** member her grandfiither Lord W welhj

*•* a gi'eat man, a very great man. We met at " Naples J and afterwards went to Ptinna togc** ther. I gave him the genuine receipt for *^ the Parmefan cheefe^ which I went purpofe•* ly to procure, while he was eiamining feme " ftatues and ancient manufcripts. We were " ever afterwards on the moft friendly foot*^ ing imaginable. I was with him a few ** mornings before the marriage of Lord C.

«< W this very Mifs W 's father. I

** remember it well-,— it'was at breakfaft 5—I ** often breakfafted with him before he went ^ to the houfc i—he always cat buttered muf'

** fins \ but when I was there, be ufed to op*< der dry toaft\ I always tzxdry tocft. — The ** bride was with us; I was intimately ac^ *^

quainted with her too 5 fhe let- me into ^ the whole fecret of the courfihip. Her fa** thcr*s principal inducement to the matcli,—

•* it was a long affair, — the B eftatc was

•' to be fettled on the young folks at the mar* <^ riage 5 —no, not all,

— part of the B—

« eftate, with the manor in Lincoln (hire. •

^ But, as I was faying, we were, at breakfaft

*« at

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•* at Lord W——'s. His fon and the bride ** were by; Lord C. had velvet breeches, aod <' gold clocks to his flockings ; the quefiion **

was, whether this was proper ? I put it to ^ the bride; I made her blufh, I warrant you; " — fhe was a fine woman, a prodigious fine ^, woman.; fhe always ufed my wafh-ball; I " wrote out the receipt for her; it was given

•' me at Vienna by Count O ; a very great

*' man Count O——, and knew more of the *^ affairs of the empire than any man in Ger* ^ many.—From him I firft learned with ccr* *•

tainty^, that the Duchefs of Lorraineh two. ** fore-teeth were falfe ones. I remember he "had an old gray monkey. —Sifter Mary, ^ you have heard me tell the ftory of Count «i O *s monkey.*^—But here it pleafcdHeaven that William called his mafter put of the room, and favcd us from the Count and his ©Id gray monkey.

This fuperficial knowledge of great men, and accidental acquaintance with fome of the vocables of ftate^buiinefs, has given him a confcquential fort of phrafeology, which be applies^ with all the gravity in the world, to the moft trifling occurrences. When he orders the chaife for his eldeft fifter, himfclf,

and

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aad me, the white p^d iot. Sophy^ and the

old roan mare f<>r her attendant, he calls it

/^* r€gulating ihe order offhe procfiffion^'^ When jhe gives put the wine fipiti the cellar^ and the groceries from the (lore-room, (for he does

;boith 10 perfon), h^ tells us, he has been

.^^ granting the Supplies'^^ ^rhe acceptance, or offer of a vifit, he Jays before ** a lommittee of

:" the v)hcle koufe ;** and for -the killing of the

{2X OX this Chriftmas, he called the gentleiDen

-three fuoce/five mornings to " a grand council

'* if VJ(ir*^

It were well if all this were ooJy matter of amufement j but fon\e of us find it a fource of very ferious diftrefs. Your managing men are commonly plagues; but Mr R. manages

fo much to a hairVbrcadth, that he is a

dowmight torment to the other members of

his family. It was but yefterday we had the honour of a ceremonious vifit from fome great folks, as we think them, who c?mie lately

from your town to eat their mince-pies in the country. After a wonderful ringing of bells, calling of fervants, and trampling upon th^

flairs all mornintg, Mr R. qame down to

the drawing-room at a quarter before three, with all his ufual fiddle-faddleiitior^ but, as I thought.

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thought, in very good humour. He had on his great-company wig, and his round fet fhoe-buckles. . The fervants had their liveries new white-baird, and the beft china was fet out, with the large filver falvers, and the embofled porter-cups on the fide-board. The covers were ftripped from the worked chairbottoms^ and his grandmother's little diced carpet was taken off the roller, and laid, like a patch, on the middle of the floor, the naked part of which was all fhining with beeswax. The company came at their hour \ the beef was roafted to a turn 5 dinner went on with all imaginable good order and ftupidity j fupper was equally regular and fleepy 5 in fliort, every thing leemcd quite as it Ihould be : Yet, next morning, I perceived foul weather in all the faces of the family 5 Mr R. and his filler fcarce fpoke to one another, and he talked, all the time of breakfaft, of female carckffhefs and inattention. Mi/s Sophia explained it to me when we were left alone. «« Oh ! do you know,'' iaid (he, '^ a fad af. *' fair Iiappened lafl night: My brother and " fifter had fuch a tifl You muft under" ftand, before the company arrived yefter" day, he had, as ufual, adjufted the ccrcmo

*«mal

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i66 The Mr r |t p r. N^pj,

<' nial of their different apartments ; but he ** difcovered, on attending them to their ** rooms at night, that my fifter had put the '

gilt-china bottle and bafon into the caliico .^^ bed-chamber, and. the ordinary blue and '•^ white into the pink damajk.^—It is lucky this man h no guardian of mine \ were he to watch me as he does his flfters, and fee all the odds and ends about me.-^ But what has he to

-do to be a guardian. Yet Nature, perhaps, meant him for fomcthing, if fortune had allowed it 5 kc might have been excellently employed in a pin-Jbopy m ftickjog the rows ioa pin^paper.

