MR. LOCKE, GOOD my Lord LORD SHAFTESBURY. I KNOW what you would fay: that manners, in the proper acceptation of the word, at leaft in the fense of wife men, implies much more than the cafe, affurance, civility, (call it what you will) which a young Traveller is fupposed to acquire in his intercourfe with the po liter nations. Without doubt, it does. But give me this foundation of good breeding to work upon; and if I had the tutorage of a noble youth, I durft be anfwerable for all the reft, which even a philofopher includes in his fublime notion of manners: whereas, without it, his improvements of other forts would be almost thrown away; nay, his vir tues themfelves would be offenfive and unlovely. BUT BUT do not imagine I confine myself to manners in the obvious meaning of that term. I further understand by it an ability for ingenious, useful, and manly converfation. For a traveller, that makes the proper ufe of his opportunities, will be all of a piece, and return as polifhed in his mind and understanding, as in his person. AND here, again, how deficient is the turn and courfe of our ordinary education! Whither would you fend our young pupil, to accomplish himself in the neceffary art of fpeaking handfomely and thinking justly? What companions have you provided for him, or what inftructors in this man-fcience will you direct him to? fhall he court the acquaintance of fome lettered pedagogue in the schools, or folicit the precious communication of fome famed profeffor in the occult fciences? Wonderful mo dels dels of correct wit, fublime sense, and elegant expreffion! : I HAVE read of an ancient Rhetori-. cian, that took upon him to teach others the art of Speaking; but in fuch a way, fays my author, that if a man had a mind to learn the art of not speaking, he could not have been directed to an abler master. I FORBEAR the application of my little tale, out of pure refpect to the modern disciples and ornaments of this ancientschool; and, without pushing matters fo. far, it will be owned, that whatever advantage of this fort may be left at home, the lofs will be amply made up to an inquifitive traveller, on the continent. France, and even Italy, abounds in men. of distinguished literature and politeness. Nay, a German Profeffor may supply the place of an Univerfity Doctor. Think, what illuftrious perfons may be fometimes met with even in a Dutch town; and 2 and how many inftructive hours you and I have paffed in converfation with fuch knowing, candid, and accomplished scholars, as LE CLERC and LIMBORCH. Philofophy, and even Divinity, could take a liberal air, under their manage ment; and eloquence itself might be learned, on almost every subject, in their company. I I CONSIDER then the acquaintance and familiarity of men of eminent (parts) and genius, as another confiderable bene fit refulting from this way of foreign ledua cation. STILL there are higher things in view (for, now have ventured thus far in thei dogmatic tone, I find myself, like our au thorized teachers, a little impatient of control, and in a humour to run myself out without lett or interruption); ftill, I fay, there are higher advantages in view from travelled culture and education. You You may think as flightly as you pleafe, of the exterior polish of manners, or may even treat as fuperficial the information that can be acquired in good company. But what fay you to that fupreme accomplishment, a KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD; a fcience fo useful, as to fuperfede or difgrace all the rest; and fo profound, as to merit all, the ho n ** nours, and to fill up all the measures, of the best philofophy? For, by a knowledge of the world, I mean that which refults from the obfervation of men and things; from an acquaintance with the customs and ufages of other nations; from fome infight into their policies, government, religion; in a word, from the study and contemplation of men; as they prefent themfelves on the great stage of the world, in various forms,, and, under different appearances. This is that mafter-science, which a gentleman fhould comprehend, |