Produced by David Widger
LETTERS TO HIS SON 1753-54
By the EARL OF CHESTERFIELD
on the Fine Art of becoming a
and a
LONDON, New Years' Day, 1753
MY DEAR FRIEND: It is now above a fortnight since I have received aletter from you. I hope, however, that you are well, but engrossed by thebusiness of Lord Albemarle's 'bureau' in the mornings, and by business ofa genteeler nature in the evenings; for I willingly give up my ownsatisfaction to your improvement, either in business or manners.
Here have been lately imported from Paris two gentlemen, who, I find,were much acquainted with you there Comte Zinzendorf, and MonsieurClairant the Academician. The former is a very pretty man, well-bred, andwith a great deal of useful knowledge; for those two things are veryconsistent. I examined him about you, thinking him a competent judge. Hetold me, 'que vous parliez l'Allemand comme un Allemand; que vous saviezle droit public de l'empire parfaitement bien; que vous aviez le goutsur, et des connoissances fort etendues'. I told him that I knew all thisvery well; but that I wanted to know whether you had l'air, les manieres,les attentions, en fin le brillant d'un honnete homme': his answer was,'Mais oui en verite, c'est fort bien'. This, you see, is but cold incomparison of what I do wish, and of what you ought to wish. Your friendClairant interposed, and said, 'Mais je vous assure qu'il est fort poli';to which I answered, 'Je le crois bien, vis-a-vis des Lapons vos amis; jevous recuse pour juge, jusqu'a ce que vous ayez ete delaponne, au moinsdix ans, parmi les honnetes gens'. These testimonies in your favor aresuch as perhaps you are satisfied with, and think sufficient; but I amnot; they are only the cold depositions of disinterested and unconcernedwitnesses, upon a strict examination. When, upon a trial, a man callswitnesses to his character, and that those witnesses only say that theynever heard, nor do not know any ill of him, it intimates at best aneutral and insignificant, though innocent character. Now I want, and youought to endeavor, that 'les agremens, les graces, les attentions', etc.,should be a distinguishing part of your character, and specified of youby people unasked. I wish to hear people say of you, 'Ah qu'il estaimable! Quelles manieres, quelles graces, quel art de Claire'! Nature,thank God, has given you all the powers necessary; and if she has notyet, I hope in God she will give you the will of exerting them.
I have lately read with great pleasure Voltaire's two little histories of'Les Croisades', and 'l'Esprit Humain'; which I recommend to yourperusal, if you have not already read them. They are bound up with a mostpoor performance called 'Micromegas', which is said to be Voltaire's too,but I cannot believe it, it is so very unworthy of him; it consists onlyof thoughts stolen from Swift, but miserably mangled and disfigured. Buthis history of the 'Croisades' shows, in a very short and strong light,the most immoral and wicked scheme that was ever contrived by knaves, andexecuted by madmen and fools, against humanity. There is a strange butnever-failing relation between honest madmen and skillful knaves; andwhenever one meets with collected numbers of the former, one may be verysure that they are secretly directed by the latter. The popes, who havegenerally been both the ablest and the greatest knaves in Europe, wantedall the power and