letters to his son, 1752-第9章

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appointed　le　President　Ogier；　a　man　of　great　abilities；　to　go　immediately　to　Ratisbon；　'pour　y　souffler　la　discorde'。　It　must　be　owned　that　France　hath　always　profited　skillfully　of　its　having　guaranteed　the　treaty　of　Munster；　which　hath　given　it　a　constant　pretense　to　thrust　itself　into　the　affairs　of　the　empire。　　When　France　got　Alsace　yielded　by　treaty；　it　was　very　willing　to　have　held　it　as　a　fief　of　the　empire；　but　the　empire　was　then　wiser。　　Every　power　should　be　very　careful　not　to　give　the　least　pretense　to　a　neighboring　power　to　meddle　with　the　affairs　of　its　interior。　　Sweden　hath　already　felt　the　effects　of　the　Czarina's　calling　herself　Guarantee　of　its　present　form　of　government；　in　consequence　of　the　treaty　of　Neustadt；　confirmed　afterward　by　that　of　Abo；　though；　in　truth；　that　guarantee　was　rather　a　provision　against　Russia's　attempting　to　alter　the　then　new　established　form　of　government　in　Sweden；　than　any　right　given　to　Russia　to　hinder　the　Swedes　from　establishing　what　form　of　government　they　pleased。　　Read　them　both；　if　you　can　get　them。　　Adieu。




LETTER　CLXIV

LONDON；　April　73；　O。　　S。　　1752

MY　DEAR　FRIEND：　I　receive　this　moment　your　letter　of　the　19th；　N。　S。；　with　the　inclosed　pieces　relative　to　　the　present　dispute　between　the　King　and　the　parliament。　　I　shall　return　them　by　Lord　Huntingdon；　whom　you　will　soon　see　at　Paris；　and　who　will　likewise　carry　you　the　piece；　which　I　forgot　in　making　up　the　packet　I　sent　you　by　the　Spanish　Ambassador。　　The　representation　of　the　parliament　is　very　well　drawn；　'suaviter　in　modo；　fortiter　in　re'。　　They　tell　the　King　very　respectfully；　that；　in　a　certain　case；　WHICH　THEY　SHOULD　THINK　IT　CRIMINAL　To　SUPPOSE；　they　would　not　obey　him。　　This　hath　a　tendency　to　what　we　call　here　revolution　principles。　　I　do　not　know　what　the　Lord's　anointed；　his　vicegerent　upon　earth；　divinely　appointed　by　him；　and　accountable　to　none　but　him　for　his　actions；　will　either　think　or　do；　upon　these　symptoms　of　reason　and　good　sense；　which　seem　to　be　breaking　out　all　over　France：　but　this　I　foresee；　that；　before　the　end　of　this　century；　the　trade　of　both　king　and　priest　will　not　be　half　so　good　a　one　as　it　has　been。　　Du　Clos；　in　his　〃Reflections；〃　hath　observed；　and　very　truly；　'qu'il　y　a　un　germe　de　raison　qui　commence　a　se　developper　en　France'；　a　developpement　that　must　prove　fatal　to　Regal　and　Papal　pretensions。　　Prudence　may；　in　many　cases；　recommend　an　occasional　submission　to　either；　but　when　that　ignorance；　upon　which　an　implicit　faith　in　both　could　only　be　founded；　is　once　removed；　God's　Vicegerent；　and　Christ's　Vicar；　will　only　be　obeyed　and　believed；　as　far　as　what　the　one　orders；　and　the　other　says；　is　conformable　to　reason　and　to　truth。

I　am　very　glad　（to　use　a　vulgar　expression）　that　You　MAKE　AS　IF　YOU　WERE　NOT　WELL；　though　you　really　are；　I　am　sure　it　is　the　likeliest　way　to　keep　so。　　Pray　leave　off　entirely　your　greasy；　heavy　pastry；　fat　creams；　and　indigestible　dumplings　；　and　then　you　need　not　confine　yourself　to　white　meats；　which　I　do　not　take　to　be　one　jot　wholesomer　than　beef；　mutton；　and　partridge。

