,,the ,,complete ,,english ,,tradesman ,,by ,,daniel ,,defoe ,,london #agbf1 ,,edinburgh #ahci ,,contents ,,author',s ,,preface ,,introduction ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,tradesman ,,in ,,his ,,preparations ,,while ,,an ,,apprentice ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,writing ,,letters ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,trading ,,style ,,chapter ,,iv ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman ,,acquainting ,,himself ,,with ,,all ,,business ,,in ,,general ,,chapter ,v ,,diligence ,,and ,,application ,,in ,,business ,,chapter ,,vi ,,over-,,trading ,,chapter ,,vii ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman ,,in ,,distress1 ,,and ,,becoming ,,bankrupt ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,ordinary ,,occasions ,,of ,,the ,,ruin ,,of ,,tradesmen ,,chapter ,,ix ,,of ,,other ,,reasons ,,for ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,disasters3 ,,and1 ,,first1 ,,of ,,innocent ,,diversions ,,chapter ,x ,,of ,,extravagant ,,and ,,expensive ,,living2 ,,another ,,step ,,to ,a ,,tradesman',s ,,disaster ,,chapter ,,xi ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,marrying ,,too ,,soon ,,chapter ,,xii ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,leaving ,,his ,,business ,,to ,,servants ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,of ,,tradesmen ,,making ,,composition ,,with ,,debtors1 ,,or ,,with ,,creditors ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,of ,,the ,,unfortunate ,,tradesman ,,compounding ,,with ,,his ,,creditors ,,chapter ,,xv ,,of ,,tradesmen ,,ruining ,,one ,,another ,,by ,,rumour ,,and ,,clamour1 ,,by ,,scandal ,,and ,,reproach ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,entering ,,into ,,partnership ,,in ,,trade1 ,,and ,,the ,,many ,,dangers ,,attending ,,it ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,of ,,honesty ,,in ,,dealing1 ,,and ,,lying ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,of ,,the ,,customary ,,frauds ,,of ,,trade1 ,,which ,,honest ,,men ,,allow ,,themselves ,,to ,,practise1 ,,and ,,pretend ,,to ,,justify ,,chapter ,,xix ,,of ,,fine ,,shops1 ,,and ,,fine ,,shows ,,chapter ,,xx ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,keeping ,,his ,,books1 ,,and ,,casting ,,up ,,his ,,shop ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman ,,letting ,,his ,,wife ,,be ,,acquainted ,,with ,,his ,,business ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,of ,,the ,,dignity ,,of ,,trade ,,in ,,england ,,more ,,than ,,in ,,other ,,countries ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,of ,,the ,,inland ,,trade ,,of ,,england1 ,,its ,,magnitude1 ,,and ,,the ,,great ,,advantage ,,it ,,is ,,to ,,the ,,nation ,,in ,,general ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,of ,,credit ,,in ,,trade1 ,,and ,,how ,a ,,tradesman ,,ought ,,to ,,value ,,and ,,improve ,,it3 ,,how ,,easily ,,lost1 ,,and ,,how ,,hard ,,it ,,is ,,to ,,be ,,recovered ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,punctual ,,paying ,,his ,,bills ,,and ,,promissory ,,notes ,,under ,,his ,,hand1 ,,and ,,the ,,credit ,,he ,,gains ,,by ,,it ,,author',s ,,preface ,the title of this work is an index of the performance4 ,it is a collection of useful instructions for a young tradesman4 ,the world is grown so wise of late1 or 7if you will7 fancy themselves so1 are so opiniatre1 as the ,french well express it1 so self-wise1 that ,i expect some will tell us beforehand they know every thing already1 and want none of my instructions2 and to such1 indeed1 these instructions are not written4 ,had ,i not1 in a few years' experience1 seen many young tradesmen miscarry1 for want of those very cautions which are here given1 ,i should have thought this work needless1 and ,i am sure had never gone about to write it2 but as the contrary is manifest1 ,i thought1 and think still1 the world greatly wanted it4 ,and be it that those unfortunate creatures that have thus blown themselves up in trade1 have miscarried for want of knowing1 or for want of practising1 what is here offered for their direction1 whether for want of wit1 or by too much wit1 the thing is the same1 and the direction is equally needful to both4 ,an old experienced pilot sometimes loses a ship by his assurance and over confidence of his knowledge1 as effectually as a young pilot does by his ignorance and want of experience--this very thing1 as ,i have been informed1 was the occasion of the fatal disaster in which ,sir ,cloudesley ,shovel1 and so many hundred brave fellows1 lost their lives in a moment upon the rocks of ,scilly4#a ,he that is above informing himself when he is in danger1 is above pity when he miscarries--a young tradesman who sets up thus full of himself1 and scorning advice from those who have gone before him1 like a horse that rushes into the battle1 is only fearless of danger because he does not understand it4 ,if there is not something extraordinary in the temper and genius of the tradesmen of this age1 if there is not something very singular in their customs and methods1 their conduct and behaviour in business2 also1 if there is not something different and more dangerous and fatal in the common road of trading1 and tradesmen's management now1 than ever was before1 what is the reason that there are so many bankrupts and broken tradesmen now among us1 more than ever were known before8 ,i make no doubt but there is as much trade now1 and as much gotten by trading1 as there ever was in this nation1 at least in our memory2 and if we will allow other people to judge1 they will tell us there is much more trade1 and trade is much more gainful2 what1 then1 must be the reason that the tradesmen cannot live on their trades1 cannot keep open their shops1 cannot maintain themselves and families1 as well now as they could before8 ,something extraordinary must be the case4 ,there must be some failure in the tradesman--it can be nowhere else--either he is less sober and less frugal1 less cautious of what he does1 whom he trusts1 how he lives1 and how he behaves1 than tradesmen used to be1 or he is less industrious1 less diligent1 and takes less care and pains in his business1 or something is the matter2 it cannot be but if he had the same gain1 and but the same expense which the former ages suffered tradesmen to thrive with1 he would certainly thrive as they did4 ,there must be something out of order in the foundation2 he must fail in the essential part1 or he would not fail in his trade4 ,the same causes would have the same effects in all ages2 the same gain1 and but the same expense1 would just leave him in the same place as it would have left his predecessor in the same shop2 and yet we see one grow rich1 and the other starve1 under the very same circumstances4 ,the temper of the times explains the case to every body that pleases but to look into it4 ,the expenses of a family are quite different now from what they have been4 ,tradesmen cannot live as tradesmen in the same class used to live2 custom1 and the manner of all the tradesmen round them1 command a difference2 and he that will not do as others do1 is esteemed as nobody among them1 and the tradesman is doomed to ruin by the fate of the times4 ,in short1 there is a fate upon a tradesman2 either he must yield to the snare of the times1 or be the jest of the times2 the young tradesman cannot resist it2 he must live as others do1 or lose the credit of living1 and be run down as if he were bankrupt4 ,in a word1 he must spend more than he can afford to spend1 and so be undone2 or not spend it1 and so be undone4 ,if he lives as others do1 he breaks1 because he spends more than he gets2 if he does not1 he breaks too1 because he loses his credit1 and that is to lose his trade4 ,what must he do8#b ,the following directions are calculated for this exigency1 and to prepare the young tradesman to stem the attacks of those fatal customs1 which otherwise1 if he yields to them1 will inevitably send him the way of all the thoughtless tradesmen that have gone before him4 ,here he will be effectually1 we hope1 encouraged to set out well2 to begin wisely and prudently2 and to avoid all those rocks which the gay race of tradesmen so frequently suffer shipwreck upon4 ,and here he will have a true plan of his own prosperity drawn out for him1 by which1 if it be not his own fault1 he may square his conduct in an unerring manner1 and fear neither bad fortune nor bad friends4 ,i had purposed to give a great many other cautions and directions in this work1 but it would have spun it out too far1 and have made it tedious4 ,i would indeed have discoursed of some branches of home trade1 which necessarily embarks the inland tradesman in some parts of foreign business1 and so makes a merchant of the shopkeeper almost whether he will or no4 ,for example1 almost all the shopkeepers and inland traders in seaport towns1 or even in the water-side part of ,london itself1 are necessarily brought in to be owners of ships1 and concerned at least in the vessel1 if not in the voyage4 ,some of their trades1 perhaps1 relate to1 or are employed in1 the building1 or fitting1 or furnishing out ships1 as is the case at ,shoreham1 at ,ipswich1 ,yarmouth1 ,hull1 ,whitby1 ,newcastle1 and the like4 ,others are concerned in the cargoes1 as in the herring fishery at ,yarmouth and the adjacent ports1 the colliery at ,newcastle1 ,sunderland1 c41 and the like in many other cases4 ,in this case1 the shopkeeper is sometimes a merchant adventurer1 whether he will or not1 and some of his business runs into sea-adventures1 as in the salt trade at ,sheffield1 in ,northumberland1 and ,durham1 and again at ,limington2 and again in the coal trade1 from ,whitehaven in ,cumberland to ,ireland1 and the like4 ,these considerations urged me to direct due cautions to such tradesmen1 and such as would be particular to them1 especially not to launch out in adventures beyond the compass of their stocks1#c and withal to manage those things with due wariness4 ,but this work had not room for those things2 and as that sort of amphibious tradesmen1 for such they are1 trading both by water and by land1 are not of the kind with those particularly aimed at in these sheets1 ,i thought it was better to leave them quite out than to touch but lightly upon them4 ,i had also designed one chapter or letter to my inland tradesmen1 upon the most important subject of borrowing money upon interest1 which is one of the most dangerous things a tradesman is exposed to4 ,it is a pleasant thing to a tradesman to see his credit rise1 and men offer him money to trade with1 upon so slender a consideration as five per cent4 interest1 when he gets ten per cent4 perhaps twice in the year2 but it is a snare of the most dangerous kind in the event1 and has been the ruin of so many tradesmen1 that1 though ,i had not room for it in the work1 ,i could not let it pass without this notice in the preface4 #a4 ,interest-money eats deep into the tradesman's profits1 because it is a payment certain1 whether the tradesman gets or loses1 and as he may often get double1 so sometimes he loses1 and then his interest is a double payment2 it is a partner with him under this unhappy circumstance1 namely1 that it goes halves when he gains1 but not when he loses4 #b4 ,the lender calls for his money when he pleases1 and often comes for it when the borrower can ill spare it2 and then1 having launched out in trade on the supposition of so much in stock1 he is left to struggle with the enlarged trade with a contracted stock1 and thus he sinks under the weight of it1 cannot repay the money1 is dishonoured1 prosecuted1 and at last undone1 by the very loan which he took in to help him4 ,interest of money is a dead weight upon the tradesman1 and as the interest always keeps him low1 the principal sinks him quite down1 when that comes to be paid out again4 ,payment of interest1 to a tradesman1 is like ,cicero bleeding to death in a warm bath2#d the pleasing warmth of the bath makes him die in a kind of dream1 and not feel himself decay1 till at last he is exhausted1 falls into convulsions1 and expires4 ,a tradesman held up by money at interest1 is sure to sink at last by the weight of it1 like a man thrown into the sea with a stone tied about his neck1 who though he could swim if he was loose1 drowns in spite of all his struggle4 ,indeed1 this article would require not a letter1 but a book by itself2 and the tragical stories of tradesmen undone by usury are so many1 and the variety so great1 that they would make a history by themselves4 ,but it must suffice to treat it here only in general1 and give the tradesmen a warning of it1 as the ,trinity-house pilots warn sailors of a sand1 by hanging a buoy upon it1 or as the ,eddystone light-house upon a sunk rock1 which1 as the poet says1 ',bids men stand off1 and live2 come near1 and die4' ,for a tradesman to borrow money upon interest1 ,i take to be like a man going into a house infected with the plague2 it is not only likely that he may be infected and die1 but next to a miracle if he escapes4 ,this part being thus hinted at1 ,i think ,i may say of the following sheets1 that they contain all the directions needful to make the tradesman thrive2 and if he pleases to listen to them with a temper of mind willing to be directed1 he must have some uncommon ill luck if he miscarries4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,october #bb1 #agjg4--;,admiral ,shovel1 with the confederate fleet from the ,mediterranean1 as he was coming home1 apprehended himself near the rocks of ,scilly about noon1 and the weather being hazy1 he brought to and lay by till evening1 when he made a signal for sailing4 ,what induced him to be more cautious in the day than in the night is not known2 but the fleet had not been long under sail before his own ship1 the ,association1 with the ,eagle and ,romney1 were dashed to pieces upon the rocks called the ,bishop and his ,clerks1 and all their men lost2 the ,ferdinand was also cast away1 and but twenty-four of her men saved4 ,admiral ,byng1 perceiving the misfortune1 altered his course1 whereby he preserved himself and the rest of the fleet which sailed after him4--,salmon's ,chronological ,historian4 ,london1 #agbc4 #b ,there is much reason for receiving all such complaints as the above with caution4 ,the extravagance of the present1 in contrast with the frugality of a past age1 has always been a favourite topic of declamation1 and appears to have no other foundation than whim4 ,indeed1 it is next to impossible that any great body of men could exist in the circumstances described in the text4 #c ,stock is in this book invariably used for what we express by the term capital4 #d ,cicero is here given by mistake for ,seneca1 who thus suffered death by order of the tyrant ,nero4 ,,introduction ,being to direct this discourse to the tradesmen of this nation1 it is needful1 in order to make the substance of this work and the subject of it agree together1 that ,i should in a few words explain the terms1 and tell the reader who it is we understand by the word tradesman1 and how he is to be qualified in order to merit the title of complete4 ,this is necessary1 because the said term tradesman is understood by several people1 and in several places1 in a different manner3 for example1 in the north of ,britain1 and likewise in ,ireland1 when you say a tradesman1 you are understood to mean a mechanic1 such as a smith1 a carpenter1 a shoemaker1 and the like1 such as here we call a handicraftsman4 ,in like manner1 abroad they call a tradesman such only as carry goods about from town to town1 and from market to market1 or from house to house1 to sell2 these in ,england we call petty chapmen1 in the north pethers1 and in our ordinary speech pedlars4 ,but in ,england1 and especially in ,london1 and the south parts of ,britain1 we take it in another sense1 and in general1 all sorts of warehouse-keepers1 shopkeepers1 whether wholesale dealers or retailers of goods1 are called tradesmen1 or1 to explain it by another word1 trading men3 such are1 whether wholesale or retail1 our grocers1 mercers1 linen and woollen drapers1 ,blackwell-hall factors1 tobacconists1 haberdashers1 whether of hats or small wares1 glovers1 hosiers1 milliners1 booksellers1 stationers1 and all other shopkeepers1 who do not actually work upon1 make1 or manufacture1 the goods they sell4 ,on the other hand1 those who make the goods they sell1 though they do keep shops to sell them1 are not called tradesmen1 but handicrafts1 such as smiths1 shoemakers1 founders1 joiners1 carpenters1 carvers1 turners1 and the like2 others1 who only make1 or cause to be made1 goods for other people to sell1 are called manufacturers and artists1 c4 ,thus distinguished1 ,i shall speak of them all as occasion requires1 taking this general explication to be sufficient2 and ,i thus mention it to prevent being obliged to frequent and further particular descriptions as ,i go on4 ,as there are several degrees of people employed in trade below these1 such as workmen1 labourers1 and servants1 so there is a degree of traders above them1 which we call merchants2 where it is needful to observe1 that in other countries1 and even in the north of ,britain and ,ireland1 as the handicraftsmen and artists are called tradesmen1 so the shopkeepers whom we here call tradesmen1 are all called merchants2 nay1 even the very pedlars are called travelling merchants4#e ,but in ,england the word merchant is understood of none but such as carry on foreign correspondences1 importing the goods and growth of other countries1 and exporting the growth and manufacture of ,england to other countries2 or1 to use a vulgar expression1 because ,i am speaking to and of those who use that expression1 such as trade beyond sea4 ,these in ,england1 and these only1 are called merchants1 by way of honourable distinction2 these ,i am not concerned with in this work1 nor is any part of it directed to them4 ,as the tradesmen are thus distinguished1 and their several occupations divided into proper classes1 so are the trades4 ,the general commerce of ,england1 as it is the most considerable of any nation in the world1 so that part of it which we call the home or inland trade1 is equal1 if not superior1 to that of any other nation1 though some of those nations are infinitely greater than ,england1 and more populous also1 as ,france and ,germany in particular4 ,i insist that the trade of ,england is greater and more considerable than that of any other nation1 for these reasons3 #a4 ,because ,england produces more goods as well for home consumption as for foreign exportation1 and those goods all made of its own produce or manufactured by its own inhabitants1 than any other nation in the world4 #b4 ,because ,england consumes within itself more goods of foreign growth1 imported from the several countries where they are produced or wrought1 than any other nation in the world4 ,and--#c4 ,because for the doing this ,england employs more shipping and more seamen than any other nation1 and1 some think1 than all the other nations1 of ,europe4 ,hence1 besides the great number of wealthy merchants who carry on this great foreign negoce negotium 7,latin7 business1 and who1 by their corresponding with all parts of the world1 import the growth of all countries hither--,i say1 besides these1 we have a very great number of considerable dealers1 whom we call tradesmen1 who are properly called warehouse-keepers1 who supply the merchants with all the several kinds of manufactures1 and other goods of the produce of ,england1 for exportation2 and also others who are called wholesalemen1 who buy and take off from the merchants all the foreign goods which they import2 these1 by their corresponding with a like sort of tradesmen in the country1 convey and hand forward those goods1 and our own also1 among those country tradesmen1 into every corner of the kingdom1 however remote1 and by them to the retailers1 and by the retailer to the last consumer1 which is the last article of all trade4 ,these are the tradesmen understood in this work1 and for whose service these sheets are made public4 ,having thus described the person whom ,i understand by the ,english tradesman1 it is then needful to inquire into his qualifications1 and what it is that renders him a finished or complete man in his business4 #a4 ,that he has a general knowledge of not his own particular trade and business only--that part1 indeed1 well denominates a handicraftsman to be a complete artist2 but our complete tradesman ought to understand all the inland trade of ,england1 so as to be able to turn his hand to any thing1 or deal in any thing or every thing of the growth and product of his own country1 or the manufacture of the people1 as his circumstances in trade or other occasions may require2 and may1 if he sees occasion1 lay down one trade and take up another when he pleases1 without serving a new apprenticeship to learn it4 #b4 ,that he not only has a knowledge of the species or kinds of goods1 but of the places and peculiar countries where those goods1 whether product or manufacture1 are to be found2 that is to say1 where produced or where made1 and how to come at them or deal in them1 at the first hand1 and to his best advantage4 #c4 ,that he understands perfectly well all the methods of correspondence1 returning money or goods for goods1 to and from every county in ,england2 in what manner to be done1 and in what manner most to advantage2 what goods are generally bought by barter and exchange1 and what by payment of money2 what for present money1 and what for time2 what are sold by commission from the makers1 what bought by factors1 and by giving commission to buyers in the country1 and what bought by orders to the maker1 and the like2 what markets are the most proper to buy every thing at1 and where and when2 and what fairs are proper to go to in order to buy or sell1 or meet the country dealer at1 such as ,sturbridge1 ,bristol1 ,chester1 ,exeter2 or what marts1 such as ,beverly1 ,lynn1 ,boston1 ,gainsborough1 and the like4 ,in order to complete the ,english tradesman in this manner1 the first thing to be done is lay down such general maxims of trade as are fit for his instruction1 and then to describe the ,english or ,british product1 being the fund of its inland trade1 whether we mean its produce as the growth of the country1 or its manufactures1 as the labour of her people2 then to acquaint the tradesman with the manner of the circulation where those things are found1 how and by what methods all those goods are brought to ,london1 and from ,london again conveyed into the country2 where they are principally bought at best hand1 and most to the advantage of the buyer1 and where the proper markets are to dispose of them again when bought4 ,these are the degrees by which the complete tradesman is brought up1 and by which he is instructed in the principles and methods of his commerce1 by which he is made acquainted with business1 and is capable of carrying it on with success1 