a man who has made the tour of Europe.

feature and Fajbion are two oppofite powcre, that have long been at variance with one another. The firft is allowed to prefide over the bulk of the people known by the denomination of the tmlg^ir\ the laft is peculiar to the higher orders of the ftate, and by her honours they have a title to be diftinguifhed. Attentiob to interefting fcenes, civility to thofe we ought to oblige, and propriety in public behaviour^ belong to Nature, and are therefore the property of the people. It is a direA infringement on the rights of Fafhion^ if the inferior members of the community fhall laugh where they (hould cry, be noify where they ihould be filent, rude where they (hould be civil, or dirty where they ihould be cleanly. Thefe are the badges of greatnefs, and, like certain coats-armoriaiy are only to be borne by illuftrious perfonages.

Thefe are matters in which, I think, I may

venture

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venture to interpofe my advice or animadverfion. But} as to fome more delicate fubjeAs, I am very doubtful whether they come withia the limits of my jurifdiftion, or how far it would be prudent in me to exercife it, if they did. I mean this as a general apology for not inferting a variety of letters from unknown correfpondentS) giving me information of certain irregularities in the manners and deportment of the fafhionable world, which they defire may be taken immediate notice of in the Mirror One who writes under the fignature of Rtifiicus, tells me, that fainting is now "become fo common a practice among our fine ladies, that he has oftener than once been iDtroduced to a lady in the morning, from whom, till he informed himfelf of her name, he was furprifcd to receive a curti'y at the play or the concert.

Another, who fubfbribes, hirafeif Modejius, defircs me to imitate the example of the Tatlcr^ by animadverting, not on the large, hut the fmall fize of the pettim coaty which, he fays, has fo fhrunk up this winter, that there is more cf the ankle

feen than he can find countenance to look at.

To the firft of thcfe coiTefpondents I mart VoL.ni. H anfwer.

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anfwer, that I think the ladies, (whofe number I am inclined to believe is fmall), who ^chufe to drefe their faces in rouge or carmine^ are exempted from all cenfure j they certainly do it to pleafe themfelves, as they know how much it is detefted by the men. Or, perhaps, they are of that icy order of females who have made vows of perpetual celibacy, and thus varnifti over their beauty, as virtuqfi do certain

delicate natural productions, which are meant to be looked at, but never to be touched* As to the complaint of Modejius^ I can only account for the prefcnt (hortnefs of the petticoat, from the attention of the ladies being fo miich ingroiied about their hads^ as to leave them no leifure to take care of the other extremity; as generals who are anxious to cover one part of their works, are apt to leave an oppofite quarter defencelefs.

But the moft ferious complaint I. have received, is a letter fubfcribcd Cenfor^ arraigning, with true Juvenalian feverity, the conduct of a certain Club^ which, in the words of my correfpondent, " continues^

in defiance " of decency and good manners, to infult the '* public in Large Chara^ers^ in the front of

" every

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•* every news-paper in town. This,** he adds^ "moves my indignation the more, when I '' coniider that feveral of its principal mem* ** bers are arrived at a period of life which " fhould teach decorum, at leaft, if it does " not extinguifh vice.**

In anfwer to this angry correfpondent, I will tell him^he following flory.

Some years ago, I happened to be in York^ at the time of the ajfizes.

Dining one day in a tavern with fome gentlemen of that city and its neighbourhood, we were violently difturbed by the noife of fomebody below, who hooted and hollow'd, fmacked his whip, and made his fervants found their French horns, in fhort, rehcarfed, during the whole time of our dinner, all " the glorious tumult of the " chace."

Some of the company, after feveral inefFeftual meflages by the waiter, began to be angry, and to think of a very ferious remonftrance with the fportfman below. But an eli^erly perfon, who fat oppofite to me, pacified their refentment: ** I know the gentle" man who difturbs you," faid he; " his " head-piece was never one of the bed 5 but "

now, poor man I ^believe we muft let him H z •* alone.

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W The Mirror. N^ 84.

( ^^ alone.—Since he is paft running down the «• fox in the field, he mnft e'en be allowed la «< hunt him in the parlouF^"

NO 85?

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N°a5* Tuesday, February 29. 1780;

Pojfum oblivifci qui fuerim ? Non /entire qui' Jim ? ^0 caream honore

? ^a ghria ? ^likis Hberis ? ^ibus fortunis ?

Cic, ad Att.

