during your year's refidence at Paris, all thoughts of all that dull fellows call folid, and exert your utmost care to acquire what people of fashion call fhining. Prenez l'éclat et le brillant d'un galant bomme.'

Here we cannot help obferving, by the way, how extremely folicitous the noble preceptor appears, not in the above-quoted letter only, but in many other parts of the feries, to qualify hist Son for making an agreeable figure in the Houfe of Commons,without once attempting to point out to him the great line of his duty there, or fhewing him the proper objects of his attention and regard, not merely as a Senator, but as an ENGLISHMAN. Here and there, indeed, we meet with a few political hints; but they are fuch as might be expected from a man emulous rather of the character of a Machiavel, than of an Hampden or a Trenchard.

It was, perhaps, from this and other obvious confiderations, that a certain great Moralift is faid to have been provoked to cenfure the prefent publication, as fitted only to inculcate "the morals of a whore, with the manners of a dancingmaster."

With regard to elegance of manners, however, we prefumethat every Connoiffeur in what is juftly efteemed Politeness, will totally diffent, from the opinion of the learned Moralift; who will not, we apprehend, be allowed, by his acquaintance, to decide on a subject, on which he may be deemed as little qualified to judge, as a Rhinoceros would be, with refpect to the graceful agility of an Antelope,

Our Readers will, by this time, be ready to conclude that Lord C.'s paffion for pleafing had entirely taken poffeffion of the whole man; and they will not be mistaken. He did not, indeed, make any fecret of his extreme devotion to les bienfeances. In his forty-first letter he has, himself, curiously and frankly developed this principal part of his character.

As I open myfelf, without the least referve, whenever I think that my doing fo can be of any ufe to you, I will give you a short account of myself. When I first came into the world (which was at the age you are of now, fo that (by the way) you have got the start of me in that important article by two or three years at least) at nineteen, I left the university of Cambridge, where I was an abfolute pedant: when I talked my beft, I quoted Horace; when I aimed at being facetious, I quoted Martial; and when I had a mind to be a fine gentleman, I talked Ovid. I was convinced that none but the ancients had common fenfe; that the Claffics contained every thing that was either neceflary, useful, or ornamental to men; and I was not without thoughts of wearing the foga virilis of the Romans, inftead of the vulgar and illiberal drefs of the moderns. With these excellent notions, I went first to the Hague, where, by the help of

feveral

feveral letters of recommendation, I was foon introduced into all the best company; and where I very fon difcovered, that I was totally miftaken in almost every one notion I had entertained. Fortunately, I had a strong defire to pleafe (the mixed refult of good-nature, and a vanity by no means blameable) and was fenfible, that I had nothing but the delire. I therefore refolved, if poffible, to acquire the means top. I ftudied attentively and minutely the drefs, the air, the manner, the addrefs, and the turn of converfation of all thofe whom I found to be the people in fashion, and most generally allowed to. pleafe. I imitated them as well as I could: if I heard that one man was reckoned remarkably genteel, I carefully watched his dress, motions, and attitudes, and formed my own upon them. When I heard of another, whofe converfation was agreeable and engaging, I liftened and attended to the turn of it. I addreffed myself, though de tres mauvaife grace, to all the molt fashionable fine ladies; confeffed, and laughed with them at my own awkwardness and rawness, recommending myfelf as an object for them to try their skill in form ing. By thele means, and with a paflionate defire of pleasing every body, I came by degrees to please fome; and, I can affure you, that what little figure I have made in the world, has been much more owing to that paffionate defire I had of pleafing univerfally, than to any intrinfic merit, or found knowledge I might ever have been mafter of. My paffion for pleafing was fo ftrong (and I am very glad it was fo) that I own to you fairly, I wifhed to make every woman I faw, in love with me, and every man I met with, admire me.. Without this paffion, for the object, I should never have been fo attentive to the means; and I own I cannot conceive how it is poffible for any man of good nature and good fenfe to be without this paffion. Does not good-nature incline us to please all those we converfe with, of whatever rank or ftation they may be? And does not good fenfe, and common obfervation, fhow of what infinite ufe it is to please? Oh! but one may pleafe by the good qualities of the heart, and the knowledge of the head, without that fashionable air, addrefs, and manner, which is mere tinfel. I deny it. A man may be effeemed and refpected, but I defy him to please without them. Moreover, at your age, I would not have contented myfelfwith barely pleafing; I wanted to fhine, and to diftinguish myself in the world as a man of fashion and gallantry, as well as bufinefs. And that ambition or vanity, call it what you pleafe, was a right one; it hurt nobody, and made me exert whatever talents I had. It is the spring of a thoufand right and good things,'

The knowledge of the world was undoubtedly his Lordship's forte; and in his 57th Letter we have fome ftriking obfervations on the fubject :

My dear Friend,

April 30, 1752.

