首页 >出版文学> LETTERS>第13章

第13章

  IthasalwaysbeenallowedtoDr。Franklin。DoesMr。AdamsmeantochargethisforAuteuilandLondon?Becauseifhedoes,Icertainlywill,beingconvincedbyexperiencethatmyexpencesherewillotherwiseexceedmyallowance。Iaskthisinformationofyou,Madam,becauseIthinkyouknowbetterthanMr。Adamswhatmaybenecessaryandrightforhimtodoinoccasionsofthisclass。IwillbegthefavorofyoutopresentmyrespectstoMissAdams。Ihavenosecretstocommunicatetoherincypheratthismoment,whatIwritetoMr。
  Adamsbeingmerecommonplacestuff,notmeritingacommunicationtotheSecretary。IhavethehonourtobewiththemostperfectesteemDr。MadamYourmostobedientandmosthumbleservt。,ASTATUEOFWASHINGTON
  _TotheVirginiaDelegatesinCongress_
  _Paris,July12,1785_
  GENTLEMEN,——InconsequenceoftheordersoftheLegislative&
  ExecutivebodiesofVirginia,IhaveengagedMonsr。HoudontomaketheStatueofGenl。Washington。ForthispurposeitisnecessaryforhimtoseetheGeneral。HethereforegoeswithDoctr。Franklin,&
  willhavethehonorofdeliveringyouthishimself。AshisjourneyisattheexpenceoftheStateaccordingtoourcontract,Iwillprayyoutofavorhimwithyourpatronage&counsels,andtoprotecthimasmuchaspossiblefromthoseimpositionstowhichstrangersarebuttoomuchexposed。IhaveadvisedhimtoproceedinthestagestotheGeneral’s。Ihavealsoagreed,ifhecanseeGeneralGreene&Gates,whosebustshehasadesiretomake,thathemaymakeamoderatedeviationforthispurpose,afterheisdonewithGeneralWashington。
  ButthemostimportantobjectwithhimistobeemployedtomakeGeneralWashington’sequestrianstatueforCongress。Nothingbuttheexpectationofthiscouldhaveengagedhimtohaveundertakenthisvoyage。ThepedestrianstatueforVirginiawillnotmakeitworththebusinesshelosesbyabsentinghimself。Iwasthereforeobligedtoassurehimofmyrecommendationsforthisgreaterwork。
  Havingactedinthisforthestate,youwillIhopethinkyourselvesinsomemeasureboundtopatronize&urgehisbeingemployedbyCongress。Iwouldnothavedonethismyself,noraskedyoutodoit,didInotseethatitwouldbebetterforCongresstoputthisbusinessintohishands,thanthoseofanyotherpersonliving,forthesereasons:1。heiswithoutrivalshipthefirststatuaryofthisage;asaproofofwhichhereceivesordersfromeveryothercountryforthingsintendedtobecapital:2。hewillhaveseenGeneralWashington,havetakenhismeasuresineverypart,andofcoursewhateverhedoesofhimwillhavethemeritofbeingoriginal,fromwhichotherworkmencanonlyfurnishcopies。3。Heisinpossessionofthehouse,thefurnaces,&alltheapparatusprovidedformakingthestatueofLouisXV。Ifanyotherworkmanisemployed,thiswillallbetobeprovidedanewandofcoursetobeaddedtothepriceofthestatue,fornomancaneverexpecttomaketwoequestrianstatues。Theadditionwhichthiswouldbetothepricewillmuchexceedtheexpectationofanypersonwhohasnotseenthatapparatus。
  Intruthitisimmense。AstothepriceoftheworkitwillbemuchgreaterthanCongressisawareof,probably。Ihaveenquiredsomewhatintothiscircumstance,andfindthepricesofthosemadefortwocenturiespasthavebeenfrom120。000guineasdownto16。000
  guineas,accordingtothesize。AndasfarasIhaveseen,thesmallertheyare,themoreagreeable。Thesmallestyetmadeisinfinitelyabovethesizeofthelife,andtheyallappearoutreeandmonstrous。ThatofLouisXV。isprobablythebestintheworld,anditisthesmallesthere。Yetitisimpossibletofindapointofviewfromwhichitdoesnotappearamonster,unlessyougosofarastolosesightofthefeaturesandfinerlineamentsofthefaceandbody。Astatueisnotmade,likeamountain,tobeseenatagreatdistance。Toperceivethoseminutercircumstanceswhichconstituteitsbeautyyoumustbenearit,and,inthatcase,itshouldbesolittleabovethesizeofthelife,astoappearactuallyofthatsizefromyourpointofview。IshouldnotthereforefeartoproposethattheoneintendedbyCongressshouldbeconsiderablysmallerthananyofthosetobeseenhere;asIthinkitwillbemorebeautiful,andalsocheaper。Ihavetroubledyouwiththeseobservationsastheyhavebeensuggestedtomefromanactualsightofworksinthiskind,&supposedtheymightassistyouinmakingupyourmindsonthissubject。InmakingacontractwithMonsr。Houdonitwouldnotbepropertoadvancemoney,butashisdisbursementsandlabouradvance。
