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An anonymous periodical writer, when he first gives his works to the public, is pretty much in the fame fituation with the ftranger. If he endeavours to amufe the young and the lively, by the fprightJinefs of his wit, or the fallies of his imagination, the grave and the fedate throw afide his works as trifling and contemptible. The reader of romance and fentiment finds no pleasure but in fome event. ful ftory, fuited to his tafte and difpofition; while, with him who aims at inftruction in politics, religion, or morality, nothing is relifhed that has not a relation to the objects he purfues. But no fooner is the public informed, that this unknown author has already figured in the world as a poet, hiftorian, or, effayift; that his writings are read and admired by the Shaftefburies, the Addifons, and the Chesterfields of the age, than beauties are difcovered in every line; he is extolled as a man of univerfal talents, who can laugh with the merry, and be ferious with the grave; who at one time can excite the most lively fentiments and paf fions, and at another can carry his reader through the calm difquifitions of science and philofophy.

Nor is the world to be blamed for this general mode of judging. Before an individual can form an opinion for himself, he is under a neceffity of reading with attention, of examining whether the ftyle and manner of the author be fuited to bis fubject, if his thoughts and images be natural, his obfervations juft, his ar. guments conclufive: and though all this may be done with moderate talents, and without any extraordinary share of what is commonly called learning; yet it is a much more compendious method, and faves much time, and labour, and reflection, to follow the crowd, and to re-echo the opinions of the critics.

There is, however, one subject, on which every man thinks himfelf qualified to decide, namely, the reprefentation of his own character, of the characters of thofe around him, and of the age in which he lives; and as I propofe, in the following papers, to hold, as it were, the MIRROR up to Nature, to show Virtue her own featares, Vice her own image, and the very age and body of the Time his form and preffure," my readers will judge for themselves, independent of names and authority, whether the picture be a juft one. This is a field, which, however extensively and judiciously cultivated by

my predeceffors, may ftill produce fomething new. The follies, the fashions, and the vices of mankind, are in conftant fluctuation; and thefe, in their turn, bring to light new virtues, or modifications of virtues, which formerly lay hid in the human foul for want of opportunities to exert them. Time alone can fhow whether I be qualified for the task I have undertaken: no man, without a trial, can judge of his ability to please the public; and prudence forbids him to truft the applaufes of partial friendship.

It may be proper, however, without meaning to anticipate the reader's opinion, to give him fome of the outlines of my paft life and education,

I am the only fon of a gentleman of moderate fortune. My parents died when I was an infant, leaving me under the guardianship of an eminent counfellor, who came annually to vifit an eftate he had in the neighbourhood of my father's, and of the clergyman of the parifh, both of them men of diftinguifhed probity and honour. They took particular care of my education, intending me for one of the learned profeffions. At the age of twenty I had completed my ftu dies, and was preparing to enter upon the theatre of the world, when the death of a diftant relation in the metropolis left me poffeffed of a handsome fortune. I foon after fet out on the tour of Europe and, having paffed five years in vifiting the different courts on the continent, and examining the manners with at leaft a much attention as the buildings and pic tures of the kingdoms through which! paffed, I returned to my native country; where a misfortune of the tendereft kind threw me, for fome time, into retire ment.

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By the affiduities of fome friends, whe have promifed to affift me in the prefen publication, I was prevented from falling facrifice to that languid inactivity which a depreffion of fpirits never fails to pro duce. Without feeming to do so, they engaged me by degrees to divide my tim between ftudy and fociety; restoring, b that means, a relish for both. more took a share in the bufy, and fome times in the idle fcenes of life. mind habituated to reflection, though may feem occupied with the occurrence of the day, (a tax which politenefs ex acts, which every benevolent heart chear fully pays), will often at the fame tim be employed in endeavouring to discove

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the fprings and motives of action, which are fometimes hid from the actors themfelves; to trace the progrefs of character through the mazes in which it is involved by education or habit; to mark those approaches to error into which unfufpecting innocence and integrity are too apt to be led; and, in general, to inveftigate thofe paffions and affections of the mind which have the chief influence on the happiness of individuals, or of fociety.

If the fentiments and obfervations to which this train of thinking will naturally give rife, can be exhibited in this paper, in fuch a drefs and manner as to afford amusement, it will at least be an innocent one; and though instruction is perhaps hardly to be expected from fuch defaltory sketches, yet their general tendency fhall be to cultivate tafte, and improve the heart.

