114

LORD CHESTERFIELD'S LETTERS

LETTER XLV.

DEAR BOY,

Friday.

I Mentioned, in my laft, deſcription, or painting, as one of the
ſhining marks or charaſteriſtics of Poetry. The likenefs
muſt be ſtrong and lively; and make us almoſt think, that we
ſee the thing before our eyes. Thus the following deſcription
of Hunger, or Famine, in Ovid, is ſo ſtriking, that one thinks one
ſees ſome poor famiſhed wretch.

— *Famem lapidoſo vidit in agro,*
*Unguibus et raras wellentem dentibus herbas.*
*Hirtus erat crinis, cava lumina, pallor in ore,*
*Labra incana ſitu, ſcabræ rubigine ſauces,*
*Dura cutis, per quam ſpeſtari vifcera poſſent :*
*Offa ſub incurvis extabant arida lumbis :*
*Ventris erat pro ventre locus: pendere putares*
*Peſtus, et a ſpinæ tantummodo crate teneri.*

Obſerve the propriety and ſignificancy of the epithets. *Lapidoſo* is the epithet to *agro*; becauſe a ſtony ground produces very little graſs. *Raras* is the epithet to *herbas*, to mark how ſew and how ſcare the herbs were, that Famine was tearing with her teeth and nails. You will eafily find out the other epithets.

I will now give you an excellent piece of painting, or deſcription,
in Englifh verſe; it is in the tragedy of Phædra and Hippolytus.
Phædra was the ſecond wife of the famous Theſeus, one of the firſt
Kings of Athens; and Hippolytus was his ſon by his former wife.
Look for the further particulars of their ſtory in your diſcription,
under the articles Phedre and Hippolite.

So

TO HIS SON.

So when *bright* Venus yielded up her charms,
The bleſt Adonis languifh'd in her arms.
His idle horn on fragrant myrtles hung;
His arrows ſcatter'd, and his bow unſtring.
Obſcure, in coverts, lie his *dreaming* hounds,
And bay the *fancied* boar with feeble ſounds.
For nobler ſports he quits the *savage* fields,
And all the Hero to the Lover yields.

I have marked the epithets, that you may the better obſerve
them. Venus is called *bright*, upon account of her beauty:
Adonis is called *bleſt*, becauſe Venus was in love with him: his
horn is faſd to be *idle*, becauſe he then laid it by, and made no uſe
of it: the myrtles are called *fragrant*, becauſe the myrtle is a
ſweet-smelling tree; moreover, the myrtle is the particular tree
facred to Venus: *ſcattered* arrows, becauſe laid by here and there,
careſſely. The bow *unſtring*: it was the cuſtom to unſtring the
bow when they did not uſe it, and it was the ſtronger for it after-
wards. *Dreaming* hounds: hounds that are uſed to hunt, often
dream they are hunting; as appears by their making the fame
noife, only not ſo loud, when they ſleep, as they do when they
are hunting ſome wild beaſt; therefore, the ſounds are called
*feeble*. *Savage* fields; ſo called from the roughneſs of field ſports,
in comparifon to the tenderneſs and ſoftneſs of love.

Adonis was extremely handsome, and a great ſportſman; he uſed
to employ his whole time in hunting boars and other wild beaſts.
Venus fell in love with him, and uſed frequently to come down
to him: he was at laſt killed by a wild boar, to the great grief
of Venus. Look for Adonis in your diſcription; for, though you
have read his ſtory in Ovid's Metamorphofes, I believe that excel-
lent memory of yours wants refreshing. From hence, when a

man

Q 2

LORD CHESTERFIELD'S LETTERS
116

man is extremely handsome, he is called, by metaphor, an
Adonis. Adieu.

LETTER XLVI.

DEAR BOY,

Saturday.

