In a word, Mr. Gold will allow me to have no mind but his; and, unlefs I can fee with his eyes, hear with his ears, and taste with his palate (none of which I can very eafily bring myself to do, as you must know all of them are fomewhat particular), I see no prospect of our fituation changing for the better; and what makes our prefent one doubly provoking is, that, but for this unfortunate weakness, Mr. Gold, who is, in other refpects, a very worthy man, would make one of the best of husbands. Pray tell me, Sir, what I fhould do in this fituation, or take your own way of letting my hufband fee his weakne's, the reformation of which would be the greatest of all earthly bleffings to Yours, &c. SUSANNA GOLD. I was thinking how I fhould answer this letter, or in what way I could be useful to my correfpondent, when I received the following, the infertion of which is, I believe, the best. reply I can make to it. Το I To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR. SIR, Was bred a merchant; by my fuccefs in trade I am now in affluent circumftances, and have reason to think that I am fo with an unblemished character. Some years ago, I married the daughter of a respectable citizen, who brought a comfortable addition to my fortune; and, as she had been virtuously educated, and feemed cheerful and good tempered, as I was myfelf naturally of a domestic turn, and refolved to make a good husband, I thought we bade fair for being happy in each other. But, though I must do my spouse the justice to say, that she is difcreet and prudent, attentive to the affairs of her family, a careful and fond mother to her children, and, in many refpects, an affectionate and dutiful wife; yet one foible in her temper deftroys the effect of all thefe good qualities. She is fo much attached to her own opinions in every trifle, fo impatient of contradiction in them, and withal fo ready to difpute mine, that, if I disapprove of her taste or sentiments in any one particular, or feem diffatisfied when the difapproves of my tafte or fentiments, it is the certain fource of a quarrel; and, while we perfectly agree as to our general plan of life, and every effential circumftance of our domeftic œconomy, this filly fancy, that I must eat, drefs, think, and speak, precifely as fhe would have me, while the will not accommodate herfelf to me in the most trifling of these particulars, gives me perpetual uneafinefs; and with almost every thing I could wifh, a genteel income, a good reputation, a fine family, and a virtuous wife, whom I fincerely efteem, I have the mortification to find myself abfolutely unhappy. I am fure this foible of my poor wife's will appear to you, Mr. MIRROR, in its proper light; your making it appear fo to her, may be the means of alleviating our mutual diftrefs; for, to tell you the truth, I believe fhe is almost as great a fufferer as I am. I hope you will gratify me in this defire; by doing so you may be of general fervice, and will particularly oblige Your conftant reader, and Obedient humble fervant, NATHANIEL GOLD. On On comparing thefe two letters, it is evident, that, from the want of that complacency mentioned in the beginning of this paper, the very fenfibility of temper, and ftrength of affection, which, under its influence, would have made this good couple happy, has had a quite contrary effect. The fource of the difquiet they complain of, is nothing elfe than the want of that refpect for the tafte, feelings, and opinions of each other, which conftitutes the difpofition I have recommended above, and which, fo far from being inconfiftent with a reasonable defire of reforming each other in these particulars, is the moft probable means of accomplishing it. Nor is the cafe of Mr. and Mrs. Gold firguJar in this refpect. By much the greatest part of domeftic quarrels originate from the want of this pliancy of difpofition, which people feem, very abfurdly, to fuppofe may be difpensed with in trifles. I have known a man who would have parted with half his eftate to serve a friend, to whom he would not have yielded a hair's breadth in an argument. But the leffer virtues must be attended to as well as the greater; the manners as well as the duties of life. They form a fort of Pocket N 3 |