For the amusement of our readers, we shall here direct to the introductions of other periodical works: our country will not suffer by a comparison.

The Rambler, [14. 432.]

The Tatler revived, [12. 140.]
The Adventurer, [16. 569.]
The World, [15. 30.]

The Idler, [20. 189.]

The Remembrancer, [28. 225.]

*

The MIRROR, N°2. Sat. Jan. 30. 1779. NO child ever heard from its nurfe the ftory of Jack the Giant-killer's cap of darkness, without envying the plea fures of invifibility; and the idea of Gyges's ring has made, I believe, many a grave mouth water.

This power is in fome degree poffeffed by the writer of an anonymous paper. He can exercife it, at least, for a pur pofe for which people would be moft apt to use the privilege of being invifible, to Fit, that of hearing what is faid of him

felf.

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cond, which confifted of ladies, to whom I ventured to mention the appearance of my first number, making a fudden digreffion to the price of a new-fashioned lutftring, and the colour of the trimming with which it would be proper to make it up into a gown. Nor was I more fortunate in the third place, where I contrived to introduce the fubject of my publication, though it was a coffeehoufe, where it is actually taken in for the use of the customers; a fet of old gentlemen, at one table, throwing it afide to talk over a bargain; and a company of young ones, at another, breaking off in the middle to decide a match at billiards.

It was not till I arrived at the place of its birth that I met with any traces of its fame. In the well-known ihop of my Editor I found it the fubject of converfation; though I muft own, that, even here, fome little quackery was used for feveral copies lying open on the table, bethe purpose, as he had taken care to have fides the confpicuous appearance of the fubfcription paper hung up fronting the door, with the word MIRROR a-top, printed in large capitals.

The first question I found agitated was concerning the author, that being a point within the reach of every capacity. Mr Creech, though much importuned on this head, knew his bufinefs better than to fatisfy their curiofity; fo the hounds were caft off to find him; and many a

different feent they hit on. First he was Player, then a gentleman of the exchea Clergyman, then a Profeffor, then a Dor of Laws, a Commiffioner of the Cuquer who writes plays, then a Lawyer, a ftoms, a Baron of the Exchequer, a Lord of Seffion, a Peer of the realm. A critic, who talked much about style, was pofitive as to the fex of the writer, and declared it to be female; strengthening his conjecture by the name of the paper, which, he faid, would not readily have occurred to a man. He added, that it was full of Scot.icifms, which fufficiently marked it to be a home production.

This led to animadverfions on the work itfelf; which were begun by an obfervaflight perufal I had given it, to be toletion of my own, that it feemed, from the rably well written.

The critic above

mentioned fupported the contrary opinion totis viribus, and concluded his ftrictures, on this particular publication,, with a general remark on all modern ones, that there was no force of thought,' A 2

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nor beauty of compofition, to be found the wind, will all have a powerful effe in them.

An elderly gentleman, who faid he had a guess at the author, prognofticated, that the paper would be used as the vehicle of a fyftem of Scepticism, and that he had very little doubt of feing Mr Hume's pofthumous works introduced in it. A fhort fquat man, with a car buncled face, maintained, that it was defigned to propagate Methodism; and faid, he believed it to be the production of a difciple of Mr John Wesley. A gentleman in a gold chain differed from both; and told us, he had been informed, from very good authority, that the paper was intended for political pur pofes.

A fmart-looking young man, in green, faid, he was fure it would be very fatirical his companion, in fcarlet, was e qually certain, that it would be very ftupid. But with this laft prediction I was not much offended, when I difcovered that its author had not read the first number, but only inquired of Mr Creech where it was published.

A plump round figure, near the fire, who had just put on his fpectacles to examine the paper, clofed the debate, by obferving, with a grave afpect, that, as the author was anonymous, it was proper to be very cautious in talking of the performance. After glancing over the pages, he said, he could have wished they had fet apart a corner for intelligence from America; but, having taken off his fpectacles, wiped, and put them into their cafe, he faid, with a tone of difcovery, he had found out the reafon why there was nothing of that fort in the MIRROR; it was in order to fave the tax upon news papers.

