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"bery, adorning the sloping bank of a rivulet; but "intermixed, without the smallest injury to its beau66 ty, with all the variety of herbs for the kitchen. "On the other side, a little more remote, but still "in sight of the house, is an orchard filled with ex"cellent fruit-trees. The brook, which runs through my garden, retires into a hollow dell, shaded with "birch and hazle copse, and, after a winding course " of half a mile, joins a large river. These are the "outlines of my little paradise.—And now, my dear . friend, what have I more to wish, but that you, "and a very few others, whose souls are congenial "to my own, should witness my happiness? In two "days hence, I bid adieu to the town, a long, a last "adieu!

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"The remainder of my life, I dedicate to those pur"suits in which the best and wisest of men did not "blush to employ themselves; the delightful occu"pations of a country life, which Cicero well said, "and after him Columella, are next in kindred to

true philosophy. What charming schemes have "I already formed; what luxurious plans of sweet "and rational entertainment! But these, my friend,

you must approve and participate. I shall look "for you about the beginning of May, when, if you "can spare me a couple of months, I can venture to "promise that time will not linger with us. I am, "with much regard, yours, &c."

As I am, myself, very fond of the country, it was with considerable regret that I found it not in my power to accept of my friend's invitation; an unexpected piece of business having detained me in town during the greatest part of the summer. I heard

nothing of Euphanor till about nine months after, when he again wrote me as follows :

"MY DEAR SIR,

"IT was a sensible mortification to me not to have "the pleasure of seeing you last summer in "shire, when I should have been much the better "for your advice, in a disagreeable affair, which, I 66 am afraid, will occasion my paying a visit to town "much sooner than I expected. I have always had

a horror at going to law, but now I find myself "unavoidably compelled to it. Sir Ralph Surly, "whose estate adjoins to my little property, has, for "the purpose of supplying a new barley-mill, turned "aside the course of a small stream, which ran "through my garden and inclosures, and which "formed, indeed, their greatest ornament. In place ❝ of a beautiful winding rivulet, with a variety of

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"fine natural falls, there is nothing but a dry ditch, or rather crooked gulph, which is hideous to look ❝at. The malice of this procedure is sufficiently "conspicuous, when I tell you, that there is another, "and a larger stream, in the same grounds, which "I have offered to be at the sole expence of conducting to his mill. I think the law must do me "justice. At any rate, it is impossible tamely to "bear such an injury. I shall probably see you "few days. To say the truth, my dear friend, even "before this last mortification, I had begun to find, "that the expectations I had formed of the pleasures "of a country-life were by far too sanguine. I must "confess, that, notwithstanding the high relish I "have for the beauties of nature, I have often felt, " amidst the most romantic scenes, that langour of

in a

spirit, which nothing but society can dissipate. "Even when occupied with my favourite studies, I "have sometimes thought, with the bard of Mantua, "that the ease and retirement which I courted ware

"rather ignoble. I have suffered an additional dis"appointment in the ideas I had formed of the cha"racters of the country-people. It is but a treache66 rous picture, my friend, which the poets give us, "of their innocence and honest simplicity. I have "met with some instances of insincerity, chicane, " and even downright knavery, in my short acquaint66 ance with them, that have quite shocked and "mortified me.

"Whether I shall ever again enter into the busy "world (a small concern in the house, without al"lowing my name to appear, would perhaps be "some amusement) I have not yet determined. “Of this, and other matters, we shall talk fully (6 at meeting. Meantime, believe me, dear Sir, 66 yours,

"EUPHANOR."

Euphanor has been, for this month past, in town I expected to have found him peevish, chagrined, and out of humour with the world. But in this I was disappointed. I have never seen my friend in better health, or higher spirits. I have been with him at several convivial meetings, with our old acquaintances, who felt equal satisfaction with himself at what they term his recovery. He has actually resumed a small share in trade, and purposes, for the future, to devote one half of the year to business. His counsel have given him assurance of gaining his law suit: he expects in a few months, to return in triumph to -shire, and has invited all his friends to be present at a Fête Champêtre he intends to celebrate, on the restoration of his beloved rivulet to its wonted channel.

The life of Euphanor must be a series of disappointments; but, on the whole, I must consider him as a happy man.

R 2

No. XXXVIII. SATURDAY, JUNE 5.

THE following letter I received only yesterday; but, as I am particularly interested in every project of ingenious men, I postponed another essay which was ready for publication, and put my printer to considerable inconvenience to get it ready for this day's paper. I was the more solicitous, likewise, to give it a place as soon after my 35th number as possible, in order to shew my impartiality. This paper (as the London Gazetteer says) is open to all parties; with this proviso, however, which is exactly the reverse of the terms of admission into the Gazetteer, that my correspondents do not write politics.

SIR,

To the Author of the Mirror.

IN a late paper, you shewed the necessity of accommodating ourselves to the temper of persons with whom we are particularly connected, by sometimes submitting our own taste, inclination, and opinions to the taste, inclination, and opinions of those persons. I apprehend, Sir, you might have carried your idea a good deal farther, and have prescribed to us the same receipt for happiness in our intercourse not only with our wives and children, but with our companions, our acquaintance, in short, with all mankind.

But, as the disposition to this is not always born with one, and as to form a temper is not so easy as to regulate a behaviour, it is the business of masters in the art of politeness, to teach people, at least the better sort of them, to counterfeit as much of this complacency in their deportment as possible. In this, indeed, they begin at quite the different end of the matter from you, Sir; complacency to husbands, wives, children, and relations, they leave people to

teach themselves; but the art of pleasing every body else, as it is a thing of much greater importance, they take proportionably greater pains to instil into their disciples.

I have, for some time past, been employed in reducing this art into a system, and have some thoughts of opening a subscription for a course of lectures on the subject. To qualify myself for the task, I have studied, with unwearied attention, the letters of the immortal Earl of Chesterfield, which I intend to use as my text-book on this occasion, allowing only for the difference which even a few years produce in an art so fluctuating as this. Before I lodge my subscription-paper with the booksellers, I wish to give a specimen of my abilities to the readers of the MIRROR; for which purpose I beg the favour of you to insert in your next number the following substance of Simulation. Our noble author, indeed, extends his doctrine to the length of dissimulation only, from which he distinguishes Simulation as something not quite so fair and honest. But, for my part, I have not sufficient nicety of ideas to make the distinction, and would humbly recommend. to every person who wishes to be thoroughly well bred, not to confuse his head with it. Taking, therefore, the shorter word as the more gentlemanlike, I proceeded to my subject of

"SIMULATION.

"SIMULATION is the great basis of the art "which I have the honour to teach. I shall humbly "endeavour to treat this branch of my subject, though "much less ably, yet more scientifically than my "great master, by reducing it into a form like that "adopted by the professors of the other sciences, "and even borrowing from them some of the terms "by which I mean to illustratę it.

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