** member her grandfiither Lord W welhj

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communications of fuch a vifionary being, there is an uncertain kind of belief, and a dark unlimited horror, which are aptly fuitcd to difplay the wavering purpofe and varied emotions of a mind endowed with a delicacy of feeling that often fliakes its fortitude^ with feniibility that overpowers its ftrength.

N« 100.

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-N^^ioo. Saturday, April 22. 1780.

THE view of Hdtnleth charafter exhibited in my laft number, may, perhaps, ferve to explain a difEculty which has always occurred both to the reader and the fpeftator, on perceiving his madnefs, at one time, put on the appearance, not of fiftion, but of reality; a difficuky by which fome have been induced to fuppofe the diftraftion of the prince a ftrange unaccountable mixture, throughout, of real infanity and counterfeit diforder.

The diftraftion of Hamlet^ however, is clearly affefted through the whole play, always fubjeft to the controul of his reafon, and fubfervient to the accomplifhment of his dcfigns. At the grave of Opheliay indeed, it exhibits fome temporary marks of a real diforder.

His mind, fubjcA from Nature to all the weaknefi of fenfibility, agitated by the incidental misfortune of Ophelia's death, amidft the dark and permanent impreffion of his revenge, is thrown for a while off its poife, and, in the paroxyfm of the moment, breaks fordi into

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into that extravagant rhapfody which he ut« ters to Laertes.

Counterfeited inadnefs» in a perfon of the charader I have afcribed to Hamlet^ could not be fo uniformly kept up as not to allow the reigning impreffions of his,mind to fhew them* felves in the midftof his affefted extravagance. It turned chiefly on his love to Ophe^ lia^

which he meant to hold forth as its great fubje£l \ but it frequently glanced on the wic« kednefs of his unclei his knowledge of which ic was certainly his bufinels to concealIn two of Shake/pearls tragedies are introduced, at the fame time, inftances of counterfeit madnefs and of real difiraflion. In both plays the fame diftindtion is obferved, and the falfe difcriminated from the true by fimilar appearances, hearh imagination conftantly runs on the ingratitude of his daughters, and the reiignation of his crown $ and Ophelia^ 2X,* ter (he has wafted the firft ebullience of her diftra^ion in fome wild and

incoherent fen* tet^ces, fixes on the death of her father for the fubjeft of her fong :

" They bore him barc-fac'd on* the bier

** And will be not come again,

" And will he not come again \ '* &c.

But

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But Edgar puts on a femblance as oppofite as may be to his real fituatioa and his ruling thoughts. He never ventures on any expreffion bordering on the fubjeAs of a father's cruehy or a fon's misfortune*

Hamlety in the fame manner, were he ^s firm in mind as Eigar^

would never hint any thing in his a^ded diforder, that might lead to a fufpicion of his having difcovered the viiiany of his -uncle; but his feeling, too powerful for his prudence, often breaks through that difguiic which it feems to have been his original, and ought to have continued his invariable purpofe to. maintain, till an opportunity fhould prefent itfelf of accomplifhing the revenge which he meditated.

Of the reality of HamUtU love, doubts alfo have been fuggefted. But, if that delicacy of feeling, approaching to weaknefs, for which I contend, be allowed him, the afieAed abufe, which he fuffers at laft to grow into fcurrility, of his miftrefs, will, I think, be found not inconfiftent with the truth of his affeftion for her. Feeling its real force, and defigning to play the madman on that ground, he would naturally go as far from the reality as poffiWe. Had he not loved her at all, or flightly

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fiightly loved her, he might have kept up. fome appearance of paflion amjdll his feigned. Infanity $ but really loviog her, he would have been hprt by fuch. a refemj^Iance in the, counterfeit. We can bear a downright caricature of our friend much eaiier than an unfavourable likencfs.

It muft be allowed, however,, that the mo* nientous fcenes in which he is afterwards 'en« gaged, feem to have tnoihered, itnotcxtin-.

guiflied, the feelings of bis love. His total, forgetfulnefs of Ophelia fo foon after her death, cannot eafily be juftified. It is vain,, indeed, to attempt juftifying Shakefpeare lo^ fuch particulars. " Time^^ fays Dr Johnfon, ** ioiPd after him in vainJ^* He feems often to forget its rights, as well in the pro* grefs of the paflions, as in the bulinefs of the ftage. That change of feeling and of refolution which time only can effeft, he brings forth within the limits of a fingle fcene. Whether love is to be excited, or refentment allayed, guilt to be made penitent, or forrow chearful, the effect, is frequently produced in a fpace hardly fufEcient for words to expreft it. • ' _

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242 The Mirror, IP 100.

was not fo happy in the delineation of hve as of the other paffions.