Upon getting home to my lodgings, and reflecting on what I had heard, I was for fome time in doubt, whether I should not put an end to thefe questions at once, by openly publishing my name and intentions to the world. But I am prevented from difcovering the first by a certain bashfulnefs, of which even my travels have not been able to cure me; from declaring the laft, by being really unable to declare them. The complexion of my paper will depend on a thousand circumstances which it is impoffible to forefee. A found fleep, or a difturbed one, a good or a bad dinner, the quantity or quality of the wine after it, the itate of the weather, or the quarter of

both on the nature and execution of n productions. I have often found myfe in the morning, when I was dreffed my flannel waiftcoat and green nigh gown, irrefiftibly inclined towards a ph lofophical difquifition; but the putti on of my new fuit, with gold button has fuddenly changed the current of m ideas; and, having dined abroad, I ha thought of nothing, all the night afte but the turn of a sonnet, or the point an epigram.

The general tendency of my lucubra tions, however, I have fignified in m first number: in allufion to my title, mean to fhew the world what it is, an will fometimes endeavour to point ou what it should be.

Somebody has compared the publishe of a periodical paper of this kind to th owner of a stage-coach, who is oblige to run his vehicle with or without pai fengers. One might carry on the allu fion through various points of fimilarity I must confefs to my cuftomers, that the road we are to pass together is not a new one; that it has been travelled again and again, and that too in much better car riages than mine. I would only iofinuate, that though the great objects are ftill the fame, there are certain little edifices, fome beautiful, fome grotesque, and fome ridiculous, which people, on every fide of the road, are daily building, in the profpect of which we may find fome amufement. Their fellowpaffengers will fometimes be perfons of high, and fometimes of low rank, as in other stage-coaches; like them, too, fometimes grave, fometimes facetious; but that ladies, and men of delicacy, may not be afraid to take places, they may be affured, that no fcurrilous or indecent company will ever be admitted. From the Philofophical Transactions. Read Feb. 13. 1777.

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this I was unfortunately disappointed in, by his dying fuddenly of a pleurify a hort time after my return to the country.

You will recollect I told you, that this perion lived at Maryport, in Cumberland, near which place, viz. at Allonby, I myself live; and having known him about ten years, have had frequent op. portunities of converfing with him. His name was Harris, by trade a fhoemaker. I had often heard from others, that be could difcern the form and magnitude of tall objects very diftinctly; but could not diftinguish colours. This report having excited my curiofity, I converfed with him frequently on the fubject. The account he gave was this: That he had reafon to believe other perfons saw fomething in objects which he could not fee; that their language seemed to mark qualities with confidence and precifion, which Le could only guefs at with hesitation, and frequently with error. His firft fufpicion of this arofe when he was about four years old. Having by accident found in the ftreet a child's ftocking, he carried it to a neighbouring house to inquire for the owner: he obferved the people called it a red stocking, though he did not understand why they gave it that denomination, as he himself thought it completely described by being called a stocking. The circumftance, however, remained in his memory; and, together with fubfequent obfervations, led him to the knowledge of his defect. As the idea of colours is among the first that enters the mind, it may perhaps feem extraordinary, that he did not obferve his want of it ftill earlier. This, however, may in fome measure be accounted for from the circumftance of his family being Quakers, among whom a general uniformity of colours is known to prevail.

He obferved ålfo, that, when young, other children could difcern cherries on a tree by fome pretended difference of colour, though he could only diftinguish them from the leaves by their difference of fize and shape. He obferved alfo, that by means of this difference of colour they could fee the cherries at a greater diftance than he could, though he could fee other objects at as great a distance as they; that is, where the fight was not affited by the colour. Large objects be could fee as well as other perfons; and even the småler ones, if they were not

enveloped in other things, as in the cafe of cherries among the leaves.

I believe he could never do more than guefs the name of any colour; yet he could diftinguish white from black, or black from any light or bright colour. Dove or ftraw colour he called white; and different colours he frequently call ed by the fame name: yet he could difcern a difference between them when placed together. In general, colours of an equal degree of brightnefs, however they might otherwife differ, he frequently confounded together. Yet a ftriped ribbon he could distinguish from a plain one; but he could not tell what the colours were with any tolerable exactness. Dark colours, in general, he often miftook for black; but never imagined white to be a dark colour, nor a dark to be a white colour.

He was an intelligent man, and very defirous of understanding the nature of light and colours; for which end he had attended a course of lectures in natural philofophy.

He had two brothers in the fame circumftances as to fight; and two other brothers and fifters, who, as well as their parents, had nothing of this defect.

One of the firft-mentioned brothers, who is now living, is mafter of a trading veffel belonging to Maryport. I met with him, in December 1776, at Dublin, and took the opportunity of converfing with him. I wished to try his capacity to diftinguifh the colours in a prifm; but not having one by me, I asked him, whether he had ever seen a rainbow? He replied, he had often, and could diftinguith the different colours; meaning only, that it was compofed of different colours; for he could not tell what they were.