I fancy you harve got quite enough of my -landlord. You ufed to fay I was iht beft of -your philofophers, your Democritus iu petticoats. If I have an inch of philofophy about me, it is without my knowledge, I

aflure you j you ai-e welcome to it, however, fuch as it is. Other folks may give you what I have heard you call the great views of Nature and Life \ it is enough for me if I. can-enrich your colle^ioa with a paper oiinfeEls. Yours moft truly,

C.F. V

N^04.

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N®94. Satdrdat, Jfriti. 1780.

AMoNG the other privileges of an anonymous periodical author, is that of wri-* t«ng letters in praife of himfelf, which he is, now and then, obliged to infert on account of their merit, however ofFenfive they may be to Ws modefty. This fort of correfpondencc, which I fuppofe is a very pleafant one, I have not yet ventured to indulge in.

The correfpondcnts whom 1 ha'^e "pe'rfonated, alw'ays talk of themfelves inftead of the Mirror j ^nd, ori the other hand, feveral of the papers I have received, are written in the perfon of the author, a charafter in which it were improper to praife him, and which, when afu' ^edy gives, perhaps, no great inclination to do ^t. Of thi* laftYort is the firft of two comn^unications to which I devote the paper of to-day ; the fecond, containing one of the ^ery few compliments which the Mirror has exhibited of itfelf, is a genuine letter from London, written by a gentleman in the very

fituation

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i68 The M i r u o &• N<*94.

fituation the feelings of which he fo naturallj defcribes.

\ T N my firft paper T took occaCon to mention a few particulars of my fituation and charafter, and my objeft in this publication. My

defign has been to afford an agreeable and innocent amufement; and, by laying before my readers thofe charaftersi was acquainted with, and which prcfentcd themfelves before mcj I had fome hopesj though I fliould not reclaim the completely Titious, that I might be able to guard the young and inexperienced, to alarm the inconfiderate, to confirm the wavering, and to point out, even to the worthy, fome of thofe errors and imperfeflions, from which, perhaps, the fineft minds are in the greateft danger of fuffcring.

How far I have been able to afford any amufement, I will not take upon me to fay; but, I am forry to find, that many of the charafters which I have prcfented to the public, with a view to point out mens errors and dc

fefts,

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^^94- The Mirror. <6§

^e&s, have been confidercd as proper. objeAs of imkation,. anU -that fome 'of. myi rca<ic;ie -have To far miftaken.the pucpofi: I hs^d in

.pre•Tentiog fuch charaiflers, a$ to be flattei^ed hf thinking that themfelves bear fome refem*J^lance to them.

When I made tny readers acquainted with ^tny friend Mr Fleetwood, I.nev^r tneant to rc^ commead that e^ceiUv^ delicacy ap4 f&He rcr -

finemem which often prttfvents him frotn; being h^pfty} on the

<;Qntrary;, my intention .wa% to point out the danger of thqit eatc/^ffive. re£nement, and to giiard fuch of my peaders a9 fhould be difpofed to indulge in it^ againfl its fatal confequences ; and yet I know a gentle^ man, who is fo dcfirous of being thought poffelled of

^eiicacy and Tcfinement, that, the other day, I faw him very much.pleafed when one of his friends tpld him he was a very Fleetxveod* tuckUy for him I know him to be poflefled of Fleetwood's good qualiiies, 5mhout his imperfeftions, I cannot fay fo much far his acquaintance C« D.; he is a peevifh difcontented creatupre^, ^q^i< iu his jremper, jealous of his friends, and, idiiiat^^d with every thing

about higi. JHe J^a» Of lftt« taken it into his head .to hQamAn^.t^^

Vol. ni. P thou|;li

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§70 The M i r it o ii. N094.

ichough he has not the leaft pretei)£oD8 to the icharader ;• and, while he indulges his own jvecvifhneft and chagrin, he flatters himfislf Vrith the thought that he is a Fleetwood, and :Rpologies for his bad temper, by caUing it the efFeA of hts delicacy and refinement of mind^ *rhough~l confefe my partiality for Fleetwood's ^ood qualities, yet, had I not known C. D. I could hardly have thought, that any oqe

^ould have been vain of his imperfections, wrho was not poflefled of any of his merits.

When I introduced Mr Umpbr^inlle to my readers, I never meant to recommend that fecluOon from the world, and that abftraAion from the duties of life, which, with all the dignity of mind he is pofiefled of, have given occafion to his little oddities, and difqualified him for every aftive purpofe; and yet Ttm Meadov^s, who gave up the profeffion of the law, becaufe he was too idle to attend to it, and who has lately fold his commiffion in the ftrmyy, becaufe he would not undergo the fatigues of a foreign campaign, has thought proper to juftify his condu£V, by appealing to Mr XJmphravfllc's example, and pretends to fay, ihat he, forfooth, has too much pride of mm^f to ocicupy himfelf in applying the rules

4>f

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of bir to the uninterefting difputes of indivw doabj or to be engaged: iixailifting at a review, or lining the ftreets at a proceflkm.

