,,letters1   c4       ,,advice ,,to ,a  
,,young ,,man    ,,upon   ,,first       
,,going ,,to ,,oxford1    ,,in   ,,ten  
,,letters1    ,,from ,,an ,,uncle ,,to  
,,his ,,nephew4         99       99     
99       99       99    ,,by ,,the      
,,rev4 ,,edward ,,berens1 ,m4,a4        
,,late ,,fellow ,,of ,,oriel ,,college4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,,london3   ,,printed ,,for ,j4 ,g4  ,f4
 ,,rivington1   ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,church
 ,,yard1   ,,and ,,waterloo ,,place1    
,,pall ,,mall4         99       99      
99       99       99    #ahcb4          
,,london3   ,,gilbert  ,,rivington1     
,,printers1   ,st4 ,john's ,square4     
,i have long thought that a book was    
wanted1 of the nature of that which ,i  
have here attempted4 ,how far ,i have   
succeeded in the attempt1 the public    
will determine4  ,i have had1--have at  
present1--and 7if ,i live17 expect to   
have hereafter1--several nephews at     
,oxford2 all having to make their own   
way in the world1 and all1 consequently1

 having abundant reason for being       
economical1 both of their time and of   
their money1 during their residence at  
the ,university4 ,these ,letters were   
not addressed to any one of them in     
particular1 but are intended1 like some 
official documents1 for all whom they   
may concern4 ,perhaps ,i had more       
especially in view1 those of them who   
are destined for my own profession4     
,e4 ,b4     ,,contents4     ,,letter4   
,,page4       ,i4 ,sense of ,religion   
#a      ,,ii4 ,choice of ,friends       
#ac     ,,iii4 ,conversation            
#bg      ,,iv4 ,against yielding to the 
,influence of ,numbers     #de       ,v4
 ,improvement of ,time                  
#ee      ,,vi4 ,punctuality             
#gb     ,,vii4 ,amusements              
#he    ,,viii4 ,expenses1 and running   
into ,debt                  #ii         
,,ix4 ,temperance                       
#aad       ,x4 ,english ,reading        
#acg     ,,letter ,i4  ,,sense ,,of     
,,religion4   ,,my ,,dear ,,nephew1  ,it

 gives me sincere pleasure to hear that 
you have actually become a member of the
 ,university of ,oxford4 ,this          
satisfaction1 perhaps1 may in some      
degree be attributed to the pleasing    
recollection of my own ,oxford life1 but
 certainly it arises principally from   
anticipation of the substantial benefits
 which you1 ,i trust1 will derive from  
your connexion with that seat of        
learning4 ,at the same time1 ,i will own
 that my satisfaction is not entirely   
unmixed with something like             
apprehension4 ,an ,university education 
has many and great advantages1 but it   
also is attended with many              
temptations2--temptations to which too  
many young men have yielded1 sometimes  
to the great injury of their character1 
and the utter ruin of all their future  
prospects4  ,in fact1 you are now       
entering upon the most important        
period--the turning point--of your whole
 life4 ,you have become1 in a great     
measure1 your own master4 ,for though   

you will be under a certain degree of   
discipline and surveillance1 yet in a   
multiplicity of cases you will have to  
act for yourself--to take your own line4
 ,you will have to contend against the  
allurements of pleasure and dissipation1
 and you have just reached the age when 
the natural passions and appetites      
become most impatient of restraint4 ,at 
the same time1 you will be exposed to   
the influence both of the example and of
 the solicitations of lively young men1 
who will try to carry you along with    
them in their career of thoughtlessness 
and folly1 and who will think it        
strange1 and show you that they think it
 strange1 if you run not with them to   
the same excess of riot4 ,against all   
these moral trials and temptations1 your
 best safeguard will be found in a      
strong sense of religion1 kept          
habitually present to your mind4 ,you   
must endeavour1 according to the        
language of ,scripture--7and in writing 
to you ,i shall always gladly make use  

of the very words of ,scripture1 when   
they suit my purpose1 as having a force 
and an authority which no other words   
can possess7--you must endeavour to set 
the ,lord always before you4 ,never for 
a moment forget that you are continually
 in the presence of that awful ,being1  
who can1 and who will1 call you to a    
strict account for all that you do      
amiss4 ,nothing can excuse your         
forgetting ,him4  ,if you at all believe
 in a ,supreme ,being1 the ,creator and 
,governor of the world2 if you believe  
that ,god is1 and that he is a rewarder 
of them that diligently seek him1 and at
 the same time an avenger to execute    
wrath upon every soul that doeth evil1  
the least particle of common sense or   
common feeling will tell you1 that      
nothing should be put in competition    
with his will4 ,when his will is clear1 
it must be obeyed without hesitation4 ,i
 am sure that you will assent to this4  
,if religion is any thing1 it is every  
thing4 ,it is1 indeed1 the one thing    

needful1 in comparison with which every 
thing else sinks into insignificance1   
into nothingness4  ,endeavour1 then1 to 
keep up in your mind and heart this     
habitual sense of religion by every     
means in your power4 ,it will require   
from you considerable care and          
attention4 ,the lively spirits natural  
to your time of life1 and the           
thoughtless levity of some of the young 
men into whose society you will be      
thrown1 will have a tendency to make you
 think less of religion1 if not to      
induce you entirely to forget it4 ,be   
ever on your guard against thus swerving
 from your allegiance to your ,creator4 
,nothing will contribute more to        
preserve you from this danger than      
regularity and earnestness in your      
private devotions4 ,when you rise in the
 morning1 seek from ,god spiritual      
strength to enable you to resist and    
overcome the temptations to which you   
may be exposed during the day4 ,every   
night implore his forgiveness for your  

many failings and transgressions1 and   
his protection against the dangers which
 surround you4 ,suffer nothing to induce
 you to neglect private prayer4  ,you   
will of course be required every day to 
attend chapel4 ,consider such attendance
 not as an irksome duty1 not as a mere  
matter of routine and college           
discipline1 but try to regard it as a   
privilege1 and to take a real interest  
and pleasure in it4 ,acquire the habit  
of joining fervently in the prayers1 and
 of constantly deriving from the lessons
 and other portions of ,scripture1 the  
doctrinal and practical instruction     
which they were intended to convey4     
,many college chapels are furnished with
 ,greek ,testaments and ,septuagints4   
,you will judge from experience1 whether
 following the lessons in the ,greek    
assists in fixing your attention1 or    
whether it diverts it from the matter to
 the language4 ,my own opinion is in    
favour of the practice4  ,make a point  
of giving to ,sunday as much of a       

religious character as you can4 ,i am   
not recommending a ,jewish strictness4  
,let ,sunday be a day of cheerfulness2  
but let your reading and your thoughts1 
as far as may be1 partake of the sacred 
character of the day4  ,the study of the
 ,scriptures constitutes an important   
part of your preparation for your       
degree4 ,this study will furnish an     
appropriate employment for a            
considerable portion of the ,sunday4    
,always attend the ,university ,sermons4
 ,i recommend this not merely as a      
branch of academical discipline1 but as 
a means of religious and intellectual   
improvement4 ,the sermon will generally1
 ,i believe1 be worth attending to4 ,the
 select preachers are chosen1 for the   
most part1 from the ablest men in the   
,university2 men1 several of whom are   
likely hereafter to fill the highest    
stations in the ,church4 ,you will      
seldom be driven to have recourse to the
 advice of the pious ,nicole in his     
,essay1 des moyens de profiter de       

mauvais sermons4 ,the various modes in  
which different preachers enforce or    
illustrate the same great truths1 and   
the diversities of their style and      
manner1 may afford you matter--not of   
ill-natured criticism--but of useful    
reflection4 ,some colleges require their
 under-graduates to give every week in  
writing a summary of the sermon which   
they have heard at ,st4 ,mary's4 ,if you
 adopt this practice1 you will find it  
contribute greatly to fix your          
attention1 and to give you a habit of   
arranging and expressing your ideas with
 facility and readiness4 ,of course1    
some preachers deserve this steadiness  
of attention much more than others4  ,it
 is1 ,i trust1 unnecessary to remind you
 of the duty of receiving the ,lord's   
,supper1 whenever it is administered in 
your college chapel4 ,in some colleges1 
nearly all the under-graduates partake  
of this ordinance2 in others1 ,i        
believe1 almost all neglect it3 at least
 this was the case formerly4 ,in such   

and similar cases1 you must be guided1  
not by common practice1 not by the      
example of numbers1 but by what you know
 to be your duty4 ,if you feel any doubt
 or difficulty1 frankly mention it to   
your tutor4 ,there are1 ,i am persuaded1
 few tutors now in ,oxford1 who would   
not be able and willing to assist you   
with their advice4  ,this attention to  
your religious duties need not be       
attended by any preciseness or austerity
 of manner4 ,on the contrary1 ,i should 
wish you to be at all times cheerful and
 good humoured1 ready to take part in   
any innocent gaiety4 ,my object is to   
impress upon you the absolute necessity 
of always putting religion in the first 
place4 ,if you really believe what you  
profess to believe1 do not hesitate as  
to shewing it in your conduct4 ,never be
 so weak as to be ashamed of doing what 
you know to be your duty4 ,never be     
guilty of such unmanly cowardice as to  
be ashamed of avowing your allegiance to
 your ,creator and your ,redeemer4    ,i

 remain1   ,my dear ,nephew1   ,your    
affectionate ,uncle4     ,,letter ,,ii4 
,,choice ,,of ,,friends1 ,,and          
,,behaviour ,,in ,,society4   ,,my      
,,dear ,,nephew1  ,among the many       
advantages of an ,university1 few rank  
higher1 both in general estimation and  
in reality1 than the opportunity which  
it affords of forming valuable and      
lasting friendships4 ,indeed this       
advantage can hardly be rated too       
highly4 ,i look back to the intimacies  
which ,i contracted at college1 as among
 the greatest blessings of a life1 which
 has been eminently blessed in various  
ways4 ,i still hold intercourse with    
many of my ,oxford friends1 whose       
characters and attainments do honour to 
the place where their education and     
their minds were matured4 ,and even the 
recollection of most of those1 who have 
been removed from this lower world1 is  
attended with a soothing melancholy1    
which partakes more of pleasure and     
thankfulness for having enjoyed their   

society1 than of pain4 ,the memory of   
the just is blessed#ad3a4  ,i hope1 my  
dear nephew1 that you will improve this 
advantage to the utmost4 ,in your       
intimacies1 however1 endeavour to be    
guided rather by judgment than by mere  
fancy4 ,sameness of pursuits1 similarity
 of dispositions and inclinations       
generally contribute much to throw men  
together2 but be careful not to attach  
yourself to any man as a friend1 unless 
he is a man of moral worth1 and of real 
religious principle4 ,intimacy with a   
man who is unrestrained by religion1    
must be attended with great danger4     
,your own natural appetites will        
continually solicit you to forbidden    
indulgences1 and will not be kept in due
 subjection without difficulty4 ,if     
their solicitations are seconded by the 
example and by the conversations of an  
intimate associate1 your peril will be  
extreme4 ,intimacy with a man of bad    
principles and immoral character1 may   
utterly blast all your prospects of     

happiness both in this world and the    
next4  ,you will of course have the     
greater power of selection1 if your     
general acquaintance is pretty          
extensive4 ,i acknowledge1 that my      
opinion is rather in favour of your     
forming an extensive acquaintance1      
provided that you never suffer it to    
encroach upon your time1 or to lead you 
into any compromise of religious        
principle4 ,going to the ,university    
constitutes a sort of entrance into the 
world1 an introduction to manly life2   
but this advantage is lost if you       
seclude yourself altogether from        
society4 ,in order1 however1 to acquire 
or to retain such an acquaintance1 your 
manners and general demeanour must be   
acceptable or popular4  ,one of the     
first requisites1 in order to be thus   
acceptable1 is the neglect1 the         
forgetfulness of self--a readiness to   
put self in the back-ground4 ,any       
obtrusion of self1 any appearance of    
self-love1 self-interest1 self-conceit1 

or self-applause1 tends to expose a man 
to dislike1 perhaps to contempt4  ,one  
way in which this disregard1 this       
abandonment of self1 must show itself1  
is real unaffected humility4 ,most of   
the external forms and modes of modern  
politeness1 its bows and obeisances1 its
 professions of respect and service1 its
 adulations1 are nothing but an         
affectation of such humility1 and bear  
witness to its value when it exists in  
reality4 ,when it does so exist1 and    
still is free from any servility of     
manner1 any unworthy compliances1       
nothing contributes more to make a man  
acceptable and popular in society4 ,it  
inflicts no unnecessary wounds on any   
one's pride or self-love4 ,and1 you will
 observe1 that it is the temper and     
behaviour1 inculcated by the general    
spirit and by the particular precepts of
 religion1 which bids us in honour to   
prefer one another2 and says1 in        
lowliness of mind let each esteem others
 better than himself4  ,another         

requisite is1 a willingness to please   
and to be pleased4 ,some men seem to    
think it beneath them1 and a mark of    
littleness of mind1 to wish or to try to
 please any body1 and wrap themselves up
 in a cold superciliousness4 ,others    
seem determined never to be pleased with
 any thing or any person1 but are always
 finding fault4 ,they have no eye for1  
no perception of1 merits or beauties1   
either external or internal1 but are    
keen and quick-sighted in detecting     
blemishes1 and eloquent in exaggerating 
them#bj3a4 ,if any person's good        
qualities1 or any work of art or of     
genius is commended1 they are sure to   
throw in some observations calculated to
 depreciate and disparage them4 ,and    
with respect even to the works of       
,nature1 and the dispensations of       
,providence1 they are more ready to see 
and to point out evils1 than to         
acknowledge advantages4 ,this           
temper--this habit of disparagement--is 
certainly very unamiable2 and justly    

