quand elle fut assujettie par Jules César, le premier Empereur Romain, il devint suspect aux Tyrans, et fut à la fin égorgé par les ordres de Marc Antoine, qui le haïssoit, parce qu'il avoit harangué si fortement contre lui, quand il vouloit se rendre maître de Rome.

Souvenez vous toujours, s'il y a quelques mots dans mes lettres, que vous n'entendez pas parfaitement, d'en demander l'explication à votre Maman, ou de les chercher dans le Dictionnaire. Adieu.

TRANSLATION.

Bath, October the 4th, 1758.

I am

MY DEAR CHILD, By my writing so often, and by the manner in which I write, you will easily see, that I do not treat you as a little child, but as a boy who loves to learn, and is ambitious of receiving instruction. even persuaded, that in reading my letters, you are attentive, not only to the subject of which they treat, but likewise to the orthography, and to the style. It is of the greatest importance to write letters well; as this is a talent which unavoidably occurs every day of one's life, as well in business as in pleasure; and inaccuracies in orthography, or in style, are never pardoned but in ladies. When you are older, you will read the Epistles (that is to say letters) of Cicero; which are the most perfect models of good writing. A propos of Cicero; I must give you some account of him. He was an old Roman, who lived eighteen hundred years ago; a man of great genius, and the most celebrated Orator that ever was. Will it not be necessary to explain to you what an Orator is? I believe I must. An Orator is a man who harangues in a public assembly, and who speaks with eloquence; that is to say, who reasons well, has a fine style, and chooses his words properly.

Now, never man succeeded better than Cicero, in all those different points: he used sometimes to speak to the whole people of Rome assembled; and by the force of his eloquence, persuade them to whatever he pleased. At other times, he used to undertake causes, and plead for his clients in courts of judicature and in those causes he generally had all the suffrages, that is to say, all the opinions, all the decisions, in his favour. While the Roman Republic enjoyed its freedom, he did very signal services to his country; but after it was enslaved by Julius Cæsar, the first Emperor of the Romans, Cicero became suspected by the tyrants; and was at last put to death by order of Marc Antony, who hated him for the severity of his orations against him, at the time that he endeavoured to obtain the sovereignty of Rome.

In case there should be any words in my letters which you do not perfectly understand, remember always to inquire the explanation from your Mamma, or else to seek for them in the Dictionary. Adieu.

LETTER XI.

MON CHER ENFANT, A Bath, ce 11me d'Oct. 1738. Vous ayant parlé dans ma dernière de Cicéron le plus grand Orateur que Rome ait jamais produit, (quoiqu'elle en ait produit plusieurs) je vous présente aujourd'hui Démosthènes le plus célèbre des Orateurs Grecs. J'aurois dû à la vérité avoir commencé par Démosthènes, comme l'aîné, car il vivoit à peu près trois cents ans avant Cicéron; et Cicéron même a beaucoup profité de la lecture de ses Harangues; comme j'espère qu'avec le tems vous profiterez de tous les deux. Revenons à Démosthènes. Il étoit

de la célèbre ville d'Athènes dans la Grèce, et il avoit tant d'éloquence, que pendant un certain tems il gouvernoit absolument la ville, et persuadoit aux Athéniens ce qu'il vouloit. Il n'avoit pas naturellement le don de la parole, car il bégayoit, mais il s'en corrigea en mettant, quand il parloit, de petits cailloux dans sa bouche. Il se distingua particulièrement par les Harangues qu'il fit contre Philippe, Roi de Macédoine, qui vouloit se rendre maître de la Grèce. C'est pourquoi ces Harangues-là sont intitulées, Les Philippiques. Vous voyez de quel usage c'est que de savoir bien parler, de s'exprimer bien, et de s'énoncer avec grâce. Il n'y a point de talent, par lequel on se rend plus agréable ou plus considérable, que par celui de bien parler.