H. B.'^ letter^ in my 51ft number, defcribej^ the dangerous effe£te of giving too much cul* ture, and too* many accompliihments, and of foftening too much the mind of a young girl, who has to ftruggle with the difficulties of lifci and is not placed in fuch a fituation as* makes her independent of the world. It re* prefents, in a very feeling manner, the delicate diftrefs which thefe circumftances had occaiioned* I have lately, however, received a. letter from a correfpondent who>. from her language and ezpreffions, feems to be a greac readef in the circulating library. She fays,; &e -has lately^

fpent much of her time in fiun dying the Be/ks Lettrn\ that,^ of allthings^, Ihe wouht wi(h to be learned and aceom* pliflied^—that (he regrets that her fathei dkli not educate her better;.— that, of jdl the perfom &e ever read of,. Ihe would, wifli to ber like my correfpondent H. B.;^«*—that (he ien-^ vies her afflidion, for that <'

affltSlion makep ^ part tf her dream of happinefi!*

The letter publiflied in' my 78th number^, gives an excellent dcfcription of the bad ef

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17,1 Trir:>E' M i'r r or/ N®94*.

ja^ of that (too great. cafinefs of temper* whichieadis a man ioto folly and extcayagjioce^ and makes bimbe ruined.by havingrtoo many> friends. . My neighbour WilL Littlehit^ whole heart i$.ibiCOi]tra£kd> a&noito be fufceptibleof the fentiment of fri«»difaip> and who, far from being ia daiiger of being, preyed upon by his friends, mover admits a.gue£^.within his* houfe, fays, that tlie 7Sth i$ the only.

good. paper, he has.feea^in.the 'Mi^^rob.,, .and that the.laft'

para^aph in particular ihpuld bet pcinted Jn letters, iof gold, jco. ferv^

9$ a leilbn» of imitation for att the yotiog-m^n q(- thc.ager ' Tdie pijrticulars . above mentioned have, taught me how diffi(:ult is the attempt to in** ftruft OD: refocm,-*-Xhier^^ ijf no virquye which. i&: not nearly. cotme£tcd with fome vipe; —• tjierej's no-imperfeiaioa wiiich dp^s i^t bear. a«neai^reiemblanee ta fome excell€ncy*.T—.

Andmankind, fond of indulging their f^^otH'lCe; paffion^. aad indinatiop^ inilead c^ diftinguKbingi endeavjpiuN to confound their

vices with tl^ir ^virtues \- inAe^d^ of fe^vHWi^ the, Hd from ,tbe good g^rain, th^y bind all; up to-». giether, and hug themfeives in the belief oS .liolding .only wha$ is valuable..

lb.

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Vf^ 94. The IJ I » k or;- 173^

To the AVTHOK of the MfBTBfOR.

S I R,. London, Marc/f'iji, 1780.

T AM, though at this diftance,. 00c of your conftant readei*s, and mark with pleafure. not only the general good tcndeocy; of your'

gapers, bm perceive alfo, that you draw your piAures of human nature from the only pure fountain,. Nature herfelf•

Youmuft know I am a natiye of Edinburgh^, where I pafled my youth, and received my e-ducation r but have b^n> long fettled in thia^

place. Some yjears-ago, I was impelled by a ^ very natural deilre to revifitmy native coun-* try, and I now fit down to communicate to you 1 the fenfationsi felt upon that occafion*

On my arrival inEdiaburghi.I will own^.. that what firft ftruck me-was the total <hange. of faces. Very few were left whom I knew' when a boy^ and thofe fo altered in their ap« pearance, fo much the fhadows only of what they once were, as could not fail to excitemany ferious refle^lions^ Hardly a flnglc houfe did I find inhabited by the fame perfonsy rieftinit; but every where a new race, ncw' jutnnersi and new modes of living. In iborr.

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174 T iT: B* M r R R" Cr R* N^94?

1 found myferf, in almoft every fenfe of the word, an litter flfran^eri EVen the improvemeats that l>adbeen njadc during my long ab*

fence difpleafed me. The corn-fields on the ibuth fide of the town were quite covered witH fubftanHai' houfe^ ; - Barefocfs parks', where I have- had ittany a: Retired'and plcafant walk^ cc/n^terted-into-a fpendid city^ and, m t^cold^ town,'many ruinous buildings, the fcen^sof forac of my youthful amufementSj.now re« built with equal folidity and elegance.

