treaty of Neuftadt, confirmed afterwards by that of Abo; though, in truth, that guarantee was rather a provifion againft Ruffia's attempting to alter the then new-established form of government in Sweden than any right given to Ruffia to hinder the Swedes from eftablishing what form of government they pleafed.Read them both, if you can get them.-Adieu ! Difpute between the King and Parliament...Prophecy of the French Revolution...Voltaire's Age of Louis XIV...Injudicious Parents, Enemies to their Children. MY DEAR FRIEND, London, April the 13th. I RECEIVE this moment your letter of the 19th, with the inclofed pieces relative to the prefent difpute between the king and the parliament. I fhall return them by Lord Huntingdon, whom you will foon fee at Paris, and who will likewife carry you the piece, which I forgot in making up the packet I fent you by the Spanish ambaffador. The reprefentation of the parliament is very well drawn, fuavitèr in modo, fortitèr in re. They tell the king very refpectfully, that in a certain cafe, which they should think it criminal to fuppofe, they would not obey him. This hath a tendency to what we call here revolution principles. I do not know what the Lord's anointed, his vicegerent upon earth, divinely appointed by him, and accountable to none but him for his actions, will either think or do upon these fymptoms of reafon and good fenfe, which feem to be breaking out all over France; but this I forefee, that, before the end of this century, the trade of both king and prieft will not be half fo good a one as it has been. -Du Clos, in his reflections, hath obferved, and very truly, Qu'il y a un germe de raison qui commence à fe dévelloper en France +. A développement that must prove fatal to regal and papal pretenfions. Prudence may, in many + That there is a germ of reason which begins to develope itself in France. 394 cafes, recommend an occafional fubmiffion to e but when that ignorance, upon which an i faith in both could only be founded, is once ren God's vicegerent, and Chrift's vicar, will of obeyed and believed as far as what the one and the other fays, is conformable to reafon a truth. I am very glad (to ufe a vulgar expreffion) tl make as if you were not well. It is the likelieft v keep fo. Pray leave off entirely your greafy, patry, fat creams, and indigeftible dumplings then you need not confine yourfelf to white which I do not take to be one jot wholefomer beef, mutton, and partridge. Voltaire fent me from Berlin his hiftory du Si Louis XIV. He has made me much better acqua with the times of Lewis XIV. than the innum volumes which I had read could do; and hath gefted this reflection to me, which I had never before-his vanity, not his knowledge made hi courage all, and introduce many arts and fcienc his country. He opened in a manner the human derstanding in France, and brought it to its utmoft fection; his age equalled in all, and greatly exce in many things (pardon me, pedants) the Augu This was great and rapid; but ftill it might be d by the encouragement, the applaufe, the rewards, vain, liberal, and magnificent prince. What is m more furprifing is, that he ftopped the operations of human mind juft where he pleased, and feemed to "Thus far fhalt thou go, and no farther." For, a ot to his religion, and jealous of his power, free and tional thoughts upon either never entered into a Fren head during his reign; and the greatest geniuses t ever any age produced, never entertained a doubt the divine right of kings, or the infallibility of t church. Poets, orators, and philofophers, ignorant their natural rights, cherished their chains; active faith triumphed, in thofe great minds, over file and paffive reafon. The reverfe of this feems now and bli be the cafe in France : reafon opens itself; fancy and invention fade and decline. I will fend you a copy of this hiftory by lord Huntingdon, as I think it very probable that it is not allowed to be published and fold at Paris. Pray read it more than once, and with attention, particularly the fecond volume; which contains fhort, but very clear accounts of many very interesting things which are talked of by every body, though fairly underftood by very few. There are two very puerile affectations, which I wish this book had been free from ; the one is, the total fubverfion of all the old established French orthography; the other is, the not making use of any one capital letter throughout the whole book, except at the beginning of a paragraph. It offends my eyes to fee rome, paris, france, cæfar, henry the 4th, &c. begin with fmall letters; and I do not conceive that there can be any reafon for doing it half so strong as the reafon of long ufage is to the contrary. This is an affectation below Voltaire. I