proaches of mifanthropy, by opposing reason to fentiment, and reflecting on the injury they do themfelves and fociety, by tamely retreating from injuftice. The paffive virtues only are fit to be buried in a cloister; the firm and active mind difdains to recede, and rifes upon oppofition.

The cultivation of chearfulness and goodhumour will be found another fovereign antidote to this mental diforder. They are the harbingers of virtue, and produce that ferenity which difpofes the mind to friendship, love, gratitude, and every other focial affection; they make us contented with ourselves, our friends, and our fituation, and expand the heart to all the interefts of humanity.

T

VOL. II.

C

N° 40

N° 40.

SATURDAY, June 12. 1779.

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

A

CCORDING to my promife, I fend you the fecond divifion of my lecture on SIMULATION, as it refpects the internal part of the science of politenefs.

"AMONG barbarous nations, it has been "obferved, the emotions of the mind are not more violently felt than strongly expreffed. "Grief, anger, and jealousy, not only tear the "heart, but disfigure the countenance; while "love, joy, and mirth, have their oppofite "effects on the foul, and are vifible, by op

pofite appearances, in the afpect. Now, as "a very refined people are in a state exactly "the reverse of a very rude one, it follows, "that, instead of allowing the paffions thus "to lord it over their minds and faces, it be"hoves them to mitigate and restrain those "violent emotions, both in feeling and apst pearance; the latter, at leaft, is within the

power of art and education, and to regulate "it is the duty of a well-bred perfon. On "this truly philofophical principle is found"ed that ease, indifference, or nonchalance,

" which

"which is the great mark of a modern man

"of fashion.

"That inftance of politenefs which I men"tioned (fomewhat out of place indeed) in the "first part of this discourse, the conduct of a "fine lady at a tragedy, is to be carried into "fituations of real forrow as much as poffible. "Indeed, though it may feem a bold affer

tion, I believe the art of putting on indif"ference about the real object, is not a whit

more difficult than that of affuming it about "the theatrical. I have known feveral la"dies and gentlemen who had acquired the "first in perfection, without being able to ex(6 ecute the latter, at least to execute it in that "masterly manner which marks the perform"ances of an adept.-One night, last winter, "I heard Bob Bustle talking from a front"box, to an acquaintance in the pit, about "the death of their late friend Jack Riot."Riot is dead, Tom, kick'd this morning, e"gad!"-"Riot dead! poor Jack! what "did he die of ?"- "One of your damnation "apoplectics;-kill'd him in the chucking of "a bumper; you could fcarce have heard "him wheazle !"- Damn'd bad that! Jack "was an honest fellow ! - What becomes of

C 2

"his

"his grey poney?"-"The poney is mine."

66 "Yours!".

-"Why, yes; I staked my "white and liver-coloured bitch Phillis a"gainst the grey poney, Jack's life to mine "for the feafon."- At that inftant, a lady en"tering the box, (it was about the middle of "the fourth act), obliged Bob to fhift his "place; he fat out of ear-fhot of his friend "in the pit, biting his nails, and looking to"wards the stage, in a fort of nothing-to-doish

way, just as the laft parting fcene between "Jaffier and Belvidera was going on there. "I obferved (I confefs, with regret, for he "is one of my favourite pupils), the progrefs " of its victory over Bob's politenefs. He first grew attentive, then humm'd a tune, then grew attentive again, then took out his "tooth-pick cafe, then look'd at the players "in fpite of him, then grew ferious, then agi-❝tated till, at last, he was fairly beat out "of his ground, and obliged to take shelter "behind Lady Cockatoo's head, to prevent "the difgrace of being abfolutely feen weeping.

"But, to return from this digreffion."The Simulation of indifference in affliction "is equally a female as a male accomplish

"ment.

"ment.

On the death of a very, very near "relation, a husband, for instance, custom "has established a practice, which polite people "have not yet been able to overcome; a "lady must stay at home, and play cards for a week or two. But the decease of any "one more diftant fhe is to talk of as a 63 matter of very little moment, except when "it happens on the eve of an affembly, a "ball, or a ridotto; at fuch feafons fhe is "allowed to regret it as a very unfortunate "accident. This rule of deportment ex"tends to diftreffes poignant indeed; as, in "perfect good-breeding, the fall of a set of Drefden, the fpilling of a plate of soup on

"

a new brocade, or even a bad run of cards, "is to be borne with as equal a countenance

"Anger, the fecond paffion above enumerated, is to be covered with the fame cloak "of ease and good manners; injury, if of a deep kind, with profeffions of esteem "and friendship. Thus, though it would be "improper to fqueeze a gentleman's hand, "and call him my dear Sir, or my best friend, "when we mean to hit him a flap on the face, or to throw a bottle at his head; yet it is