letters to his son, 1751-第3部分

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1st。　　Are　there　any　particular　forms　requisite　for　the　election　of　a　King　of　the　Romans；　different　from　those　which　are　necessary　for　the　election　of　an　Emperor？

2d。　　Is　not　a　King　of　the　Romans　as　legally　elected　by　the　votes　of　a　majority　of　the　electors；　as　by　two…thirds；　or　by　the　unanimity　of　the　electors？

3d。　　Is　there　any　particular　law　or　constitution　of　the　empire；　that　distinguishes；　either　in　matter　or　in；　form；　the　election　of　a　King　of　the　Romans　from　that　of　an　Emperor？　　And　is　not　the　golden　bull　of　Charles　the　Fourth　equally　the　rule　for　both？

4th。　　Were　there　not；　at　a　meeting　of　a　certain　number　of　the　electors　（I　have　forgotten　when）；　some　rules　and　limitations　agreed　upon　concerning　the　election　of　a　King　of　the　Romans？　　And　were　those　restrictions　legal；　and　did　they　obtain　the　force　of　law？

How　happy　am　I；　my　dear　child；　that　I　can　apply　to　you　for　knowledge；　and　with　a　certainty　of　being　rightly　informed！　　It　is　knowledge；　more　than　quick；　flashy　parts；　that　makes　a　man　of　business。　　A　man　who　is　master　of　his　matter；　twill；　with　inferior　parts；　be　too　hard　in　parliament；　and　indeed　anywhere　else；　for　a　man　of…better　parts；　who　knows　his　subject　but　superficially：　and　if　to　his　knowledge　he　joins　eloquence　and　elocution；　he　must　necessarily　soon　be　at　the　head　of　that　assembly；　but　without　those　two；　no　knowledge　is　sufficient。

Lord　Huntingdon　writes　me　word　that　he　has　seen　you；　and　that　you　have　renewed　your　old　school…acquaintance。

Tell　me　fairly　your　opinion　of　him；　and　of　his　friend　Lord　Stormount：　and　also　of　the　other　English　people　of　fashion　you　meet　with。　　I　promise　you　inviolable　secrecy　on　my　part。　　You　and　I　must　now　write　to　each　other…　as　friends；　and　without　the　least　reserve；　there　will　for　the　future　be　a　thousand…things　in　my　letters；　which　I　would　not　have　any　mortal　living　but　yourself　see　or　know。　　Those　you　will　easily　distinguish；　and　neither　show　nor　repeat；　and　I　will　do　the　same　by　you。

To　come　to　another　subject　（for　I　have　a　pleasure　in　talking　over　every　subject　with　you）：　How　deep　are　you　in　Italian　？　　Do　you　understand　Ariosto；　Tasso；　Boccaccio　and　Machiavelli？　　If　you　do；　you　know　enough　of　it　and　may　know　all　the　rest；　by　reading；　when　you　have　time。　　Little　or　no　business　is　written　in　Italian；　except　in　Italy；　and　if　you　know　enough　of　it　to　understand　the　few　Italian　letters　that　may　in　time　come　in　your　way；　and　to　speak　Italian　tolerably　to　those　very　few　Italians　who　speak　no　French；　give　yourself　no　further　trouble　about　that　language　till　you　happen　to　have　full　leisure　to　perfect　yourself　in　it。　　It　is　not　the　same　with　regard　to　German；　your　speaking　and　writing　it　well；　will　particularly　distinguish　you　from　every　other　man　in　England；　and　is；　moreover；　of　great　use　to　anyone　who　is；　as　probably　you　will　be；　employed　in　the　Empire。　　Therefore；　pray　cultivate　them　sedulously；　by　writing　four　or　five　lines　of　German　every　day；　and　by　speaking　it　to　every　German　you　meet　with。

