The Mornings Were To Belong To Study, Or Serious
Conversation With Men Of Learning Or Figure; The Afternoons, To
Exercise; The Evenings To Be Free For Balls, The Opera, Or Play.
These
are the pleasures of a gentleman, for which his father is willing to pay
generously.
But he will not, he points out frequently, subscribe to the
extravagance of a rake. The eighteen-year-old Stanhope is to have his
coach, his two valets and a footman, the very best French clothes - in
fact, everything that is sensible. But he shall not be allowed money for
dozens of cane-heads, or fancy snuff-boxes, or excessive gaming, or the
support of opera-singers. One handsome snuff-box, one handsome sword,
and gaming only when the presence of the ladies keeps down high stakes;
but no tavern-suppers - no low company which costs so much more than
dissipations among one's equals. There is no need for a young man of any
address to make love to his laundress,[372] as long as ladies of his own
class stoop to folly.
Above all, Stanhope is not to associate with his own countrymen in
Paris. On them Chesterfield is never tired of pouring the vials of
scorn. He began while Stanhope was at Leipsic to point out the
deficiences of English boys:
"They are commonly twenty years old before they have spoken to anybody
above their schoolmaster, and the Fellows of their college. If they
happen to have learning, it is only Greek and Latin; but not one word of
modern history, or modern languages.
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