Were it not treafon againft the majefty of Shake/ptare^ one might obicrve, that/though he looked with a fort of inftin£tive perception into the reccflcsof Natwe, yet it was icnpoi&ble for him to poffefi a knowledge of the refinements of delicacy, or to catch in his piftures the nicer fhades of poliflied manners; and, without this knowledge, love can feldom be introduced on the ftage but with a degree of coarfcnefs which will offend an audience "of good taftc. This obfervation is not meant to extend to Shakefpeare^s tragic fcenes : in fituarions of deep diftrefs or violent emotion, tbe manners are loft in the paffions \ but if we examine his lovers in the lighter fcenes of

ordinary life> we fhall generally find them IrefpaiBng againtt the rules of decorum, and the feelings of delicacy. 'That gaiety and playfulnefs of deportment ^nd of converfation which Hamlet fometimcs hot only aflumesi but feems ai5lually difpofcd to, is, lapprehefid, no cTjntradiftion to the general tonC of melancholy in his charafter. That fort of melancholy which is the moft genuiae as well as the moft amiable of any,

neither

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neither arifiag from natural fournefs of tem«* per, nor prompted by accidental chagrin, but the effe£t of delicate fenfibiiity, imprcfled with a fenfe of forrowi or a feeling of its own weaknefs, will, I believe, often be found indulging itfelf in a fportfulncfs of external behaviour, amidft the preflure of a fad, or cveja the anguiih of a broken heart.

Slighter emotions afieA our ordinary difcourfc ; but deep diftrefs, fitting in the fecret gloom o£ the foul, cafts not its regard on the common occurrences of life, but fuSers them to trick them* felves out in the ufual garb of indifference, or of gaiety, according to the fafhion of the fociety around it, or the fituation in wliick they chance to arife.

The melancholy mw f^els in himfclf (if I may be allowed the e3tprcffion) a fort of double perfoh } one, which, covered with the darknefs of its imagination, looks not forth into the world, nor takes any concern in vulgar objects or frivolous purfuits ^ another, which he lends, as it were, to ordtl^ary men, which can accommodate itfelf to their tempers and manners, and indulge^. Without feeling any degradation from the ia^ dulgence, a fmile with the chearful^ and a laugh, wilh the giddy.

X z The

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-244 The Mirror. N^iaa.

The converfation of Hamlet with the GravrJigger fcems to me to be perfedlJy accoirnted for under-this fuppoiition ; and, inftead of feeling it counteraft the tragic effcft of the ftorjr, I never fee him in that fcene, without receiving, from his tranfient jefts with the down before him, an idea of the deepeft melancholy being rooted at his heart. The light point of view %n which he places (crious and important things, marks the power of that great imprePjlion, which fwallows up every thing elfe in his mind, whiclv makes Cafnr and Alexander fo indifferent to him, that he can trace their re* mains in the plaftcr of a cottage, or the ftopper of a beer-barrel. It is froni the fame turn of mind, which, from the elevation of Its forrow, looks down on the buftle of ambition, dnd the pride of fame, that he breaks forth into the reflcftion in the 4th aft, on the expedition of Fortinbras^.

' It is with regret, as well as deference, that 1 accufe the judgement of Mr Garricky or the *tafte of his audience ; hutl cannot help thinks ing, that the cxclufion of the fcene of the 'Grave-diggerf in his alteration of the tragedy xd' Hamlet^ was not only a necdlefs, but an

« uanatural

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unnatural violence done to the work of hU favourite poet.

Sbakefpeareh genius attended him in all hLr extravagancies^ In the licence he took of departing from the regularity of the drama, or in his ignorance of thofe critical rules which might have retrained him within it, there is this advantage, that it gives him an opportunity of delineating the paffions and affections of the human mind, as they exiil in reality, with all the various colourings which they receive in the mixed fcenes of life \ not as they arc accommodated, by the hand^of more artificial poets, to one great undivided impreffion^ or an uninterrupted chain of congenial events. It feems, therefore, prepofterous, tO' endeavour to regularize his plays, at the ex* pence of depriving them of this peculiar excellence, cfpccially as the

alteration can only produce a very partial and limited improvement, and can never bring his pieces to the fiandard of criticifm, or the form of the Artfiotelian drama* Within the bounds of a plcafure-garden, we may be allowed to fmooth^ our terraffes and trim our hedge-rows; but it were equally abfurd as imprafticable to* X 3 apply Digitized by Google

Z4<5* The Mirkcr. N^ root

^pply the minute labours of the roller and the fruning'knife to the noble irregularity of tracklefs mountains and rmpenetrable foreih^

TS? i«r* i

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N^ loi. Tuesday, Aprili^. rytei * To the Author of the Mirrok^.

S I Ry - . .

IN books, whether moral or amufing, thereare no pafTages more captivating both tothe writer and the reader, than thofe delicate ftrokes of fentimental morality which refer our aftfons to the determination of feeling. In thefe the poet, the novel-writer, and the eflayift, have always delighted ^ you are not^ ^erefore, lingular for having dedicated for much of the Mirror to fentiment and fenfibility. I imagine, however. Sir, there is much danger' in pufliing thefe qualities too" far : the rules of our conduct fhould be founded on a bafis more folid, if they are to guide us through the various fituations of-life 5 but the young entiiufiaft of fentiment and feeling^ is apt to defpife thofe I'eflbns of vulgar virtue and prudence, which would confine the movements of a foul formed to regulate itfelf by mer impulfes. I fpeafc from experience, Mr

Mirror I.