after which there is not a man in the universe deserves the title of a complete tradesman1 like the ,english shopkeeper4 ,,footnotes3 #e ,this misuse of the term merchant continues to exist in ,scotland to the present day4 ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,tradesman ,,in ,,his ,,preparations ,,while ,,an ,,apprentice ,the first part of a trader's beginning is ordinarily when he is very young1 ,i mean1 when he goes as an apprentice1 and the notions of trade are scarcely got into his head2 for boys go apprentices while they are but boys2 to talk to them in their first three or four years signifies nothing2 they are rather then to be taught submission to families1 and subjection to their masters1 and dutiful attendance in their shops or warehouses2 and this is not our present business4 ,but after they have entered the fifth or sixth year1 they may then be entertained with discourses of another nature2 and as they begin then to look forward beyond the time of their servitude1 and think of setting up and being for themselves1 ,i think then is the time to put them upon useful preparations for the work1 and to instruct them in such things as may qualify them best to enter upon the world1 and act for themselves when they are so entered4 ,the first thing a youth in the latter part of his time is to do1 is to endeavour to gain a good judgment in the wares of all kinds that he is likely to deal in--as1 for example1 if a draper1 the quality of cloths2 if a stationer1 the quality of papers2 if a grocer1 the quality of sugars1 teas1 c42 and so on with all other trades4 ,during the first years of a young man's time1 he of course learns to weigh and measure either liquids or solids1 to pack up and make bales1 trusses1 packages1 c41 and to do the coarser and laborious part of business2 but all that gives him little knowledge in the species and quality of the goods1 much less a nice judgment in their value and sorts1 which however is one of the principal things that belong to trade4 ,it is supposed that1 by this time1 if his master is a man of considerable business1 his man is become the eldest apprentice1 and is taken from the counter1 and from sweeping the warehouse1 into the counting-house1 where he1 among other things1 sees the bills of parcels of goods bought1 and thereby knows what every thing costs at first hand1 what gain is made of them1 and if a miscarriage happens1 he knows what loss too2 by which he is led of course to look into the goodness of the goods1 and see the reason of things3 if the goods are not to expectation1 and consequently do not answer the price1 he sees the reason of that loss1 and he looks into the goods1 and sees where and how far they are deficient1 and in what2 this1 if he be careful to make his observations1 brings him naturally to have a good judgment in the goods4 ,if a young man neglects this part1 and passes over the season for such improvement1 he very rarely ever recovers it2 for this part has its season1 and that more remarkable than in many other cases1 and that season lost1 never comes again2 a judgment in goods taken in early1 is never lost1 and a judgment taken in late is seldom good4 ,if the youth slips this occasion1 and1 not minding what is before him1 goes out of his time without obtaining such a skill as this in the goods he is to deal in1 he enters into trade without his most useful tools1 and must use spectacles before his time4 ,for want of this knowledge of the goods1 he is at a loss in the buying part1 and is liable to be cheated and imposed upon in the most notorious manner by the sharp-sighted world1 for his want of judgment is a thing that cannot be hid2 the merchants or manufacturers of whom he buys1 presently discover him2 the very boys in the wholesalemen's warehouses1 and in merchant's warehouses1 will play upon him1 sell him one thing for another1 show him a worse sort when he calls for a better1 and1 asking a higher price for it1 persuade him it is better2 and when they have thus bubbled him1 they triumph over his ignorance when he is gone1 and expose him to the last degree4 ,besides1 for want of judgment in the goods he is to buy1 he often runs a hazard of being cheated to a very great degree1 and perhaps some time or other a tradesman may be ruined by it1 or at least ruin his reputation4 ,when ,i lived abroad1 ,i had once a commission sent me from a merchant in ,london1 to buy a large parcel of brandy3 the goods were something out of my way1 having never bought any in that country before4 ,however1 it happened that ,i had frequently bought and imported brandies in ,england1 and had some judgment in them1 so much that ,i ventured to buy without taking a cooper with me1 which was not usual in that place4 ,the first parcel of brandy ,i saw was very good1 and ,i bought freely to the value of about #fjj1 and shipped them for ,england1 where they gave very good satisfaction to my employer4 ,but ,i could not complete my commission to my mind in that parcel4 ,some days after1 some merchants1 who had seen me buy the other1 and thought me a novice in the business1 and that ,i took no cooper to taste the brandy1 laid a plot for me1 which indeed was such a plot as ,i was not in the least aware of2 and had not the little judgment which ,i had in the commodity prevented1 ,i had been notoriously abused4 ,the case was thus3--,they gave me notice by the same person who helped me to the sight of the first brandy1 that there was a cellar of extraordinary good brandy at such a place1 and invited me to see it4 ,accordingly ,i went in an afternoon1 and tasted the brandy1 being a large parcel1 amounting to about #dfj4 ,i liked the goods very well2 but the merchant1 as they called him1 that is to say1 the knave appointed to cheat the poor stranger1 was cunningly out of the way1 so that no bargain was to be made that night4 ,but as ,i had said that ,i liked the brandy1 the same person who brought me an account of them1 comes to my lodgings to treat with me about the price4 ,we did not make many words3 ,i bade him the current price which ,i had bought for some days before1 and after a few struggles for five crowns a-tun more1 he came to my price1 and his next word was to let me know the gage of the cask2 and as ,i had seen the goods already1 he thought there was nothing to do but to make a bargain1 and order the goods to be delivered4 ,but young as ,i was1 ,i was too old for that too2 and told him1 ,i could not tell positively how many ,i should take1 but that ,i would come in the afternoon1 and taste them again1 and mark out what ,i wanted4 ,he seemed uneasy at that1 and pretended he had two merchants waiting to see them1 and he could sell them immediately1 and ,i might do him a prejudice if ,i made him wait and put them off1 who perhaps might buy in the mean time4 ,i answered him coldly1 ,i would not hinder him selling them by any means if he could have a better chapman1 that ,i could not come sooner1 and that ,i would not be obliged to take the whole parcel1 nor would ,i buy any of them without tasting them again3 he argued much to have me buy them1 seeing1 as he said1 ,i had tasted them before1 and liked them very well4 ',i did so1' said ,i1 'but ,i love to have my palate confirm one day what it approved the day before4' ',perhaps1' says he1 'you would have some other person's judgment of them1 and you are welcome to do so1 sir1 with all my heart2 send any body you please3' but still he urged for a bargain1 when the person sent should make his report2 and then he had his agents ready1 ,i understood afterwards1 to manage the persons ,i should send4 ,i answered him frankly1 ,i had no great judgment1 but that1 such as it was1 ,i ventured to trust to it2 ,i thought ,i had honest men to deal with1 and that ,i should bring nobody to taste them for me but myself4 ,this pleased him1 and was what he secretly wished2 and now1 instead of desiring me to come immediately1 he told me1 that seeing ,i would not buy without seeing the goods again1 and would not go just then1 he could not be in the way in the afternoon1 and so desired ,i would defer it till next morning1 which ,i readily agreed to4 ,in the morning ,i went1 but not so soon as ,i had appointed2 upon which1 when ,i came1 he seemed offended1 and said ,i had hindered him--that he could have sold the whole parcel1 c4 ,i told him ,i could not have hindered him1 for that ,i had told him he should not wait for me1 but sell them to the first good customer he found4 ,he told me he had indeed sold two or three casks1 but he would not disoblige me so much as to sell the whole parcel before ,i came4 ,this ,i mention1 because he made it a kind of a bite upon me1 that ,i should not be alarmed at seeing the casks displaced in the cellar4 ,when ,i came to taste the brandy1 ,i began to be surprised4 ,i saw the very same casks which ,i had touched with the marking-iron when ,i was there before1 but ,i did not like the brandy by any means1 but did not yet suspect the least foul play4 ,i went round the whole cellar1 and ,i could not mark above three casks which ,i durst venture to buy2 the rest apparently showed themselves to be mixed1 at least ,i thought so4 ,i marked out the three casks1 and told him my palate had deceived me1 that the rest of the brandy was not for my turn4 ,i saw the man surprised1 and turn pale1 and at first seemed to be very angry1 that ,i should1 as he called it1 disparage the goods--that sure ,i did not understand brandy1 and the like--and that ,i should have brought somebody with me that did understand it4 ,i answered coldly1 that if ,i ventured my money upon my own judgment1 the hazard was not to the seller1 but to the buyer1 and nobody had to do with that2 if ,i did not like his goods1 another1 whose judgment was better1 might like them1 and so there was no harm done3 in a word1 he would not let me have the three casks ,i had marked1 unless ,i took more1 and ,i would take no more--so we parted1 but with no satisfaction on his side2 and ,i afterwards came to hear that he had sat up all the night with his coopers1 mixing spirits in every cask1 whence he drew off a quantity of the right brandy1 and corrupted it1 concluding1 that as ,i had no judgment to choose by but my own1 ,i could not discover it2 and it came out by his quarrelling with the person who brought me to him1 for telling him ,i did not understand the goods1 upon which presumption he ventured to spoil the whole parcel4 ,i give you this story as a just caution to a young tradesman1 and to show how necessary it is that a tradesman should have judgment in the goods he buys1 and how easily he may be imposed upon and abused1 if he offers to buy upon his own judgment1 when really it is defective4 ,i could enlarge this article with many like examples1 but ,i think this may suffice4 ,the next thing ,i recommend to an apprentice at the conclusion of his time1 is to acquaint himself with his master's chapmen2#f ,i mean of both kinds1 as well those he sells to1 as those he buys of1 and1 if he is a factor1 with his master's employers4 ,but what ,i aim at now is the chapmen and customers whom his master chiefly sells to4 ,i need not explain myself not to mean by this the chance customers of a retailer's shop1 for there can be no acquaintance1 or very little1 made with them2 ,i mean the country shopkeepers1 or others1 who buy in parcels1 and who buy to sell again1 or export as merchants4 ,if the young man comes from his master1 and has formed no acquaintance or interest among the customers whom his master dealt with1 he has1 in short1 slipt or lost one of the principal ends and reasons of his being an apprentice1 in which he has spent seven years1 and perhaps his friends given a considerable sum of money4 ,for a young man coming out of his time to have his shop or warehouse stocked with goods1 and his customers all to seek1 will make his beginning infinitely more difficult to him than it would otherwise be2 and he not only has new customers to seek1 but has their characters to seek also1 and knows not who is good and who not1 till he buys that knowledge by his experience1 and perhaps sometimes pays too dear for it4 ,it was an odd circumstance of a tradesman in this city a few years ago1 who1 being out of his time1 and going to solicit one of his master's customers to trade with him1 the chapman did not so much as know him1 or remember that he had ever heard his name1 except as he had heard his master call his apprentice ,jacob4 ,i know some masters diligently watch to prevent their apprentices speaking to their customers1 and to keep them from acquainting themselves with the buyers1 that when they come out of their times they may not carry the trade away with them4 ,to hinder an apprentice from an acquaintance with the dealers of both sorts1 is somewhat like ,laban's usage of ,jacob1 namely1 keeping back the beloved ,rachel1 whom he served his seven years' time for1 and putting him off with a blear-eyed ,leah in her stead2 it is1 indeed1 a kind of robbing him1 taking from him the advantage which he served his time for1 and sending him into the world like a man out of a ship set on shore among savages1 who1 instead of feeding him1 are indeed more ready to eat him up and devour him4#g ,an apprentice who has served out his time faithfully and diligently1 ought to claim it as a debt to his indentures1 that his master should let him into an open acquaintance with his customers2 he does not else perform his promise to teach him the art and mystery of his trade2 he does not make him master of his business1 or enable him as he ought to set up in the world2 for1 as buying is indeed the first1 so selling is the last end of trade1 and the faithful apprentice ought to be fully made acquainted with them both4 ,next to being acquainted with his master's customers and chapmen1 the apprentice1 when his time is near expiring1 ought to acquaint himself with the books1 that is to say1 to see and learn his master's method of book-keeping1 that he may follow it1 if the method is good1 and may learn a better method in time1 if it is not4 ,the tradesman should not be at a loss how to keep his books1 when he is to begin his trade2 that would be to put him to school when he is just come from school2 his apprenticeship is1 and ought in justice to be1 a school to him1 where he ought to learn every thing that should qualify him for his business1 at least every thing that his master can teach him2 and if he finds his master either backward or unwilling to teach him1 he should complain in time to his own friends1 that they may some how or other supply the defect4 ,a tradesman's books are his repeating clock1 which upon all occasions are to tell him how he goes on1 and how things stand with him in the world3 there he will know when it is time to go on1 or when it is time to give over2 and upon his regular keeping1 and fully acquainting himself with his books1 depends at least the comfort of his trade1 if not the very trade itself4 ,if they are not duly posted1 and if every thing is not carefully entered in them1 the debtor's accounts kept even1 the cash constantly balanced1 and the credits all stated1 the tradesman is like a ship at sea1 steered without a helm2 he is all in confusion1 and knows not what he does1 or where he is2 he may be a rich man1 or a bankrupt--for1 in a word1 he can give no account of himself to himself1 much less to any body else4 ,his books being so essential to his trade1 he that comes out of his time without a perfect knowledge of the method of book-keeping1 like a bride undrest1 is not fit to be married2 he knows not what to do1 or what step to take2 he may indeed have served his time1 but he has not learned his trade1 nor is he fit to set up2 and be the fault in himself for not learning1 or in his master for not teaching him1 he ought not to set up till he has gotten some skilful person to put him in a way to do it1 and make him fully to understand it4 ,it is true1 there is not a great deal of difficulty in keeping a tradesman's books1 especially if he be a retailer only2 but yet1 even in the meanest trades1 they ought to know how to keep books4 ,but the advice is directed to those who are above the retailer1 as well as to them2 if the book-keeping be small1 it is the sooner learned1 and the apprentice is the more to blame if he neglects it4 ,besides1 the objection is much more trifling than the advice4 ,the tradesman cannot carry on any considerable trade without books2 and he must1 during his apprenticeship1 prepare himself for business by acquainting himself with every thing needful for his going on with his trade1 among which that of book-keeping is absolutely necessary4 ,the last article1 and in itself essential to a young tradesman1 is to know how to buy2 if his master is kind and generous1 he will consider the justice of this part1 and let him into the secret of it of his own free will1 and that before his time is fully expired2 but if that should not happen1 as often it does not1 let the apprentice know1 that it is one of the most needful things to him that can belong to his apprenticeship1 and that he ought not to let his time run over his head1 without getting as much insight into it as possible2 that therefore he ought to lose no opportunity to get into it1 even whether his master approves of it or no2 for as it is a debt due to him from his master to instruct him in it1 it is highly just he should use all proper means to come at it4 ,indeed1 the affair in this age between masters and their apprentices1 stands in a different view from what the same thing was a few years past2 the state of our apprenticeship is not a state of servitude now1 and hardly of subjection1 and their behaviour is accordingly more like gentlemen than tradesmen2 more like companions to their masters1 than like servants4 ,on the other hand1 the masters seem to have made over their authority to their apprentices for a sum of money1 the money taken now with apprentices being most exorbitantly great1 compared to what it was in former times4 ,now1 though this does not at all exempt the servant or apprentice from taking care of himself1 and to qualify himself for business while he is an apprentice1 yet it is evident that it is no furtherance to apprentices2 the liberties they take towards the conclusion of their time1 are so much employed to worse purposes1 that apprentices do not come out of their times better finished for business and trade than they did formerly1 but much the worse3 and though it is not the proper business and design of this work to enlarge on the injustice done both to master and servant by this change of custom1 yet to bring it to my present purpose1 it carries this force with it1 namely1 that the advice to apprentices to endeavour to finish themselves for business during the time of the indenture1 is so much the more needful and seasonable4 ,nor is this advice for the service of the master1 but of the apprentice2 for if the apprentice neglects this advice1 if he omits to qualify himself for business as above1 if he neither will acquaint himself with the customers1 nor the books1 nor with the buying part1 nor gain judgment in the wares he is to deal in1 the loss is his own1 not his master's--and1 indeed1 he may be said to have served not himself1 but his master--and both his money and his seven years are all thrown away4 ,,footnotes3 #f ,individuals dealt with4 #g ,it would be hard to doubt that ,defore was sincere in this pleading of the rights of the apprentice2 but its morality is certainly far from clear4 ,the master may have gained customers with difficulty1 by the exercise of much ingenuity1 patience1 and industry1 or through some peculiar merit of his own4 ,indeed1 it is always to be presumed that a tradesman's customers are attached to him from some of these causes4 ,of course1 it would be hard if his apprentices1 instead of collecting customers for themselves by the same means1 seduced away those of his master4 ,the true and direct object of an apprenticeship is to acquire a trade1 not to acquire customers4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,writing ,,letters ,as plainness1 and a free unconstrained way of speaking1 is the beauty and excellence of speech1 so an easy free concise way of writing is the best style for a tradesman4 ,he that affects a rumbling and bombast style1 and fills his letters with long harangues1 compliments1 and flourishes1 should turn poet instead of tradesman1 and set up for a wit1 not a shopkeeper4 ,hark how such a young tradesman writes1 out of the country1 to his wholesale-man in ,london1 upon his first setting up4 ',,sir--,the destinies having so appointed it1 and my dark stars concurring1 that ,i1 who by nature was framed for better things1 should be put out to a trade1 and the gods having been so propitious to me in the time of my servitude1 that at length the days are expired1 and ,i am launched forth into the great ocean of business1 ,i thought fit to acquaint you1 that last month ,i received my fortune1 which1 by my father's will1 had been my due two years past1 at which time ,i arrived to man's estate1 and became major1 whereupon ,i have taken a house in one of the principal streets of the town of----1 where ,i am entered upon my business1 and hereby let you know that ,i shall have occasion for the goods hereafter mentioned1 which you may send to me by the carrier4' ,this fine flourish1 and which1 no doubt1 the young fellow dressed up with much application1 and thought was very well done1 put his correspondent in ,london into a fit of laughter1 and instead of sending him the goods he wrote for1 put him either first upon writing down into the country to inquire after his character1 and whether he was worth dealing with1 or else it obtained to be filed up among such letters as deserved no answer4 ,the same tradesman in ,london received by the post another letter1 from a young shopkeeper in the country1 to the purpose following3-- ',being obliged1 ,sir1 by my late master's decease1 to enter immediately upon his business1 and consequently open my shop without coming up to ,london to furnish myself with such goods as at present ,i want1 ,i have here sent you a small order1 as underwritten4 ,i hope you will think yourself obliged to use me well1 and particularly that the goods may be good of the sorts1 though ,i cannot be at ,london to look them out myself4 ,i have enclosed a bill of exchange for #ge1 on ,messrs ,a4,b4 and ,company1 payable to you1 or your order1 at one-and-twenty days' sight2 be pleased to get it accepted1 and if the goods amount to more than that sum1 ,i shall1 when ,i have your bill of parcels1 send you the remainder4 ,i repeat my desire1 that you will send me the goods well sorted1 and well chosen1 and as cheap as possible1 that ,i may be encouraged to a further correspondence4 ,i am1 your humble servant1 ,c4,k4' ,this was writing like a man that understood what he was doing2 and his correspondent in ,london would presently say--',this young man writes like a man of business2 pray let us take care to use him well1 for in