LONDON,December 29,O.S.1747
DEAR BOY:I have received two letters from you of the 17th and 22d,N.
S.,by the last of which I find that some of mine to you must have miscarried;for I have never been above two posts without writing to you or to Mr.Harte,and even very long letters.I have also received a letter from Mr.Harte,which gives me great satisfaction:it is full of your praises;and he answers for you,that,in two years more,you will deserve your manumission,and be fit to go into the world,upon a footing that will do you honor,and give me pleasure.
I thank you for your offer of the new edition of 'Adamus Adami,'but I do not want it,having a good edition of it at present.When you have read that,you will do well to follow it with Pere Bougeant's 'Histoire du Traite de Munster,'in two volumes quarto;which contains many important anecdotes concerning that famous treaty,that are not in Adamus Adami.
You tell me that your lectures upon the 'Jus Publicum'will be ended at Easter;but then I hope that Monsieur Mascow will begin them again;for I would not have you discontinue that study one day while you are at Leipsig.I suppose that Monsieur Mascow will likewise give you lectures upon the 'Instrumentum Pacis,'and upon the capitulations of the late emperors.Your German will go on of course;and I take it for granted that your stay at Leipsig will make you a perfect master of that language,both as to speaking and writing;for remember,that knowing any language imperfectly,is very little better than not knowing it at all:
people being as unwilling to speak in a language which they do not possess thoroughly,as others are to hear them.Your thoughts are cramped,and appear to great disadvantage,in any language of which you are not perfect master.Let modern history share part of your time,and that always accompanied with the maps of the places in question;geography and history are very imperfect separately,and,to be useful,must be joined.
Go to the Duchess of Courland's as often as she and your leisure will permit.The company of women of fashion will improve your manners,though not your understanding;and that complaisance and politeness,which are so useful in men's company,can only be acquired in women's.
Remember always,what I have told you a thousand times,that all the talents in the world will want all their lustre,and some part of their use too,if they are not adorned with that easy good-breeding,that engaging manner,and those graces,which seduce and prepossess people in your favor at first sight.A proper care of your person is by no means to be neglected;always extremely clean;upon proper occasions fine.
Your carriage genteel,and your motions graceful.Take particular care of your manner and address,when you present yourself in company.Let them be respectful without meanness,easy without too much familiarity,genteel without affectation,and insinuating without any seeming art or design.
You need not send me any more extracts of the German constitution;which,by the course of your present studies,I know you must soon be acquainted with;but I would now rather that your letters should be a sort of journal of your own life.As,for instance,what company you keep,what new acquaintances you make,what your pleasures are;with your own reflections upon the whole:likewise what Greek and Latin books you read and understand.Adieu!
End Letters to His Son,1748
by Lord Chesterfield LETTERS TO HIS SON
By the EARL OF CHESTERFIELD
on the Fine Art of becoming a MAN OF THE WORLDand a GENTLEMAN