and doing all manly exercises with grace and vigour. As if the body, because inferior, were not a part of the composition of man; and the proper, easy, ready, and graceful use of himself, both in mind and limb, did not go to make up the character of an accomplished man. You are in no danger of falling into this preposterous error: and I had a great pleasure in finding you, when I first saw you in London, so well disposed by nature, and so properly attentive to make yourself genteel in person, and well-bred in behaviour. I am very glad you have taken a fencing-master: that exercise will give you some manly, firm and graceful attitudes: open your chest, place your head upright, and plant you well upon your legs. As to the use of the sword, it is well to know it: but remember, my dearest nephew, it is a science of defence and that a sword can never be employed by the hand of a man of virtue, in any other cause. As to the carriage of your person, be particularly careful, as you are tall and thin, not to get a habit of stooping; nothing has so poor a look: above all things avoid contracting any peculiar gesticulations of the body, or movements of the muscles of the face. It is rare to see in any one a graceful laughter; it is generally better to smile than laugh out, especially to contract a habit of laughing at small or no jokes. Sometimes it would be affectation, or worse, mere moroseness, not to laugh heartily, when the truly ridiculous circumstances of an incident, or the true pleasantry and wit of a thing, call for and justify it; but the trick of laughing frivolously is by all means to be avoided; Risu inepto res ineptior nulla est. Now as to politeness; many have attempted definitions

of it: I believe it is best to be known by description; definition not being able to comprise it. I would however venture to call it, benevolence in trifles, or the preference of others to ourselves in little daily, hourly occurrences in the commerce of life. A better place, a more commodious seat, priority in being helped at table, &c. what is it, but sacrificing ourselves in such trifles to the convenience and pleasure of others? And this constitutes true politeness. It is a perpetual attention (by habit it grows easy and natural to us), to the little wants of those we are with, by which we either prevent or remove them. Bowing, ceremonious, formal compliments, stiff civilities, will never be politeness; that must be easy, natural, unstudied, manly, noble. And what will give this, but a mind benevolent, and perpetually attentive to exert that amiable disposition in trifles towards all you converse and live with? Benevolence in greater matters takes a higher name, and is the queen of virtues. Nothing is so incompatible with politeness as any trick of absence of mind. I would trouble you with a word or two more upon some branches of behaviour, which have a more serious moral obligation in them, than those of mere politeness; which are equally important in the eye of the world. I mean a proper behaviour, adapted to the respective relations we stand in, towards the different ranks of superiors, equals, and inferiors. Let your behaviour towards superiors in dignity, age, learning, or any distinguished excellence, be full of respect, deference, and modesty. Towards equals, nothing becomes a man so well as well-bred ease, polite freedom, generous frankness, manly spirit, always tempered with

gentleness and sweetness of manner, noble sincerity, candour, and openness of heart, qualified and restrained within the bounds of discretion and prudence, and ever limited by a sacred regard to secresy, in all things intrusted to it, and an inviolable attachment to your word. To inferiors, gentleness, condescension, and affability, is the only dignity. Towards servants, never accustom yourself to rough and passionate language. When they are good, we should consider them as humiles amici, as fellow Christians, ut conservi; and when they are bad, pity, admonish, and part with them if incorrigible. On all occasions beware, my dear child, of Anger, that dæmon, that destroyer of our peace. Ira furor brevis est: animum rege: qui, nisi paret, imperat: hunc frænis, hunc tu compesce catena.

Write soon, and tell me of your studies. Your ever affectionate.

LETTER LXXIV.

FROM THE EARL OF CHATHAM TO HIS NEPHEW THOMAS PITT, ESQ.

MY DEAR NEPHEW,

Bath, May 4, 1754. I USE a pen with some difficulty, being still lame in my hand with the gout: I cannot however delay writing this line to you on the course of English history I propose for you. If you have finished the Abridgment of English History, and of Burnet's History of the Reformation, I recommend to you next (before any other reading of history) Old

castle's Remarks on the History of England, by lord Bolingbroke. Let me apprise you of one thing before you read them; and that is, that the author has bent some passages to make them invidious parallels to the times he wrote in; therefore be aware of that, and depend, in general, on finding the truest constitutional doctrines: and that the facts of history (though warped) are no where falsified. I also recommend Nathaniel Bacon's Historical and Political Observations*; it is, without exception, the best and most instructive book we have on matters of that kind. They are both to be read with much attention, and twice over; Oldcastle's Remarks to be studied and almost got by heart; for the inimitable beauty of the style, as well as the matter. Bacon for the mat

* This book, though at present little known, formerly enjoyed a very high reputation. It is written with a very evident bias to the principles of the parliamentary party to which Bacon adhered; but contains a great deal of very useful and valuable matter. It was published in two parts, the 1st in 1647, the 2nd in 1651, and was secretly reprinted in 1672, and again in 1682; for which edition the publisher was indicted and outlawed. After the Revolution, a fourth edition was printed, with an advertisement, asserting, on the authority of lord chief justice Vaughan, one of Selden's executors, that the groundwork of this book was laid by that great and learned man. And it is probably on the ground of this assertion, that in the folio edition of Bacon's book, printed in 1739, it is said in the title-page to have been collected from some manuscript notes of John Selden, esq" But it does not appear that this notion rests on any sufficient evidence. It is however manifest from some expres sions in the very unjust and disparaging acconut given of this work in Nicholson's Historical Library, (part i. p. 150), that Nathaniel Bacon was generally considered as an imitator and fol lower of Selden,

ter chiefly; the style being uncouth, but the expression forcible and striking. I can write no more, and you will hardly read what is writ.

Adieu, my dear child. Your ever affectionate uncle.

LETTER LXXVI.

FROM THE EARL OF CHATHAM TO HIS NEPHEW THOMAS PITT, ESQ.

MY DEAR NEPHEW, Astrop Wells, Sept 5, 1754. I HAVE been a long time without conversing with you, and thanking you for the pleasure of your last letter. You may possibly be about to return to the seat of learning on the banks of the Cam; but I will not defer discoursing to you on literary matters till you leave Cornwall, not doubting bat you are mindful of the Muses amidst the very savage rocks and moors, and yet more savage natives, of the ancient and respectable dutchy. First, with regard to the opinion you desire concerning a common-place book; in general I much disapprove the use of it; it is chiefly intended for persons who mean to be authors, and tends to impair the memory, and to deprive you of a ready, extempore, use of your reading, by accustoming the mind to discharge itself of its reading on paper, instead of relying on its natural power of retention, aided and fortified by frequent revisions of its ideas and materials. Some things must be common-placed in order to be of any use; dates, chronological order, and the like: for instance, Na