offensive1 not only to those who are run
 down by it as its immediate objects1   
but to all who witness it4 ,a man who   
consults his own comfort1 or the comfort
 of those with whom he associates1      
should be disposed to make the best of  
every thing4 ,i would by no means wish  
him in the slightest degree to          
compromise truth1 or to make the        
remotest approach to flattery2 but ,i   
would have him see every thing in the   
most favourable point of view1 and      
disposed to pursue and to dwell upon    
what is good rather than upon what is   
bad4 ,too much of that which is bad is  
sure to be forced upon our attention1   
without our taking any pains to look out
 for it4  ,be always on your guard      
against hurting the feelings1 or even   
shocking the prejudices1 of those with  
whom you associate4 ,a little           
observation1 and some attention to your 
own feelings in similar circumstances1  
will soon teach you what is likely to be
 annoying to others4 ,make every        

allowance for their self-love1 and for  
attachment to their own opinions4       
,never give unnecessary pain or         
mortification4 ,it is unnecessary1 when 
it can be avoided without compromising  
the consistency of your own character1  
or hazarding the interests of religion  
and of truth4  ,in short1 my dear       
nephew1 if you will study ,st4 ,paul's  
account of the nature and properties of 
charity1 and regulate your temper and   
your behaviour accordingly1 you will    
want little in order to be a perfect    
gentleman1 in the highest sense of the  
word4 ,i will not enter upon this       
account in detail1 but must refer you to
 ,fenelon's excellent book on this      
subject1 if it should come in your way1 
or even to my own ,sermon#bb3a4 ,give me
 your attention1 however1 for a minute  
or two1 to a few slight remarks upon    
charity--merely as it bears upon our    
conduct in society4  ,charity suffereth 
long----it bears patiently with other   
men's defects of temper1                

discourteousness of behaviour1 and      
awkwardness of manner2 and is kind1     
gentle1 and obliging--4  ,charity       
envieth not-- 4 ,it is free from those  
little jealousies1 and rivalries1 and   
emulations1 which1 where they are       
admitted1 sometimes give sourness to the
 temper1 and bitterness to the          
behaviour4  ,charity vaunteth not       
itself-- 2 it is not rash or over hasty2
 it is not overbearing1 positive1 and   
peremptory1 in language or manner2 is   
not puffed up-- 2 is not inflated with  
an opinion of its own worth or          
consequence2 and1 that being the case1  
it doth not behave itself unseemly-- 2  
it does not treat other men with disdain
 and superciliousness4  ,charity seeketh
 not her own--   --that is1 she is not  
selfish4 ,charity neglects not          
altogether her own concerns1 or her own 
interests1 but does not attend to them  
exclusively2 does not so attend to them1
 as to be unmindful of1 or inattentive  
to1 the interests and welfare of others4

  ,charity is not easily provoked-- 4   
,nothing more disturbs the peace and    
comfort of society than the being easily
 provoked4 ,when a man is touchy and    
waspish1 he is always looking out for1  
and catching at1 occasions of offence4  
,charity rejoiceth not in iniquity1 but 
rejoiceth in the truth2 it does not take
 pleasure in hearing of misdoings and   
evil conduct1 but delights in accounts  
of praiseworthy actions1 and in the     
spread of sound religious principles4   
,charity beareth all things1 believeth  
all things1 hopeth all things1 endureth 
all things2  1  1  1  4  ,i will not1 my
 dear nephew1 lengthen a long letter1 by
 endeavouring to point out the precise  
meaning of these expressions4 ,you may  
understand from them1 that charity is   
patient of ill-usage2 that instead of   
being suspicious and disposed to cavil  
and carp at every thing1 it is open and 
ingenuous1 ready to give men credit for 
speaking the truth1 when there is no    
good reason to think otherwise2 and that

 it is disposed to hope the best1 to    
think as favourably as it can of those  
with whom it comes in contact2 and if it
 cannot actually think well of them at  
present1 to hope for their amendment and
 reformation4  ,i think you will agree  
with me1 that a man influenced by this  
spirit would be an acceptable man in    
society1 and that the best practical    
,christian would be the best            
gentleman#bf3a4    ,i remain1   ,your   
affectionate ,uncle4   ,,footnotes3     
#ad3a ,prov4 x4 #g4  #bj3a ,see ,numbers
 #gb1 #gd1 and #ih1 of the ,rambler4    
#bb3a ,see ,village ,sermons4  #bf3a    
,see ,jones's ,letters from a ,tutor to 
his ,pupils4     ,,letter ,,iii4        
,,conversation4   ,,my ,,dear ,,nephew1 
,i take it for granted1 that upon first 
going from school to ,oxford1 and       
entering into society different1 in many
 respects1 from any that you have       
hitherto been accustomed to1 you feel   
some of that shyness which belongs to   
the character of most ,englishmen4 ,i   

should be sorry if you did not4 ,you    
probably feel diffident1 too1 of your   
ability to bear your part in general    
conversation1 and an apprehension of    
being1 on that account1 set down as a   
stupid fellow4 ,but don't be uneasy4    
,more young men1 ,i am persuaded1 hurt  
themselves by talking too much1 than by 
talking too little4 ,when a fresh-man1  
at first starting1 is quite at his ease1
 and talks readily upon any subject that
 happens to be uppermost1 some of his   
companions may be amused at his         
coolness1 but most of them will be      
disgusted4 ,if1 by your look and manner1
 you show that you are alive to what is 
said by others1 and now and then throw  
in a remark1 not destitute of meaning1  
you will be more generally popular than 
one of those random talkers4 ,men of a  
certain standing1 qualified by their    
liveliness or by their information to   
bear a leading part in conversation1 do 
not like to see an undue share of it    
engrossed by others1 especially by a    

mere youngster4 ,they greatly prefer a  
good listener to a ready talker4  ,young
 practitioners in ,doctors' ,commons    
have1 ,i believe1 to pass through their 
year of silence1 before they are allowed
 to speak4 ,during the period of        
silence1 they quietly observe1 and      
become acquainted with1 the usages and  
practice of the court4 ,something       
similar to this period of quiet         
observation1 might not be inexpedient   
for a noviciate in society4 ,at all     
events1 never talk for talking's sake2  
never speak unless you have something to
 say worth attending to4  ,you will1 ,i 
am sure1 my dear nephew1 take it in good
 part1 if ,i point out a few of the     
conversational faults1 of which young   
men are apt to be guilty4 ,it is natural
 that we should talk most of that in    
which we are most interested4 ,now1 of  
all things in the world1 a young man    
feels most interested in himself4 ,but  
if1 in consequence of such feeling1 he  
ventures to talk much of himself1 of his

 own habits1 his own pursuits1 his own  
feelings1 his own achievements1 he will 
very soon be set down as a bore and a   
conceited coxcomb4 ,a young man         
naturally feels a strong interest1 an   
interest increased by separation1 in his
 own immediate family4 ,this feeling1   
with some young men1 is so deep1 that   
they shun the mention of any thing      
closely connected with their home as a  
sort of profanation1 a desecration of   
things sacred4 ,with others1 this       
feeling takes the opposite direction1   
and leads them--celebrare domestica     
facta--to introduce the concerns of     
their own nearest relations into the    
conversation of a mixed party4 ,take    
care that you never are guilty of such a
 violation of good taste and correct    
judgment4 ,interesting as your home and 
its inmates are to you1 nothing can well
 be less interesting to those1 who are  
unacquainted with them4 ,it will be a   
stretch of courtesy and good-nature1 if 
they tolerate the mention of them       

without some expression either of       
ridicule or of distaste4 ,if you speak  
of your home-concerns at all1 let it be 
only to one or two intimate friends1    
who1 from the regard which they feel for
 you1 may be supposed to take an        
interest in all belonging to you4  ,be  
on your guard against getting into the  
habit of telling long stories3 they     
generally are tiresome4 ,many           
circumstances1 in addition to the       
feeling that you have them to tell1 may 
give them a consequence in your eyes1   
which they do not in reality possess4   
,lively anecdotes1 or short narratives1 
told with spirit1 are among the most    
amusing ingredients in conversation2 but
 even with them1 if you often meet the  
same company1 there is considerable     
danger of falling into repetition4      
,never be guilty of falling into the too
 common practice of indulging in        
scandal1 the practice of talking of men 
disparagingly1 of running down their    
character behind their backs4 ,i by no  

means wish you to flatter any man1      
whether present or absent1 or to speak  
favourably of character or of conduct   
which does not deserve it4 ,but beware  
of detraction4 ,nothing is more         
unamiable in any man1 especially in a   
young man2 and1 what is of infinitely   
more consequence1 nothing is more       
opposite to the spirit and the precepts 
of religion1 which repeatedly enjoins us
 to speak evil of no man4 ,bear in mind 
the advice of one of the most sagacious 
and penetrating observers of human      
nature3--,whether it be to a friend or  
foe1 talk not of other men's lives2 and 
if thou canst1 without offence1 reveal  
them not#cd3a4 ,if thou canst without   
offence2--circumstances may require that
 the truth should be revealed1--that the
 real truth should be spoken and made   
known1 even though it should be         
injurious1--though it should be         
absolutely fatal to another man's       
character4 ,but do not take pleasure in 
telling any thing to another's          

prejudice2 do not make the tearing of a 
character in pieces a matter of         
amusement4 ,by such conduct you would   
not only be guilty of a gross violation 
of ,christian charity1 but will probably
 bring yourself into many scrapes in a  
worldly point of view4 ,in a mixed      
company1 there may chance to be some    
friend or connexion of him1 whom you are
 running down2 or1 at all events1 what  
you say will be repeated1--a bird of the
 air will carry the matter1--till it    
comes to the ears of the injured person4
 ,and what will be the consequence8 ,a  
feeling of aversion and dislike1 a      
spirit of hostility to you1 will1 not   
unnaturally1 be engendered1 both in him 
and in such of his friends and          
connections as are acquainted with the  
circumstance4  ,one of the most         
unwarrantable kinds or forms of         
detraction1 is the attributing of any   
man's conduct to corrupt or unworthy    
motives4 ,a man's real motives are known
 only to ,god and to himself2 indeed1   

very often to ,god alone1 as from the   
deceitfulness and intricacy of the human
 heart1 a man himself is sometimes      
ignorant as to what his real motives    
actually are4 ,certainly it is rash and 
presumptuous for any other man to       
pretend to decide upon them1 and most   
uncharitable and unjust to pronounce    
them to be corrupt1 when they are       
capable of a favourable interpretation4 
,express your disapprobation of unworthy
 actions as strongly as you please2 but 
beware of rash and uncharitable censure1
 and especially beware of the           
presumption of imputing to any corrupt  
and evil motives4  ,as ,i have cautioned
 you against violating ,christian       
charity in conversation1 so ,i must warn
 you against infringing on ,christian   
purity4 ,you have arrived at a period of
 life1 when your utmost care and        
vigilance will be requisite1 to keep    
your natural passions and appetites     
within proper bounds4 ,indeed1 all your 
care will be ineffectual unless assisted

 by ,divine grace4 ,do not take part in 
conversation which is calculated to add 
to their importunity or to their        
strength4 ,thoughtless young men1 under 
the influence of these feelings1        
sometimes indulge in foolish talking and
 jesting#cg3a1 of most pernicious       
tendency1 and most inconsistent with the
 ,christian character4 ,avoid and       
discourage conversation of this nature1 
so far as you possibly can4 ,do not add 
fuel to a flame which already burns but 
too fiercely4 ,fools make a mock at     
sin#ch3a2 and none but fools should be  
capable of making a joke of temptations 
and vices1 which in themselves are      
awfully serious1 which lead on to       
eternal ruin4  ,i hope you will never be
 so unfortunate1 as to fall much into   
the company of men1 who make a jest of  
religion1 or of any thing connected with
 religion4 ,those who are bent upon     
following the guidance of their own     
appetites1 and their own wills1         
naturally dislike that which would check

 and restrain them4 ,they are           
consequently apt to become scoffers1 and
 to attempt to turn religion and its    
sanctions into ridicule4 ,avoid the     
society and conversation of such men1 as
 you would avoid the plague4 ,if        
unhappily thrown among them1            
discountenance them to the utmost4  ,do 
not indulge yourself in a habit of      
raillery or banter4 ,raillery is a      
difficult thing to manage well1 and very
 apt both to give pain to him who is the
 object of it1 and to reflect discredit 
on him who attempts it4 ,sometimes you  
see one or two young men1 of more       
liveliness than sense1 picking out some 
quiet person in company as a butt1 at   
which they may point their wit1 and     
carrying on an attack of banter and     
ridicule4 ,this is1 probably1 not only  
annoying to him1 but tiresome and       
painful to all the right feeling men who
 chance to be present4  ,i am glad to   
join in1 or to witness1 a honest hearty 
laugh1 when any thing really calls for  

it4 ,beware1 however1 of the practice of
 laughing when there is nothing to laugh
 at4 ,some people fall into a way of    
giving the accompaniment of a laugh to  
almost every thing that they utter1     
especially if they have any direct      
intention to be jocular4 ,this habit is 
disagreeable to most of those who       
witness it4 ,it proceeds1 ,i believe1   
generally from a sort of shyness and    
awkwardness contracted in early youth1  
and is1 as ,i know from experience1     
difficult to get rid of4 ,it certainly  
is inconsistent with the manners and    
habits of good society4 ,be always the  
last to laugh at your own jokes1 or your
 own good stories4 ,if they are really  
worth laughing at1 the company will find
 it out1 and by premature or excessive  
laughter you will mar their effect4  ,as
 you get on in society1 you will        
probably often fall into discussion and 
argument4 ,when this is the case1 take  
care not to be too positive or          
peremptory in your manner4 ,be          