Nor were thefe my only grievances; The removal" of the. (^rofr, of the N^t^r bow-port i and' df many other mcumbraQcigs, in fbort,. every ahcration, though evidently for the bct-^ ter,. that had taken- place fincc-my departure, more or lefs difpleafcd me. You will more eafily account than I can, how it eomes^io pafs that the human mind fhould be fo much kp againftall innovations of what nature foever. This may, perhaps, infenfibly arife from the pifture they exhibit of the mutability of every objeft before us, and a tacit intimation that we ourfelves are compofed ofithe feme changeable materials, and muft foon quit the fcene;

I will acknowledge, however, that'I had' the iatisfftfUpa to £nd many places (bar did

jaot

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not hurt ihe by &ny'alteration or improve-menti Your wynd^ and-clcfes were nearly iqthe ftate I had left them ; and where, ia fome> j^arts of the flreets, you have got new pave— xnents, the good people who live at the fides of^ them take cafe-that there (baU bie no innova*' tion in.point of cleanlineis; \o\xs Theatre^ aaid Concert'HaJl zrc new buildings ;. but your jiffcmhJy-Room^ where people of the higheft' fiaihion reforc, is juil as .paltry, as ever* But,, as they dance therefor the. benefit of the/>o<?r, I fhall forbear any further remarks-on it.-—. ** Charttyycovereth a.multitude of fms^^

Tbe High-^School *, and its environs, I found unaltered, though the yards appeared to mc, to be much.diminiihed. in theiFrextent; The: College^ tooj, remained the faiae plain, meany. iinadorned building it was half a cestury-ago, and feemed^to me, after having feen the fplen-' did palaces oi. Oxford 2Lnd Cambridgej more homely than,ever. Though^ perhaps, inrlitejaature, as m religion, Sijter Peg confines her-*^ felf to fubftance, without inuch regard to ornament; yet, methinks, it is rather a reproach to the capital of our country, tbat^ - a

. * This fchool^ I usdeiilafidy h» been fioce rebuilt.. ^ _

midft

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midft all its improvementSy* this univerfitf, fa mtich celebrated over Europe for the ability q£ its I^ofeflTors^ aod the fuccefs with which; every branch of fcicnce is there cultivated,^. ftoulcLprefent to thecye of a ftranger, a fee of buildiags fo iaconvenient 9s ■ well as meant: The preftnr period is, perhaps, not very fa-vourable to expeniive public defigns ; but £ would have your readers, among whom, h hope, are included all the men of fortune and tafte in the kingdom, think of the ColUg$^ sn foon as- the preflure of* the times will admit.

As an individual, from that regard to the honour of the land of my.

nativity, which, I hope, will never be extinguifhed, I ihall willingly and nberally> contribute, whenever this? uecefiary work is determined upon.

I will not tire you with my various oMcrvattons during feveral excurfions I made into difierent parts-of the country ; becaufe fomeof them mighty to your readers^ appear too* trite, and others, perhaps, too triviaL But Icamiot omit telling you^ that the fpirit of in* duAry, fo confpicuous in the various maau'* fia£tures<fe£ on foot of late years,. and in the improved face of the country, gave birth to many pleafing fenfations which are not eafily

defcribcdr.

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^^94^' T H E . M I R R o ». >77

defcribed. Ycx I was nojt much better pka-^ fed with fame of the fine buildiogs of the^ country than with thofe of the town. In many places 1- could not help regretting ther Gothic grandeur of ai>cient cafUes, difplaced. by modern (hewy edifices. Spme of thein owners, I fancy, are of my mind | for 1 was« informed that their fathers ufed to reiide at the manfions in. their former (late nine monthsi in. the year ; but that the pcefenf poi&irors of thofe e.legant. hopfes are fca^cely feen there ai< all. Nor could I refrain, as I pafled along^ from dropping ar tear over the ruins of our i^Ii^ious houfcs i which, however they might have been perverted from the original purpofes^ of their ere^ion^ I could* not help con* iidering as fplendid monuments of the piety, of our anceftors. Some of them I faw that had.ftill more tender ties upon my mind. I remembered having played^ when a boy, un«^ der arches, which time had fince mouldered a^ay^, with companions, the echo of whofe voices was ftill frefh in my memory, though they, alas!

as well as thofe archc^5», were noir^ crumbled into duft !

Were I to go on, I find I ihould be in dan* ger. of growing^ too ferious.

Recalling to rc-^

membranceL

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xnembran^d days lang paiV, and the juvenile focietj of thbfe who are now no morei is an awful Operation of the human mind; and| While it fpeaks loudfy the truth of St PauPs obfervation^ that * •* th^ fajhian ff this "world *^ pajfeth awayy^ imperceptibly leads to a train 6f thinking that might here be out of place, though it h neither unpleafing nor unfuttabk to the character of a rational beingf who hatk Ibeen taught

and accuftomed to cotifider bim* felf as an immortiil part of the creation^.

I am^ &c#.

N^9i^

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N°9S- Saturday, Jpril 4. i'j6%.

To the Author of the Mirror.

