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P。  S。  As I was making up my letter; I received yours of the 6th; O。 S。 I like your dissertation upon Preliminary Articles and Truces。  Your definitions of both are true。  Those are matters which I would have you be master of; they belong to your future department; But remember too; that they are matters upon which you will much oftener have occasion to speak than to write; and that; consequently; it is full as necessary to speak gracefully and distinctly upon them as to write clearly and elegantly。  I find no authority among the ancients; nor indeed among the moderns; for indistinct and unintelligible utterance。  The Oracles indeed meant to be obscure; but then it was by the ambiguity of the expression; and not by the inarticulation of the words。  For if people had not thought; at least; they understood them; they would neither have frequented nor presented them as they did。  There was likewise among the ancients; and is still among the moderns; a sort of people called Ventriloqui; who speak from their bellies; on make the voice seem to come from some other part of the room than that where they are。  But these Ventriloqui speak very distinctly and intelligibly。  The only thing; then; that I can find like a precedent for your way of speaking (and I would willingly help you to one if I could) is the modern art 'de persifler'; practiced with great success by the 'Petits maitres' at Paris。  This noble art consists in picking out some grave; serious man; who neither understands nor expects; raillery; and talking to him very quick; and inarticulate sounds; while the man; who thinks that he did not hear  well; or attend sufficiently; says; 'Monsieur?  or 'Plait…il'?  a hundred times; which affords matter of much mirth to those ingenious gentlemen。  Whether you would follow; this precedent; I submit to you。

Have you carried no English or French comedies of tragedies with you to Leipsig?  If you have; I insist upon your reciting some passages of them every day to Mr。 Harte in the most distinct and graceful manner; as if you were acting them upon a stage。

The first part of my; letter is more than an answer to your questions concerning Lord Pulteney。




LETTER XLV

LONDON; July; 20; O。 S。  1748

DEAR BOY:  There are two sorts of understandings; one of which hinders a man from ever being considerable; and the other commonly makes him ridiculous;  I mean the lazy mind; and the trifling; frivolous mind: Yours; I hope; is neither。  The lazy mind will not take the trouble of going to the bottom of anything; but; discouraged by the first difficulties (and everything worth knowing or having is attained with some); stops short; contents; itself with easy; and consequently superficial knowledge; and prefers a great degree of ignorance to a small degree of trouble。  These people either think; or represent most things as impossible; whereas; few things are so to industry and activity。  But difficulties seem to them; impossibilities; or at least they pretend to think them soby way of excuse for their laziness。  An hour's attention to the same subject is too laborious for them; they take everything in the light in which it first presents itself; never consider; it in all its different views; and; in short; never think it through。  The consequence of this is that when they come to speak upon these subjects; before people who have considered them with attention; they only discover their own ignorance and laziness; and lay themselves open to answers that put them in confusion。  Do not then be discouraged by the first difficulties; but 'contra audentior ito'; and resolve to go to the bottom of all those things which every gentleman ought to know well。  Those arts or sciences which are peculiar to certain professions; need not be deeply known by those who are not intended for those professions。  As; for instance; fortification and navigation; of both which; a superficial and general knowledge; such as the common course of conversation; with a very little inquiry on your part; will give you; is sufficient。  Though; by the way; a little more knowledge of fortification may be of some use to you; as the events of war; in sieges; make many of the terms; of that science occur frequently in common conversation; and one would be sorry to say; like the Marquis de Mascarille in Moliere's 'Precieuses Ridicules'; when he hears of 'une demie lune; Ma foi! c'etoit bien une lune toute entiere'。  But those things which every; gentleman; independently of profession; should know; he ought to know well; and dive into all the depth of them。  Such are languages; history; and geography ancient and modern; philosophy; rational logic; rhetoric; and; for you particularly; the constitutions and the civil and military state of every country in Europe: This; I confess; is a pretty large circle of knowledge; attended  with some difficulties; and requiring some trouble; which; however; an active and industrious mind will overcome; and be amply repaid。  The trifling and frivolous mind is always busied; but to little purpose; it takes little objects for great ones; and throws away upon trifles that time and attention which only important things deserve。 Knick…knacks; butterflies; shells; insects; etc。; are the subjects of their most serious researches。  They contemplate the dress; not the characters of the company they keep。  They attend more to the decorations of a play than the sense of it; and to the ceremonies of a court more than to its politics。  Such an employment of time is an absolute loss of it。  You have now; at most; three years to employ either well or ill; for; as I have often told you; you will be all your life what you shall be three years hence。  For God's sake then reflect。  Will you throw this time away either in laziness; or in trifles?  Or will you not rather employ every moment of it in a manner that must so soon reward you with so much pleasure; figure; and character?  I cannot; I will not doubt of your choice。  Read only useful books; and never quit a subject till you are thoroughly master of it; but read and inquire on till then。  When you are in company; bring the conversation to some useful subject; but 'a portee' of that company。  Points of history; matters of literature; the customs of particular countries; the several orders of knighthood; as Teutonic; Maltese; etc。; are surely better subjects of conversation; than the weather; dress; or fiddle…faddle stories; that carry no information along with them。  The characters of kings and great men are only to be learned in conversation; for they are never fairly written during their lives。  This; therefore; is an entertaining and instructive subject of conversation; and will likewise give you an opportunity of observing how very differently characters are given; from the different passions and views of those who give them。  Never be ashamed nor afraid of asking questions: for if they lead to information; and if you accompany them with some excuse; you will never be reckoned an impertinent or rude questioner。  All those things; in the common course of life; depend entirely upon the manner; and; in that respect; the vulgar saying is true; 'That one man can better steal a horse; than another look over the hedge。'  There are few things that may not be said; in some manner or other; either in a seeming confidence; or a genteel irony; or introduced with wit; and one great part of the knowledge of the world consists in knowing when and where to make use of these different manners。  The graces of the person; the countenance; and the way of speaking; contribute so much to this; that I am convinced; the very same thing; said by a genteel person in an engaging way; and GRACEFULLY and distinctly spoken; would please; which would shock; if MUTTERED out by an awkward figure; with a sullen; serious countenance。  The poets always represent Venus as attended by the three Graces; to intimate that even beauty will not do without: I think they should have given Minerva three also; for without them; I am sure learning is very unattractive。  Invoke them; then; DISTINCTLY; to accompany all your words and motions。  Adieu。