• Avoir du monde is, in my opinion, a very juft and happy expref fion, for having addrefs, manners, and for knowing how to behave properly in all companies; and it implies very truly, that a man, who hath not thofe accomplishments, is not of the world. Without them, the best parts are inefficient, civility is abfurd, and freedom offenfive. A learned parfon, rusting in his cell, at Oxford or Cam

bridge,

bridge, will reafon admirably well upon the nature of man; will profoundly analyfe the head, the heart, the reason, the will, the paffions, the fenfes, the fentiments, and all thofe fubdivifions of we know not what; and yet, unfortunately, he knows nothing of man: for he hath not lived with him; and is ignorant of all the various modes, habits, prejudices, and tafles, that always influence, and often determine him. He views man as he does colours in Sir Ifaac Newton's prifm, where only the capital ones are feen; but an experienced dyer knows all their various fhades and gradations, together with the refult of their feveral mixtures. Few men are of one plain, decided colour; moft are mixed, fhaded, and blended; and vary as much, from different fituations, as changeable filks do from different lights. The man qui à du monde knows all this from his own experience and obfervation: the conceited, cloistered philofopher knows nothing of it from his own theory; his practice is abfurd and improper; and he acts as awkwardly as a man would dance, who had never feen others dance, nor learned of a dancing mafter; but who had only studied the notes by which dances are now pricked down, as well as tunes. Obferve and imitate, then, the addrefs, the arts, and the manners of those qui ont du monde: fee by what methods they firft make, and afterwards improve impreffions in their favour. Thofe impreffions are much oftener owing to little causes, than to intrinsic merit; which is less volatile, and hath not so sudden an effect. Strong minds have undoubtedly an ascendant over weak ones, as Galigai Maréchale d'Ancre very juftly observed, when, to the difgrace and reproach of thofe times, fhe was executed for having governed Mary of Medicis by the arts of witchcraft and magic. But then afcendant is to be gained by degrees, and by thofe arts only which experience, and the knowledge of the world teaches; for few are mean enough to be bullied, though most are weak enough to be bubbled. I have often feen people of fuperior, governed by people of much inferior parts. without knowing or even fufpecting that they were so governed. This can only happen, when thofe people of inferior parts have more worldly dexterity and experience, than those they govern. They fee the weak and unguarded part, and apply to it: they take it, and all the reft follows. Would you gain either men or women, and every man of fenfe defires to gain both, il faut du monde. You have had more opportunities than ever any man had, at your age, of acquiring ce monde; you have been in the best companies in most countries, at an age when others have hardly been in any company at all. You are mafter of all thofe languages, which John Trott feldom speaks at all, and never well; confequently you need be a ftranger no where. This is the way, and the only way, of having du monde; but if you have it not, and have still any coarfe rufticity about you, may one not apply to you the rufticus expectat of Horace?

This knowledge of the world teaches us more particularly two things, both of which are of infinite confequence, and to neither of which nature inclines us; I mean, the command of our temper, and of our countenance. A man who has no monde is inflamed with anger, or annihilated with shame, at every difagreeable incident: the one makes him act and talk like a madman, the other makes REV. June, 1774. Hh him

him look like a fool. But a man who has du monde, seems not to understand what he cannot or ought not to refent. If he makes a flip himself, he recovers it by his coolness, instead of plunging deeper by his confufion, like a fumbling-horfe. He is firm, but gentle; and practifes that most excellent maxim, suaviter in modo, fortiter in re. The other is the volto fciolto e penfieri fretti. People, unused to the world, have babbling countenances; and are unskilful enough to fhow, what they have sense enough not to tell. In the courfe of the world, a man must very often put on an eafy, frank countenance, upon very difagreeable occafions; he muft feem pleafed, when he is very much otherwife; he must be able to accoft and receive with Hypocrite (miles, those whom he would much rather meet with fwords. In