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3148' The Mirror. N^ioi.

Mirror j with what jufticc, you fhall judge, when you have heard the little fEitnily-hiftory I am going to relate.

My niece, Emilia > was left te my

^are by a brother whom I dearly loved', ^whea flie was^ a girl of about ten y^ars aM. The beauty of her countenance, and the elegance of her figure, had already attraAed uoiverfal notice; as her mind opened^ it waa fbun^ not lefs worthy of admiration. To theiweeteA natural difpofitions» fhe united uncommon powers both of genius and of underftanding: thcfe I fpared no pains to cultivate and iidk prove \ and I think I fo far fucceeded,. tbat^ in her eighteenth year, Emilia was inferior to few women of her age, either in perfonal attraftions or in accompHQxments of the mind. My fond hopes (for fhe was a daughter to me^.. Mr Mirror) looked now for the reward of my labour, and I pifhired her future life as full of happincfs as of virtuCi

One feature of her-mind was firongly predominant; a certaia delicacy and finenefs of feeling, which fhe had inherited froix^fNatiire,. and which her eariieft.^ reading had tended to encourage and increafe.

To this ftandardihe was apt to bring both^her own adions and the.

anions

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N° lai. Th£ Mirror. 249

afttons of others; and allowed more to its effefts, both in praife and blame, than wa« confiftent either with juftiee or expediency. I fometimeis endeavoured gently to combat thefe notions. She was not always logical, but fhc was always eloquent in their defence; and I found her more confirmed on their fide, the more I obliged her to be their advocate. I preferred, therefore, being filent oh the fub* je^t,

trufting that a little more experience and knowledge of -the world would necefTarily ■weaken their influence*

At her age, and with her feelings, it is neceflary to have a friend: Emilia had found one at a very caily period. Harriet S . was the daughter of a neighbour of my bro* ther's, a few years older than my niece. Se*veral branches of their education the twoyoung ladies had received together ; in thefe the fuperiority lay much on the fide of Emilia^ Harriet was bo wife rema'rkabk for fineacfs of genius or quicfcnefs of parts ; but though her acquirements were moderate, fhe knew how to manage them to advantage 5 and there was often a certain avowal of her inferiority, which conciliated affeftion the more, as it did not <laim admiration. Her manners wei*«

foft

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256 Thb Mirror. N^ioi.

(oft and winning) like thofe o£ Emilia^ her fen* timems as delicate and exalted} there feemed, however^ lefs of nature in both*

Emilia*^ attachment to this young lady I found every day increafe, till, at laft, it fo to* tally ingroffed her as rather to difpleafe me. When together, their attention was confined almoft entirely to each other ; or, what politeneis forced them to beftow upon others, they confidered as a tax which it was fair to elude as much as poffible.

The worlds a term which they applied indifcriminately to alrooft every one but themtelros, they Teemed to fed as much pride as happinefs in being fecludcd from ) and its laws of prudence and propric* ty they held the invention of cold and fclfi£h minds^ infenfible to the delights of feel* ing, of fcntimcnt, and of friendlhip. Thefc ideas were, I believe, much ftrengtbened by a correrpondence that occupied moft of the hours (not many indeed) in which they were feparated. Againfl: this I ventured (o remonftrate, in a jocular manner, with Emilia i ft^

anfweted me in a ftrain fo ferious, as convinced me of the danger of

fo romantic an at^ tachmcnt. Our difcourfe on the fubjeft grew infeniibly warm: fimilU^ at laft, burft into tcai'Si

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t^ars; and I apologized for having, I knew not how, oficnded h^r.

From that day fortb» diough I continued her advifer, I found I had ceafed to be her friend.

That office was now HarrUfs alone ; the tie only wanted fome difficulty to rivet it defer, fome fecret to be intruded with, fome diftrefs to alleviate. Of this an opportunity foon after prefented itfelf. Harriet became enamoured of a young gentleman of the name of Marloiv, an officer of dragoons, who had come to the country on a vifit to her brother, With whom he had been acquainted at college^ As fhe inherited feveral thoufand pounds, in* dependent of her expe^ations from her fa<« ther, fuch a match was a very favourable one for a young man who pofleiled no revenue but his commiffion. But, for that very rea*« fon, the confent of the young lady's relations was not to be looked for. After fome time, therefore, of fecret and ardent attachment, t>f which my niece was the confident, the young folks married without it, and trufted to the common relentings of parental affeC* tion, to forgive a fault which could not be remedied. But the father of Harriet remained <iuite inexorable : nor was his refcntment foftened

