As the female part of the world has some influence, and often too much, over the male, your conduct with regard to women (I mean women of fashion, for I cannot suppose you capable of conversing with any others) deserves some share in your reflections.  They are a numerous and loquacious body:  their hatred would be more prejudicial than their friendship can be advantageous to you.  A general complaisance and attention to that sex is therefore established by custom, and certainly necessary.  But where you would particularly please anyone, whose situation, interest, or connections, can be of use to you, you must show particular preference.  The least attentions please, the greatest charm them.  The innocent but pleasing flattery of their persons, however gross, is greedily swallowed and kindly digested:  but a seeming regard for their understandings, a seeming desire of, and deference for, their advice, together with a seeming confidence in their moral virtues, turns their heads entirely in your favor.  Nothing shocks them so much as the least appearance of that contempt which they are apt to suspect men of entertaining of their capacities; and you may be very sure of gaining their friendship if you seem to think it worth gaining.  Here dissimulation is very often necessary, and even simulation sometimes allowable; which, as it pleases them, may, be useful to you, and is injurious to nobody.

This torn sheet, which I did not observe when I began upon it, as it alters the figure, shortens, too, the length of my letter.  It may very well afford it:  my anxiety for you carries me insensibly to these lengths.  I am apt to flatter myself, that my experience, at the latter end of my life, may be of use to you at the beginning of yours; and I do not grudge the greatest trouble, if it can procure you the least advantage.  I even repeat frequently the same things, the better to imprint them on your young, and, I suppose, yet giddy mind; and I shall think that part of my time the best employed, that contributes to make you employ yours well.  God bless you, child!

LETTER LXXII

London, June 16, O. S. 1749.

Dear boy:  I do not guess where this letter will find you, but I hope it will find you well:  I direct it eventually to Laubach; from whence I suppose you have taken care to have your letters sent after you.  I received no account from Mr. Harte by last post, and the mail due this day is not yet come in; so that my informations come down no lower than the 2d June, N. S., the date of Mr, Harte’s last letter.  As I am now easy about your health, I am only curious about your motions, which I hope have been either to Inspruck or Verona; for I disapprove extremely of your proposed long and troublesome journey to Switzerland.  Wherever you may be, I recommend to you to get as much Italian as you can, before you go either to Rome or Naples:  a little will be of great use to you upon the road; and the knowledge of the grammatical part, which you can easily acquire in two or three months, will not only facilitate your progress, but accelerate your perfection in that language, when you go to those places where it is generally spoken; as Naples, Rome, Florence, etc.