YOUR laft translations were very well done; and I believe
you begin to apply yourfelf more. This you may de-
pend upon, that the more you apply, the eafier you will find
your learning, and the sooner you will have done with it. But,
as I have often told you before, it is not the words only that you
fhould mind, but the fenſe and beauties of the authors you read;
which will furnifh you with matter, and teach you to think juſtly
upon ſubjects. For example; if you were to ſay, in poetry, that
it was morning, you would not barely ſay it was morning; that
would not be poetical; but you would repreſent the morning
under ſome image, or by deſcription; as thus:

Lo! from the *roſy* caſt, her *purple* doors
The Morn unfolds, adorn'd with *blushing* flowers.
The *leſſen'd* stars draw off and diſappear,
Whoſe *bright* battalions, laſtly, *Lucifer*
Brings up, and quits his ſlation in the rear.

Obferve, that the day always rifes in the caſt; and therefore it
is ſaid, from the roſy caſt: *roſy* is the epithet to caſt; becauſe
the break of day, or the Aurora, is of a reddifh roſy colour.
Obferve too, that *Lucifer* is the name of that ſtar that diſappears
the laſt in the morning; for the aftronomers have given names to
moſt

TO HIS SON.

moſt of the ſtars. The three laſt lines, which have the fame
rhymes, are called a triplet, which is always marked as I have
marked it. The original Latin is thus in Ovid.

—*Eccce vigil rutilo pateſecit ab ortu*
*Purpureas Aurora forſe, et plena roſarum*
*Atria. Diffugiunt ſtelle, quarum agmina cogit*
*Lucifer, et œceli ſlatione novifſimus exit.*

Here is another way of ſaying that it is morning, as Virgil ex-
prefſes it:

*Et jam prima novo ſpargebat lumine terras*
*Tithoni croceum linquens Aurora cubile:*
*Jam ſole infuſo, jam rebus luce reteſtis.*

Thus in Englifh verſe :

And now Aurora, harbinger of day,
Rose from the *saffron* bed where Tithon lay,
And sprinkled o'er the world with *new-born* light :
The fun now *shining*, all things brought to fight.

Look in your dictionary for the articles *Aurore* and *Tithon*,
where you will find their ſtory. Tithon was the hufband of
Aurora. Aurora, in poetical language, means the break of day,
or the firſt part of the morning. Harbinger (by the way) means
forerunner, or a perſon who is ſent before-hand, by another, upon
a journey, to prepare things for him. The King has ſeveral
harbingers, that go before him upon the road, to prepare his
lodging, and get every thing ready. So Aurora, or the
Morning, is called, by a metaphor, the harbinger of Day, becauſe
it foreruns the day.

I ex-

113 LORD CHESTERFIELD'S LETTERS

I expect very good veres, of your making, by that time you
are ten years old; and then you shall be called Poeta Decennis,
which will be a very uncommon, and, consequently, a very glo-
rious title. Adieu.

LETTER XLVII.

DEAR BOY,

Wednesday.

I
N my laft I fent you two or three poetical defcriptions of the
Morning; I here fend you ſome, of the other parts of the day.
The Noon, or Mid-day, that is twelve o'clock, is thus deferibed by
Ovid:

*Fecerat exiguus jam Sol altiffimus umbras.*

*Fecerat exiguus jam Sol altiffimus umbras.*
And in another place,

*Jamque dies rerum medias contraxerat umbras,*
*Et Sol ex œquo, metà diſlabat utrdique :*

Becaufe the fun, at noon, is exaſtly in the middle of its courſe,
and, being then juſt perpendicular over our heads, makes the
fhadows very ſhort; whereas, when the fun ſhines on either ſide
of us, (as it does mornings and evenings) the fhadows are very
long; which you may obſerve any fun-fhiny day that you pleafe.
The Evening is deſcribed thus, by Ovid:

*Jam labor exiguus Phœbo reſlabat: equique*
*Pulſabant pedibus ſpatium declivis Olympi:*

*Jam labor exiguus Phæbo reſlabat: equique*
*Pulſabant pedibus ſpatium declivis Olympi:*

Becaufe the courſe of the fun, being ſuppoſed to be of one day,
Phæbus (that is the fun) is here faid to have little more remaining
lufineſs to do; and his horſes are reſrefented as going down hill;

which

TO HIS SON.

which points out the evening; the fun, in the evening, feeming
to go downwards. In another place he ſays,

*Jamque dies exaëtus erat, tempusque ſubibat,*
*Quod tu nec tenebras, nec poffis dicere lucem :*

For, in the dufk of the Evening, one can neither call it day nor
night.

