will answer even my wishes. All that remains for me then to with, to recommend, to inculcate, to order, and to infift upon, is good-breeding; without which, all your other qualifications will be lame, unadorned, and, to a certain degree, unavailing. And here I fear, and have too much reafon to believe, that you are greatly deficient. The remainder of this letter, therefore, fhall be upon this fubject.

A friend of yours and mine has very juftly defined good-breeding to be, the refult of much good-fenfe, fome good-nature, and a little self-denial for the fake of others, and with a view to obtain the fame indul gence from them. Taking this for granted (as I think it cannot be difputed) it is aftonifhing to me, that any body, who has good-fenfe and good nature (and I be lieve you have both) can effentially fait in good-breeding. As to the modes of it, indeed, they vary according to perfons, places, and circumftances; and are only to be acquired by obfervation and experience; but the fubftance of it is every-where and eternally the fame. Good manners are, to particular focieties, what good morals are to fociety in general: their cement, and their fecurity. And, as laws are enacted to enforce good morals, or at least to prevent the ill ef 'fects of bad ones, fo there are certain rules of civili ty, univerfally implied and received, to enforce good manners, and punifh bad ones. And indeed there feems to me to be lefs difference, both between the crimes and punishments, than at first one would imagine. The immoral man, who invades another's property, is juftly hanged for it ; and the ill-bred man, who by his ill manners invades and disturbs the quiet and comforts of private life, is by common confent as justly banished fociety. Mutual complaifance, attention and facrifices of little conveniences, are as na tural an implied compact between civilifed people, as protection and obedience are between kings and fubjects: whoever, in either cafe, violates that compact, juftly forfeits all advantages arifing from it. For my own part, I really think, that, next, to the confcioufnefs of doing a good action, that of doing a civil one

is the most pleasing: and the epithet which I fhould covet the moft, next to that of Ariftides, would be that of well-bred. Thus much for good-breeding in genearl ; I will now confider fome of the various modes and degrees of it.

Very few, fcarcely any, are wanting in the refpect which they fhould fhow to thofe whom they acknowledge to be infinitely their fuperiors; fuch as crowned heads, princes, and public perfons of diftinguished and eminent pofts. It is the manner of fhowing that refpect which is different. The man of fashion, and of the world, expreffes it in its fullest extent; but naturally, eafily, and without concern: whereas a man, who is not used to keep good company, expreffes it awkwardly; one fees that he is not used to it, and that it cofts him a great deal; but I never faw the worft bred-man living, guilty of lolling, whiftling, fcratching his head, and fuch-like indecencies, in company that he refpected. In fuch companies, therefore, the only point to be attended to is, to how that refpect, which every body means to thow, in an easy, unembarraffed, and graceful manner. This is what obfervation and experience muft teach you.

In mixed companies, whoever is admitted to make part of them, is, for the time at leaft, fuppofed to be upon a footing of equality with the reft; and, confequently, as there is no one principal object of awe and respect, people are apt to take a greater latitude in their behaviour, and to be lefs upon their guard; and fo they may, provided it be within certain bounds, which are upon no occafion to be tranfgreffed. But, upon thefe occafions, though no one is entitled to dif tinguifhed marks of refpect, every one claims, and very juftly, every mark of civility and good-breeding. Eafe is allowed, but carelefinefs and negligence are ftrictly forbidden. If a man accofts you, and talks to you ever fo dully or frivolously, it is worse than rudeness, it is brutality, to show him, by a manifeft inattention to what he fays, that you think him a fool or a blockhead, and not worth hearing. It is much more fo with regard to women; who of whatever rank they are, ar

entitled, in confideration of their fex, not only to an attentive, but an officious good-breeding from men. Their little wants, likings, diflikes, preferences, antip athies, fancies, whims, and even impertinences, muft be officioufly attended to, flattered, and, if poffible gueffed at and anticipated, by a well-bred man. You must never ufurp to yourself thofe conveniences, and agrémens which are of common right; fuch as the best places, the beft difhes, &c; but, on the contrary, always decline them yourfelf, and offer them to others; who, in their turns, will offer them to you: fo that, upon the whole, you will, in your turn, enjoy your fhare of the common right. It would be endless for me to enumerate all the particular inftances in which a well-bred man shows his good-breeding in good company; and it would be injurious to you to fuppofe, that your own good-fenfe will not point them out to you; and then your own good-nature will recom inend, and your felf-intereft enforce the practice.

