No 103. TUESDAY, May 2, 1780..

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

F

ROм my earliest infancy I have been remarkable for good humour, and a gentle,, complying, inoffenfive difpofition; qualities. which, I am told, I inherit of my father, the late Mr. Paul Softly, an eminent linen-draper. Though I myself foon recover any disappointment or contradiction I meet with; yet fo tender is my regard to the feelings of others, that I am led fomehow, conftitutionally, and almost against my reason, to comply with their requests, humour them in their foibles, and ac-quiefce in their opinions. I cannot bear, Mr.. MIRROR, it hurts me more than you can imagine, to difappoint the hopes, or withstand the folicitation of any human being whatever. There is a sturdy, idle, impudent, merry-looking, dog of a failor, with a wooden leg, ftationed at. the corner of the fireet where I live, who, I do believe, has established himself as a penfioner upon me for life, by the earneftnefs of his tones, and his conftant prayers to heaven for blefings. M. 6.

on my goodness. Often and often have I been engaged in midnight riots, though fond of peace and good neighbourhood; and frequently, though I abhor wine, have I been betrayed into intoxication, from a want of power to refift the hofpitable importunity of my landlord preffing me to fill a bumper.

From this, I would not have you imagine that I am devoid of refolution, or a will of my own. On the contrary, I do affure you, that, upon extraordinary occafions, and when it is necessary, I can refift and resent too. Nay, my wife (if you will believe her) frequently complains of my obftinacy and perverseness ; and declares, that, of all the men fhe ever knew, Simon Softly (for that is my name) is the least fenfible of indulgence. However, Sir, as for my wife, confidering that I married her, not fo much from any perfonal regard, as in order to pleafe her worthy family who had served me, though I dare fay without any expectation of reward, I thank God I lead a pretty tolerable fort of life with her. Upon the whole, Sir, this difpofition of mine has always appeared to me more amiable as well as convenient, than that named firm and decifive, which, I confess to you, I fufpect is at the bottom nothing else but conceit and ill-humour. Upon one occafion in my life, however (I think it is the very

firft),

I must

firft), which I am going to lay before you, own that it has given me a good deal of ferious disturbance.

About fix months ago I fucceeded, by the death of an uncle, to a land-eftate of £ 100 ayear, which, unfortunately, lies contiguous to that of the greatest proprietor in the county. Along with it I inherited a law-fuit, kept alive, by various means, ever fince the year thirtythree. The fubject of it was a fourth part of the eftate, which, though it had long been poffeffed by my predeceffors, as part of the farm of Oxentown, Sir Ralph Holdencourt, our adverfary and neighbour above mentioned, contended muft belong to him, as included in his charters of the barony of Acredale.-But, before I go on, I must make you acquainted with Sir Ralph. He is defcended from one of the oldest and most choleric families in the kingdom. The ftem of it, as appears from the tree drawn by the hand of his great grandfather, Sir Euftace, was a Norman baron, who came over with the Conqueror. One of his pofterity intermarried with a Welsh heiress; they were driven out of England for fome act 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 fuddennefs of their paffion, have all along borne ample teftimony to the purity of

their lineage. Sir Eustace himself fought four duels, and was twice run through the body. In Sir Ralph's veins, this spirit, though somewhat mitigated by his father's marriage with one, who, as it is whispered, had once ferved him in the capacity of dairy-maid, is far from being extinct. In his youth, he experienced the vengeance of the law, for beating a merchant of the fame furname, who, without just title, claimed kindred with him, and affumed the arms of his family. I have heard too, that he him-felf was once foundly peppered by a gentleman of fmall fortune, whofe gun Sir Ralph had at-tempted to feize upon his own ground, under pretence of his being unqualified to carry one. Though now old, he is ftill noted for his tena-cious adherence to all his pretenfions, the ceremonious politenefs with which he receives the great gentry, and his fupercilious treatment of all those who are not intitled to that name..

But to go on with my ftory. Soon after my fucceffion, being on a vifit to another neighbour, Mr. B., I found him with his wife pre paring to depart, in great form, for the feat of my adverfary, to whom they are annually in ufe of paying their refpects. Being ignorant of my fituation,, they preffed me much to accompany them; and I, defirous to please them, Sir, and not knowing how to excufe myself, at the fame time thinking it unreafonable that I fhould

be

be at enmity with a man whom I did not know, merely because we were at law together, was prevailed on to comply.

In a long avenue of lofty elms, terminated at one end by a large iron gate, at the top of which the family arms are worked, and at the other, by the mansion-house, a large old-fashioned building, with a moat and turrets, we overtook the knight himself returning from a ride. He feemed to be about fixty, but retained a robust make and florid complexion. He was feated on a fuperb faddle, with bolsters, and a housing of fur: he rode a long-tailed horfe, which had once been grey, but had now become white with age: and was attended, at due diftance, by a fedate elderly-looking fervant, in an ample livery furtout, mounted on a black dock-tailed coachnag.. No fooner had he perceived us, than he: pushed on at a gallop, that he might be ready to prefent himself upon the platform. of a large. outer ftone ftair, to pay his compliments upon our arrival. I was introduced to him as his. new neighbour Mr. Softly: but the moment the name reached his ears, the blood rushed into his face, and eyeing 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 wifhed to retire: but, perceiving that my horfe had been led into the flable, and that I muft pafs through a crowd of fervants,

I