Night is deſcribed by Virgil in this manner :

*Nox erat, et terras animalia ſuſa per omnes ;*
*Alituum, Pecudumque genus, ſopor altus habebat.*

What I mean, by ſending and explaining theſe things to you,
is to uſe you to think and reſſect a little yourſelf; and not to
repeat words only, like a parrot, without minding or knowing the
ſenſe and import of them. For example; when you read a de-
ſcription of any thing, compare it with your own obſervations;
and aſk yourſelf this queſtion, Is this ſo ? Have I ever obſerved it
before? And, if you have not obſerved it, take the firſt opportu-
nity you can of doing it. For inſtance; if you have not already
obſerved, that the ſhadows are long in the morning and the even-
ing, and ſhort at noon, try it yourſelf, and fee whether it is true
or not. When you hear of the roſy morn, confider with yourſelf
why it is ſo called, and whether it ought to be called ſo or not;
and obſerve the morning early, to fee if it is not of a reddilh,
roſy colour. When you hear of Night's ſpreading its ſable
(that is black) wings over the world, confider whether the gradual
ſpreading of the darkneſs does not extend itſelf in the ſky like
black wings. In ſhort, uſe yourſelf to think and reſſect upon
every thing you hear and fee: examine every thing, and fee
whether it is true or not, without taking it upon truſt. For ex-
ample; if you ſhould find, in any author, the blue or azure ſun,
would

3

LORD CHESTERFIELD'S LETTERS

120

would you not immediately reflect, that could not be juſt; for
the fun is always red ? and that he who could call it so muſt
be either blind, or a fool. When you read historical ſaſts,
think of them within yourſelf, and compare them with your own
notions. For example; when you read of the first Scipio, who,
when he conquered Spain, took a beautiful Spaniſh Prince's pri-
ſoner, who was soon to have been married to a Prince of that
country, and returned her to her lover, not only untouched,
but giving her a fortune besides; are you not struck with the
virtue and generosity of that action? And can you help thinking
with yourſelf, how virtuous it was in Scipio, who was a young
man, unmarried, and a conqueror, to withſtand the temptation
of beauty; and how generous it was to give her a fortune, to
make amends for the misfortunes of the war? Another reflection
too, that naturally occurs upon it, is, how virtuous actions never
fail to be rewarded by the commendation and applause of all poſ-
terity : for this happened above eighteen hundred years ago;
is ſtill remembered with honour; and will be so as long as letters
ſubſift : not to mention the infinite pleafure Scipio muſt have felt
himſelf, from ſuch a virtuous and heroic action. I wiſh you
more pleafure, of that kind, than ever man had. Adieu.

LETTER XLVIII.

Bath, October the 14th, 1740.

DEAR BOY,

SINCE I have recommended to you to think upon ſubjects,
and to consider things in their various lights and circum-
stances, I am perſuaded you have made ſuch a progreſs, that I
ſhall

TO HIS SON.

121

ſhall fometimes defire your opinion, upon difficult points, in order
to form my own. For inſtance, though I have, in general, a
great veneration for the manners and cuſtoms of the ancients,
yet I am in ſome doubt whether the Oſtracifm of the Athenians
was either juſt or prudent; and ſhould be glad to be determined
by your opinion. You know very well, that the Oſtracifm was
the method of banifhing thofe whose diſtinguifhed virtue made
them popular, and conſequently (as the Athenians thought) dan-
gerous to the public liberty. And, if ſix hundred citizens of
Athens gave in the name of any one Athenian, written upon an
oyſter-ſhell (from whence it is called Oſtracifm) that man was ba-
niſhed Athens for ten years. On one hand, it is certain, that a
free people cannot be too careful or jealous of their liberty; and it
is certain too, that the love and applause of mankind will always
attend a man of eminent and diſtinguifhed virtue; and, conſe-
quently, they are more likely to give up their liberties to ſuch a
one, than to another of leſs merit. But then, on the other hand,
it ſeems extraordinary to diſcourage virtue upon any account;
ſince it is only by virtue that any ſociety can flouriſh, and be con-
fiderable. There are many more arguments, on each ſide of
this queſtion, which will naturally occur to you; and, when you
have confidered them well, I deſire you will write me your
opinion, whether the Oſtracifm was a right or a wrong thing :
and your reaſons for being of that opinion. Let nobody help you;
but give me exaſtly your own ſentiments, and your own reaſons,
whatever they are.

