Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE

MIRROR.

N° 75. TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1780.

SIR,

To the AUTHOR of the MIRROR.

I 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 eighty-five societies, all zealous for the liberty of the press, in consistency with, and in conformity to, our establish ment; and so I think that you are at liberty to write of those things only whereof you have understanding; and if so be that, by reason of your silence, you abuse, or, as one may say, vilipend the liberty of the press, judge you yourself; as for me I say nothing.

But, although you give us no news yourself, perhaps you have something to say with the gentlemen who make the news; and if so, I hope that you will recommend it to them so to write, as that they may be understood of men who are not booklearned.

They, being book-learned gentlemen, write in divers tongues, whereby we poor simple men are at a loss, and Europe may be overthrown by com

[blocks in formation]
[graphic]

pacts and associations, or ever we can unders the danger.

Not many days ago, I read in the news, some good men put up an advertisement on a sta with this superscription, pro patria mori, and the superscription rejoiced all honest hearts. enquired of our deacon, who received the rudim of his education at the grammar school of Le hagoe, what was the meaning of the words? an made answer, that the words were Latin, and he thought they would be found in the Latin tionary; the which having got, I, on search discovered that pro signified for the sake of, and patria signified a man's native country, and that signified foolish and silly persons.

Wherefore, by joining together the words conjectured, moreover, that the interpretation pro patria mori was foolish or silly persons for the of their native country, or that they who act for a native country are foolish and silly persons.

Now, Sir, if so be that this is so, I moreover o jecture, that the honest men who put up the vertisement, and they who rejoiced thereat, w deceived through ignorance of the Latin tong and that to them there was no cause of rejoicing

Of that tongue I think no good; it is repor amongst us, that the mass is written in it, the wh I renounce, and also abominate, &c. I am, your Honour's, to serve you at command,

TIMOTHY SHUTTLEWOR

P. S. Weaving performed in all its branche reasonable rates; also, cloth taken in for the 1 quharn bleachfield.

« PreviousContinue »