of a complete gentleman, ‘un galant homme, un homme de cour’, a man of business and pleasure; ’estime des hommes, recherche des femmes, aime de tout le monde’.  In this view, observe the shining part of every man of fashion, who is liked and esteemed; attend to, and imitate that particular accomplishment for which you hear him chiefly celebrated and distinguished:  then collect those various parts, and make yourself a mosiac of the whole.  No one body possesses everything, and almost everybody possesses some one thing worthy of imitation:  only choose your models well; and in order to do so, choose by your ear more than by your eye.  The best model is always that which is most universally allowed to be the best, though in strictness it may possibly not be so.  We must take most things as they are, we cannot make them what we would, nor often what they should be; and where moral duties are not concerned, it is more prudent to follow than to attempt to lead.  Adieu.

LETTER CLXXXVIII

Bath, October 3, 1753

My dear friend:  You have set out well at The Hague; you are in love with Madame Munter, which I am very glad of:  you are in the fine company there, and I hope one of it:  for it is not enough, at your age, to be merely in good company; but you should, by your address and attentions, make that good company think you one of them.  There is a tribute due to beauty, even independently of further views; which tribute I hope you paid with alacrity to Madame Munter and Madame Degenfeldt:  depend upon it, they expected it, and were offended in proportion as that tribute seemed either unwillingly or scantily paid.  I believe my friend Kreuningen admits nobody now to his table, for fear of their communicating the plague to him, or at least the bite of a mad dog.  Pray profit of the entrees libres that the French Ambassador has given you; frequent him, and speak to him.  I think you will not do amiss to call upon Mr. Burrish, at Aix-la-Chapelle, since it is so little out of your way; and you will do still better, if you would, which I know you will not, drink those waters for five or six days only, to scour your stomach and bowels a little; I am sure it would do you a great deal of good Mr. Burrish can, doubtless, give you the best letters to Munich; and he will naturally give you some to Comte Preysing, or Comte Sinsheim, and such sort of grave people; but I could wish that you would ask him for some to young fellows of pleasure, or fashionable coquettes, that, you may be ‘dans l’honnete debauche de Munich’.  A propos of your future motions; I leave you in a great measure the master of them, so shall only suggest my thoughts to you upon that subject.