I hope Mr. Pelnote makes you read Rollin with great care
and attention, and recapitulate to him whatever you have read
dat day; I hope too, that he makes you read aloud, diſtinetly,
and obſerve the ſtops. Deſire your Mamma to tell him ſo, from
VOL. I.
R
me;

LORD CHESTERFIELD'S LETTERS

122

me; and the fame to Mr. Martin: for it is a ſhame not to read
perfectly well.

Make my compliments to Mr. Maittaire; and take great care
that he gives me a good account of you, at my return to London,
or I ſhall be very angry at you. Adieu!

LETTER XLIX.

DEAR BOY,

Bath, October the 20th, 1740.

I HAVE often told you already, that nothing will help your invention more, and teach you to think more juſtly, than reading, with care and attention, the ancient Greek and Latin authors, especially the Poets; invention being the ſoul of poetry; that is to ſay, it animates and gives life to poetry, as the ſoul does to the body. I have often told you too, that Poets take the liberty of perfonifying inanimate things; that is, they deſcribe and repreſent, as perſons, the paſſions, the appetites, and many other things that have no figures nor perſons belonging to them. For example; they repreſent Love as a little boy with wings, a bow and arrow, and a quiver. Rage and Fury they repreſent under the figures of three women, called the three Furies, with ſerpents hifhing about their heads, lighted torches in their hands, and their faces red and inflamed. The deſcription of Envy I have already ſent you, and likewife the deſcription of Hunger and Famine, out of Ovid's Metamorphoſes. I now ſend you, out of the fame book, the beautiful deſcription of the Houſe or Dwelling of Rumour, that is, common report. You will there find all the particularities of Rumour; how immediately it ſpreads itself

TO HIS SON.

123

itſelf every where; how it adds falſehoods to truths; how it impoſes upon the vulgar; and how credulity, error, joy, and fear, dwell with it; becauſe credulous people believe lightly whatever they hear, and that all people in general are inclined to believe what they either wiſh or fear, much. Pray tranſlate these lines, at your leifure, into Englifh, and ſend them me. Conſider them yourſelf too, at the fame time, and compare them with the obſervations you muſt already have made upon Rumour, or common fame. Have not you obſerved, how quickly a piece of news ſpreads itſelf all over the town? how it is firſt whifpered about, then ſpoken aloud? how almoſt every body, that repeats it, adds ſomething to it? how the vulgar, that is, the ordinary people, believe it immediately? and how other people give credit to it, according as they wiſh it true or not? All this you will find painted in the following lines; which I defire you will weigh well. *Hoc enim abs te roga, oro, poſtulo, flagito. Jubeo te bene valere.*

Orbe locus medio eſt inter terraque, frotumque,
Cæleſque plagas, triplicis ſinſinia mundi;
Unde quod eſt ufquam, quamvis regionibus abſit,
Inſpicitur; penetratque cavas vox omnis ad aurea.
Fama tenet, ſummdque domum ſibi legit in arce:
Innumerosque aditus, ac mille ſoramina teſtis
Addidit, et nullis incluſit limina portis.
Noële dieque patent. Tota eſt ex aure ſonanti.
Tota fremit: vocisque refert: iteratque quod audit.
Nulla quies intus, nullaque ſilentia parte;
Nec tamen eſt clamor, ſed parvæ murmura vocis,
Qualia de pelagi, ſi quis procul audiat, undis
Eſſe ſolent: qualemve ſonum, cum Jupiter atras
Increpuit nubes, extrema tonitrua reddunt.

R 2

Atria