Sir,

AS you have, hy feveral of your publica. xtions, given proof that you do not think the occurrence^.of domeftic life unworthy your.attention»

I (hall, without further preface, addrefs you on a fubjeft full as defer*

vtng of it as any yet offered to your confider«ation. It is now above four years iince I be* came the wife of a gentleinan» my equal in rank and fortune ; and,'what was more material, of a difpofition and turn of mind every way faitable to mine* His eftate lies at a conGderable diftance from the capital; but, as it is fltuated in an-agreeable neighbourhood, and as we have both a tafte for reading, and Mr B. is not averfc to rural employments, wc fpent our time as happily as poffibie, till abost ^alfa year ago, that my'ill ftars dirofted me to renew my aoquaiintance with a young lad^, who had been my jcompaoion at fchool, and

vfhm

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who now came on a vifit to a relation who lived at no great diftaace from our hotife.

Before I proceed in my ftory, I muft beg a csttidid confidcratldn of it.'

From the introduction to the difagreeable part of it, you will te apt to imagine that I am one of thofe felftormentors juftly ridiculed by the ingenious author of the Jealous Wife. No fuch thing, •Mr MiRROK : my hvi^and*s attdntion to othcr women ncvef gave me the flighteft une*'finefs. Convinced of his attachment^ fatisfied with his treatment of «ie, I never cxpefted him ^d be blind to the charms of a beautiful

^oman, oi^4nfenfiWc of the merit of an agrsfie"ftble one ; nor had I the miftaken "policy of tnany wives, of never faffcring a tolerable fe»

tnale to enter my doors, or of courting the intimacy bf foove tall elderly inaiden, that I «night gain by; the comparifoa." ^o, 5ir! i depended whoHy upon my unremrtting attention to pleafeMrB. for the continuance of W$ attachment. Nor can I in the ieaft reproach tnyfetf with giving caufe for 'the abatement I too plainly pcrcei\'C in it.. . ;3nt to.iremm to-my ftory. I-was mech pfeafed at. feeing my old fchool-fellow : Wc had been parted many years^ and I found the wild

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wild lively romp improved into an elegant woman. She ftill, however, retained a good deal of the heedlefs manner that marked her ciildifli days; and, ^hou^h (he has an excellent underftanding, fhe never feemed to make ufeof it in the regulation of her conduft or behaviour.

She exprefled herfelf much plea-' fed at finding me fo happily fettled : Mr B. appeared to her a moft amiable man, and my children (particularly my little Befs) flie faid were an.gels. Her attention to thcrp, I own, endeared her to m^ very much j though,, indeed, Mr Mirror, no one can help loving them, for they are charming children.

Her good-humoured playful ways made the little creatures doat on her. At my return from walking, I have frequently found her on her knees on the floor, building card-hbufes for their entertainment. Mr B.

has obferved to me, on thofe occafions, how amiable it was ia a young admired woman, who had fpcnt her life in the ufual round of folly and diflipation, to preferve fuch natural and right feelings. He

generally concluded his obfcrvations with faying, that he believed fhe would make a moft excellent wife. I, for a long time, agreed with him in opinion, and ufcd to tell Vol. m. Q_ her Digitized by VjOOQIC

i82 The M i it R o r. N^'ps^.

her before his face, the fine things Mr B. faid of hci\ She received them in a rattling goodhumoured way, infilling that her condiift in the married ftate would depend on her hufband's ^ for Ihe declared that fhe did not find in herfelf that exalted turn of mind to love virtue for its own fake, and fhe believed flie would make but an indifferent wife to half the men in the world. Such converfation generally produced an argument between her 4nd Mr B. which, as it was carried on with Tpirit and temper, had no other effcft than miking them ftill more pleafed with one another. If ftie found the argument growing ferious, fhe would call over the cTiildrcOj Jind, putting them on their father^s knee, dc* fire them to kifs him into good humour, which never failed having the cffeft; or, if flie faid a flippant thing to him, with which he feemed half ofifended, ihe ufed to take his hand, and fmile fo fweetly in his face, it was impoffible for him to continue difpleafed with her; and, generally, a kifs and a game of :billiards fealed their reconciliation. I own to you, I began not to relifli her behaviour; yet \t feemed fo unpremeditated, and fo perfe&Iy correfponding with h^r general charaderi that

I

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iSTopj. T H 1 M I ^n R o R. i<3

) did not know how to make her ienfible of the impropriety of it. I even doubted my own judgement of the matter. I had for fomc time lived fo much out^of the gay world, that I ' did not know but Marians very great freedom of manner might be the fafliionable behaviour of the people fhe bad been accuftomed to fee: if fot how was fhe to blame

? or why fhould I be uneafy, knowing her to be a woman of honour, furely incapable of fo bafe an a£lion as endeavouring to alienate my hufband's affection from me ? By fuch reafonings I ftrove to quell the firft emotions (jealous, if you will have them fo) that rofc in my breaft.