A Periodical publication, fuch as the Mirror, is, from its nature, confined chiefly to profc compofitit)ns. My illuftrious predeceflbr, the Spectator, has, however,^ fometimcs infertcd a little poem among his other efTays ; and his example has been imitated by moft of his fucceflbrs. Perhaps it- may be from this caufe, that, among the variety of communications I have lately received, many of them confifl: of poetical compofitionsI muft obferve in general to thefe correfpond* ents, that, Uhough the infertion of a' poerai': now and then may not be altogether improper* for a work of this kind, yet it is not every poetical compofition that is fit for it, A poem may be poflefled of very confiderable merit, and may be in titled to applaufe, when publiflied in a poetical colledlion^ though, H J frpnv Digitized by Google

90 The M i R R o R. N^ 85W

from its fubjeft, its length, or the manner in. irhich it is written, it may not be fuited to* the Mirror. I hope my poetical correfpondents, therefore, will receive this- as an apology for their poems not being

inferted, and willj by no means confider their exclufiort as proceeding from their being thought defiitute of merit.

Among the poetical prefents I have received,. there is, however, one, which feems very welL ftiited to a- work of this kind'. The gentkinan from whom I received it fays^ he has been informed, that it was founded on the following infcription (probably written from real feeling) on the window of an inn fituated In the Highliinds of Scotland^

^' Of all. the ills unhappy mortals know,^ •* A life of wandering is the greatcft wo;. ** On all their weary ways wait Care axKl Pain,, ** And Pine and Penury, a meagre train;.—— ** A wretched Exile to his country fend, ^ Long worn with griefs, and long without a " friend r .

Thts potm contains a dcfcriptidn of the fituation of a Scotch gentleman who*had been obliged to kave his country for rebellion a gaiaft

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gainft our prefent happy government. It points out the fatal confequences of fuch treafonable attempts^ and reprefents the diftrefs of the perfon defcribcd, in a- very intercfting. and pathetic manner. S

The exile. An Elect.

'flT'HERE, *midft the ruins of a fallen ftatc^ The once fam'd Tiber rolls his fcanty wave, Where half & column now deridesthe great,. Where half a ftatue yet records the brave i

With trembling ftcps an Exik wander'd near, In Scottifb weeds his

{hrivelM limbs array'd; His furrowed cheek was. cro&'d with many^

tear. And frequent jSghs his. wounded foul be» tray'd.

Oh ! Wretch I he cry'd, that like fome trouf - bled ghoft Art doom'd to wander round this world of wo. While memory fpeaks of joys for ever loft. Of peace, of comfort, thou haft ceasU to know I

Thefe

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5fhefc' ^pe the fcencs, with fancy'd ^charms endow'dy .

Where happier Britons, cafiing pearls xwsij^ The fools of found) of empty trifles.proud.

Far from the land of bUfs and freedom ftraj.

WouM that, for yonder dome, thefe eyes could fee The withered Oak that crowns my native

Win —

Thefe urns let ruin wafte; but give to me The tuft that trembles o*cr its lonely rill.

Oh ! facrcd haunts ! arid is the hillock green That faw our irifant-fports beguile the day ?

S<ill are' our feats of fairy faihion fcen ? Or is my little throne of mofs away ?

Had but Ambition, in this tortur*d breaflr, Ne^er fought to rule beyond the humble plain,

"Where mild Dependence holds the vaflal bleft. Where faith and friendfhip fix the chieftain's reign;

Thus had I livM the life my fathers led ; Their name, their family, had not ceasM . to be ; And thou, Monimia f on thy earthy bed !— My name, my family, what were thefe to thee !—

Three

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Three little moons had ften our growing love, Since firft Monimia join'd her hand to mine^

Three litrle moons had feen us bfeft above All that enthufiaft hope couM e^er divine*

Urg*d by the brave, by fancy'd glory warm'd. In treafon honed, if

*iwas treafon here.

For rights fuppos'd, my native band I arm'd. And joined the ftandard CharUs had dar'd to rear 5

Fated we fought, my gallant vaflals fell, But fav'd their matter in the bloody ftrife ;

Their coward mafter, wha cou'd live to tell He faw them fall, yet tamely fuffer'd life.

Let me not think ;—but ah J the thought wilt rife.

Still in my whirling brain its horrors dwell. When pale and trembling, with uplifted eyes,

Mmimia faintly breath'd a laft farewell i

" They come, fhe faid \ fly, Jy thefc ruthlcfs "foes,

** And fave a life, in which Monimia lives ; " Believe me, Henry^ light are all her 'woes,

"Except what Ilenry\ dreaded purpoft

** gives»

J* And

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«' And would'ftthou die, iind leave me thus ** forlornj

'< And blaft a life the moft inhuman fpare ? ** Ob I live in pky to the babe unborn

'* That ftirs within me to affift my prayer!—"

What could I do ? contending pailions ftrove, . And prefs-d my bofom with alternate weighty

Unyielding honour, foft perfuafive love— I fled and left her—left her to her fate !

