The time between was devoted by Mr. Umphraville to bufinefs, in which he was pleafed commonly to afk my advice, and to communicate his opinions. The laft I found generally unfavourable both of men and things; my friend carries the "prifca fides" too much about with. him- to be perfectly pleased in his dealings with people of bufinefs. When we returned home in the evening, he feemed to feel a relief in having got out of the reach of the world, and muttered expreffions, not to mention the inflections of his countenance, which, if fairly fet down on paper, would almost amount to calling his banker a Jew, his lawyer not a gentleman, and his agent a pettifogger. He was, however, very ready to clap up a truce with his ideas when in company with these feveral perfonages; and though he thought he faw them taking advantages, of which I am perfuaded they were perfectly innocent, he was contented to turn his face another way, and pafs on. A man of Umphraville's difpofition is willing to fuffer all the penalties of fillinefs, but that of being thought filly.

N° 33°

A

TUESDAY, May 18, 1779:

MONG the many advantages arifing from cultivated fentiment, one of the first and moft truly valuable, is that delicate compla cency of mind which leads us to confult the feelings of those with whom we live, by fhowing a difpofition to gratify them as far as in our power, and by avoiding whatever has a contrary tendency.

They muft, indeed, have attended little to what paffes in the world, who do not know the importance of this difpofition; who have not obferved, that the want of it often poisons the domestic happiness of families, whofe felicity every other circumstance concurs to promote.

Among the letters lately received from my correfpondents, are two, which, as they afford a lively picture of the bad confequences refulting from the neglect of this complacency, I fhall here lay before my readers. The firft is from a lady, who writes as follows:

Το

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

MY father was a merchant of fome emi

nence, who gave me a good education, and a fortune of feveral thousand pounds. With these advantages, a tolerable perfon, and I think not an unamiable temper, I was not long arrived at womanhood before I found myfelf poffeffed of many admirers. Among others was Mr. Gold, a gentleman of a very respectable character, who had some connections in trade with my father; to him, being a young man of a good figure, and of very open and obliging manners, I foon gave the preference, and we were accordingly married with the univerfal approbation of my friends.

We have now lived together above three years, and I have brought him two boys and a girl, all very fine, children. I go little abroad, attend to nothing fo much as the economy of our family, am as obliging as poffible to all my husband's friends, and study in every particular to be a kind and dutiful wife. Mr. Gold's reputation and fuccefs in bufinefs

daily increases, and he is, in the main, a kind and attentive bufband; yet I find him fo particular in his temper, and so often out of humour about trifles, that, in spite of all those comfortable circumftances, I am perfectly unhappy.

At one time he finds fault with the difhes at table; at another with the choice of my maid- fervants; fometimes he is difpleafed with the trimming of my gown, fometimes with the shape of my cloak, or the figure of my headdrefs; and, fhould I chance to give an opinion on any fubject which is not perfectly to his mind, he probably looks out of humour at the time, and is fure to chide me about it when we are by ourselves.

It is of no confequence whether I have been right or wrong in any of those particulars. If I fay a word in defence of my choice or opinion, it is fure to make matters worfe, and I am only called a fool for my pains; or, if I exprefs my wonder that he fhould give himself uneafinefs about fuch trifles, he answers, fullenly, that, to be fure, every thing is a trifle in which I chufe to difoblige him.

It was but the other day, as we were juft going out to dine at a friend's house, he told

me

me my gown was extremely ugly. I anfwered, his obfervation furprifed me, for it was garnet, and I had taken it off on hearing him fay he wondered I never chofe one of that colour. Upon this he flew in a paffion, faid it was very odd I fhould charge my bad tafte upon him; he had never made any fuch obfervation, for the colour was his averfion. The difpute at laft grew fo warm, that I threw myself down on a fettee, unable to continue it, while he flung out of the room, ordered away the coach from the door, and wrote an apology to his friend for our not waiting upon him.

We dined in our different apartments: and though, I believe, we were equally forry for what had paffed, and Mr. Gold, when we met at fupper, asked my pardon for having contradicted me fo roughly; yet we had not fat half an hour together, when he told me, that, after all, I was certainly mistaken, in faying he bad recommended a garnet colour; and when I very coolly affured him I was not, he renewed the difpute with as much keennefs as ever. We parted in the fame bad humour we had done before dinner, and I have hardly had a pleafant look from him fince.

VOL. I.

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In