all probability he will be a very good chapman4' ,the sum of the matter is this3 a tradesman's letters should be plain1 concise1 and to the purpose2 no quaint expressions1 no book-phrases1 no flourishes1 and yet they must be full and sufficient to express what he means1 so as not to be doubtful1 much less unintelligible4 ,i can by no means approve of studied abbreviations1 and leaving out the needful copulatives of speech in trading letters2 they are to an extreme affected2 no beauty to the style1 but1 on the contrary1 a deformity of the grossest nature4 ,they are affected to the last degree1 and with this aggravation1 that it is an affectation of the grossest nature2 for1 in a word1 it is affecting to be thought a man of more than ordinary sense by writing extraordinary nonsense2 and affecting to be a man of business1 by giving orders and expressing your meaning in terms which a man of business may not think himself bound by4 ,for example1 a tradesman at ,hull writes to his correspondent at ,london the following letter3-- ',,sir1 yours received1 have at present little to reply4 ,last post you had bills of loading1 with invoice of what had loaden for your account in ,hamburgh factor bound for said port4 ,what have farther orders for1 shall be dispatched with expedition4 ,markets slacken much on this side2 cannot sell the iron for more than #cgs4 ,wish had your orders if shall part with it at that rate4 ,no ships since the #aath4 ,london fleet may be in the roads before the late storm1 so hope they are safe3 if have not insured1 please omit the same till hear farther2 the weather proving good1 hope the danger is over4 ,my last transmitted three bills exchange1 import #cae2 please signify if are come to hand1 and accepted1 and give credit in account current to your humble servant4' ,i pretend to say there is nothing in all this letter1 though appearing to have the face of a considerable dealer1 but what may be taken any way1 pro or con4 ,the ,hamburgh factor may be a ship1 or a horse--be bound to ,hamburgh or ,london4 ,what shall be dispatched may be one thing1 or any thing1 or every thing1 in a former letter4 ,no ships since the #aath1 may be no ships come in1 or no ships gone out4 ,the ,london fleet being in the roads1 it may be the ,london fleet from ,hull to ,london1 or from ,london to ,hull1 both being often at sea together4 ,the roads may be ,yarmouth roads1 or ,grimsby1 or1 indeed1 any where4 ,by such a way of writing1 no orders can be binding to him that gives them1 or to him they are given to4 ,a merchant writes to his factor at ,lisbon3-- ',please to send1 per first ship1 #aej chests best ,seville1 and #bjj pipes best ,lisbon white4 ,may value yourself per exchange #abej sterling1 for the account of above orders4 ,suppose you can send the sloop to ,seville for the ordered chests1 c4 ,i am4' ,here is the order to send a cargo1 with a please to send2 so the factor may let it alone if he does not please4#h ,the order is #aej chests ,seville2 it is supposed he means oranges1 but it may be #aej chests orange-trees as well1 or chests of oil1 or any thing4 ,lisbon white1 may be wine or any thing else1 though it is supposed to be wine4 ,he may draw #abej1 but he may refuse to accept it if he pleases1 for any thing such an order as that obliges him4 ,on the contrary1 orders ought to be plain and explicit2 and he ought to have assured him1 that on his drawing on him1 his bills should be honoured--that is1 accepted and paid4 ,i know this affectation of style is accounted very grand1 looks modish1 and has a kind of majestic greatness in it2 but the best merchants in the world are come off from it1 and now choose to write plain and intelligibly3 much less should country tradesmen1 citizens1 and shopkeepers1 whose business is plainness and mere trade1 make use of it4 ,i have mentioned this in the beginning of this work1 because1 indeed1 it is the beginning of a tradesman's business4 ,when a tradesman takes an apprentice1 the first thing he does for him1 after he takes him from behind his counter1 after he lets him into his counting-house and his books1 and after trusting him with his more private business--,i say1 the first thing is to let him write letters to his dealers1 and correspond with his friends2 and this he does in his master's name1 subscribing his letters thus3-- ,i am1 for my master1 ,a4,b4 and ,company1 your humble servant1 ,c4,d4 ,and beginning thus3--,sir1 ,i am ordered by my master ,a4,b4 to advise you that-- ,or thus3-- ,sir1 ,by my master's order1 ,i am to signify to you that ,orders for goods ought to be very explicit and particular1 that the dealer may not mistake1 especially if it be orders from a tradesman to a manufacturer to make goods1 or to buy goods1 either of such a quality1 or to such a pattern2 in which1 if the goods are made to the colours1 and of a marketable goodness1 and within the time limited1 the person ordering them cannot refuse to receive them1 and make himself debtor to the maker4 ,on the contrary1 if the goods are not of a marketable goodness1 or not to the patterns1 or are not sent within the time1 the maker ought not to expect they should be received4 ,for example-- ,the tradesman1 or warehouseman1 or what else we may call him1 writes to his correspondent at ,devizes1 in ,wiltshire1 thus3-- ',sir--,the goods you sent me last week are not at all for my purpose1 being of a sort which ,i am at present full of3 however1 if you are willing they should lie here1 ,i will take all opportunities to sell them for your account2 otherwise1 on your first orders1 they shall be delivered to whoever you shall direct3 and as you had no orders from me for such sorts of goods1 you cannot take this ill4 ,but ,i have here enclosed sent you five patterns as under1 marked #a to #e2 if you think fit to make me fifty pieces of druggets of the same weight and goodness with the fifty pieces1 ,no4 ,a4,b41 which ,i had from you last ,october1 and mixed as exactly as you can to the enclosed patterns1 ten to each pattern1 and can have the same to be delivered here any time in ,february next1 ,i shall take them at the same price which ,i gave you for the last2 and one month after the delivery you may draw upon me for the money1 which shall be paid to your content4 ,your friend and servant4 ,p4,s4 ,let me have your return per next post1 intimating that you can or cannot answer this order1 that ,i may govern myself accordingly4 ,to ,mr ,h4,g41 clothier1 ,devizes4' ,the clothier1 accordingly1 gives him an answer the next post1 as follows3-- ',sir--,i have the favour of yours of the #bb;d past1 with your order for fifty fine druggets1 to be made of the like weight and goodness with the two packs1 ,no4 ,a4,b41 which ,i made for you and sent last ,october1 as also the five patterns enclosed1 marked #a to #e1 for my direction in the mixture4 ,i give you this trouble1 according to your order1 to let you know ,i have already put the said fifty pieces in hand2 and as ,i am always willing to serve you to the best of my power1 and am thankful for your favours1 you may depend upon them within the time1 that is to say1 some time in ,february next1 and that they shall be of the like fineness and substance with the other1 and as near to the patterns as possible4 ,but in regard our poor are very craving1 and money at this time very scarce1 ,i beg you will give me leave 7twenty or thirty pieces of them being finished and delivered to you at any time before the remainder71 to draw fifty pounds on you for present occasion2 for which ,i shall think myself greatly obliged1 and shall give you any security you please that the rest shall follow within the time4 ,as to the pack of goods in your hands1 which were sent up without your order1 ,i am content they remain in your hands for sale on my account1 and desire you will sell them as soon as you can1 for my best advantage4 ,i am1' c4 ,here is a harmony of business1 and every thing exact2 the order is given plain and express2 the clothier answers directly to every point2 here can be no defect in the correspondence2 the diligent clothier applies immediately to the work1 sorts and dyes his wool1 mixes his colours to the patterns1 puts the wool to the spinners1 sends his yarn to the weavers1 has the pieces brought home1 then has them to the thicking or fulling-mill1 dresses them in his own workhouse1 and sends them up punctually by the time2 perhaps by the middle of the month4 ,having sent up twenty pieces five weeks before1 the warehouse-keeper1 to oblige him1 pays his bill of #ej1 and a month after the rest are sent in1 he draws for the rest of the money1 and his bills are punctually paid4 ,the consequence of this exact writing and answering is this-- ,the warehouse-keeper having the order from his merchant1 is furnished in time1 and obliges his customer2 then says he to his servant1 ',well1 this ,h4,g4 of ,devizes is a clever workman1 understands his business1 and may be depended on3 ,i see if ,i have an order to give that requires any exactness and honest usage1 he is my man2 he understands orders when they are sent1 goes to work immediately1 and answers them punctually4' ,again1 the clothier at ,devizes says to his head man1 or perhaps his son1 ',this ,mr ,h4 is a very good employer1 and is worth obliging2 his orders are so plain and so direct1 that a man cannot mistake1 and if the goods are made honestly and to his time1 there's one's money2 bills are cheerfully accepted1 and punctually paid2 ,i'll never disappoint him2 whoever goes without goods1 he shall not4' ,on the contrary1 when orders are darkly given1 they are doubtfully observed2 and when the goods come to town1 the merchant dislikes them1 the warehouseman shuffles them back upon the clothier1 to lie for his account1 pretending they are not made to his order2 the clothier is discouraged1 and for want of his money discredited1 and all their correspondence is confusion1 and ends in loss both of money and credit4 ,,footnotes3 #h ,the practice of trade now sanctions courteous expressions of this kind4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,trading ,,style ,in the last chapter ,i gave my thoughts for the instruction of young tradesmen in writing letters with orders1 and answering orders1 and especially about the proper style of a tradesman's letters1 which ,i hinted should be plain and easy1 free in language1 and direct to the purpose intended4 ,give me leave to go on with the subject a little farther1 as ,i think it is useful in another part of the tradesman's correspondence4 ,i might have made some apology for urging tradesmen to write a plain and easy style2 let me add1 that the tradesmen need not be offended at my condemning them1 as it were1 to a plain and homely style--easy1 plain1 and familiar language is the beauty of speech in general1 and is the excellency of all writing1 on whatever subject1 or to whatever persons they are we write or speak4 ,the end of speech is that men might understand one another's meaning2 certainly that speech1 or that way of speaking1 which is most easily understood1 is the best way of speaking4 ,if any man were to ask me1 which would be supposed to be a perfect style1 or language1 ,i would answer1 that in which a man speaking to five hundred people1 of all common and various capacities1 idiots or lunatics excepted1 should be understood by them all in the same manner with one another1 and in the same sense which the speaker intended to be understood--this would certainly be a most perfect style4 ,all exotic sayings1 dark and ambiguous speakings1 affected words1 and1 as ,i said in the last chapter1 abridgement1 or words cut off1 as they are foolish and improper in business1 so1 indeed1 are they in any other things2 hard words1 and affectation of style in business1 is like bombast in poetry1 a kind of rumbling nonsense1 and nothing of the kind can be more ridiculous4 ,the nicety of writing in business consists chiefly in giving every species of goods their trading names1 for there are certain peculiarities in the trading language1 which are to be observed as the greatest proprieties1 and without which the language your letters are written in would be obscure1 and the tradesmen you write to would not understand you--for example1 if you write to your factor at ,lisbon1 or at ,cadiz1 to make you returns in hardware1 he understands you1 and sends you so many bags of pieces of eight4 ,so1 if a merchant comes to me to hire a small ship of me1 and tells me it is for the pipin trade1 or to buy a vessel1 and tells me he intends to make a pipiner of her1 the meaning is1 that she is to run to ,seville for oranges1 or to ,malaga for lemons4 ,if he says he intends to send her for a lading of fruit1 the meaning is1 she is to go to ,alicant1 ,denia1 or ,xevia1 on the coast of ,spain1 for raisins of the sun1 or to ,malaga for ,malaga raisins4 ,thus1 in the home trade in ,england3 if in ,kent a man tells me he is to go among the night-riders1 his meaning is1 he is to go a-carrying wool to the sea-shore--the people that usually run the wool off in boats1 are called owlers--those that steal customs1 smugglers1 and the like4 ,in a word1 there is a kind of slang in trade1 which a tradesman ought to know1 as the beggars and strollers know the gipsy cant1 which none can speak but themselves2 and this in letters of business is allowable1 and1 indeed1 they cannot understand one another without it4 ,a brickmaker being hired by a brewer to make some bricks for him at his country-house1 wrote to the brewer that he could not go forward unless he had two or three loads of spanish1 and that otherwise his bricks would cost him six or seven chaldrons of coals extraordinary1 and the bricks would not be so good and hard neither by a great deal1 when they were burnt4 ,the brewer sends him an answer1 that he should go on as well as he could for three or four days1 and then the spanish should be sent him3 accordingly1 the following week1 the brewer sends him down two carts loaded with about twelve hogsheads or casks of molasses1 which frighted the brickmaker almost out of his senses4 ,the case was this3-,the brewers formerly mixed molasses with their ale to sweeten it1 and abate the quantity of malt1 molasses1 being1 at that time1 much cheaper in proportion1 and this they called spanish1 not being willing that people should know it4 ,again1 the brickmakers all about ,london1 do mix sea-coal ashes1 or laystal-stuff1 as we call it1 with the clay of which they make bricks1 and by that shift save eight chaldrons of coals out of eleven1 in proportion to what other people use to burn them with1 and these ashes they call spanish4 ,thus the received terms of art1 in every particular business1 are to be observed1 of which ,i shall speak to you in its turn3 ,i name them here to intimate1 that when ,i am speaking of plain writing in matters of business1 it must be understood with an allowance for all these things--and a tradesman must be not only allowed to use them in his style1 but cannot write properly without them--it is a particular excellence in a tradesman to be able to know all the terms of art in every separate business1 so as to be able to speak or write to any particular handicraft or manufacturer in his own dialect1 and it is as necessary as it is for a seaman to understand the names of all the several things belonging to a ship4 ,this1 therefore1 is not to be understood when ,i say1 that a tradesman should write plain and explicit1 for these things belong to1 and are part of1 the language of trade4 ,but even these terms of art1 or customary expressions1 are not to be used with affectation1 and with a needless repetition1 where they are not called for4 ,nor should a tradesman write those out-of-the-way words1 though it is in the way of the business he writes about1 to any other person1 who he knows1 or has reason to believe1 does not understand them--,i say1 he ought not to write in those terms to such1 because it shows a kind of ostentation1 and a triumph over the ignorance of the person they are written to1 unless at the very same time you add an explanation of the terms1 so as to make them assuredly intelligible at the place1 and to the person to whom they are sent4 ,a tradesman1 in such cases1 like a parson1 should suit his language to his auditory2 and it would be as ridiculous for a tradesman to write a letter filled with the peculiarities of this or that particular trade1 which trade he knows the person he writes to is ignorant of1 and the terms whereof he is unacquainted with1 as it would be for a minister to quote the ,chrysostome and ,st ,austin1 and repeat at large all their sayings in the ,greek and the ,latin1 in a country church1 among a parcel of ploughmen and farmers4 ,thus a sailor1 writing a letter to a surgeon1 told him he had a swelling on the north-east side of his face--that his windward leg being hurt by a bruise1 it so put him out of trim1 that he always heeled to starboard when he made fresh way1 and so run to leeward1 till he was often forced aground2 then he desired him to give him some directions how to put himself into a sailing posture again4 ,of all which the surgeon understood little more than that he had a swelling on his face1 and a bruise in his leg4 ,it would be a very happy thing1 if tradesmen had all their lexicon technicum at their fingers' ends2 ,i mean 7for pray1 remember1 that ,i observe my own rule1 not to use a hard word without explaining it71 that every tradesman would study so the terms of art of other trades1 that he might be able to speak to every manufacturer or artist in his own language1 and understand them when they talked one to another3 this would make trade be a kind of universal language1 and the particular marks they are obliged to1 would be like the notes of music1 an universal character1 in which all the tradesmen in ,england might write to one another in the language and characters of their several trades1 and be as intelligible to one another as the minister is to his people1 and perhaps much more4 ,i therefore recommend it to every young tradesman to take all occasions to converse with mechanics of every kind1 and to learn the particular language of their business2 not the names of their tools only1 and the way of working with their instruments as well as hands1 but the very cant of their trade1 for every trade has its nostrums1 and its little made words1 which they often pride themselves in1 and which yet are useful to them on some occasion or other4 ,there are many advantages to a tradesman in thus having a general knowledge of the terms of art1 and the cant1 as ,i call it1 of every business2 and particularly this1 that they could not be imposed upon so easily by other tradesmen1 when they came to deal with them4 ,if you come to deal with a tradesman or handicraft man1 and talk his own language to him1 he presently supposes you understand his business2 that you know what you come about2 that you have judgment in his goods1 or in his art1 and cannot easily be imposed upon2 accordingly1 he treats you like a man that is not to be cheated1 comes close to the point1 and does not crowd you with words and rattling talk to set out his wares1 and to cover their defects2 he finds you know where to look or feel for the defect of things1 and how to judge their worth4 ,for example3-- ,what trade has more hard words and peculiar ways attending it1 than that of a jockey1 or horse-courser1 as we call them6 ,they have all the parts of the horse1 and all the diseases attending him1 necessary to be mentioned in the market1 upon every occasion of buying or bargaining4 ,a jockey will know you at first sight1 when you do but go round a horse1 or at the first word you say about him1 whether you are a dealer1 as they call themselves1 or a stranger4 ,if you begin well1 if you take up the horse's foot right1 if you handle him in the proper places1 if you bid his servant open his mouth1 or go about it yourself like a workman1 if you speak of his shapes or goings in the proper words--',oh6' says the jockey to his fellow1 'he understands a horse1 he speaks the language3' then he knows you are not to be cheated1 or1 at least1 not so easily2 but if you go awkwardly to work1 whisper to your man you bring with you to ask every thing for you1 cannot handle the horse yourself1 or speak the language of the trade1 he falls upon you with his flourishes1 and with a flux of horse rhetoric imposes upon you with oaths and asseverations1 and1 in a word1 conquers you with the mere clamour of his trade4 ,thus1 if you go to a garden to buy flowers1 plants1 trees1 and greens1 if you know what you go about1 know the names of flowers1 or simples1 or greens2 know the particular beauties of them1 when they are fit to remove1 and when to slip and draw1 and when not2 what colour is ordinary1 and what rare2 when a flower is rare1 and when ordinary--the gardener presently talks to you as to a man of art1 tells you that you are a lover of art1 a friend to a florist1 shows you his exotics1 his green-house1 and his stores2 what he has set out1 and what he has budded or enarched1 and the like2 but if he finds you have none of the terms of art1 know little or nothing of the names of plants1 or the nature of planting1 he picks your pocket instantly1 shows you a fine trimmed fuz-bush for a juniper1 sells you common pinks for painted ladies1 an ordinary tulip for a rarity1 and the like4 ,thus ,i saw a gardener sell a gentleman a large yellow auricula1 that is to say1 a running away1 for a curious flower1 and take a great price4 ,it seems1 the gentleman was a lover of a good yellow2 and it is known1 that when nature in the auricula is exhausted1 and has spent her strengh in showing a fine flower1 perhaps some years upon the same root1 she faints at last1 and then turns into a yellow1 which yellow shall be bright and pleasant the first year1 and look very well to one that knows nothing of it1 though another year it turns pale1 and at length almost white4 ,this the gardeners call a run flower1 and this they put upon the gentleman for a rarity1 only because he discovered at his coming that he knew nothing of the matter4 ,the same gardener sold another person a root of white painted thyme for the right ,marum ,syriacum2 and thus they do every day4 ,a person goes into a brickmaker's field to view his clamp1 and buy a load of bricks2 he resolves to see them loaded1 because he would have good ones2 but not understanding the goods1 and seeing the workmen loading them where they were hard and well burnt1 but looked white and grey1 which1 to be sure1 were the best of the bricks1 and which perhaps they would not have done if he had not been there to look at them1 they supposing he understood which were the best2 but he1 in the abundance of his ignorance1 finds fault with them1 because they were not a good colour1 and did not look red2 the brickmaker's men took the hint immediately1 and telling the buyer they would give him red bricks to oblige him1 turned their hands from the grey hard well-burnt bricks to the soft sammel#i half-burnt bricks1 