Date: 1765

"The best Way to prove the Clearness of our Mind is by shewing its Faults; as when a Stream discovers the Dirt at the Bottom, it convinces us of the Transparency and Purity of the Water."

— Anonymous

Date: 1773

"Think'st thou, had Fancy's mirror struck his sight, / And brought thy too degenerate deeds to light; / Had shewn thee curst to such a vicious race, / Whose very breath contaminates the place: / How would his manly heart with grief have died / T'have seen this fatal barrier to his pride?"

— Anonymous

Date: July, 1797

"Thro' rural scenes she still conducts her boy, / From factious folly and tumultuous strife; / In fancy's mirror bids her bard enjoy, / The simple blessings of a cottage life."

— Orestes [Pseud.]

Date: January 1815

"The lover ceas'd--with bolder stroke / His oar the sparkling crystal broke, / While brighter than the current's brim / Soft Fancy's mirror shone for him."

— Anonymous