As I am eternally thinking of everything that can be relative to you, one thing has occurred to me, which I think necessary to mention to you, in order to prevent the difficulties which it might otherwise lay you under; it is this as you get more acquaintances at Paris, it will be impossible for you to frequent your first acquaintances so much as you did, while you had no others.  As, for example, at your first ‘debut’, I suppose you were chiefly at Madame Monconseil’s, Lady Hervey’s, and Madame du Boccage’s.  Now, that you have got so many other houses, you cannot be at theirs so often as you used; but pray take care not to give them the least reason to think that you neglect, or despise them, for the sake of new and more dignified and shining acquaintances; which would be ungrateful and imprudent on your part, and never forgiven on theirs.  Call upon them often, though you do not stay with them so long as formerly; tell them that you are sorry you are obliged to go away, but that you have such and such engagements, with which good-breeding obliges you to comply; and insinuate that you would rather stay with them.  In short, take care to make as many personal friends, and as few personal enemies, as possible.  I do not mean, by personal friends, intimate and confidential friends, of which no man can hope to have half a dozen in the whole course of his life; but I mean friends, in the common acceptation of the word; that is, people who speak well of you, and who would rather do you good than harm, consistently with their own interest, and no further.  Upon the whole, I recommend to you, again and again, ’les Graces’.  Adorned by them, you may, in a manner, do what you please; it will be approved of; without them, your best qualities will lose half their efficacy.  Endeavor to be fashionable among the French, which will soon make you fashionable here.  Monsieur de Matignon already calls you ‘le petit Francois’.  If you can get that name generally at Paris, it will put you ‘a la mode’.  Adieu, my dear child.

LETTER CXXX

London, February 4, O. S. 1751

My dear friend:  The accounts which I receive of you from Paris grow every day more and more satisfactory.  Lord Albemarle has wrote a sort of panegyric of you, which has been seen by many people here, and which will be a very useful forerunner for you.  Being in fashion is an important point for anybody anywhere; but it would be a very great one for you to be established in the fashion here before you return.  Your business will be half done by it, as I am sure you would not give people reason to change their favorable presentiments of you.  The good that is said of you will not, I am convinced, make you a coxcomb; and, on the other hand, the being thought still to want some little accomplishments, will, I am persuaded, not mortify you, but only animate you to acquire them:  I will, therefore, give you both fairly, in the following extract of a letter which I lately received from an impartial and discerning friend:—­