THE

MIRROR.

I

N° 75. TUESDAY, January 25, 1780.

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR...

SIR,

REMARK, that you meddle not with the high matters of politics. For this, you must answer to yourself, being that you are able to <write printed papers. I am a member of eightyfive focieties, all zealous for the liberty of the prefs, in confiftency with, and in conformity to, our establishment; and fo I think that you are at liberty to write of those things only whereof you have understanding; and if fo be that, by reafon of your filence, you abuse, or, as one may fay, vilipend the liberty of the press, judge you yourself; as for me, I fay nothing.

But, although you give us no news yourself, perhaps you have fomething to fay with the gentlemen who make the news; and if fo, I hope that you will recommend it to them fo to VOL. III. write,

B

write, as that they may be understood of men who are not book-learned.

They, being book-learned gentlemen, write in divers tongues, whereby we poor fimple men are at a lofs, and Europe may be overthrown by compacts and affociations, or ever we can underftand the danger.

Not many days ago, I read in the news, that fome good men put up an advertisement on a ftatue, with this fuperfcription, pro patria mori, and that the fuperfcription rejoiced all honeft hearts. I enquired of our deacon, who received the rudiments of his education at the grammarfchool of Lefmahagoe, what was the meaning of the words and he made answer, that the words were Latin, and that he thought they would be found in the Latin Dictionary; the which having got, I, on fearching, discovered that pro fignified for the fake of, and that patria fignified a man's native country, and that mori fignified foolish and filly persons.

Wherefore, by joining together the words, I conjectured, moreover, that the interpretation of pro patria mori was foolish or filly perfons for the fake of their native country; or that they who act for their native country are foolish and filly perfons.

Now, Sir, if fo be that this is fo, I moreover conjecture, that the honeft men who put

up

up the advertisement, and they who rejoiced thereat, were deceived through ignorance of the Latin tongue, and that to them there was no cause of rejoicing.

Of that tongue I think no good: It is reported amongst us, that the mafs is written in it, the which I renounce, and alfo abominate, &c. I am, Sir, your Honour's, to ferve you at command,

TIMOTHY SHUTTLEWORTH.

P. S. Weaving performed in all its branches. at reasonable rates; alfo, cloth taken in for the Dalquharn bleachfield.

My worthy correfpondent Mr. Shuttleworth, in the after-part of his letter, intrusts me with his fentiments concerning fome very momentous fubjects; but I fhould not deferve the honour of his friendship, were I to impart to the Public what has been communicated to me in confidence.

Not knowing his direction, and not having been favoured with a cypher from him, I can only fay, that "n. p. had no more influence in "the matter of the c. p. and the p. b. than "th-m-n of th-m-n; and of this Mr. "Shuttleworth may reft affured.".

With refpect to the Latin words, which have been the innocent caufe of fo much uneafinefs. to him, they are taken from a Roman poet, but no Roman Catholic: in metre, accommodated to the courfe of my friend's studies, they fignify,

That for our father's land to die, it is a comely thing.

As, indeed, I meddle not with the high matters of politics, I fhall only add, that it is to be hoped there are very few who confult Shuttleworth's dictionary...

Since I have been defired to advise the Authors of newspapers to write intelligibly, I must fay fomething on that fubject, left my filence fhould be conftrued into an acknowledgment of my little credit with thofe gentlemen..

Of their skill in the learned languages, I pretend not to give any opinion. Thus much, however, I may be allowed to fay, without offence, that they are the hiftorians of the vulgar; that, in our country, the perfons who pafs under the name of the vulgar, are not unconcerned fpectators of national events; and, "that what relates "to all, ought to be understood of all."

A man may write in the native language of his readers, and yet be unintelligible. For example, when contrary propofitions are positively

afferted,

afferted, when paragraphs encounter with paragraphs, and " joftle in the dark," what must be the state of him who fits down to spell the newfpapers with the determined refolution of believ-, ing whatever he sees in print?.

There is a pleasure in giving good advice, and therefore I must take this opportunity of going a little beyond my friend's commiffion.

A witty ftatesman of the days of our fathers. obferved," that John Bull was always in the "garret, or in the cellar." John's own fifter Margaret, although not quite fo delicate in her fenfations, has much of the family difpofition.. If the wind fets in to the eaft, then we are a betrayed, and abandoned, and lost people; but on the wind coming round to the west, what nation fo glorious and well-governed as ours? Our perfidious enemies fhall know what it is to roufe the Lion, to annoy the Thistle, or to put the Harp out of tune.

Such being the difpofition of readers apt to be depreffed or elevated on every occafion, or on no occafion, the writers of newspapers ought to be cautious as well in flackening as in overbracing the nerves of their customers; and the only method I can recommend for attaining this happy medium, is, "that they report nothing but what they believe to be true;" or, if that be to require too much of flesh and blood, "that. "they

B 3