letters to his son, 1748-第5部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


as　they　are　great　bars　in　the　way　of　the　art　of　pleasing。　　Remember；　that　to　please　is　almost　to　prevail；　or　at　least　a　necessary　previous　step　to　it。　　You；　who　have　your　fortune　to　make；　should　more　particularly　study　this　art。　　You　had　not；　I　must　tell　you；　when　you　left　England；　'les　manieres　prevenantes'；　and　I　must　confess　they　are　not　very　common　in　England；　but　I　hope　that　your　good　sense　will　make　you　acquire　them　abroad。　　If　you　desire　to　make　yourself　considerable　in　the　world　（as；　if　you　have　any　spirit；　you　do）；　it　must　be　entirely　your　own　doing；　for　I　may　very　possibly　be　out　of　the　world　at　the　time　you　come　into　it。　　Your　own　rank　and　fortune　will　not　assist　you；　your　merit　and　your　manners　can　alone　raise　you　to　figure　and　fortune。　　I　have　laid　the　foundations　of　them；　by　the　education　which　I　have　given　you；　but　you　must　build　the　superstructure　yourself。

I　must　now　apply　to　you　for　some　informations；　which　I　dare　say　you　can；　and　which　I　desire　you　will　give　me。

Can　the　Elector　of　Saxony　put　any　of　his　subjects　to　death　for　high　treason；　without　bringing　them　first　to　their　trial　in　some　public　court　of　justice？

Can　he；　by　his　own　authority；　confine　any　subject　in　prison　as　long　as　he　pleases；　without　trial？

Can　he　banish　any　subject　out　of　his　dominions　by　his　own　authority？

Can　he　lay　any　tax　whatsoever　upon　his　subjects；　without　the　consent　of　the　states　of　Saxony？　　and　what　are　those　states？　　how　are　they　elected？　what　orders　do　they　consist　of？　　Do　the　clergy　make　part　of　them？　and　when；　and　how　often　do　they　meet？

If　two　subjects　of　the　elector's　are　at　law；　for　an　estate　situated　in　the　electorate；　in　what　court　must　this　suit　be　tried？　　and　will　the　decision　of　that　court　be　final；　or　does　there　lie　an　appeal　to　the　imperial　chamber　at　Wetzlaer？

What　do　you　call　the　two　chief　courts；　or　two　chief　magistrates；　of　civil　and　criminal　justice？

What　is　the　common　revenue　of　the　electorate；　one　year　with　another？

What　number　of　troops　does　the　elector　now　maintain？　and　what　is　the　greatest　number　that　the　electorate　is　able　to　maintain？

I　do　not　expect　to　have　all　these　questions　answered　at　once；　but　you　will　answer　them；　in　proportion　as　you　get　the　necessary　and　authentic　informations。

You　are；　you　see；　my　German　oracle；　and　I　consult　you　with　so　much　faith；　that　you　need　not；　like　the　oracles　of　old；　return　ambiguous　answers；　especially　as　you　have　this　advantage　over　them；　too；　that　I　only　consult　you　about　past　end　present；　but　not　about　what　is　to　come。

I　wish　you　a　good　Easter…fair　at　Leipsig。　　See；　with　attention　all　the　shops；　drolls；　tumblers；　rope…dancers；　and　'hoc　genus　omne'：　but　inform　yourself　more　particularly　of　the　several　parts　of　trade　there。　　Adieu。




LETTER　XXXIII

LONDON；　March　25；　O。　S。　　1748。

DEAR　BOY：　I　am　in　great　joy　at　the　written　and　the　verbal　accounts　which　I　have　received　lately　of　you。

The　former；　from　Mr。　Harte；　the　latter；　from　Mr。　Trevanion；　who　is　arrived　here：　they　conspire　to　convince　me　that　you　employ　your　time　well　at　Leipsig。　　I　am　glad　to　find　you　consult　your　own　interest　and　your　own　pleasure　so　much；　for　the　knowledge　which　you　will　acquire　in　these　two　years　is　equally　necessary　for　both。　　I　am　likewise　particularly　pleased　to　find　that　you　turn　yourself　to　that　sort　of　knowledge　which　is　more　peculiarly　necessary　for　your　destination：　for　Mr。　Harte　tells　me　you　have　read；　with　attention；　Caillieres；　Pequet；　and　Richelieu's　〃Letters。〃　The　〃Memoirs〃　of　the　Cardinal　de　Retz　will　both　entertain　and　instruct　you；　they　relate　to　a　very　interesting　period　of　the　French　history；　the　ministry　of　Cardinal　Mazarin；　during　the　minority　of　Lewis　XIV。　　The　characters　of　all　the　considerable　people　of　that　time　are　drawn；　in　a　short；　strong；　and　masterly　manner；　and　the　political　reflections；　which　are　most　of　them　printed　in　italics；　are　the　justest　that　ever　I　met　with：　they　are　not　the　labored　reflections　of　a　systematical　closet　politician；　who；　without　the　least　experience　of　business；　sits　at　home　and　writes　maxims；　but　they　are　the　reflections　which　a　great　and　able　man　formed　from　long　experience　and　practice　in　great　business。　　They　are　true　conclusions；　drawn　from　facts；　not　from　speculations。