There is a third fort of good-breeding, in which people are the most apt to fail, from a very mistaken notion that they cannot fail at all-I mean, with regard to one's most familiar friends and acquaintances, of those who really are our inferiors; and there, undoubt edly, a greater degree of eafe is not only allowed, but proper, and contributes much to the comforts of a pri vate, focial life. But that eafe and freedom have their bounds too, which must by no means be violated. A certain degree of negligence and careleffnefs becomes injurious and infulting, from the real or fup. pofed inferiority of the perfons: and that delightful liberty of converfation among a few friends, is foon deftroyed, as liberty often has been, by being carried to licentioufnefs. But example explains things beft, and I will put a pretty strong cafe. Suppofe you and me alone together; I believe you will allow that I have as good a right to unlimited freedom in your compa ny, as either you or I can poffibly have in any other; and I am apt to believe, too, that you would indulge me in that freedom as far as any body would. But, otwithstanding this, do you imagine that I should

think there were no bounds to that freedom? I affure you, I fhould not think fo; and I take myself to be as much tied down by a certain degree of good manners, to you, as by other degrees of them to other people. Were I to fhow you, by a manifeft inattention to what you faid to me, that I was thinking of fomething else the whole time; were I to yawn extremely, fnore, or break-wind in your company, I fhould think that I behaved myself to you like a beaft, and should not expect that you would care to frequent me. No : the most familiar and intimate habitudes, connections, and friendships, require a degree of good-breeding, both to preferve and cement them. If ever a man and his wife, who pafs nights as well as days together, abfolutely lay afide all good-breeding, their intimacy will foon degenerate into a coarfe familiarity, infallibly productive of contempt or difguft. The best of us have our bad fides; and it is as imprudent, as it is illbred, to exhibit them. I fhall certainly not ufe ceremony with you; it would be mifplaced between us : but I fhall certainly obferve that degree of good-breeding with you, which is, in the first place, decent, and which, I am fure, is abfolutely neceffary to make us like one another's company long.

I will fay no more, now, upon this important fubject of good-breeding; upon which I have already dwelt too long, it may be, for one letter; and upon which I hall frequently refresh your memory hereafter: but I fhall conclude with thefe axioms:

That the deepeft learning, without good-breeding, is unwelcome and tiresome pedantry, and of use no where but in a man's own clofet; and confequently of no ufe at all.

That man, who is not perfeally well bred, is unfit for good company, and unwelcome in it; will confe quently diflike it foon, afterwards renounce it; and be reduced to folitude, or, what is worse, to low and bad company.

That a man, who is not well bred, is full as unfit for bufinefs as for company.

S

LETTER LXXX.

Of Style in Writing... Advantages of a good Style... Examples of a bad Style...Cicero and Quintilian.

DEAR BOY,

EVE

London, November the 24th

VERY rational being (I take it for granted) propofes to himself fome object more important than mere refpiration, and obfcure animal exiftence. He defires to distinguish himself among his fellow-creatures; and, alicui negotio intentus, præclari facinoris, aut artis bona, far mam quærit. Cæfar, when embarking in a ftorm, faid, that it was not neceffary he fhould live; but that it was abfolutely neceffary that he should get to the place to which he was going. And Pliny leaves mankind this only alternative; either of doing what deferves to be written, or of writing what deserves to be read. As for those who do neither, earum vitam mortemque ju ta ftumo; quoniam de utraque filetur t. You have, I am convinced, one or both of these objects in view; but you must know, and use the neceffary means, or your purfuit will be vain and frivolous. In either cafe, japere eft principium et fons ; but it is by no means all. That knowledge must be adorned, it must have luftre as well as weight, or it will be oftener taken for lead than for gold. Knowledge you have, and will have: I am eafy upon that article. But my bufinefs, as your friend, is not to compliment you upon what you have, but to tell you with freedom what you want; and I must tell you plainly, that I fear you want every thing but knowledge.

I have written to you, fo often, of late, upon goodbreeding, addrefs, les manieres liantes, the graces, &c. that I fhall confine this letter to another fubject, pretty

* intent on fome object, expects fame from a great action, or a lib

eral art.

t account their life and their death of equal importance, ince nothing is to be faid of either.

To be wife is the principal and the fource.
Engaging manners.