P。 S。  Since I wrote what goes before; I have received your letter; OF NO DATE; with the inclosed state of the Prussian forces: of which; I hope; you have kept a copy; this you should lay in a 'portefeuille'; and add to it all the military establishments that you can get of other states and kingdoms: the Saxon establishment you may; doubtless; easily find。  By the way; do not forget to send me answers to the questions which I sent you some time ago; concerning both the civil and the ecclesiastical affairs of Saxony。

Do not mistake me; and think I only mean that you should speak elegantly with regard to style; and the purity of language; but I mean; that you should deliver and pronounce what you say gracefully and distinctly; for which purpose I will have you frequently read very loud; to Mr。 Harte; recite parts of orations; and speak passages of plays; for; without a graceful and pleasing enunciation; all your elegancy of style; in speaking; is not worth one farthing。

I am very glad that Mr。 Lyttelton approves of my new house; and particularly of my CANONICAL'James Brydges; duke of Chandos; built a most magnificent and elegant house at CANNONS; about eight miles from London。  It was superbly furnished with fine pictures; statues; etc。; which; after his death; were sold; by auction。  Lord Chesterfield purchased the hall…pillars; the floor; and staircase with double flig1hts; which are now m Chesterfield House; London。'pillars。  My bust of Cicero is a very fine one; and well preserved; it will have the best place in my library; unless at your return you bring me over as good a modern head of your own; which I should like still better。  I can tell you; that I shall examine it as attentively as ever antiquary did an old one。

Make my compliments to Mr。 Harte; at whose recovery I rejoice。




LETTER XLVI

LONDON; August 2; O。 S。  1748。

DEAR BOY: Duval the jeweler; is arrived; and was with me three or four days ago。  You will easily imagine that I asked him a few questions concerning you; and I will give you the satisfaction of knowing that; upon the whole; I was very well pleased with the account he 

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