and varied, by education, habit, and different cuftoms, that one fhould, upon a flight and fuperficial obfervation, almost think it different.

As I have never been in Switzerland myself, I must defire you to inform me, now and then, of the conftitution of that country. As, for instance, do the thir. teen cantons, jointly and collectively, form one govern. ment, where the fupreme authority is lodged; or is each canton fovereign in itself, and under no tie or conftitutional obligation of acting in common concert with the other cantons Can any one canton make war or alliances with a foreign power, without the confent of the other twelve, or at least a majority of them? Can any one canton declare war againit another? If every canton is fovereign and independent in itself, in whom is the fupreme power of that canton lodged? Is it in one man, or in a certain number of men? If in one man, what is he called? If in a number, what are they called; fenate, council, or what? I do not fuppofe that you yet can know these things yourself; but a very little inquiry, of thofe who do, will enable you to anfwer me thefe few questions in your next. You fee, I am fure, the neceffity of knowing these things thoroughly, and, confequently, the neceffity of converfing much with the people of the country, who alone can inform you rightly; whereas moft of the English, who travel, converte only with each other, and confequently know no more, when they return to England, than they did when they left it. This proceeds from mauvaife honte *, which makes them afhamed of going into company; and frequently too from the want of the neceffary language (French) to enable them to bear their part in it. As for the mauvaise honte, I hope you are above it. Your figure is like other people's; I fuppofe you will take care that your drefs fhall be fo too, and to avoid any fingularity. What then fhould you be ashamed of? And why not go into a mixed company, with as much eafe, and as little concern, as you would go into your own room? Vice and ignor

Falle fhame.

ance are the only things I know which one ought to be afhamed of: keep but clear of them, and you may go any where without fear or concern. I have known fome people, who, from feeling the pain and inconveniences of this mauvaije honte, have rushed into the other extreme, and turned impudent; as cowards fometimes grow defperate from the excefs of danger: but this too is carefully to be avoided; there being nothing more generally fhocking than impudence. The medium between thefe two extremes marks, out the well-bred man; he feels himself firm and eafy in all companies; is modeft without being bafhful, and fteady without being impudent: if he is a ftranger, he obferves, with care, the manners and ways of the people the most efteemed at that place, and conforms to them with complaifance. Inftead of finding fault with the cuftoms of that place, and telling the people that the English ones are a thousand times better (as my countrymen are very apt to do) he commends their table, their drefs, their houses, and their manners, whenever he fees occafion for commendation. This degree of complaifance is neither criminal nor abject, and is but afmall price to pay for the good-will and affection of the people you converfe with. As the generality of people are weak enough to be pleafed with thefe little things, thofe who refufe to please them, fo cheaply, are, in my mind, weaker than they. There is a very pretty little French book, written by l'abbé de Bellegarde, entitled, L'Art de plaire dans la Converjation*; and, though I confefs that it is impoffible to reduce the art of pleafing to a fyftem, yet this book is not wholly ufelefs. I dare fay you may get it at Geneva, if not at Laufanne, and I would advife you to read it. But this principle I will lay down, that the defire of pleafing is at leaft half the art of doing it; the reft depends only upon the manner, which attention, obfervation, and frequenting good company, will teach. But if you are lazy, careless, and indifferent whether you pleafe or not, depend upon it you never will pleafe.

The Art of pleafing in Converfation.

This letter is infenfibly grown too long; but, as I always flatter myfelf that my experience may be of fome ufe to your youth and inexperience, I throw out, as it occurs to me, and fhall continue to do fo, every thing that I think may be of the leaft advantage to you in this important and decifive period of your life.-God preferve you!

LETTER XLI.

Exhortation to Diligence in acquiring Knowledge.

DEAR BOY,

Bath, October the 4th.