Eutj alas, Mr Mirror, to what purpofe I I have every hour frefh caufe of uneafinefs. About a week ago> I went fuddenly into the parlour, and found Maria fitting on Mr B/s knee, hca' head leaning on his ihoulder: he looked ^ )ittle out of countenance ; but fhe was not ia the leaf]: diflre^ed at my appearance, but afked me, with her ufual good humour, what made me look fo grave ? then flapping Mr Br gently on the cheek, faid, ** It is your faulty " you harfh thing you ! when I knew her •* formerly, fhe ufed to be all life and fpirits/* He anfwered^

(coldly I thought), that it was Qjz bia

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i24 The Mirror. N^pj.

his wilh ever to fee me rn fpirits, and that he was forry he was not fo happy as to hit on a method to make me fo. I turned my head afide, to hide the ftarting tear. Maria, as if guejBGing at my emotion, put her arm about my neck, and, drawing round my averted face, faid, in a loud whifper, ** My dear, Mrs " B. how can you indulge fuch weaknefs?'* lyir B. fnatch\l up his hat, and left the room; I heard the word •« childi(h," as he fhut the door. I remember the time when he could not bear the lead: cloud on my looks, without tenderly inquiring the caufe j but now he feems often to forget that I am prefent, while Maria engrofles bis whole attention. I have been for fome days deprived of his company, and have fpent the time in reflefting ferioufly on my fituation. The more Iconfidcr it, the more it appears to me of a particular and diftrefling nature. I have at laft determined ta requeft: your opinion of it, and, through the channel of your paper, to give Maria a hint, tliatr to keep clear of the groflhefs of vice, is aot fufficient for the delicacy of the female charadter \ and that the womaa who, by aa alluring and refined coquetry, engages the thoughts and iatercfis the feelings of a mar«

ried

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UP^S. The M i r r o* ft'. 185

ried man, is a more dangerousj and perhaps Bot a k(s criminal companion> than the avow* ed wanton who excites a ihort-lived paffion, foon extinguifhed by remorfe, and, if I may be allowed the

^xpreffion, fully compenfated for by the returning tendernefs of the repent* ing hufband.

I am^^ &c*

E. B

To the iUTHOR o£ the Mirror.

Mr Mirror,

T Married, for love, a moft charming wo*? man, who has made me the happy fethcr of two very fine children : I have a thoufand a-year eftate, and enjoy a moft perfcft ftate of health 5 yet a Very flight and contemptible caufe wAs itear deftroying all thofe fair prpfpefls of happinefs, by interrupting the har-^ mony of a union founded on mutual likings and cemented by mutual eftecm. In your obfervations on the female world, you hav^ fu&red to cfcape your notice, a dangcrou*0^3 and

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1 ^6 T » E M I R R o It. N^ 9r

aad m^ll: deftruftWc race, whofe hearts, hardcne'd by vanity, are equally impenetrable tothe fliafts of love and inftnlible of the charms of fritndfhip r yet the bufinefs of their lives is, to excite paffions ihey never mean to gratify, and fc*itiments' they ar€ incapable of returning. My dear Mrs B. unfortunately for us both, fome months ago, renewed an intimacy, formed in her childifli days, with one of thofe females. To Maria I was introduced as the hufband of her friend

^ as fuch> I was^ received by her, without rcferve, and Iboa treated with the moft flattering diftinftion. Maria poflcflcs all thofe powers of allurement which men for ever condemn, and can never withftand: She can aflume every fhape that 36 fitted to captivate the fenfes or delight the imagination, and can vary her appearance at pkafure. So confummate is her art, that onecould not, for an inftant, fufpeft her of any defign in her behaviour $ and even at this moment, that an accident has laid open her whole chara^er to me, I (hould not anfwer for my rcfolution, were flie to enter the room, and' fmillngly take my hand, fas \va» Jier frequent cuftom, with fuch a mixture of fweetnefs and tendcrnefs in her looks ! — I almoft fear I fliould

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N®95' The* Mirrotr. 187

llxould be weak enough to forget that my opinion of her is founded on the cleared proofsof her diilembling arts, and {land before her fclf-condemned, as the defamer of innocence and undefigning fimplicity.

Luckily I am out of her reach : I left my own houfe immediately upon the difcovcry I made of the fair hypocrite's real dlfpoiition. I mean to fend for my dear -Mrs B. and with her pay a vifit to the capital, and there ufe ali my effijrts to make her amends for any unea^ finefs my foolifh infatuation may have givenher*i but firft I wiflied to make this public acknowledgement of it 5 and, as Maria de» ferves no mercy, I fhall Ihow her none, ex-^ cept concealing her family-name.

