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world teaches; for few are mean enough to be bul lied, though moft are weak enough to be bubbled. I have often feen people of fuperior, governed by people of much inferior parts, without knowing or even fufpecting that they were fo governed. This can only happen, when thofe people of inferior parts have more worldly dexterity and experience than those they govern. They fee the weak and unguarded part, and apply to it: they take it, and all the reft follows.

This knowledge of the world teaches us more particularly two things, both of which are of infinite confequence, and to neither of which nature inclines us ; I mean the command of our temper, and our counte nance. A man who has no monde is inflamed with anger, or annihilated with fhame at every difagreeable incident the one makes him act and talk like a madman, the other makes him look like a fool. But a man who has du monde, feems not to understand what he cannot or ought not to refent. If he makes a flip himfelf, he recovers it by his coolnefs, inftead of plunging deeper by his confulion like a ftumbling horfe. He is firm, but gentle; and practifes that moft excellent maxim, fuaviter in modo, fortiter in re. People, unufed to the world, have babbling countenances; and are unfkilful enough to fhow what they have fenfe enough not to tell. In the courfe of the world, a man must very often put on an eafy, frank countenance, upon very difagreeable fituations. This may, nay muft be done, without falfehood and treachery for it must go no farther than politeness and manners, and muft ftop fhort of affurances and profeffions of fimulated friendfhip. Good manners to thofe one does not love are no more a breach of truth, than " your humble fervant" at the bottom of a challenge is; they are univer tally agreed upon, and understood to be things of courfe. They are neceffary guards of the decency and peace of fociety: they muft only act defenfively; and then not with arms poifoned with perfidy. Truth, but not the whole truth, must be the invariable principle of every man who hath either religion, honour, or pru

dence. Those who violate it may be cunning, but they are not able. Lies and perfidy are the refuge of fools and cowards.-Adieu!

LETTER CXLIII.

Romance of Caffandra... German Courts ..Attention to the who fpeak...Favourite Expreffions of Fools.

I

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, May the 11th.

BREAK my word by writing this letter; but I break it on the allowable fide, by doing more than I promifed. I have pleafure in writing to you, and you may poffibly have fome profit in reading what I write either of the motives were fuflicient for me; both I cannot withstand. By your laft I calculate that you will leave Paris this day fevennight; uponk that fuppofition this letter may still find you there.

Colonel Perry arrived here two or three days ago, and fent me a book from you; "Caflandra abridged. I am fure it cannot be too much abridged. The fpirit of that most voluminous work, fairly extracted, may be contained in the fmalleft duodecimo; and it is moft aftonishing that there ever could have been people idle enough to write or read fuch endless heap of the fame Huff. It was, however, the occupation of thousands in the last century; and is fill the private, though difavowed amufement of young girls and fentimental ladies. A love-fick girl finds, in the captain with whom fhe is in love, all the courage and all the graces of the tender and accomplished Oroondates; and many a grown-up fentimental lady talks delicate Clelia to the hero whom he would engage to eternal love, or laments with her that love is not eternal.

It is, however, very well to have read one of thofe extravagant works (of all which La Calpranede's are the bert) becaufe it is well to be able to talk with fome degree of knowledge, upon all thofe fubjects that other people talk tometimes upon; and I would by no means Lave any thing, that is known to others, be totally un

known to you. It is a great advantage for any man to be able to talk, or to hear, neither ignorantly nor abfurdly, upon any fubject; for I have known people, who have not faid one word, hear ignorantly and abfurdly; it has appeared in their inattentive and unmeanng faces.

This I think, is as little likely to happen to you, as to any body of your age and, if you will but add an aly conformity of manners, I know no company in which you are likely to be de trop.