Faft came the ruffian band v no melting charm^ •That e*er to fuffering beauty Nature gave^

The ruthlefs rage of Party can difarm ;

Thy tearSj Monimia^ wanted pow'r to fave*

She, and the jemnant of her weeping train, Whofc faithful love ftill linked them to her fide, : Torn f^om their dwelling, trod the defertr plain, ♦ No hut to fhelter, and no hand to guide.

Thick drove its fnow before the wintry wind, And itiidnight'datknefs unrapp'd the hemh they paft»

Save on.e Old gleam, that, blazing far behind. The ancient maniion of my fathers caft.

> Calmly

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Calmly fhe faw the fmouldering ruins glare; ** Tis paft, all-righteous God ! 'tis paft, ** fhe cry'd; *• But for my Henry hear my latcft prayV!

—** Big was her burfting heart; — fhe groaa'd» and died !—

Still, in my dreams, I f^e her form conitffs'd Sailing, in robes of light, the troubled Iky! —

And foon, fhe whafpers, fhall my Henry reft^-^iAnd dimly (iniling, points my place, to die!

I hear that voice, I fee that pale hand wave !

I come once more to view my native Aore i Stretch'd on Monimiah long-negledted grave

To clafp the fod| and feel my woe» np more!

N«8^.

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' N<^86. Saturday, March 4. i78o#

To the Author of the Mirror,

Sir,

MAnt ineftimable medicines, as well for preferving health as for curing dif€afes, are overlooked by our modem pra£Htioners* An attempt to revive fome of thofe obfolete remedies, though it may appear better fuited to a medical performance, yet does not (eem altogether foreign to the Mirror ; fince 9l found mindf according to the well* known apophthegm, is in natural alliance with 2, found body,

the fame publication which is calculateii for the improvement of the one, may, not improperly, be made fubfervicnt to the heahh of-the other.

I. The firft that I ihall mention is of fovereign efficacy in reftoring debilitated ftomachs to their proper tone. It renders the body vigorous, and it prolongs the days of man even unto jsxtreme old age. Of it Tulfius^ an eminent

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pent phyiician of Amflerdiimi treats in his Objervationes Medtcinales*

la fome languages it is called Cha^ in others, Tzai \ but with us it has received the appellation of Tea.

IL There is another fitnple of a fingular kind : according to the great traveller Pietr^ della Valle^ it is cooling in fummer, and warms in winter^ without, however, changing its qualities.

It expelled a gout of thirty years (landing from the toes of the Reverend Alexander d^Alhertus^ a bare-footed friar of Marfeilles, aged fcventy.

For a long time Madame de Laufun could ojiot walk without the aid of a crutch; and^ no wonder; for the good lady " had num^f bered the frofts of four fcore and two win••* tcrs/' She was feiz.ed with what my author calls a tertian quartan ague, which undoubtedly is a very bad thing, though I do not find it in my diftionary ; but flie tried Father Alexander*s remedy \ . her youth was renewed, as one might fay

{fomme rajeunie^* and .flic threw away her crutch.

The wife of M. Morin^ phyfician at Grenoble, was reduced to the lail extremity by a

Vol. III. I confirmed

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^8 The MiRROi. N^86.

confirmed Ptific^ of no lefs than'fixtccn.years endurance : at length the DoAor fotfail out a method of laying the difeafe that had fo obfti•nately haunted his bed. By way of experiment, he adminiftered the remedy to his chere moitie [dear half J, which is French for a wife. She recovered of her Ptific, and afterwards, by ufing the fame remedy, of another difeafe with a horrible Greek name, a Peripneumony.

I might add many and various effefls of tliis medicine ftill more wonderful. ' thdt of the public fpeaker, who was feized with a -fit of

^modefty, is the moft remarkable. By taking a fingle dofe, he felt himfelf reftored to his wonted compofure of mind 5 and he declared that he could, with ^afe, have fpok^n out an^Kher hour.

For this, and other authenticated cures, the ioqujfidve reader is referred to the treatife of Philip Sylvefter du Tour, concerning the vir'tues of Coffee.

III. There is a certain weed, " which, ta^« ken a while after meat, helps digeftion ; it «« voids rheum, &c. A little of it being *« ftecped over night in a little white wine, is ** a vomit that never fails in its operation.. It ♦'cannot endure a fpidcr, or a flea, or fuch

"like

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'^ like vermin : it is good to fortify and pre* ^* ferve tbe iight, being let in round about " the balls of the eyes once a week, and frees '^ them from all rheums, driving them back •* by way of repercuilion : taken into the. fto* ** machy it will heal and cleanfe it; for my " Lord Sunderland, prefidcnt of York, ta* *^ king it downward into his

flomachi it cured << him of an impofihume, which had been of a ''

lonj time engendering out of a bruife ho *^ had received at foot-ball, and fo preferred *< his life for many years.**

Thefc are the words of Howely in hisjetters, "ivhcre he enlarges on the praife of Tobacco.

