that my wife, fomehow or other, contrives to carry most points in our family; fo my oppofition was over-ruled, and to the girls went; but not before they had made a journey to the metropolis of our county, and brought back a portmanteau full of neceffaries, to qualify them for appearing decently, as my wife faid, in the company they should meet there.

In about a month, for their vifit was drawn out to that length, my daughters returned. But, had you feen, Mr. MIRROR, what an alteration that month had made on them! Inftead of the rofy complexions, and sparkling eyes, they had carried with them, they brought back cheeks as white as a curd, and eyes as dead as the beads in the face of a baby.

I could not help expreffing my furprise at the fight; but the younger of the two ladies immediately cut me fhert, by telling me, that their complexion was the only one worn at ———.

And no wonder, Sir, it fhould, from the defcription which my daughter fometimes gives us of the life people lead there. Inftead of rifing at feven, breakfafting at nine, dining at three, fupping at eight, and getting to

bed

bed by ten, as was their custom at home, my girls lay till twelve, breakfasted at one, dined at fix, fupped at eleven, and were never in bed till three in the morning. Their shapes had undergone as much alteration as their faces. From their bofoms (necks they called them), which were squeezed up to their throats, their waifts tapered down to a very extraordinary smallness : they resembled the upper half of an hour-glass, At this, alfo, I marvelled; but it was the only fhape worn at Next day, at dinner, after a long morning preparation, they appeared with heads of such a fize, that my little parlour was not of height enough to let them ftand upright in it. This was the most ftriking metamorphofis of all. Their mother ftared; I ejaculated; my other children burst out a laughing; the answer was the fame as before; it was the only head worn at

Nor is their behaviour lefs changed than their garb. Inftead of joining in the goodhumoured cheerfulness we used to have among us before, my two fine young ladies check every approach to mirth, by calling it vulgar. One of them chid their brother the other day for laughing, and told him it was

monftroufly

monftroufly ill-bred. In the evenings, when we were wont, if we had nothing else to do, to fall to Blindman's-buff, or Cross-purpofes, or fometimes to play at Loo for cherrystones, these two get a pack of cards to themfelves, and fit down to play for any little money their vifit has left them, at a game none of us know any thing about. It seems, indeed, the dulleft of all amufements, as it confifts in merely turning up the faces of the cards, and repeating their names from an ace upwards, as if the players were learning to speak, and had got only thirteen words in their vocabulary. But of this, and every other cu ftom at , nobody is allowed to judge but themselves. They have got a parcel of phrafes, which they utter on all occafions as decifive, French, I believe, though I can scarce find any of them in the Dictionary, and am unable to put them upon paper; but all of them mean fomething extremely fashionable, and are conftantly fupported by the authority of my Lady, or the Countefs, his Lordship, or Sir John.

As they have learned many foreign, fo have they unlearned fome of the most common and beft understood home phrafes. When

one

one of my neighbours was lamenting the extravagance and diffipation of a young kinfman who had spent his fortune, and loft his health in London and at Newmarket, they called it life, and faid it showed spirit in the young man. After the fame rule, they lately declared, that a gentleman could not live on lefs than 1000 l. ayear, and called the account which their mantua-maker and milliner fent me, for the fineries purchased for their vifit at, a trifle, though it amounted to 59 l. 11 s. 4 d. exactly a fourth part of the clear income of my eftate.

All this, Mr. MIRROR, I look upon as a fort of peftilential diforder, with which my poor daughters have been infected in the courfe of this unfortunate vifit. This confideration has induced me to treat them hitherto with lenity and indulgence, and try to effect their cure by mild methods, which indeed fuit my temper (naturally of a pliant kind, as every body, except my wife, fays) better than harsh ones. Yet, I confefs, I could not help being in a paffion t'other day, when the diforder fhewed fymptoms of a more ferious kind. Would you believe it, Sir, my daughter Elizabeth (fince her vifit the is offended if we will call

her

her Betty) faid it was fanatical to find fault with card-playing on Sunday; and her fifter Sophia gravely asked my fon-in-law the clergyman, if he had not fome doubts of the foul's immortality.

As certain great cities, I have heard, are never free from the plague, and at last come to look upon it as nothing terrible or extraordinary; fo, I fuppofé, in London, or even your town, Sir, this difeafe always prevails, and is but little dreaded, But, in the country, it will be productive of melancholy effects indeed; if fuffered to fpread there, it will not only embitter our lives, and spoil our domeftic happinefs, as at prefent it does mine, but, in its most violent ftages, will bring our eftates to market, our daughters to ruin, and our fons to the gallows. Be fo humane, therefore, Mr. MIRROR, as to fuggeft fome expedient for keeping it confined within those limits in which it rages at prefent. If no public regulation can be contrived for that purpofe (though I cannot help thinking the dif eafe of the great people merits the attention of government, as much as the distemper among the horned caitle), try, at leaft, the effects of private admonition, to provent the found