TEMPERS POSITIVE, COMPARATIVE, AND SUPERLATIVE. 393 



tempers that partake so much of that of the dark gen- 

 tleman of horn and hoof notoriety, that, do what you 

 will, they are not to be pleased or conciliated, who, as 

 it is beautifully and figuratively expressed, " get out 

 of bed the wrong end first." (Qu?ere, what end is 

 alluded to ?) If we could suppose anything so im- 

 probable and monstrous as a lady thus emerging from 

 her couch, I can imagine an end on which, if presented, 

 a very very leetle gentle tap or two might be allowable, 

 as the only kind of pardonable or to-be-dreamt- of 

 corporal punishment to be tolerated — a mode of cor- 

 rection by far more manly (and agreeable), both to the 

 one who administers it and the one who receives it, 

 than the brutal idea of " the stick the size of a 

 thumb," allowed by a judge, who could never have 

 tried my plan ; for if he had, and did not prefer it, he 

 must have been a very bad judge indeed, at least in 

 such little or large matters (as the case might be). 

 Then there is the intermediate temper, which I consider 

 belongs to such as are pleased enough when every thing 

 is done to please them. From what I have seen of 

 men, I consider the last as very tolerable and bearable 

 tempers. We are bound in this world to do what we 

 consider will be likely to be pleasant to each other in 

 a reasonable way ; and all I should ask of a companion 

 would be to be good-humoured when I did so. I do 

 not mean, if I cut otF a man's ear, and he grumbled, 

 and then if I took off a piece of his nose, and he 

 grumbled worse, that I should have any right to say, 

 " do what I would I could not please him ; " but I do 

 think I should not ask too much if I required good- 

 humour when I did what ought to please ; yet I 

 have often found my expectations in this disappointed. 

 Now, I do what I can to please my readers. It may 



