of mine for you to any mortal; but learn to keep your own fecrets, which, by the way, very few people

can do.

If your courfe of experimental philosophy, with Abbé Nolet, is over, I would have you apply to Abbé Sallier for a master to give you a general notion of aftronomy and geometry; of both which you may know as much as I defire you fhould in fix months time. I only defire that you fhall have a clear notion of the prefent planetary fyftem, and the hiftory of all the former fyftems. Fontenelle's Pluralité des Mondes will almost teach you all you need know upon that fubject. As for geometry, the feven firft books of Euclid will be a fufficient portion of it for you. It is right to have a general notion of thofe abftrufe sciences, so as not to appear quite ignorant of them, when they happen, as fometimes they do, to be the topics of converfation; but a deep knowledge of them requires too much time, and engroffes the mind too much. I repeat it again and again to you, let the great book of the World be your principal ftudy.

Whatever may be faid at Paris of my fpeech upon the bill for the reformation of the prefent calendar, or whatever applaufe it may have met with here, the whole, I can affure you, is owing to the words and to the delivery, but by no means to the matter; which, as I told you in a former letter, I was not mafter of. I mention this again, to fhew you the importance of well-chofen words, harmonious periods, and good delivery; for, between you and me, Lord Macclesfield's fpeech was, in truth, worth a thousand of mine. It will foon be printed, and I will fend it you. It is very inftructive. You fay, that you with to fpeak but half as well as I did: you may eafily fpeak full as well as ever I did, if you will but give the fame attention to the fame objects that I did at your age, and for many years afterwards; I mean, correctnefs, purity and elegancy of ftyle, harmony of periods, and gracefulness of delivery. Read over and over again the third book of Cicero de Oratore, in which he particularly treats of the ornamental parts of oratory: they are indeed prop

erly oratory, for all the reft depends only upon common fenfe, and fome knowledge of the fubjects you fpeak upon. But if you would pleafe, perfuade, and prevail in speaking, it must be by the ornamental parts of oratory.-Adieu!

LETTER CXVIII.

Judgment in Paintings...Style of Converfation at Paris... Neceffity of adapting ourselves to the Company.

I

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, April the 22 d.

APPLY to you now, as to the greatest virtuofo of this, or perhaps any other age; one whofe fuperior judgment and diftinguishing eye hindered the king of Poland from buying a bad picture at Venice, and whofe decifions in the realms of virtù are final, and without appeal. Now to the point. I have had a catalogue fent me, for the fale of fome pictures at the apartments of the Sieur Araignon Aperen, valet de chambre de la Reine, fur le quai de la Mégifferie, au coin de l'Arche Marion. There I obferve two large pictures of Titian, as defcribed in the inclofed page of the catalogue, No. 18, which I fhould be glad to purchase, upon two conditions; the first is, that they be undoubted originals of Titian, in good prefervation; and the other, that they come cheap. To afcertain the firft, (but without difparaging your skill) I wish you would get fome undoubted connoifleurs to examine them carefully; and if, upon fuch critical examination, they fhould be unanimously allowed to be undisputed originals of Titian, and well preferved, then comes the fecond point, the price I will not go above two hundred pounds fterling for the two together; but as much lefs as you can get them for. I acknowledge that two hundred pounds feems to be a very fmall fum for two undoubted Titians of that fize; but, on the other hand, as large Italian pictures are now out of fashion at Paris, where fashion decides of every thing, and as thefe pictures are too large for common rooms, they may pof

within the price above limited. I leave the is tranfadion (che price excepted, which texosed) to your confummate fkill and pre, with proper advice joined to them. Should happen to buy them for that price, carry them to r own lodgings, and get a frame made to the fecond, which I obferve as non,xactly the fame with the other frame, and have the old one new gilt; and then get them carefully packed up, and fent me by Rouen.

