TONE OF CONVERSATION AND LETTERS.

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something else than1 talent-proud of fortune, of connexion, or of birth-in order not to be looked down upon. Byron would never have set a coronet over his bed if he had not written poetry; nor the fastidious Walpole have affected to disdain the author 5 if he had not known that with certain circles authorship was thought to lower the gentleman. Every one knows the anecdote of a certain professor of chemistry, who, eulogising Boyle, thus concluded his panegyric: "He was a great man, a very great man; he was father of chemistry, and brother to 10 the Earl of Cork!"

BULWER," England and the English."

THE TRUE TONE OF CONVERSATION AND LETTERS.

When a woman of feeling, fancy, and accomplishment 11 has learned to converse with ease and grace, from long intercourse with 12 the most polished society, and when 13 she writes as she speaks, she must write letters as they ought to be written,14 if she has acquired just 15 as much habitual correctness as is reconcilable with the air of 16 negligence. A moment of enthusiasm, a burst of feeling, a flash of eloquence, may be allowed, but the intercourse of society, either in conversation or

3

1 Than, que de son-2" of his❞—3 of connection, de ses liens de famille-nor......have, et......n'aurait pas (see note a, p. 5)—5 the author, la qualité d'auteur-6 with, dans-7 authorship was thought to lower, cette qualité d'auteur était considérée comme rabaissant8 every one, tout le monde-9 he was, c'était-10 to, de.

11 When a woman of feeling, fancy, and accomplishment, quand une femme qui a du cœur, de l'imagination, et des talents-12 from long intercourse with, par suite d'une longue fréquentation de— 13 when, que-14 she must write letters as they......to be written, ses lettres sont nécessairement écrites comme des lettres......l'être15 if she has......just, pour peu qu'elle ait....... 16 As much, etc....... the air of, un style habituellement aussi correct que le comporte un air de.

in letters, allows no more. Though interdicted from the long-continued use of elevated language,1 they are not without a resource.2

5

There is a part of language which is disdained by the pedant or the declaimer, and which both, if they knew its difficulty, would dread: it is formed of the most familiar phrases and turns in daily use by the generality of men, and is full of energy and vivacity, bearing upon it the mark of those keen feelings and strong passions from which it springs. It is the employment of such phrases which produces,what may be called colloquial eloquence. Conversation and letters may be thus raised to any degree of animation, without departing from their character.

Anything may be said, if it be spoken in 10 the tone of society; the highest guests are welcome, if they come in the easy undress 11 of the club; the strongest 12 metaphor appears without violence,13 if it is familiarly expressed; and we the more easily catch the warmest feeling, if we perceive that it is intentionally lowered in expression, out of condescension to 15 our calmer temper. It is thus that harangues and declamations, the last proof of bad taste and bad manners in conversation, are avoided, while the fancy and the heart find the

14

Though, etc.......language, bien que l'emploi continu du langage élevé leur soit interdit-2 without a resource, sans ressources-3 see note, p. 80-4 it is formed of, ce langage se compose de-5 turns in daily use, tournures journellement employées-6 bearing upon it the mark, marqué comme il l'est de l'empreinte-7 from which it springs, où il a sa source- to any, à n'importe quel-9 without departing from, sans se dépouiller de 10 anything, etc.......spoken in, on peut dire n'importe quoi, pourvu qu'on y donne-" the easy undress, le négligé 12 the strongest, la plus hardie-13, appears without violence, ne paraît point outrée-14 we, etc.......feeling, nous ne saisissons que plus facilement le sentiment le plus chaleureux-15 out descension to, par déférence pour.

TONE OF CONVERSATION AND LETTERS.

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means of pouring forth all their stores.1 To meet this despised part of language in a polished dress, and producing all the effects of wit and eloquence, is a constant source of agreeable surprise. This is increased when a few bolder and higher 5 words are happily wrought 6 into the texture of this familiar eloquence. To find what seems so unlike author-craft in a book raises the pleasing astonishment to its highest degree. I once thought of illustrating my notions by numerous examples from "La Sévigné."* I must, some day or other, do so,10 though. I think it 11 the resource of a bungler, who is not enough master of language to convey 12 his conceptions 13 into the minds 14 of others. The style of Madame de Sévigné is evidently copied, not only by her worshipper Walpole, but even by Gray; who, notwithstanding the extraordinary merits 15 of his matter, has the double stiffness of an imitator, and of a college recluse.

