we please or not. In others, it betrays an insolence and affectation, arising from a presumption that they are sure of pleasing, without having recourse to those means which many are obliged to

use.

He who is not thoroughly clean in his person, will be offensive to all he converses with. A particular regard to the cleanness of your mouth, teeth, hands, and nails, is but common decency. A foul mouth and unclean hands, are certain marks of vulgarity; the first is the cause of an offensive breath, which nobody can bear, and the last is declarative of dirty work; one may always know a gentleman by the state of his hands and nails. The flesh at the roots should be kept back, so as to show the semicircles at the bottom of the nails; the edges of the nails should never be cut down below the ends of the fingers, nor should they be suffered to grow longer than the fingers. When the nails are cut down to the quick, it is a shrewd sign that the man is a laborer, to whom long nails would be troublesome, or that he gets his bread by fiddling; and if they are longer than his fingers' ends, and encircled with a black rim, it foretells he has been laboriously and meanly employed, and too fatigued to clean himself: a good apology for want of cleanliness in a laborer, but the greatest disgrace that can attend a gentleman.

These things may appear too insignificant to be mentioned; but when it is considered that a thousand little nameless things, which every one feels but no one can describe, conspire to form that whole of pleasing, we hope you will not call them trifling. Besides, a clean shirt and a clean person are as necessary to health, as not to offend other people. It is a maxim, which I have lived to see

verified, that he who is negligent at twenty years of age, will be a sloven at forty, and intolerable at fifty.

FASHION OF DRESS.

Neatness of person, we observed, was as necessary as cleanliness; of course, some attention must be paid to your dress.

Such is the absurdity of the times, that, to pass well with the world, we must adopt some of its customs, be they ridiculous or not.

In the first place, to neglect one's dress, is to af front all the female part of our acquaintance. The women in particular pay an attention to their dress; therefore to neglect yours will displease them, as it would be tacitly taxing them with vanity, and declaring that you thought them not worth that respect which every body else does. And, as we have mentioned before, as it is the women who stamp a young man's credit in the fashionable world, if you do not make yourselves agreeable to the women, you will assuredly lose ground among the men.

Dress, as trifling as it may appear to a man of understanding, prepossesses on the first appearance, which is frequently decisive. And, indeed, we may form some opinion of a man's sense and character from his dress. Any exceeding of the fashion, or any affectation in dress whatever, argues a weakness in understanding; and nine times out of ten it will be found so.

We should likewise proportion our dress to our persons; we cannot be neat without it. Should the fashion make every thing large, a little man is to keep a mediocrity, or he will be laughed at.

Suppose it was the fashion to wear large capes; were a little man to wear a large cape too, he would be nothing but cape; if, when others' hats are broad-brimmed, his should be so too, the man would be lost, and the hat (not he) be thought to walk about the streets; which would be as ridiculous to the eye, as for a painter (contrary to all rules of proportion) to draw a large arm to a little man, or a little leg to a great one.

There are but few young men who do not display some character or other in their dress. Some would be thought fearless and brave: these wear a black cravat, a short coat and waistcoat, and a large hat fiercely cocked, and are flash all over. Others paint and powder themselves so much, and dress so finically, as leads us to suppose they are only women in boys' clothes. Now, a sensible man carefully avoids all this, or any other affectation. He dresses as fashionably and as well as persons of the best families and best sense: if he exceeds them, he is a coxcomb; if he dresses worse, he is unpardonable.

Dress yourself fine, then, if possible, or plain, agreeably to the company you are in; that is, conform to the dress of others, and avoid the appearance of being tumbled. Imitate those reasonable people of your own age, whose dress is neither remarked as too neglected, or too much studied. Take care to have your clothes well made, in the fashion, and to fit you, or you will, after all, appear awkward. When once dressed, think no more of it; show no fear of discomposing your dress, but let all your motions be as easy and unembarrassed as if you were at home in your dishabille.

ELEGANCE OF EXPRESSION.

Having mentioned elegance of person, we will proceed to elegance of expression.

It is not one or two qualifications alone, that will complete the gentleman: it must be an union of many; and gracefulness of speaking is as essential as gracefulness of person. Every man cannot be an harmonious speaker; a roughness or coarseness of voice may prevent it; but if there are no natural imperfections, if a man does not stammer or lisp, or has not lost his teeth, he may speak gracefully; nor will all these defects, if he has a mind to it, prevent him from speaking correctly.

Nobody can attend with pleasure to a bad speaker. One who tells his story ill, be it ever so important, will tire even the most patient. If you have been present at the performance of a good tragedy, you have doubtless been sensible of the good effects of a speech well delivered; how much it has interested and affected you; and on the contrary, how much an ill spoken one has disgusted you. It is the same in common conversation; he who speaks deliberately, distinctly, and correctly; he who makes use of the best words to express himself, and varies his voice according to the nature of the subject, will always please: while the thick or hasty speaker, he who mumbles out a set of ill-chosen words, utters them ungrammatically, or with a dull monotony, will tire and disgust. Be assured, then, the air, the gesture, the looks of a speaker, a proper accent, a just emphasis and tuneful cadence, are full as necessary to please and to be attended to, as the subject matter itself.

People may talk what they will of solid reasoning and sound sense; without the graces and ornaments of language, they will neither please nor persuade. In common discourse, even trifles, elegantly expressed, will be better received than the best of arguments, homespun and unadorned.

A good way to acquire a graceful utterance, is to read aloud to some friend every day, and beg of him to set you right in case you read too fast, do not observe the proper stops, lay wrong emphasis, or utter your words indistinctly. You may even read aloud to yourself, where such a friend is not at hand, and you will find your own ear a good corrector. Take care to open your teeth when you read or speak, and articulate every word distinctly; which last cannot be done, but by sounding the final letter. But above all, endeavor to vary your voice, according to the matter, and avoid a monotony. By a daily attention to this, it will, in a little time, become easy and habitual to you.

Pay attention also to your looks and your gesture, when talking even on the most trifling subjects; things appear very different according as they are expressed, looked, or delivered.

Now, if it is necessary to attend so particularly to our manner of speaking, it is much more so with respect to the matter. Fine turns of expression, a genteel and correct style, are ornaments as requisite to common sense, as polite behaviour and an elegant address are to common good manners; they are great assistants in the point of pleasing. A gentleman, it is true, may be known in the meanest garb; but it admits not of a doubt, that he would be better received into good company, genteelly and fashionably dressed, than were he to appear in dirt and tatters.