nature and extent of the feveral judicatures; the ticular articles of trade and commerce of Bremen, burg, and Stade; the details and value of the mi the Hartz. Two or three thort books will give you outlines of all these things; and converfation, tɩ upon thofe fubjects, will do the reft, and better Looks can. As I love to provide eventually for every thing can poflibly happen, I will fuppofe the worst that befall you at Hanover. In that cafe, I would have go immediately to the duke of Newcastle, and beg grace's advice, or rather orders, what you fhould adding that his advice will always be orders to You will tell him, that, though you are exceedi mortified, you are much lefs fo than you should of wife be, from the confideration, that, being utterly known to his M-, his objection could not be fonal to you, and could only arife from circumftar which it was not in your power either to prevent o medy that if his grace thought that your continu any longer there would be difagreeable, you entre him to tell you fo; and that, upon the whole, you ferred yourfelf entirely to him, whofe orders you the moft fcrupulously obey. But this precaution, I dare will prove unneceffary; however, it is always righ be prepared for all events, the worst as well as the b it prevents hurry and furprife, two dangerous fituati in bufinefs; for I know no one thing fo ufeful, fo ceflary in all bufinefs, as great coolnefs and fteadine they give an incredible advantage over whomever c has to do with. I wrote, above a month ago, to Lord Albermarle, thank him for all his kindnefles to you; but pray la you done as much? Thofe are the neceflary attentio which fhould never be omitted, efpecially in the begi ning of life when a character is to be established. That ready wit which you fo partially allow me, a fo juftly Sir Charles Williams, may create many a mirers, but, take my word for it, it inakes few friend It fhines and dazzles like the noon-day fun, but, lik at too, is very apt to fcorch, and therefore is alway feared. The milder morning and evening light and heat of that planet footh and calm our minds.-Good fenfe, complaifance, gentlenefs of manners, attentions, and graces, are the only things that truly engage and durably keep the heart at long run. Never feek for wit; if it prefents itself, well and good; but, even in that cafe, let your judgment interpofe; and take care that it be not at the expence of any body.-Pope fays, very truly, There are whom Heaven has bleft with ftore of wit, And in another place, I doubt with too much truth, Though meant each other's ajd, like man and wife. The Germans are very feldom troubled with any extraordinary ebullitions or effervefcences of wit, and it is not prudent to try it upon them; whoever does, offendet folido.* Remember to write me very minute accounts of all your transactions at Hanover, for they excite both my impatience and anxiety. Adieu ! LETTER CL. Negotiations at Hanover...Election of King of the Romans... Weakness of the House of Auftria... Views of the different Parties. MY DEAR FRIEND, London August the 4th. HANOVER, where I take it for granted you are, is at prefent the feat and centre of foreign negotia. tions; there are minifters from almoft every court in Europe; and you have a fine opportunity of difplaying with modesty, in converfation, your knowledge of the matters now in agitation. The chief I take to be the election of the king of the Romans, which, though I defpair of, I heartily with was brought about, for two reafons. The firft is, that I think it may pre * Will Arike against a solid mass. vent a war upon the death of the prefent emperor, who, though young, and healthy, may poffibly die, as young and healthy people often do. The other is the very reafon that makes fome powers oppofe it, and others diflike it who do not openly oppofe it; I mean, that it may tend to make the imperial dignity hereditary in the houfe of Auftria; which I heartily with, together with a very great increase of power in the empire; till when, Germany will never be any thing near a match for France. Cardinal Richelieu fhowed his fuperior abilities in nothing more than in thinking no pains nor expence too great to break the power of the houfe of Auftria in the empire. Ferdinand had certainly made himself abfolute, and the empire confequently formidable to France, if that cardinal had not pioufly adopted the Proteftant eaufe, and put the empire, by the treaty of Weftphalia, in pretty much the fame dif-jointed fituation in which France itself was before Lewis the XIth, when princes of the blood at the head of provinces, and dukes of Britanny, &c. always oppofed, and often gave laws to the crown. Nothing but making the empire