solicitous to allow their full weight to
 the arguments of your antagonist4 ,do  
not suffer the impression of the force  
and correctness of your own reasoning1  
to render you blind to what is urged    
against you4 ,above all1 keep your      
temper4 ,if you lose your temper1       
victory will be deprived of its credit1 
and defeat will be more disgraceful4 ,at
 the same time you will run a double    
chance of being defeated1 without having
 the wit to see1 or the manliness to own
 it4 ,believe me1 my dear nephew1 7to   
adopt the very words of one of the most 
sagacious and distinguished of modern   
statesmen7 that the arms with which the 
ill dispositions of the world are to be 
combated1 and the qualities by which it 
is to be reconciled to us1 and we       
reconciled to it1 are moderation1       
gentleness1 a little indulgence to      
others1 and a great deal of distrust of 
ourselves2 which are not qualities of a 
mean spirit1 as some may possibly think 
them1 but virtues of a great and noble  

kind1 and such as dignify our nature as 
much as they contribute to our repose   
and fortune2 for nothing can be so      
unworthy of a well-composed soul1 as to 
pass away life in bickerings and        
litigations1 in snarling and scuffling  
with every one about us4 ,again and     
again1 my dear1--we must be at peace    
with our species2 if not for their      
sakes1 yet very much for our own#dc3a4  
,but my letter grows long1 and ,i must  
hasten to conclude it4 ,read repeatedly 
,cowper's lively poem on conversation1  
which seems to me to have much of the   
spirit and accurate moral taste of      
,horace1 with the elevation derived from
 ,christianity4 ,read1 too1 if you can  
lay your hand on it1 ,bishop ,horne's   
paper on conversation1 in the ,olla     
,podrida4 ,in these two essays you will 
find many of the sentiments which ,i    
have expressed1 only given in a much    
more engaging manner4 ,in the #ghth and 
#hc;d ,numbers of the ,idler1 many      
common faults in conversation are       

exposed with a degree of humour1 in     
which our great moralist did not very   
frequently indulge4    ,i remain1   ,my 
dear ,nephew1   ,your affectionate      
,uncle4   ,,footnotes3  #cd3a ,ecclus4  
xix4 #h4  #cg3a ,ephes4 v4 #d4 and      
,coloss4 iii4 #h4  #ch3a ,prov4 xiv4 #i4
  #dc3a ,prior's ,life of ,burke1 p4    
#bae4 ,second edition4     ,,letter     
,,iv4  ,,against ,,yielding ,,to ,,the  
,,influence ,,of ,,numbers4   ,,my      
,,dear ,,nephew1  ,when ,i advised you  
to fall in1 so far as you reasonably    
can1 with the wishes and inclinations of
 those with whom you associate1 you     
understood1 ,i trust1 that compliance   
should never go so far1 as to involve   
the slightest sacrifice of truth or of  
principle4 ,when carried to this        
culpable extent1 it becomes an instance 
of weak and unmanly cowardice4  ,one of 
the greatest dangers to which young men 
are exposed upon their first entrance   
into the world1 is that which arises    
from their readiness to be swayed by the

 example or by the persuasion of their  
companions4 ,the example1 and still more
 the persuasion1 of a single individual1
 is sometimes not without difficulty    
resisted1 and the difficulty of         
resistance is greatly increased by the  
influence of numbers4 ,a young man      
dreads the imputation of singularity4   
,he cannot bear to stand out against the
 example1 perhaps the solicitations1 of 
those among whom he lives4 ,he suffers  
himself1 therefore1 to be carried along 
by the stream1 and led into conduct1 of 
which1 in his conscience1 he utterly    
disapproves4  ,never1 my dear nephew1 do
 you be guilty of such weakness4 ,avoid 
singularity1 whenever it can be avoided 
with innocence3 an affectation of       
singularity for singularity's sake1     
generally proceeds from conceit or      
self-sufficiency4 ,but where the path of
 duty is clear1 let no example or       
persuasion induce you to swerve from it4
 ,keep ever impressed upon your mind the
 admonition of ,scripture1 ,thou shalt  

not follow a multitude to do evil4      
,never suffer yourself to be laughed out
 of what is right4 ,never be ashamed of 
adhering to what you know to be your    
duty4 ,in matters of duty keep in mind  
the words of ,scripture1 ,fear ye not   
the reproach of men1 neither be afraid  
of their revilings4 ,never expose       
yourself to the censure justly cast upon
 those who value the praise or the      
approbation of men1--of giddy1          
thoughtless1 sensual men1 more than the 
praise of ,god4 ,remember1 my dear      
nephew1 the solemn warning of our ,lord3
 ,if any man shall be ashamed of me and 
of my words in this adulterous and      
sinful generation1 of him shall the ,son
 of man be ashamed when he cometh in his
 glory with his holy angels4  ,in your  
steady adherence to the dictates of     
conscience1 you will always find some   
who will respect you for it2 or1 even if
 you should stand alone1 like ,abdiel1  
among the faithless1 the only faithful1 
you will be supported by the testimony  

of your own heart1 and by an humble     
confidence in the approbation of the    
,almighty4 ,one or two instances may1   
probably1 make my meaning more clear4   
,perhaps a few joyous spirits have      
devised some scheme of irregular1       
sensual gratification1--of ,bacchanalian
 revelry2--or1 perhaps1 two or three    
dunces1 whose intellects and moral      
feelings are of such a stamp1 as to     
render them rather impracticable        
subjects for academical discipline1 have
 contrived some plan of impotent        
resistance to the college authorities1  
or some plot of petty and vexatious     
annoyance1 in order to give vent to     
their mortification1 when such silly    
resistance has been proved to be        
ineffectual4 ,wishing for the screen or 
protection of numbers1 they will try to 
persuade their companions1 that they    
will be wanting in manly spirit1 or in  
social feeling1 if they refuse to join  
them4 ,and is there1 after all1 any     
thing so very spirited1 any thing of    

high-minded and noble daring in         
behaviour1 which seeks to screen itself 
by concealment and subterfuge1 and      
which1 if detected1 braves1 not any     
personal danger or suffering1 but merely
 the terrors of an imposition8 ,if the  
offence is so aggravated as to entail   
the heavier penalty1 rustication1 or    
expulsion1 such punishment inflicts1    
indeed1 severe grief upon the parents   
and friends of the offender2 but he     
himself1 with the short-sightedness of  
folly1 perhaps almost enjoys the        
idleness and the freedom from academical
 restraint1 to which rustication        
consigns him4 ,a young ,oxonian is apt  
to feel very indignant if not treated by
 deans and tutors1 as a man and as a    
gentleman2 but has he any right to      
expect to be so treated1 if he          
condescends to adopt the practices of a 
mischievous or a truant school boy8  ,i 
am no friend to the unnecessary         
imposition of oaths2 but1 ,i own1 ,i do 
not see how any thing like deliberate   

and systematic opposition to academical 
authority1 can be reconciled with the   
oath of academical obedience taken by   
every freshman4 ,i know well that the   
usual construction of that oath1--7,i   
doubt not the legitimate                
construction7--is1 that the person who  
takes it will obey the statutes1 or     
submit to the penalty imposed upon the  
infraction of them4 ,i am aware1 too1   
that the violation of the strict letter 
of many of the statutes is acquiesced   
in1 and almost sanctioned1 by those in  
authority2 but surely a deliberate and  
contumacious contravention of the       
statutes1 accompanied by a natural      
endeavour to evade punishment1 is hardly
 consistent with the spirit of the oath4
 ,certainly it is inconsistent with the 
spirit of ,christianity1 which          
everywhere inculcates a dutiful         
submission to the constituted           
authorities2 a compliance1 in all things
 lawful1 with the regulations of the    
place in which we are1 and of the       

society which has received us among its 
members4 ,no man is compelled to go to  
the ,university2 but if he does go      
thither1 he should make up his mind to  
comply with its rules1 during the short 
period of his residence4  ,perhaps1 my  
dear nephew1 you may think that ,i have 
all this time been combating1 or1       
rather1 seeking to lay1 a phantom of my 
own raising2 that ,i have been making   
mole-hills into mountains2 or1 like ,don
 ,quixote1 turning wind-mills into      
giants3 but1 in my long ,oxford life1 ,i
 have heard of so many instances of the 
silly behaviour of which ,i have been   
speaking1 that ,i wish to put you on    
your guard against it4 ,true manliness  
consists in adhering to what you think  
to be right4 ,in keeping steadily to the
 path of duty1 notwithstanding the      
solicitations1 or the taunts1 or the    
ridicule of your associates1 there is   
more proper spirit and moral courage1   
than in braving the rebuke or the       
impositions of a dean or a proctor4     

,i remain1   ,my dear ,nephew1   ,your  
affectionate ,uncle4     ,,letter ,v4   
,,improvement ,,of ,,time4   ,,my ,,dear
 ,,nephew1  ,i trust that you are now   
hard at work4 ,i can figure you with    
your ,herodotus before you1 your        
,scapula on one side1 and your maps on  
the other1 setting-to in good earnest4  
,you have1 ,i am sure1 fully determined 
to make the most of your time4 ,the time
 which you must necessarily pass in     
,oxford1 in order to take your          
bachelor's degree1 is but little after  
all4 ,your whole actual residence1      
during the three years1 will probably   
not much exceed a year and a half4      
,certainly1 of this modicum of time you 
cannot afford to waste any portion4     
,make a point of devoting it to real    
study1 to real strenuous exertion4 ,you 
owe this to yourself--to your own credit
 and character2 you owe it to your      
parents1 who have probably put          
themselves to some pecuniary            
inconvenience1 in order to give you the 

advantage of an ,oxford education2 you  
owe it to ,god1 to whom you are         
responsible for the employment of your  
time1 as well as for the proper use of  
your other talents4 ,fix in your mind   
and memory the lesson taught you by the 
sun-dial in the ,quadrangle at ,all     
,souls--,pereunt et imputantur2 or that 
of another similar monitor--,ab hoc     
momento pendet ternitas4 ,take time for 
exercise2 take time for relaxation2 but 
make steady reading your object and your
 business4 ,do not be so weak1 or so    
unmanly1 or so vain1 as to be ashamed of
 being known to read4 ,you went to      
,oxford on purpose to study2 why should 
you be ashamed of keeping that purpose  
in view8  ,in the choice of your        
studies1 be guided implicitly by the    
advice of your tutor4 ,very likely you  
may not see the use of some branches of 
science1 or of reading some particular  
books4 ,but do not fancy that in such   
matters you are wiser than older men1   
who have maturely considered these      

things again and again4 ,if you mean to 
be your own guide and your own teacher1 
you had better have staid away from     
,oxford altogether4 ,it is one great    
advantage of academical education1 that 
a definite course of reading is marked  
out for you4 ,when a young man1--indeed1
 when any man1--is left entirely to his 
own choice1 he is apt to be distracted  
by the many different branches of study1
 the many different books1 which present
 themselves1 and to fall into a habit of
 desultory reading1 productive of little
 lasting benefit4 ,you are saved from   
this distraction and perplexity1        
throwing upon other shoulders the       
trouble and responsibility of making a  
proper choice4  ,i believe almost every 
tutor now in ,oxford1 will direct his   
pupils to devote a certain portion of   
their time to the highest of all        
studies--the study of religion4 ,some   
knowledge of religion is absolutely     
indispensable1 in order to pass your    
examination for your degree4 ,but       

independently of all academical objects1
 you cannot help feeling satisfied that 
time so employed1 is employed well and  
wisely4 ,such study1 with the blessing  
of ,god upon it1 will be beneficial to  
you through the whole of your future    
existence1 both in this world and the   
next4  ,among the many advantages of an 
university education1 must be reckoned  
the opportunity of attending public     
lectures1 such lectures especially1 as  
are illustrated1 by an expensive        
philosophical apparatus1 or by the      
inspection of actual specimens4 ,the    
experiments conducted by means of such  
apparatus1 and the handing round of     
specimens1 are not only absolutely      
essential1 oftentimes1 to the           
comprehension of the science to which   
they belong1 but contribute powerfully  
to fix it in the memory4 ,if you can    
spare the time from your severer        
studies1 and if your tutor does not     
disapprove1 ,i should strongly advise   
you to attend in succession the lectures

 on natural philosophy1--on             
chemistry1--on mineralogy1--and on      
geology4 ,some acquaintance with these  
sciences1 is in itself so interesting   
and useful1 and is now so general1 that 
you ought not1 ,i think1 to miss your   
present opportunity of acquiring it3 so 
favourable an opportunity you will      
hardly meet with again4  ,much may be   
done by a judicious distribution of your
 time4 ,when you have made such a       
distribution1 keep to it steadily4 ,be  
peremptory with yourself in adhering to 
it1 and be peremptory in preventing     
others from encroaching upon it1--from  
encroaching upon it1 at least1          
unnecessarily4 ,i suppose that1 upon the
 average1 you may get four or five      
hours' steady reading before dinner1 and
 three or four after4 ,this will leave  
you abundant time for exercise1 for     
relaxation1 and for society4 ,certainly 
it will not spare you any for mere      
lounging2 either for lounging yourself1 
or being lounged upon by others4 ,if you