You　have　now　got　a　footing　in　a　great　many　good　houses　at　Paris；　in　which　I　advise　you　to　make　yourself　domestic。　　This　is　to　be　done　by　a　certain　easiness　of　carriage；　and　a　decent　familiarity。　　Not　by　way　of　putting　yourself　upon　the　frivolous　footing　of　being　'sans　consequence'；　but　by　doing　in　some　degree；　the　honors　of　the　house　and　table；　calling　yourself　'en　badinant　le　galopin　d'ici'；　saying　to　the　masters　or　mistress；　'ceci　est　de　mon　departement；　je　m'en　charge；　avouez；　que　je　m'en　acquitte　a　merveille。'　　This　sort　of　'badinage'　has　something　engaging　and　'liant'　in　it；　and　begets　that　decent　familiarity；　which　it　is　both　agreeable　and　useful　to　establish　in　good　houses　and　with　people　of　fashion。　　Mere　formal　visits；　dinners；　and　suppers；　upon　formal　invitations；　are　not　the　thing；　they　add　to　no　connection　nor　information；　but　it　is　the　easy；　careless　ingress　and　egress　at　all　hours；　that　forms　the　pleasing　and　profitable　commerce　of　life。

The　post　is　so　negligent；　that　I　lose　some　letters　from　Paris　entirely；　and　receive　others　much　later　than　I　should。　　To　this　I　ascribe　my　having　received　no　letter　from　you　for　above　a　fortnight；　which　to　my　impatience　seems　a　long　time。　　I　expect　to　hear　from　you　once　a…week。　　Mr。　Harte　is　gone　to　Cornwall；　and　will　be　back　in　about　three　weeks。　　I　have　a　packet　of　books　to　send　you　by　the　first　opportunity；　which　I　believe　will　be　Mr。　Yorke's　return　to　Paris。　　The；　Greek　books　come　from　Mr。　Harte；　and　the　English　ones　from　your　humble　servant。　　Read　Lord　Bolingbroke's　with　great　attention；　as　well　to　the　style　as　to　the　matter。　　I　wish　you　could　form　yourself　such　a　style　in　every　language。　　Style　is　the　dress　of　thoughts；　and　a　well…dressed　thought；　like　a　well…dressed　man；　appears　to　great　advantage。　　Yours。　　Adieu。




LETTER　CXXIX

LONDON；　August　28；　O。　S。　　1751

MY　DEAR　FRIEND：　A　bill　for　ninety　pounds　sterling　was　brought　me　the　other　day；　said　to　be　drawn　upon　me　by　you：　I　scrupled　paying　it　at　first；　not　upon　account　of　the　sum；　but　because　you　had　sent　me　no　letter　of　advice；　which　is　always　done　in　those　transactions；　and　still　more；　because　I　did　not　perceive　that　you　had　signed　it。　　The　person　who　presented　it；　desired　me　to　look　again；　and　that　I　should　discover　your　name　at　the　bottom　：　accordingly　I　looked　again；　and；　with　the　help　of　my　magnifying　glass；　did　perceive　that　what　I　had　first　taken　only　for　somebody's　mark；　was；　in　truth；　your　name；　written　in　the　worst　and　smallest　hand　I　ever　saw　in　my　life。

