Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield to His Son: With Some Account of His Life, in Three Volumes, Volume 3J. Walker, 1810 |
Common terms and phrases
acquaintance Adieu affairs attention Bath believe Berlin bien Blackheath bless body Bonn c'est character Charles Townshend CHESTERFIELD Comte consequently countenance court dare say DEAR FRIEND desire Dresden duke duke of Newcastle faut favour fear foreign France French give glad gout graces Hague Hamburgh Hanover hear homme honour hope king of Prussia knowledge l'on Lady late least London Lord Lord Chatham Madame Madame de Tencin majesty Manheim manner matter means ment mind minister Monsieur months Munich never night November 26 occasion October 17 opinion Paris parliament perhaps Pitt pleasing pleasure political pray present prince qu'il Ratisbon reason received your letter rheumatic rien Sir William Stanhope soon Stadthouder suppose sure tell thing thought tion told tout treaty trifling true truth week whole wish write yesterday
Popular passages
Page 61 - I began the world, not with a bare desire, but with an .insatiable thirst, a rage of popularity, applause, and admiration. If this made me do some silly things, on one hand, it. made me, on the other hand, do almost all the right things that I did...
Page 62 - ... accordingly I was soon connected with all the men of any fashion or figure in town. To this principle of vanity, which philosophers call a mean one, and which I do not, I owe great part of the figure which I have made in life.
Page 104 - I remember so long ago as when I was at Cambridge, whenever I read pieces of eloquence (and indeed they were my chief study) whether ancient or modern, I used to write down the shining passages, and then translate them, as well and as elegantly as ever I could; if Latin or French, into English; if English, into French. This, which I practised for some years, not only improved and formed my style, but imprinted in my mind and memory the best thoughts of the best authors.
Page 257 - ... not pens, ink, or paper enough to give you an intelligible account of them. They have been the subjects of warm and acrimonious debates, both in the Lords and Commons, and in all companies. The repeal of the Stamp-Act is at last carried through. I am glad of it, and gave my proxy for it; because I saw many more inconveniences from the enforcing, than from the repealing it.
Page 229 - It is a great mercy that Mr. Wilkes, the intrepid defender of our rights and liberties, is out of danger, and may live to fight and write again in support of them ; and it is no less a mercy, that God hath raised up the Earl of S to vindicate and promote true religion and morality.
Page 195 - ... are made up ; I have seen them ; and what do you think they amount to ? No less than twelve millions three hundred thousand pounds. A most incredible sum, and yet already all subscribed, and even more offered ! The unanimity in the House of Commons, in voting such a sum, and such forces, both by sea and land, is not less astonishing. This is Mr. Pitt's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.
Page 261 - Pitt, who had carte blanche given him, named every one of them : but what would you think he named himself for ? Lord Privy Seal ; and (what will astonish you, as it does every mortal here) Earl of Chatham. The joke here is, that he has had a fall...
Page 61 - I could not perhaps shine in the first, enabled me, at least, to shine in a second or third sphere. By these means I soon grew in fashion ; and when a man is once in fashion, all he does is right. It was infinite pleasure to me, to find my own fashion and popularity. I was sent for to all parties of pleasure, both of men or women ; where, in some measure, I gave the tone.
Page 255 - Stamp-act in the colonies vi et armis. What conclusions you will draw from these premises, I do not know ; I protest I draw none, but only stare at the present undecypherable state of affairs, which, in fifty years' experience, I have never seen any thing like.
Page 161 - Parliament; the King of Prussia has united all our parties in his support; and the Tories have declared, that they will give Mr. Pitt unlimited credit for this session : there has not been one single division yet upon public points, and I believe will not.