thus reckoned up all the decent expenfes of a gentleman, which I will most readily defray, I come now to thofe which I will neither bear nor fupply. The firft of thefe is gaming, of which, though I have not the leaft reafon to fufpect you, I think it neceffary eventually to affure you, that no confideration in the world shall ever make me pay your play-debts: fhould you ever urge to me that your honour is pawned, I fhould most immoveably answer you, that it was your honour, not mine, that was pawned; and that the creditor might e'en take the pawn for the debt.

Low company, and low pleasures, are always much nore coftly than liberal and elegant ones. The difgraceful riots of a tavern are much more expenfive, as well as difhonourable, than the exceffes in good company. Imuft abfolutely hear of no tavern scrapes and squabbles.

Laftly, there is another fort of expense that I will ot allow, only becaufe it is a filly one; I mean the boling away your money in baubles at toy fhops. Have one handfome fnuff-box (if you take fnuff) and me handfome fword; but then no more very pretty nd very ufelefs things.

By what goes before, you will eafily perceive that I hean to allow you whatever is neceffary, not only for he figure, but for the pleafures of a gentleman, and not

fupply the profufion of a rake. This, you must conPefs, does not favour of either the feverity or parfimony f old age. I confider this agreement between us as a ubfidiary treaty on my part, for fervices to be perormed on yours. I promife you, that I will be as unctual in the payment of the fubfidies as England has been during the laft war; but then I give you noice, at the fame time, that I require a much more fcrupulous execution of the treaty on your part than we met with on that of our allies, or elfe that payment will be ftopped. I hope all that I have now faid was abfoutely unneceffary, and that fentiments more worthy and more noble than pecuniary ones would of themelves have points out to you the conduct I recomend; but in all events, I refolved to be once for alt

1

explicit with you, that, in the worst that can happen, you may not plead ignorance, and complain that I had not fufficiently explained to you my intentions.

Having mentioned the word rake, I muft fay a word or two more upon that fubje&t, because young people too frequently, and always fatally, are apt to miftake that character for that of a man of pleasure; whereas there are not in the world two characters more different. A rake is a compofition of all the loweft, moft ignoble, degrading, and fhameful vices; they all confpire to difgrace his character, to ruin his fortune, and moft effectually destroy his conftitution. A diffolute, flagitious footman, or porter, makes full as good a rake as a man of the first quality. By the bye, let me tell you, that, in the wildeft part of my youth, I never was a rake, but on the contrary, always detefted and defpi fed the character.

Remember that I fhall know every thing you fay or do at Paris, as exactly as if, by the force of magic, could follow you every-where, like a fylph or a gnome, invifible myfelf. Seneca fays, very prettily, that one fhould afk nothing of God but what one fhould be wil ling that men should know; nor of men, but what one fhould be willing that God fhould know: I advife you to fay or do nothing at Paris but what you would be willing that I fhould know. I hope, nay I believe, that will be the cafe. Senfe, I dare fay, you do not want instruction, I am fure, you have never wanted; expe rience you are daily gaining; all which together mu inevitably (I should think) make you both refpectable and amiable, the perfection of a human character. In tha cafe, nothing fhall be wanting on my part, and you fhall folidly experience all the extent and tenderness of my affection for you; but dread the reverfe of both Adieu.

LETTER CII.

Rules for the Conduct of a young Man fetting out in the World... Greek Literature...Quarrels.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

I HAVE fent you fo mamy preparatory letters for

Paris, that this which will meet you there, fhall only be a fummary of them all.

At

You have hitherto had more liberty than any body of your age ever had; and I must do you the juftice to own, that you have made a better ufe of it than moit people of your age would have done; but then, though. you had not a jailor, you had a friend with you. Paris, you will not only be unconfined, but unaffifted. Your own good fenfe must be your only guide; I have great confidence in it, and am convinced that I fhall receive juft fuch accounts of your conduct at Paris as I could wifh. Enjoy the innocent pleafures of youth; you cannot do better: but refine and dignify them like a man of parts: let them raise and not fink, let them adorn and not villify your character; let them, in fhort, be the pleafures of a gentleman, and taken with your equals at leaft, but rather with your fuperiors, and thofe chiefly French.

