will not easily be won from the pride of virtue, and the dignity of thought, to the inordinate gratifications of vice, or the intemperate amufe ments of folly.

V

N° 17.

TUESDAY, March 23, 1779.

Infanit veteres ftatuas Damafippus emendo.

HOR.

To the EDITOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

A

S I am perfuaded that you will not think

it without the province of a work fuch as yours, to throw your eye fometimes upon the inferior ranks of life, where there is any error that calls loud for amendment, I will make no apology for fending you the following narrative.

I was married, about five years ago, to a young man in a good way of bufinefs as a grocer, whofe character, for fobriety, and diligence in his trade, was such as to give me the affurance of a very comfortable establishment in the mean time, and, in cafe providence fhould blefs us with children, the prospect of making a tolerable provifion for them. For three years after our marriage there never was a happier couple. Our fhop was fo well frequented, as to require the conftant at

tendance

tendance of both of us; and, as it was my greatest pleasure, to fee the cheerful activity of my husband, and the obliging attention which he fhowed to every customer, he has often, during that happy time, declared to me, that the fight of my face behind the counter (though, indeed, Sir, my looks are but homely) made him think his humble condition far more bleffed than that of the wealthiest of our neighbours, whofe poffeffions deprived them of the high fatisfaction of purchafing, by their daily labour, the comfort and happiness of a beloved object.

In the evenings, after our fmal repaft, which, if the day had been more than ufually bufy, we fometimes ventured to finish with a glafs or two of punch, while my husband was conftantly engaged with his books and accounts, it was my employment to fit by his fide knitting, and, at the fame time, to tend the cradle of our first child, a girl, who is now a fine prattling creature of four years of age, and begins already to give me fome little affiftance in the care of her younger brother and fifter.

Such was the picture of our little family, in which we once enjoyed all the happiness that

virtuous

virtuous induftry, and the most perfect affection, can beftow. But those pleafing days, Mr. MIRROR, are now at an end.

The fources of unhappiness in my fituation are very different from thofe of other unfortunate married perfons. It is not of my husband's idleness or extravagance, his ill-nature or his avarice, that I have to complain; neither are we unhappy from any decreafe of affection, or difagreement in our opinions. But I will not, Sir, keep you longer in fuspense. In fhort, it is my misfortune that my husband is become a Man of Tafte.

The firft fymptom of this malady, for it is now become a difeafe indeed, manifested itself, as I have faid, about two years ago, when it was my hufband's ill luck to receive one day from a cuftomer, in payment of a pound of fugar, a crooked piece of filver, which he, at first, miftook for a fhilling, but found, on examination, to have fome ftrange characters upon it, which neither of us could make any thing of. An acquaintance coming in, who, it feems, had fome knowledge of thofe matters, declared it at once to be a very curious coin of Alexander the Third; and, affirming that he knew a virtuofo who would be ex

tremely

tremely glad to be poffeffed of it,

bid him

half a guinea for it upon the fpot. My poor husband, who knew as little of Alexander the Third as of Alexander the Great, or his other namefake, the Coppersmith, was nevertheless perfuaded, from the extent of the offer, and the opinion he had of his friend's difcernment, that he was poffeffed of a very valuable curiofity; and in this he was fully confirmed, when, on fhowing it to the virtuofo above mentioned, he was immediately offered triple the former fum. This too was rejected, and the crooked coin was now judged to be ineftimable. It would tire your patience, Mr. MIRROR, to defcribe minutely the progress of my husband's delirium. The neighbours foon heard of our acquifition, and flocked to be indulged with a fight of it. Others who had valuable curiofities of the fame kind, but who were prudent enough not to reckon them quite beyond all price, were, by much entreaty, prevailed on by my husband to exchange them for guineas, half guineas, and crown pieces; fo that, in about a month's time, he could boast of being poffeffed of twenty pieces, all of inestimable value, which coft him only the trifling fum of 187. 12 s. 6d.

But