with the outlandish face,' cried she, addressing me, 'let me take a single peep. Not that I care what figure I may cut in the glass of such an old-fashioned creature; if I am allowed the beauties of the face by people of fashion, I know the world will be complaisant enough to toss me the beauties of the mind into the bargain.' I held my glass before her as she desired, and must confess was shocked with the reflection. The lady, however, gazed for some time with the utmost complacency; and at last turning to me with the most satisfied smile, said, She never could think she had been half so handsome.'

Upon her dismission a lady of distinction was reluctantly hauled along to the glass by her husband: in bringing her forward, as he came first to the glass himself, his mind appeared tinctured with immoderate jealousy, and I was going to reproach him for using her with such severity; but when the lady came to present herself I immediately retracted; for, alas! it was seen that he had but too much reason for his suspicions.

The next was a lady who usually teased all her acquaintance in desiring to be told of her faults, and then never mended any. Upon approaching the glass I could readily perceive vanity, affectation, and some other ill-looking blots on her mind; wherefore by my advice she immediately set about mending. But I could easily find she was not earnest in the work; for as she repaired them on one side, they generally broke out on another. Thus, after three or four attempts, she began to make the ordinary use of the glass in settling her hair.

The company now made room for a woman of learning, who approached with a slow pace and a solemn countenance, which for her own sake I could wish had been cleaner. Sir,' cried the lady, flourishing her hand, which held a pinch of snuff, 'I shall be enraptured by having presented to my view a mind with which I have so long studied to be acquainted; but, in order to give the sex a proper example, I must insist that all the company may be permitted to look over my shoulder.' I bowed assent, and presenting the glass, showed the lady a mind by no means so fair as she expected to see. Ill-nature, ill-placed pride, and spleen, were too legible to be mistaken. Nothing could be more amusing than the mirth of her female companions who had looked over. They had hated her from the beginning, and now the apartment echoed with a universal laugh. Nothing but a fortitude like hers could have withstood their raillery; she stood it, however; and when the burst was exhausted, with great tranquillity she assured the company, that the whole was a deceptio visus, and that she was too well acquainted with her own mind to believe any false representations from another. Thus saying she

retired with a sullen satisfaction, resolved not to mend her faults, but to write a criticism on the mental reflector.

I must own, by this time, I began myself to suspect the fidelity of my mirror; for as the ladies appeared at least to have the merit of rising early, since they were up at five, I was amazed to find nothing of this good quality pictured upon their minds in the reflection; I was resolved, therefore, to communicate my suspicions to a lady, whose intellectual countenance appeared more fair than any of the rest, not having above seventy-nire spots in all, besides slips and foibles. I own, young woman,' said I, that there are some virtues upon that mind of yours; but there is still one which I did not see represented; I mean that of rising betimes in the morning; I fancy the glass false in that particular.' The young lady smiled at my simplicity; and with a blush confessed, that she and the whole company had been up all night gaming.

By this time all the ladies except one had seen themselves successively, and disliked the show, or scolded the showman; 1 was resolved, however, that she who seemed to neglect herself and was neglected by the rest, should take a view; and going up to a corner of the room, where she still continued sitting, I presented my glass full in her face. Here it was that I exulted in my success; no blot, no stain appeared on any part of the faithful mirror. As when the large, unwritten page presents its snowv spotless bosom to the writer's hand, so appeared the glass to my view. Hear, O ye daughters of English ancestors,' cried I, ' turn hither, and behold an object worthy imitation: look upon the mirror now, and acknowledge its justice, and this woman's preeminence! The ladies obeyed the summons, came up in a group, and looking on acknowledged there was some truth in the picture, as the person now represented had been deaf, dumb, and a fool from her cradle.

Thus much of my dream I distinctly remember; the rest was filled with chimeras, enchanted castles, and flying dragons, as usual. As you, my dear Fum Hoam, are particularly versed in the interpretation of those midnight warnings, what pleasure should I find in your explanation! but that our distance prevents: I make no doubt, however, but that from my description you will very much venerate the good qualities of the English ladies in general, since dreams, you know, go always by contraries. Adieu.

know I hate flattery, on my soul I do; and yet, to be sure, an intimacy with the great will improve one's appearance, and a course of venison will fatten; and yet faith I despise the great as much as you do; but there are a great many honest fellows among them; and we must not quarrel with one-half because the other wants weeding. If they were all such as my Lord Muddler, one of the most good-natured creatures that ever squeezed a lemon, I should myself be among the number of their admirers. I was yesterday to dine at the Duchess of Piccadilly's; my lord was there. "Ned," says he to me, "Ned," says he, "I'll hold gold to silver, I can tell where you were poaching last night." "Poaching, my lord," said I; "faith you have missed already; for I stayed at home, and let the girls poach for me. That's my way; I take a fine woman as some animals do their prey; stand still, and swoop, they fall into my mouth."

'Ah, Tibbs, thou art a happy fellow,' cried my companion, with looks of infinite pity, 'I hope your fortune is as much improved as your understanding in such company?'- Improved?' replied the other; 'you shall know,—but let it go no farther,—a great secret,-five hundred a year to begin with.-My lord's word of honour for it-his lordship took me down in his own chariot yes◄ terday, and we had a tête-à-tête dinner in the country; where we talked of nothing else.'-' I fancy you forget, sir,' cried I, 'you told us but this moment of your dining yesterday in town!''Did I say so?' replied he, coolly, 'to be sure if I said so it was so-dined in town; egad, now I do remember, I did dine in town but I dined in the country too; for you must know, my boys, I eat two dinners. By the by, I am grown nice in my eating. I'll tell you a pleasant affair about that: we were a select party of us to dine at Lady Grogram's, an affected piece, but let it go no farther -a secret well, there happened to be no assafoetida in the sauce to a turkey, upon which, says I, I'll hold a thousand guineas, and say done first, that-but dear Dry-bone, you are an honest creature, lend me half-a-crown for a minute or two, or so, just till-but, heark'e, ask me for it the next time we meet, or it may be twenty to one but I forget to pay you.'

When he left us, our conversation naturally turned upon so extraordinary a character. His very dress,' cries my friend, 'is not less extraordinary than his conduct. If you meet him this day you find him in rags, if the next in embroidery. With those persons of distinction, of whom he talks so familiarly, he has scarcely a coffee-house acquaintance. However, both for the interests of society, and perhaps for his own, heaven has made him poor; and while all the world perceives his wants, he fancies them concealed from every eye. An agreeable companion because he