However；　I　paid　it　at　a　venture；　though　I　would　almost　rather　lose　the　money；　than　that　such　a　signature　should　be　yours。　　All　gentlemen；　and　all　men　of　business；　write　their　names　always　in　the　same　way；　that　their　signature　may　be　so　well　known　as　not　to　be　easily　counterfeited；　and　they　generally　sign　in　rather　larger　character　than　their　common　hand；　whereas　your　name　was　in　a　less；　and　a　worse；　than　your　common　writing。　This　suggested　to　me　the　various　accidents　which　may　very　probably　happen　to　you；　while　you　write　so　ill。　　For　instance；　if　you　were　to　write　in　such　a　character　to　the　Secretary's　office；　your　letter　would　immediately　be　sent　to　the　decipherer；　as　containing　matters　of　the　utmost　secrecy；　not　fit　to　be　trusted　to　the　common　character。　　If　you　were　to　write　so　to　an　antiquarian；　he　（knowing　you　to　be　a　man　of　learning）　would　certainly　try　it　by　the　Runic；　Celtic；　or　Sclavonian　alphabet；　never　suspecting　it　to　be　a　modern　character。　　And；　if　you　were　to　send　a　'poulet'　to　a　fine　woman；　in　such　a　hand；　she　would　think　that　it　really　came　from　the　'poulailler'；　which；　by　the　bye；　is　the　etymology　of　the　word　'poulet'；　for　Henry　the　Fourth　of　France　used　to　send　billets…doux　to　his　mistresses　by　his　'poulailler'；　under　pretense　of　sending　them　chickens；　which　gave　the　name　of　poulets　to　those　short；　but　expressive　manuscripts。　　I　have　often　told　you　that　every　man　who　has　the　use　of　his　eyes　and　of　his　hand；　can　write　whatever　hand　he　pleases；　and　it　is　plain　that　you　can；　since　you　write　both　the　Greek　and　German　characters；　which　you　never　learned　of　a　writing…master；　extremely　well；　though　your　common　hand；　which　you　learned　of　a　master；　is　an　exceedingly　bad　and　illiberal　one；　equally　unfit　for　business　or　common　use。　　I　do　not　desire　that　you　should　write　the　labored；　stiff　character　of　a　writing…master：　a　man　of　business　must　write　quick　and　well；　and　that　depends　simply　upon　use。　I　would　therefore　advise　you　to　get　some　very　good　writing…master　at　Paris；　and　apply　to　it　for　a　month　only；　which　will　be　sufficient；　for；　upon　my　word；　the　writing　of　a　genteel　plain　hand　of　business　is　of　much　more　importance　than　you　think。　　You　will　say；　it　may　be；　that　when　you　write　so　very　ill；　it　is　because　you　are　in　a　hurry；　to　which　I　answer；　Why　are　you　ever　in　a　hurry？　　A　man　of　sense　may　be　in　haste；　but　can　never　be　in　a　hurry；　because　he　knows　that　whatever　he　does　in　a　hurry；　he　must　necessarily　do　very　ill。　　He　may　be　in　haste　to　dispatch　an　affair；　but　he　will　care　not　to　let　that　haste　hinder　his　doing　it　well。　Little　minds　are　in　a　hurry；　when　the　object　proves　（as　it　commonly　does）　too　big　for　them；　they　run；　they　hare；　they　puzzle；　confound；　and　perplex　themselves：　they　want　to　do　everything　at　once；　and　never　do　it　at　all。　But　a　man　of　sense　takes　the　time　necessary　for　doing　the　thing　he　is　about；　well；　and　his　haste　to　dispatch　a　business　only　appears　by　the　continuity　of　his　application　to　it：　he　pursues　it　with　a　cool　steadiness；　and　finishes　it　before　he　begins　any　other。　　I　own　your　time　is　much　taken　up；　and　you　have　a　great　many　different　things　to　do；　but　remember　that　you　had　much　better　do　half　of　them　well　and　leave　the　other　half　undone；　than　do　them　all　indifferently。　　Moreover；　the　few　seconds　that　are　saved　in　the　course　of　the　day；　by　writing　ill　instead　of　well；　do　not　amount　to　an　object　of　time　by　any　means　equivalent　to　the　disgrace　or　ridicule　of　writing　the　scrawl　of　a　common　whore。　Consider；　that　if　your　very　bad　writing　could　furnish　me　with　matter　of　ridicule；　what　will　it　not　do　to　others　who　do　not　view　you　in　that　partial　light　that　I　do？　　There　was　a　pope；　I　think　it　was　Cardinal　Chigi；　who　was　justly　ridiculed　for　his　attention　to　little　things；　and　his　inability　in　great　ones：　and　therefore　called　maximus　in　minimis；　and　minimus　in　maximis。　　Why？　　Because　he　attended　to　little　things　when　he　had　great　ones　to　do。　　At　this　particular　period　of　your　life；　and　at　the　place　you　are　now　in；　you　have　only　little　things　to　do；　and　you　should　make　it　habitual　to　you　to　do　them　well；　that　they　may　require　no　attention　from　you　when　you　have；　as　I　hope　you　will　have；　greater　things　to　mind。　　Make　a　good　handwriting　familiar　to　you　now；　that　you　may　hereafter　have　nothing　but　your　matter　to　think　of；　when　you　have　occasion　to　write　to　kings　and　ministers。　　Dance；　dress；　present　yourself；　habitually　well　now；　that　you　may　have　none　of　those　little　things　to　think　of　hereafter；　and　which　will　be　all　necessary　to　be　done　well　occasionally；　when　you　will　have　greater　things　to　do。

As　I　am　eternally　thinking　of　everything　that　can　be　relative　to　you；　one　thing　has　occurred　to　me；　which　I　think　necessary　to　mention　to　you；　in　order　to　prevent　the　difficult