IV. But there is ftill another medicine pf adonifhing virtues, which have been circum* ftantially related by MatthioluSf an Italian pbyfician of the fixte^nth century : it is *' a ** liquid, which, when ikilfully prepared, " proves a powerful anti-feptic [an oppofcr <«^ of corruption] to every thing fteeped in It; *• and fo, by removing all tendency to cor" ruptlon, it is a comforter and a reftorativc> ** and preferves and prolongs the lives of '* thofe who ufe it. It not only cherifhes the " natural beat, and preferves it in its full vi«• gour, but it likewife renovates, as it were, la ^* an^

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** and vivifies the animal fpirits, gives an a^ ** grecable'warmth to the ftomach, ffaarpen? **^ the apprehenfion and underftanding, clears '* the eye-fight, and repairs the memory : it is ** more peculiarly beneficial to thofe who are ** of too cold a temperament, and who are ** fubjeft to crudities of the ftomach, and o(^ ther difordcrs proceeding from cold affec** tions. It 'therefore affords a fovereign re<* lief to all who are tormented with pains in ** the ftomach or bowels, proceeding from ** wind or indigeftlon ; as alfo to thofc who ** are fubjc(Jl to giddinefs, the falling flcknefs^ " a relaxation of the nervous fyftem, invc*' terate melancholy, hypocondriacal difor** ders, palpitations of the heart, tremors, and «*

fainting fits."

Matthiolus fubjoins the method of ufing this, medicine: W- Once a day a table fpconful of Aquavitae^ dyfiUed from the beji wine. But, with all deference to his authority, Jquavit^, diftilled even

from the beft wine, is not fuperior in any of its virtues to our great ftaple, Whifky: for, from the refearches of our own patriotic philofophers, thefe two concluGons may be deduced J ly?, That JVhiJly is a liquor plcafant

ta

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N^S6. The M r r a o' ir,- lot tQ the tafte; and, 2dfyj That it is a ii'holefom^

,V. I fhall conclude with a receipt whick

might have been confidered as of general im-^

portance in the fevcnteenth century, and may prove of no kfs importance in the nineteenth.

Barthatomeus Carrichtersy in his Secret^ b. 2^

c. 12. publifhed a recipe which is mightily commended by He5lor Schlands, in an epiilla to his learned friend Gregorius Horjiius; fee Horflii Epift. Medici. § 7. j6i2. " ?L Dogs

** greafe, well dlflblved and cleanfed, 4 ounces.

" Bears greafe, 8 ounces. Capons greafe, 24

" ounces. Three trunks of the mifleiqe of

** hazle, while green ; cut it in pieces, and

•* pound it fmall, till it becomes moid : bruife

** it together, and mix all in a vial. After

" jou have expofed it to the fun for nine'

** weeks, you ihall extract a green ointment,.

" wherewith if you anoint the bodies of the

^ bewitched, efpecially the parts mojl affeEled^

** and the joints, they will certainly be cured.'*'

This recipe was^ tried with amazing fuccefs> in the cafe of a young girl whofe condition was truly deplorable ; for ** fhe vomited feathers,.

** bundles of Ilraw, and a row of pins Jiuck in'

[^ blue paperf as frejh and ne%^ as any in th^'

\ 3 ** iedW^

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102 The Mirror. T!^^S6^

•« pedLir*s Jlall^ pieces of glafs windows, and ** nails of a cart-wheel;" as may be feen in*'« The Wonderful and True Rehition of the

&** witching a young girl in Ireland^ 16^^)^ by Daniel Higgs.

It is with the utmoft diffidence that I give my own fentiments in the Materia Medica^ efpecially on a fubjeft which has been expreffly treated by fiich men as Dr Bartholomeu^ Carrichters, and Dr He£lor Schlands. May I then be permitted humbly to propofe ihi* quare^ Is there not fome reafon to conjecture, that the recipe fo effeftual in the cafe of heiiritchingy would anfwer equally well in the cafe of childblains- ?

I amjt &c^

ANTIQ^UARIUS.

NO 87.

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N^Sj. Tuesday, March j* i7?a

Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark\ and^ as that natural fear in children is increafed with talesj fo is the other.

Bacon.