courts he must not turn himself inside out. All this may, nay must be done, without falfehood and treachery: for it must go no farther than politeness and manners, and muft ftop short of affurances and profeffions of fimulated friendship. Good manners, to thofe one does not love, are no more a breach of truth, than your humble servant at the bottom of a challenge is; they are univerfally agreed upon and understood, to be things of courfe. They are neceffary guards of the decency, and peace of fociety: they muft only act defenfively; and then not with arms poifoned by perfidy. Truth, but not the whole truth, must be the invariable principle of every man, who hath either religion, honour, or prudence. Those who violate it, may be cunning, but they are not able. Lies and perfidy are the refuge of fools and cowards. Adieu!'

In our laft Review we gave Lord C.'s letter in recommendation of Lord Bolingbroke's works. As fome of our Readers may not be fufficiently attentive to the date of that letter, or may not know in what year that noble Author's pofthumous works appeared, it is but juftice to the memory of Lord Chefterfield, to give here a tranfcript of a note which we meet with, referring to a paffage in a letter dated 1752, wherein his lordfhip recommends Lord B.'s Letters on the ftudy and use of history, viz.

We cannot but obferve with pleasure, that at this time Lord Bolingbroke's Philofophical works had not appeared; which accounts for Lord Chesterfield's recommending to his fon, in this as well as in fome foregoing paffages, the study of Lord Bolingbroke's writings."

We propofe to finish our Review of Lord Chesterfield's Letters in a fubfequent article.

ART. VI. A new Syftem, or, an Analyfis of ancient Mythology: Wherein an Attempt is made to divest Tradition of Fable; and to reduce Truth to its original Purity. In this Work is given an Hiftory of the Babylonians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Canaanites, Helladians, Ionians, Leleges, Dorians, Pelafgi: alfo of the Scythæ, Indofcythæ, Ethiopians, Phenicians. The whole contains an Account of the principal Events in the first Ages, from the DeJuge to the Difperfion; Alfa of the various Migrations, which en

fued,

fued, and the Settlements made afterwards in different Parts: Circumftances of great 'Confequence, which were fabsequent to the Gentile Hiftory of Mofes. By Jacob Bryant, formerly of King's College, Cambridge; and Secretary to his Grace the late Duke of Marlborough, during his Command abroad; and Secretary to him as Mafter General of his Majesty's Ordnance. Vols, I and II. 21. 4s Boards. Payne, &. 1774.

WE

E have formerly had occafion to mention this Author with peculiar honour, as one of those men who, in our own day, are mafters of the profound eft erudition, and who do not come behind the moft diftinguished names of the last century, for their attention to every the minutest circumstance that may be the means of elucidating the darkness of the earlieft ages. The character we then gave of Mr. Bryant is still more ftrongly and copioufly confirmed by the prefent work. The learning with which it abounds muft, at once, excite the notice of the most curfory Reader. Nothing in the ancient Greek and Roman literature, however recondite, or wherever difperfed, feems to have escaped our Author's fagacious and diligent investigation.

But depth of erudition is far from being Mr. Bryant's fole praife. The elaborate production before us. is equally distinguifhed for its ingenuity and novelty. In point of novelty, it is, indeed, fingularly ftriking. It departs from the common-ly received fyftems, to a degree that has not yet been attempted, or thought of, by any men of learning; and even those who may entertain the greateft doubts, concerning the truth and folidity of fome things which are here advanced, will be ready to allow that several parts of the Author's fcheme are highly probable, and that other parts of it have a very plaufible appearance. His hypothefis is, therefore, undoubtedly deferving of an attentive examination.

It muft, at the fame time, be acknowledged, that the fubject undertaken by Mr. Bryant is uncommonly difficult. It is one of the most abstruse and intricate fubjects which antiquity prefents to us; and it lies fo open to conjecture, that it muft neceffarily be involved in no fmall degree of uncertainty. The information concerning it, must be collected from a vaft number of incidental paffages, obfervations, and affertions fcattered through ancient Authors, who were themselves imperfectly acquainted with what they wrote about, and whom it is almoft impoffible to reconcile.

Perhaps the greateft light that can be thrown upon some of the enquiries Mr. Bryant is engaged in, is that which is

See our account of his Obfervations and Enquiries relating to various parts of ancient Hiftory, in the 37th vol, of the Review. P. 346.

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afforded