THOUGH I'employ fo much of my time in writing

of

to you, I confefs, I have often my doubts, whether it is to any parpofe, I know how unwelcome advice generally is; I know that thefe who want it moft, like it, and follow it leaft; and I know, too, that the advice parents, more particularly, is afcribed to the morofenefs, the imperioufnefs, or the garrulity of old-age. But then, on the other hand, I flatter my felf, that as your own reafon (though too young as yet to fuggeft much to you of itfelf) is, however, ftrong enough to enable you, both to judge of, and receive plain truths: I flatter myself (I fay) that your own reason, young as it is, muft tell you, that I can have no intereft but your's in the advice I give you; and that, confequently, you will at laft weigh and confider it well; in which cafe, forme of it will, I hope, have its effect. Do not think that I mean to dictate as a parent; I only mean to advife as a friend, and an indulgent one too; and do not apprehend that I mean to check your pleasures; of which, on the contrary, I only defire to be the guide, not the cenfor. Let my experience supply your want of it, and clear your way, in the progrefs of your youth, of those thorns and briars which scratched and disfigured me in the courfe of mine.

I have fo often recommended to you attention and application to whatever you learn, that I do not menon them now as duties; but I point them out to you,

as conducive, nay, abfolutely neceffary to your pleafures; for can there be a greater pleasure than to be univerfally allowed to excel those of one's own age and manner of life? And, confequently, can there be any thing more mortifying than to be excelled by them? In this latter cafe, your fhame and regret must be greater than any body's, because every perfon knows the uncommon care which has been taken of your education, and the opportunities you have had of knowing more than others of your age. I do not confine the application which I recommend, fingly to the view and emulation of excelling others (though this is a very fenfible pleasure and a very warrantable pride) but I mean likewife to excel in the thing itfelf; for, in my mind, one may as well not know a thing at all, as know it but imperfectly. To know a little of any thing gives neither fatisfaction or credit; but often brings difgrace or ridicule.

Mr. Pope fays, very truly,

A little knowledge is a dang'rous thing';

Drink deep, or tafte not the Caftalian spring.

And what is called a fmattering of every thing, infallibly conftitutes a coxcomb. I have often, of late, reflected what an unhappy man I muft now have been, if I had not acquired in my youth fome fund and tafte of learning. What could I have done with myself, at this age, without them? I muft, as many ignorant peopa do, have deftroyed my health and faculties by fotting away the evenings; or, by wafting them frivoloufly in the tattle of every-day company, muft have expofed myfelf to the ridicule and contempt of those with whom I affociated; or, laftly, I must have hanged myself, as a man once did, for wearinefs of putting on and pulling off his fhoes and flockings every day. My books, and only my books, are now left me; and I daily find what Cicero fays of learning, to be true: Hæc Audia, fays he, adolefcentiam alunt, fenectutem oblectant, fecundas res ornant, adverfis perfugium, ac falatium præbent deles

H

tant domi, non impediunt foris, pernoctant nobifcum, peregrinan. tur, rufticantur *.

I do not mean, by this, to exclude converfation out of the pleafures of an advanced age; on the contrary, it is a very great, and a very rational pleasure, at all ages; but the converfation of the ignorant is no converfation, and gives even them no pleafure: they tire of their own fterility, and have not matter enough to furnish them with words to keep up a conversation.

Let me, therefore, moft earnestly recommend to you, to hoard up, while you can, a great stock of knowledge; for though, during the period of youth, you may not have occafion to fpend much of it; yet you may depend upon it, that a time will come, when you will want it to maintain you. Public granaries are filled in plentiful years; not that it is known that the next, or the fecond, or third year, will prove a fcarce one ; but because it is known, that, fooner or later, fuch a year will come, in which the grain will be wanted.

I will fay no more to you upon this fubject; you have Mr. Harte with you to enforce it; you have reafon to affent to the truth of it. Do not imagine that the knowledge, which I fo much recommend to you, is confined to books, pleafing, ufeful, and neceffary, as that knowledge is: but I comprehend in it, the great knowledge of the world, ftill more neceflary than that of books. In truth, they afiift one another reciprocally; and no man will have either perfectly, who has not both. The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a clofet. Books alone will never teach it you; but they will fuggeft many things to your obfervation, which might otherwife efcape you; and your own obfervations kind, when compared with thofe which you will find in books, will help you to fix the true points

upon man

To know mankind well, requires full as much atten

* Thefe ftudies improve youth and amufe old age; they adorn profperity, and afford a refuge and confolation in adverfity; they delight at home, and are no impediment abroad; they render night les gloomy; they are cheerful companions on a journey, and entertain us in r rural retirements.