accompanying him in his occafional vifits to Rofedale.

His vifits became, however, gradually more frequent; and, as they generally continued for fome weeks, thofe little abfences gave a fort of pain to Emilia, to whom no fociety was now fo agreeable as that of Horatio, the became defirous of accompanying him to the country.

Their firft vifits were fhort, and at confi. derable intervals; but, as he omitted no means of rendering them agreeable to her, the feldom left it without regret, and was often the firft to propofe their return.

At length Emilia, who now obferved that her husband was no where fo happy as in the country, and had herfelf come to feel the fame predilection for the calm cheerfulness and innocent amufements of a country-life, took oc cafion to acquaint him with this change in her fentiments, and to exprefs the fame inclination which, fhe was perfuaded, he entertained, of abandoning a town-life, and fixing their conftant refidence at Rofedale.

A propofal fo agreeable to Horatio was readily complied with; and Emilia and he have, ever fince, paffed their time in that delightful

retreat,

retreat, occupied with the education of their children, the improvement of their place, and the fociety of a few friends, equally happy in themselves, and beloved by all around them.

Thus has Horatio, the gentleness of whofe mind is equal to the ftrength of his underftanding, by a prudent, as well as delicate complacency, gradually effected that change which an oppofite conduct might have failed of producing, and which, at the fame time, would probably have been the fource of mutual chagrin, and rendered both him and his wife unhappy.

Nor was the reformation folely on her part. By leading him to partake in company and amufements, Emilia was the means of correcting the natural referve of Horatio's manner; and, as the example of his plain, though animated converfation, led her fometimes to moderate the vivacity and sprightliness of hers, which fometimes approached towards levity; fo her vivacity communicated an agreeable gaiety and cheerfulness to the difcourfe of Horatio.

If, in the above account, I have pointed out more ftrongly the effects of complacency in Horatio than in Emilia, it ought to be rememVOL. II. bered,

S

bered, that this virtue is much feldomer to be met with in the one fex than in the other. A certain pride attends the firmnefs of men, which makes it generally much more difficult for them to acquire this complacency of temper, which it always requires much discipline, and often the rod of adverfity and disappointment, to fubdue.

If men truly poffefs that fuperiority of understanding over women, which fome of them seem to suppose, surely this use of it is equally ungenerous and imprudent. They would, I imagine, fhow that fuperiority much more ef fectually, in endeavouring to imitate the amiable gentleness of the female character, and to acquire, from a fenfe of its propriety, a virtue, for which, it must be allowed, that the other fex is more indebted to their original conftitution.

If women, as we fometimes alledge, are too apt to connect the idea of pride, and hardness of manners, with that of knowledge and abi lity, and, on that account, often show a preference to more fuperficial accomplishments; the men, who value themselves for knowledge and abilities, ought to look into their own conduct for the caufe, and, imitating the be

haviour

haviour of Horatio, endeavour to fhow, that a man's feelings need not be the lefs delicate for being under the direction of a found judgement; and that he who beft knows the female character, and will put the highest value on its excellence, is alfo the most likely to make allowance for a difference of tafte, and to bear with thofe little weakneffes which he knows all human excellence to be often accompanied with.

N° 59.

TUESDAY, August 17. 1779.

Ex ctio plus negotii quam ex negotio habemus. Vet. Schol. ad Ennium in Iphigen.

I

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

AM one of that numerous tribe of men

whom your predeceffor the Spectator has diftinguished by the appellation of Loungers, an innocent, harmless race, who are remark able for no one offenfive quality, except a mortal antipathy at time, which, as that author fays, and we are willing to allow, we study all poffible means of killing and deftroying. This confeffion, Sir, of one particular fpecics of malevolence, we are not at all afha med to make, fince the perfecution of our adverfary is fo avowed and notorious as fully to justify every kind of revenge which we can meditate. We confider Time, Sir, as a fort of incubus or day night-mare, a malignant being, who, like the old man of the fea in the Arabian