TO CORRESPONDENTS.

The Editor has to return thanks to numberlefs Correfpondents for their favours lately received; he begs leave, at the fame time, to acquaint them, that, as many inconveniencies would arife from a particular acknowledgment of every letter, he must henceforward be excufed from making it; they may, however, rest affured of the Strictest attention and impartiality in regard to their communications.-As to the infertion of papers Sent him, he will be allowed to fuggeft, that, from the nature of his publication, the acceptance or refusal of an essay is no criterion of its merit, nor of the opinion in which it is held by the Editor. A performance may be improper for the Mirror, as often on account of its rifing above, as of its falling below the level of fuch a work, which is peculiarly circumfcribed, not only in its fubjects, but in the manner of treating them. The fame circumftance will often render it necessary to alter or abridge the productions of correspondents; a liberty for which the Editor hopes their indulgence, and which he will use with the utmost caution.

N° 8.

SATURDAY, February 20, 1779.

Infpicere tanquam in fpeculum

Vitas omnium jubeo.

TER.

T was with regret that the Editor found himself under the neceffity of abridging the following letter, communicated by an unknown correspondent.

To the EDITOR of the MIRROR.

SIR,

AS I was walking one afternoon, about

thirty years ago, by the Egyptian side of the Red Sea, in the neighbourhood of Babelmandel, I accidentally met with a Dervife. How we forthwith commenced acquaintance; how I went with him to his hermitage; how our acquaintance improved into intimacy, and our intimacy into friendship; how we conversed about every thing, both in Heaven above, and in the earth beneath; how the Dervife fell fick, and how I, having fome skill in medicine, adminiftered to his recovery; how this ftrengthened his former regard by the additional tie of gratitude; how, after a space, I ́

tired of walking by the Red Sea in the neighbourhood of Babelmandel, and fancied I fhould walk with more fecurity and fatisfaction by the fide of Forth; are circumftances, that, after you shall be more interested in my life and conversation, I may venture to lay before you.

In the meanwhile, fuffice it to say, that my parting with the Dervise was very tender; and that, as a memorial of his friendship, he prefented me with a Mirror. I confefs frankly, that, confidering the poverty of my friend, and his unaffected manner of offering it, I fuppofed his prefent of little intrinfic value. Yet, looking at it, and wifhing to feem as fenfible of its worth as poffible, "This," faid I, "may be a very useful Mirror. As it is of a "convenient fize, I may carry it in my pocket; " and, if I fhould happen to be in a public "company, it may enable me to wipe from

my face any accidental duft, or to adjust "the pofture of my periwig." For, Sir, at that time, in order to command some respect among the Muffulmen, I wore a periwig of

three tails.

"That Mirror," faid the Dervife, looking at me with great earneftness," is of higher "value than you fuppofe: And of this, by

"the following account of its nature and "ufes, I am sure you will be fully fatisfied. "Of Mirrors, fome are convex, and repre"fent their object of a fize confiderably dimi"nifhed: Accordingly, the images they dif "play are extremely beautiful. A company "of people reprefented by this Mirror fhall "appear without fpot or blemish, like a com(6 pany of lovely Sylphs. Now, my good "Chriftian friend, mine is not a convex Mir

ror. Neither is it concave: For concave "Mirrors have just an oppofite effect; and, "by enlarging the object they reprefent, would "render even the Houri in Paradife as hideous

as the Witch of Endor, or a Pagan Fury. "In fhort, it is a good plain Mirror, intend"ed to reprefent things juft as they are, but "with properties and varieties not to be met "with in common glass."

"Whenever," continued he, "you enter"tain any doubt concerning the propriety of .66 your conduct, or have apprehenfions that "your motives are not exactly what you "conceive, or wish them to be, I advise you "forthwith to confult the Mirror. You will "there see yourself without disguise; and be "enabled, not merely to wipe from your face

પ any accidental duft, or to adjust your peri

wig of three tails, but to rectify your con"duct, and adjust your deportment." In

truth, Sir, I have made this experiment, according to the direction of the Dervife, fo often, and with fuch small fatisfaction to myfelf, that I am heartily fick of it. I have confulted my Mirror in the act of giving alms, expecting, no doubt, to fee myfelf charactered with the softeft compaffion, and, behold! I was swollen and bloated with oftentation. Glowing with indignation, as I conceived, against the vices of mankind, and their blindnefs to real merit, I have looked in the Mirror, and feen the redness of Anger, the flushings of difappointed Ambition. Very lately, a friend of mine read me an effay he had written; he seemed to me fomewhat confcious of its merit he expected, and was intitled to fome applaufe; but, faid I to myfelf, "I will "adminifter to no man's vanity, nor expose

my friend by encouraging his felf-conceit;" and fo obferved an obftinate unyielding fi lence. I looked in the Mirror, and am ashamed to tell you my motive was not fo pure.

But, instead of expofing my own infirmities, I will, in perfect confiftency with fome