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Letters to His Son; 1766…71
by The Earl of Chesterfield




                           LETTERS TO HIS SON
                      By the EARL OF CHESTERFIELD

                     on the Fine Art of becoming a

                            MAN OF THE WORLD

                                 and a

                               GENTLEMAN




LETTER CCLXXXIV

LONDON; February 11; 1766

MY DEAR FRIEND: I received two days ago your letter of the 25th past;
and your former; which you mention in it; but ten days ago; this may
easily be accounted for from the badness of the weather; and consequently
of the roads。  I hardly remember so severe a win ter; it has occasioned
many illnesses here。  I am sure it pinched my crazy carcass so much that;
about three weeks ago; I was obliged to be let blood twice in four days;
which I found afterward was very necessary; by the relief it gave to my
head and to the rheumatic pains in my limbs; and from the execrable kind
of blood which I lost。

Perhaps you expect from me a particular account of the present state of
affairs here; but if you do you will be disappointed; for no man living
(and I still less than anyone) knows what it is; it varies; not only
daily; but hourly。

Most people think; and I among the rest; that the date of the present
Ministers is pretty near out; but how soon we are to have a new style;
God knows。  This; however; is certain; that the Ministers had a contested
election in the House of Commons; and got it but by eleven votes; too
small a majority to carry anything; the next day they lost a question in
the House of Lords; by three。  The question in the House of Lords was; to
enforce the execution of the Stamp…act in the colonies 'vi et armis'。
What conclusions you will draw from these premises; I do not know; but I
protest I draw none; but only stare at the present undecipherable state
of affairs; which; in fifty years' experience; I have never seen anything
like。  The Stamp…act has proved a most pernicious measure; for; whether
it is repealed or not; which is still very doubtful; it has given such
terror to the Americans; that our trade with them will not be; for some
years; what it used to be; and great numbers of our manufacturers at home
will be turned a starving for want of that employment which our very
profitable trade to America found them: and hunger is always the cause of
tumults and sedition。

As you have escaped a fit of the gout in this severe cold weather; it is
to be hoped you may be entirely free from it; till next winter at least。

P。 S。  Lord having parted with his wife; now; keeps another w…e; at a
great expense。  I fear he is totally undone。




LETTER CCLXXXV

LONDON; March 17; 1766。

MY DEAR FRIEND:  You wrong me in thinking me in your debt; for I never
receive a letter of yours; but I answer it by the next post; or the next
but one; at furthest: but I can easily conceive that my two last letters
to you may have been drowned or frozen in their way; for portents and
prodigies of frost; snow; and inundations; have been so frequent this
winter; that they have almost lost their names。

You tell me that you are going to the baths of BADEN; but that puzzles me
a little; so I recommend this letter to the care of Mr。 Larpent; to
forward to you; for Baden I take to be the general German word for baths;
and the particular ones are distinguished by some epithet; as Weissbaden;
Carlsbaden; etc。  I hope they are not cold baths; which I have a very ill
opinion of; in all arthritic or rheumatic cases; and your case I take to
be a compound of both; but rather more of the latter。

You will probably wonder that I tell you nothing of public matters; upon
which I shall be as secret as Hotspur's gentle Kate; who would not tell
what she did not know; but what is singular; nobody seems to know any
more of them than I do。  People gape; stare; conjecture; and refine。
Changes of the Ministry; or in the Ministry at least; are daily reported
and foretold; but of what kind; God only knows。  It is also very doubtful
whether Mr。 Pitt will come into the Administration or not; the two
present Secretaries are extremely desirous that he should; but the others
think of the horse that called the man to its assistance。  I will say
nothing to you about American affairs; because I have not pens; ink; or
paper enough to give you an intelligible account of them。  They have been
the subjects of warm and acrimonious debates; both in the Lords and
Commons; and in all companies。

The repeal of the Stamp…act is at last carried through。  I am glad of it;
and gave my proxy for it; because I saw many more inconveniences from the
enforcing than from the repealing it。