Voltaire　sent　me；　from　Berlin；　his　'History　du　Siecle　de　Louis　XIV。　　It　came　at　a　very　proper　time；　Lord　Bolingbroke　had　just　taught　me　how　history　should　be　read；　Voltaire　shows　me　how　it　should　be　written。　I　am　sensible　that　it　will　meet　with　almost　as　many　critics　as　readers。　Voltaire　must　be　criticised；　besides；　every　man's　favorite　is　attacked：　for　every　prejudice　is　exposed；　and　our　prejudices　are　our　mistresses；　reason　is　at　best　our　wife；　very　often　heard　indeed；　but　seldom　minded。　It　is　the　history　of　the　human　understanding；　written　by　a　man　of　parts；　for　the　use　of　men　of　parts。　　Weak　minds　will　not　like　it；　even　though　they　do　not　understand　it；　which　is　commonly　the　measure　of　their　admiration。　　Dull　ones　will　want　those　minute　and　uninteresting　details　with　which　most　other　histories　are　encumbered。　　He　tells　me　all　I　want　to　know；　and　nothing　more。　　His　reflections　are　short；　just；　and　produce　others　in　his　readers。　　Free　from　religious；　philosophical；　political　and　national　prejudices；　beyond　any　historian　I　ever　met　with；　he　relates　all　those　matters　as　truly　and　as　impartially；　as　certain　regards；　which　must　always　be　to　some　degree　observed；　will　allow　him；　for　one　sees　plainly　that　he　often　says　much　less　than　he　would　say；　if　he　might。　　He　hath　made　me　much　better　acquainted　with　the　times　of　Lewis　XIV。；　than　the　innumerable　volumes　which　I　had　read　could　do；　and　hath　suggested　this　reflection　to　me；　which　I　have　never　made　beforeHis　vanity；　not　his　knowledge；　made　him　encourage　all；　and　introduce　many　arts　and　sciences　in　his　country。　　He　opened　in　a　manner　the　human　understanding　in　France；　and　brought　it　to　its　utmost　perfection；　his　age　equalled　in　all；　and　greatly　exceeded　in　many　things　（pardon　me；　Pedants！）　the　Augustan。　　This　was　great　and　rapid；　but　still　it　might　be　done；　by　the　encouragement；　the　applause；　and　the　rewards　of　a　vain；　liberal；　and　magnificent　prince。　What　is　much　more　surprising　is；　that　he　stopped　the　operations　of　the　human　mind　just　where　he　pleased；　and　seemed　to　say；　〃Thus　far　shalt　thou　go；　and　no　farther。〃　　For；　a　bigot　to　his　religion；　and　jealous　of　his　power；　free　and　rational　thoughts　upon　either；　never　entered　into　a　French　head　during　his　reign；　and　the　greatest　geniuses　that　ever　any　age　produced；　never　entertained　a　doubt　of　the　divine　right　of　Kings；　or　the　infallibility　of　the　Church。　　Poets；　Orators；　and　Philosophers；　ignorant　of　their　natural　rights；　cherished　their　chains；　and　blind；　active　faith　triumphed；　in　those　great　minds；　over　silent　and　passive　reason。　　The　reverse　of　this　seems　now　to　be　the　case　in　France：　reason　opens　itself；　fancy　and　invention　fade　and　decline。

I　will　send　you　a　copy　of　this　history　by　Lord　Huntingdon；　as　I　think　it　very　probable　that　it　is　not　allowed　to　be　published　and　sold　at　Paris。　Pray　read　it　more　than　once；　and　with　attention；　particularly　the　second　volume；　which　contains　short；　but　very　clear　accounts　of　many　very　interesting　things；　which　are　talked　of　by　everybody；　though　fairly。　understood　by　very　few。　　There　are　two　very　puerile　affectations　which　I　wish　this　book　had　been　free　from；　the　one　is；　the　total　subversion　of　all　the　old　established　French　orthography；　the　other　is；　the　not　making　use　of　any　one　capital　letter　throughout　the　whole　book；　except　at　the　beginning　of　a　paragraph。　　It　offends　my　eyes　to　see　rome；　paris；　france；　Caesar；　I　henry　the　fourth；　etc。；　begin　with　small　letters；　and　I　do　not　conceive　that　there　can　be　any　reason　for　doing　it；　half　so　strong　as　the　reason　of　long　usage　is　to　the　contrary。　　This　is　an　affectation　below　Voltaire；　who；　I　am　not　ashamed　to　say；　that　I　admire　and　delight　in；　as　an　author；　equally　in　prose　and　in　verse。

I　had　a　letter　a　few　days　ago　from　Monsieur　du　Boccage；　in　which　he　says；　'Monsieur　Stanhope　s'est　jete　dans　la　politique；　et　je　crois　qu'il　y　reussira'：　You　do　very　well；　it　is　your　destination；　but　remember　that；　to　succeed　in　great　things；　one　must　first　learn　to　please　in　little　ones。　　Engaging　manners　and　address　must　prepare　the　way　for　superior　knowledge　and　abilities　to　act　with　effect。　　The　late　Duke　of　Marlborough's　manners　and　address　prevailed　with　the　first　king　of　Prussia；　to　let　his　troops　remain　in　the　army　of　the　Allies；　when　neither　their　representations；　nor　his　own　share　in　the　common　cause　could　do　it。　The　Duke　of　Marlborough　had　no　new　matter　to　urge　to　him；　but　had　a　manner；　which　he　could　not；　nor　did　not；　resist。　　Voltaire；　among　a　thousand　little　delicate　strokes　of　that　kind；　says　of　the　Duke　de　la　Feuillade；　'qu'il　etoit　l'homme　le　plus　brillant　et　le　plus　aimable　du　royaume；　et　quoique　gendre　du　General　et　Ministre；　il　avoit　pour　lui　la　faveur　publique'。　　Various　little　circumstances　of　that　sort　will　often　make　a　man　of　great　real　merit　be　hated；　if　he　hath　not　address　and　manners　to　make　him　be　loved。　　Consider　all　your　own　circumstances　seriously；　and　you　will　find　that；　of　all　arts；　the　art　of　pleasing　is　the　most　necessary　for　you　to　study　and　possess。　　A　silly　tyrant　said；　'oderint　modo　timeant'；　a　wise　man　would　have　said；　'modo　ament　nihil　timendum　est　mihi'。　　Jud