For five months, Mr Mirror, the Proteus-like animal had found out a thoufand* different ways to charm me. Was I in fpifits^ ihe was all life and good humour ; when in a graver mood, I found her all fenfe and fe^ rioufnefe. If what I had been reading excited* in me a tender and not unpleaiing melancho* ly, the fympathetic tear ftood ready m her eye, A few days fince^ upon my reading toi her the ftory of La Roche^ fo beautifully tolcf i» your papers, £he wept, leaning upon my

Ihould^rj

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i88 The Mirror. N^pj.

jtboulder^; and I own to you, Mr Mirror, ^s her tears fell upon the fineft boiom Nature aver forouedi while her white hand lightly prefled my arm, I thought I had never behekt fo interefting an objeA. Mrs B, came Aiddenly into the room i her grave cold manner i^as at the moment difagreeably contraAed toMarians animated feelings. For the firft time fince our marriagCi I thought I faw a change m Mrs B/s tem{>er9 ai^d that fhe was not the very amiable woman I took her for. She tx)ok amifs fomething I iaid, and I left the room in difguft. I ftroUed down a fhady walk that goes round part of my improvements: at the end cf it, I found Maria feated oa the graft, with one of my little girls on her lap. She rofe at my approach^ and> defiring the child to walk before us, took me under the arm, and, in the gentleft te^'ms, expoftu-. la ted with me on the abruptnefs of my man* jner. She had, ihe faid, after a vain attempt to footh her, left Mrs B. in tear^s. She acknowledged I had not given her very jferious caufe of. unea&nefs^ but that a man of my ienfe ihould make allowance for the trifling blemifhcs of a very good woman; addiagi.

with a fmilc, ** My dear Mr B. we are none

« of

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Vl^9S* The Mirror. 189

> '* of us angels/'—I was puppy enough to be ready to exclaim, **

Upon my foul, you arc " one." — I contented myfelf with faying, •*

Whoever you marry, Maria, will have no " reafon to complain of your temper.** She blufhed, drew out her, handkerchief to cover her face with it, as if to conceal her emotions, but gave me fuch a look from below it! — A fervarit appeared to tell us that dinner waited, and we went into the houfe together.

In the afternoon, one of my little girls came into the parlour, where I was fitting alone : " See what I found in the walk, Pappa 1" faid ihe, holding out a paper. I took it from the child, and feeing it was Marians hand, was about to go up ftairs to reft ore it to its owner^ when my own name, written in large characters, ftruck my eye. My'good manners were overpowered by the immediate impulfe of my curioflty; I opened the paper, and read what follows 5 it was part of an unfiniflied letter to a friend in town.

** You alk what havock I have made a* " mong the beaux at » ? Alas

! my

*« dear Bell, you know but little of my fitus^.*< tion, when you talk of beaxix ; not a crea*^ turc one would allow to pick up one's fad

**^ wlthia

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^po The MiRltox. N^95.

^* within ten miles of us. Having nothing up** on my hands, I have ftruck up a fort of ^* fentimental Platonic flirtation with a Mr B. " who lives within a fmall diftancc of our *' houfe. I knew his wife at fchool, and fhc •* was one of the firft who vifited me upon ** my arrival here.

Her violent praifes of her ** beloved gave me a fort of defire to fee him j *' and^ I own, I found him tolerable enough *' in his appstirance, and by no means deficient *' in underftanding, but vain of his flight pre<^ tendons to talents, and very fond of being ^^ thought profound.

At the firft glance* ^< I faw into him, and could now twifl him ^* round my finger. It is very diverting to ^* obferve by what foolifh principles your men ** who think themfelves very wife are govern" ed* Flatter this man's vanity, and yovt 5* might lead him round the world. Now»

•« I know you will treat me, in return for my •* franknefs, with a lefture upon coquetry, ** married men, impropriety, and fo fordi. 5* Take ray advice, my dear Bell, and fave ** yourfelf the trouble} it would be all to no f' purpofe, A coquette I am, and a coquette *' I will remain to the laft day of the exiflencc *^ of my powers of plcafing."

The

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N^95« The M i r k o k. ipt

The paper was there at an end. It raifed in me the ftrongeft indignation and contempt for the writer. And I felt fo afliamed of mj foWj, that I determined not to fee my dear Mrs B. until I had made fome atonement, hj fending you an account of my errors and re^

pentance.

lam, &c.

Noptf.

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N<^9^« Saturday, JpHlB. 1780.

To the Author of the Mirror.

Sir,

I AM neither ugly, nor old, nor poor, nor neglefted; I have a clear confcience: nor have I fuffered any calamity by the inconftaney of lovers, or the death of relations. I am not unhappy. The world would laugh at mc if I fhould fay I were unhappy. But I am not happy. I will tell you my cafe : I confide in your feelings J for you feem to underftand, what few people underftand, that a perfon may be in eafy circumftances, have a clear confcience,* and enjoy fufBcient reputation, and yet be — no, I Vvill not fay, miferable,— but not happy;

I am the only daughter of an eminent merrhant. My father made his own fortune; and a very good fortune he has made of it. He married my mother before his fituation was fo jcomfortable as it is at prefent.

They arc neither of them niggardly. Having wherewithal

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N^9^. T H fi M f u n o &. 19^

withal to live, not only with eafe^ but with fome degree of fplendour, they chufe, as they iay, to enjoy the fruit of their labours.