THere is in the mind of man a fund of fuperftition, which, in all nations, inr aU ages, and in all religions, has been attend* ed with efFefts • powerful and extraordinary. In this refpeft, no one people feem intitled to* boaft of any fuperiority over the reft of mankind. All feem, at one time or other, to have been alike the flaves of a weak, a childifh, or a gloomy fuperftition. When we behold the Romans, wife and great as they were, regulating their conduA, in their moft important af* fairs, by the accidental flight of birds; or, when threatened by fome national calamity, creating a dlAator for the fole purpofe of driving a nail into a door, in order to avert the impending judgement of Heaven, we art apt, according to the humour we are in, to fmile

at

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104 The Mirror. N° 87.

at the folly, or to lament the weaknefs of human nature.

A little refleftion, however, is fufficient to ihow, that, wirh all our advantages, we ourfclves are, in this particular, equally weak and abfurd. The modern citizen of Ronie,^ who thinks he can appeafe an

offended Deity, by creeping on his knees up the fteps of St Peter^s fo many times a-day ; or the pious Neapolitan, who imagines that carrying forth the ffiliAs of St Januarius^ is fufficient to ftop an eruption: of. Mount Vefuvius,, are equally objefts of pity with the good Roman, who de* Xoutly aflifted * at driving the nail into the tfimplfe oi Jupiter Capit&linus.

It is amufing to obfci*ve the conduft of our firft refoi^ers in this particulars Their penetration led them to difcover the grof& errpw and manifold fuperfiitions of the church o£ Rome, and their fpirit and ftr^ngtfc of mind^. aided by fortunate ciicumflances^ enabled than .tQ

fet therafelv^ free from* 'fhofe fliackks in which Eui-ope had been held for ib many ages. But no (boner had they done fo, than they and their followers adopted another mode of fuperftition, in the .place of that which it had coft them fo much pains to.

pull

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pull down. To maffeSy and crucifixes^ and imagesy were fubftitutcd a precife feverity of mannery and hngfermons, and a certain mode of fauBifying the Sahbathy which were inculcated as conftituting the/um of virtue, and as comprehending the whole duty of a Chriftian, So ingenious are men in finding out fomething to put in the place of true piety and virtue! Neither is this confined to one religion or to one feft.

To the fame caufe muft be attributed the broad brim and plain coat of the Quakerf the ablutions of the Gentooy the pilgrimages of the Mahometan^ the fevere fails obferved ia the Greek churchy with numberleft other inftances that might be mentioned.

There is a fpecies of iuperftition, which perhaps might b^ traced back to a iimilar origin, that often lays flrong hold of the imagination^ and fills the mind with terrors and apprehenfion$, which reafon and philofophy have not power to eradicate, when onc« they have fairly got hold of us. Of this fort is the dread of apparitions, of fpirits, and of

witches. Mr Addifon, in an excellent paper in the Speftator, has fhewn the folly ^f thofe apprehen-* fions, and has cautioned parents to be particularly careful to preferve their children from.

thofe

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thofc little horrors of imagination which they arc apt to contrail when they are young, an4 are not aWc to (hake off when they grow up. He juftly obferves, that, next to a clear judgement and a good confcience, a found imagination is the greateft bleffing of life.

Perhaps it might be going too far to attribute to this effay of Mr Addifon the reforxnation fo ftrongly recommended by him. It is, however, certain, that all thefe apprehenfions, formerly produAiv^ of fo much real uneafinefs, are now, in a great meafure, unknown. We have (b far fucceeded in plucking the old nvoman out of our heartSy and we no longer fee a brave foldier afraid to walk through a dark paflage, or an intrepid failor ihrink with horror at the thought of paffing the night in a folitary apartn^nt.

There is, however, another weaknefs fomewhat a-kin to this, that, I am afraid, ftill prevails among us, which my fondncfs for children, and the pleafure I find in prattling with them, give me fre<juent opportunities of obferving. I mean, a cuftom of terrifying children, and filling their young minds with gloomy apprehenfions of death. This is one of the moft common methods employed by

ignorant

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ignorant nurfeiy-maids^ and foolifii parent^ to frigbten infants into obedience. Btit nothing can be more abAxrdy or attended with more

pernicious confequences. Were a per* fon of a timid fr^me of mind under a necefllty of croiling the ooean^ would it be the part of a friend to magnify the daqger, and to a« mu(e him, all the way to the port where he was to embark, with accounts of ilorms and tempefts, and with a fearful pi£hire of the many and various hazards to which he muft he expofed on the voyage ?