Colonel Browne was with me the other day; and assured me that he left you
very well。  He said he saw you at Spa; but I did not remember him; though
I remember his two brothers; the Colonel and the ravisher; very well。
Your Saxon colonel has the brogue exceedingly。  Present my respects to
Count Flemming; I am very sorry for the Countess's illness; she was a
most well…bred woman。

You would hardly think that I gave a dinner to the Prince of Brunswick;
your old acquaintance。  I glad it is over; but I could not avoid it。
'Il m'avait tabli de politesses'。  God bless you!




LETTER CCLXXXVI

BLACKHEATH; June 13; 1766。

MY DEAR FRIEND: I received yesterday your letter of the 30th past。
I waited with impatience for it; not having received one from you in six
weeks; nor your mother neither; who began to be very sure that you were
dead; if not buried。  You should write to her once a week; or at least
once a…fortnight; for women make no allowance either for business or
laziness; whereas I can; by experience; make allowances for both:
however; I wish you would generally write to me once a fortnight。

Last week I paid my midsummer offering; of five hundred pounds; to Mr。
Larpent; for your use; as I suppose he has informed you。  I am punctual;
you must allow。

What account shall I give you of ministerial affairs here?  I protest I
do not know: your own description of them is as exact a one as any I;
who am upon the place; can give you。  It is a total dislocation and
'derangement'; consequently a total inefficiency。  When the Duke of
Grafton quitted the seals; he gave that very reason for it; in a speech
in the House of Lords: he declared; 〃that he had no objection to the
persons or the measures of the present Ministers; but that he thought
they wanted strength and efficiency to carry on proper measures with
success; and that he knew but one man MEANING; AS YOU WILL EASILY
SUPPOSE; MR。 PITT who could give them strength and solidity; that; under
this person; he should be willing to serve in any capacity; not only as a
General Officer; but as a pioneer; and would take up a spade and a
mattock。〃  When he quitted the seals; they were offered first to Lord
Egmont; then to Lord Hardwicke; who both declined them; probably for the
same reasons that made the Duke of Grafton resign them; but after their
going a…begging for some time; the Duke of … begged them; and has
them 'faute de mieux'。  Lord Mountstuart was never thought of for Vienna;
where Lord Stormont returns in three months; the former is going to be
married to one of the Miss Windsors; a great fortune。  To tell you the
speculations; the reasonings; and the conjectures; either of the
uninformed; or even of the best…informed public; upon the present
wonderful situation of affairs; would take up much more time and paper
than either you or I can afford; though we have neither of us a great
deal of business at present。

I am in as good health as I could reasonably expect; at my age; and with
my shattered carcass; that is; from the waist upward; but downward it is
not the same: for my limbs retain that stiffness and debility of my long
rheumatism; I cannot walk half an hour at a time。  As the autumn; and
still more as the winter approaches; take care to keep yourself very
warm; especially your legs and feet。

Lady Chesterfield sends you her compliments; and triumphs in the success
of her plaster。  God bless you!




LETTER CCLXXXVII

BLACKHEATH; July 11; 1766。

MY DEAR FRIEND: You are a happy mortal; to have your time thus employed
between the great and the fair; I hope you do the honors of your country
to the latter。  The Emperor; by your account; seems to be very well for
an emperor; who; by being above the other monarchs in Europe; may justly
be supposed to have had a proportionably worse education。  I find; by
your account of him; that he has been trained up to homicide; the only
science in which princes are ever instructed; and with good reason; as
their greatness and glory singly depend upon the numbers of their fellow…
creatures which their ambition exterminates。  If a sovereign should; by
great accident; deviate into moderation; justice; and clemency; what a
contemptible figure would he make in the catalogue of princes! I have
always owned a great regard for King Log。  From the interview at Torgaw;
between the two monarchs; they will be either a great deal better or
worse together; but I think rather the latter; for our name

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