Ac4:ordingIy, ^^ live in a^i elegant houfe, have a handfome carriage, keep a good number of iervants, and' fee a great deal of company, You will eafily conceive, however, that the flicw attending my father's prefent fyftem of living, and the manners fuited to his prefent condition, do not juft agree with his former habits. But this does not fignify much. He Js a good-natured worthy man ; and they muft be very captious, indeed, who will not fuffer his merits to conceal his defefls.

With regard to myfelf, my parents, haviqg iio other daughter, and intending to give mc a genteel portion, were determined I fhould have a good education. " For," faid my father, <« a young woman of fortune, and of ** an agreeable appe.:rance, muft go into com"pany.

You and I, Bridget," addrefling timfelf to my mother, " fet out in life in a '* different manner. But Mary muft have c^* ducation."

So they fent mc to a famoVis boardingfchool J and, in fo far as my improvement was concerned, they fpared no expence*—Sir, Vol. III. R I

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194 T H s M I R It o It. N^ 96.

I fpeafc to you without rcfervc ; and I hope you will not think me too vain, if I tell yoo, that my education was no difficult matter. I tinderftand mufic ; and haH licde difficulty in acquiring the French and Italian languages. Indeed, the worthy perfon who had the charge of my education, was well calculated to promote my improvement.

She was a woman of family, of fine education, exquifite tafte, great goodnefs of heart, and had fhown fpirit enough, on the decline of her

father^ fortune, rather than live a dependant on her relations, to procure an independent, and now fhe has rendered it a refpcftable livelihood for herfelf. In a word. Sir, I am what they call tolerably accompliflied; and you will think it ftrange, and I think it ftrange myfclf, that this fhould be the fource of my uncafiDefs, • , It is now fome time fince I returned to my father's houfe. When I came home, t was received with raptures. My father and mother adored me. They would refufe mc no«» thing. They ftrove to prevent my wifhes.— Good people I may Heaven grant them peace of mind, and long life tp enjoy the fortune they fo juftly defervc. -^ But why, Sir, did

they

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N^ptf, The Mirror. 195:

they make me, as they term it, fo very accom* plifhed ? They have made me a different crea« lure from themfelves. I am ape to fancy myfdf of a higher order,— Forgive my prefump* tion; and I am fure you will forgive me, when I tell you, I really wiih myfelf lower, indeed, Sir» and it grieves me to the foul, I am fometimes impatient of my parents* But I will not dwell upon this.

I told you, we fee a great deal of Company ^ and all the people we iec are difpofcd to admire me. *' Mighty well," you will fay : " Give a young woman admiration, and what ** more can fhc wifh for ?"^ Sir, I wifh they loved me more, and admired me lefs. I am made to fing, and to play on the harpficord ; and, to oblige my father, am fometimes con« firained to repeat verfes : and all this to people who underftand no mufic> and know no other poetry than the Pfalms of David in metre. Indeed, till I became better acquainted with th«m> I found, that, even in our converfation^ there was a mutual mifapprehen£on ^ and that they were fometimes as. unintelligile to me as I was to them. I was not at all fupriied to hear them call fome

of Oixr acquaint* aaces-^ddimen i, but, when i heard them call R z our

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ipd The M r r r o r. N^ ^6»

our neighbour John Stay tape ^ great man, f could not help a&ing what difcovcry he had made in arts or fciience, op what eminent fervice he had rendered his country ? I was told, in return^ that within thefe few years he had realized- a plumb. This phrafe was alfo new to me ; and I wiflied to have known fomething about the nature of fuch realization* Chufing, however, to-aik but one queftion at a time, I faid nothing j and foon learned, that, whatever fervices Mr Staytape might da his country, he had hitherto made no great ilifcovery in arts or fciences. ' I confefs, indeed, that at one time I fancied ihey might have fome little notion of books ^ and when I heard them fpeak about under* writersy I thought'It might perhaps be fome ludicrous term for the minor poets.

So, when they fpoke about policies^ I fan' cied they were ufing the Scotch word for im* provements in gardening; and yentured to fay fomething in favour of clumps; " Clumps,** faid a gentkman who is a frequent vifitorat bur houfe, *♦ flic is to be laden with Norway *« fir." I found they were fpeaking about the good fliip Rebecca.

A grave-lOoking man, who fat near me one

day

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day at dinner, (aid a good deal about the fal/, and of events that fhouM have happened before and after the fall. As he alfo fpoke a*

bout Providence^ and Salem,, and Ebenezer\. and as gi*eat deference was fiiown to every thing that he fald; and being, as I told you, a grave-looking man in a black coat, 1 was not fure but he might be fome learned theo* logian ; and imagined be was fpeaking about

Oriental anticyiities, and xht fall of Adam^ But I was ibon undeceived.

The gentleman had liTed for fome time in Virginia ; by Providence he meant the town of that name in Rhodc'* yidnd\ and by the failj he meant^ not the fall' of our firft parents, for,, concerning them he had not the lead idea, but, as I fuppofe, the fail of the leaf *, for the word is ufed, it feems, in the American dialed for autumn*