第84章 LETTER LX(1)

LONDON,December 20,O.S.1748.

DEAR BOY:I received last Saturday by three mails,which came in at once,two letters from Mr.Harte,and yours of the 8th,N.S.

It was I who mistook your meaning,with regard to your German letters,and not you who expressed it ill.I thought it was the writing of the German character that took up so much of your time,and therefore Iadvised you,by the frequent writing of that character,to make it easy and familiar to you:But,since it is only the propriety and purity of the German language which make your writing it so tedious and laborious,I will tell you I shall not be nice upon that article;and did not expect that you should yet be master of all the idioms,delicacies,and peculiarities of that difficult language.That can only come by use,especially frequent speaking;therefore,when you shall be at Berlin,and afterward at Turin,where you will meet many Germans,pray take all opportunities of conversing in German,in order not only to keep what you have got of that language,but likewise to improve and perfect yourself in it.As to the characters,you form them very well,and as you yourself own,better than your English ones;but then let me ask you this question:Why do you not form your Roman characters better?for Imaintain,that it is in every man's power to write what hand he pleases;and,consequently,that he ought to write a good one.You form,particularly,your ee and your ll in zigzag,instead of making them straight,as thus,ee,ll;a fault very easily mended.You will not,Ibelieve,be angry with this little criticism,when I tell you,that by all the accounts I have had of late from Mr.Harte and others,this is the only criticism that you give me occasion to make.Mr.Harte's last letter,of the 14th,N.S.,particularly,makes me extremely happy,by assuring me that,in every respect,you do exceedingly well.I am not afraid,by what I now say,of making you too vain;because I do not think that a just consciousness and an honest pride of doing well,can be called vanity;for vanity is either the silly affectation of good qualities which one has not,or the sillier pride of what does not deserve commendation in itself.By Mr.Harte's account,you are got very near the goal of Greek and Latin;and therefore I cannot suppose that,as your sense increases,your endeavors and your speed will slacken in finishing the small remains of your course.Consider what lustre and 'eclat'it will give you,when you return here,to be allowed to be the best scholar,for a gentleman,in England;not to mention the real pleasure and solid comfort which such knowledge will give you throughout your whole life.Mr.Harte tells me another thing,which,I own,I did not expect:it is,that when you read aloud,or repeat parts of plays,you speak very properly and distinctly.This relieves me from great uneasiness,which I was under upon account of your former bad enunciation.Go on,and attend most diligently to this important article.It is,of all Graces (and they are all necessary),the most necessary one.

Comte Pertingue,who has been here about a fortnight,far from disavowing,confirms all that Mr.Harte has said to your advantage.

He thinks that he shall be at Turin much about the time of your arrival there,and pleases himself with the hopes of being useful to you.