 cannot avoid the latter by any other   
means1 you will be reduced to the       
alternative of shutting your door1 or1  
if that term is still in use1 of        
sporting oak against them4 ,if they     
reproach you1 set them1 as their        
punishment1 to read the paper in the    
,idler on the robbery of time#fb3a4     
,either of your time1 or of your money1 
waste as little as possible upon        
newspapers4 ,i admit1 that of all       
periods of history1 the time in which we
 actually live is1 to us1 the most      
interesting4 ,i admit that1 both with a 
view to your taking part in the         
conversation of general society1 as well
 as upon other accounts1 some knowledge 
of passing events is desirable1 or even 
necessary4 ,for such purposes1 a rapid  
glance at the newspaper1 or even what is
 picked up by hearsay1 will1 generally  
speaking1 be sufficient4 ,while reading 
for your degree1 however1 you really    
cannot spare time to read the newspapers
 through4 ,the most important portions  

of them are1 perhaps1 the debates during
 the session of parliament1 and the     
trials4 ,of the debates1 a considerable 
part is very trifling and unprofitable2 
and1 in order to read with real         
advantage those speeches which are most 
deserving of attention1 it is necessary 
to be possessed of a considerable       
portion of that knowledge of history1 of
 legislation1 of political economy1 of  
mercantile and financial transactions1  
the foundations of which you are at     
,oxford engaged in laying4 ,it is not to
 be wished that an under-graduate should
 affect to be an experienced politician1
 prepared to give a strong and decided  
opinion upon subjects1 upon which able  
and experienced men1 possessed of ten   
times his knowledge1 find a difficulty  
in making up their mind4 ,in the reports
 of trials1 many curious facts1 and much
 interesting information are to be      
found4 ,in order to understand many of  
them1 however1 it is requisite to have a
 more intimate acquaintance with the    

rules of ,english jurisprudence1 and    
with the practice of the courts1 than   
can be expected in a young man as yet   
hardly set free from the eggshell of    
school4 ,upon the subject of newspapers1
 however1 ,i will say no more4 ,i well  
know1 that in merely touching upon it1  
,i tread upon delicate and debateable   
ground4  ,take sufficient time for      
relaxation2 but let your relaxations1 as
 far as you can1 be intellectual and    
improving4  ,oxford now presents        
opportunities1 both of acquiring some   
knowledge of natural history1 and of    
cultivating a taste in the fine arts1   
which it by no means possessed when ,i  
was an under-graduate4 ,for these we are
 principally indebted to those two      
admirable brothers#ff3a1 who have so    
long devoted their time1 their money1   
their distinguished talents1 and their  
various attainments1 in the first place1
 to plans of beneficence1 and in the    
next1 to the advancement of science and 
the cultivation of taste4 ,it is to them

 that we owe the enlargement1 the       
arrangement1 and in fact the greater    
part of the contents1 of the ,museum1   
which now contains a very interesting   
collection of specimens1 particularly in
 ,british ornithology4 ,to them we are  
indebted for the excellent casts 7in the
 ,radcliffe ,library7 from the most     
perfect specimens of sculpture1 and for 
the beautiful models 7in the ,picture   
,gallery7 of the most celebrated remains
 of ancient architecture4 ,the ,picture 
,gallery itself contains many paintings1
 which1 if not of any great excellence  
as works of art1 yet are well deserving 
of attention on very many accounts2 and 
the copies from the ,cartoons1          
especially if you can be assisted with a
 few hints from ,richardson or ,sir     
,joshua ,reynolds1 are most interesting 
objects of study and contemplation4 ,i  
am surprised that the young men in      
,oxford make so little use of these     
advantages4 ,many of them seem hardly to
 be aware of their existence4  ,among   

other modes of relaxation1 not          
unconnected with intellectual           
improvement1 ,i should advise you to    
make yourself a little acquainted with  
our early ,english architecture4 ,if you
 can buy or borrow either ,bentham's    
,essay on ,gothic ,architecture1 or     
,milner's accurate and elegant ,treatise
 on the ,ecclesiastical ,architecture of
 ,england during the middle ages1 you   
will need no other assistance1          
excepting1 indeed1 a friend disposed to 
go along with you in this pursuit4      
,oxford and its immediate neighbourhood 
will furnish you with many interesting  
specimens from the ,saxon and ,norman1  
in the cathedral1 ,st4 ,peter's in the  
,east1 and ,iffley church1 down to the  
utter depravation of the art1 or rather 
the total change of style1 in the time  
of ,henry the ,eighth4  ,these          
interesting pursuits1 however1 ,i       
mention1 as you must follow them1 if you
 follow them at all1 merely by the by4  
,they must not be suffered to interfere 

with your severer studies4 ,when engaged
 in those studies1 give them your whole 
undivided attention4 ,whatsoever your   
hand1 or your head1 findeth to do1 do it
 with all your might4  ,the habits of   
study and of intellectual improvement1  
which you acquire at ,oxford1 you should
 carry with you into the vacation4      
,during the vacation1 you may1 perhaps1 
take more time for society--the society 
especially of your own immediate        
family--and more for relaxation2 but    
still do not waste your time2 still     
consider yourself as responsible for the
 right employment of it4 ,make sure of  
the ground which you gained during the  
term1 by going over by yourself1 what   
you then read with your tutor4 ,improve 
your acquaintance with the standard     
writers of our own country1 and acquire 
some knowledge of modern history4 ,in   
short1 make the most of your leisure4   
,read ,bishop ,home's sermon on         
redeeming the time1 and the papers in   
the ,spectator and the ,rambler to which

 he refers4 ,read1 and learn by heart1  
what is said on the loss of time in the 
second of ,young's ,night ,thoughts3    
,part with it as with money1 sparing2   
pay     ,no moment but in purchase of   
its worth4  ,but my letter grows long1  
and 7you will say7 tedious4    ,i       
remain1   ,my dear ,nephew1   ,your     
affectionate ,uncle4   ,,footnotes3     
#fb3a ,vol4 ,i4 ,no4 #ad4  #ff3a ,john  
,duncan1 ,esq4 and ,philip ,duncan1     
,esq4 of ,new ,college4     ,,letter    
,,vi4  ,,punctuality4   ,,my ,,dear     
,,nephew1  ,i ventured to give you some 
advice respecting the employment of your
 time2 perhaps ,i ought to follow up    
that letter with a few remarks upon     
,,punctuality4 ,unless you acquire the  
habit of punctuality1 you will be apt1  
not only to lose your own time1 but to  
make unjustifiable inroads upon the time
 of other persons4  ,endeavour1         
therefore1 to keep to your time in every
 appointment1 whether the appointment be
 made by yourself or by others1 7the    

college authorities for instance17      
whether it be with a superior1 an equal1
 or an inferior4 ,whether it be in a    
matter of business or in a matter of    
pleasure1 try always to be true to it4  
,let this be your system and your habit4
 ,some deviations from punctuality may  
now and then be unavoidable2 but do not 
let them occur unless they really are   
unavoidable in fairness and reason4 ,if 
you have yourself made an appointment1  
your word is1 to a certain degree1      
pledged to your keeping to it4 ,the case
 is in some measure the same1 when1     
though the appointment is actually made 
by others1 you have acceded to it4      
,want of punctuality seems to proceed   
either from pride and superciliousness1 
or from some infirmity1 some weakness of
 character4 ,most men try to be punctual
 in any appointment with a man of rank  
superior to themselves1 especially if   
they have any object1 any interest1 in  
conciliating his favour4 ,and1 on the   
other hand1 too many persons seem to    

feel themselves at liberty to be        
unpunctual in an appointment with an    
inferior4 ,it is not worth while1 they  
think1 to care about being exact with   
one so much beneath them4 ,let him wait 
till ,i am at leisure to attend to him1 
exclaims such a man1 in the proud       
consciousness of superiority2 and1      
perhaps1 some trifle1 or mere indolence1
 is all that he has to plead for his    
neglect4  ,you1 my dear nephew1 have1 ,i
 trust1 long since learned1 that you    
have no right to treat any man1 however 
low his rank may be1 with               
disrespect1--with any thing approaching 
to contempt4 ,you well know1 that both  
reason and religion require us to regard
 all men as our brothers1 and that one  
of the golden rules of the latter is1 in
 lowliness of mind1 let each esteem     
others better than himself4 ,whatever a 
man's rank in life may be1 he has a     
right to punctuality as he has a right  
to truth2 and you have no right1 by your
 unpunctuality1 to rob him either of his

 time or his patience4 ,certainly you   
have no right to give him by such means 
the painful feeling that he is          
neglected1 and neglected because he is  
despised4  ,and thus1 also1 with men of 
your own age and your own rank in life2 
in all the little engagements and       
appointments1 whether of business or of 
pleasure1 which occur in the common     
intercourse of society1 endeavour still 
to maintain the habit of punctuality4   
,as every man wishes to have the        
character of being true to his word1 so 
it will be to your credit to have the   
character of being true to your         
engagements1 whether those engagements  
relate to great matters or to small4    
,but though want of punctuality is      
sometimes occasioned by pride1 it must  
more frequently proceed from a certain  
degree of weakness of character1 or from
 mere indolence4 ,a man acknowledges    
punctuality to be right and desirable1  
but cannot muster up sufficient energy  
and resolution4 ,he cannot prevail upon 

himself to quit his bed1 or his easy    
chair1 or his fire-side1 or the         
employment by which he chances to be    
occupied1 till the time fixed on has    
passed away4 ,his friends are kept      
waiting2 those who have business to     
transact with him lose their temper2    
they1 again1 are perhaps disappointing  
others1 and all because he had not      
sufficient decision of character1       
sufficient command of himself1 to be    
punctual4  ,you may remember seeing at  
my house my friend ,mr4 ,m4#gh3a ,he was
 at ,oxford a very good-humoured fellow1
 and every body liked him2 but he never 
could contrive to be in time for any    
thing4 ,he got imposition upon          
imposition for being too late for       
chapel2 he came to dine in hall when    
other men were going away2 and his      
friends were almost afraid of making an 
appointment with him1 either for        
business or for amusement1 because they 
knew beforehand that he would not keep  
it4 ,when1 after leaving ,oxford1 he    

established himself as a country        
gentleman in his paternal mansion1 the  
same habit still clung to him4 ,no time 
was fixed for any thing1 or if it was   
fixed1 it was never kept4 ,neither his  
guests nor his servants knew at what    
hour either breakfast1 or dinner1 or any
 other domestic arrangement1 would take 
place4 ,consequently1 their time and    
their spirits were wasted in            
uncertainty4 ,when engaged to dine at a 
neighbour's1 perhaps he would forget the
 engagement altogether2 or1 if he       
chanced to remember it1 would not arrive
 till the master of the feast had given 
him up in despair1 after allowing       
possibly an extra half hour1 during     
which1 the solemn pause which sometimes 
takes place before dinner1 had become   
more solemn1 from the annoyance of      
seeing a whole party kept waiting by the
 unpunctuality of one person4 ,the      
servants1 meanwhile1 were yawning and   
fidgetting backwards and forwards in the
 listlessness of expectation2 the cook  

perplexed with the sore dilemma of      
seeing all the productions of her skill1
 either chilled with cold from being    
kept back1 or burnt to a cinder2 and the
 temper even of the lady of the house a 
little out of tune1 from the certainty  
that the dinner would be spoiled4 ,of   
all these various vexations1 the sole   
cause was to be found in ,mr4 ,m4's want
 of energy4 ,he could not bring himself1
 perhaps1 either to shorten a pleasant  
ride1 or to lay down a book which       
interested him1 or to quit his own chair
 by the fire-side1 in order to dress4   
,the convenience and comfort1 and for a 
time the good humour1 of a whole        
company1 were to be sacrificed to his   
indolence1 his vis inerti1 and          
unpunctuality4  ,never permit yourself1 
my dear nephew1 thus to trifle with the 
time or the temper of any persons1      
whether high or low1 with whom you have 
any intercourse4 ,make a point of always
 being in time4 ,i think it is said of  
,lord ,nelson 7though ,i cannot hit upon

 the passage in his life71 that when    
some friend was fixing an appointment of
 importance at a certain hour1 the hero 
added1 ,say a quarter before--to that   
quarter before1 ,i have owed all my     
success in life4 ,i do not advise you   
actually to be before the time of an    
engagement1 which some people will      
complain of as being worse than being   
too late1 but be so much beforehand as  
to be master of your time1 or to have it
 in your power to be punctual almost to 
a minute4 ,when you are received as a   
guest in a friend's house1 consider     
compliance with the hours and habits of 
the family1 as a natural return for the 
hospitality which is shown to you4      
,there is something incongruous in      
seeing a young person deranging1 by his 
unpunctuality1 the economy and          
regularity of a whole household4 ,and do
 not suffer the kindness and indulgence 
of your parents to induce you1 when with
 them1 to be less attentive to          
punctuality than you are1 when with     

other persons of superior age or rank to
 yourself4 ,never let them wait for you2
 make a point of being always ready4 ,an
 excellent friend of mine lays it down  
as a maxim1 that habitual unpunctuality 
is positive incivility4  ,i have alluded
 to the unpunctuality of one of my      
college friends3 ,i will contrast it    
with the punctuality of another4 ,the   
latter when at ,oxford was distinguished
 for lively talents1 and for an         
exuberance of spirits bursting forth    
into every possible variety of fun4 ,he 
is now the owner of a spacious and      
splendid mansion1 with a large          
establishment of servants1 and often a  
considerable number of guests1 attracted
 by his many amiable and excellent      
qualities4 ,he still retains his        
playfulness of wit1 but his domestic    
arrangements are a model of punctuality4
 ,family prayers1 and every meal1 are to
 a minute4 ,his guests and servants1    
consequently1 know exactly what they    
have to depend on1 the arrangements of  