A wife parent, attentive to the future happinefs of his children^ ought to foUow a very di&rentrule of conduft. From their earlieft infancy* he ought to make the idea of death familiar to them ; he ought to accuftom them to look upon it, not only without fear, but with the fame indi^erence as on any other unavoidable ojccurrence to which they are daily expofed. By this means, they will, as they advance in life, be kd to confider it. as a friend riithcr than an enemy ; they will per** ceive, that, bufc for death, this world would be a prrfon more dreadful than any the moft cruel tyrant ever invented ; they will look forward' to k as the. t)nly period to the cares of

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of this life, as a happy paflage 'to that better world, wh^re only they can expeft a complete reward for a faithful difcharge of their duty in this.

However abfurd a dread of witches and apparitions maybe, the confequences attending it are not fo bad as thofe that flow from the fear of death. The one, it is true, fills the mind with many difagreeable apprehenfions, and caufes many uneafy moments 5 but the other unfits a^ man for difchairging his duty in fociety, and too often expofes him. to infamy and difgrace. Courage is a quality/that depends, in fome meafure, on the conftitution of the body ; and it has been obfervcd, that the fame individual is not, at all dmes, and upon ail occafions, equally brave. 1 cannot help being of opinion, howevjer, that, if a boy, from his carlicft infancy, wcri taught to view

death in a juft light, he would imperceptibly acquire a ftrength of mind, that would enable him to face danger, and to do his duty, on all occafions, without being ob< liged to fummon up his refolution, and to call reafon to his aid, upon every trying emergence. I have heard it faid, that, if men were ac

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ouftomed to defpife death, they would be apt, through a fort of fool-hardinefs, to throw away their lives on every flight occafion, or idle quarrel. But, for my own part, I entertain a very diflferent opinion ; that fool-hardinefs is feldom to be met with in a man of a calm, firm, determined mind, who knows how to cftimate the true value of life. In general, it proceeds from a fecret confcioufnefs, that leads a man to put too high a value on the quality of courage, and to indulge his vanity by a difplay of it; as we often fee men moft defirous to be thought to poflefs thofe virtues and thofe talents, to which, in reality, they have the leaft pretenfions.

I was much pleafed with a convcrfation I had on this fubje<9:,'on a viiit I lately paid to Lady -, the wife of ray much-valued friend General

>, who is now abroad fighting the battles of his country. I found her in her dreffing-room, furrounded by a group of the moft lovely children.

After ihey retired, fhe began to complain, that, with all the attention a parent could beftow, it was often impoffible to prevent children from receiving bad and improper impreflions from fervants and attendants.

<f It was but juft now," faid fhe, " your fa Vol. III. K . ^^^ vourite.

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'* vourite, little Charles, told his brother, ^* that, if he was a bad boy, he would be put <* into a black box, carried to the church'* yard, thrown into, a hole, and covered over ** with earth," After fome obfervations on the bad tendency of reprefenting death in frightful colours, fhe faid, ihe had often been difpofed to think the poets to blame in this particular, who, by dwelling *on all the circumftances attending our diflblution, and prefenting them to the imagination in ftrong and lively colours, often leave an impreiEon which reafon is not able entirely to wear off. She inftanced the well-known lines of Shakefpeare:

*• Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; " To lie in cold obftrudlion, and to rot; " This fenfible warm motion to become '• A kneaded clod; and the dilated fpirit •V To bathe in fiery floods, or to refiJe *• la thrilling regions of thick^ribbed ice ; ** To be imprifoned in the viewlefs winds, " And blown with reftlefs violence round about "

The pendent world; or to be worfe than

" worft ** Of thofe that lawleft and uncertain thought " Imagine howling; — 'tis too horrible I '* The wearied and moft-loathed worldly life,

** That

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** That age, ache, penury, imprifonment, ** Can lay on nature, Is a paradi/e " To what we fear of death.*'—

«' It is impoffible,** faid flie, « to read thofe ** lines without being affefted by them. Yet,' " were I to judge from my own feelings, I "

fliould think the fentiment unjuft. If ta *' me," continued fhe, ftealing a glance at the pifture of my friend, while an involuntary tear half ftarted in her eye, " if to me, there •* be any thing terrible in death, it proceeds " from the thoughts of what I fhould leave, " not from the dread of wb^t I ihould xn^et « with.**

M

K z N^85.

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N^88. Saturday, March ii. 17^0.

To the Author of the Mirror,

Sir,

MY Father was a farmer in a tolerably reputable fituatlon. I was his eldeft fon; and, at the age of fix years, I was fent to the parifh*fchool, to be taught reading and writing. My father naturally made inquiries concerning my progrefs, and the fchoolmafter gave him the moft flattering accounts. After I had fpent the ufual time in learning to read and write, my mafter faid it would be a pity 10 cut fhort » boy of my genius, and advifed my father to allow me to remain a year or twoIpnger at his fchool, that I might get a little Latin. This flattered my father's vanity, as it put his fon in a lituation to appear fomewhat above that of the children of the neighbouring farmci's. I was allowed to fit on the fame bench at fchool with our landlord's fon, and I had fometimes the honour to be whipped for his faults. In lUidying Latin I fpent three

years.

