well as merely to the literal construction of the language, or the feet of the verse.

I hope you take pains with Mr. Fitzgerald, and improve much in Greek, for that, I am fure, is in your power. I will give you Horace's advice upon that fubject.

Vos exemplaria Græca

Nocturna verfate manu, verfate diurnâ.

Every body knows Latin, but few people know Greek well; fo that you will distinguish yourself much more by Greek, than you can by Latin: and, confidering how long you have learned it, you ought to know it as well.

If you would have me bring you any thing from hence, let me know what, and you shall have it; provided that, at my return, I hear an equally good account of you from Dr. Nichols, Mr. Fitzgerald, and Monfieur Coudert. Adieu.

LETTER

XXIX.

Bath, Auguft the 8th, 1743.

DEAR BOY,

I

A M very forry to hear from London that you have got a rash, which I suppose proceeds from an immenfe quantity of bad fruit you have eaten; however, it is well for you that the diftemper discharges itself in this way, and you will be the better for it afterwards.

4

terwards. But pray let all fruit, for fome time, be forbidden fruit to you; and let no Westminster Eve, with either stall or basket, tempt you to taste. Health, in my mind, deferves more attention than life; and yet one would think that few people knew the value of it, by their way of living. Fruit is yet the only irregularity your age exposes you to; and you fee the confequences of it; but they are not to compare to the ill confequences which attend the irregularities of manhood. Wine and women give incurable diftempers. Fevers, the gout, the stone, the pox, are the neceffary confequences of debauchery: and can rational creatures then wilfully bring fuch misfortunes upon themselves? I am fure you never will. Mens fana in corpore fano, is the trueft defcription I know of human happiness; I think you have them both at prefent; take care to keep them : it is in your power to do it.

If I should not be in town before the filly breakingup for Bartholomew-tide, I would have you then go as ufual to Mr. Maittaire, to amuse yourself with Greek. I have wrote to him about it; and I expect a much better account of you from him this breaking-up, than I had the laft. Do not write to me after next Thurfday, for I leave this place next Saturday. You need not fend me any theme, fince you have not been well, and I will be satisfied with hearing of your recovery; but you may get the two themes I fent you ready against I come to town. You will obferve, they are direct contrary subjects, and I fhall be glad to know, what you can urge on each fide of the question. Magnis tamen excidit aufis, is what Ovid fays of Phaë

ton, to excufe his attempting what he could not perform; and implies, that there is fome degree of merit in attempting great things, even though one fails. The other, Aut nunquam tentes aut perfice, recommends prudence in all we undertake, and to attempt nothing that we are not sure to be able to go through with. Adieu.

LETTER

DEAR BOY,

G'

XXX.

Hague, April the 16th, N. S. 1745.

IVE the inclofed to Monfieur Coudert; 'tis in answer to one I received from him lately, in which he commends you, and confequently pleases me. If your praises give me fo much pleafure, how much more muft they give you, when they come round to you, and are confequently untainted with flattery! To be commended by those, who themselves deserve to be commended, and for things commendable in themselves, is in my mind the greatest pleasure any body can feel. Tacitus expreffes it with great strength, in three words, when he relates that Germanicus ufed to go about his camp in difguife, to hear what his foldiers and officers faid of him, and overhearing them always fpeak well of him, adds, Fruitur famâ fui: He enjoys his own reputation. No man deferves reputation, who does not defire it, and whoever defires it, may be sure, to a certain degree, to deserve it, and to have it. Do you therefore win it, and wear

it; I can affure you no man is well-dreffed who does not wear it he had better be in rags.

Next to character, which is founded upon folid merit, the moft pleafing thing to one's felf, is to please; and that depends upon the manner of exerting thofe good qualities that form the character. Here the Graces are to be called in, to accompany and adorn every word and action; the look, the tone of voice, the manner of fpeaking, the geftures, muft all confpire to form that Je ne fçay quoy, that every body feels, though nobody can exactly defcribe. The best way of acquiring it, I believe, is to obferve by what particular circumftance each perfon pleases you the best, and to imitate that perfon in that particular; for what pleases you, will probably please another.

Monfieur Dunoyers will come to you this breakingup, not so much to teach you to dance, as to walk, stand, and fit well. They are not fuch trifles as they are commonly thought, and people are more influenced by them than they imagine'; therefore pray mind them, and let genteel and graceful motions and attitudes become habitual to you. Adieu! I shall see you before it is very long.

LETTER

DEAR BOY,

YOU

rebuke

XXXI.

April the 30th, N. S. 1745.

me very justly for my mistake be

tween Juno and Venus, and I am very glad to be corrected by you. It is Juno's fpeech to Eolus,

in the first book of Virgil, that I meant, and if I faid Venus's, I faid very wrong. What led me into the error at the time, might poffibly be, that in that fpeech (if I remember right) Juno affumes a little of Venus's character, and offers to procure for Eolus, by way of bribe.

Your Eafter breaking-up is, by good luck, but fhort, and I hope I fhall fee you in England before your Whitfuntide idleness; though I flatter myself you will not make it a time of idlenefs, at least I will do my endeavours to prevent it.

your

I am fure you are now old enough, and I hope and believe that you are wife enough, to be fenfible of the great advantages you will receive for the rest of life, from application in the beginning of it. If you havé regard for your character, if you would be loved and esteemed hereafter, this is your time, and your only time, to get the materials together, and to lay the foundation of your future reputation; the fuperftructure will be easily finished afterwards. One year's application now, is worth ten to you hereafter; therefore pray take pains now, in order to have pleasure afterwards; and mind always what you are about, be it what it will; it is fo much time faved. Befides, there is no one furer fign in the world of a little frivolous mind, than to be thinking of one thing while one is doing another; for whatever is worth doing, is worth thinking of while one is doing it. Whenever you find any body incapable of attention to the fame object for a quarter of an hour together, and eafily diverted from it by fome trifle; you may depend upon it that perfon is frivolous, and incapable of any thing great.