hereditary in the house of Auftria can give it that ftrength and efficiency which I wish it had, for the fake of the balance of power. For while the princes of the empire are fo independent of the emperor, fo divided among themselves, and fo open to the corruption of the best bidders, it is ridiculous to expect that Germany ever will or can act as a compact and well-united body against France. But as this notion of mine would as little pleafe fome of our friends, as many of our enemies, I would not advise you, though you fhould be of the fame opinion, to declare yourfelf too freely fo. Could the elector palatine be fatisfied, which I confefs will be difficult, confidering the nature of his pretensions, the tenaciousness and haughtiness of the court of Vienna, and our inability to do, as we have too often done, their work for them; I fay, if the elector palatine could be engaged to give his vote, I fhould think it would be right to proceed to the election with a clear majority of five votes; and Leave the king of Pruffia, and the elector of Cologne, to proteft and remonftrate as much as ever they please. The former is too wife, and the latter too weak, in every refpect, to act in confequence of thofe protests. The diftracted fituation of France, with its ecclefiaftical and parliamentary quarrels, not to mention the illnefs and poffibly the death of the dauphin, will make the king of Pruffia, who is certainly no Frenchman in his heart, very cautious how he acts as one. The elector of Saxony will be influenced by the king of Poland, who must be determined by Ruffia, confidering his views upon Poland, which, by the bye, I hope he will never obtain; I mean, as to making that crown hereditary in his family. As for his fon's having it by the precarious tenure of election, by which his father now holds it, à la bonne heure. But should Poland have a good government under hereditary kings, there would be a new devil raised in Europe, that I do not know who could lay: I am fure I would not raise him, though on my own fide for the prefent. I do not know how I came to trouble my head fo much about politics to-day, which has been so very free from them for fome years; I fuppofe it was because I knew that I was writing to the most confummate politician of this, and his age. If I err, you will fet me right; fi quid novifti rectius iftis, candidus imperti, &c.* I am exceffively impatient for your next letter, which I expect by the firft poft from Hanover, to remove my anxiety, as I hope it will, not only with regard to your health, but likewife to other things; in the mean time, in the language of a pedant, but with the tenderness of a parent, Jabeo te bene valere.t *If you know better, candidly impart your knowledge. Mm LETTER CLI. Manners of different Countries... Abfurdity of drinking Health ...Fashionable Manners. MY DEAR FRIEND, Londen, September the 224. THE day after the date of my laft, I received your letter of the 8th. I approve extremely of your intend ed progrefs, and am very glad that you go to the Gohr with Comte Schullemburg. I would have you fee every thing with your own eyes, and hear every thing with your own ears; fof I know, by very long experi ence, that it is very unsafe to trust to other people's. Vanity and intereft caufe many mifreprefentations, and folly caufes many more. Few people have parts encugh to relate exactly and judiciously; and those who have, for some reason or other, never fail to fink or to add fome circumstances. you The reception which you have met with at Hanover, I look upon as an omen of your being well receiv ed every where elfe; for, to tell you the truth, it was the place that I diftrufted the moft in that particular. But there is a certain conduct, there are certain manners that will and must get the better of all difficulties of that kind; it is to acquire them that ftill continue abroad, and go from court to court: they are perfonal, local, and temporal; they are modes which vary, and owe their exiftence to accidents, whim, and humour; all the sense and reason in the world would never point them out; nothing but experience, ob fervation, and what is called knowledge of the world, can poflibly teach them. For example, it is refpectful to bow to the king of England; it is difrefpectful to bow to the king of France; it is the rule to courtely to the emperor; and the proftration of the whole bo By is required by eastern monarchs. Thefe are establifhed ceremonies, and must be complied with; but why they were eftablifhed, I defy fenfe and reafon to tell us. It is the fame among all ranks, where certain customs are received, and must neceffarily be complied with, though by no means the refult of fenfe and rea |