and therefore I am willing to take the woman, for better for worse, upon account of the man; and if she is not too much damaged, I can have her tolerably repaired, as many a fine woman is, by a skilful hand here; but then I expect the lady should be, in a manner, thrown into the bargain with the man; and in this state of affairs, the woman being worth little or nothing, I will not go above fourscore louis for the two together. As for the Rembrandt you mention, though it is very cheap, if good, I do not care for it. I love la belle nature; Rembrandt paints caricatures. Now for your own commissions, which you seem to have forgotten. [May 10, 1751.]
Dancing and Deportment.—Lady Hervey,
who is your puff and panegyrist, writes me word,
that she saw you lately dance at a ball, and that you
dance very genteelly. I am extremely glad to hear
it; for (by the maxim that omne majus continet in se minus) if you dance genteelly, I presume you
walk, sit, and stand genteelly too; things which are
much more easy, though much more necessary, than
dancing well. I have known many very genteel
people, who could not dance well; but I never knew
anybody dance very well, who was not genteel in
other things. You will probably often have occasion
to stand in circles, at the levees of princes and