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ibftened even by her hufband's leaving the army; a ftep, which, it.was hoped, might have mitigated' his anger,' as he had oft,en declared it principally to arife from his daughter's marrying a foldier*

After fome fruiilefs attempts to reinftate theinfelves in the old gentleman's affccHons, they took up their reiidence in a provincial town, in a diftant part of the kingdom ; where, as Harriet defcribed their fituation to Emilia^ they found every wifh gratified in the incrcafjng tendernefs of one another. Emilia^ foon after, went to fee them in their new abode: her defcription of their happinefs on her return, was warm to a degree of rapture. Her vifit was repeated on occafion of Harriets lying-in of her firft child. This incident was a new fourcc of delight to Ei/iilia^s friends, and of pleafure to her in their fociety. Harriet^ whofe recovery was flbvr, eafily prevailed on her to ftay till it was completed. She became ' a member of the family, and it was not without much regret on both fides, that ftie left, at the end of fix months, a houfe, from which, as ftie told me, the world l«^as fecluded, where fentiment regulated the conduA, and happi-? nefs rewarded it. All this while J was not

without

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without alarm, and could not conceal my un* eafinefs from Emilia ; I reprefented the fitua* tion in which h^r friend ftood, whom prudent people muil con fider as having, atleaft^ made a bold ftep, if not a folameable one.— I was anfwered rather angrily, by a warm rcmonftrance agaiaft the inhumanity of parents, tlie unfeelingnefs of age, and the injuftice of the world.

That happineis which my niece had defer!"bed as the inmate of Harriett family, was not t>f long duration. Her huft)and, tired of th6

inadtive fcene into which his marriage had caft him, grew firft drfcontented at home, and then fought for that pleafure abroad which his own houfe could not afford him. His wife felt this change warmly, and could not reftrain herfelf from exprefling her feelings. Her complaints grew into reproaches, and ri^ vetted her hufband's diflike to her fociety, and his relifli for the fociety of others. Emilia, was^ as ufual, the confident of her friend's xiiftrefs; it was now increafed by a

lingering illnefs which had fucceeded the birth of her fecond girl.

After informing me o^ thole difagreeable circtimftances in which her Harriet was fituated, Emilia told me fhe had Vol. III. Y formed

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254 The M i n it <) r. N^ ioc.

Ibrmed the refolution of participating, at ieaft, if fhe could not alleviate her fric«d'« diftrefe, .by going dirc£lly to rcfide in her houfe. Though I had now loft the affeftionf of my niece, £he had not yet forced me into indifference for her. Againft this propofal I ^emonftrated in the ftrongeft manner. You will eafily g;ucfs my arguments ; but Emilia would not allow them any force* In vain I cirged the ties of duty, of prudence, and of ^haraAer. They only produced an eulogiom on generoCty, on friendfcip, and on fentimcnt. I could not fo far command my temper as to forbear feme oWcrvations, which my niece hiterpvetcd into refleftions upon her Harriet. She grew warm on the fubjcft ; my affeftion for her would not fuffer me to be cool. At laft, in the enthufi.afm of her friendfhip, ihe told me_I had cancelled every bond of relationfliip between us j that (he wouldinftantly leave my houfe, and return to it no more. She left it accordingly, and fet out for Hat' fiefs that very evenings

There, as I learned, flie found that ladyio a fituation truly deplorable : Her health declined, her hufband cruel, and the fornjne &e had bropgbt him wafied among his com

panioQi

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N'' lai. The MiRRaR. 2^5

panions at the tavern and the gaming-table* The laft calamity the fortune of Emilia enabled her to relieve j but the two firft flie couli not

cure, and her friend was faft finking un« der them. She was at laft feized with a dif^ order which her weak frame was unable ta refift, and which, her phyficians informed -ffmiJia, would foon put a period to her lif0»^ This intelligence flie communicated to the hufband in a tnnnner fuited to wiping his heart for the treatment he had given his wife. Iff effeft, Marlow was touched with that remorfe which the confequences of profligate folly wilt fomecimes produce in men more weak thai> wicked. Ke too bad been in ufe to talk ol feeling and of fentiment. He was willing to be impelled by the paffionsi though not re* ftrained by the principles af virtue, and to tafte the pleafures of vice while he thought he abhorred its depravity. His converfioi^ was now as violent as fudden» Emilia beiieyfed it fincere, becaufe confidence was natural to her, and the cffefts of fuddcn emotion her favourite fyftem. By her means a thorough reunion took place between Mr and Mrs Marlow y and the l]^ort while the latter fur**

itived was pafied in that luxury of reconcileY X menc Digitized by VjOOQIC

i

256 The M'f r r o &• N^iol^.

mcnt which more than reinftates the injurer in our affeftion. Harriet died in the arms of her hulband 5 and, by a folcmn adjuration, left to Emilia the comfort of him, and the care of her children.