the day1 whether for business or for    
amusement1 can be made with precision1  
and every thing is done at its proper   
time4 ,this is punctuality on a greater 
scale4 ,you and ,i1 my dear nephew1 must
 attend to it in smaller matters4    ,i 
remain1   ,my dear ,nephew1   ,your     
affectionate ,uncle4   ,,footnotes3     
#gh3a ,mr4 ,m4 is imaginary4            
,,letter ,,vii4  ,,amusements4   ,,my   
,,dear ,,nephew1  ,in a former letter ,i
 recommended to you certain modes of    
relaxation1 having some connection with 
intellectual improvement4 ,you will1    
perhaps1 tell me that you want          
relaxation more entire and complete2    
that the intellect requires perfect     
rest2 that you must have amusement in   
the strict etymological sense of the    
word4 ,you may be right4 ,i have already
 advised you to take sufficient time for
 exercise1 and the exercise of the body 
will generally give rest and refreshment
 to the mind4  ,in your choice of       
amusement1 however--amusement1 ,i mean1 

as combined with exercise--you must have
 strict regard to economy1 both of money
 and of time4 ,do not think me an old   
woman1 if ,i add1 that regard for both  
should keep you from any excessive      
bodily exertion1 such as will unfit you 
for study1 or seriously affect your     
health4 ,i am told that the latter      
effect has of late1 not unfrequently1   
been the result of over fatigue in      
rowing2 that many young men have died at
 an early age2 that others live on with 
all their powers debilitated1 from      
having overstrained their nerves1 and   
their whole muscular system1 in         
boat-races4 ,rowing is in itself a      
salutary and delightful species of      
exercise2 and the facility of practising
 it1 is one among the many advantages of
 ,oxford2 but when carried to the excess
 which ,i have alluded to1 it is foolish
 and culpable4  ,i would have a young   
man regardless of danger1 willing to    
risk limbs1 health1 or life itself1 for 
the benefit of his fellow-creatures4 ,he

 should1 like ,hamlet1 hold his life at 
a pin's fee1 when any adequate object is
 to be answered by putting it in        
jeopardy4 ,but a man has no right to    
risk either his life or his limbs for a 
bravado1 in mere idle vanity and        
ostentation4 ,such wanton risk is       
cruelty to his parents and friends1 and 
a presumptuous tempting of ,providence4 
,riding1 for riding's sake1 must1 with  
your finances1 be out of the question4  
,the utmost that you ought to allow     
yourself1 is a hack once or twice a     
term1 for some specific purpose--to     
visit a distant friend1 perhaps1 or to  
see some interesting object lying beyond
 the range of a walk4 ,what ,i have said
 of riding1 applies1 with ten-fold      
force1 to hunting1 which entails        
expense--7the hire of a hunter1 the hire
 of a hack probably to take you to      
cover1 sundry ostlers and helpers1 and  
very likely a jovial dinner at an       
inn7--utterly inconsistent with an      
average allowance2 which entails1 also1 

a waste of time1 which1 in the short    
period of an ,oxford residence1 can ill 
be spared4  ,what shall ,i say of       
cricket8 ,i have great respect for      
cricket1 as a national and a manly game4
 ,the demand which it makes upon your   
,oxford time is confined to the short   
term between ,easter and the long       
vacation1 and it does not require a very
 large portion of the day4 ,it is not   
necessarily attended with any expense4  
,whether the incidental expenses of     
uniform 7if you belong to a club71 tent1
 dinner1 c4 c4 are such as you can      
fairly afford1 is for your              
consideration4 ,they need not be high1  
and1 in my good will to the game1 ,i am 
anxious that they should be kept down4  
,tennis is an animated game1 of much    
variety in itself1 and requiring great  
variety of muscular exertion4 ,it is    
connected with many historical and      
chivalrous recollections1 and carries   
the mind back to our ,henry the ,fifth  
and the mocking ,dauphin of ,france4 ,as

 it cannot be played without a spacious 
and expensive edifice1 it is altogether 
an aristocratic game1 and demands an    
aristocratic purse4 ,it is a game which 
requires a good deal of practice1 and1  
consequently1 a good deal of            
expenditure1 in order to acquire a      
tolerable degree of skill2 and your     
skill will seldom have an opportunity of
 showing itself after you have quitted  
,oxford1 as you will seldom fall in with
 a tennis-court4 ,i have no hesitation  
in saying1 that you1 my dear nephew1    
have no money that you have a right to  
spend upon yourself in this manner4     
,you will never1 ,i trust1 annoy any of 
the neighbouring country gentlemen1 by  
attacking their game4 ,you know how     
tender a point this is1 and how         
susceptible most landed proprietors are 
upon the subject2 and your own good     
feeling1 and sense of propriety1 and    
common fairness1 will prevent you from  
trespassing in this manner4 ,you can    
imagine how indignant you would yourself

 feel at such an invasion1 and will not 
be guilty towards another of a wrong1 of
 which you would complain loudly if it  
were offered to yourself4  ,after all1  
walking is the cheapest exercise1 and1  
perhaps1 the best4 ,if you wish to give 
it variety1 you will find plenty of     
ditches to leap1 steeps to ascend1 and  
hills to run up or down4 ,and1 dull as  
are most of the great roads leading into
 ,oxford1 the country round abounds in  
interesting objects within reach of a   
walk4 ,there is much natural scenery1   
possessed of a good deal of variety and 
picturesque character2 and there are    
many buildings1 and remains of          
buildings1 which either from something  
in themselves1 or from adventitious     
circumstances1 well deserve to be looked
 at4 ,the church at ,cumnor1 for        
instance1 not only has within itself    
much to interest a man fond of          
architectural or antiquarian            
investigation1 but1 in common with the  
remains or site of ,cumnor hall1 and the

 village of ,dry ,sandford1 have        
acquired a sort of classical notoriety  
from the magical pen of ,sir ,walter    
,scott4 ,the picturesque ruins of the   
kitchen1 and other buildings at ,stanton
 ,harcourt1 the slight vestiges of      
,godston ,nunnery1 the ,town ,hall1 the 
,gaol1 and the two churches at          
,abingdon1 may all become1 each in its  
turn1 the object of a pedestrian        
expedition4 ,the residence of the       
,speaker1 ,lenthall1 at ,bessilsleigh1  
may deserve notice1 from historical     
recollections1 though for no other      
reason4 ,the ,saxon church in ,iffley ,i
 have already mentioned4 ,the           
recently-built ,saxon chapel at         
,kennington is done in excellent taste1 
and is a most gratifying instance of the
 munificence and piety of an individual 
clergyman1 devoting1 ,i believe1 almost 
all his resources to the work4 ,the     
church at ,wytham will show you that a  
church very lately erected may1 by      
correct judgment1 be made to present the

 appearance of having been built five   
hundred years ago4 ,but ,i must not go  
on in this way1 or you will think that  
you have got hold of an ,oxford guide4  
,most of the villages and village       
churches in the neighbourhood1 have some
 character of their own worth examining4
  ,so much for amusements connected with
 exercise1 which has led me into        
something like a repetition of some of  
the sentiments in a former letter4  ,a  
few words on sedentary amusements4  ,if 
you read in earnest1 and are bent upon  
making the most of your time1 you will  
have little of it left for amusements of
 a sedentary nature4  ,the less you have
 to do with cards the better4 ,young men
 can have no occasion for the assistance
 of cards in order to pass their time2  
and there seems to be something almost  
incongruous in the idea of their sitting
 down to a rubber4 ,nor do they need the
 excitement3 if they wish for it1 that  
very wish is a reason why they ought not
 to have it4 ,if they play for          

money--or1 at all events1 if they play  
for such sums as make the winning or    
losing an object of any degree of       
consequence--they become gamblers2 and  
of the many bad passions which gambling 
sometimes calls into activity1 and of   
the destructive consequences which it   
entails1 no one is ignorant4 ,if you    
once get into the habit of playing1 you 
will1 perhaps1 not know when to stop4   
,cards are very seductive1 and you may  
find yourself become a gambler almost   
before you are aware of it4 ,perhaps the
 best plan is not to know how to play1  
which furnishes an answer always ready4 
,chess is a game of elegance and        
interest1 and the being a good          
chess-player1 carries with it a certain 
impression of general ability and of    
intellectual activity and resource4     
,perhaps ,i may allow that playing at   
chess adds a certain degree of interest 
to the perusal of the history of a      
campaign1 whether ancient or modern1    
with its various moves1 its checks and  

counter-checks1 its retreats and        
castlings4 ,but chess is a fascinating  
game1 and will be apt to make larger    
demands upon your time than you can     
afford4 ,if you indulge in it at all1   
you must be peremptory with yourself in 
resisting its tendency to incroach      
either upon your time or your temper4   
,sometimes1 too1 it requires so much    
exertion of thought1--is such a strain  
upon the mind1--that it hardly can      
answer the purposes of relaxation4 ,if  
you play1 by all means read ,franklin's 
,essay on the ,morals of ,chess4 ,for   
clearness of head1 for truth-telling    
simplicity and honesty of purpose1 and  
for perspicuity and liveliness of style1
 ,franklin has1 perhaps1 no superior4   
,always recollect that improvement1     
moral and intellectual1 is the great    
object for which you were sent to       
,oxford4 ,with that object nothing must 
be suffered to interfere4    ,i remain1 
c4 c4     ,,letter ,,viii4  ,,expenses1 
,,and ,,running ,,in ,,debt4   ,,my     

,,dear ,,nephew1  ,i do not know exactly
 what allowance your father has been    
able to give you1 but whatever it may   
be1 ,i trust that you are resolutely    
determined to keep within it4 ,this     
will1 of course1 require a good deal of 
care and attention4 ,many young men1    
when1 upon going to the ,university1    
they find in their pockets a much larger
 sum than they ever possessed before1   
fancy themselves rich1 and at liberty to
 allow themselves various unnecessary   
indulgences4 ,the consequence is1 that  
they become entangled in debts1 from    
which they can never extricate          
themselves during their continuance at  
,oxford4 ,be on your guard against      
getting thus hampered4 ,take it for     
granted1 that the regular and necessary 
claims upon your finances will leave but
 little over for the indulgence of      
pleasure or fancy4  ,the expenses of an 
,university education are often most    
unfairly exaggerated by writers and     
speakers1 who are fond of running down  

all old institutions4 ,these carpers    
affect to set down to the score of the  
,university all the money that is spent 
by the young men who reside in it4 ,they
 seem to forget that1 wherever a young  
man may be1 he must eat and drink1 and  
must purchase clothes suitable to his   
station in society4 ,i was myself1 as   
you probably know1 at ,christ ,church1  
where ,i took my degree1 and afterwards 
became a ,fellow of ,oriel4 ,at ,oriel1 
7which may probably be taken as a fair  
average of the rest of the ,university17
 the necessary annual expenses of a     
commoner are from #gjl4 to #hjl41 or    
thereabouts#aja3a4 ,this includes       
room-rent1 batels1 7that is1 breakfast1 
dinner1 c4 exclusive of tea and sugar71 
tuition1 ,university and ,college dues1 
coals1 letters1 washing1 servants4 ,the 
,university dues are less than #al4 per 
annum4 ,there are1 perhaps1 few places  
in ,england1 where a gentleman can be   
comfortably lodged and boarded at a much
 cheaper rate4 ,still there will always 

be many incidental expenses1 and you    
must put in practice a pretty severe    
economy in order to meet them4  ,in the 
manner in which you spend your money1 as
 in every thing else1 accustom yourself 
to a certain degree of self-denial4 ,do 
not buy any thing merely because it hits
 your fancy1 and you think you should   
like to have it1 but consider whether   
you cannot easily do without it4 ,be as 
liberal as you can reasonably afford to 
be in assisting others1 especially the  
poor1 but spend as little as you can    
help upon yourself4 ,above all1 never   
buy1 or order1 any thing which you are  
unable to pay for4  ,the habit of       
running in debt is pregnant with evil   
and misery of every description4 ,it    
often--perhaps generally--amounts to    
positive dishonesty4 ,the money which   
you owe a tradesman is really his       
property4 ,the articles1 which you have 
received from him1 are hardly your own1 
until you have paid for them4 ,if you   
keep them1 without paying for them when 

the seller wishes and asks for payment1 
you deprive a man of that which belongs 
to him2 and is not that something       
approaching to robbery8 ,to a man       
possessed of proper feeling and a nice  
sense of honour1 it must be very painful
 to suffer a tradesman to ask twice for 
what is clearly his right4 ,to affect to
 be offended with such an application1  
and to meet it with superciliousness and
 insolence1 is injustice carried to its 
height4  ,the manner in which some men1 
who would be ready to shoot any one who 
disputed their claims to be considered  
as gentlemen1 treat their creditors1    
whom they choose to call duns1 would1   
from its contrariety to any thing like  
reason1 be almost ludicrous1 if it were 
not so culpable1 so cruel1 and so       
dishonest4  ,a tradesman1 from not being
 able to recover the money owed to him1 
sees himself in danger of losing his    
credit1 and1 together with his credit1  
the means of getting a maintenance2 he  
sees his wife and children perhaps upon 