I hear much of your converfing with les beaux pris at Paris: I am very glad of it; it gives a degree of reputation, cfpecially at Paris; and their converfation is generally inflructive, though fometinics affected. It must be owned, that the polite converfation of the men and women of fashion at Paris, though not always very deep, is much lefs futile and frivolous than ours here. It turns at leaft upon fome fubject, fomething of tafte, fome point of hiftory, criticifm, and even philofophy; which, though probably not quite fo folid as Mr. Locke's, is however better, and inore becoming ration al beings, then our frivolous differtations upon the weather, or upon whift. Monfieur du Clos obferves, and I think very juftly, qu'il y a à prefent en France unt fermentation univerfelle de la raison qui tend à fe dvelopper. § Whereas, I am forry to fay, that here that fermentation feems to have been over fome years ago,the fpirit evap orated, and only the dregs left. Moreover, les beaux ef prits at Paris are commonly well bred, which ours very frequently are not with the former your manners will be formed; with the latter, wit must generally be compounded for at the expenfe of manners. Are you acquainted with Marivaux, who has certainly ftudied, and is well acquainted with the heart; but who refines fo much upon its plis et replis, + and defcribes them fo affectedly, that he often is unintelligible to his readers, and fometimes fo, I dare fay, to himfelf? Do you know Crébillon de Fils? He is a fine painter, and a

Tht there is at prefent in France a general fermentation of reafon, which tends to a cifis.

Ecldings and refoldings..

pleafing writer; his characters are admirable, and his reflections juft. Frequent thefe people, and be glad, but not proud, of frequenting them; never boaft of it, as a proof of your own merit; nor infult, in a manner, other companies, by telling them affectedly what you, Montefquieu, and Fontenelle were talking of the other day; as I have known many people do here, with regard to Pope and Swift, who had never been twice in company with either nor carry into other companies the tone of thofe meetings of beaux efprits. Talk of literature, tafte, philofophy, &c. with them; but with the fame eafe talk of pompons, moires, &c. with Madame de Blot if he requires it. Almoft every fubject in the world has its proper time and place; in which no one is above or below difcufHon. The point is, to talk well upon the fubject you talk upon; and the moft trifling, frivolous fubjects, will ftill give a man of parts an opportunity of fhowing them. L'ufage du grand monde' can alone teach that. This was the diftinguishing characteristic of Alcibiades, and a happy one it was; that he could occafionally, and with fo much eafe, adopt the moft different, and even the moft oppofite habits and manners, that each feemed natural to him. Prepare yourself for the great world, as the athlete ufed to do for their exercifes; oil, (if I may ufe that expreffion) your mind, and your manners, to give them the neceffary fupplenefs and flexibility; ftrength alone will not do, as young people are too apt to think.

LETTER CXIX.

Attention to Manners... Corpulency...Behaviour in different Companies.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

T

London, May the ad.

WO accounts, which I have very lately received of you, from two good judges, have put me into great

§ Frequenting the great world.

fpirits. I congratulate you and myfelf upon your
being fo near that point at which I fo anxicully with
you may arrive. I am fure, that all your attention
and endeavours will be exerted; and, if exerted, ther
will fucceed. Mr. Tollot fays, that you are inclined
to be fat; but I hope you will decline it as much as
you can; not by taking any thing corrofive to make
you lean, but by taking as little as you can of those
things that would make you fat. Drink no chocolate,
take your coffee without cream: you cannot pollibly
avoid fuppers at Paris, unlefs you avoid company too,
which I would by no means have you do ; but eat as
little at fupper as you can, and make even an allow
ance for that little at your dinners. Take, occafion!
ly, a double dofe of riding and fencing; and now that
the fummer is come, walk a good deal in the Tuill
ries: it is a real inconveniency to any body to be fat;
and, befides, it is ungraceful for a young fellow. 4
projos, I had like to have forgotten to tell you, that I
charged Tollor to attend particularly to your utter-
ance and diction; two points of the utmost import
ance. To the first he fays, "His enunciation is not
bad, but it is to be wilted that it was ftill better; and
he expreffes himself with more fire than elegancy.
Ufage of good company will inftruct him likewife in
that." Thefe, I allow, are all little things, feparately;
but, aggregately, they make a moft important and great
article in the account of a gentleman.
of commons you can never make a figure, without
elegancy of ftyle, and gracefulness of utterance; and
you can never fucceed as a courtier at your own court,
or as a minifter at any other, without thefe innume-
rable petits riens dars les manières et dans les attentions.
Mr. Yorke is by this time at Paris; make your court
to him, but not fo as to difguft, in the leaft, Lord Albe-
marle, who may poffibly diflike your confidering Mr.
Yorke as the man of bufinefs, and him as only p
orner la fcene. Whatever your opinion may be upon

Little nothings in the manners and attentions..
To fill up the scene.

In the houfe