  Asitisaworkofmanyyears,thiswillrendertheexpenceinsensible。Thepedestrianstatueofmarbleistotakethreeyears。
  Theequestrianofcoursemuchmore。Thereforethesooneritisbegunthebetter。”ANHONESTHEART……AKNOWINGHEAD”
  _ToPeterCarr_
  _Paris,August19,1785_
  DEARPETER,——Ireceived,byMr。Mazzei,yourletterofAprilthe20th。Iammuchmortifiedtohearthatyouhavelostsomuchtime;andthatwhenyouarrivedinWilliamsburg,youwerenotatalladvancedfromwhatyouwerewhenyouleftMonticello。Timenowbeginstobeprecioustoyou。Everydayyoulose,willretardadayyourentranceonthatpublicstagewhereonyoumaybegintobeusefultoyourself。However,thewaytorepairthelossistoimprovethefuturetime。Itrust,thatwithyourdispositions,eventheacquisitionofscienceisapleasingemployment。Icanassureyou,thatthepossessionofitis,whatnexttoanhonestheartwillaboveallthingsrenderyoudeartoyourfriends,andgiveyoufameandpromotioninyourowncountry。Whenyourmindshallbewellimprovedwithscience,nothingwillbenecessarytoplaceyouinthehighestpointsofview,buttopursuetheinterestsofyourcountry,theinterestsofyourfriends,andyourowninterestsalso,withthepurestintegrity,themostchastehonor。Thedefectofthesevirtuescanneverbemadeupbyalltheotheracquirementsofbodyandmind。
  Makethesethenyourfirstobject。Giveupmoney,giveupfame,giveupscience,givetheearthitselfandallitcontains,ratherthandoanimmoralact。Andneversuppose,thatinanypossiblesituation,orunderanycircumstances,itisbestforyoutodoadishonorablething,howeverslightlysoitmayappeartoyou。Wheneveryouaretodoathing,thoughitcanneverbeknownbuttoyourself,askyourselfhowyouwouldactwerealltheworldlookingatyou,andactaccordingly。Encourageallyourvirtuousdispositions,andexercisethemwheneveranopportunityarises;beingassuredthattheywillgainstrengthbyexercise,asalimbofthebodydoes,andthatexercisewillmakethemhabitual。Fromthepracticeofthepurestvirtue,youmaybeassuredyouwillderivethemostsublimecomfortsineverymomentoflife,andinthemomentofdeath。Ifeveryoufindyourselfenvironedwithdifficultiesandperplexingcircumstances,outofwhichyouareatalosshowtoextricateyourself,dowhatisright,andbeassuredthatthatwillextricateyouthebestoutoftheworstsituations。Thoughyoucannotsee,whenyoutakeonestep,whatwillbethenext,yetfollowtruth,justice,andplaindealing,andneverfeartheirleadingyououtofthelabyrinth,intheeasiestmannerpossible。TheknotwhichyouthoughtaGordianone,willuntieitselfbeforeyou。Nothingissomistakenasthesupposition,thatapersonistoextricatehimselffromadifficulty,byintrigue,bychicanery,bydissimulation,bytrimming,byanuntruth,byaninjustice。Thisincreasesthedifficultiestenfold;andthosewhopursuethesemethods,getthemselvessoinvolvedatlength,thattheycanturnnowaybuttheirinfamybecomesmoreexposed。Itisofgreatimportancetosetaresolution,nottobeshaken,nevertotellanuntruth。Thereisnovicesomean,sopitiful,socontemptible;andhewhopermitshimselftotellalieonce,findsitmucheasiertodoitasecondandthirdtime,tillatlengthitbecomeshabitual;hetellslieswithoutattendingtoit,andtruthswithouttheworld’sbelievinghim。Thisfalsehoodofthetongueleadstothatoftheheart,andintimedepravesallitsgooddispositions。
  Anhonestheartbeingthefirstblessing,aknowingheadisthesecond。Itistimeforyounowtobegintobechoiceinyourreading;tobegintopursuearegularcourseinit;andnottosufferyourselftobeturnedtotherightorleftbyreadinganythingoutofthatcourse。Ihavelongagodigestedaplanforyou,suitedtothecircumstancesinwhichyouwillbeplaced。ThisIwilldetailtoyou,fromtimetotime,asyouadvance。Forthepresent,Iadviseyoutobeginacourseofantienthistory,readingeverythingintheoriginalandnotintranslations。FirstreadGoldsmith’shistoryofGreece。Thiswillgiveyouadigestedviewofthatfield。Thentakeupantienthistoryinthedetail,readingthefollowingbooks,inthefollowingorder:Herodotus,Thucydides,XenophontisHellenica,XenophontisAnabasis,Arrian,QuintusCurtius,DiodorusSiculus,Justin。Thisshallformthefirststageofyourhistoricalreading,andisallIneedmentiontoyounow。Thenext,willbeofRomanhistory*。Fromthat,wewillcomedowntomodernhistory。InGreekandLatinpoetry,youhavereadorwillreadatschool,Virgil,Terence,Horace,Anacreon,Theocritus,Homer,Euripides,Sophocles。
