letters to his son, 1748-第18部分

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　you　will　with　a　thousand　in　Germany；　do　；not　fail　to　inquire　what　they　are；　and　to　take　a　minute　of　them　in　your　memorandum　book；　for　it　is　a　sort　of　knowledge　that　costs　little　to　acquire；　and　yet　it　is　of　some　use。　　Young　people　have　frequently　an　incuriousness　about　them；　arising　either　from　laziness；　or　a　contempt　of　the　object；　which　deprives　them　of　several　such　little　parts　of　knowledge；　that　they　afterward　wish　they　had　acquired。　　If　you　will　put　conversation　to　profit；　great　knowledge　may　be　gained　by　it；　and　is　it　not　better　（since　it　is　full　as　easy）　to　turn　it　upon　useful　than　upon　useless　subjects？　　People　always　talk　best　upon　what　they　know　most；　and　it　is　both　pleasing　them　and　improving　one's　self；　to　put　them　upon　that　subject。　　With　people　of　a　particular　profession；　or　of　a　distinguished　eminency　in　any　branch　of　learning；　one　is　not　at　a　loss；　but　with　those；　whether　men　or　women；　who　properly　constitute　what　is　called　the　beau　monde；　one　must　not　choose　deep　subjects；　nor　hope　to　get　any　knowledge　above　that　of　orders；　ranks；　families；　and　court　anecdotes；　which　are　therefore　the　proper　（and　not　altogether　useless）　subjects　of　that　kind　of　conversation。　　Women；　especially；　are　to　be　talked　to　as　below　men　and　above　children。　　If　you　talk　to　them　too　deep；　you　only　confound　them；　and　lose　your　own　labor；　if　you　talk　to　them　too　frivolously；　they　perceive　and　resent　the　contempt。　　The　proper　tone　for　them　is；　what　the　French　call　the　'Entregent'；　and　is；　in　truth；　the　polite　jargon　of　good　company。　　Thus；　if　you　are　a　good　chemist；　you　may　extract　something　out　of　everything。

A　propos　of　the　beau　monde；　I　must　again　and　again　recommend　the　Graces　to　you：　There　is　no　doing　without　them　in　that　world；　and；　to　make　a　good　figure　in　that　world；　is　a　great　step　toward　making　one　in　the　world　of　business；　particularly　that　part　of　it　for　which　you　are　destined。　　An　ungraceful　manner　of　speaking；　awkward　motions；　and　a　disagreeable　address；　are　great　clogs　to　the　ablest　man　of　business；　as　the　opposite　qualifications　are　of　infinite　advantage　to　him。　　I　am　told　there　is　a　very　good　dancing…master　at　Leipsig。　　I　would　have　you　dance　a　minuet　very　well；　not　so　much　for　the　sake　of　the　minuet　itself　（though　that；　if　danced　at　all；　ought　to　be　danced；　well）；　as　that　it　will　give　you　a　habitual　genteel　carriage　and　manner　of　presenting　yourself。

Since　I　am　upon　little　things；　I　must　mention　another；　which；　though　little　enough　in　itself；　yet　as　it　occurs　at；　least　once　in　every　day；　deserves　some　attention；　I　mean　Carving。　　Do　you　use　yourself　to　carve　ADROITLY　and　genteelly；　without　hacking　half　an　hour　across　a　bone；　without　bespattering　the　company　with　the　sauce；　and　without　overturning　the　glasses　into　your　neighbor's　pockets？　　These　awkwardnesses　are　extremely　disagreeable；　and；　if　often　repeated；　bring　ridicule。　　They　are　very　easily　avoided　by　a　little　attention　and　use。