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years. The account which my father received of my progrefs in that language, led him to follow my teacher's fuggeftion, to give me a littl^

Greek. Having gone thus far, the tranfition was eafy \ it would be a pity, ftiid our fanguine advifers, to lofe all the knowledge I had got J

with my application, and my genius, if I profecuted my ftudies, I might

become a very learned, and a very great man. If I ftudied divinity, (which was propofed), I. might in time preach in the pulpit of the very parifh in which my father lived ; nay, I might rife to be a ProfefTor in the Univerfity, or become Moderator of the General JJfeinbly of the Church of Scotland.

I was accordingly <jntered a ftudent in the univerfity. My father confidered my fortune as now made j and my expedlations were not inferior to his. But I foon found my fituatioa at the univei'fity a very hard and uneafy one My father had been able to fupplyime tolerably with neceJTaries at the parifli-fchool; but todo this, at the univerfity, fituated in a great and expenfive town, was above his power. I was obliged to walk about, therefore, with a fhabby coat, and with an empty purfc. I eould not attend all the leftures I wiflied, for IL 3 ' want Digitized by Google

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want of money to purchafe admiffion, or toprocure the neceflary books. I now like wifefound, that, far from being more knoT^Hng than my colTege-compai>ions, as my countryfchoolmafter flattered me would be the cafe,, mod of them knew more than I did;, they had been better taught, and had profited accordingly. Poverty, wsnt of books, of friends,, and of the other conveniencies of life, were not circumftances very well fuited for the ftu?» dy of the beanties of Homer and F/rg/7, nor for making a progrefsin the abftra£L fciences; but, with all thcfc diiEculties, I gave fuch clofe and intenfe application, that I was able to pick up a good deal of learnings and my diligence drew the attention of fome of the profeflbrs. By their intereft, t was. recommended to Mr M , a gentleman, of confi"

derable fortune, who refidcd in the town where the univerfity Ts fituate4, to be ttuor to his child'reii j and accordingly he was pleaTcd"

to engage me at the falary of L. 20 a'-yearj. with the additional advaotage of living in h\s houfe. I now thought the world was all before me, and every thing feemed to flatter me with prcfent

happinefs and future exaltation. Out of my i^ary I hoped to afford to be better

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ter drefled, to buy more books, and to attend more leAures. I expedled^ from the know* ledge I had acquired, to be able to make a

£• gure in the company which refofted to Mr M.'8. I doubted not that they would fingle me out as a prodigy of learmng and genius ; that, by their favour, I might be recommend* ed to fome lucrative or honourable place; or^ at leaft, that I fhould, by Mr M.'s intereft,, be (ettled as a minifter ia fome churchy after having pteafantly fpent a year or two in hh family in attending to my pupils» from whofe progrefs ajid improvement I expcAed equal pleafure and reputationr.

How thefe hopes have been anfwered, I proceed to inform you*.

When I entered to Mr M.'s family, I found It was €xpe£^d that I ihould not only attend to the ftudies of the eldeft fon, a lad of about fourteen, but that I was likewifc to take care of all the^ younger children, confiAIng of no fewer than fix. Sofiie of thefe were to be taught to read, others, who were too young fer thafi, I was to look after* and walk out with when they went alx-oad, to keep them out of harm's way, to prevent them from falling into a ditch, or being run down by a carriage. This I faw muft occupy my whole time}

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time; and every thongh.t of reading for my own improvement was to be laid aiide. But though, in this manner, a temporary ftop was to be put to my learning, I ftill flattered , myfelf I ihould make it up by the improvexpent and knowledge of the world I fhould atq.uire from the fociety and converfation at j^r M.'s. But this e^Epedlation was as vain as the former. When there Vere fh'angers of diftinAion at the houie,..!

was noi Allowed. tQ &t at table, but was. placed in a corner of the room with the- younger children, where my province was to attend to what they eat, and fo cut their .meat for them. When the family were alone, or the guefts were fuch as Mr M. did not think necejQTary^to tr-eat witlvjiiuch ceremony, I was permitted to fit at table j but 1 fopn found, even when this was the cafe, that I Was not to be peruiittcd.

to talk there* Seldom, indeed, was there any converfation which was worth joining iu; but when any occurred in whkh T ventured .to join, what 1 faid was received ia fuch a manner, that I was obliged to refolvc to be filent. If I threw, m an obfervation which ftartcd a doubCof the juftice pf any thing that was faid, I was con-^ fider^ as an impertineiit conceited fellow,

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vrho had no right to exprcfs his doubts; if i endeavoured to fupport any opinion, I faw I was deemed officious and troublefome. Mr M.

who, to the Credit the world juftly gave him for a great fortune, wiflied alfo to add the reputation, though without any pretenfions, of learning, was afraid, when I opened my mouth, left people Qkonld think that his fon's tutor was more knowing than he ; and^ therefore, took care always to contradift me flatly, and with an air of fuperiority y and, fometimes, even made a joke of that auk* wardnefs of manner,

~ which: it was impoffible one m my fituation could have efcaped.