which they were glad to dispose of1 and which nobody that had understood them would have taken off their hands4 ,i mention these lower things1 because ,i would suit my writing to the understanding of the meanest people1 and speak of frauds used in the most ordinary trades2 but it is the like in almost all the goods a tradesman can deal in4 ,if you go to ,warwickshire to buy cheese1 you demand the cheese 'of the first make1' because that is the best4 ,if you go to ,suffolk to buy butter1 you refuse the butter of the first make1 because that is not the best1 but you bargain for 'the right rowing butter1' which is the butter that is made when the cows are turned into the grounds where the grass has been mowed1 and the hay carried off1 and grown again3 and so in many other cases4 ,these things demonstrate the advantages there are to a tradesman1 in his being thoroughly informed of the terms of art1 and the peculiarities belonging to every particular business1 which1 therefore1 ,i call the language of trade4 ,as a merchant should understand all languages1 at least the languages of those countries which he trades to1 or corresponds with1 and the customs and usages of those countries as to their commerce1 so an ,english tradesman ought to understand all the languages of trade1 within the circumference of his own country1 at least1 and particularly of such as he may1 by any of the consequences of his commerce1 come to be any way concerned with4 ,especially1 it is his business to acquaint himself with the terms and trading style1 as ,i call it1 of those trades which he buys of1 as to those he sells to2 supposing he sells to those who sell again1 it is their business to understand him1 not his to understand them3 and if he finds they do not understand him1 he will not fail to make their ignorance be his advantage1 unless he is honester and more conscientious in his dealings than most of the tradesmen of this age seem to be4 ,,footnotes3 #i ,sammel is a term of art the brickmakers use for those bricks which are not well burnt1 and which generally look of a pale red colour1 and as fair as the other1 but are soft4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman ,,acquainting ,,himself ,,with ,,all ,,business ,,in ,,general ,it is the judgment of some experienced tradesmen1 that no man ought to go from one business to another1 and launch out of the trade or employment he was bred to3 ,tractent fabrilia fabri--',every man to his own business2' and1 they tell us1 men never thrive when they do so4 ,i will not enter into that dispute here4 ,i know some good and encouraging examples of the contrary1 and which stand as remarkable instances1 or as exceptions to the general rule3 but let that be as it will1 sometimes providence eminently calls upon men out of one employ into another1 out of a shop into a warehouse1 out of a warehouse into a shop1 out of a single hand into a partnership1 and the like2 and they trade one time here1 another time there1 and with very good success too4 ,but ,i say1 be that as it will1 a tradesman ought so far to acquaint himself with business1 that he should not be at a loss to turn his hand to this or that trade1 as occasion presents1 whether in or out of the way of his ordinary dealing1 as we have often seen done in ,london and other places1 and sometimes with good success4 ,this acquainting himself with business does not intimate that he should learn every trade1 or enter into the mystery of every employment4 ,that cannot well be2 but that he should have a true notion of business in general1 and a knowledge how and in what manner it is carried on2 that he should know where every manufacture is made1 and how bought at first hand2 that he should know which are the proper markets1 and what the particular kinds of goods to exchange at those markets2 that he should know the manner how every manufacture is managed1 and the method of their sale4 ,it cannot be expected that he should have judgment in the choice of all kinds of goods1 though in a great many he may have judgment too3 but there is a general understanding in trade1 which every tradesman both may and ought to arrive to2 and this perfectly qualifies him to engage in any new undertaking1 and to embark with other persons better qualified than himself in any new trade1 which he was not in before2 in which1 though he may not have a particular knowledge and judgment in the goods they are to deal in or to make1 yet1 having the benefit of the knowledge his new partner is master of1 and being himself apt to take in all additional lights1 he soon becomes experienced1 and the knowledge of all the other parts of business qualifies him to be a sufficient partner4 ,for example--,a4,b4 was bred a dry-salter1 and he goes in partner with with ,c4,d41 a scarlet-dyer1 called a bow-dyer1 at ,wandsworth4 ,as a salter1 ,a4,b4 has had experience enough in the materials for dyeing1 as well scarlets as all other colours1 and understands very well the buying of cochineal1 indigo1 galls1 shumach1 logwood1 fustick1 madder1 and the like2 so that he does his part very well4 ,c4,d4 is an experienced scarlet-dyer2 but now1 doubling their stock1 they fall into a larger work1 and they dye bays and stuffs1 and other goods1 into differing colours1 as occasion requires2 and this brings them to an equality in the business1 and by hiring good experienced servants1 they go on very well together4 ,the like happens often when a tradesman turns his hand from one trade to another2 and when he embarks1 either in partnership or out of it1 in any new business1 it is supposed he seldom changes hands in such a manner without some such suitable person to join with1 or that he has some experienced head workman to direct him1 which1 if that workman proves honest1 is as well as a partner4 ,on the other hand1 his own application and indefatigable industry supply the want of judgment4 ,thus1 ,i have known several tradesmen turn their hands from one business to another1 or from one trade entirely to another1 and very often with good success4 ,for example1 ,i have seen a confectioner turn a sugar-baker2 another a distiller2 an apothecary turn chemist1 and not a few turn physicians1 and prove very good physicians too2 but that is a step beyond what ,i am speaking of4 ,but my argument turns upon this--that a tradesman ought to be able to turn his hand to any thing2 that is to say1 to lay down one trade and take up another1 if occasion leads him to it1 and if he sees an evident view of profit and advantage in it2 and this is only done by his having a general knowledge of trade1 so as to have a capacity of judging3 and by but just looking upon what is offered or proposed1 he sees as much at first view as others do by long inquiry1 and with the judgment of many advisers4 ,when ,i am thus speaking of the tradesman's being capable of making judgment of things1 it occurs1 with a force not to be resisted1 that ,i should add1 he is hereby fenced against bubbles and projects1 and against those fatal people called projectors1 who are1 indeed1 among tradesmen1 as birds of prey are among the innocent fowls--devourers and destroyers4 ,a tradesman cannot be too well armed1 nor too much cautioned1 against those sort of people2 they are constantly surrounded with them1 and are as much in jeopardy from them1 as a man in a crowd is of having his pocket picked--nay1 almost as a man is when in a crowd of pickpockets4 ,nothing secures the tradesman against those men so well as his being thoroughly knowing in business1 having a judgment to weigh all the delusive schemes and the fine promises of the wheedling projector1 and to see which are likely to answer1 or which not2 to examine all his specious pretences1 his calculations and figures1 and see whether they are as likely to answer the end as he takes upon him to say they will2 to make allowances for all his fine flourishes and outsides1 and then to judge for himself4 ,a projector is to a tradesman a kind of incendiary2 he is in a constant plot to blow him up1 or set fire to him2 for projects are generally as fatal to a tradesman as fire in a magazine of gunpowder4 ,the honest tradesman is always in danger1 and cannot be too wary2 and therefore to fortify his judgment1 that he may be able to guard against such people as these1 is one of the most necessary things ,i can do for him4 ,in order1 then1 to direct the tradesman how to furnish himself thus with a needful stock of trading knowledge1 first1 ,i shall propose to him to converse with tradesmen chiefly3 he that will be a tradesman should confine himself within his own sphere3 never was the ,gazette so full of the advertisements of commissions of bankrupt as since our shopkeepers are so much engaged in parties1 formed into clubs to hear news1 and read journals and politics2 in short1 when tradesmen turn statesmen1 they should either shut up their shops1 or hire somebody else to look after them4 ,the known story of the upholsterer is very instructive1#aj who1 in his abundant concern for the public1 ran himself out of his business into a jail2 and even when he was in prison1 could not sleep for the concern he had for the liberties of his dear country3 the man was a good patriot1 but a bad shopkeeper2 and1 indeed1 should rather have shut up his shop1 and got a commission in the army1 and then he had served his country in the way of his calling4 ,but ,i may speak to this more in its turn4 ,my present subject is not the negative1 what he should not do1 but the affirmative1 what he should do2 ,i say1 he should take all occasions to converse within the circuit of his own sphere1 that is1 dwell upon the subject of trade in his conversation1 and sort with and converse among tradesmen as much as he can2 as writing teaches to write--scribendo discis scribere--so conversing among tradesmen will make him a tradesman4 ,i need not explain this so critically as to tell you ,i do not mean he should confine or restrain himself entirely from all manner of conversation but among his own class3 ,i shall speak to that in its place also4 ,a tradesman may on occasion keep company with gentlemen as well as other people2 nor is a trading man1 if he is a man of sense1 unsuitable or unprofitable for a gentleman to converse with1 as occasion requires2 and you will often find1 that not private gentlemen only1 but even ministers of state1 privy-councillors1 members of parliament1 and persons of all ranks in the government1 find it for their purpose to converse with tradesmen1 and are not ashamed to acknowledge1 that a tradesman is sometimes qualified to inform them in the most difficult and intricate1 as well as the most urgent1 affairs of government2 and this has been the reason why so many tradesmen have been advanced to honours and dignities above their ordinary rank1 as ,sir ,charles ,duncombe1 a goldsmith2 ,sir ,henry ,furnese1 who was originally a retail hosier2 ,sir ,charles ,cook1 late one of the board of trade1 a merchant2 ,sir ,josiah ,child1 originally a very mean tradesman2 the late ,mr ,lowndes1 bred a scrivener2 and many others1 too many to name4 ,but these are instances of men called out of their lower sphere for their eminent usefulness1 and their known capacities1 being first known to be diligent and industrious men in their private and lower spheres2 such advancements make good the words of the wise man--',seest thou a man diligent in his calling1 he shall stand before kings2 he shall not stand before mean men4#aa ,in the mean time1 the tradesman's proper business is in his shop or warehouse1 and among his own class or rank of people2 there he sees how other men go on1 and there he learns how to go on himself2 there he sees how other men thrive1 and learns to thrive himself2 there he hears all the trading news--as for state news and politics1 it is none of his business2 there he learns how to buy1 and there he gets oftentimes opportunities to sell2 there he hears of all the disasters in trade1 who breaks1 and why2 what brought such and such a man to misfortunes and disasters2 and sees the various ways how men go down in the world1 as well as the arts and management1 by which others from nothing arise to wealth and estates4 ,here he sees the ,scripture itself thwarted1 and his neighbour tradesman1 a wholesale haberdasher1 in spite of a good understanding1 in spite of a good beginning1 and in spite of the most indefatigable industry1 sink in his circumstances1 lose his credit1 then his stock1 and then break and become bankrupt1 while the man takes more pains to be poor than others do to grow rich4 ,there1 on the other hand1 he sees ,g4,d41 a plodding1 weak-headed1 but laborious wretch1 of a confined genius1 and that cannot look a quarter of a mile from his shop-door into the world1 and beginning with little or nothing1 yet rises apace in the mere road of business1 in which he goes on like the miller's horse1 who1 being tied to the post1 is turned round by the very wheel which he turns round himself2 and this fellow shall get money insensibly1 and grow rich even he knows not how1 and no body else knows why4 ,here he sees ,f4,m4 ruined by too much trade1 and there he sees ,m4,f4 starved for want of trade2 and from all these observations he may learn something useful to himself1 and fit to guide his own measures1 that he may not fall into the same mischiefs which he sees others sink under1 and that he may take the advantage of that prudence which others rise by4 ,all these things will naturally occur to him1 in his conversing among his fellow-tradesmen4 ,a settled little society of trading people1 who understand business1 and are carrying on trade in the same manner with himself1 no matter whether they are of the very same trades or no1 and perhaps better not of the same--such a society1 ,i say1 shall1 if due observations are made from it1 teach the tradesman more than his apprenticeship2 for there he learned the operation1 here he learns the progression2 his apprenticeship is his grammar-school1 this is his university2 behind his master's counter1 or in his warehouse1 he learned the first rudiments of trade1 but here he learns the trading sciences2 here he comes to learn the arcana1 speak the language1 understand the meaning of every thing1 of which before he only learned the beginning3 the apprenticeship inducts him1 and leads him as the nurse the child2 this finishes him2 there he learned the beginning of trade1 here he sees it in its full extent2 in a word1 there he learned to trade1 here he is made a complete tradesman4 ,let no young tradesman object1 that1 in the conversation ,i speak of1 there are so many gross things said1 and so many ridiculous things argued upon1 there being always a great many weak empty heads among the shopkeeping trading world3 this may be granted without any impeachment of what ,i have advanced--for where shall a man converse1 and find no fools in the society8--and where shall he hear the weightiest things debated1 and not a great many empty weak things offered1 out of which nothing can be learned1 and from which nothing can be deduced8--for 'out of nothing1 nothing can come4' ,but1 notwithstanding1 let me still insist upon it to the tradesman to keep company with tradesmen2 let the fool run on in his own way2 let the talkative green-apron rattle in his own way2 let the manufacturer and his factor squabble and brangle2 the grave self-conceited puppy1 who was born a boy1 and will die before he is a man1 chatter and say a great deal of nothing1 and talk his neighbours to death--out of every one you will learn something--they are all tradesmen1 and there is always something for a young tradesman to learn from them4 ,if1 understanding but a little ,french1 you were to converse every day a little among some ,frenchmen in your neighbourhood1 and suppose those ,frenchmen1 you thus kept company with1 were every one of them fools1 mere ignorant1 empty1 foolish fellows1 there might be nothing learnt from their sense1 but you would still learn ,french from them1 if it was no more than the tone and accent1 and the ordinary words usual in conversation4 ,thus1 among your silly empty tradesmen1 let them be as foolish and empty other ways as you can suggest1 though you can learn no philosophy from them1 you may learn many things in trade from them1 and something from every one2 for though it is not absolutely necessary that every tradesman should be a philosopher1 yet every tradesman1 in his way1 knows something that even a philosopher may learn from4 ,i knew a philosopher that was excellently skilled in the noble science or study of astronomy1 who told me he had some years studied for some simile1 or proper allusion1 to explain to his scholars the phenomena of the sun's motion round its own axis1 and could never happen upon one to his mind1 till by accident he saw his maid ,betty trundling her mop3 surprised with the exactness of the motion to describe the thing he wanted1 he goes into his study1 calls his pupils about him1 and tells them that ,betty1 who herself knew nothing of the matter1 could show them the sun revolving about itself in a more lively manner than ever he could4 ,accordingly1 ,betty was called1 and bidden bring out her mop1 when1 placing his scholars in a due-position1 opposite not to the face of the maid1 but to her left side1 so that they could see the end of the mop1 when it whirled round upon her arm4 ,they took it immediately--there was the broad-headed nail in the centre1 which was as the body of the sun1 and the thrums whisking round1 flinging the water about every way by innumerable little streams1 describing exactly the rays of the sun1 darting light from the centre to the whole system4 ,if ignorant ,betty1 by the natural consequences of her operation1 instructed the astronomer1 why may not the meanest shoemaker or pedlar1 by the ordinary sagacity of his trading wit1 though it may be indeed very ordinary1 coarse1 and unlooked for1 communicate something1 give some useful hint1 dart some sudden thought into the mind of the observing tradesman1 which he shall make his use of1 and apply to his own advantage in trade1 when1 at the same time1 he that gives such hint shall himself1 like ,betty and her mop1 know nothing of the matter8 ,every tradesman is supposed to manage his business his own way1 and1 generally speaking1 most tradesmen have some ways peculiar and particular to themselves1 which they either derived from the masters who taught them1 or from the experience of things1 or from something in the course of their business1 which had not happened to them before4 ,and those little nostrums are oftentime very properly and with advantage communicated from one to another2 one tradesman finds out a nearer way of buying than another1 another finds a vent for what is bought beyond what his neighbour knows of1 and these1 in time1 come to be learned of them by their ordinary conversation4 ,i am not for confining the tradesman from keeping better company1 as occasion and leisure requires2 ,i allow the tradesman to act the gentleman sometimes1 and that even for conversation1 at least if his understanding and capacity make him suitable company to them1 but still his business is among those of his own rank4 ,the conversation of gentlemen1 and what they call keeping good company1 may be used as a diversion1 or as an excursion1 but his stated society must be with his neighbours1 and people in trade2 men of business are companions for men of business2 with gentlemen he may converse pleasantly1 but here he converses profitably2 tradesmen are always profitable to one another2 as they always gain by trading together1 so they never lose by conversing together2 if they do not get money1 they gain knowledge in business1 improve their experience1 and see farther and farther into the world4 ,a man of but an ordinary penetration will improve himself by conversing in matters of trade with men of trade2 by the experience of the old tradesmen they learn caution and prudence1 and by the rashness and the miscarriages of the young1 they learn what are the mischiefs that themselves may be exposed to4 ,again1 in conversing with men of trade1 they get trade2 men first talk together1 then deal together--many a good bargain is made1 and many a pound gained1 where nothing was expected1 by mere casual coming to talk together1 without knowing any thing of the matter before they met4 ,the tradesmen's meetings are like the merchants' exchange1 where they manage1 negociate1 and1 indeed1 beget business with one another4 ,let no tradesman mistake me in this part2 ,i am not encouraging them to leave their shops and warehouses1 to go to taverns and ale-houses1 and spend their time there in unnecessary prattle1 which1 indeed1 is nothing but sotting and drinking2 this is not meeting to do business1 but to neglect business4 ,of which ,i shall speak fully afterwards4 ,but the tradesmen conversing with one another1 which ,i mean1 is the taking suitable occasions to discourse with their fellow tradesmen1 meeting them in the way of their business1 and improving their spare hours together4 ,to leave their shops1 and quit their counters1 in the proper seasons for their attendance there1 would be a preposterous negligence1 would be going out of business to gain business1 and would be cheating themselves1 instead of improving themselves4 ,the proper hours of business are sacred to the shop and the warehouse4 ,he that goes out of the order of trade1 let the pretence of business be what it will1 loses his business1 not increases it2 and will1 if continued1 lose the credit of his conduct in business also4 ,,footnotes3 #aj ,the story of the political upholsterer forms the subject of several amusing papers by ,addison in the ,tatler4 #aa ,to stand in the presence of a prince is the highest mark of honour in the east1 as to sit is with us4 ,,chapter ,v ,,diligence ,,and ,,application ,,in ,,business ,solomon was certainly a friend to men of business1 as it appears by his frequent good advice to them4 ,in ,prov4 xviii4 #i1 he says1 ',he that is slothful in business1 is brother to him that is a great waster3' and in another place1 ',the sluggard shall be clothed in rags1' 7,prov4 xxiii4 #a71 or to that purpose4 ,on the contrary1 the same wise man1 by way of encouragement1 tells them1 ',the diligent hand maketh rich1' 7,prov4 x4 #d71 and1 ',the diligent shall bear rule1 but the slothful shall be under tribute4' ,nothing can give a greater prospect of thriving to a young tradesman1 than his own diligence2 it fills himself with hope1 and gives him credit with all who know him2 without application1 nothing in this world goes forward as it should do3 let the man have the most perfect knowledge of his trade1 and the best situation for his shop1 yet without application nothing will go on4 ,what is the shop without the master8 what the books without the book-keeper8 what the credit without the man8 ,hark how the people talk of such conduct as the slothful negligent trader discovers in his way4 ',such a shop1' says the customer1 'stands well1 and there is a good stock of goods in it1 