How　trifling　soever　these　things　may　seem；　or　really　be　in　themselves；　they　are　no　longer　so　when　above　half　the　world　thinks　them　otherwise。　And；　as　I　would　have　you　'omnibus　ornatumexcellere　rebus'；　I　think　nothing　above　or　below　my　pointing　out　to　you；　or　your　excelling　in。　You　have　the　means　of　doing　it；　and　time　before　you　to　make　use　of　them。　Take　my　word　for　it；　I　ask　nothing　now　but　what　you　will；　twenty　years　hence；　most　heartily　wish　that　you　had　done。　　Attention　to　all　these　things；　for　the　next　two　or　three　years；　will　save　you　infinite　trouble　and　endless　regrets　hereafter。　　May　you；　in　the　whole　course　of　your　life；　have　no　reason　for　any　one　just　regret！　　Adieu。

Your　Dresden　china　is　arrived；　and　I　have　sent　it　to　your　Mamma。




LETTER　LII

LONDON；　September　27；　O。　S。　　1748。

DEAR　BOY：　I　have　received　your　Latin　〃Lecture　upon　War；〃　which　though　it　is　not　exactly　the　same　Latin　that　Caesar；　Cicero；　Horace；　Virgil；　and　Ovid　spoke；　is；　however；　as　good　Latin　as　the　erudite　Germans　speak　or　write。　　I　have　always　observed　that　the　most　learned　people；　that　is；　those　who　have　read　the　most　Latin；　write　the　worst；　and　that　distinguishes　the　Latin　of　gentleman　scholar　from　that　of　a　pedant。　A　gentleman　has；　probably；　read　no　other　Latin　than　that　of　the　Augustan　age；　and　therefore　can　write　no　other；　whereas　the　pedant　has　read　much　more　bad　Latin　than　good；　and　consequently　writes　so　too。　　He　looks　upon　the　best　classical　books；　as　books　for　school…boys；　and　consequently　below　him；　but　pores　over　fragments　of　obscure　authors；　treasures　up　the　obsolete　words　which　he　meets　with　there；　and　uses　them　upon　all　occasions　to　show　his　reading　at　the　expense　of　his　judgment。　　Plautus　is　his　favorite　author；　not　for　the　sake　of　the　wit　and　the　vis　comica　of　his　comedies；　but　upon　account　of　the　many　obsolete　words；　and　the　cant　of　low　characters；　which　are　to　be　met　with　nowhere　else。　　He　will　rather　use　'olli'　than　'illi'；　'optume'　than　'optima'；　and　any　bad　word　rather　than　any　good　one；　provided　he　can　but　prove；　that　strictly　speaking；　it　is　Latin；　that　is；　that　it　was　written　by　a　Roman。　　By　this　rule；　I　might　now　write　to　you　in　the　language　of　Chaucer　or　Spenser；　and　assert　that　I　wrote　English；　because　it　was　English　in　their　days；　but　I　should　be　a　most　affected　puppy　if　I　did　so；　and　you　would　not　understand　three　words　of　my　letter。　　All　these；　and　such　like　affected　peculiarities；　are　the　characteristics　of　learned　coxcombs　and　pedants；　and　are　carefully　avoided　by　all　men　of　sense。

I　dipped　accidentally；　the　other　day；　into　Pitiscus's　preface　to　his　〃Lexicon；〃　where　I　found　a　word　that　puzzled　me；　and　which　I　did　not　remember　ever　to　have　met　with　before。　　It　is　the　adverb　'praefiscine'；　which　means；　IN　A　GOOD　HOUR；　an　expression　which；　by　the　superstition　of　it；　appears　to　be　low　and　vulgar。　　I　looked　for　it：　and　at　last　I　found　that　it　is　once　or　twice　made　use　of　in　Plautus；　upon　the　strength　of　which　this　learned　pedant　thrusts　it　into　his　preface。　　Whenever　you　write　Latin；　remember　that　every　word　or　phrase　which　you　make　use　of；　but　cannot　find　in　Caesar；　Cicero；　Livy；　Horace；　Virgil；　and　Ovid；　is　bad；　illiberal　Latin；　though　it　may　have　been　written　by　a　Roman。

