There alone all kinds of characters resort, and human nature is seen in all the various shapes and modes, which education, custom, and habit give it; whereas, in all other places, one local mode generally prevails, and producing a seeming though not a real sameness of character.  For example, one general mode distinguishes an university, another a trading town, a third a seaport town, and so on; whereas, at a capital, where the Prince or the Supreme Power resides, some of all these various modes are to be seen and seen in action too, exerting their utmost skill in pursuit of their several objects.  Human nature is the same all over the world; but its operations are so varied by education and habit, that one must see it in all its dresses in order to be intimately acquainted with it.  The passion of ambition, for instance, is the same in a courtier, a soldier, or an ecclesiastic; but, from their different educations and habits, they will take very different methods to gratify it.  Civility, which is a disposition to accommodate and oblige others, is essentially the same in every country; but good-breeding, as it is called, which is the manner of exerting that disposition, is different in almost every country, and merely local; and every man of sense imitates and conforms to that local good-breeding of the place which he is at.  A conformity and flexibility of manners is necessary in the course of the world; that is, with regard to all things which are not wrong in themselves.  The ‘versatile ingenium’ is the most useful of all.  It can turn itself instantly from one object to another, assuming the proper manner for each.  It can be serious with the grave, cheerful with the gay, and trifling with the frivolous.  Endeavor by all means, to acquire this talent, for it is a very great one.

As I hardly know anything more useful, than to see, from time to time, pictures of one’s self drawn by different hands, I send you here a sketch of yourself, drawn at Lausanne, while you were there, and sent over here by a person who little thought that it would ever fall into my hands:  and indeed it was by the greatest accident in the world that it did.

LETTER XVI

London, October 9, O. S. 1747.

Dear boy:  People of your age have, commonly, an unguarded frankness about them; which makes them the easy prey and bubbles of the artful and the experienced; they look upon every knave or fool, who tells them that he is their friend, to be really so; and pay that profession of simulated friendship, with an indiscreet and unbounded confidence, always to their loss, often to their ruin.  Beware, therefore, now that you are coming into the world, of these preferred friendships.  Receive them with great civility, but with great incredulity too; and pay them with compliments, but not with confidence.  Do not let your vanity and self-love make you suppose that people become