but there is nobody to serve but a 'prentice-boy or two1 and an idle journeyman3 one finds them always at play together1 rather than looking out for customers2 and when you come to buy1 they look as if they did not care whether they showed you any thing or no4 ,one never sees a master in the shop1 if we go twenty times1 nor anything that bears the face of authority4 ,then1 it is a shop always exposed1 it is perfectly haunted with thieves and shop-lifters2 they see nobody but raw boys in it1 that mind nothing1 and the diligent devils never fail to haunt them1 so that there are more outcries of ',stop thief6' at their door1 and more constables fetched to that shop1 than to all the shops in the row4 ,there was a brave trade at that shop in ,mr--'s time3 he was a true shopkeeper2 like the quack doctor1 you never missed him from seven in the morning till twelve1 and from two till nine at night1 and he throve accordingly--he left a good estate behind him4 ,but ,i don't know what these people are2 they say there are two partners of them1 but there had as good be none1 for they are never at home1 nor in their shop3 one wears a long wig and a sword1 ,i hear1 and you see him often in the ,mall and at court1 but very seldom in his shop1 or waiting on his customers2 and the other1 they say1 lies a-bed till eleven o'clock every day1 just comes into the shop and shows himself1 then stalks about to the tavern to take a whet1 then to ,child's coffee-house to hear the news1 comes home to dinner at one1 takes a long sleep in his chair after it1 and about four o'clock comes into the shop for half an hour1 or thereabouts1 then to the tavern1 where he stays till two in the morning1 gets drunk1 and is led home by the watch1 and so lies till eleven again2 and thus he walks round like the hand of a dial4 ,and what will it all come to8--they'll certainly break1 that you may be sure of2 they can't hold it long4' ',this is the town's way of talking1 where they see an example of it in the manner as is described2 nor are the inferences unjust1 any more than the description is unlike1 for such certainly is the end of such management1 and no shop thus neglected ever made a tradesman rich4 ,on the contrary1 customers love to see the master's face in the shop1 and to go to a shop where they are sure to find him at home4 ,when he does not sell1 or cannot take the price offered1 yet the customers are not disobliged1 and if they do not deal now1 they may another time3 if they do deal1 the master generally gets a better price for his goods than a servant can1 besides that he gives better content2 and yet the customers always think they buy cheaper of the master too4 ,i seem to be talking now of the mercer or draper1 as if my discourse were wholly bent and directed to them2 but it is quite contrary1 for it concerns every tradesman--the advice is general1 and every tradesman claims a share in it2 the nature of trade requires it4 ,it is an old ,anglicism1 ',such a man drives a trade2' the allusion is to a carter1 that with his voice1 his hands1 his whip1 and his constant attendance1 keeps the team always going1 helps himself1 lifts at the wheel in every slough1 doubles his application upon every difficulty1 and1 in a word1 to complete the simile1 if he is not always with his horses1 either the wagon is set in a hole1 or the team stands still1 or1 which is worst of all1 the load is spoiled by the waggon overthrowing4 ,it is therefore no improper speech to say1 such a man drives his trade2 for1 in short1 if trade is not driven1 it will not go4 ,trade is like a hand-mill1 it must always be turned about by the diligent hand of the master2 or1 if you will1 like the pump-house at ,amsterdam1 where they put offenders in for petty matters1 especially beggars2 if they will work and keep pumping1 they sit well1 and dry and safe1 and if they work very hard one hour or two1 they may rest1 perhaps1 a quarter of an hour afterwards2 but if they oversleep themselves1 or grow lazy1 the water comes in upon them and wets them1 and they have no dry place to stand in1 much less to sit down in2 and1 in short1 if they continue obstinately idle1 they must sink2 so that it is nothing but pump or drown1 and they may choose which they like best4 ,he that engages in trade1 and does not resolve to work at it1 is felo de se2 it is downright murdering himself2 that is to say1 in his trading capacity1 he murders his credit1 he murders his stock1 and he starves1 which is as bad as murdering1 his family4 ,trade must not be entered into as a thing of light concern2 it is called business very properly1 for it is a business for life1 and ought to be followed as one of the great businesses of life--,i do not say the chief1 but one of the great businesses of life it certainly is--trade must1 ,i say1 be worked at1 not played with2 he that trades in jest1 will certainly break in earnest2 and this is one reason indeed why so many tradesmen come to so hasty a conclusion of their affairs4 ,there was another old ,english saying to this purpose1 which shows how much our old fathers were sensible of the duty of a shopkeeper3 speaking of the tradesman as just opening his shop1 and beginning a dialogue with it2 the result of which is1 that the shop replies to the tradesman thus3 ',keep me1 and ,i will keep thee4' ,it is the same with driving the trade2 if the shopkeeper will not keep1 that is1 diligently attend to his shop1 the shop will not keep1 that is1 maintain him3 and in the other sense it is harsher to him1 if he will not drive his trade1 the trade will drive him2 that is1 drive him out of the shop1 drive him away4 ,all these old sayings have this monitory substance in them2 namely1 they all concur to fill a young tradesman with true notions of what he is going about2 and that the undertaking of a trade is not a sport or game1 in which he is to meet with diversions only1 and entertainment1 and not to be in the least troubled or disturbed3 trade is a daily employment1 and must be followed as such1 with the full attention of the mind1 and full attendance of the person2 nothing but what are to be called the necessary duties of life are to intervene2 and even these are to be limited so as not to be prejudicial to business4 ,and now ,i am speaking of the necessary things which may intervene1 and which may divide the time with our business or trade1 ,i shall state the manner in a few words1 that the tradesman may neither give too much1 nor take away too much1 to or from any respective part of what may be called his proper employment1 but keep as due a balance of his time as he should of his books or cash4 ,the life of man is1 or should be1 a measure of allotted time2 as his time is measured out to him1 so the measure is limited1 must end1 and the end of it is appointed4 ,the purposes for which time is given1 and life bestowed1 are very momentous2 no time is given uselessly1 and for nothing2 time is no more to be unemployed1 than it is to be ill employed4 ,three things are chiefly before us in the appointment of our time3 #a4 ,necessaries of nature4 #b4 ,duties of religion1 or things relating to a future life4 #c4 ,duties of the present life1 namely1 business and calling4 ,i4 ,necessities of nature1 such as eating and drinking2 rest1 or sleep2 and in case of disease1 a recess from business2 all which have two limitations on them1 and no more2 namely1 that they be #a4 ,referred to their proper seasons4 #b4 ,used with moderation4 ,both these might give me subject to write many letters upon2 but ,i study brevity1 and desire rather to hint than dwell upon things which are serious and grave1 because ,i would not tire you4 ,,ii4 ,duties of religion3 these may be called necessities too in their kind1 and that of the sublimest nature2 and they ought not to be thrust at all out of their place1 and yet they ought to be kept in their place too4 ,,iii4 ,duties of life1 that is to say1 business1 or employment1 or calling1 which are divided into three kinds3 #a4 ,labour1 or servitude4 #b4 ,employment4 #c4 ,trade4 ,by labour1 ,i mean the poor manualist1 whom we properly call the labouring man1 who works for himself indeed in one respect1 but sometimes serves and works for wages1 as a servant1 or workman4 ,by employment1 ,i mean men in business1 which yet is not properly called trade1 such as lawyers1 physicians1 surgeons1 scriveners1 clerks1 secretaries1 and such like3 and ,by trade ,i mean merchants and inland-traders1 such as are already described in the introduction to this work4 ,to speak of time1 it is divided among these2 even in them all there is a just equality of circumstances to be preserved1 and as diligence is required in one1 and necessity to be obeyed in another1 so duty is to be observed in the third2 and yet all these with such a due regard to one another1 as that one duty may not jostle out another2 and every thing going on with an equality and just regard to the nature of the thing1 the tradesman may go on with a glad heart and a quiet conscience4 ,this article is very nice1 as ,i intend to speak to it2 and it is a dangerous thing indeed to speak to1 lest young tradesmen1 treading on the brink of duty on one side1 and duty on the other side1 should pretend to neglect their duty to heaven1 on pretence that ,i say they must not neglect their shops4 ,but let them do me justice1 and they will do themselves no injury2 nor do ,i fear that my arguing on this point should give them any just cause to go wrong2 if they will go wrong1 and plead my argument for their excuse1 it must be by their abusing my directions1 and taking them in pieces1 misplacing the words1 and disjointing the sense1 and by the same method they may make blasphemy of the ,scripture4 ,the duties of life1 ,i say1 must not interfere with one another1 must not jostle one another out of the place1 or so break in as to be prejudicial to one another4 ,it is certainly the duty of every ,christian to worship ,god1 to pay his homage morning and evening to his ,maker1 and at all other proper seasons to behave as becomes a sincere worshipper of ,god2 nor must any avocation1 either of business or nature1 however necessary1 interfere with this duty1 either in public or in private4 ,this is plainly asserting the necessity of the duty1 so no man can pretend to evade that4 ,but the duties of nature and religion also have such particular seasons1 and those seasons so proper to themselves1 and so stated1 as not to break in or trench upon one another1 that we are really without excuse1 if we let any one be pleaded for the neglect of the other4 ,food1 sleep1 rest1 and the necessities of nature1 are either reserved for the night1 which is appointed for man to rest1 or take up so little room in the day1 that they can never be pleaded in bar of either religion or employment4 ,he1 indeed1 who will sleep when he should work1 and perhaps drink when he should sleep1 turns nature bottom upwards1 inverts the appointment of providence1 and must account to himself1 and afterwards to a higher judge1 for the neglect4 ,the devil--if it be the devil that tempts1 for ,i would not wrong ,satan himself--plays our duties often one against another2 and to bring us1 if possible1 into confusion in our conduct1 subtly throws religion out of its place1 to put it in our way1 and to urge us to a breach of what we ought to do3 besides this subtle tempter--for1 as above1 ,i won't charge it all upon the devil--we have a great hand in it ourselves2 but let it be who it will1 ,i say1 this subtle tempter hurries the well-meaning tradesman to act in all manner of irregularity1 that he may confound religion and business1 and in the end may destroy both4 ,when the tradesman well inclined rises early in the morning1 and is moved1 as in duty to his ,maker he ought1 to pay his morning vows to him either in his closet1 or at the church1 where he hears the six o'clock bell ring to call his neighbours to the same duty--then the secret hint comes across his happy intention1 that he must go to such or such a place1 that he may be back time enough for such other business as has been appointed over-night1 and both perhaps may be both lawful and necessary2 so his diligence oppresses his religion1 and away he runs to transact his business1 and neglects his morning sacrifice to his ,maker4 ,on the other hand1 and at another time1 being in his shop1 or his counting-house1 or warehouse1 a vast throng of business upon his hands1 and the world in his head1 when it is highly his duty to attend it1 and shall be to his prejudice to absent himself--then the same deceiver presses him earnestly to go to his closet1 or to the church to prayers1 during which time his customer goes to another place1 the neighbours miss him in his shop1 his business is lost1 his reputation suffers2 and by this turned into a practice1 the man may say his prayers so long and so unseasonably till he is undone1 and not a creditor he has 7,i may give it him from experience7 will use him the better1 or show him the more favour1 when a commission of bankrupt comes out against him4 ,thus1 ,i knew once a zealous1 pious1 religious tradesman1 who would almost shut up his shop every day about nine or ten o'clock to call all his family together to prayers2 and yet he was no presbyterian1 ,i assure you2 ,i say1 he would almost shut up his shop1 for he would suffer none of his servants to be absent from his family worship4 ,this man had certainly been right1 had he made all his family get up by six o'clock in the morning1 and called them to prayers before he had opened his shop2 but instead of that1 he first suffered sleep to interfere with religion1 and lying a-bed to postpone and jostle out his prayers--and then1 to make ,god ,almighty amends upon himself1 wounds his family by making his prayers interfere with his trade1 and shuts his customers out of his shop2 the end of which was1 the poor good man deceived himself1 and lost his business4 ,another tradesman1 whom ,i knew personally well1 was raised in the morning very early1 by the outcries of his wife1 to go and fetch a midwife4 ,it was necessary1 in his way1 to go by a church1 where there was always1 on that day of the week1 a morning sermon early1 for the supplying the devotion of such early ,christians as he2 so the honest man1 seeing the door open1 steps in1 and seeing the minister just gone up into the pulpit1 sits down1 joins in the prayers1 hears the sermon1 and goes very gravely home again2 in short1 his earnestness in the worship1 and attention to what he had heard1 quite put the errand he was sent about out of his head2 and the poor woman in travail1 after having waited long for the return of her husband with the midwife1 was obliged 7having run an extreme hazard by depending on his expedition7 to dispatch other messengers1 who fetched the midwife1 and she was come1 and the work over1 long before the sermon was done1 or that any body heard of the husband3 at last1 he was met coming gravely home from the church1 when being upbraided with his negligence1 in a dreadful surprise he struck his hands together1 and cried out1 ',how is my wife8 ,i profess ,i forgot it6' ,what shall we say now to this ill-timed devotion1 and who must tempt the poor man to this neglect8 ,certainly1 had he gone for the midwife1 it had been much more his duty1 than to go to hear a sermon at that time4 ,i knew also another tradesman1 who was such a sermon-hunter1 and1 as there are lectures and sermons preached in ,london1 either in the churches or meeting-houses1 almost every day in the week1 used so assiduously to hunt out these occasions1 that whether it was in a church or meeting-house1 or both1 he was always abroad to hear a sermon1 at least once every day1 and sometimes more2 and the consequence was1 that the man lost his trade1 his shop was entirely neglected1 the time which was proper for him to apply to his business was misapplied1 his trade fell off1 and the man broke4 ,now it is true1 and ,i ought to take notice of it also1 that1 though these things happen1 and may wrong a tradesman1 yet it is oftener1 ten times for once1 that tradesmen neglect their shop and business to follow the track of their vices and extravagence--some by taverns1 others to the gaming-houses1 others to balls and masquerades1 plays1 harlequins1 and operas1 very few by too much religion4 ,but my inference is still sound1 and the more effectually so as to that part2 for if our business and trades are not to be neglected1 no1 not for the extraordinary excursions of religion1 and religious duties1 much less are they to be neglected for vices and extravagances4 ,this is an age of gallantry and gaiety1 and never was the city transposed to the court as it is now2 the play-houses and balls are now filled with citizens and young tradesmen1 instead of gentlemen and families of distinction2 the shopkeepers wear a differing garb now1 and are seen with their long wigs and swords1 rather than with aprons on1 as was formerly the figure they made4 ,but what is the difference in the consequences8 ,you did not see in those days acts of grace for the relief of insolvent debtors almost every session of parliament1 and yet the jails filled with insolvents before the next year1 though ten or twelve thousand have been released at a time by those acts4 ,nor did you hear of so many commissions of bankrupt every week in the ,gazette1 as is now the case2 in a word1 whether you take the lower sort of tradesman1 or the higher1 where there were twenty that failed in those days1 ,i believe ,i speak within compass if ,i say that five hundred turn insolvent now2 it is1 as ,i said above1 an age of pleasure1 and as the wise man said long ago1 ',he that loves pleasure shall be a poor man'--so it is now2 it is an age of drunkenness and extravagance1 and thousands ruin themselves by that2 it is an age of luxurious and expensive living1 and thousands more undo themselves by that2 but1 among all our vices1 nothing ruins a tradesman so effectually as the neglect of his business3 it is true1 all those things prompt men to neglect their business1 but the more seasonable is the advice2 either enter upon no trade1 undertake no business1 or1 having undertaken it1 pursue it diligently3 drive your trade1 that the world may not drive you out of trade1 and ruin and undo you4 ,without diligence a man can never thoroughly understand his business and how should a man thrive1 when he does not perfectly know what he is doing1 or how to do it8 ,application to his trade teaches him how to carry it on1 as much as his going apprentice taught him how to set it up4 ,certainly1 that man shall never improve in his trading knowledge1 that does not know his business1 or how to carry it on3 the diligent tradesman is always the knowing and complete tradesman4 ,now1 in order to have a man apply heartily1 and pursue earnestly1 the business he is engaged in1 there is yet another thing necessary1 namely1 that he should delight in it3 to follow a trade1 and not to love and delight in it1 is a slavery1 a bondage1 not a business3 the shop is a bridewell1 and the warehouse a house of correction to the tradesman1 if he does not delight in his trade4 ,while he is bound1 as we say1 to keep his shop1 he is like the galley-slave chained down to the oar2 he tugs and labours indeed1 and exerts the utmost of his strength1 for fear of the strapado1 and because he is obliged to do it2 but when he is on shore1 and is out from the bank1 he abhors the labour1 and hates to come to it again4 ,to delight in business is making business pleasant and agreeable2 and such a tradesman cannot but be diligent in it1 which1 according to ,solomon1 makes him certainly rich1 and in time raises him above the world and able to instruct and encourage those who come after him4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,over-,,trading ,it is an observation1 indeed1 of my own1 but ,i believe it will hold true almost in all the chief trading towns in ,england1 that there are more tradesmen undone by having too much trade1 than for want of trade4 ,over-trading is among tradesmen as over-lifting is among strong men3 such people1 vain of the strengh1 and their pride prompting them to put it to the utmost trial1 at last lift at something too heavy for them1 over-strain their sinews1 break some of nature's bands1 and are cripples ever after4 ,i take over-trading to be to a shopkeeper as ambition is to a prince4 ,the late king of ,france1 the great king ,louis1 ambition led him to invade the dominions of his neighbours2 and while upon the empire here1 or the states-general there1 or the ,spanish ,netherlands on another quarter1 he was an over-match for every one1 and1 in their single capacity1 he gained from them all2 but at last pride made him think himself a match for them all together1 and he entered into a declared war against the emperor and the empire1 the kings of ,spain and ,great ,britain1 and the states of ,holland1 all at once4 ,and what was the consequence8 ,they reduced him to the utmost distress1 he lost all his conquests1 was obliged1 by a dishonourable peace1 to quit what he had got by encroachment1 to demolish his invincible towns1 such as ,pignerol1 ,dunkirk1 c41 the two strongest fortresses in ,europe2 and1 in a word1 like a bankrupt monarch1 he may1 in many cases1 be said to have died a beggar4 ,thus the strong man in the fable1 who by main strength used to rive a tree1 undertook one at last which was too strong for him1 and it closed upon his fingers1 and held him till the wild beasts came and devoured him4 ,though the story is a fable1 the moral is good to my present purpose1 and is not at all above my subject2 ,i mean that of a tradesman1 who should be warned against over-trading1 as earnestly1 and with as much passion1 as ,i would warn a dealer in gunpowder to be wary of fire1 or a distiller or rectifier of spirits to moderate his furnace1 lest the heads of his stills fly off1 and he should be scalded to death4 ,for a young tradesman to over-trade himself1 is like a young swimmer going out of his depth1 when1 if help does not come immediately1 it is a thousand to one but he sinks1 and is drowned4 ,all rash adventures are condemned by the prudent part of mankind2 but it is as hard to restrain youth in trade1 as it is in any other thing1 where the advantage stands in view1 and the danger out of sight2 the profits of trade are baits to the avaricious shopkeeper1 and he is forward to reckon them up to himself1 but does not perhaps cast up the difficulty which there may be to compass it1 or the unhappy consequences of a miscarriage4 ,for want of this consideration1 the tradesman oftentimes drowns1 as ,i may call it1 even within his depth--that is1 he sinks when he has really the substance at bottom to keep him up--and this is all owing to an adventurous bold spirit in trade1 joined with too great a gust of gain4 ,avarice is the ruin of many people besides tradesmen2 and ,i might give the late ,south ,sea calamity for an example in which the longest heads were most overreached1 not so much by the wit or cunning of those they had to deal