the very verge of misery1 and yet1 if he
 civilly asks for what is his due1 he is
 considered as troublesome and          
impertinent1 perhaps reproached and     
insulted6  ,upon this subject ,i shall  
allow myself to quote the words of      
,delany1 the friend of ,dean ,swift1 one
 of the most animated and sensible of   
our sermon writers4  ,running in debt   
with tradesmen1 and neglecting to pay   
them in due time1 is utterly ruinous to 
the whole business of trade and         
commerce1 and absolutely destructive of 
the very principles upon which it is    
built1 and by which it subsists2 and yet
 this is a crime every day committed by 
men of fortune and quality1 with as     
little remorse as they eat and drink2   
and if the tradesman demands his money1 
it is odds but he is either threatened  
or turned into a jest4 ,the son of      
,sirach's wise observation is here every
 day verified1 merely substituting the  
words rich and poor1 for the words      
debtor and creditor4 ,the debtor hath   

done wrong1 and yet he threateneth2 the 
creditor is wronged1 and yet he must    
entreat also4 ,if threats will not rid  
these men of their importunate          
creditors1 then are they to be deluded  
with fair words and plausible excuses1  
to pay attendance from day to day1 to   
the loss of more time1 and neglect of   
more business1 than perhaps the debt is 
worth2 and so the first injury1 instead 
of being repaired is doubled4 ,and yet  
the gentleman debtor1 the author of this
 evil1 is so far from repenting of it1  
that it is odds but he vaunts his wit   
and dexterity in doing it4 ,as a mad man
 7saith ,solomon7 who casteth           
firebrands1 arrows1 and death3 so is the
 man that deceiveth his neighbour1 and  
saith1 ,am ,i not in jest8 ,and1 indeed1
 it is scarce to be conceived how any   
man can deal more destruction and ruin  
around him1 than by deceiving and       
breaking faith with the fair trader2 for
 it is well known1 his credit1 his whole
 subsistence1 depends upon keeping his  

word1 and being strictly punctual in his
 payments and his promises2 and1 if he  
fail in these1 he is undone at once4    
,and how is it possible he should not   
fail1 if the gentlemen he deals with    
fail him8 ,he hath no way of raising    
money but by sale of his goods2 and if  
those to whom they are trusted will not 
pay him1 it is impossible he can pay his
 creditors2 and1 if he do not pay them1 
it is impossible but he must be ruined1 
and1 perhaps1 many more with him4 ,for  
traders are linked and dependent on one 
another2 and one man's fall throws down 
many more with him3 the shop-keeper is  
in debt to the maker or the merchant2   
and these again to the journeyman1 the  
farmer1 or the foreign correspondent2   
and so the ruin becomes complicated1 and
 extended beyond imagination6  ,credit  
is to a tradesman what honour is to a   
gentleman3 to a man that is truly such1 
7a gentleman17 his honour is as dear as 
his life3 to the trader1 credit is as   
life itself2 for he cannot live without 

it4  ,you1 my dear nephew1 will never1  
,i trust1 stoop so low as to be guilty  
of such dishonesty4 ,but then you must  
keep a vigilant eye upon your expenses4 
,paying ready money for every thing may 
be sometimes inconvenient1 and may1     
perhaps1 occasion mistakes2 but never   
leave ,oxford for a vacation without    
clearing off every thing that you owe4  
,take receipts1 and keep them4 ,the most
 honest and respectable tradesman may   
sometimes1 in the hurry of business1    
omit to cross a charge out of his book1 
and will feel a satisfaction in having  
any doubt as to payment removed4 ,have  
such receipts tied up and docketed1 so  
that you may refer to any one of them   
readily4  ,never suffer yourself to be  
led into needless expense by the example
 of your companions1 and never be       
ashamed of saying that you cannot afford
 it4  ,we sometimes see weak young men  
vying with each other in the expensive  
elegance of their furniture and dress1  
or in the luxury of their               

entertainments4 ,a man of large fortune 
produces at his table a variety of      
costly wines1 abundance of ice1 and a   
splendid dessert4 ,others1 from a silly 
vanity1 affect to do the same1 although 
such expensive luxuries are altogether  
inconsistent with their finances1 and   
with the general habits of men in their 
rank of life4 ,the more such expenses   
and foolish ostentation can be checked  
by the college authorities the better4  
,at all events1 do not you be so weak as
 to fall into them4 ,there is no        
disgrace in being poor1 but there is    
disgrace and dishonesty too1 in         
contracting debts which you are unable  
to discharge4  ,some young ,oxonians1 ,i
 am afraid1 after spending the larger   
portion of their allowance upon         
amusements and self-indulgence1 drive   
off the payment of what they regard as  
their more creditable debts till they   
take their degree1 under the idea that  
they will then be paid by their fathers4
 ,this is a most                        

unwarrantable1--sometimes a             
cruel1--drain upon parental kindness4   
,poets may well speak of university     
expenses pinching parents black and     
blue#aab3a1 when this is the case4  ,the
 majority of parents1 as ,i have already
 said1 do not send their sons to the    
,university without some degree of      
pecuniary inconvenience to themselves4  
,it is1 indeed1 hard upon them1 when1 in
 addition to an annual allowance1 which1
 probably1 they have furnished not      
without difficulty1 they are called upon
 for a considerable sum1 in order to    
save their sons' credit--perhaps in     
order to enable him to take his degree4 
,for you are aware that an unpaid       
tradesman has the power1 if he thinks   
fit to exert it1 of stopping the degree 
of a spendthrift under-graduate4 ,this  
power1 ,i believe1 is seldom1 if ever1  
exercised4 ,but surely the being liable 
to it1 through your own misconduct and  
extravagance1 would be attended with a  
feeling of painful humiliation4    ,i   

remain1   ,my dear ,nephew1   ,your     
affectionate ,uncle4   ,,footnotes3     
#aja3a ,june1 #ahcb4  #aab3a ,cowper4   
,,letter ,,ix4  ,,temperance4   ,,my    
,,dear ,,nephew1  ,in the present state 
of society1 it is1 perhaps1 less        
necessary than it would have been       
formerly1 that ,i should give you any   
caution or advice on the subject of     
temperance4 ,five-and-thirty years ago1 
it was customary to drink a good deal of
 wine after dinner1 and young men at    
,oxford were not behind-hand with the   
rest of the world in complying with this
 bad custom4  ,it was then generally the
 system1 to initiate a freshman by      
making him completely drunk4 ,scripture 
is by no means sufficiently listened to 
now1 but perhaps its warnings were less 
known and less regarded then4 ,the      
master of the revels and his abettors   
were ignorant1 or unmindful1 of the     
threatenings denounced by the voice of  
,inspiration1--,woe unto him that giveth
 his neighbour drink1 that puttest thy  

bottle to him1 and makest him drunken   
also3 and again--,woe unto them that are
 mighty to drink wine1 and men of       
strength to mingle strong drink4        
,regardless of these denunciations1 and 
trusting to the strength of their own   
heads1 and the practised discipline of  
their own stomachs1 their noble ambition
 was to make drunk as many of their     
guests as possible1 especially any      
luckless freshman who chanced to be of  
the party4 ,those who1 whether from     
religious principle or from manliness of
 character1 did not choose to submit to 
be made drunk1 were obliged either to   
encounter these kind endeavours with    
sturdy resistance1--resistance which    
sometimes occasioned a total cessation  
of intercourse and acquaintance1--or to 
evade them by stratagem4 ,glass after   
glass was dexterously emptied upon the  
carpet under the table1 or the purple   
stream sought concealment under heaps of
 walnut-shells and orange-peel4 ,in     
short1 at a tolerably large wine-party  

there was wasted1 or worse than wasted1 
a quantity of ,port wine sufficient to  
check the ravages of a typhus fever in  
an entire village4  ,these days of      
,celtic barbarism are1 ,i hope1 utterly 
passed away4 ,as in general society very
 little wine is consumed1 7excepting at 
dinner17 so ,oxford has caught the      
spirit of the times1 and the            
bacchanalian revels to which ,i have    
alluded are1 ,i believe1 much less      
common than they were formerly1 if not  
entirely exploded4 ,i am afraid1        
however1 that even now more wine is     
drunk in some colleges1 than is         
consistent either with ,christian       
temperance1 or with habits of study1 or 
with the preservation of health4  ,i    
need not point out to you1 my dear      
nephew1 the evils which1 in a religious 
point of view1 result from drinking to  
excess4 ,you1 ,i well know1 would       
shudder at the idea of wilfully         
depriving yourself of reason1 and of    
sinking yourself to the situation of a  

beast or of a maniac4 ,a man1 who has   
thrown away his reason1 has little right
 to hope for the continuance of the     
assisting and preventing grace of ,god4 
,and destitute of the controlling       
guidance1 both of reason and of ,divine 
,grace1 what is there left to prevent   
his ungoverned passions from carrying   
him into the most perilous excesses8    
,there are deadly vices1 to which young 
men are1 at all times1 but too          
powerfully solicited by their natural   
appetites2 and when those appetites are 
stimulated by drinking1 and all salutary
 control shaken off1 the danger is great
 indeed4 ,you perhaps may remember an   
,eastern apologue to the following      
effect1 7,i know not where to find it73 
,the ,devil having1 by the impulse of   
terror1 induced a holy man to consent to
 commit some crime1 allowed him to      
choose1 whether he would get drunk1 or  
be guilty of either of two of the most  
horrible enormities he could conceive4  
,the poor victim chose drunkenness1 as  

being the least offence1 but in the     
state to which he had thus brought      
himself1 was guilty of all three4  ,and 
even if you are kept back from any      
additional guilt1 yet you well know1    
that by throwing away your reason1 you  
become capable of being guilty of all   
sorts of absurdities1--that you are     
liable to say and do a hundred foolish  
things1 of which1 when you return to    
your senses1 you will be heartily       
ashamed1--that you expose yourself to   
the ridicule and contempt of those1 who 
witness the degraded state to which you 
have reduced yourself4  ,a drunken      
,christian is almost a contradiction in 
terms2 and something the same may be    
said of a drunken gentleman4 ,among many
 in the middle and the industrious      
classes of society1 there is much       
intelligence1 much quick perception of  
what is morally right1 and of general   
propriety of behaviour4 ,as such men are
 not backward in shewing respect1 where 
respect is really due1 so they are      

keen-sighted in detecting gross         
inconsistencies of conduct1 and ready to
 bestow the full measure of contempt    
upon those1 who1 while placed above them
 by the advantages of birth1 and        
fortune1 and education1 yet meanly      
condescend1 by their vices and their    
excesses1 to degrade themselves below   
them4  ,the inconsistency of any excess 
in drinking1 with the main purpose for  
which you were sent to ,oxford1 is      
palpable4 ,you go to ,oxford professedly
 for study4 ,independently of the time  
actually occupied by a wine-party1 any  
excess will1 probably1 indispose you for
 study the morning after2               
,corpus onustum     ,hesternis vitiis   
animum quoque prgravat una1     ,atque  
affigit humo divin particulam aur4  ,you
 will rise from your bed heavy and      
languid1 probably with some disposition 
to headache2 and will be far more       
inclined to lounge in an easy-chair1 or 
to saunter about in listless idleness1  
than to sit down to active mental       

exertion4  ,i must add1 that the habit  
of drinking much wine during your       
continuance at ,oxford1 is not unlikely 
materially to injure your health in the 
succeeding periods of your life4 ,such  
habit has a tendency permanently to     
derange and weaken the digestive powers1
 and to injure and harden the internal  
coats and the orifices of the stomach4  
,i am persuaded1 that much of the       
tendency to apoplectic and paralytic    
affections2 much of the general         
indisposition1 which we often witness in
 men advanced beyond the middle period  
of the usual term of human life1--men   
who have of late perhaps1 lived         
temperately--is to be attributed to the 
wine which they drank when young4  ,but 
,i will not dwell longer on the evils of
 excessive drinking4 ,you know the      
admonitions of ,scripture1--,take heed  
lest at any time your hearts be         
overcharged with surfeiting and         
drunkenness4 ,be not drunk with wine1   
wherein is excess4 ,you know that       

drunkards cannot inherit the kingdom of 
,god2 you know that drunkenness is      
spoken of by ,st4 ,paul as being the    
vice of those1 who remain sunk in the   
thick darkness of ignorance and         
heathenism1 and as utterly unbefitting  
those who are blessed with the light of 
the ,gospel4 ,indeed1 it is unworthy of 
any man possessed only of common sense4 
,guard1 then1 my dear nephew1 against   
this degrading habit with determined    
resolution4 ,let neither the example1   
nor the solicitations1 nor the taunting 
jests of your companions1 induce you to 
demean yourself so far1 as to be guilty 
of a vice so utterly unworthy of you1   
both as a man and as a ,christian4 ,if  
they1 for their amusement1 were to      
request you to cut off your right hand1 
you would not feel bound to comply with 
them4 ,do not1 for their gratification1 
expose yourself in the condition of a   
fool1 or an idiot4 ,do not1 in order to 
please a party of thoughtless revellers1
 incur the displeasure of ,almighty     

