The afternoon was lovely, and the country through which we passed, rich beyond measure; but the recollection of that drive from Hennebon to Auray always fills me with remorse. My agreeable companion was a3 great connoisseur in fruit, and particularly curious in peaches. Somewhere near Landevant he had a house and gardens; and when the coach stopped to change horses, his servant came up with two remarkably fine peaches in a basket, the only ones which were yet1 ripe. One of these he gave5 to M. F —, and presented me with the other, which was by far the finest. I protested against leaving him without any, but he would hear of no excuse. At last I took it, but never recollected" that there was a via media, as Dr. Hook says, between eating the whole 10 and refusing the whole; for I might very well have11 divided it, and insisted on his taking 12 half. Ever since, I am mortified beyond measure, when I think how selfish I must have appeared.13

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This is the sort of thing in which an Englishman fails.14 He is continually guilty of acts, which make people set him down as 15 selfish and brutal, when in reality he is only awkward and reserved. But my Breton friend seemed to take it all as a matter of

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1 Through which we passed, que nous traversions-2 drive, voyagea to be left out-4 which were yet, qui fussent encore-5 one of these he gave, il en donna une- I protested, etc......any, je protestai, ne voulant pas l'en priver-7 he would hear of no, il ne voulut admettre aucune at last I took it, je finis par la prendre- but never recollected, sans me rappeler-10 eating the whole, manger le tout-11 I might very well have, j'aurais fort bien pu-12 on his taking, pour qu'il en prit13 how......I must have appeared, combien je dus paraitre......14 this is the sort of thing in which......fails, c'est là le côté par où pêche...... 15 which make people set him down as, qui le font passer pour.

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course that the conducteur and I should eat his peaches and leave him without any ;3 and when we got down at the hotel at Auray, he left some friends to whom he was talking to follow me into the hotel and shake me by the hand.1

JEPHSON, "A Walking Tour in Brittany."

THE NORMANS.

The polite luxury of the Norman presented a striking contrast to the coarse voracity and drunkenness of his Saxon and Danish neighbours. He loved to display his magnificence, not in huge piles of food and hogsheads of strong drink, but in large and stately edifices, rich armour, gallant horses, choice falcons, well-ordered tournaments, banquets delicate rather than abundant, and wines remarkable rather for their exquisite flavours than for their intoxicating power. That chivalrous spirit which has exercised so powerful an influence on the politics, morals, and manners of all the European nations, was found in the highest exaltation 10 among the Norman nobles. Those nobles were distinguished by their graceful bearing and insinuating address. 12 They were distinguished also by their skill in 13 negociation, and by a natural eloquence which they assiduously cultivated. It was the boast of one of their historians 14 that the Norman gentlemen were

1 To take it all as a matter of course, trouver tout naturel-2 should eat, nous mangeassions-3 and leave him without any, sans lui en laisser and shake me by the hand, et me serrer la main.

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5 Polite, élégant-6 to, avec-7 in huge piles of food, dans un amas de mets grossiers flavour, bouquet-9 power, force-10 was found in the highest exaltation, brillait dans tout son éclat-11 bearing, port 12 address, manières-13 in, dans les-14 it was the boast of one of their historians, un de leurs historiens déclarait avec orgueil.

orators from1 the cradle. But their chief fame was derived from their military exploits. Every country, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Dead Sea, witnessed the prodigies of their discipline and valour. One Norman knight, at the head of a handful of warriors, scattered the Celts of Connaught. Another founded the monarchy of the Two Sicilies, and saw the emperors both of the East and of the West3 fly before his arms. A third, the Ulysses of the first crusade, was invested by his fellow-soldiers with 5 the sovereignty of Antioch; and a fourth, the Tancred whose name lives in the great poem of Tasso,* *7 was celebrated through Christendom as the bravest and most generous of the champions of the Holy Sepulchre.

The vicinity of so remarkable a people early began to produce an effects on the public mind of England. Before the Conquest, English princes received their education in Normandy. English sees and English estates were bestowed on Normans. The French of Normandy was familiarly spoken in the palace of Westminster. The court of Rouen seems to have been to the court of Edward the Confessor what the court of Versailles long afterwards was to the court of Charles the Second.

MACAULAY, "History of England."

1 From, dès-2 their chief fame was derived from, ils durent surtout leur renommée à-3 both of the East and of the West, d'Orient et d'Occident- fellow-soldiers, compagnons d'armes 5 invested...... with, placé à la tête de-6 whose name lives in, qu'a immortaliséTasso, le Tasse-8 to produce an effect, à exercer de l'influencewas......spoken, se parlait.

* Torquato Tasso was born at Sorrento in 1544, and died in 1595.

GOOD BREEDING.

London, November 3, O. S.,1 1749.

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A friend of yours and mine has very justly defined good breeding to be,3 the result of much good sense, some good nature, and a little self-denial for the sake of others, and with a view to obtain the same indulgence from them. Taking this for granted, (as I think it cannot be disputed), it is astonishing to me that anybody who has good sense and good nature (and I believe you have both) can essentially fail in good breeding. As to the modes of it, indeed, they vary according to persons, places, and circumstances, and are only to be acquired by observation and experience; but the substance of it is everywhere and eternally the same. Good manners are, to 10 particular societies, what good morals are to society in general,—their cement and their security. And as laws are enacted to enforce 12 good morals, or at least to prevent the ill effects of bad ones, so there are certain rules of civility, universally implied 13 and received, to enforce good manners, and punish bad ones. And indeed 14 there seems to me to be less difference, both between the crimes and punishments, than at first one would imagine.15 The immoral man, who invades another's property, is

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O.S., V.S. (vieux style)-2 a friend of yours and mine, un de vos amis et des miens-3 good breeding to be, les bonnes manières comme étant-4 some, une certaine somme de-5 with a view, dans le but6 taking this for granted, cette définition admise-7 it is astonishing to me, je m'étonne-8 are only to be acquired, ne s'acquièrent que9 of it is, en est-10 to, pour-11 as, de même que-12 laws are enacted to enforce, des lois sont établies pour contraindre à- 13 implied, comprises-14 indeed, à dire vrai-15 than at first one would imagine, qu'on ne se l'imaginerait à première vue.

justly hanged for it; and the ill-bred man1 who, by his ill manners, invades and disturbs the quiet and comforts of private life, is by common consent3 as justly banished from society. . . . . For my own part, I really think that, next to the consciousness of doing1 a good action, that of doing a civil one is the most pleasing; and the epithet which I should covet the most, next to that of Aristides, would be that of well bred.

LORD CHESTERFIELD.

THE DUKE OF ALVA.

The truth seems to be, that Alva6 was a man of an arrogant nature, an inflexible will, and of the most narrow and limited views. His doctrine of implicit obedience went as far as that of Philip himself. In enforcing it, he disdained the milder methods of argument or conciliation. It was on force, brute

He was bred a soldier,

force, alone that he relied. early accustomed to the stern discipline of the camp. The only law he recognised was martial law; his only argument, the sword. No agent could have been fitter to execute the designs of a despotic prince. His hard, impassible nature was not to be influenced by 10 those affections which sometimes turn the most obdurate from their purpose. As little did he know

1 Ill-bred, mal élevé 2 comforts, le bien-être-3 by common consent, d'un common accord-4 next to the consciousness of doing, après la satisfaction intérieure que cause-5 that, etc......pleasing, celle que cause une action obligeante est la plus grande.

6 Alva, Albe- and of, avec-8 went as far as, était poussée aussi loin que—9 he was bred a, il avait été élevé en 10 was not to be influenced by, était étrangère à l'influence de-11 turn, détournent.