with as by the secret promptings of their own avarice2 wherein they abundantly verified an old proverbial speech or saying1 namely1 ',all covet1 all lose2' so it was there indeed1 and the cunningest1 wisest1 sharpest1 men lost the most money4 ,there are two things which may be properly called over-trading1 in a young beginner2 and by both which tradesmen are often overthrown4 #a4 ,trading beyond their stock4 #b4 ,giving too large credit4 ,a tradesman ought to consider and measure well the extent of his own strengh2 his stock of money1 and credit1 is properly his beginning2 for credit is a stock as well as money4 ,he that takes too much credit is really in as much danger as he that gives too much credit2 and the danger lies particularly in this1 if the tradesman over-buys himself1 that is1 buys faster than he can sell1 buying upon credit1 the payments perhaps become due too soon for him2 the goods not being sold1 he must answer the bills upon the strength of his proper stock--that is1 pay for them out of his own cash2 if that should not hold out1 he is obliged to put off his bills after they are due1 or suffer the impertinence of being dunned by the creditor1 and perhaps by servants and apprentices1 and that with the usual indecencies of such kind of people4 ,this impairs his credit1 and if he comes to deal with the same merchant1 or clothier1 or other tradesman again1 he is treated like one that is but an indifferent paymaster2 and though they may give him credit as before1 yet depending that if he bargains for six months1 he will take eight or nine in the payment1 they consider it in the price1 and use him accordingly2 and this impairs his gain1 so that loss of credit is indeed loss of money1 and this weakens him both ways4 ,a tradesman1 therefore1 especially at his beginning1 ought to be very wary of taking too much credit2 he had much better slip the occasion of buying now and then a bargain to his advantage1 for that is usually the temptation1 than buying a greater quantity of goods than he can pay for1 run into debt1 and be insulted1 and at last ruined4 ,merchants1 and wholesale dealers1 to put off their goods1 are very apt to prompt young shopkeepers and young tradesmen to buy great quantities of goods1 and take large credit at first2 but it is a snare that many a young beginner has fallen into1 and been ruined in the very bud2 for if the young beginner does not find a vent for the quantity1 he is undone2 for at the time of payment the merchant expects his money1 whether the goods are sold or not2 and if he cannot pay1 he is gone at once4 ,the tradesman that buys warily1 always pays surely1 and every young beginner ought to buy cautiously2 if he has money to pay1 he need never fear goods to be had2 the merchants' warehouses are always open1 and he may supply himself upon all occasions1 as he wants1 and as his customers call4 ,it may pass for a kind of an objection here1 that there are some goods which a tradesman may deal in1 which are to be bought at such and such markets only1 and at such and such fairs only1 that is to say1 are chiefly bought there2 as the cheesemongers buy their stocks of cheese and of butter1 the cheese at several fairs in ,warwickshire1 as at ,atherston fair in particular1 or at fair in ,gloucestershire1 and at ,sturbridge fair1 near ,cambridge2 and their butter at ,ipswich fair1 in ,suffolk2 and so of many other things2 but the answer is plain3 those things which are generally bought thus1 are ready money goods1 and the tradesman has a sure rule for buying1 namely1 his cash4 ,but as ,i am speaking of taking credit1 so ,i must be necessarily supposed to speak of such goods as are bought upon credit1 as the linen-draper buys of the ,hamburgh and ,dutch merchants1 the woollen-draper of the ,blackwell-hall men1 the haberdasher of the thread merchants1 the mercer of the weavers and ,italian merchants1 the silk-man of the ,turkey merchants1 and the like2 here they are under no necessity of running deep into debt1 but may buy sparingly1 and recruit again as they sell off4 ,i know some tradesmen are very fond of seeing their shops well-stocked1 and their warehouses full of goods1 and this is a snare to them1 and brings them to buy in more goods than they want2 but this is a great error1 either in their judgment or their vanity2 for1 except in retailers' shops1 and that in some trades where they must have a great choice of goods1 or else may want a trade1 otherwise a well-experienced tradesman had rather see his warehouse too empty than too full3 if it be too empty1 he can fill it when he pleases1 if his credit be good1 or his cash strong2 but a thronged warehouse is a sign of a want of customers1 and of a bad market2 whereas1 an empty warehouse is a sign of a nimble demand4#ab ,let no young tradesman value himself upon having a very great throng of goods in hand1 having just a necessary supply to produce a choice of new and fashionable goods--nay1 though he be a mercer1 for they are the most under the necessity of a large stock of goods2 but ,i say1 supposing even the mercer to have a tolerable show and choice of fashionable goods1 that gives his shop a reputation1 he derives no credit at all from a throng of old shopkeepers1 as they call them1 namely1 out-of-fashion things3 but in other trades it is much more a needful caution2 a few goods1 and a quick sale1 is the beauty of a tradesman's warehouse1 or shop either2 and it is his wisdom to keep himself in that posture that his payments may come in on his front as fast as they go out in his rear2 that he may be able to answer the demands of his merchants or dealers1 and1 if possible1 let no man come twice for his money4 ,the reason of this is plain1 and leads me back to where ,i began2 credit is stock1 and1 if well supported1 is as good as a stock1 and will be as durable4 ,a tradesman whose credit is good1 untouched1 unspotted1 and who1 as above1 has maintained it with care1 shall in many cases buy his goods as cheap at three or four months' time of payment1 as another man shall with ready money--,i say in some cases1 and in goods which are ordinarily sold for time1 as all our manufactures1 the bay trade excepted1 generally are4 ,he1 then1 that keeps his credit unshaken1 has a double stock--,i mean1 it is an addition to his real stock1 and often superior to it3 nay1 ,i have known several considerable tradesmen in this city who have traded with great success1 and to a very considerable degree1 and yet have not had at bottom one shilling real stock2 but by the strength of their reputation1 being sober and diligent1 and having with care preserved the character of honest men1 and the credit of their business1 by cautious dealing and punctual payments1 they have gone on till the gain of their trade has effectually established them1 and they have raised estates out of nothing4 ,but to return to the dark side1 namely1 over-trading2 the second danger is the giving too much credit4 ,he that takes credit may give credit1 but he must be exceedingly watchful2 for it is the most dangerous state of life that a tradesman can live in1 for he is in as much jeopardy as a seaman upon a lee-shore4 ,if the people he trusts fail1 or fail but of a punctual compliance with him1 he can never support his own credit1 unless by the caution ,i am now giving2 that is1 to be very sure not to give so much credit as he takes4 ,by the word so much1 ,i must be understood thus--either he must sell for shorter time than he takes1 or in less quantity2 the last is the safest1 namely1 that he should be sure not to trust out so much as he is trusted with4 ,if he has a real stock1 indeed1 besides the credit he takes1 that1 indeed1 makes the case differ2 and a man that can pay his own debts1 whether other people pay him or no1 that man is out of the question--he is past danger1 and cannot be hurt2 but if he trusts beyond the extent of his stock and credit1 even he may be overthrown too4 ,there were many sad examples of this in the time of the late war1#ac and in the days when the public credit was in a more precarious condition that it has been since--,i say1 sad examples1 namely1 when tradesmen in flourishing circumstances1 and who had indeed good estates at bottom1 and were in full credit themselves1 trusted the public with too great sums2 which1 not coming in at the time expected1 either by the deficiency of the funds given by parliament1 and the parliament themselves not soon making good those deficiencies1 or by other disasters of those times2 ,i say1 their money not coming in to answer their demands1 they were ruined1 at least their credit wounded1 and some quite undone1 who yet1 had they been paid1 could have paid all their own debts1 and had good sums of money left4 ,others1 who had ability to afford it1 were obliged to sell their tallies and orders at forty or fifty per cent4 loss2 from whence proceeded that black trade of buying and selling navy and victualling bills and transport debts1 by which the brokers and usurers got estates1 and many thousands of tradesmen were brought to nothing2 even those that stood it1 lost great sums of money by selling their tallies3 but credit cannot be bought too dear2 and the throwing away one half to save the other1 was much better than sinking under the burden2 like sailors in a storm1 who1 to lighten the ship wallowing in the trough of the sea1 will throw the choicest goods overboard1 even to half the cargo1 in order to keep the ship above water1 and save their lives4 ,these were terrible examples of over-trading indeed2 the men were tempted by the high price which the government gave for their goods1 and which they were obliged to give1 because of the badness of the public credit at that time2 but this was not sufficient to make good the loss sustained in the sale of the tallies1 so that even they that sold and were able to stand without ruin1 were yet great sufferers1 and had enough to do to keep up their credit4 ,this was the effect of giving over-much credit2 for though it was the government itself which they trusted1 yet neither could the government itself keep up the sinking credit of those whom it was indebted to2 and1 indeed1 how should it1 when it was not able to support its own credit8 ,but that by the way4 ,i return to the young tradesman1 whom we are now speaking about4 ,it is his greatest prudence1 therefore1 after he has considered his own fund1 and the stock he has to rest upon--,i say1 his next business is to take care of his credit1 and1 next to limiting his buying-liberty1 let him be sure to limit his selling4 ,could the tradesman buy all upon credit1 and sell all for ready money1 he might turn usurer1 and put his own stock out to interest1 or buy land with it1 for he would have no occasion for one shilling of it2 but since that is not expected1 nor can be done1 it is his business to act with prudence in both parts--,i mean of taking and giving credit--and the best rule to be given him for it is1 never to give so much credit as he takes1 by at least one-third part4 ,by giving credit1 ,i do not mean1 that even all the goods which he buys upon credit1 may not be sold upon credit2 perhaps they are goods which are usually sold so1 and no otherwise2 but the alternative is before him thus--either he must not give so much credit in quantity of goods1 or not so long credit in relation to time--for example3 ,suppose the young tradesman buys ten thousand pounds' value of goods on credit1 and this ten thousand pounds are sold for eleven thousand pounds likewise on credit2 if the time given be the same1 the man is in a state of apparent destruction1 and it is a hundred to one but he is blown up3 perhaps he owes the ten thousand pounds to twenty men1 perhaps the eleven thousand pounds is owing to him by two hundred men--it is scarce possible that these two hundred petty customers of his1 should all so punctually comply with their payments as to enable him to comply with his2 and if two or three thousand pounds fall short1 the poor tradesman1 unless he has a fund to support the deficiency1 must be undone4 ,but if the man had bought ten thousand pounds at six or eight months' credit1 and had sold them all again as above to his two hundred customers1 at three months' and four months' credit1 then it might be supposed all1 or the greatest part of them1 would have paid time enough to make his payments good2 if not1 all would be lost still4 ,but1 on the other hand1 suppose he had sold but three thousand pounds' worth of the ten for ready money1 and had sold the rest for six months' credit1 it might be supposed that the three thousand pounds in cash1 and what else the two hundred debtors might pay in time1 might stop the months of the tradesman's creditors till the difference might be made good4 ,so easy a thing is it for a tradesman to lose his credit in trade1 and so hard is it1 once upon such a blow1 to retrieve it again4 ,what need1 then1 is there for the tradesman to guard himself against running too far into debt1 or letting other people run too far into debt to him2 for if they do not pay him1 he cannot pay others1 and the next thing is a commission of bankrupt1 and so the tradesman may be undone1 though he has eleven thousand pounds to pay ten with8 ,it is true1 it is not possible in a country where there is such an infinite extent of trade as we see managed in this kingdom1 that either on one hand or another it can be carried on1 without a reciprocal credit both taken and given2 but it is so nice an article1 that ,i am of opinion as many tradesmen break with giving too much credit1 as break with taking it4 ,the danger1 indeed1 is mutual1 and very great4 ,whatever1 then1 the young tradesman omits1 let him guard against both his giving and taking too much credit4 ,but there are divers ways of over-trading1 besides this of taking and giving too much credit2 and one of these is the running out into projects and heavy undertakings1 either out of the common road which the tradesman is already engaged in1 or grasping at too many undertakings at once1 and having1 as it is vulgarly expressed1 too many irons in the fire at a time2 in both which cases the tradesman is often wounded1 and that deeply1 sometimes too deep to recover4 ,the consequences of those adventures are generally such as these3 first1 that they stock-starve the tradesman1 and impoverish him in his ordinary business1 which is the main support of his family2 they lessen his strength1 and while his trade is not lessened1 yet his stock is lessened2 and as they very rarely add to his credit1 so1 if they lessen the man's stock1 they weaken him in the main1 and he must at last faint under it4 ,secondly1 as they lessen his stock1 so they draw from it in the most sensible part--they wound him in the tenderest and most nervous part1 for they always draw away his ready money2 and what follows8 ,the money1 which was before the sinews of his business1 the life of his trade1 maintained his shop1 and kept up his credit in the full extent of it1 being drawn off1 like the blood let out of the veins1 his trade languishes1 his credit1 by degrees1 flags and goes off1 and the tradesman falls under the weight4 ,thus ,i have seen many a flourishing tradesman sensibly decay2 his credit has first a little suffered1 then for want of that credit trade has declined--that is to say1 he has been obliged to trade for less and less1 till at last he is wasted and reduced3 if he has been wise enough and wary enough to draw out betimes1 and avoid breaking1 he has yet come out of trade1 like an old invalid soldier out of the wars1 maimed1 bruised1 sick1 reduced1 and fitter for an hospital than a shop--such miserable havoc has launching out into projects and remote undertakings made among tradesmen4 ,but the safe tradesman is he1 that avoiding all such remote excursions1 keeps close within the verge of his own affairs1 minds his shop or warehouse1 and confining himself to what belongs to him there1 goes on in the road of his business without launching into unknown oceans2 and content with the gain of his own trade1 is neither led by ambition or avarice1 and neither covets to be greater nor richer by such uncertain and hazardous attempts4 ,,footnotes3 #ab ,the keeping of a half empty shop will not suit the necessities of trade in modern times4 ,instead of following the advice of ,defoe1 therefore1 the young tradesman is recommended to keep a sufficient stock of every kind of goods in which he professes to deal4 ,a shopkeeper can hardly commit a greater blunder than allow himself to be out of any article of his trade4 ,one of his chief duties ought to consist in keeping up a fresh stock of every article which there is a chance of being sought for1 and1 while avoiding the imprudence of keeping too large a stock of goods--which comes nearest to ,defoe's meaning--it is certain that1 by having on hand an abundant choice1 the shop gains a name1 and has the best chance of securing a concourse of customers4 #ac ,the war of the ,spanish succession1 concluded by the treaty of ,utrecht1 #agac4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman ,,in ,,distress1 ,,and ,,becoming ,,bankrupt ,in former times it was a dismal and calamitous thing for a tradesman to break4 ,where it befell a family1 it put all into confusion and distraction2 the man1 in the utmost terror1 fright1 and distress1 ran away with what goods he could get off1 as if the house were on fire1 to get into the ,friars#ad or the ,mint2 the family fled1 one one way1 and one another1 like people in desperation2 the wife to her father and mother1 if she had any1 and the children1 some to one relation1 some to another4 ,a statute 7so they vulgarly call a commission of bankrupt7 came and swept away all1 and oftentimes consumed it too1 and left little or nothing1 either to pay the creditors or relieve the bankrupt4 ,this made the bankrupt desperate1 and made him fly to those places of shelter with his goods1 where1 hardened by the cruelty of the creditors1 he chose to spend all the effects which should have paid the creditors1 and at last perished in misery4 ,but now the case is altered2 men make so little of breaking1 that many times the family scarce removes for it4 ,a commission of bankrupt is so familiar a thing1 that the debtor oftentimes causes it to be taken out in his favour1 that he may sooner be effectually delivered from all his creditors at once1 the law obliging him only to give a full account of himself upon oath to the commissioners1 who1 when they see his integrity1 may effectually deliver him from all further molestation1 give him a part even of the creditors' estate2 and so he may push into the world again1 and try whether he cannot retrieve his fortunes by a better management1 or with better success for the future4 ,some have said1 this law is too favourable to the bankrupt2 that it makes tradesmen careless2 that they value not breaking at all1 but run on at all hazards1 venturing without forecast and without consideration1 knowing they may come off again so cheap and so easy1 if they miscarry4 ,but though ,i cannot enter here into a long debate upon that subject1 yet ,i may have room to say1 that ,i differ from those people very much2 for1 though the terror of the commission is in some measure abated1 as indeed it ought to be1 because it was before exorbitant and unreasonable1 yet the terror of ruining a man's family1 sinking his fortunes1 blasting his credit1 and throwing him out of business1 and into the worst of disgrace that a tradesman can fall into1 this is not taken away1 or abated at all2 and this1 to an honest trading man1 is as bad as all the rest ever was or could be4 ,nor can a man be supposed1 in the rupture of his affairs1 to receive any comfort1 or to see through his disasters into the little relief which he may1 and at the same time cannot be sure he shall1 receive1 at the end of his troubles1 from the mercy of the commission4 ,these are poor things1 and very trifling for a tradesman to entertain thoughts of a breach from1 especially with any prospect of satisfaction2 nor can any tradesman with the least shadow of principle entertain any thought of breaking1 but with the utmost aversion1 and even abhorrence2 for the circumstances of it are attended with so many mortifications1 and so many shocking things1 contrary to all the views and expectations that a tradesman can begin the world with1 that he cannot think of it1 but as we do of the grave1 with a chillness upon the blood1 and a tremor in the spirits4 ,breaking is the death of a tradesman2 he is mortally stabbed1 or1 as we may say1 shot through the head1 in his trading capacity2 his shop is shut up1 as it is when a man is buried2 his credit1 the life and blood of his trade1 is stagnated2 and his attendance1 which was the pulse of his business1 is stopped1 and beats no more2 in a word1 his fame1 and even name1 as to trade is buried1 and the commissioners1 that act upon him1 and all their proceedings1 are but like the executors of the defunct1 dividing the ruins of his fortune1 and at last1 his certificate is a kind of performing the obsequies for the dead1 and praying him out of purgatory4 ,did ever tradesman set up on purpose to break8 ,did ever a man build himself a house on purpose to have it burnt down8 ,i can by no means grant that any tradesman1 at least in his senses1 can entertain the least satisfaction in his trading1 or abate any thing of his diligence in trade1 from the easiness of breaking1 or the abated severities of the bankrupt act4 ,i could argue it from the nature of the act itself1 which1 indeed1 was made1 and is effectual1 chiefly for the relief of creditors1 not debtors2 to secure the bankrupt's effects for the use of those to whom it of right belongs1 and to prevent the extravagant expenses of the commission1 which before were such as often devoured all1 ruining both the bankrupt and his creditors too4 ,this the present law has providently put a stop to2 and the creditors now are secure in this point1 that what is to be had1 what the poor tradesman has left1 they are sure to have preserved for1 and divided among them1 which1 indeed1 before they were not4 ,the case is so well known1 and so recent in every tradesman's memory1 that ,i need not take up any more of your time about it4 ,as to the encouragements in the act for the bankrupt1 they are only these--namely1 that1 upon his honest and faithful surrender of his affairs1 he shall be set at liberty2 and if they see cause1 they1 the creditors1 may give him back a small gratification for his discovering his effects1 and assisting to the recovery of them2 and all this1 which amounts to very little1 is upon his being1 as ,i have said1 entirely honest1 and having run through all possible examinations and purgations1 and that it is at the peril of his life if he prevaricates4 ,are these encouragements to tradesmen to be negligent and careless of the event of things8 ,will any man in his wits fail in his trade1 break his credit1 and shut up his shop1 for these prospects8 ,or will he comfort himself in case he is forced to fail--,i