.There is in th« communion of forrow on« of the ftrongeft of aU

connedlions \ and the charge which Emilia had received fi'ora her dying friend of her daughters, neceflarily produced the freeft and moft frequent intercourfe with their father. Debts which his former courfe of Ufe had obliged him to contraA, he was unable to p^y^; and the demands of his creditors were the moi^ peremptory, as, by the death of his wife, the hopes of any pecuBiary afliftance from her father were cut oflfl In the extremity of this diftrofs, he commu^

Bleated it to Rtnilm, Her gcnferodty relieved him from the embarraffment, and gave him that further tie which is formed by the grati* tude of thofe we oblige. Meanwhile, from the exertions of that

generofity^ fhe fuffercd coniiderable inconvenience. The world was loud, and fometimes fcurrilousj in its cenfurd of her conduA. I tried, once more, by a letId? written with all tie art^I was maftcr of, ta

^cat

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recal her from the labyrinth in which thi^ falfe fort bf virtue had involwd her. My endeavours were vain. I found that fentiment^ Kke religion, had its fuperflition and its martyrdom. Every hard (hip flic fulFercd flie ac-^ counted a trial, every cenfure fhe endured (he confidered as a teftimony of her virtue, At^ laft, my poor deluded niece was fo entangled in- the toils which her own imagination and

«he art of Marlow had fpread for her, that file gave to the dying charge of Harriet the fomantic interpretation of becoming the wife of her widower, and the mother of her children. My heart bleeds, Mr Mirror, while I forefee the confeq,uences 1 She will be wretched, with feelings ill accommodated ta her wretcbednefsb Her fenfibility will aggx'a« 'vate that ruin to which it has led her, and the world will not even affbrd their pity to diftreiTes which the prudent may blame, and the felfiftx will deride.

Let me warn, at leaft, where I cannot remedy. Tell your readers this ftory, Sir. Teli them there are bounds beyond which virtuous feelings ceafe to be virtue ; that the deciiions of fentiment are fubje£t to the controul of Y 3 prudence^

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prudencC) and the ties of frieadfhipt fubordjK Udic to the obligations of duty*

I ami Sec.

kKQNTIUS.

SP'I02.

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TS^ioz. Saturday, Jprit'29^ i7»>f

To the Author of the Mirror-.

S I K,

YO U have already obferved how difficult it i^ to reduce the fcience of manners to general denominations, and -have (hown how liable to mifapplication are fome of the terms which are ufcd in it. To your infiances of man of fajbion and good company^ you wiU give me leave to add another, of which, I think, the perverfion is neither lefs common nor lefs dangerous : I mean the term applied to a certain fpecies of chara^ler^ which wc didinguilh by the appellation of a man (f fpi^ rit.

Lord Cheftcrfield fays fome where, that, to ipeak and a6l with fpirit, is to fpeak rudely and a£t fooliflily ;. and his Lordihip's definU tion is frequently right* At the fame time^ SPIRIT may be, and certainly is, often applied to that line of conduct and fentiment that dCf lerves it: A perfon of virtue^ dignity, and / prudence.

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a6o The M i^ r r o m^ N® 102;

prudence, is, with much propriety, denominated a " MAN OF SPIRIT

\^ but, by the abufe I complain of, ** man of fpirit** is* for the sioft partj very differently applied.

In the various departments of bufinefs, the term fpirit is frequently applied to unprofitable projei^s and vifionary fpeculations. Let

* a man be bold enough to rilk his own fortune, and the fortunes of other people, upon: fthemes brilliant but improbable ; let him go on, languine amidft repeated lofies, and dreaming of wealth till he wakes in bankr^uptcy ; and it is ten to one, that, after he fail%. the world will give a^ fort of fame to his folly, and hold him up to future truft and patron* age, under the title of an unfortunate pan (^ fpirit.

But tbefe ape not the moft glaring inflances of the monftrous,^erverfion of thk character v the airy adventurer, or the magnificent but ruined ppoje£lor, may both be men of fpirit, though it is not fpirit, but want of judgement, and vifionary impetuofity, that have procured them the character. They may, however, pofiefs that dignity and independ« ence of mind in which alone true fpirit con

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K^ I02. The Mirror. 26^

want of forcfight, not want of fpirit. But there is one (et of men on whom the appella« tion is beflowedy whofe con<lu£kj for the mod: part, is, in every article, the reverfe of digBity or fpirit, and perfe£tiy inconfiftent with k.

The men I mean are thofe, who, by a traia of intemperance and profufion,. tun out their fortunes, and reduce themfelves to mifery. —

Such men are common, and will be fo, while vice, folly, and want of forefight, prevail a» aiong mankind, — They ha^ie been frequently ridiculed and expofed by the ableft pens: and k is not the chara£^er itfelf that falls under my obfervaiion 5^ it is the unaccountable abr furdity of beftowing upon fuch chai*a£ters the appellation of ** men of fpirit;** which they uniformly acquire, whether the fortune they have fquandered is new, or has been handed down to them through a long Jine of anceftors.

