Adventures of a Mirror. 17 however, at last, in the inftructions I had given him, he delivered his fpeech the fame evening, as I heard, with more than ufual approbation. The family, in which I was now placed as fupreme guide and adviser, confifted of my lord and lady, two daughters and a fon, a multitude of fervants, and a moft extenfive range. of acquaintances, friends, and collateral relations. My lord had the character of being an cafy, good natured man, liable only to very fhort fits of anger, and never fo much at variance with any body as with himself. His fortune had been very great, but he felt the obligation of fafhionable manners fo ftrong upon him, that he was eafily prevailed to adopt vices that were not natural to him, and exhibit follies for which he had no great relish. had other trials to put me to, and what I am now going to relate muft furely enhance my merit with the world at large. His lordship intended to make a fpeech that evening, and wifhed to know how I liked him as an orator. Without waiting for my confent, which, alas! is what I cannot, in fuch cafes, refufe, he went to his ftudy, and brought out a handful of papers. Throwing afide his hat, he began with a low bow," My lord, confcious as I am, &c. &c. &c." and went on for three quarters of an hour. With the fubject of his lordship's fpeech I did not interfere, fuch things not being in my province, but I took the liberty fo often of fetting him right in the articles of attitude and grimace, that, although he took my hints as well as he could, yet I don't think he left the room quite fo well pleafed as when he entered. Twenty times I had his arm to pull down when he raised it not to give emphalis, but with all the appearance of a man ready to give a blow. As often I was obliged to contract the aperture of his face, alias his mouth, when he held it fo wide as to threaten to fwallow the lord chancellor, wig and all. His left hand I had to take out of his waistcoat pocket feveral times, and convinced him that that practice was very vulgar, and that he might occafionally raife his left hand as he did his right, or drop it gracefully at the clofe of a period. He had an odd way too of winking and looking fierce, as if bodily, and not mental wrath had been his object. Such was the family in which my This I could not at first cure him of, lot was caft. The week after my but I took every degree of pains, arrival, we had a rout, or, as fome and convinced him more than once; called it a drum, in our houfe. The that while in his fpeech he was re- room, in which I stood, fole arbiter of commending calmnefs and temper, of beauty and form, was approhis face exhibited all the fymptoms priated for card parties.-A prodiof rage and fury, and that thoughgious concourfe of perfons of rank he talked of reafoning, he really attended, and as each was introlooked as if boxing. Prefaming, daced, they walked up to me in VOL. XXII. His lady was beautiful in perfon, and not unlovely in mind, except a tincture of vanity to which I must confefs I not a little contributed. I think fhe had fewer faults than ufually adhere to women of a certain rank; but whatever foibles the indulged in herself, her care of the education of her daughters was truly maternal and exemplary. They promifed to reward that care; but the fon was early removed from under her eye, and having been almost as early fent abroad with a worthless fortune-hunter as a companion, returned with a hearty contempt for and customs, English manners which he had exchanged for all that was mean, vicious, and affected; in foreign nations. D conscious confcious hope of approbation. Not a few compliments were paid me on account of my fize and luftre; but, in fome cates, I was viewed with a frown of difcontent. My regard for truth had made me point out feveral er.ors and improprieties from top to toe, and I was forry to hear that certain abigails would probably lofe their places for the blunders which I detected. This created in me fome unealinefs, but it is the fate of those who speak bold truths to make open enemies. At length, after correcting fuch errors of my pointing out as could be corrected, and apolog zing to one another for fucks could not, they feated themfelves at various tables, on which were placed cards, &c. and the bufinefs of the night began. The scene that followed almost to convey the happieft fenfations I was here interrupted in my re flections by an incident which'fhi be the fubject of my next letter.— Mean-time I am, fir, yours, THE MIRROR. beggars all defcription. Mountains MISERIES of SOLITUDE, of gold rofe in one place, and fell in another. Every body declared they lift, and nobody acknowledged they had won. The different faces of the company, however, pointed T A TRUE STORY, With REFLECTIONS. THE HERE is perhaps no cafe in out to me the fate of each, and which men fhew their ignowhen any of them took a glancerance of what is proper for them to towards me, the fmile of fatisfaction, evidently as in the continual wifh of or the distortion of anger and re-altering their fituation. Although, venge, fufficiently fpoke the fate of the game and the emotion of the foul. A few, disappointed by their hand, thought to gain fomething by betting on more fuccefsful players; but difappointed even in this, I could perceive their stock of patience as well as money to be quite ex hausted. "Strange, thought 1, that ra. tional creatures can confider this as an amusement, which to fo many of them appears to be, and really is, a grievous torment. That they, whofe paffions in other refpects are tempe. rave, should, for the fake of a paltry fum, conjure up all the demons of difcord, malignity, and revenge, in a