I　must　now　say　something　as　to　the　matter　of　the　〃Lecture；〃　in　which　I　confess　there　is　one　doctrine　laid　down　that　surprises　me：　It　is　this；　'Quum　vero　hostis　sit　lenta　citave　morte　omnia　dira　nobis　minitans　quocunque　bellantibus　negotium　est；　parum　sane　interfuerit　quo　modo　eum　obruere　et　interficere　satagamus；　si　ferociam　exuere　cunctetur。　　Ergo　veneno　quoque　uti　fas　est'；　etc。；　whereas　I　cannot　conceive　that　the　use　of　poison　can；　upon　any　account；　come　within　the　lawful　means　of　self…　defense。　　Force　may；　without　doubt；　be　justly　repelled　by　force；　but　not　by　treachery　and　fraud；　for　I　do　not　call　the　stratagems　of　war；　such　as　ambuscades；　masked　batteries；　false　attacks；　etc。；　frauds　or　treachery：　They　are　mutually　to　be　expected　and　guarded　against；　but　poisoned　arrows；　poisoned　waters；　or　poison　administered　to　your　enemy　（which　can　only　be　done　by　treachery）；　I　have　always　heard；　read；　and　thought；　to　be　unlawful　and　infamous　means　of　defense；　be　your　danger　ever　so　great：　But　'si　ferociam　exuere　cunctetur'；　must　I　rather　die　than　poison　this　enemy？　Yes；　certainly；　much　rather　die　than　do　a　base　or　criminal　action；　nor　can　I　be　sure；　beforehand；　that　this　enemy　may　not；　in　the　last　moment；　'ferociam　exuere'。　　But　the　public　lawyers；　now；　seem　to　me　rather　to　warp　the　law；　in　order　to　authorize；　than　to　check；　those　unlawful　proceedings　of　princes　and　states；　which；　by　being　become　common；　appear　less　criminal；　though　custom　can　never　alter　the　nature　of　good　and　ill。

Pray　let　no　quibbles　of　lawyers；　no　refinements　of　casuists；　break　into　the　plain　notions　of　right　and　wrong；　which　every　man's　right　reason　and　plain　common　sense　suggest　to　him。　　To　do　as　you　would　be　done　by；　is　the　plain；　sure；　and　undisputed　rule　of　morality　and　justice。　　Stick　to　that；　and　be　convinced　that　whatever　breaks　into　it；　in　any　degree；　however　speciously　it　may　be　turned；　and　however　puzzling　it　may　be　to　answer　it；　is；　notwithstanding；　false　in　itself；　unjust；　and　criminal。　　I　do　not　know　a　crime　in　the　world；　which　is　not　by　the　casuists　among　the　Jesuits　（especially　the　twenty…four　collected；　I　think；　by　Escobar）　allowed；　in　some；　or　many　cases；　not　to　be　criminal。　　The　principles　first　laid　down　by　them　are　often　specious；　the　reasonings　plausible；　but　the　conclusion　always　a　lie：　for　it　is　contrary；　to　that　evident　and　undeniable　rule　of　justice　which　I　have　mentioned　above；　of　not　doing　to　anyone　what　you　would　not　have　him　do　to　you。　　But；　however；　these　refined　pieces　of　casuistry　and　sophistry；　being　very　convenient　and　welcome　to　people's　passions　and　appetites；　they　gladly　accept　the　indulgence；　without　desiring　to　detect　the　fallacy　or　the　reasoning：　and　indeed　many；　I　might　say　most　people；　are　not　able　to　do　it；　which　makes　the　publication　of　such　quibblings　and　refinements　the　more　pernicious。　　I　am　no　skillful　casuist　nor　subtle　disputant；　and　yet　I　would　undertake　to　justify　and　qualify　the　profession　of　a　highwayman；　step　by　step；　and　so　plausibly；　as　to　make　many　ignorant　people　embrace　the　profession；　as　an　innocent；　if　not　even　a　laudable