Letters must not be on 16 a subject. Lady Mary Wortley's Letters on her Journey to Constantinople are an admirable book of travels; but they are not letters." A meeting to discuss a question of science is not conver

1 Of pouring forth all their stores, de verser à flots tous leurs trésors 2 in a polished dress, sous une forme élégante-3 and producing, et lui voir produire-4 this is, et cette sensation (see note ', p, 16) se trouve-5 higher, plus relevés— 6 wrought, introduits-7 to find what, etc....... degree, trouver dans un livre ce qui sent si peu l'auteur porte cet agréable étonnement à son comble-8 I once, etc. ...notions, j'ai songé autrefois à démontrer mes idées à cet égard -9 from, tirés de-10 I must......do so, il faut que je le fasse......— 11 though I think it, bien que je trouve que c'est là—12 convey, faire passer-13 conceptions, idées-14 sing.-15 sing.-16 be on, traiter de.

a They are not letters, ce ne sont pas des lettres.-Notice ce sont. We say, "c'est nous and "c'est vous" for "it is we" and "it is ce sont eux or ce sont elles" for "it is they." Ce

you," but "

دو

* See Biographical notice No. 15 in the Appendix.

3

6

4

sation; nor are papers written to another, to inform or discuss, letters.1 Conversation is relaxation, not business, and must never appear to be occupation; nor must letters. Judging from my own mind, I am satisfied 5 of the falsehood of the common notion, that these Letters owe their principal interest to the anecdotes of the court of Louis XIV..... I do not pretend to say that they do not owe some secondary interest to the illustrious age in which they were written; but this depends merely on its tendency to heighten the dignity of the heroine, and to make us take a warmer concern in persons 10 who were the friends of those celeand women, who are familiar to us from our

brated men

childhood.

SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH, "Memoirs."

THE VALUE OF GENUINE TALENT.

There is one circumstance I would preach up,11 morn

1 Nor are papers, etc.......letters, et des écrits d'une personne à une autre, sous forme de renseignements ou de discussion, ne sont pas non plus des lettres-2 appear to be, avoir l'air-3 nor must letters, les lettres ne le doivent pas non plus-4 judging from my own mind, à en juger d'après mes propres impressions-5 satisfied, convaincu-6 common, "generally received"-7 in which, où-8 this depends merely, cela provient simplement-9 on its tendency to, de ce que le caractère même de ce siècle tend à-10 in persons, aux per

sonnages.

11 There is one circumstance I would preach up, il est une recommandation que je voudrais répéter.

sont is also used, as a general rule, before a plural noun:

D'un courage naissant sont-ce là les essais ?-Racine.

The same rule applies to the other tenses of the verb être. We use, however, the singular form est-ce in the interrogation "is it they?"-" est-ce eux, elles ?" and not "sont-ce eux, elles ?"and also ce sera, sera-ce, and ne fût-ce que, either before "eux,” 'elles," or any plural noun, instead of ce seront, seront-ce, and ne fussent-ce que.

66

THE VALUE OF GENUINE TALENT.

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ing, noon, and night, to young persons for the management3 of their understanding. Whatever you

6

4

are from nature, keep to it; never desert your own line 5 of talent. If Providence only intended you to write posies for rings, or mottoes 7 for twelfth-cakes,8 keep to posies and mottoes: a good motto for a twelfthcake is more respectable than a villanous epic poem in twelve books. Be what nature intended you for,10 and you will succeed; be anything else,11 and you will be ten thousand times worse than nothing.

9

There is 12 a strong disposition in 13 men of opposite minds to despise each other.14 A grave man cannot conceive what is the use of 15 a wit 16 in society; a person who takes a strong common sense view of a subject,17 is for pushing out by the head and shoulders 18 an ingenious theorist, who catches at 19 the lightest and faintest analogies; and another man,20 who scents the ridiculous from afar, will hold no commerce 21 with him who tastes exquisitely the fine feelings of the heart, and is alive to nothing else; 22 whereas talent is talent, and mind is mind in all its branches! Wit gives to life one of its best flavours; common sense leads to immediate action, and gives 23 society its daily motion; large and compre

2

1 Morning, noon and night, literally: "from the morning to the evening persons, gens-3 management, direction-4 whatever etc.......keep to it, quelques facultés que vous ait départies la nature, tenez-vous y-5 line, sphère- posies, devises-7 mottoes, distiques---8 twelfth-cakes, gâteaux de Rois-9 villanous, méchant10 what nature intended you for, ce à quoi la nature vous a destiné -11 anything else, tout autre chose—12 there is, il existe—13 in, chez 14 see note ", p. 84-15 what is the use of, à quoi sert-16 a wit, un bel-esprit-17 who takes, etc......of a subject, qui envisage les choses avec un vigoureux bon sens-18 is for pushing out by the head and shoulders, est d'avis qu'on mette à la porte par les oreilles et les deux épaules-19 catches at, s'attache à-20 and another man, tel autre 21 will hold no commerce, ne veut avoir aucun commerce- 22 and is alive to nothing else, et n'apprécie pas autre chose-23 gives, imprime à.