countenance where nature feemed to have planted the loveliest graces, and which feemed fo well calculated to all appearance, poffeffed of whatever can gratify neceffity, or even luxury, they are ftill meditating fome fituation in which they will be more happy, and contriving fome change which fhall remove prefent fuppofed evils. This reflefinefs of difpofition, the caufe of which is a defire to be better in fome respect, no doubt produces much pofitive evil, in its progrefs expofes wellmeaning people to ridicule, and in fome cafes difplays the workings of ambition in no very agreeable point of view. Mr. Abraham Thrifty feems to have had a portion of this refleffnefs in his compofition from a very early period of life, for he laid it down as a rule to be as faving as poffible, relinquish trade as foon as poffible, Miferies of Solitude. poffible, and retire into the country. Although a man of irreproachable character, indefatigable induftry, temperate and good-natured, with an agreeable wife and family, yet he had fomething yet behind greater than all, which he muft poffefs, or die in the attempt, a country houfe and retirement. Mr. Abraham was not a man of more knowledge than fully falls to the lot of plain tradefmen; his education had not been liberal, for excepting that he could read, write, caft accounts, and enjoy a newfpaper, it could not be faid he was far removed from an ignoramus. Of his bufinefs, however, he had a perfect knowledge. He knew how to buy to the best advantage, and fell with the highest profit: he knew whom to truft, and whom to take ready money of. He was perfectly master of the fate of the market, and ever fo ready and punctual in his payments and all his dealings, that his connection was courted and his wealth increased apace; for, indeed, faid he, if one does not mind these things, there can be no hopes of retiring from bufinefs with credit. This retiring from business took fuch entire poffeffion of his brain, that but for his clofe attention to bufinefs, it might have been fuppofed he thought of nothing elfe, and fo far this was true, for he had no object on earth in acquiring money and minding his bufinefs, except a country house. His family and perfonal expences were conducted upon as narrow a fcale as poffible, avoiding meannefs and uncharitablenefs. His perfonal expences were chiefly, I may fay only, a fober pot and pipe at a neighbouring public houfe, where he rarely spent more than a fixpence at a time, and had the news of the day, the newspaper of the day, and the converfation of his friends into the bargain. He was much averle to his wife and family going to plays, 19 and places of public amufements, but in return for this denial, he indulged them now and then in a ride into the country, where he expatiated on the beauty of one profpect, the charming fituation of another houfe; and, indeed, though a very good moral man, has, in nis time, covered his neighbour's houfe more than once; and indeed coveted every house in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, from Eow to Norwich, and from Hyde-park Corner to Bath. He feemed fo happy in thefe little excurfions that his wife and children wifhed to indulge in them frequently, but he anfwered with this excellent maxim," No, wife, if we are travelling every where, we can never fit down any where."-He fill thought of the expence, and would quote many inftances of tradefmen who had ruined themfelves by jaunts into the country, and though they once wished as much as himself to retire, were not able to retire farther than the king's bench. If Mr. Thrifty, however, enjoyed any amufement, it was this, and as he allowed of no other, his family had only to be very urgent to go to a play, and they were fure to be treated with a ride to Hampton or Windfor, which, to fay the truth, was in fome refpects the more rational, and in all refpects the more healthful amufement of the two. It was on thofe occafions that Abraham's heart was full, and he launched forth in praife of fine air, fine profpects, fine gardens, fine walks, and fine grounds; and it was ob ferved that he returned with some degree of reluctance to town. Very often when taking off his boots after a fhort journey of this kind, he was heard to mutter that he hoped it would not be long before he had a houfe and grounds of his own." Men that have few ideas dwell the more frongly upon them.Mr. Thrifty had but one notion of D 2 life, life, one idea of happinefs, one profpect on earth, and that was for ever dancing before his eyes. Had any one fuggefted to him that it was probable he might die before he had attained his wife, I verily believe fuch a hint, though given in a jocular or friendly manner, would have haftened his death; but determined he was, fome day or other, to retire and have a country house. At length his friends perceived fome fymptoms about him which indicated that he was now more ferious than ever in his defign; when he took up a new paper, he paffed over the news part with a feeming contempt, and hastened to thofe columns which areusually filled with advertisements of the fales of eftates, houfes, and grounds. Property of this kind is for ever fluctuating; whether from deaths, or extravagance, it appears as if half the landed property of the kingdom performed a revolution in a certain number of years. One auctioneer only, in London, a very eminent one indeed, once declared that he had, within the fhort compass of a year, fold eftates in land to the amount of a million and a half! But this is a digreflion. fporting country, &c. &c. f his way, and he made the pur He had now attained his fi year, was a hale, strong man promifed himfelf length of day great happiness—in