892 



ANNUAL REGISTER. 



Philippics: Sal list: at leisure hours, 

 an abridgment of the history of 

 England to be run through, in or- 

 der to settle in the mind a general 

 chronological order and series of 

 principal events, and succession of 

 kings : proper books of English his- 

 tory, on the true principles of oiir 

 happy constitution, shall be point- 

 ed out afterwards. Burnet's His- 

 tory of the Reformation, abridged 

 by himself, to be read with great 

 care„ Father Paul on Beneficiary 

 Matters, in English : a French mas- 

 ter, and only Moliere's plays to be 

 read with him, or by yourself, till 

 you have gone through them all. 

 Spe6tators, especially Mr. Addison's 

 papers, to be read very frequently, 

 at broken times, in your room. I 

 make it my request that you will 

 forbear drawing totally, while you 

 are at Cambridge ; and not meddle 

 with Greek, otherwise than to know 

 a little the etymology of words in 

 Latin, or English, or French : nor 

 to meddle with Italian. I hope this 

 little course will soon be run through ; 

 I intend it as a general foundation 

 for many things of infinite utility, 

 to come as soon as this is finished. 

 Believe me. 



With truest affedtion, 

 My dear nephew, 

 Ever yours. 

 Keep this letter, and read it again. 



Bath, Januan/y 14, 1754. 

 My dear nephew, 



Vou will hardly have read over 

 one very long letter from me, be- 

 fore you are troubled with a second. 

 I intended to have writ soon, but I 



do it the sooner on account of your 

 letter to your aunt, which she trans- 

 mitted to me here. If any tking, 

 my dear boy, could have happened 

 to raise you higher in my esteem, 

 and to endear you more to me, it 

 is the amiable abhorrence you feel 

 for the scene of vice and folly, (and 

 of real misery and perdition, under 

 the false notion of pleasure and 

 spirit,) wJiich has opened to you at 

 college ; and at the same time, the 

 manly, brave, generous, and wise 

 resolution, and true spirit, with 

 which you resisted and repulsed the 

 first attempts upon a mind and heart, 

 I thank God, infinitely too firm and 

 noble, as well as too elegant and 

 enlightened, to be in any danger of 

 yielding to such contemptible and 

 wretched corruptions. You charm 

 me with the description of Mr. 

 Wheeler,* and while you say you 

 could adore him, I could adore you 

 for the natural, genuine love of virtue 

 which speaks in all you feel, say, or 

 do. As to your companions, letthis 

 be your rule : cultivate the acquaint- 

 ance with Mr. Wheeler, which you 

 have so fortunately begun ; and in 

 general, be sure to associate with 

 men much older than yourself; 

 scholars whenever you can : but al- 

 ways with men of decent and ho- 

 nourable lives. As their age and 

 learning, superior both to your 

 own, must necessarily, in good 

 sense, and in the view of acquiring 

 knowledge from them, entitle them 

 to all deference, and submission of 

 your lights to theirs, you will parti- 

 cularly practise that first and great- 

 est rule for pleasing in conversation, 



* The rev. John Wheeler, prebendary of Westminster. The friendship formed 

 between this gentleman and lord CaraeIford,'at so early a period of their lives, was 

 founded in i^utual esteem, and continued uninterrupted till lord Canielford's 

 death. 



as 