,god1 and run the hazard of eternal     
ruin4  ,and take care1 that you do not  
yourself acquire a taste for any such   
sensual indulgences4 ,the appetite for  
intoxicating liquors1 says ,paley1      
appears to be almost always acquired4   
,guard against the first beginnings of  
intemperance4 ,principiis obsta4 ,if you
 are not on your guard1 you will be in  
danger of being carried on1 step by     
step1 until retreat becomes out of the  
question4  ,you would avoid many trials 
of your firmness1 and be relieved       
probably from much irksome importunity1 
if you could make up your mind to       
renounce wine altogether4 ,this you     
would do with the less difficulty1 if   
backed by the sanction of medical       
advice4 ,i apprehend that most medical  
men1 if desired to give their candid    
opinion1 would recommend abstinence from
 wine as conducive to a young man's     
health both of body and mind4 ,i knew   
water-drinkers at ,oxford1 who yielded  
to none of their companions in          

liveliness and all social qualities1    
either in their own room or at the      
wine-party of a friend4 ,many young men 
in the army1 ,i believe1 adopt this     
system1 from motives both of moral and  
of economical prudence4 ,a pint1 or even
 half a pint1 of wine per day1 makes a  
considerable hole in the pay of a       
subaltern1 or in the stipend of a       
country curate1 or in the allowance of a
 briefless barrister4 ,avoid acquiring  
factitious wants4 ,do not by habit make 
wine necessary to your comfort4 ,it is  
wise1 when young1 not to indulge in     
luxuries which in any future period of  
your life you probably will not be able 
to afford1 consistently with the claims 
which will then be pressing upon you4 ,i
 throw out this idea1 however1 for your 
own consideration1 without urging it as 
matter of positive advice4 ,i think1    
however1 that your intellect will be    
clearer1 and your mind often more       
cheerful1 if you comply with the        
suggestion4  ,shall ,i add a word or two

 upon temperance in eating8 ,i hope that
 there are few young men who are apt to 
be guilty of the porcine vice of eating 
to excess2 in plain ,english--of        
gluttony4 ,perhaps1 however1 the        
temptations of a well-appointed dinner1 
prepared by an exquisite artiste1 may   
induce them occasionally to transgress4 
,it is1 perhaps1 hardly fair to quote   
from any thing so well known as         
,addison's paper on ,temperance1 in the 
,spectator#abh3a1 but it is much to my  
purpose4 ,it is said of ,diogenes1 that 
meeting a young man who was going to a  
feast1 he took him up in the street1 and
 carried him home to his friends1 as one
 who was running into imminent danger1  
had not he prevented him4 ,what would   
that philosopher have said1 had he been 
present at the luxury of a modern meal8 
,would he not have thought the master of
 a family mad1 and have begged his      
servants to tie down his hands1 had he  
seen him devour fowl1 fish1 and flesh2  
swallow oil and vinegar1 wines and      

spices2 throw down salads of twenty     
different sorts1 sauces of a hundred    
ingredients1 confections and fruits of  
numberless sweets and flavours8 ,what   
unnatural motions and counter-ferments  
must such a medley of intemperance      
produce in the body8 ,for my part1 when 
,i behold a fashionable table1 set out  
in all its magnificence1 ,i fancy that  
,i see gouts and dropsies1 fevers and   
lethargies1 with innumerable distempers1
 lying in ambuscade among the dishes4   
,nature delights in the most plain and  
simple diet4 ,he then gives some rules  
for temperance1 which are well worth    
attending to4 ,this passage of ,addison 
is much in the spirit of that of        
,horace3                  ----,vari res 
,ut noceant homini1 credas1 memor illius
 esc     ,qu simplex olim tibi sederit4 
,at simul assis     ,miscueris elixa1   
simul conchylia turdis2     ,dulcia se  
in bilem vertent1 stomachoque tumultum  
,lenta feret pituita4  ,most of the     
modern writers on dietetics1 as well as 

those who have preceded them1 recommend 
a very considerable abridgment of the   
quantity of food1 usually consumed at   
the table of the affluent4  ,and while  
,i strongly advise you to be rather     
abstemious as to quantity of food1 so ,i
 wish you not to be in the slightest    
degree fastidious as to its quality1    
provided it is wholesome1 and free from 
qualities absolutely revolting4 ,you may
 naturally like one thing better than   
another1 and partake of what you prefer1
 when it comes in your way2 but it is   
painful to see a young man of any       
intellect indulging in the niceties of  
an epicure1 and really appearing to care
 much about what he eats1 and what he   
drinks4 ,when ,i commenced the life of a
 country clergyman1 ,i was often        
received1 with almost parental kindness1
 in a house1 in which good taste of all 
kinds1--moral1 intellectual1 social1 and
 culinary1--presided in an eminent      
degree4 ,every now and then1 some       
particular dish made its appearance1    

under the impression that ,i was        
particularly fond of it4 ,probably ,i   
had eaten of it some days before1       
because it chanced to be near me1 or    
from some similar accident4 ,i was      
grateful for the kindness and attention1
 but felt mortified1 almost degraded1 at
 its being supposed that ,i cared about 
one thing more than another1 where all  
were good and wholesome4  ,do not get   
into the habit of spending your money in
 ices1 and other delicacies1 at the     
pastry-cook's and confectioner's4 ,you  
say that you are hungry2--              
--------,panis     ,latrantem stomachum 
bene leniet4  ,if your hunger would     
disdain a piece of dry bread1 it        
certainly has no claim to be attended to
 at all4 ,you say that you can afford to
 indulge yourself in the delicacies to  
which ,i have alluded4 ,i do not think  
that you can2 at all events1 your money 
may be more worthily spent--        ,non
 est melius quo insumere possis8        
,cur eget indignus quisquam1 te divite8 

,quare     ,templa ruunt antiqua ,dem8  
,in other words1 if you have the money  
to spare1 give it to the deserving poor1
 or to the ,church-building ,society4   
,few expenses are more unsatisfactory in
 retrospect1--,i had almost said1 more  
disgraceful1--than those which have been
 incurred by sensual self-indulgence2   
incurred to gratify a vitiated palate   
and a pampered appetite4  ,self-denial  
is recommended by the classical writers 
of antiquity1 as well as by the most    
sensible of modern authors2 and1 what is
 of infinitely more importance1 is      
strongly inculcated by the ,christian   
religion4 ,but how shall self-denial be 
practised at all1 if it cannot be       
practised in the low matter of eating   
and drinking8  ,read again and again the
 paper of ,addison1 and the ,satire of  
,horace1 7the second of the second      
,book71 from which ,i have made my      
quotations4 ,read also the following    
passages from that accurate observer of 
the habits and manners of social life1  

the son of ,sirach3  ,if thou sit at a  
bountiful table1 be not greedy upon it1 
and say not1 ,there is much meat on     
it4--,eat1 as it becometh a man1 those  
things that are set before thee2 and    
devour not1 lest thou be hated4 ,leave  
off first for manners' sake2 and be not 
insatiable1 lest thou offend4  ,a very  
little is sufficient for a man well     
nurtured1 and he fetcheth not his wind  
short upon his bed4  ,sound sleep cometh
 of moderate eating2 he riseth early1   
and his wits are with him3 but the pain 
of watching1 and choler1 and pangs of   
the belly1 are with an insatiable man4  
,i remain1   ,my dear ,nephew1   ,your  
affectionate ,uncle4   ,,footnotes3     
#abh3a ,no4 #aie4     ,,letter ,x4      
,,english ,,reading4   ,,my ,,dear      
,,nephew1  ,when at ,oxford1 you will   
not have much time for any reading1     
excepting that which has some reference 
to your examination4 ,during the        
vacations1 however1 which occupy about  
half the year1 you are more at liberty1 

and will do well1 as ,i have already    
suggested to you1 to give a good deal of
 your leisure to increasing your        
acquaintance with the classical writers 
of your own language4  ,both at ,oxford 
and home1 endeavour1 on most days1 to   
catch some little portion of time1--a   
quarter of an hour may be               
sufficient1--for religious reading4     
,melmoth's ,great ,importance of a      
,religious ,life1 and the abridgment of 
,law's ,serious ,call1 adopted by the   
,society for ,promoting ,christian      
,knowledge1 are two of the best books   
that occur to me1 for the purpose of    
impressing you with the absolute        
necessity1 of giving religion the first 
place in your thoughts and your heart4  
,you may read either of them through in 
an hour4 ,of the former1 #db1jjj copies 
were sold in the eighteen years         
preceding #aghd4 ,i mention this as an  
evidence of its popularity4  ,some      
thirty years ago ,i was requested by a  
friend1 to recommend some practical book

 to put into the hands of a young       
person4 ,i named ,nelson's ,practice of 
,true ,devotion1 and have since seen no 
reason to alter my opinion4 ,let that be
 one of the first books that you make   
use of4 ,if you read one chapter each   
day 7and do not read more71 it will last
 you about three weeks4 ,after an       
interval of a year or so1 go through it 
again4  ,take next for this purpose     
,jeremy ,taylor's ,holy ,living and     
,dying1 first reading 7if you can borrow
 the book7 what is said of this work by 
his highly-gifted and most amiable      
editor1 ,bishop ,heber4 ,one passage    
from ,heber's remarks ,i must allow     
myself to quote3 ,but ,i will not       
select1 where all may be read with      
advantage1 and can hardly be read       
without admiration4 ,to clothe virtue in
 its most picturesque and attractive    
colouring2 to enforce with all the      
terrors of the divine law1 its essential
 obligations2 and to distinguish1 in    
almost every instance most successfully1

 between what is prudent and what is    
necessary2 what may fitly be done1 and  
what cannot safely be left undone2--this
 is the triumph of a ,christian         
moralist2 and this ,jeremy ,taylor has1 
in a great degree1 achieved in his      
,discourse on ,holy ,living4 ,you will  
recollect that this book was written    
nearly two hundred years ago1 and must  
not be surprised if you find a few      
expressions1 and one or two sentiments1 
rather obsolete4 ,one of the five rules 
which ,taylor gives in his ,dedication1 
for the application of the counsels     
which follow1 applies to all books of a 
similar character4 ,they that will1 with
 profit1 make use of the proper         
instruments of virtue1 must so live as  
if they were always under the           
physician's hand4 ,for the counsels of  
religion are not to be applied to the   
distempers of the soul1 as men used to  
take hellebore2 but they must dwell     
together with the spirit of a man1 and  
be twisted about his understanding for  

ever3 they must be used like            
nourishment1 that is1 by a daily care   
and meditation--not like a single       
medicine1 and upon the actual pressure  
of a present necessity4  ,the genuine   
spirit of ,jeremy ,taylor1 with more    
correctness of taste1 is found in that  
delightful book1 ,the ,christian ,year4 
,read it repeatedly4 ,it is every where 
full of poetry1 and of the purest       
devotional feeling4 ,the more you are   
imbued with the spirit which pervades   
that beautiful volume1 the more fit you 
will be to have your part in the        
communion of saints1 among the spirits  
of just men made perfect4  ,archbishop  
,seeker's ,lectures on the ,catechism1  
contain a body of divinity1 doctrinal   
and practical1 singularly judicious and 
useful4 ,they are full of good sense and
 accurate information4 ,the style1      
perhaps1 is rather involved1 and not    
very engaging2 but you see a mind in    
full possession of its subject1 anxious 
to put you in full possession of it     

also1 without omitting any thing of     
importance4  ,gilpin's ,lectures on the 
,catechism are of a different character4
 ,this also is a very good and a very   
pleasing book1 written with a particular
 view to young persons engaged in       
reading the ,greek and ,latin ,classics4
  ,ogden's ,sermons1 on ,prayer1 the    
,creed1 and the ,ten ,commandments1 c4  
are the offspring of a clear and        
powerful intellect1 expressed in        
language remarkably perspicuous and     
elegant4  ,after these books1 take some 
opportunity of reading the ,sermons of  
,bishop ,butler1 including the ,preface4
 ,this is not a book to be read in a    
room full of brothers and sisters4 ,it  
demands close attention1 and will give  
some exercise to all your intellectual  
powers2 but it richly merits to have    
such attention and pains bestowed upon  
it4 ,it deserves1 indeed requires1 more 
than a single reading4 ,after ,butler's 
,sermons read his ,analogy4  ,you will  
do well1 at any odd intervals1 or       

snatches of time1 to make yourself      
familiar with ,addison and ,johnson4    
,false delicacy shall not prevent me    
from recommending the selection from the
 writings of ,addison which ,i made a   
few years ago4 ,my reasons for making   
such selection are given in the         
,preface4 ,the same reasons now induce  
me to recommend it to you4  ,johnson    
requires no pruning4 ,you can hardly    
read a paper in the ,rambler or ,idler1 
and1 ,i will add1 the ,adventurer1      
without deriving from it some           
improvement1 either moral or            
intellectual1 or both4 ,the structure   
and cadence of ,johnson's sentences is  
certainly monotonous2 but ,i seldom read
 half a page without being struck by the
 depth of his thought1 the accuracy and 
minuteness of his observation1 and the  
astonishing extent of his multifarious  
reading4  ,in order to enter with more  
discrimination into the style of our    
different authors1 read often ,blair's  
,lectures4 ,they are1 ,i believe1       

sometimes spoken slightingly of by men  
of learning2 ,i1 however1 as an         
unlearned man1 think them particularly  
useful4 ,the ,lecture on the ,origin of 
,language1 indeed1 the absurdity of     
which has been exposed with so much     
playfulness by ,cowper1 might well have 
been omitted4  ,i have already advised  
you1 during the two longer vacations1 to
 acquire1 or to keep up1 some knowledge 
of modern history4 ,russell's ,modern   
,europe is1 upon the whole1 a useful    
book4 ,it is1 perhaps1 too compendious2 
and ,i dislike its being given in the   
form of letters4 ,robertson's ,charles  
the ,fifth you have probably read       
already2 if not1 read it carefully when1
 in ,russell1 you arrive at the period  
at which it commences4 ,pay particular  
attention to the ,first ,book4 ,perhaps 
,robertson was not sufficiently         
impressed with the importance and the   
effects of the ,reformation in ,germany2
 and he formed1 ,i think1 an unfair     
estimate of the character and motives of