The mifapplication of the term is fo comipletely ridiculous, as to be beneath contem{)t^ were it-not for the mifchief that I am convinced

has been occadoned by it. Youths en^ fering on the ftage of life are catched with the ^pgaging appellation, ^* amaaof fpirit:" they*

become

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262 The Mirror. N*> 102*

become ambitious of acquiring that epithet; and- perceiving it to be mod generally beftowed on fuch men. as I have defcribed, they look up to them as patterns of life and manner^ and begin to ape them at an age which thinks only of enjoyment, and defpifes confequences; nay, if they (hould look fbrwai-d, and vie^r the *< man of fpirit**

reduced,' by his owa profufion, to the moft abjeft ftate of fervile dependence, tt doesnot mend the matter. Jn the voice of the world, he is "a man of fpU <* rit'* ftifi.— It is faid, that the e^y engaging manners of Captain Macheath have induced many young men to go on the highway. I mn convinced the chara^er of a '*^ man of ^*' fpirit"

tempts many a young man to enter x>n a courfe of tntemperance and prodigali^, that moft frequently ends in defperate ciccufflr fiances and a broken conftitution.

This perverfion is the more provoking, that,., of all human charaftprs, the intemperate prodigal is, in every feature and every ftage, the mo&' diametrically oppodte to a man of fpirit. -^True fpirit is founded on. a love and deiire of independence, and the two are fo Wended together, that it is impoffible, even in idea, IP feparate xbj&ax. But the ixuemperate prodL*

gal

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gal is the moft dependent of all Kuman beings. -»^He depends on others for anaufement and company; and, however fafhionable he

may be in the beginning, his decline in the article of companions is certain and rapid.-—In the courfe of his profufioDi he becomes dependent on others for the means of fupporting it f and when hi«

race of prodigality is run» ,he ftiflfers a tniferable dependence for the fupport •even of that wretched life to which it has reduced him. After ali, the world calls him a ^ man of fpirit,** when he is really in a ftate of fervile indigence, with a broken conftitu* tion, without fpirit, and without the power of exerting it; with the additional refleAioa of having himfelf been the cauie of his di* ftrefles.

- Nor is it only in ;he affimuUive ufe of the term that I have to complain of its perver* fion 5 the fame injuftice takes pfece when it is sCpplted in the negative. Calling an intempe* rate and-ruined prodigal a •* man of spi^ RiT," may proceed fometimes from pity; but when you hear a man of moderation and virtue, efpccially if he happen alfo to be opulent, blamed as ** wanting fpirit^ the accu*

Attion is generally the child of detraction and malignity.

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malignity. —I do not apply my obfcrvation to the avaricious and niggardly, to men whofe purfes are fhut againft their friends, and whofe doors arc barred againft every body 5 fuch men certainly want fpirit, and are, for the moil: part, dcfeftive in every virtue $ but I am afraid that it often happens, that a perfon, benevo* lent to his friends, hofpitable to ihe d^ferving, kind to his fervants, and indulgent to his childrenj is blamed as ** ^wanting Jpirit^ tor no reafon but becaufe he is proof againft the ab* fiirdities of fafhion and vanity, becaufe he guards againft the tricks of the defigning, de-^ fpifes the opinions and difapprobation of the fbolifh, and periifts in that train of moderate economy which he knows is beft fuited to his fortune and rational views.

Inftead of wanting ^^Spirit^ fuch a cha* rafter is the true idea of " a man of fpirit.'*\a every par^ of his manners and condudj he pafles through life with an uniform fteadineft and dignity. His moderation fecures his independence, and his attention fupplies the means of hofpitality add benevolence. While the prodigal is running his feverous and dit tempered courfe, the man of moderation and Tirtwe proceeds in a train of quiet contentment

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mcnt and refpcftable induftry; and, at 4he end of their race, when the prodigal, with a {haltered conflicution, without fortune and without friends, is in abfohite wanti ot, at bed, become the mean flatterer of fomc infolent minion of wealth or power, the man of moderation and viitue, feeling his independence without pride, is happy in himfelf, ufeful to his family and friends, and beneficent to mankind, contributing, perhaps, from charity, not refpeft, his aflSftance to that very decayed prodigal who had frequently characterifed him as a man of no fpirit.

But it was not my purpofe to delineate at length the charafter of a real '* man of fpirit." -7" I propofed only to explode a very abfurd and mifchievous abufe of an epithet, that too generally prevails. I (hall, therefore, conclude, with afluring thofe who are ambitious of -being '

men of fpirit," by putting on the life and manners of an intemperate prodigal, that, though tfeey may attain the charafter^ and even preferve it, after their fortunes arc fpent, and their conftitutions broken; yet they wiin)e " men of fpirit" onIj»^ominally; and, in the mouths of the world, -in reality, and in their hearts, they wiU be the meaneft as well Vol. III. iz as

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as the moft unhappy of mankind, lingering; out a ufelefs and contemptible life, on which intemperance has entailed difeafe, and extravagance and profulion inflicted poverty and dependence, lam, &c.