say1 will he comfort himself with these little benefits1 and make the matter easy to himself on that account8 ,he must have a very mean spirit that can do this1 and must act upon very mean principles in life1 who can fall with satisfaction1 on purpose to rise no higher than this2 it is like a man going to bed on purpose to rise naked1 pleasing himself with the thoughts that1 though he shall have no clothes to put on1 yet he shall have the liberty to get out of bed and shift for himself4 ,on these accounts1 and some others1 too long to mention here1 ,i think it is out of doubt1 that the easiness of the proceedings on commissions of bankrupt can be no encouragement to any tradesman to break1 or so much as to entertain the thoughts of it1 with less horror and aversion than he would have done before this law was made4 ,but ,i must come now to speak of the tradesman in his real state of mortification1 and under the inevitable necessity of a blow upon his affairs4 ,he has had losses in his business1 such as are too heavy for his stock to support2 he has1 perhaps1 launched out in trade beyond his reach3 either he has so many bad debts1 that he cannot find by his books he has enough left to pay his creditors1 or his debts lie out of his reach1 and he cannot get them in1 which in one respect is as bad2 he has more bills running against him than he knows how to pay1 and creditors dunning him1 whom it is hard for him to comply with2 and this1 by degrees1 sinks his credit4 ,now1 could the poor unhappy tradesman take good advice1 now would be his time to prevent his utter ruin1 and let his case be better or worse1 his way is clear4 ,if it be only that he has overshot himself in trade1 taken too much credit1 and is loaded with goods2 or given too much credit1 and cannot get his debts in2 but that1 upon casting up his books1 he finds his circumstances good at bottom1 though his credit has suffered by his effects being out of his hands2 let him endeavour to retrench1 let him check his career in trade--immediately take some extraordinary measures to get in his debts1 or some extraordinary measures1 if he can1 to raise money in the meantime1 till those debts come in1 that he may stop the crowd of present demands4 ,if this will not do1 let him treat with some of his principal creditors1 showing them a true and faithful state of his affairs1 and giving them the best assurances he can of payment1 that they may be easy with him till he can get in his debts2 and then1 with the utmost care1 draw in his trade within the due compass of his stock1 and be sure never to run out again farther than he is able to answer1 let the prospect of advantage be what it will2 and by this method he may perhaps recover his credit again1 at least he may prevent his ruin4 ,but this is always supposing the man has a firm bottom1 that he is sound in the main1 and that his stock is at least sufficient to pay all his debts4 ,but the difficulty which ,i am proposing to speak of1 is when the poor tradesman1 distressed as above in point of credit1 looking into his affairs1 finds that his stock is diminished1 or perhaps entirely sunk--that1 in short1 he has such losses and such disappointments in his business1 that he is not sound at bottom2 that he has run too far1 and that his own stock being wasted or sunk1 he has not really sufficient to pay his debts2 what is this man's business8--and what course shall he take8 ,i know the ordinary course with such tradesmen is this3--',it is true1' says the poor man1 ',i am running down1 and ,i have lost so much in such a place1 and so much by such a chapman that broke1 and1 in short1 so much1 that ,i am worse than nothing2 but come1 ,i have such a thing before me1 or ,i have undertaken such a project1 or ,i have such an adventure abroad1 if it suceeds1 ,i may recover again2 ,i'll try my utmost2 ,i'll never drown while ,i can swim2 ,i'll never fall while ,i can stand2 who knows but ,i may get over it8' ,in a word1 the poor man is loth to come to the fatal day2 loth to have his name in the ,gazette1 and see his wife and family turned out of doors1 and the like2 who can blame him8 or who is not1 in the like case1 apt to take the like measures8--for it is natural to us all to put the evil day far from us1 at least to put it as far off as we can4 ,though the criminal believes he shall be executed at last1 yet he accepts of every reprieve1 as it puts him within the possibility of an escape1 and that as long as there is life there is hope2 but at last the dead warrant comes down1 then he sees death unavoidable1 and gives himself up to despair4 ,indeed1 the malefactor was in the right to accept1 as ,i say1 of every reprieve1 but it is quite otherwise in the tradesman's case2 and if ,i may give him a rule1 safe1 and in its end comfortable1 in proportion to his circumstances1 but1 to be sure1 out of question1 just1 honest1 and prudent1 it is this3-- ,when he perceives his case as above1 and knows that if his new adventures or projects should fail1 he cannot by any means stand or support himself1 ,i not only give it as my advice to all tradesmen1 as their interest1 but insist upon it1 as they are honest men1 they should break1 that is1 stop in time3 fear not to do that which necessity obliges you to do2 but1 above all1 fear not to do that early1 which1 if omitted1 necessity will oblige you to do late4 ,first1 let me argue upon the honesty of it1 and next upon the prudence of it4 ,certainly1 honesty obliges every man1 when he sees that his stock is gone1 that he is below the level1 and eating into the estate of other men1 to put a stop to it1 and to do it in time1 while something is left4 ,it has been a fault1 without doubt1 to break in upon other men's estates at all2 but perhaps a plea may be made that it was ignorantly done1 and they did not think they were run so far as to be worse than nothing2 or some sudden disaster may have occasioned it1 which they did not expect1 and1 it may be1 could not foresee2 both which may indeed happen to a tradesman1 though the former can hardly happen without his fault1 because he ought to be always acquainting himself with his books1 stating his expenses and his profits1 and casting things up frequently1 at least in his head1 so as always to know whether he goes backward or forward4 ,the latter1 namely1 sudden disaster1 may happen so to any tradesman as that he may be undone1 and it may not be his fault2 for ruin sometimes falls as suddenly as unavoidably upon a tradesman1 though there are but very few incidents of that kind which may not be accounted for in such a manner as to charge it upon his prudence4 ,some cases may indeed happen1 some disasters may befall a tradesman1 which it was not possible he should foresee1 as fire1 floods of water1 thieves1 and many such--and in those cases the disaster is visible1 the plea is open1 every body allows it1 the man can have no blame4 ,a prodigious tide from the sea1 joined with a great fresh or flood in the river ,dee1 destroyed the new wharf below the ,roodee at ,west ,chester1 and tore down the merchants' warehouses there1 and drove away not only all the goods1 but even the buildings and altogether1 into the sea4 ,now1 if a poor shopkeeper in ,chester had a large parcel of goods lying there1 perhaps newly landed in order to be brought up to the city1 but were all swept away1 if1 ,i say1 the poor tradesman were ruined by the loss of those goods on that occasion1 the creditors would see reason in it that they should every one take a share in the loss2 the tradesman was not to blame4 ,likewise in the distress of the late fire which began in ,thames ,street1 near ,bear ,quay1 a grocer might have had a quantity of goods in a warehouse thereabouts1 or his shop might be there1 and the goods perhaps might be sugars1 or currants1 or tobacco1 or any other goods in his way1 which could not be easily removed2 this fire was a surprise1 it was a blast of powder1 it was at noonday1 when no person coud foresee it4 ,the man may have been undone and be in no fault himself1 one way or other2 no man can reasonably say to him1 why did you keep so many goods upon your hands1 or in such a place8 for it was his proper business both to have a stock of goods1 and to have them in such a place2 every thing was in the right position1 and in the order which the nature of his trade required4 ,on the other hand1 if it was the breaking of a particular chapman1 or an adventure by sea1 the creditors would perhaps reflect on his prudence2 why should any man trust a single chapman so much1 or adventure so much in one single bottom1 and uninsured1 as that the loss of it would be his undoing8 ,but there are other cases1 however1 which may happen to a tradesman1 and by which he may be at once reduced below his proper stock1 and have nothing left to trade on but his credit1 that is to say1 the estates of his creditors4 ,in such a case1 ,i question whether it can be honest for any man to continue trading2 for1 first1 it is making his creditors run an unjust hazard1 without their consent2 indeed1 if he discovers his condition to one or two of them1 who are men of capital stocks1 and will support him1 they giving him leave to pay others off1 and go on at their risks1 that alters the case2 or if he has a ready money trade1 that will apparently raise him again1 and he runs no more hazards1 but is sure he shall at least run out no farther2 in these two cases1 and ,i do not know another1 he may with honesty continue4 ,on the contrary1 when he sees himself evidently running out1 and declining1 and has only a shift here and a shift there1 to lay hold on1 as sinking men generally do2 and knows1 that unless something extraordinary happen1 which1 perhaps1 also is not probable1 he must fall1 for such a man to go on1 and trade in the ordinary way1 notwithstanding losses1 and hazards--in such a case1 ,i affirm1 he cannot act the honest man1 he cannot go on with justice to his creditors1 or his family2 he ought to call his creditors together1 lay his circumstances honestly before them1 and pay as far as it will go4 ,if his creditors will do any thing generously for him1 to enable him to go on again1 well and good1 but he cannot honestly oblige them to run the risk of his unfortunate progress1 and to venture their estates on his bottom1 after his bottom is really nothing at all but their money4 ,but ,i pass from the honesty to the prudence of it--from what regards his creditors1 to what regards himself--and ,i affirm1 nothing can be more imprudent and impolite1 as it regards himself and his family1 than to go on after he sees his circumstances irrecoverable4 ,if he has any consideration for himself1 or his future happiness1 he will stop in time1 and not be afraid of meeting the mischief which he sees follows too fast for him to escape2 be not so afraid of breaking1 as not to break till necessity forces you1 and that you have nothing left4 ,in a word1 ,i speak it to every declining tradesman1 if you love yourself1 your family1 or your reputation1 and would ever hope to look the world in the face again1 break in time4 ,by breaking in time you will first obtain the character of an honest1 though unfortunate man2 it is owing to the contrary course1 which is indeed the ordinary practice of tradesmen1 namely1 not to break till they run the bottom quite out1 and have little or nothing left to pay2 ,i say1 it is owing to this1 that some people think all men that break are knaves4 ,the censure1 it is true1 is unjust1 but the cause is owing to the indiscretion1 to call it no worse1 of the poor tradesmen1 who putting the mischief as far from them as they can1 trade on to the last gasp1 till a throng of creditors coming on them together1 or being arrested1 and not able to get bail1 or by some such public blow to their credit1 they are brought to a stop or breach of course1 like a man fighting to the last gasp who is knocked down1 and laid on the ground1 and then his resistance is at an end2 for indeed a tradesman pushing on under irresistable misfortunes is but fighting with the world to the last drop1 and with such unequal odds1 that like the soldier surrounded with enemies1 he must be killed2 so the debtor must sink1 it cannot be prevented4 ,it is true1 also1 the man that thus struggles to the last1 brings upon him an universal reproach1 and a censure1 that is not only unavoidable1 but just1 which is worse2 but when a man breaks in time1 he may hold up his face to his creditors1 and tell them1 that he could have gone on a considerable while longer1 but that he should have had less left to pay them with1 and that he has chosen to stop while he may be able to give them so considerable a sum as may convince them of his integrity4 ,we have a great clamour among us of the cruelty of creditors1 and it is a popular clamour1 that goes a great way with some people2 but let them tell us when ever creditors were cruel1 when the debtor came thus to them with fifteen shillings in the pound in his offer4 ,perhaps when the debtor has run to the utmost1 and there appears to be little or nothing left1 he has been used roughly2 and it is enough to provoke a creditor1 indeed1 to be offered a shilling or half-a-crown in the pound for a large debt1 when1 had the debtor been honest1 and broke in time1 he might have received perhaps two-thirds of his debt1 and the debtor been in better condition too4 ,break then in time1 young tradesman1 if you see you are going down1 and that the hazard of going on is doubtful2 you will certainly be received by your creditors with compassion1 and with a generous treatment2 and1 whatever happens1 you will be able to begin the world again with the title of an honest man--even the same creditors will embark with you again1 and be more forward to give you credit than before4 ,it is true1 most tradesmen that break merit the name of knave or dishonest man1 but it is not so with all2 the reason of the difference lies chiefly in the manner of their breaking--namely1 whether sooner or later4 ,it is possible1 he may be an honest man who cannot1 but he can never be honest that can1 and will not pay his debts4 ,now he1 that1 being able to pay fifteen shillings in the pound1 will struggle on till he sees he shall not be able to pay half-a-crown in the pound1 this man was able to pay1 but would not1 and1 therefore1 as above1 cannot be an honest man4 ,in the next place1 what shall we say to the peace and satisfaction of mind in breaking1 which the tradesman will always have when he acts the honest part1 and breaks betimes1 compared to that guilt and chagrin of the mind1 occasioned by a running on1 as ,i said1 to the last gasp1 when they have little to pay8 ,then1 indeed1 the tradesman can expect no quarter from his creditors1 and will have no quiet in himself4 ,i might instance here the miserable1 anxious1 perplexed life1 which the poor tradesman lives under2 the distresses and extremities of his declining state2 how harassed and tormented for money2 what shifts he is driven to for supporting himself2 how many little1 mean1 and even wicked things1 will even the religious tradesman stoop to in his distress1 to deliver himself--even such things as his very soul would abhor at another time1 and for which he goes perhaps with a wounded conscience all his life after6 ,by giving up early1 all this1 which is the most dreadful part of all the rest1 would be prevented4 ,i have heard many an honest unfortunate man confess this1 and repent1 even with tears1 that they had not learned to despair in trade some years sooner than they did1 by which they had avoided falling into many foul and foolish actions1 which they afterwards had been driven to by the extremity of their affairs4 ,,footnotes3 #ad ,whitefriars1 in the neighbourhood of the ,temple1 ,london4 ,this and the ,mint were sanctuaries for debtors4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,ordinary ,,occasions ,,of ,,the ,,ruin ,,of ,,tradesmen ,since ,i have given advice to tradesmen1 when they fell into difficulties1 and find they are run behind-hand1 to break in time1 before they run on too far1 and thereby prevent the consequences of a fatal running on to extremity1 it is but just ,i should give them some needful directions1 to avoid1 if possible1 breaking at all4 ,in order to this1 ,i will briefly inquire what are the ordinary originals of a tradesman's ruin in business4 ,to say it is negligence1 when ,i have already pressed to a close application and diligence2 that it is launching into1 and grasping at1 more business than their stock1 or1 perhaps1 their understandings1 are able to manage1 when ,i have already spoken of the fatal consequences of over-trading2 to say it is trusting carelessly people unable to pay1 and running too rashly into debt1 when ,i have already spoken of taking and giving too much credit--this would all be but saying the same thing over again--and ,i am too full of particulars1 in this important case1 to have any need of tautologies and repetitions2 but there are a great many ways by which tradesmen precipitate themselves into ruin besides those1 and some that need explaining and enlarging upon4 #a4 ,some1 especially retailers1 ruin themselves by fixing their shops in such places as are improper for their business4 ,in most towns1 but particularly in the city of ,london1 there are places as it were appropriated to particular trades1 and where the trades which are placed there succeed very well1 but would do very ill any where else1 or any other trades in the same places2 as the orange-merchants and wet-salters about ,billingsgate1 and in ,thames ,street2 the coster-mongers at the ,three ,cranes2 the wholesale cheesemongers in ,thames ,street2 the mercers and drapers in the high streets1 such as ,cheapside1 ,ludgate ,street1 ,cornhill1 ,round ,court1 and ,grace-church ,street1 c4 ,pray what would a bookseller make of his business at ,billingsgate1 or a mercer in ,tower ,street1 or near the ,custom-house1 or a draper in ,thames ,street1 or about ,queen-hithe8 ,many trades have their peculiar streets1 and proper places for the sale of their goods1 where people expect to find such shops1 and consequently1 when they want such goods1 they go thither for them2 as the booksellers in ,st ,paul's churchyard1 about the ,exchange1 ,temple1 and the ,strand1 c41 the mercers on both sides ,ludgate1 in ,round ,court1 and ,grace-church and ,lombard ,streets2 the shoemakers in ,st ,martins le ,grand1 and ,shoemaker ,row2 the coach-makers in ,long-acre1 ,queen ,street1 and ,bishopsgate2 butchers in ,eastcheap2 and such like4 ,for a tradesman to open his shop in a place unresorted to1 or in a place where his trade is not agreeable1 and where it is not expected1 it is no wonder if he has no trade4 ,what retail trade would a milliner have among the fishmongers' shops on ,fishstreet-hill1 or a toyman about ,queen-hithe8 ,when a shop is ill chosen1 the tradesman starves2 he is out of the way1 and business will not follow him that runs away from it3 suppose a ship-chandler should set up in ,holborn1 or a block-maker in ,whitecross ,street1 an anchor-smith at ,moorgate1 or a coachmaker in ,redriff1 and the like6 ,it is true1 we have seen a kind of fate attend the very streets and rows where such trades have been gathered together2 and a street1 famous some years ago1 shall1 in a few years after1 be quite forsaken2 as ,paternoster ,row for mercers1 ,st ,paul's ,churchyard for woollen-drapers2 both the ,eastcheaps for butchers2 and now you see hardly any of those trades left in those places4 ,i mention it for this reason1 and this makes it to my purpose in an extraordinary manner1 that whenever the principal shopkeepers remove from such a street1 or settled place1 where the principal trade used to be1 the rest soon follow--knowing1 that if the fame of the trade is not there1 the customers will not resort thither3 and that a tradesman's business is to follow wherever the trade leads4 ,for a mercer to set up now in ,paternoster ,row1 or a woollen-draper in ,st ,paul's ,churchyard1 the one among the sempstresses1 and the other among the chair-makers1 would be the same thing as for a country shopkeeper not to set up in or near the market-place4#ae ,the place1 therefore1 is to be prudently chosen by the retailer1 when he first begins his business1 that he may put himself in the way of business2 and then1 with ,god's blessing1 and his own care1 he may expect his share of trade with his neighbours4 #b4 ,he must take an especial care to have his shop not so much crowded with a large bulk of goods1 as with a well-sorted and well-chosen quantity proper for his business1 and to give credit to his beginning4 ,in order to this1 his buying part requires not only a good judgment in the wares he is to deal in1 but a perfect government of his judgment by his understanding to suit and sort his quantities and proportions1 as well to his shop as to the particular place where his shop is situated2 for example1 a particular trade is not only proper for such or such a part of the town1 but a particular assortment of goods1 even in the same way1 suits one part of the town1 or one town and not another2 as he that sets up in the ,strand1 or near the ,exchange1 is likely to sell more rich silks1 more fine ,hollands1 more fine broad-cloths1 more fine toys and trinkets1 than one of the same trade setting up in the skirts of the town1 or at ,ratcliff1 or ,wapping1 or ,redriff2 and he that sets up in the capital city of a county1 than he that is placed in a private market-town1 in the same county2 and he that is placed in a market-town1 than he that is placed in a country village4 ,a tradesman in a seaport town sorts himself different from one of the same trade in an inland town1 though larger and more populous2 and this the tradesman must weigh very maturely before he lays out his stock4 ,sometimes it happens a tradesman serves his apprenticeship in one town1 and sets up in another2 and sometimes circumstances altering1 he removes from one town to another2 the change is very important to him1 for the goods1 which he is to sell in the town he removes to1 are sometimes so different from the sorts of goods which he sold in the place he removed from1 though in the same way of trade1 that he is at a great loss both in changing his hand1 and in the judgment of buying4 ,this made me insist1 in a former chapter1 that a tradesman should take all occasions to extend his knowledge in every kind of goods1 that which way soever he may turn his hand1 he may have judgment in every thing4 ,in thus changing his circumstances of trade1 he must learn1 as well as he can1 how to furnish his shop suitable to the place he is to trade in1 and to sort his goods to the demand which he is like to have there2 otherwise he will not only lose the customers for want of proper goods1 but will very much lose by the goods which he lays in for sale1 there being no demand for them where he is going4 ,when merchants send adventures to our ,british colonies1 it is usual with them to make up to each factor what they call a sortable cargo2 that is to say1 