eldest fon of a refpectable family. His fortune and his ancestry intitled him, as he and his friends apprehended, to appear in any hape that he pleased. He owed, and would owe no man a fhilling; but other men might be indebted to him. He received from nature, and ftill poffeffes, good abilities, and humane difpofitions. He is a man, too, of inflexible honour. Yet Sir Gregory has an unbending caft of mind, that cannot easily be fashioned into foft compliance and condefcenfion. He never, even at an early period, had any pretenfions to winning ways, or agreeable affiduities. Nor had he any talent for acquiring perfonal graces and accomplishments. In every thing that confers the eafy and engaging air of a gentleman, he was excelled by his companions. Sir Gregory had fenfe enough to perceive his own incapacity; vanity enough to be hurt with the preferences fhewn to young men less able or honeft, but more complaifant than himself; and pride enough to caft away all pretenfions to that smoothnefs of demeanour in which he could never excel. Thus he affumed a bluntness. and roughness of manners, better fuited to the natural cast of his temper. He would be plain; he hated all your fmiling and fawning atten

₹

tions

tions; he would fpeak what he thought; he would praise no man, even though he thought him deferving, because he fcorned to appear a flatterer; and he would promise no man good offices, not even though he meant to perform them, because he abhorred oftentation. Accordingly, in his addrefs, he is often abrupt, with an approach to rudenefs, which, if it does not offend, difconcerts: and he will not return a civility, because he is not in the humour. He thus indulges a propenfity which he ought to have corrected; and, flave to a furly vanity, he thinks he acts upon principle.

Now, this habit not only renders him difagreeable to perfons of polished manners, but may be attended with confequences of a more ferious nature. Sir Gregory does not perceive, that, while he thinks he is plain, he only affects to be plain; that he often stifles a kindly feeling, for fear of feeming complacent ; that "he .༦ conftrains the garb quite from his nature;" and, that he difguifes his appearance, as much at least by exceive bluntness, as he would by fhewing fome complaifance. Thus he is hardly intitled, notwithstanding his pretenfions, to the praife even of honeft plainnefs. Befides, his

8

character,

character, in other refpects, is fo eminent, and his rank fo diftinguifhed, that, of course, he has many admirers: and thus all the young men of his neighbourhood are becoming as boisterous and as rough as himself. Even fome of his female acquaintance are likely to fuffer by the contagion of his example. Their defire of pleasing has taken an improper direction; they feem lefs ftudious of those delicate proprieties and obfervances fo effential to female excellence; they alfo will not appear otherwise than what they are ; and thus they will not only appear, but become a great deal worse. For, as the fhew of humanity and good humour may, in fome inftances, promote a gentle temper, and render us good-humoured; fo the affectation and fhew of honeft plainness may lead us to be plain without honesty, and fincere without good intention. Those who affect timidity may, in time, become cowards; and those who affect roughnefs may, in time, grow inhu

man.

13

Το

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

Have long had a tendre for a young lady, who is very beautiful, but a little capricious. I think myself unfortunate enough not to be in her good graces; but fome of my friends tell me I am a fimpleton, and don't understand her. Pray be fo kind as inform me, Mr. MIRROR, what fort of rudeness amounts to encouragement. When a lady calls a man impertinent, does the with him to be fomewhat more affuming? When he never looks his way, may he reckon himself a favourite? Or, if the tells every body, that Mr. Such-a-one is her averfion, is Mr. Such a-one to take it for granted that the is downright fond of him?

Yours refpectfully,

MODESTUS.

N° 30.

SATURDAY, May 8, 1779.

T has fometimes been matter of fpecula

tion, whether or not there be a fex in the foul: that there is one in manners, I never heard difputed; the fame applaufe which we involuntarily bestow upon honour, courage, and spirit in men, we as naturally confer upon chastity, modefty, and gentleness in women.

It was formerly one of thofe national boasts which are always allowable, and fometimes ufeful, that the Ladies of Scotland poffeffed a purity of conduct, and delicacy of manners, beyond those of moft other countries. Free from the bad effects of overgrown fortunes, and of the diffipated fociety of an overgrown capital, their beauty was natural, and their minds were uncorrupted.

Though I am inclined to believe that this is ftill the cafe in general; yet, from my own obfervation, and the complaints of several correfpondents, I am forry to be obliged to conclude, that there begins to appear among us a very different ftyle of manners. Perhaps our frequent communication with the metropolis of our fifter kingdom is one great caufe

of