AlODERATUS.

Mt correfpondent has confined his obfervations to one half of the world, and remarked the abufe of the term fpirit^ when applied to the men only. Might he not have extended his remarks a little farther, and traced the application of the phrafe to the conduA and behaviour of the other fex ? Perhaps, indeed, the charadler is not fo univerfally in repute, as to come within the line of Modera^ tus^s complaint ; but the thing is more in vogue than it feems to have been at any period of which my predeceffors, who are a fort of chroniclers of manners and fafliions, have prefervcd the hiftory.

In London, to which place we arc always to

look

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r

N^ I02. The Mirroii. 267

look for the " Glafs of Fajbion^^ the ladies^ not fatisfied with (hewing their fptrit in the bold look^ the mafculine air, and the naanly garb|.have made inroadt into a province from^ which they were formerly coniidered as abfolutely excluded; I mean that of public oratory. Half a dozen focieties have ftarted up this^" winter,'in which female fpeakers exercife their powers of elocution before numerous audi-' ences^ and canvafs all manner of fubjeAs with the freedom and fpirit of the boldeft male oTators» We in Edinburgh have not yet at^ tempted to rival the polite people of the me* tropolis in this refpedt: fome of our ladies^ however, do all they can to put U9 on a

footing with them. There is ibldom a crouded play, or a full concert^

at which fome of our iublic fpeakers do not exert themfclves with a moft laudable fpirit to drown the declamation of the ftage or the mufic of the orcheftra.

Nor is the ambition of thofe fpirited ladies* fatisfied with fpcaking in public, and carrying off the attention of the audience from the voice of the aflor or the tones of the mu« fician. The public eye, as well as ear, is to be commanded ^ and, in the ilde-box of the theatre, or the front-bench of the concert71 % room^,

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2(58 The Mirror. N<^ lo^

room, there is often fucK acolleAlon of beauty, animated with fo much fpirit of exhibitionf that it is impoiSble the male part of the company fhould look at the fcene, or think of the mufic. One of my predeceffors has mentioned the art which the ladies of hh day ufed m the unfurling of their fans, fo as to difplay certain little Cupids and Venufes which lurked in their folds. Had he ften fome of our ladies in the attitudes which modern fpirit has taught them to aflume —fuch unfurlings and unfoldings ! — his Venufes and Cupids were mere ice and' fnow to them.

It is but j'uftice to thofe ladies to remark, that this part of their behaviour feems calculated merely to fliow their accomplifhment m fafhibnable freedom of manner, without any motive of an interefted or felfifli kind. They are contented with the reputation of eafe and fpirit, without procuring much indulgence from the one or licence from the other. I • have fometimes, however, been inclined to think, that there was a degree of unfairnefs ' in this, and to doubt, if a lady wa& intitled ' thus to hang out falfe colours, and ta be in reality innocent and harmlefs, while flic was ^uite a di^ercflt fort of creature in appearance.

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ance. I could not help allowing fome juftice in.the complaint of a girl whom I overheard fome weeks ago, in the paflage from the up« per boxesy thus addreiling her companion: •* Did you obferve that pert, giggling, naked •* thing, in the ftage box ? There's not a •* man in the houfe flxe cares a farthing for j. ** and yet fhe has the afiurance to look Uko-* •* one of us.**

Z3 N<*ia3i

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jr^ 1C3. Tuesday, May 2. ij8b)

To the Author of the Mirror..

S I R^

FRoM my earlieft infancy, F Have httm remarkable for good-humour, and a* gentle, complying, inoSenfive di(|)ofitioD y, qualities, which, I am told, I inherit of my father, the late Mr Paul Softly^ an eminent Knen-drapcr. Though Lmyfclf foon recover any difappointment or con tradition I meet with; yet fo. tender is my regard to the feelingsof others, that I amled fomchow, conftitotioaally, and almoft againft my rcafon, to comply with their requefts, humour them in their foibles, and acquiefce in their opinions. I cannot bear, Mr Mirror, it hurts me more than you caaimagine^ to difappoint the hopes, or withfland the folicitation of any human, being whatever. There is a fturdy, idle, impudent, merry looking dog of a failor, with a wooden leg, ftationed at the corner of the ib:eet where I live^ whQ^ I do l^Iievi^ has e fiabliihed

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ffablHhed himfelf as a penfioner upon mc for Kfe, by the earneftncfs of his tones, and bis conftant prayers to heaven for bleffings on my goodnefs. Often and often have I besn engaged in midnight-riots, though fond of peace and good neighbourhood, andfrequemly, though I abhoriviiie, have I been betrayed into intoxication, from a want of power to refift the hofpitable importunity of my land^ lord preifing me to fill a bumper.