Inquire into the characters of the feveral academicians, before you form a connection with any of them; and be most upon your guard against those who make the most court to you.

You cannot ftudy much in the academy; but you may ftudy usefully there, if you are an economist of your time, and beftow only upon good books those quarters and halves of hours which occur to every body in the course of almost every day; and which, at the year's end, amount to a very confiderable fum of time. Let Greek, without fail, fhare fome part of every day= I do not mean the Greek poets, the catches of Anacreon, or the tender complaints of Theocritus, or even the porter-like language of Homer's heroes; of whom all fmatterers in Greek know a little, quote often, and talk of always; but I mean Plato, Ariftotle, DemoftZ

henes, and Thucydides, whom none but adepts know. It is Greek that muft diftinguifh you in the learned world; Latin will not. And Greek must be fought to be retained, for it never occurs like Latin. When you read history or other books of amusement, let every language you are mafter of have its turn; fo that you may not only retain, but improve in every one. I alfo defire that you will converse in German and Italian, with all the Germans and the Italians with whom you converfe at all. This will be a very agreeable and flattering thing to them, and a very useful one

to you.

Pray apply yourself diligently to your excrcises; for though the doing them well is not fupremely meritorious, the doing them ill is illiberal, vulgar, and ridiculous.

I fend you the inclosed letter of recommendation to Marquis Matignon, which I would have you deliver to him as foon as you can. You will, I am fure, feel the good effects of his warm friendship for me, and lord Bolingbroke, who has alfo written to him upon your fubject. By that, and by the other letters which I have fent you, you will be at once fo thoroughly introduced into the best French company, that you must take fome pains if you will keep bad; but that is what I do not fufpect you of. You have I am fure, too much right ambition to prefer low and difgraceful company to that of your fuperiors, both in rank and age. Your character, and confequently your fortune, abfolutely depends upon the company you keep, and the turn you take at Paris. I do not, in the leaft, mean a grave turn; on the contrary, a gay, a fprightly, but, at the fame time, an elegant and liberal one.

Keep carefully out of all scrapes and quarrels. They lower a character extremely, and are particularly dangerous in France, where a man is difhonored by not refenting an affront, and utterly ruined by refenting

it. The young Frenchmen are hafty, giddy, petulant, and extremely national. Forbear from any national jokes or reflections, which are always improper, and

monly unjuft. The colder northern nations gener

ally look upon France as a whiftling, finging, dancing, frivolous nation: this notion is very far from being a true one, though many petits maîtres, by their behaviour, feem to justify it; but thofe very petits maîtres, when mellowed by age and experience, very often turn out able men. The number of great Generals and Statesmen, as well as authors, that France has produced, is an undeniable proof, that it is not that frivolous unthinking, empty nation, that northern prejudices fuppofe it. Seem to like and approve of every thing at firft, and I promise you that you will like and approve, of many things afterwards.

I expect that you will write to me conftantly, once. every week, which I defire may be every Thursday; and that your letters may inform me of your perfonal tranfactions; not of what you fee, but of whom you fee, and what you do.

Be your own monitor, now that you will have no other. As to enunciation, I must repeat it to you again and again, that there is no one thing fo neceffary; and all other talents, without that, are abfolutely ufeIefs, except in your own clofet.

LETTER CIII.

Rules for Conduct continued...Perfonal Neatness...Tafte in Drefs...Cleanliness...Reasonableness of attending to little

Things.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, November the 12th.

You will poffibly think that this letter turns upon

ftrange, little trifling objects; and you will think right, if you confider them feparately: but if you take them aggregately, you will be convinced, that as parts, which confpire to form that whole, called the exterior of a man of fashion, they are of importance. I fhall not dwell now upon thofe perfonal graces, that liberal air, and that engaging addrefs, which I have fo often recommended to you; but defcend ftill lower, to your drefs, cleanliness, and care of your perfon.