As　modern　history　is　particularly　your　business；　I　will　give　you　some　rules　to　direct　your　study　of　it。　　It　begins；　properly　with　Charlemagne；　in　the　year　800。　　But　as；　in　those　times　of　ignorance；　the　priests　and　monks　were　almost　the　only　people　that　could　or　did　write；　we　have　scarcely　any　histories　of　those　times　but　such　as　they　have　been　pleased　to　give　us；　which　are　compounds　of　ignorance；　superstition；　and　party　zeal。　　So　that　a　general　notion　of　what　is　rather　supposed；　than　really　known　to　be；　the　history　of　the　five　or　six　following　centuries；　seems　to　be　sufficient；　and　much　time　would　be　but　ill　employed　in　a　minute　attention　to　those　legends。　　But　reserve　your　utmost　care；　and　most　diligent　inquiries；　from　the　fifteenth　century；　and　downward。　　Then　learning　began　to　revive；　and　credible　histories　to　be　written；　Europe　began　to　take　the　form；　which；　to　some　degree；　it　still　retains：　at　least　the　foundations　of　the　present　great　powers　of　Europe　were　then　laid。　Lewis　the　Eleventh　made　France；　in　truth；　a　monarchy；　or；　as　he　used　to　say　himself；　'la　mit　hors　de　Page'。　　Before　his　time；　there　were　independent　provinces　in　France；　as　the　Duchy　of　Brittany；　etc。；　whose　princes　tore　it　to　pieces；　and　kept　it　in　constant　domestic　confusion。　Lewis　the　Eleventh　reduced　all　these　petty　states；　by　fraud；　force；　or　marriage；　for　he　scrupled　no　means　to　obtain　his　ends。

About　that　time；　Ferdinand　King　of　Aragon；　and　Isabella　his　wife；　Queen　of　Castile；　united　the　whole　Spanish　monarchy；　and　drove　the　Moors　out　of　Spain；　who　had　till　then　kept　position　of　Granada。　　About　that　time；　too；　the　house　of　Austria　laid　the　great　foundations　of　its　subsequent　power；　first；　by　the　marriage　of　Maximilian　with　the　heiress　of　Burgundy；　and　then；　by　the　marriage　of　his　son　Philip；　Archduke　of　Austria；　with　Jane；　the　daughter　of　Isabella；　Queen　of　Spain；　and　heiress　of　that　whole　kingdom；　and　of　the　West　Indies。　　By　the　first　of　these　marriages；　the　house　of　Austria　acquired　the　seventeen　provinces；　and　by　the　latter；　Spain　and　America；　all　which　centered　in　the　person　of　Charles　the　Fifth；　son　of　the　above…mentioned　Archduke　Philip；　the　son　of　Maximilian。　　It　was　upon　account　of　these　two　marriages；　that　the　following　Latin　distich　was　made：

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Bella　gerant　alii；　Tu　felix　Austria　nube；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Nam　qua；　Mars　aliis；　dat　tibi　regna　Venus。

This　immense　power；　which　the　Emperor　Charles　the　Fifth　found　himself　possessed　of；　gave　him　a　desire　for　universal　power　（for　people　never　desire　all　till　they　have　gotten　a　great　deal）；　and　alarmed　France；　this　sowed　the　seeds　of　that　jealousy　and　enmity；　which　have　flourished　ever　since　between　those　two　great　powers。　　Afterward　the　House　of　Austria　was　weakened　by　the　division　made　by　Charles　the　Fifth　of　his　dominions；　between　his　son；　Philip　the　Second　of　Spain；　and　his　brother　Ferdinand；　and　has　ever　since　been　dwindling　to　the　weak　condition　in　which　it　now　is。　　This　is　a　most　interesting　part　of　the　history　of　Europe；　of　which　it　is　absolutely　necessary　that　you　should　be　exactly　and　minutely　informed。

There　are　in　the　history　of　most　countries；　certain　very　remarkable　eras；　which　deserve　more　particular　inquiry　and　attention　than　the　common　run　of　history。　　Such　is　the　revolt　of　the　Seventeen　Provinces；　in　the　reign　of　Philip　the　Second　of　Spain；　which　ended　in　forming　the　present　republic　of　the　Seven　United　Provinces；　whose　independency　was　first　allowed　by　Spain　at　the　treaty　of　Munster。　　Such　was　the　extraordinary　revolution　of　Portugal；　in　the　year　1640；　in　favor　of　the　present　House　of　Braganza。　　Such　is　the　famous　revolution　of　Sweden；　when　Christian　the　Second　of　Denmark；　who　was　also　king　of　Sweden；　was　driven　out　by　Gustavus　Vasa。　　And　such　also　is　that　memorable　era　in　Denmark；　of　1660；　when　the　states　of　that　kingdom　made　a　voluntary　surrender　of　all　their　rights　and　liberties　to　the　Crown；　and　changed　that　free　state　into　the　most　absolute　monarchy　now　in　Europe。　　The　Acta　Regis；　upon　that　occasion；　are　worth　your　perusing。　　These　remarkable　periods　of　modern　history　deserve　your　particular　attention；　and　most　of　them　have　been　treated　singly　by　good　historians；　which　are　worth　your　reading。　　The　revolutions　of　Sweden；　and　of　Portugal；　are　most　admirably　well　written　by　L'Abbe　de　Vertot；　they　are　short；　and　will　not　take　twelve　hours'　reading。　　There　is　another　book　which　very　well　deserves　your　looking　into；　but　not　worth　your　buying　at　present；　because　it　is　not　portable；　if　you　can　borrow　or　hire　it；　you　should；　and　that　is；　'L'　Histoire　des　Traits　de　Paix；　in　two　volumes；　folio；　which　make　part　of　the　'Corps　Diplomatique'。　　You　will　there　find　a　short　and　clear　history；　and　the　substance　of　every　treaty　made　in　Europe；　during　the　last　century；　from　the　treaty　of　Vervins。　　Three　parts　in　four　of　this　book　are　not　worth　your　reading；　as　they　relate　to　treaties　of　very　little　importance；　but　if　you　select　the　most　considerable　ones；　read　them　with　attention；