A propos de la ville d'Athènes; je crois que vous ne la connoîssez guères encore; et pourtant il est bien-nécessaire de faire connoîssance avec elle, car si elle n'a pas été la mère, du moins elle a été la nourrice des Arts et des Sciences, c'est à dire, que si elle ne les a point inventés, du moins elle les a portés à la perfection. Il est vrai que l'Egypte a été la première où les Arts et les Sciences ont commencés, mais il est vrai aussi que c'est Athènes qui les a perfectionnés. Les plus grands Philosophes, c'est à dire, les gens qui aimoient, et qui étudioient la sagesse, étoient d'Athènes, comme aussi les meilleurs Poëtes, et les meilleurs Orateurs. Les Arts y ont été portés aussi à la dernière perfection; comme la Sculpture, c'est à dire, l'art de tailler des figures en pierre et en marbre; l'Architecture, c'est à dire, l'art de bien bâtir des maisons, des temples, des théâtres. La Peinture, la Musique, enfin tout fleurissoit à Athènes. Les Athéniens avoient l'esprit delicat, et le goût juste; ils étoient polis et agréables, et l'on appelloit cet esprit vif, juste, et enjoué, qu'ils avoient, le Sel Attique, parce que, comme vous savez, le sel a, en même tems, quelque chose de piquant et

d'agréable. On dit même aujourd'hui, d'un homme qui a cette sorte d'esprit, qu'il a du Sel Attique, c'est à dire Athénien. J'espère que vous serez bien salé de ce Sel-là, mais pour l'être il faut apprendre bien des choses, les concevoir, et les dire promptement; car les meilleures choses perdent leur grâce si elles paroissent trop travaillées. Adieu, mon petit ami; en voilà assez pour aujourd'hui.

TRANSLATION.

MY DEAR CHILD,

Bath, October the 11th, 1738.

HAVING mentioned Cicero to you in my last; Cicero, the greatest Orator that Rome ever produced; although it produced several; I this day introduce to your acquaintance Demosthenes, the most celebrated of the Grecian Orators. To say the truth, I ought to have begun with Demosthenes, as the elder; for he lived about three hundred years before the other. Cicero, even improved by reading his Orations, as I hope you will in time profit by reading those of both. Let us return to Demosthenes. He was born at Athens, a celebrated city in Greece; and so commanding was his eloquence, that for a considerable time, he absolutely governed the city, and persuaded the people to whatever he pleased. His elocution was not naturally good, for he stammered; but got the better of that impediment by speaking with small pebbles in his mouth. He distinguished himself more particularly by his Orations against Philip King of Macedonia, who had designed the conquest of Greece. Those Orations, being against Philip, were from thence called Philippics. You see how useful it is to be able to speak well, to express one's self clearly, and to pronounce gracefully. The talent of speaking well is more essentially necessary than any other, to make us both agreeable, and considerable.

A propos of the city of Athens; I believe you at present know but little of it; and yet it would be requisite to be well informed upon that subject; for, if Athens was not the mother, at least she was nurse to all the Arts and Sciences; that is to say, though she did not invent, yet she improved them to the highest degree of perfection. It is true, that Arts and Sciences first began in Egypt; but it is as certain, that they were brought to perfection at Athens. The greatest Philosophers (that is to say, men who loved and studied wisdom) were Athenians, as also the best Poets, and the best Orators. Arts likewise were there brought to the utmost perfection; such as Sculpture, which means the art of cutting figures in stone and in marble; Architecture, or the art of building houses, temples, and theatres, well. Painting, Music, in short, every art flourished at Athens. The Athenians had great delicacy of wit, and justness of taste; they were polite and agreeable. That sort of lively, just, and pleasing wit, which they possessed, was called Attic Salt, because salt has, as you know, something sharp and yet agreeable. Even now, it is said of a man, who has that turn of wit, he has Attic Salt; which means Athenian. I hope you will have a good deal of that Salt; but this requires the learning many things; the comprehending and expressing them without hesitation: for the best things lose much of their merit, if they appear too studied. Adieu, my dear boy; here is enough for this day.

LETTER XII.

Je suis bien-aise que vous étudiez l'Histoire Romaine, car de toutes les anciennes histoires, il n'y en a pas de si instructive, ni qui fournisse tant d'exemples de vertu, de sagesse, et de courage. Les autres