E-text prepared by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/viewofsocietyman01moor_0 Project Gutenberg has the other volume of this work. Volume II: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58731 A VIEW OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS IN FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, AND GERMANY: WITH ANECDOTES relating to some EMINENT CHARACTERS. BY JOHN MOORE, M.D. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. Strenua nos exercet inertia: navibus atque Quadrigis petimus bene vivere. Quod petis, hic est. HOR. The FOURTH EDITION, Corrected. LONDON: Printed for W. STRAHAN; and T. CADELL, in the Strand, MDCCLXXXI. ADVERTISEMENT. From a diffidence of his own abilities, and from other motives not so well founded, the Author of the following Letters thought it expedient, in the first edition, to throw a slight veil over the real situation in which they were written: he imagined also, that by this means some reflections, particularly those on gaming, might be introduced more naturally, and with a stronger effect. But having been assured by those of whose friendship and judgment he is equally convinced, that the assumed character and feigned situation in the two first letters gave an air of fiction to the real incidents in the rest of the work, he has now restored those two letters to their original form. _Just Published_, Written by the same Author, A VIEW of SOCIETY and MANNERS in ITALY: With ANECDOTES relating to some Eminent CHARACTERS. 2 Vols. 8vo. Price 14s. TO HIS GRACE DOUGLAS, Duke of HAMILTON and BRANDON, Marquis of DOUGLAS, &c. MY LORD DUKE, Although established practice might, on this occasion, justify my holding a language to your Grace which I never before used, yet you have nothing of that kind to fear; it is as inconsistent with my disposition to offer adulation, as it is contrary to yours to desire it.—Nor does this address proceed from a vain belief that the lustre of your name will dispose the Public to wink at the blemishes of my performance. The highest titles do not screen even those to whom they belong from contempt, when their personal characters are contemptible; far less can they shelter the dulness or folly of others.