  ReadalsoMilton’sParadiseLost,Shakspeare,Ossian,Pope’sandSwift’sworks,inordertoformyourstyleinyourownlanguage。Inmorality,readEpictetus,XenophontisMemorabilia,Plato’sSocraticdialogues,Cicero’sphilosophies,Antoninus,andSeneca。Inordertoassureacertainprogressinthisreading,considerwhathoursyouhavefreefromtheschoolandtheexercisesoftheschool。Giveabouttwoofthem,everyday,toexercise;forhealthmustnotbesacrificedtolearning。Astrongbodymakesthemindstrong。Astothespeciesofexercise,Iadvisethegun。Whilethisgivesamoderateexercisetothebody,itgivesboldness,enterprise,andindependencetothemind。Gamesplayedwiththeball,andothersofthatnature,aretooviolentforthebody,andstampnocharacteronthemind。Letyourgunthereforebetheconstantcompanionofyourwalks。Neverthinkoftakingabookwithyou。Theobjectofwalkingistorelaxthemind。Youshouldthereforenotpermityourselfeventothinkwhileyouwalk;butdivertyourattentionbytheobjectssurroundingyou。Walkingisthebestpossibleexercise。Habituateyourselftowalkveryfar。TheEuropeansvaluethemselvesonhavingsubduedthehorsetotheusesofman;butIdoubtwhetherwehavenotlostmorethanwehavegained,bytheuseofthisanimal。Noonehasoccasionedsomuch,thedegeneracyofthehumanbody。AnIndiangoesonfootnearlyasfarinaday,foralongjourney,asanenfeebledwhitedoesonhishorse;andhewilltirethebesthorses。Thereisnohabityouwillvaluesomuchasthatofwalkingfarwithoutfatigue。Iwouldadviseyoutotakeyourexerciseintheafternoon:
  notbecauseitisthebesttimeforexercise,forcertainlyitisnot;butbecauseitisthebesttimetosparefromyourstudies;andhabitwillsoonreconcileittohealth,andrenderitnearlyasusefulasifyougavetothatthemoreprecioushoursoftheday。A
  littlewalkofhalfanhour,inthemorning,whenyoufirstrise,isadvisablealso。Itshakesoffsleep,andproducesothergoodeffectsintheanimaleconomy。Riseatafixedandanearlyhour,andgotobedatafixedandearlyhouralso。Sittinguplateatnightisinjurioustothehealth,andnotusefultothemind。Havingascribedproperhourstoexercise,dividewhatremain,Imeanofyourvacanthoursintothreeportions。GivetheprincipaltoHistory,theothertwo,whichshouldbeshorter,toPhilosophyandPoetry。Writetomeonceeverymonthortwo,andletmeknowtheprogressyoumake。Tellmeinwhatmanneryouemployeveryhourintheday。TheplanIhaveproposedforyouisadaptedtoyourpresentsituationonly。Whenthatischanged,Ishallproposeacorrespondingchangeofplan。I
  haveorderedthefollowingbookstobesenttoyoufromLondon,tothecareofMr。Madison。Herodotus,Thucydides,Xenophon’sHellenics,AnabasisandMemorabilia,Cicero’sworks,Baretti’sSpanishandEnglishDictionary,Martin’sPhilosophicalGrammar,andMartin’sPhilosophiaBritannica。Iwillsendyouthefollowingfromhence。Bezout’sMathematics,DelaLande’sAstronomy,Muschenbrock’sPhysics,QuintusCurtius,Justin,aSpanishGrammar,andsomeSpanishbooks。YouwillobservethatMartin,Bezout,DelaLande,andMuschenbrockarenotintheprecedingplan。TheyarenottobeopenedtillyougototheUniversity。Youarenow,Iexpect,learningFrench。Youmustpushthis;becausethebookswhichwillbeputintoyourhandswhenyouadvanceintoMathematics,Naturalphilosophy,Naturalhistory,&c。willbemostlyFrench,thesesciencesbeingbettertreatedbytheFrenchthantheEnglishwriters。
  OurfutureconnectionwithSpainrendersthatthemostnecessaryofthemodernlanguages,aftertheFrench。Whenyoubecomeapublicman,youmayhaveoccasionforit,andthecircumstanceofyourpossessingthatlanguage,maygiveyouapreferenceoverothercandidates。Ihavenothingfurthertoaddforthepresent,buthusbandwellyourtime,cherishyourinstructors,strivetomakeeverybodyyourfriend;andbeassuredthatnothingwillbesopleasing,asyoursuccess,to,DearPeter,Your’saffectionately,*Livy,Sullust,Caesar,Cicero’sepistles,Suetonius,Tacitus,Gibbon。
  COMMERCEANDSEAPOWER
  _ToJohnJay_
  _Paris,Aug。23,1785_