means according to your matter; every body knows the matter almoft alike, but few can adorn it. I was early convinced of the importance and powers of eloquence; and from that moment I applied myself to it. I refolved not to utter one word, even in common converfation, that should not be the most expreffive, and the most elegant, that the language could fupply me with for that purpofe; by which means I have acquired fuch a certain degree of habitual eloquence, that I muft now really take fome pains if I would exprefs myself very inelegantly. I want to inculcate this known truth into you, which you seem by no means to be convinced of yet, that ornaments are at present your chief objects.

Among the commonly called little things, to which you do not attend, your hand-writing is one, which is indeed fhamefully bad, and illiberal; it is neither the hand of a man of bufinefs, nor of a gentleman, but of a truant school-boy; as foon, therefore, as you have done with the Abbé Nolet, pray get an excellent writing-mafter (fince you think that you cannot teach yourfelf to write what hand you please) and let him teach you to write a genteel, legible, liberal hand, and quick; not the hand of a procureur, or a writing-master, but that fort of hand in which the first commis in foreign bureaus commonly write: for I tell you truly, that were I lord Albemarle, nothing fhould remain in my bureau, written in your present hand.

In a fortnight or three weeks, you will fee Sir Charles Hotham at Paris, in his way to Touloufe, where he is to stay a year or two. Pray be very civil to him, but do not carry him into company, except prefenting him to lord Albemarle; for as he is not to ftay at Paris above a week, we do not defire that he fhould taste of that diffipation: you may fhow him a play and an opera.-Adieu, my dear child.

D d

LETTER XCVI.

Knowledge of the World Neceffary Accomplishments of a Fereign Minister...Domefti; Peli i.s...Death of the Prime of

Wales.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, March the 2 ft.

WHAT a happy period of your life is this! While

you were younger, dry rules, and unconnected words, were the unpleafant objects of your labors. When you grow older, the anxiety, the vexations, the difap. pointments infeparable from public bufinefs, will require the greatest flare of your time and attention your pleafures, may indeed, conduce to your Lufacts, and your businefs will quicken your pleafures; but fill your time muft, at least, be divided: whereas it is now wholy your own, and cannot be fo well employed as in the pleafures of a gentlemen. The world is now the only book you want, and almost the onlycne you ought to read that neceflary book can only be read in company, in public places, at meals, and in circles. You must be in the pleafures, in order to learn the manners of good company. In premeditated, or in formal bufinefs, people concer, or at leaft endeavor to conceal their chatters; whereas pleafures difcover them, and the heart breaks out through the guard of the undertanding. Thofe are often propitious moments for fkilful negociators to improve. In your deitination particularly, the able conduct of pleatings is of infinite ufe: to keep a good t. ble, and to do the hours of it gracefully, is blutely neceffary for a foreign minor. here is a certain light tible chit-chat, ufeful to keep of waproper and too feious fubjects, which is only to be learned in the pleaferes of good company. In truth, it may be trilling; but trilling as it is, a man of parts, and experience of the world, will give an apiceable turn to it.

An engaging addr. s towards the female fex is often of sy great fervice to foreign miniters. Women have ly or indire@ly, a good deal to fay in raft courts. The late Lord Stratford governed, for a

confiderable time, the court of Berlin, and made his own fortune, by being well with madame de Wertemberg, the first king of Pruflia's miftrefs; and I could name many other inftances of that kind. Let every other book then give way for the prefent, to this great and neceflary book, the world; of which there are fo many various readings, that it requires a great deal of time and attention to understand it well: contrary to all other books, you must not fay at home, but go abroad to read it and, when you feek it abroad, you will not find it in bookfellers' fhops and fails, but in courts, in hotels, at entertainments, balls, affemblies, fpectacles, &c. Put yourfelf upon the foot of an ealy domeftic, but polite familiarity and intimacy, in the feveral French loufes to which you have been introduced. Your profeffion has this agreeable peculiarity in it, which is, that it is connected with, and promoted by plcafures; and it is the only one, in which a thorough knowledge of the world, polite manners, and an engaging addrefs, are abfolutely necefry. If a lawyer knows his law, a parfon his divinity, and a financier his calculations, cach may make a figure and a fortune in his profeffion, without great knowledge of the world, and without the manners of gentlemen. Eut your profeffion throws you into all the intrigues, and cabals, as well as pleafures of courts: in thofe windings and labyrinths, a knowledge of the world, a difcernment of characters, a fuppleness and verfatality of mind, and an elegancy of manners must be your clue: you must know how to footh and lull the monfters that guard, and how to addrefs and gain the fair that keep the go'den fleece. Thefe are the arts and the accomplishments abfolutely neceflary for a foreign minifter; in which it must be owned, to our fhame, that most other nations out-do the English; and, ceteris poribus a French minifter will get the better of an English one in any third court in Europe. The Cardinal d'Ofat was look d upon at Rome as an Italian, and not as a French Cardinal; and Monfieur d'Avaux, wherever he went, was never confidered as a foreign minifler, but as a native, and a perfonal friend. Mere plain truth, fense,