had a letter, a few days ago, from monfieur du Boccage; in which he fays, Monfieur Stanhope s'eft jetté dans la politique, et je crois qu'il y réuffira + you do very well, it is your deftination; but remember, that, to fucceed in great things, one must first learn to please in little ones. Engaging manners and addrefs muft prepare the way for fuperior knowledge and abilities to act with effect. The late duke of Marlborough's manners and address prevailed with the first king of Prussia to let his troops remain in the army of the allies, when neither their reprefentations, nor his own share in the common caufe, could do it. The duke of Marlborough had no new matter to urge to him; but had a manner which he could not, and did not refift. taire, among a thousand little delicate ftrokes of that kind, fays of the duke de la Feuillade, Qu'il étoir l'homme le plus brillant et le plus aimable du roiaume, et quoique gendre du général et miniftre, il avoit pour lui la faveur pu Vol + Mr. Stanhope is involved in the vortex of politics, and I think he will fucceed. bliquet. Various little circumftances of that for ten make a man of great real merit be hated, i not addrefs and manners to make him be loved. er all your own circumstances seriously, and find that, of all arts, the art of pleafing is the ceffary for you to ftudy and poflefs. A filly tyr Oderint modo timeant §: a wife man would have fa ament nikil timendum eft mihi ||—Judge, from y daily experience, of the efficacy of that plea fais quoi, when you feel, as you and every b tainly does, that in men it is more engagin knowledge; in women, than beauty. I long to fee lord and lady ***, (who are arrived) because they have lately feen you; a ways fancy that I can fifh out fomething new fr who have feen you laft: not that I fhall mu upon their accounts, because I distrust the ju of lord and lady *** in those matters about am moft inquifitive. They have ruined their o by what they called and thought loving him. have made him believe that the world was m him, not he for the world; and unless he stays a great while, and falls into very good comp will expect, what he will never find, the attenti complaifance from others which he has hither ufed to from papa and mamma. This I fea much the cafe of Mr. ****, who, I doubt, will through the body, and be near dying, before he how to live. However you may turn out, y never make me any of thefe reproaches. I in no filly, womanifh fondness for you: inftead flicting my tendernefs upon you, I have taken fible methods to make you deserve it. Adieu. That he was the most brilliant and amiable man in the and, though the fon-in-law of a General and a Minifter, was vourite with the public. Let them hate, if they but fear. While they love me i have nothing to fear. LETTER CXLII. Varieties and nice Diftinctions in the Human Character... Command of Temper. MY DEAR FRIEND, AVOIR London, April the 30 h. VOIR du monde is, in my opinion, a very juft and happy expreffion for having addrefs, manners, and for knowing how to behave properly in all companies. Without them, the beft parts are inefficient, civility is abfurd, and freedom offenfive. A profound student ufting in his cell at Oxford or Cambridge, will reafon admirably well upon the nature of man; will profoundly analyte the head, the heart, the reafon, the will, the paffions, the fenfes, the fentiments, and all those subdivifions of we know not what; and yet, unfortunately he knows nothing of man for he hath not lived with him; and is ignorant of all the various modes, habits, prejudices, and taftes, that always influence and often determine him. He views man as he does colours in Sir Ifaac Newton's prifm, where only capital ones are feen; but an experienced dyer knows all their various fhades and gradations, together with the refult of their feveral mixtures. Few men are of one plain, decided colour; moft are mixed, fhaded and blended; and vary as much from different fituations, as changeable filks do from different lights. The man qui a du monde knows all this from his own experience and obfervation: the cloistered philofopher knows nothing of it from his own theory; his practice is abfurd and improper; and he acts as awkwardly as a man would dance who had never feen others dance, nor learned of a dancingmafter, but who had only ftudied the notes by which dances are now pricked down, as well as tunes. Strong minds have undoubtedly an afcendent over weak ones, as Galagai Maréchale d'Ancre very juftly obferved, when to the difgrace and reproach of thole times, fhe was executed for having governed Mary of Medicis by the arts of witchcraft and magic. But ten afcendant is to be gained by degrees, and by thofe arts only which experience and the knowledge of the K k |