From this, I would not have you imagine rfiatlam devoid of refolution, br a will of Hiy own. On the contrary, I do aiTure you, that, upon extraordinary occafions^ and, when it is^neceflary, lean refift and refent too* Nay, my wife (if you will believe her) frequently complains of my obftinacyand perwrfenefe.; and declares, that, of all the men flie ever knew, Simon Softly (for that is my name) is. the Icaft fcnfiblc of indulgence. However, Sir, as for my wife, confiderihg that I married her, not fo much from any perfonal regard, as in order to pleafe her worthy family who had (cvv^d^ me, though I dare fay without any cxpeflation of reward, I thank God, I lead a pretty tolerable fort of life with bcr.— Ujjon the whole, Sir, this difpofition of

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^^^ The * BT i r r o r. N° 1031

of miixc has always appeared to tile more a* . miable as well as coavenient, than that named firm and deci&vej which, J conftfs to .

yoU| I AifpeAy is at the bottom nothing elfe but conceit and ill-humour. Upon one oc. caiion in mj Kfe> howfever^, (I think, it is the .

<i7ery firft), which I am going to ky before you, I muil own that it has given ilie a good deal of ferious difturbanc«.

About fi;c months ago, I (ucceeded, by tbe death of an uncle, to a land-eftate of L. 100 a-year, which, unfortunately, lies contiguous to that of the greateft proprietor in. the countf. Along with it/ I inherited a law-fuit» kept ^alivc, by various means, ever fincc the year thirty-three- The fubjeft of it was a fourth part of the eftate, which, though it

had long been poflefled by my predeceflbrs, as part of the farm of OxenfGwn^ Sir Ralph Holdencotirt, our advcrfary and neighbour aboye mentioned, contended muft belong to him, as included in his charters of the barony of Acredak.— But, before I go on, I muft make you acquainted with Sir Ralph. He is defcended from one of the oldeft and moft choleric families in the kingdom. The ftem of it,^ as appears from the tree drawn by ihe

hand

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hand of his great-grandfather, Sir Eu/lace, was a Norman baron, who came over with the Conqueror, One of his pofterity intermarried with a Wclfli heirefs ; they were driven out of England for fome aft of rebellion, and, fince their fettlement in the north, their blood has been further heightened by alliance with the family of a Scots Peer and a Highland Chieftain. Their jealous pride, and the fuddcnnefs of their paffion, have all along borne ample teftimony to the purity of their lineage. Sir Euftace himfelf fought four duels, and was twice run through the body. In Sir Ralphs veins, this fpirit, though fomewhat mitigated by his father's marriage with one, who, as it is whrfpered, had once fervcd him in the capacity of dairy-maid, is far from being extinft. In his youih, he experienced the vengeance of the law, for beating a merchant of the fame furname, who, without juil title, claimed kindred with him, and aiJlimed tte arms of his family. I have heard too, that he himfelf was once foundly peppered by a gentleman of fmall fortune, whofc gun Sir Ralph had attempted* to fcize, upon his own ground, under pretence of his being unquaK-^

fied- to carry one. Though now old, heis

ftia

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274' The Mirror. N® ioj»

ftill noted for his tenacious adherence to all his pretenfions, the ceremonious politenefs with which he receives the great gentry, and his fupercilious treatment of all thofe who are not intitled to that name, ■ But to go on with my ftory. Soon after my fucceflion, being on a vifit to another neighbour, Mr B. I found him with his wife preparing to depart, in great form, for the feat of my adverfary, to whom they are annually in ufc of paying their refpefts. Being ignorant of my fituation, they prefied me much to accompany them J and I, dieiirous to pleafe them, Sir, . and not knowing how to cxcufe myfclf, at the fame time thinking it unreafonable that I ihould be at enmity with a man whom I did not know, merely becaufe we were at law to*

gather, was prevailed on to comply.

In a long avenue of lofty elms, terminated at one end by a large iron gate, at the top ol which the family arms are worked, and at the other, by the manfion-houfe, a large oW-fafhioned building, with a moat and turrets, we overtook the knight himfelf returning from a ride. He feemed to be about fixty, but rc. tained a robuft make and florid complexion. He was feated on a fuperb faddle with hoi fteiJji.

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fters, and a'houfing of fur : he rode a longtailed horfc, which had once been gray, but had now become white with age; and was at-*

tended, at due diftance, by a fedate elderlylooking fervant, in an ample livery furtout, mounted oa a black <fock-tailed coach nag. No fooner had he perceived us, than he pufhcd on at a gallop, that he might be ready to prefent himfelf upon the platform of ^a large outer done ftair, to pay his compliments up* on our arrival. I was introduced to him as his new neighbour Mr Softly : but the moment the name reached his ears, the blood rufhed into his face, and eying me with a look of indignation, he turned upon his heel and left me. At this I was a good deal nettled, (for I do not want fpirit), and wiflied to retire : but, perceiving that my horfe had been led into the ftable, and