The manoeuvres and tactics of society are infinitely more numerous and
infinitely finer than those of strategy. Woe betide the rash knight
who dashes into the thick of the polished melee without some slight
experience of his barb and his lance! Let him look to his arms! He will
do well not to appear before his helm be plumed with some reputation,
however slight. He may be very rich, or even very poor. We have seen
that answer with a Belisarius-like air; and more than one hero without
an obolus has stumbled upon a fortune merely from his contempt of
riches. If to fight, or write, or dress be above you, why, then, you can
ride, or dance, or even skate; but do not think, as many young gentlemen
are apt to believe, that _talking_ will serve your purpose. That is the
quicksand of your young beginners. All can talk in a public assembly;
that is to say, all can give us exhortations which do not move, and
arguments which do not convince; but to converse in a private assembly
is a different affair, and rare are the characters who can be endured if
they exceed a whisper to their neighbours. But though mild and silent,
be ever ready with the rapier of repartee, and be ever armed with the
breastplate of good temper.
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