the forcible obfervation, and the wit of Swift; Alcander of the eafe, the gracefulness, the native and agreeable humour of Addifon. From remarks upon their writings, they went to their characters. Sylvester spoke in praise of openness and spirit, and threw out something against envy, jealoufy, and meannefs. Alcander inveighed against pride and ill-nature, and pronounced an eulogium on elegance, philanthropy, and gentleness of manners. Syluefter fpoke as if he thought no man of a candid and generous mind could be a lover of Addifon; Alcander, as if none but a severe and ill-tempered one could endure Swift.

The fpirits of the two friends were now heated to a violent degree, and not a little rankled at each other. I endeavoured again to give the difcourfe a new direction, and, as if accidentally, introduced fomething about the Epifles of Phalaris. I knew both gentlemen were masters of the dispute upon that fubject, which has fo much divided the learned, and I thought a dry queftion of this fort could not poffibly intereft them too much. But in this. I was mistaken. Sylvester and Alcander took different fides upon this fubject, as they

had

had done upon the former, and supported their opinions with no lefs warmth than before. Each of them catched fire from every thing his opponent faid, as if neither could think well of the judgment of that man who was of an opinion different from his own.

With this laft debate the converfation ended. At our meeting next day, a formal politeness took place between Sylvester and Alcander, very different from that openness and cordiality of manner which they showed at their first meeting. The laft, foon after, took his departure; and, I believe, neither of them felt that respect for each other's understanding, nor that warmth of affection, which they entertained before this vifit.

Alas! the two friends did not confider that it was their being too much alike, their being engaged in fimilar employments, that changed their friendship into this coldness. Both attached to the fame pursuits, and accustomed to indulge them chiefly in feclufion and folitude, they had been too little accuftomed to bear contradiction. This impatience of contradiction had not been corrected in either, by attention to the feelings or views of others;

and

and the warmth which each felt in fupporting his own particular opinion, prevented him from giving the proper indulgence to a diverfity of opinion in the other.

S

N° 21. TUESDAY, April 6, 1779.

TH

HIS day's paper I devote to correfpondents. The first of the two letters it contains was left one night at the house of my editor, by a slender person in a flouched hat and a wide furtout,

I

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

Aм a young man, a lover of literature, and have fometimes had the fatisfaction of feeing performances of my own in print, feveral of my effays having been favourably received by the publishers of the Magazines. I have a great defire of becoming a correfpondent of the MIRROR; but one circumftance a good deal embarraffes me; that is, the fear of detection in conveying my letters. This has frequently prevented me from fending an effay to other periodical publications, till the time proper for its appearance was paft; and fo I have loft it altogether. I have often fet out with my paper in my pocket, paffed and repaffed the Cross, looked at the faces of different chairmen and porters,

been

been at the foot of the ftairs leading up to the penny-poft office; yet, from the effects of an infuperable bashfulness, returned home without being delivered of my burden.

During the publication of the Edinburgh Magazine and Review, this inconvenience was remedied by placing a box near the printing-house, into which any letter or parcel might be dropped with very little chance of discovery. I would recommend to you, Sir, a fimilar contrivance. We fee on the eves of some of our public buildings the mouths of certain animals cut out in ftone, through which the water from the roof descends to fome convenient part of the street beneath. One of these, reversed fo as to gape upwards instead of downwards, would exactly answer the purpose wanted; and, befides tending to the ease and convenience of your correfpondents, would have a very pretty allufion to the lion's mouth, in the Guardian. If I might venture to point out a place for it, I would fuggeft that narrow paffage at the back of Mr. Creech's fhop, vulgarly called the Crames, as both centrical and fecret.

I am, Sir, &c.

Y. Z.