I then procured and fhewed him a piece of ribbon he immediately, without any difficulty, pronounced it a ftriped and not a plain ribbon. He then attempted to name the different ftripes: the feveral stripes of white he uniformly, and without hesitation, called white: the four black ftripes he was deceived in; for three of them he thought brown, tho' they were exactly of the fame fhade with the other, which he properly called black. He spoke, however, with diffidence as to all those stripes; and it must be owned, the black was not very diftinct: the light green he called yellow; but he was

not

not very pofitive: he said, "I think this is what you call yellow." The middle stripe, which had a flight tinge of red, he called a fort of blue. But he was most af all deceived by the orange colour; of this he spoke very confidently, faying, "This is the colour of grafs; this is green." I alfo fhewed him a great variety of ribbons, the colour of which he fometimes named rightly, and fometimes as differently as poffible from the true cotours.

I asked him, whether he imagined it poffible for all the various colours he faw to be mere difference of light and shade? whether he thought they could be various degrees between white and black? and that all colours could be compofed of these two mixtures only? With fome hefitation he replied, No; he did imagine there was fome other difference.

I could not conveniently procure from this perfon an account in writing; but I have given his own words, having fet them down in writing immediately. Befides, as this converfation happened only the 10th of last month, it is till fresh in my memory. I have endeavoured to give a faithful account of this matter, and not to render it more wonderful than it really is.

It is proper to add, that the experiment of the ftriped ribbon was made in the day-time, and in a good light.

I am, &c.

A view of Rouffeau in his last moments. From Eloge de M. Rousseau de Geneve; by M. Paliffot.

AT

T the end of this Eulogy we find several paffages of letters and other literary quotations which M. Paliffot has collected to fhew the irregular motions of poor Rouffeau's perturbed fpirit. All these are defigned by Paliffot as an attack upon his moral character, or at leaft, they are intended to fhew that his character was a kind of problem. Our author thinks that the folution of the problem will be found in the Memoirs of his own life [39. 1.], written by this fingular man, which are expected with impatience. M. Paliffot has found means of coming at fome of the paragraphs that ferve as an introduction to thefe Memoirs. Thefe paragraphs are, indeed, both extraordinary and extravagant. However, as he pledges his honour and good faith for their authenticity, we fhall communicate them here to our readers; they are perfectly in Rouf

feau's manner; they carry an internal vidence of authenticity, and are as fo lows.

"I form an undertaking, which without example, and in the executio of which I fhall have no imitators.fhall hold up to view a man in all t truth of nature-and that man is- myfel

I, alone, know what paffes in m heart: and I know mankind :- I am no like any man whom I have seen, and even believe that I am not like any ma that exifts: I mean not by this to fay that I am better or worse than others: am different from all. I shall not deter mine whether nature did well or ill whe fhe broke the mould in which the ca me: of this the reader can only judg when he has read these Memoirs.- Le the laft trumpet found when it will,will approach, with this book in m hand, to the tribunal of the Suprem Judge.- I will fay boldly-" Here ar the records of what I have done, of wha I have thought, of what I am:- I hav declared my virtues and my vices wit the fame opennefs;- I have conceale nothing,- difguifed nothing,- palliate nothing;-I have fhewn myfelf guilt and vile when I was really fuch: I hav difclofed the inward retirements of m heart, as they lie open to thee, O Eter nal Being! Gather together around m the innumerable multitude of my fellow creatures; let them hear my confet fion; let them blush for my unworthi nefs,-let them bewail all the variety o my wretchednefs;- but let each, in his turn, lay open his heart before thy throne,— and then, let any dare to faj to THEE, I was better than that man.”

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We have taken the following accoun from a paper of which the author is uni verfally believed to be very well inform ed; nay, we are affured that he had hi information concerning the manner and circumstances of Mr Rouffeau's death from the mouth of his widow.

"Towards the end of May, in compliance with the earnest requests of the Marquis de Girardin and his lady, M Rousseau took up his refidence at Ermenonville, the eftate of that nobleman, Here he dwelt, with his wife, in a neat little houfe, at a fmall diftance from the caftle, feparated from it by a tuft of trees. and adjoining to a wood, where he walked every day, and gathered plants for his Herbal. The circumstances of his death are as follows.

M

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