de clous. Cette mort-là vaut bien mieux qu'une vie achetée au prix du menfonge et de l'infamie.

Un honnête homme encore fe confidere comme intéreffé dans le bien de tous les hommes en général. Terence fait dire à un honnête homme, dans une de fes Comédies, Homo fum, nihil humani a me alienum puto. Ce qui veut dire, Je fuis homme moi-même, et comme tel je prends part à tout ce qui touche les hommes. Et il me femble qu'il eft impoffible de voir qui que ce foit malheureux, fans en être touché, et fans tâcher de le foulager; comme d'un autre coté on fent du plaifir à voir les gens heureux et contents; car il n'y a que les âmes du monde les plus baffes qui foient capables d'envier le bonheur, ou de fe rejouir du malheur d'autrui. Adieu! Ayez foin de vous diftinguer, autant par les vertus de l'âme, que par les avantages de l'efprit.

I

TRANSLATION.

MY DEAR CHILD,

Bath, April the 2d, 1739.

RECEIVED your letter, with which I am extremely pleafed; it is very well written, though without lines. In the manner that you improve, you foon will know more than many boys that are two or three years older than yourself: by that means you will acquire great reputation, and be esteemed by people of merit.

At prefent, let us continue to define the character of a man of probity. To fuch a one nothing is more effential than always to fpeak truth, and to be strictly

obfervant of his promise. On the other hand, nothing is more infamous and difhonourable than to tell lyes, and break our word. During a war between the Romans and Carthaginians, Attilius Regulus, the Roman General, was defeated, and taken prisoner by the Carthaginians. Notwithstanding their victory, they were defirous of making peace with the Romans. In order to obtain it, they permitted Regulus to go to Rome, on condition that he pledged his word to return to Carthage; not doubting that, in order to obtain his liberty, he would perfuade the Romans to make peace. But that generous Roman fcorned even liberty, when purchased to the detriment of his country. So that, far from perfuading the Romans to make peace, he told them they ought to continue the war, for the Carthaginians were not in a fitua tion to fupport it. After this, he prepared to return to Carthage, according to the promise he had made. The Romans, particularly his relations and friends, advised him not to return; because the Carthaginians, who were cruel, would moft certainly put him to death. But rather than live with infamy, by breaking his word, he preferred going to certain dẹftruction; and returned to Carthage, where they put him to death, by throwing him into a tub filled with fpikes. Such a death is far preferable to life purchafed by lyes and infamy.

A man of probity and honour confiders himself as interested in the welfare of all mankind. To fuch a character it is that Terence, in one of his Comedies, attributes the faying, Homo fum, nihil humani a me alienum puto: which means, I am a man myself,

and,

and, as fuch, interested in whatever concerns man. Indeed, I am of opinion, that it is impoffible to fee any one unhappy, without feeling for that perfon, and endeavouring to help him; as, on the other hand, one is pleased to fee people contented and happy. None but the most depraved fouls can envy other people's happiness, or can rejoice at their misfortunes. Adieu! Take care to be equally distinguished by the virtues of the heart, as by the advantages of the mind.

I

LETTER IV.

MY DEAR BOY,

Bath, April the 16th, 1739.

RECEIVED your letter, and if you go on to learn at this rate, you will foon puzzle me, in Greek especially; however I fhall not be forry to be outdone by you, and the fooner you are too hard for me the better. I think, for the future, I fhall call you Little Polyglot, which is originally a Greek word, that fignifies many tongues, or many languages. Mr. Maittaire writes me word, that he intends to bring you acquainted with Horace, Virgil, Terence, and Martial, who are the most famous Latin poets; therefore I think it may now be neceffary to inform you a little what poetry is, and the difference between poetry and profe. Profe, you' know already, is the language of common converfaB 6

tion,

tion, it is what you and every body fpeaks and writes. It requires no rhymes, nor any certain number of feet or fyllables. But poetry is a more noble and fublime way of expreffing one's thoughts. For example, in profe you would say, very properly," it is twelve of the clock at noon,” to mark the middle of the day; but this would be too plain and flat in poetry; and you would rather fay, "the Chariot of the Sun had already finish'd half its courfe." In profe you would fay, "the beginning of the morning, or the break of day;" but that would not do in verfe; and you must rather fay, "Aurora spread her rofy mantle." Aurora you know is the goddefs of the morning. This is what is called poetical diction. Latin and Greek verfes have no rhymes, but confist of a certain number of feet and fyllables. The hexameter verfes have fix feet; the pentameter have five feet. All French verfes whatsoever have rhymes. But English verfes, fome have rhymes, and fome have none; thofe that have no rhymes are called blank verfes; but though they have no rhymes, they have the fame number of feet or fyllables that verses in rhyme have. All our beft English Tragedies are written in blank verfe, of five feet, or ten fyllables; for a foot in English verfe is two fyllables. For example, the famous Tragedy of Cato begins thus:

The dawn is overcaft, the morning low'rs,

And heavily in clouds brings on the day.

Here you fee each of thefe verfes has five feet, or ten fyllables, though they have no rhymes. English verfes of five feet are called long verfe, or heroic

verse, because heroic poems are written in that verse; as Homer's Ilias in Greek, and Virgil's Æneis in Latin, are both written in long hexameter verfes. Here is enough of poetry for this time, if you will but remember it; we will have fome more of it hereafter. I fhall fee you next week in London, where I have very pretty things to give you, because I am sure you will deferve them. Adieu.

JE

LETTER V.

A Ifleworth, ce 8ieme Juillet.

E crains, mon cher enfant, que vous ne trouviez mes lettres trop férieuses, car je fais que vous aimez à badiner, et, ma foi, vous avez raison; je l'aime auffi, et nous badinerons fouvent ensemble. Quelquefois, à la vérité, il faut penfer férieufement; mais, pour l'ordinaire, il faut être gai et enjoué. Et je ne voudrois nullement qu'un gaillard comme vous fît le philofophe. Il faut bien apprendre, pendant qu'on apprend; et après cela il faut bien fe divertir..

Je vous ai parlé dans ma derniere de la politeffe des honnêtes gens, c'est-à-dire, la politeffe des gens de cour, et du beau monde, qui eft naturelle et aifée; et il faut bien la diftinguer de la politeffe des bourgeois, ou des campagnards, qui eft très-gênante et incommode. Ces gens-là font tout pleins de façons, et vous accablent à force de complimens. Par exemple, fi vous dinez chez un bourgeois, au lieu de vous

offrir

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