the count Difpofing of his whole flock in t and all his concerns to a pa whom he had taken in fome before, he depofited his fpare m in the Bank, and fet off for country houfe, about twenty n from town, with his whole fam taking a kindly leave of his friends, and fecretly pitying miferable town life in which he left them, but from which him had happily escaped. When houfes and grounds p from one proprietor to another, th generally ftand in need of fome pairs, and a different tafle will fo geft fome alterations. Mr. Thrif found, that though much had be done to the houfe, much remaine to be done, and the garden, althoug capacious enough, was really proper inftance of the "garden o the flothful man." Workmen o all kinds were now employed, and it was both pleafure and health for Mr. Thrifty to fuperintend and give directions. In lels than half a year every thing was completed to bis mind, and he fat down to enjoy the happiness which had fo often in idea filled his foul. Our friend Abraham repeated his excursions about town rather oftener than ufual, but the object of his obfervations were different from what they had been. He now began to make enquiries what fuch a houfe and garden coft, how they might be improved, how many years pur. chafe land fold for, and when at his evening club, his converfation purpofely turned fo often on thofe fubjects, that his friends began to fee that the happy period was faft ap-fry for a country life, but he had proaching when he was to attain all of earthly blits that he could wish or defire. And this happy moment was arrived! A comfortable fnug houfe and garden, and pleafure grounds, fith ponds, plenty of game, in a fine But, alas! how fhort-fighted is man, and what fad work does he make when he attempts to cut and carve his own lot! Mr. Thrifty foon difcovered that the happiness of a country life was more in imagination than in reality. He had, it is true, bought an eftate with every necef not one idea, one inclination, one turn of mind adapted to that life. He had nothing to do. No amufement, no bufinefs, nothing to fill up the time. His grounds and his walks he had gone over fo often, that they were as familiar as Cheap Mifries of Solitude. fide. For reading he never had an inclination, and, indeed, as hinted above, his intellectual faculties had never been put into a flate of cultivation. Of farming he was as ignorant as a London apprentice; in attempting to fish he fell afleep on the bank, and had narrowly efcaped drowning. For game he had no relish, unlefs he faw it on the table, and as to hunting, he knew, and but knew, how to manage a very gentle trotting horfe. fhort, all the fancied happinefs of his life vanished, and he found himfelf a poor, folitary, comfortlefs, and miferable being; too far from London for his old friends to vifit him, and too clofely connected with old habits to cultivate the acquaintance of his neighbours. In 21. He his prefent life with his former, and foon faw his error clearly. longed for the bustle of a countinghoufe and shop, he fighed to walk the Royal Exchange, and to busy himfel with bills, notes, cuftomhoufe entries, drawbacks, &c. &c. and all materials and employ meats of a trading life. Thofe reflections made fuch an impreffion on his mind that he determined to return to London, and again forget all his cares in the battle of business.Finding an opportunity to difpofe of his eftate to confiderable advantage, he embraced it, and on his arrival in London, made terms with his former partner, engaged in the ac tive fcenes of life, and after fome years fpent in all the happiness he was capable of, died refpećted and wealthy. Nor was his family much better reconciled to this life; but, to do From this story, which is by no them justice, they had never defired means a fiction, though I do not it. His wife was a plain, decent pretend to fay that all the minute body, what is commonly called a particulars happened in the order good fort of woman enough, but the they are here placed, we may learn had no talents for the country.-how weakly we argue when we conTheir garden produced fruit in abun-fider happine's as depending on fitudance, but it rotted on the bufhes ation. It is the failing of many peoand trees; the knew nothing of pre-ple in trade to imagine that they ferving, pickling, &c. &c. and those other arts by which the industrious country lady, like the bee, makes the fruits of the fummer feafon ferve for winter provifion. The daughters were yet young, and fighed for company and amufements they could not enjoy five miles from any village. Mr. Thrifty defed his time away, and feemed to awake in the morning only to go to fleep again. He could do nothing, and literally had nothing to do. His wife told him be would be apoplectic, and he rejoined that he and her daughters would become atheists; for unlefs the weather was very fine, they did not chufe to walk two or three miles to a parish church. Poor Mr. Thirsty now began, and what fo natural? to compare cannot be happy until they have retired; but to make retirement a greeable, to make it even tolerable, requires many qualities of mind which are rarely to be found, and are inconfiftent with the habits which unlettered people in trade acquire. Occafional retirement is a neceffary thing: it is a duty particularly incumbent on those who, immersed in the bufinefs of life, or expofed to a round of its pleasures and amufements, are apt to forget themselves, to forget what is due to virtue and goodness, and who too frequently become either felfifh, avaricious, and mean, or thoughtless, wanton, and profligate. Men who study the manners of thofe around then may easily fee that there are fome to whom a town |