 ,luther4 ,this matter will1 ,i doubt   
not1 be shortly set right in the ,life  
of ,luther about to be given to the     
public by one of the ablest and most    
learned men of the present day#adg3a4   
,with respect to the history of our own 
country1 ,i hardly know what advice to  
give you4 ,hume's style is very         
pleasing1 but he cannot be implicitly   
depended on1 especially where religion  
and the ministers of religion are       
concerned4  ,henry's ,history of ,great 
,britain is a very good and accurate    
book2 but the continuity of the         
narrative is broken by the multiplicity 
of divisions in each period1 7learning1 
arts1 commerce1 manners1 c4 c471 and by 
the transitions to the history of       
,scotland4  ,lingard ,i have not read2  
,i am told that his style is good1 and  
his information extensive4 ,it was      
natural that1 as a zealous ,romanist1 he
 should seek to extenuate the faults of 
men of his own persuasion1 and to       
exaggerate the failings1 and place in an

 unfavourable point of view the motives 
and actions of the assailants of        
,popery2 but he has1 ,i think1 been     
fully convicted of carrying             
misrepresentation beyond all reasonable 
bounds4 ,there was but too much of      
bigotry and persecution on both sides4  
,turner's ,history is1 ,i believe1      
strictly honest and impartial1 and a    
work of prodigious labour and research4 
,but in our attention to prose writers1 
we must not forget the classical poets  
of our own country4 ,make yourself      
familiarly acquainted with ,shakspeare1 
,milton1 and ,pope4 ,the more you read  
of ,young and ,cowper1 the better4      
,young is sometimes turgid1 with a good 
deal of bad taste2 but he abounds in    
real poetry1 and in strong truths most  
forcibly expressed4 ,cowper sometimes   
carries simplicity to the verge of being
 prosaic2 but he is generally graceful1 
often pathetic1 and sometimes approaches
 to sublimity4 ,of both1 it was the     
common object to increase the influence 

of genuine ,christianity2 of both1 the  
perusal has a direct tendency to make   
you a better and a more religious man4  
,two of our most distinguished living   
poets--,sir ,walter ,scott and          
,southey--have seen their poetry cast   
into shade by the popularity of their   
own prose4 ,the poems of both will live1
 and have justice done them by          
posterity4 ,madoc was many years ago    
recommended to me by one of the most    
able1 and most candid1 of our living    
authors4 ,i read it with much interest4 
,the ,curse of ,kehama is full of high  
and wild poetry2 and ,roderick1 the last
 of the ,goths gives a noble picture of 
deep penitence and of devoted           
patriotism4 ,you will hardly read any   
ten lines of the longer poems of ,sir   
,walter ,scott1 without meeting with    
some striking beauty of expression or of
 sentiment4  ,i am afraid1 however1 that
 the ,english poets1 both those of      
former times and those of the present   
day1 have been1 in great measure1       

superseded1 among you young ,oxonians1  
by ,lord ,byron4 ,in almost every       
under-graduate's room that ,i happen to 
enter1 he seems to have taken           
possession4 ,lord ,byron1 as a poet1 has
 certainly many transcendant            
merits1--merits which are peculiarly    
fascinating to young men4 ,the interest 
which ,i1--which every one1--naturally  
must feel in the moral and intellectual 
habits and pursuits of such an important
 portion of the community1 makes me     
deeply lament the noble poet's excessive
 popularity among you4 ,i am perfectly  
aware1 that by the following remarks ,i 
shall expose myself to the indignation  
of some men1 and1 possibly1 to the      
contempt of others3 but ,i feel that my 
opinion on this subject is not taken up 
on slight grounds2 and ,i must say my   
say4  ,the publication of ,lord ,byron's
 life and correspondence has            
contributed1 a good deal1 to divest him 
of that mystery1 which hung about him1  
and in which he himself so much         

delighted2 and has brought him down     
rather more to the level of ordinary    
mortals4 ,they show him to us as a man  
possessed of splendid talents1 of       
extensive and various attainments1 and  
of the seeds of many noble and generous 
qualities2 but as a man actuated by     
ungovernable passions1 and by an        
overweening opinion of his own          
superiority to all other mortals4 ,self1
 whether intellectual or sensual1 seems 
to have been the idol that he           
worshipped4 ,his own antient family1 his
 own talents1 his own attainments1 his  
own whims1 his own passions1 his own    
excesses1 seem all to have furnished    
food for his vanity1 because they were  
his own4  ,i acknowledge that1 in all   
the circumstances of his bringing up1 he
 was singularly unfortunate4 ,his early 
destitution1 the character and habits of
 his mother1 the neglect of his noble   
relations1 the venal praises of his     
parasites and dependents1 all acted upon
 his character with pernicious          

influence4        ,untaught in youth his
 heart to tame1     ,his springs of life
 were poison'd4  ,he was sensitively    
alive to all the beauties and the       
sublimities of external nature1 and had 
a most penetrating insight into the     
complicated feelings1 and the various   
workings of the human heart1 with all   
its passions and affections2            
consequently1 he abounds in passages of 
great beauty1 and of singular strength  
and power4 ,the gratification derived   
from the perusal of such passages1      
however1 to a man at least who really   
believes himself to be an immortal and a
 responsible being1 is but a poor       
compensation for the moral effects of   
many of his poems1 his later poems more 
especially#aee3a4 ,they too often appear
 to breathe a spirit of engrossing      
selfishness2 a spirit of captious and   
gloomy scepticism1--scepticism          
extending1 not only to revelation1 but  
to the primary truths of what is called 
natural religion1 and even the most     

acknowledged bonds of moral obligation4 
,the tendency of his writings is to make
 you dissatisfied with almost every     
thing1 and every body in this world1 and
 at the same time to unfit you for the  
world to come2 indeed1 to make you      
doubt1 whether the idea of a world to   
come is not altogether a mere delusion4 
,lord ,byron particularly excels in     
describing female loveliness1 and the   
effect which such loveliness produces   
upon the ardent temperament of youth4   
,in fact1 the feeling within themselves 
so much that responds to these          
descriptions1 is one great cause of the 
popularity of ,lord ,byron among young  
people4 ,the sensations to which ,i     
allude1 however1 are of themselves but  
too importunate4 ,it is most unwise to  
excite them1--to give them additional   
energy1--by the perusal of the          
high-wrought and glowing descriptions of
 this poet of the passions4  ,i had     
heard much of ,don ,juan1 and felt some 
curiosity to read it2 but ,i was aware  

of the manner in which bold and flippant
 ribaldry sometimes takes hold of the   
mind1 even when shocked at it4 ,i knew  
well1 that human nature has in itself   
but too much of passion and sensuality1 
without needing any additional stimulus4
 ,i was unwilling to soil my mind when  
,i could avoid it4 ,for my own sake1 ,i 
was unwilling to see the most           
destructive vices treated as mere matter
 of jest1 and the most awful truths of  
religion introduced in connexion with   
ludicrous images1 and spoken of in the  
language of mockery4 ,however much our  
judgment may disapprove of these things1
 yet the ludicrous passages and images  
are too apt to stick by us1 even when we
 most wish to shake them off4  ,a book  
was advertised1 called ,the ,beauties of
 ,don ,juan1 including those passages   
only which are calculated to extend the 
real fame of ,lord ,byron4 ,the editor  
acknowledges that the poem itself1 from 
the unpruned luxuriance of the author's 
powers1 has remained a sealed           

volume--certainly it ought to be a      
sealed volume--to the fairest portion of
 the community4 ,this expurgate         
selection1 however1 though it contains  
many passages of great beauty1 is a book
 which ,i should be sorry indeed to     
place in the hands of any young lady2   
and one against which ,i would forewarn 
every young man1 who is not prepared to 
run the risk of sacrificing1 at the     
shrine of genius1 ,christian faith1 and 
,christian soberness1 and ,christian    
purity4  ,the description of the        
shipwreck had been spoken of as         
particularly fine4 ,i read it4 ,not long
 since several accounts of actual       
shipwrecks and disasters at sea were    
published#aei3a4 ,some of these         
accounts1 are among the most interesting
 and edifying narratives1 that ,i am    
acquainted with4 ,they abound in        
instances of heroic courage1 of unshaken
 endurance1 of a noble disregard of     
self1 of the warmest benevolence1 and of
 the most exalted piety4 ,don ,juan     

seems to have taken a wayward pleasure  
in culling from these narratives the    
most distressing and painful facts1 and 
then mixing them up in doggrel verse1   
with ludicrous images and ludicrous     
rhymes2 the main wit often consisting in
 some unexpected absurdity of sound or  
cadence4  ,one of the most dreadful     
consequences of shipwreck is1 when a    
remnant of the crew1 cast off in an open
 boat1 are reduced1 by extremity of     
hunger1 to determine by lot1 which of   
them shall first be made the food of his
 companions4 ,even in such calamity1    
this perverse and bitter spirit         
contrives to find matter for merriment4 
,he laughed in himself when he wrote the
 stanzas1 and tries to make his readers 
laugh2 though they must feel indignant  
with themselves if they give way to the 
impulse4  ,i conclude my letter with two
 sayings of ,bishop ,horne's4 ,he who   
sacrifices religion to wit1 like the    
people mentioned by lian1 worships a    
fly1 and offers up an ox to it4 ,again2 

,sir ,peter ,lely made it a rule1 never 
to look at a bad picture1 having found1 
by experience1 that1 whenever he did so1
 his pencil took a tint from it4 ,apply 
this to bad books and bad company4      
,however brilliant the talents of a     
writer may be1 yet1 if a book has a     
tendency to produce a bad effect upon   
the moral habits of the mind1 that book 
is a bad book4      ,when ,i behold a   
genius bright and base1     ,of tow'ring
 talents1 and terrestrial aims2         
,methinks ,i see1 as thrown from her    
high sphere1     ,the glorious fragments
 of a soul immortal1     ,with rubbish  
mixt1 and glitt'ring in the dust4    ,i 
remain1   ,my dear ,nephew1   ,your     
affectionate ,uncle4   ,,footnotes3     
#adg3a ,rev4 ,hugh ,james ,rose4  #aee3a
 ,childe ,harold and the four first     
tales 7,i am speaking only of the larger
 works7 are most free from objection1 at
 the same time that they are the most   
beautiful and interesting4  #aei3a ,the 
,loss of the ,kent1 and ,narratives of  

the ,shipwrecks of the ,lady ,hobart    
packet1 the ,cabalva1 c4 c4             
,,prayers   ,a ,prayer before ,study4   
7,,from ,,dr4 ,,johnson47  ,almighty    
,god1 in whose hands are all the powers 
of man2 who givest understanding and    
takest it away2 who1 as it seemeth good 
unto thee1 enlightenest the thoughts of 
the simple1 and darkenest the           
meditations of the wise1 be present with
 me in my studies and inquiries4        
,grant1 ,o ,lord1 that ,i may not lavish
 away the life which thou hast given me 
on useless trifles1 nor waste it in vain
 searches after things which thou hast  
hidden from me4  ,enable me1 by thy     
,holy ,spirit1 so to shun sloth and     
negligence1 that every day may discharge
 part of the task which thou hast       
allotted me2 and so further with thy    
help that labour which1 without thy     
help1 must be ineffectual1 that ,i may  
obtain in all my undertakings such      
success as will most promote thy glory1 
and the salvation of my own soul1 for   

the sake of ,jesus ,christ4   ,prayer   
after ,time unprofitably spent4  7,,from
 ,,dr4 ,,johnson47  ,o ,lord1 in whose  
hands are life and death2 by whose power
 ,i am sustained1 and by whose mercy ,i 
am spared1 look down upon me with pity4 
,forgive me1 that ,i have this day      
neglected the duty which thou hast      
assigned to it1 and suffered the hours1 
of which ,i must give account1 to pass  
away without any endeavour to accomplish
 thy will1 or to promote my own         
salvation4 ,make me to remember1 ,o     
,god1 that every day is thy gift1 and   
ought to be used according to thy       
command4 ,grant me1 therefore1 so to    
repent of my negligence1 that ,i may    
obtain mercy from thee1 and pass the    
time which thou shalt yet allow me in   
diligent performance of thy commands1   
through ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4   ,prayer
 for ,temperance4  7,,from ,,bishop     
,,jeremy ,,taylor47  ,o ,almighty ,god  
and gracious ,father of men and angels1 
who openest thy hand and fillest all    

things living with plenty2 and hast     
provided for thy servant sufficient to  
satisfy all my needs3 teach me to use   
thy creatures soberly and temperately1  
that ,i may not with loads of meat and  
drink make the temptations of my enemy  
to prevail upon me1 or my spirit unapt  
for the performance of my duty1 or my   
body healthless1 or my affections       
sensual and unholy4 ,o my ,god1 never   
suffer that the blessings which thou    
givest me may minister either to sin or 
sickness1 but to health1 and holiness1  
and thanksgiving2 that in the strength  
of thy provision ,i may cheerfully1 and 
actively1 and diligently serve thee2    
that ,i may worthily feast at thy table 
here1 and be accounted worthy1 through  
thy grace1 to be admitted to thy table  
hereafter1 through ,jesus ,christ1 our  
,mediator and ,redeemer4 ,amen4         
,prayer for the right government of the 
tongue4  ,o ,god1 watch over me this day
 for good2 and grant that ,i may so keep
 the door of my mouth that ,i may not   

speak unadvisedly with my lips4         
,preserve me from offending with my     
tongue either against charity or purity4
 ,let me not be guilty of foolish and   
immodest talking and jesting1 of        
evil-speaking or censoriousness1 or of  
any other of the many sins of the       
tongue4 ,grant that all my conversation 
may be such as becometh one who         
professes to be the servant and disciple
 of thy beloved ,son1 in whose name ,i  
beseech thee to hear my prayers4