Copy 1, Volume 1

Letters on the English and French nations; containing curious and useful observations on their constitutions natural and political; nervous and humorous descriptions of the virtues, vices, ridicules and foibles of the inhabitants; critical remarks on their writers; together with moral reflections interspersed throughout the work ... / By Mons. l'abbé Le Blanc ... Translated from the original French.

Jean-Bernard, abbé Le Blanc

Date:: 1747

Credit: Letters on the English and French nations; containing curious and useful observations on their constitutions natural and political; nervous and humorous descriptions of the virtues, vices, ridicules and foibles of the inhabitants; critical remarks on their writers; together with moral reflections interspersed throughout the work ... / By Mons. l'abbé Le Blanc ... Translated from the original French. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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It is more difficult than is imagined to get rid of thofe national prejudices, which injure our reafon, and hinder us from putting ourfelves in a true point of light to form a right judg¬ ment of objects not familiar to us : whatever other precautions are taken, they are feen on¬ ly through a glafs, that either magnifies or diminifhes them, and frequently gives them wrong colours. The power of habit hurries us away, and makes us condemn manners which have no other defed but that of not being our’s. Accuftom’d to the hat, the tur¬ ban ihocks us : fimplicity paffes for rudenefs with thofe who do not refled, how much of the arbitrary enters into what is called po¬ lite nefs • we laugh at that of the Chinefe, without confidering that they have the fame right to laugh at our’s. And indeed, when a perfon loves his country, and, what is Hill more ridiculous, fometimes without loving it, he is unjuft with regard to others. Whatever reproaches we may poffibly deferve in this refped, you know we have one obligation to the Englifh, that is, for not having left us in poffeffion of the ridiculoufnefs of being the mo ft prevented in favour of our nation. Few i men are truly philofophers, that is, reafona- bie : few men have like you that found un- derftanding, which correds the errors of edu¬ cation, luffcrs itielf not to be impofed on by the authority of the multitude; and knows on all occafions to difcern where virtue ends and vice begins. However

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