Yovt may judge what effeft this treatment muft have upon one who can relifh the beauties of the claffics, and has read many of the mofl: eminent French and Englifh authors. Poor, helplefs, and dependent as I am, ibmething^ within tells me that I am fuperior; — biit I ' ba^re no title to be proud.

For fome time, the only pleafant moment* which I Jiad in Mr M.V

family, were thofc employed in reading with* my eldeft pupiU But this continued a very fliort time. The young gentleman foon began to defpife one, vhom he faw his father and his fa<her'»

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friends treat with fo much difrefpea; and, inflead of following roy direAions, • took care to do the very reverfe of whatever I defired him. I perceived alfo he made me the fubjeft of jefi: with his companions. In vain did I venture to reprefcnt this in the gent left manner to Mr M. I was the worfe ufed for my complaints 5 he afcribed his fon's little progrefs to my remlffoefs, not to any fault in the boy, who, I foon found, had much more influence with his father, in regard to his edu« cation, than L had.

Such, Mr MiRBOR, is my fituation with the upper members of the family. With thofe of an inferior rank, it is not a whit more agreeable.

John, the footman^ receives a falary nearly equal to mine, and he wears a better coat. He, therefore, looks upon himfelf as a finer gentleman than me ', and, as I am but little refpefted by thofe whom he confiders as his betters, he does not think himlelf bound to r€fpe<a: me at all* At dinner, he feldom hears when I call; and, when he does, I. often get fifh-f*uce. to my pudding, and pepper inftead of fugar to my pancakes. Nor U John to be blamed for this; for he fees his lu^fter give me port, or punch, while he and his

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his guefts drink claret. For fome tlme^ indeed^ after J came to refide in the family, I received much complaifance from Mrs Debo* rah Hitchcock the houfe-keepcr. Mrs Deborah is now confiderably paft her fortieth year; in her perfon, thick and fquabby, with a mouth a little awry, and eyes a little afquint. Mrs Deborah frequently fends her compliments, and afks me to drink tea with her, or invites me to

evening entertainments with her gofiiping companions. She is fometimes alfo fo kind as to vifit me in my own apartment,— fays (he wonders I do not tire when alone; that {he and I, from our fituation in the fami* ly, fliould be companions to each other; and fhe has feveral times hinted, that, by her long refidence in Mr M.'s, fhe has acquired a fum which might be of ufe to ^a young man like me.

Thus, Sir, have I given you a view of my fituation in Mr M/s family for more than two years paft that I have refided in it. My pupil is doing no good under my care. I am not rcfpeiled in the family, the fervants infult me, and my farther progrcfs in learning is flopped. I have often refolved to give up my place 5 but what will become of me, if I do ?

Others

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Others will not enter into my -motives ; they will attribute n^ conduA to folly or ill temper; »Dd I Ihall be thrown upon the wide world without a friendi without money, and with a mind ill calculated to ftruggle with poverty and misfortunes. It has occurred to me» that« if you print this letter^ and Mr M« chance to fee k, it may produce ibme change in my fituation ; or, if it has no other cffcft. It may at leaf): ferve as a j unification of my 4iOndu£t in leaving his family.

I am; 3cc.

K. B.

The cafe of Mr K. B. may perhaps be exaggerated ( but I fufpCiEl his fituation is not Altogether uncommon. Indeed, I have been often furprifed to fee men of excellent fenfc in every other particular, and fond of their children, fo inattentive to thofe who have the care of them. It fliould not, mcthinks,^ require much refiieAion to convince them, that there is a good deal of rcfpcft due to thofe on whom fo important a trufl:^ as the education

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of their children is devolved 5 it fhould require hut little obfervation to fatisfy thexn« that, unlefs the parents regard the tutor? it is impoflible the children can \ that, unlefs the inftrudtor be honoured, his precepts will be contemned. Even, independent of thofc confider^ions, fomething is due to a young maa of education and of learning, who, though his fituation may make it necefTary for him to receive a falary for his labours, may, from that learning which he has received, and that tafte which it has given him, have a mind as Independent as the wealthieft^ and as delicate as the higheft bom.