This cafe of manner, is more particularly neces fary for you at this time, now that you are going to fo many different places; for though the manners and cuftoms of the feveral courts of Germany are in general the fame,yet every one has its particular characteriflic, fome peculiarity or other which diftinguishes it from the next. This you fhould carefully attend to, and immediately adopt. "Nothing flatters people more, nor makes ftrangers fo welcome, as fuch an occafional conformity. I do not mean by this, that you fhould himic the air and stiffness of every awkward German court; no, by no means; but I mean that fhould you

only cheerfully comply, and fall in with certain local habits, fuch as ceremonies, diet, turn of converfation, &c. People who are lately come from Paris, and who have been a good while there, are generally fufpected, and especially in Germany, of having a degree of contempt for every other place. Take great care that nothing of this kind appear, at leaft outwardly, in your behaviour; but commend whatever deferves any de gree of commendation, without comparing it with what you may have left much better of the fame kind at Paris. As, for inftance, the German kitchen is, without doubt, execrable, and the French delicious; however, never commend the French kitchen at a German table, but eat of what you can find tolerable there, and commend it, without comparing it to any thing better. I have known many British Yahoes, who, though while they were at París conformed to no one French cuftem, as foon as they got any where elfe, talked of nothing but what they did, law,

and

eat at Paris. The freedom of the French is not to be ufed indifcriminately at all the courts in Germany, though their eafinefs may, and ought; but that too at fome places more than others. The courts of Manheim and Bonn, I take to be a little more unbarbarised than fome others; that of Mayence, an ecclefiaftical one, as well as that of Treves, (neither of which is much frequented by foreigners) retains, I conceive, a great deal of the Goth and Vandal ftill. There,. more referve and ceremony are neceffary; and not a word of the French. At Berlin, you cannot be too French. Hanover, Brunfwick, Caffel, &c. are of the mixed kind.

Another thing, which I most earnestly recommend to you, not only in Germany, but in every part of the world where you may ever be, is, not only real, but feeming attention to whomever you fpeak to, or to whoever fpeaks to you. There is nothing fo brutally fhocking, nor fo little forgiven, as a feeming inattention to the perfon who is fpeaking to you; and I have known many a man knocked down, for, (in my opinion) a much flighter provocation, than that fhocking inattention which I mean. I have feen many people, who, while you are fpeaking to them, instead of looking at, and attending to you, fix their eyes upon the ceiling, or fome other part of the room, look out of the window, play with a dog, twirl their fnuff-box, or pick their nofe. Nothing difcovers a little, futile, frivolous mind more than this, and nothing is fo offenfively ill-bred it is an explicit declaration on your part, that every the most trifling object deferves your attention more than all that can be faid by the perfoh who is fpeaking to you. Judge of the fentiments of hatred and refentment which fuch treatment must excite, in every breaft where any degree of felf-love dwells; and I am fure, I never yet met with that breast where there was not a great deal. I repeat it again, and again, (for it is highly neceflary for you to remember it) that fort of vanity and felf-love is infeparable from human nature, whatever may be its rank or condition even your footman will fooner forget and forgive a

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beating, than any manifeft mark of flight and contempt. Be therefore, I beg of you, not only really, but feemingly and manifeftly, attentive to whoever ipeaks to you; nay more, take their tone, and tune yourfelf to their unifon. Be ferious with the ferious, and gay with the gay. In affuming thefe various fhapes, endeavour to make each of them feem to fit eafy upon you, and even to appear to be your own natural one. This is the true and ufeful verfatility, of which a thorough knowledge of the world at once teaches the utility and the means of acquiring.

I am very fure, at least I hope, that you will never make use of a filly expreffion, which is the favourite expreffion, and the abfurd excufe of all fools and blockheads; "I cannot do fuch a thing," a thing by no means either morally or phyfically impoffible." I cannot attend long together to the fame thing," fays one fool that is, he is fuch a fool that he will not. I remember a very awkward fellow, who did not know what to do with his fword, and who always took it off before dinner, faying, that he could not poffibly dine with his fword cn; upon which I could not help telling him, that I really believed he could, without any probable danger either to himfeif or others. It is a fhame and an abfurdity for any man to fay, that he cannot do all thofe things which are commonly done by all the reft of mankind.

Another thing that I must carneftly warn you againft, is lazinefs; by which more people have left the fruit of their travels than (perhaps) by any other thing, Pray be always in motion. Early in the morning go and fee things; and the reft of the day go and fee people. If you itay but a week at a place, and that an infignificant one, fec, however, all that is to be feen there; know as many people, and get into as many houfes as

ever you can,

I recommend to you likewife, though probably you have thought of it yourfelf, to carry in your pocket a map of Germany, in which the poft-roads are marked; and alfo fome short book of travels through Germany. The former will help to imprint in your memory

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