and knowledge, will by no means do alone in courts: art and ornaments must come to their affift

ance.

The death of the prince of Wales, who was more beloved for his affability and good nature, than esteemed for his fteadiness and conduct, has given concern to many, and apprehenfions to all. The great difference of age in the king and prince George prefents the profpect of a minority-a difagreeable profpect for any nation! But it is to be hoped, and is moft probable, that the king, who is now perfectly recovered of his late indifpofition, may live to fee his grandfon of age. He is, ferioufly, a moft hopeful boy gentle and goodnatured, with good found fenfe. This event has made all forts of people here hiftorians, as well as politicians. Our hiftories are rummaged for all the particular cir cumftances of the fix minorities we have had fince the conqueft; viz. thofe of Henry III. Edward III. Rich ard II. Henry VI. Edward V. and Edward VI; and the reafonings, the fpeculations, the conjectures, and the predictions, you will eafily imagine, must be innumerable and endlefs, in this nation, where every porter is a confummate politician. Doctor Swift fays, very humouroully, "Every man knows that he underfttands religion and politics, though he never learned them; but many people are confcious they do not un derftand many other fciences, from having never learn ed them."-Adieu !

LETTER CXVII.

Courts...Keeping Secrets... Study of Aftronomy and Geometry... Lor 1 Chesterfield's Speech...Oratory.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

London, April the 7th

HERE you have, altogether, the pocket books, the

compaffes, and the pattern. When your three Graces have made their option, you need only fend me, in a letter, fmall pieces of the three mohairs they fix upon. If I can find no way of fending them, fafely, and di

rectly to Paris, I will contrive to have them left with madame morel, at Calais, who, being madame Monconfeil's agent there, may find means of furthering them to your three ladies, who all belong to your friend madame Menconfeil,

You will also find, in the packet, a compafs ring fet round with little diamonds, which I advife you to make a prefent of to Abbé Guafco, who has been useful to you, and will continue to be fe as it is a mere bauble, you must add to the value of it by your manner of giving it him. All thofe little gallantries depend entirely upon the manner of doing them; as, in truth, what does not? The greatest favours may be done fo awkwardly and bunglingly as to offend; and difagreeable things may be done fo agreeably as almost to oblige. Endeavour to acquire this great fecret; it exifts, it is to be found, and is worth a great deal more than the grand fecret of the alchymifts would be if it was, as it is not to be found. This is only to be learned in courts, where clafhing views, jarring opinions, and cordial hatreds, are foftened, and kept within decent bounds, by politenefs and manners. Frequent, obferve, and learn courts. Are you free of that at St. Cloud? Are you often at Verfailles? Infinuate yourself into favour at thofe places. L'abbé de la Ville, my old friend, will help you at the latter; your three ladies may eftablifir you in the former. The good breeding de la Ville et de la Cour + are different; but, without deciding which is intrinfically the beft, that of the court is, without doubt, the most neceffary for you, who are to live, to grow, and to rife in courts. In two years time, which will be as foon as you are fit for it, I hope to be able to plant you in the foil of a young court here; where, if you have all the addrefs of a good courtier, you will have a great chance of thriving and flourithing. Young favour is eafily acquired, if the proper means are employed; and when acquired, it is warm, if not durable; and the warm moments mult Be faatched and improved. Do not mention this view

City and court.