they want something of every thing that may furnish the tradesmen there with parcels fit to fill their shops1 and invite their customers2 and if they fail1 and do not thus sort their cargoes1 the factors there not only complain1 as being ill sorted1 but the cargo lies by unsold1 because there is not a sufficient quantity of sorts to answer the demand1 and make them all marketable together4 ,it is the same thing here3 if the tradesman's shop is not well sorted1 it is not suitably furnished1 or fitted to supply his customers2 and nothing dishonours him more than to have people come to buy things usual to be had in such shops1 and go away without them4 ,the next thing they say to one another is1 ',i went to that shop1 but ,i could not be furnished2 they are not stocked there for a trade2 one seldom finds any thing there that is new or fashionable3' and so they go away to another shop2 and not only go away themselves1 but carry others away with them--for it is observable1 that the buyers or retail customers1 especially the ladies1 follow one another as sheep follow the flock2 and if one buys a beautiful silk1 or a cheap piece of ,holland1 or a new-fashioned thing of any kind1 the next inquiry is1 where it was bought2 and the shop is presently recommended for a shop well sorted1 and for a place where things are to be had not only cheap and good1 but of the newest fashion1 and where they have always great choice to please the curious1 and to supply whatever is called for4 ,and thus the trade runs away insensibly to the shops which are best sorted4 #c4 ,the retail tradesman in especial1 but even every tradesman in his station1 must furnish himself with a competent stock of patience2 ,i mean1 that patience which is needful to bear with all sorts of impertinence1 and the most provoking curiosity1 that it is possible to imagine the buyers1 even the worst of them1 are or can be guilty of4 ,a tradesman behind his counter must have no flesh and blood about him1 no passions1 no resentment4 ,he must never be angry2 no1 not so much as seem to be so4 ,if a customer tumbles him five hundred pounds' worth of goods1 and scarce bids money for any thing--nay1 though they really come to his shop with no intent to buy1 as many do1 only to see what is to be sold1 and if they cannot be better pleased than they are at some other shop where they intend to buy1 it is all one1 the tradesman must take it1 and place it to the account of his calling1 that it is his business to be ill used1 and resent nothing2 and so must answer as obligingly to those that give him an hour or two's trouble and buy nothing1 as he does to those who in half the time lay out ten or twenty pounds4 ,the case is plain3 it is his business to get money1 to sell and please2 and if some do give him trouble and do not buy1 others make him amends1 and do buy2 and as for the trouble1 it is the business of his shop4 ,i have heard that some ladies1 and those1 too1 persons of good note1 have taken their coaches and spent a whole afternoon in ,ludgate ,street or ,covent ,garden1 only to divert themselves in going from one mercer's shop to another1 to look upon their fine silks1 and to rattle and banter the journeymen and shopkeepers1 and have not so much as the least occasion1 much less intention1 to buy any thing2 nay1 not so much as carrying any money out with them to buy anything if they fancied it3 yet this the mercers who understand themselves know their business too well to resent2 nor if they really knew it1 would they take the least notice of it1 but perhaps tell the ladies they were welcome to look upon their goods2 that it was their business to show them2 and that if they did not come to buy now1 they might perhaps see they were furnished to please them when they might have occasion4 ,on the other hand1 ,i have been told that sometimes those sorts of ladies have been caught in their own snare2 that is to say1 have been so engaged by the good usage of the shopkeeper1 and so unexpectedly surprised with some fine thing or other that has been shown them1 that they have been drawn in by their fancy against their design1 to lay out money1 whether they had it or no2 that is to say1 to buy1 and send home for money to pay for it4 ,but let it be how and which way it will1 whether mercer or draper1 or what trade you please1 the man that stands behind the counter must be all courtesy1 civility1 and good manners2 he must not be affronted1 or any way moved1 by any manner of usage1 whether owing to casualty or design2 if he sees himself ill used1 he must wink1 and not see it--he must at least not appear to see it1 nor any way show dislike or distaste2 if he does1 he reproaches not only himself but his shop1 and puts an ill name upon the general usuage of customers in it2 and it is not to be imagined how1 in this gossiping1 tea-drinking age1 the scandal will run1 even among people who have had no knowledge of the person first complaining4 ',such a shop6' says a certain lady to a citizen's wife in conversation1 as they were going to buy clothes2 ',i am resolved ,i won't go to it2 the fellow that keeps it is saucy and rude3 if ,i lay out my money1 ,i expect to be well used2 if ,i don't lay it out1 ,i expect to be well treated4' ',why1 ,madam1' says the citizen1 'did the man of the shop use your ladyship ill8' ,lady4--,no1 ,i can't say he used me ill1 for ,i never was in his shop4 ,cit4--,how does your ladyship know he does so then8 ,lady4--,why1 ,i know he used another lady saucily1 because she gave him a great deal of trouble1 as he called it1 and did not buy4 ,cit4--,was it the lady that told you so herself1 ,madam8 ,lady4--,i don't know1 really1 ,i have forgot who it was2 but ,i have such a notion in my head1 and ,i don't care to try1 for ,i hate the sauciness of shopkeepers when they don't understand themselves4 ,cit4--,well2 but1 ,madam1 perhaps it may be a mistake--and the lady that told you was not the person neither8 ,lady4--,oh1 ,madam1 ,i remember now who told me2 it was my ,lady ,tattle1 when ,i was at ,mrs ,whymsy's on a visiting day2 it was the talk of the whole circle1 and all the ladies took notice of it1 and said they would take care to shun that shop4 ,cit4--,sure1 ,madam1 the lady was strangely used2 did she tell any of the particulars8 ,lady4--,no2 ,i did not understand that she told the particulars1 for it seems it was not to her1 but to some other lady1 a friend of hers2 but it was all one2 the company took as much notice of it as if it had been to her1 and resented it as much1 ,i assure you4 ,cit4--,yet1 and without examining the truth of the fact4 ,lady4--,we did not doubt the story4 ,cit4--,but had no other proof of it1 ,madam1 than her relation8 ,lady4--,why1 that's true2 nobody asked for a proof2 it was enough to tell the story4 ,cit4--,what6 though perhaps the lady did not know the person1 or whether it was true or no1 and perhaps had it from a third or fourth hand--your ladyship knows any body's credit may be blasted at that rate4 ,lady4--,we don't inquire so nicely1 you know1 into the truth of stories at a tea-table4 ,cit4--,no1 ,madam1 that's true2 but when reputation is at stake1 we should be a little careful too4 ,lady4--,why1 that's true too4 ,but why are you so concerned about it1 ,madam8 do you know the man that keeps the shop8 ,cit4--,no otherwise1 ,madam1 than that ,i have often bought there1 and ,i always found them the most civil1 obliging people in the world4 ,lady4--,it may be they know you1 ,madam4 ,cit4--,i am persuaded they don't1 for ,i seldom went but ,i saw new faces1 for they have a great many servants and journeymen in the shop4 ,lady4--,it may be you are easy to be pleased2 you are good-humoured yourself1 and cannot put their patience to any trial4 ,cit4--,indeed1 ,madam1 just the contrary2 ,i believe ,i made them tumble two or three hundred pounds' worth of goods one day1 and bought nothing2 and yet it was all one2 they used me as well as if ,i had laid out twenty pounds4 ,lady4--,why1 so they ought4 ,cit4--,yes1 ,madam1 but then it is a token they do as they ought1 and understand themselves4 ,lady4--,well1 ,i don't know much of it indeed1 but thus ,i was told4 ,cit4--,well1 but if your ladyship would know the truth of it1 you would do a piece of justice to go and try them4 ,lady4--,not ,i2 besides1 ,i have a mercer of my acquaintance4 ,cit4--,well1 ,madam1 ,i'll wait on your ladyship to your own mercer1 and if you can't find any thing to your liking1 will you go and try the other shop8 ,lady4--,oh6 ,i am sure ,i shall deal if ,i go to my mercer4 ,cit4--,well1 but if you should1 let us go for a frolic1 and give the other as much trouble as we can for nothing1 and see how he'll behave1 for ,i want to be satisfied2 if ,i find them as your ladyship has been told1 ,i'll never go there any more4 ,lady4--,upon that condition ,i agree--,i will go with you2 but ,i will go and lay out my money at my own mercer's first1 because ,i wont be tempted4 ,cit4--,well1 ,madam1 ,i'll wait on your ladyship till you have laid out your money4 ,after this discourse they drove away to the mercer's shop where the lady used to buy2 and when they came there1 the lady was surprised--the shop was shut up1 and nobody to be seen4 ,the next door was a laceman's1 and the journeyman being at the door1 the lady sent her servant to desire him to speak a word or two to her2 and when he came1 says the lady to him1 ,pray1 how long has ,mr--'s shop been shut up8 ,laceman4--,about a month1 madam4 ,lady4--,what6 is ,mr--dead8 ,laceman4--,no1 madam1 he is not dead4 ,lady4--,what then1 pray8 ,laceman4--,something worse1 madam2 he has had some misfortunes4 ,lady4--,i am very sorry to hear it1 indeed4 ,so her ladyship made her bow1 and her coachman drove away4 ,the short of the story was1 her mercer was broke2 upon which the city lady prevailed upon her ladyship to go to the other shop1 which she did1 but declared beforehand she would buy nothing1 but give the mercer all the trouble she could2 and so said the other4 ,and to make the thing more sure1 she would have them go into the shop single1 because she fancied the mercer knew the city lady1 and therefore would behave more civilly to them both on that account1 the other having laid out her money there several times4 ,well1 they went in1 and the lady asked for such and such rich things1 and had them shown her1 to a variety that she was surprised at2 but not the best or richest things they could show her gave her any satisfaction--either she did not like the pattern1 or the colours did not suit her fancy1 or they were too dear2 and so she prepares to leave the shop1 her coach standing at a distance1 which she ordered1 that they might not guess at her quality4 ,but she was quite deceived in her expectation2 for the mercer1 far from treating her in the manner as she had heard1 used her with the utmost civility and good manners4 ,she treated him1 on the contrary1 as she said herself1 even with a forced rudeness2 she gave him all the impertinent trouble she was able1 as above2 and1 pretending to like nothing he showed1 turned away with an air of contempt1 intimating that his shop was ill furnished1 and that she should be easily served1 she doubted not1 at another4 ,he told her he was very unhappy in not having any thing that suited her fancy--that1 if she knew what particular things would please her1 he would have them in two hours' time for her1 if all the ,french and ,italian merchants' warehouses in ,london1 or all the weavers' looms in ,spitalfields1 could furnish them4 ,but when that would not do1 she comes forward from his back shop1 where she had plagued him about an hour and a half2 and makes him the slight compliment of 7in a kind of a scornful tone too71 ',i am sorry ,i have given you so much trouble4' ',the trouble1 madam1 is nothing2 it is my misfortune not to please you2 but1 as to trouble1 my business is to oblige the ladies1 my customers2 if ,i show my goods1 ,i may sell them2 if ,i do not show them1 ,i cannot2 if it is not a trouble to you1 ,i'll show you every piece of goods in my shop2 if you do not buy now1 you may perhaps buy another time4' ,and thus1 in short1 he pursued her with all the good words in the world1 and waited on her towards the door4 ,as she comes forward1 there she spied the city lady1 who had just used the partner as the lady had used the chief master2 and there1 as if it had been by mere chance1 she salutes her with1 ',your servant1 cousin2 pray1 what brought you here8' ,the cousin answers1 ',madam1 ,i am mighty glad to see your ladyship here2 ,i have been haggling here a good while1 but this gentleman and ,i cannot bargain1 and ,i was just going away4' ',why1 then1' says the lady1 'you have been just such another customer as ,i1 for ,i have troubled the gentleman mercer this two hours1 and ,i cannot meet with any thing to my mind4' ,so away they go together to the door2 and the lady gets the mercer to send one of his servants to bid her coachman drive to the door1 showing him where the fellow stood4 ,while the boy was gone1 she takes the city lady aside1 and talking softly1 the mercer and his partner1 seeing them talk together1 withdrew1 but waited at a distance to be ready to hand them to the coach4 ,so they began a new discourse1 as follows3-- ,lady4--,well1 ,i am satisfied this man has been ill used in the world4 ,cit4--,why1 ,madam1 how does your ladyship find him8 ,lady4--,only the most obliging1 most gentleman-like man of a tradesman that ever ,i met with in my life4 ,cit4--,but did your ladyship try him as you said you would8 ,lady4--,try him6 ,i believe he has tumbled three thousand pounds' worth of goods for me4 ,cit4--,did you oblige him to do so8 ,lady4--,i forced him to it1 indeed1 for ,i liked nothing4 ,cit4--,is he well stocked with goods8 ,lady4--,i told him his shop was ill furnished4 ,cit4--,what did he say to that8 ,lady4--,say6 why he carried me into another inner shop1 or warehouse1 where he had goods to a surprising quantity and value1 ,i confess4 ,cit4--,and what could you say1 then8 ,lady4--,say6 in truth ,i was ashamed to say any more1 but still was resolved not to be pleased1 and so came away1 as you see4 ,cit4--,and he has not disobliged you at all1 has he8 ,lady4--,just the contrary1 indeed4 7,here she repeated the words the mercer had said to her1 and the modesty and civility he had treated her with47 ,cit4--,well1 ,madam1 ,i assure you ,i have been faithful to my promise1 for you cannot have used him so ill as ,i have used his partner--for ,i have perfectly abused him for having nothing to please me--,i did as good as tell him ,i believed he was going to break1 and that he had no choice4 ,lady4--,and how did he treat you8 ,cit4-,just in the same manner as his partner did your ladyship1 all mild and mannerly1 smiling1 and in perfect temper2 for my part1 if ,i was a young wench again1 ,i should be in love with such a man4 ,lady4--,well1 but what shall we do now8 ,cit4--,why1 be gone4 ,i think we have teazed them enough2 it would be cruel to bear-bait them any more4 ,lady4--,no1 ,i am not for teazing them any more2 but shall we really go away1 and buy nothing8 ,cit4--,nay1 that shall be just as your ladyship pleases--you know ,i promised you ,i would not buy2 that is to say1 unless you discharge me of that obligation4 ,lady4--,i cannot1 for shame1 go out of this shop1 and lay out nothing4 ,cit4--,did your ladyship see any thing that pleased you8 ,lady4--,i only saw some of the finest things in ,england--,i don't think all the city of ,paris can outdo him4 ,cit4--,well1 madam1 if you resolve to buy1 let us go and look again4 ,lady4--',come1 then4' ,and upon that the lady1 turning to the mercer--',come1 sir1' says she1 ',i think ,i will look upon that piece of brocade again2 ,i cannot find in my heart to give you all this trouble for nothing4' ',madam1' says the mercer1 ',i shall be very glad if ,i can be so happy as to please you2 but1 ,i beseech your ladyship1 don't speak of the trouble1 for that is the duty of our trade2 we must never think our business a trouble4' ,upon this the ladies went back with him into his inner shop1 and laid out between sixty and seventy pounds1 for they both bought rich suits of clothes1 and used his shop for many years after4 ,the short inference from this long discourse is this3 ,that here you see1 and ,i could give many examples very like this1 how1 and in what manner1 a shopkeeper is to behave himself in the way of his business--what impertinences1 what taunts1 flouts1 and ridiculous things1 he must bear in his business1 and must not show the least return1 or the least signal of disgust--he must have no passions1 no fire in his temper--he must be all soft and smooth3 nay1 if his real temper be naturally fiery and hot1 he must show none of it in his shop--he must be a perfect complete hypocrite1 if he will be a complete tradesman4#af ,it is true1 natural tempers are not to be always counterfeited--the man cannot easily be a lamb in his shop1 and a lion in himself2 but let it be easy or hard1 it must be done1 and it is done4 ,there are men who have1 by custom and usage1 brought themselves to it1 that nothing could be meeker and milder than they1 when behind the counter1 and yet nothing be more furious and raging in every other part of life--nay1 the provocations they have met with in their shops have so irritated their rage1 that they would go upstairs from their shop1 and fall into phrensies1 and a kind of madness1 and beat their heads against the wall1 and mischief themselves1 if not prevented1 till the violence of it had gotten vent1 and the passions abate and cool4 ,nay1 ,i heard once of a shopkeeper that behaved himself thus to such an extreme1 that1 when he was provoked by the impertinence of the customers1 beyond what his temper could bear1 he would go upstairs and beat his wife1 kick his children about like dogs1 and be as furious for two or three minutes as a man chained down in ,bedlam1 and when the heat was over1 would sit down and cry faster then the children he had abused2 and after the fit was over he would go down into his shop again1 and be as humble1 as courteous1 and as calm as any man whatever--so absolute a government of his passions had he in the shop1 and so little out of it2 in the shop a soul-less animal that can resent nothing1 and in the family a madman2 in the shop meek like the lamb1 but in the family outrageous like a ,lybian lion4 ,the sum of the matter is this3 it is necessary for a tradesman to subject himself1 by all the ways possible1 to his business2 his customers are to be his idols3 so far as he may worship idols by allowance1 he is to bow down to them and worship them2#ag at least1 he is not any way to displease them1 or show any disgust or distaste at any thing they say or do4 ,the bottom of it all is1 that he is intending to get money by them2 and it is not for him that gets money by them to offer the least inconvenience to them by whom he gets it2 but he is to consider1 that1 as ,solomon says1 ',the borrower is servant to the lender1' so the seller is servant to the buyer4 ,when a tradesman has thus conquered all his passions1 and can stand before the storm of impertinence1 he is said to be fitted up for the main article1 namely1 the inside of the counter4 ,on the other hand1 we see that the contrary temper1 nay1 but the very suggestion of it1 hurries people on to ruin their trade1 to disoblige the customers1 to quarrel with them1 and drive them away4 ,we see by the lady above1 after having seen the ways she had taken to put this man out of temper--,i say1 we see it conquered her temper1 and brought her to lay out her money cheerfully1 and be his customer ever after4 ,a sour1 morose1 dogmatic temper would have sent these ladies both away with their money in their pockets2 but the man's patience and temper drove the lady back to lay out her money1 and engaged her entirely4 ,,footnotes3 #ae ,paternoster ,row has long been the chief seat of the bookselling and publishing trade in ,london2 and there are now some splendid shops of mercers or haberdashers in ,st ,paul's ,churchyard1 also in ,ludgate hill adjoining4 #af ,the necessity here insisted on seems a hard one1 and scarcely consistent with a just morality4 ,yet1 if the tradesman takes a right view of his situation1 he will scarcely doubt the propriety of ,defoe's advice4 ,he must consider1 that1 in his shop1 he is1 as it were1 acting a part4 ,he performs a certain character in the drama of our social arrangements1 one which requires all the civility and forbearance above insisted on4 ,he is not called upon1 in such circumstances1 to feel1 speak1 and act1 as he would find himself in honour required to do in his private or absolutely personal capacity--in his own house1 for instance1 or in any public place where he mingled on a footing of equality with his fellow-citizens4 ,accordingly1 there is such a general sense of the justifiableness of his conducting himself in this submissive spirit1 that no one would think of imputing it to him as a fault2 but he would be more apt to be censured or ridiculed if he had so little sense as to take offence1 in his capacity of tradesman1 at any thing which it would only concern him to resent if it were offered to him in his capacity as a private citizen4 ,an incident1 somewhat like that so dramatically related by ,defoe1 occurred a few years ago in the northern capital4 ,a lady had1 through whim1 pestered a mercer in the manner related in the text1 turning over all his goods1 and only treating him with rudeness in return4 ,when she finally turned to leave the shop1 to inquire1 as she said1 for better and cheaper goods elsewhere1 she found that a shower was falling1 against which she had no protection4 ,the tradesman1 who had politely shown her to the door1 observing her hesitate on the threshold at sight of the rain1 requested her to wait a moment1 and1 stepping backwards for his umbrella1 instantly returned1 and1 in the kindest accents1 requested her to accept the loan of it4 ,she took it1 and went away1 but in a few minutes returned it1 in a totally different frame of spirit1 and not only purchased extensively on this occasion1 but became a constant customer for the future4 ,another tradesman in the same city was so remarkable for his imperturbable civility1 that it became the subject of a bet--an individual undertaking to irritate him1 or1 if he failed1 to forfeit a certain sum4 ,he went to the shop1 and caused an immense quantity of the finest silks to be turned over1 after which he coolly asked for a pennyworth of a certain splendid piece of satin4 ',by all means1' said the discreet trader2 'allow me1 ,sir1 to have your penny4' ,the coin was handed to him1 and1 taking up the piece of satin1 and placing the penny on the end of it1 he cut round with his scissors1 thus detaching a little bit of exactly the size and shape of the piece of money which was to purchase it4 ,this1 with the most polite air imaginable1 he handed to his customer1 whose confusion may be imagined4 #ag ,it appears to the editor that the case is here somewhat over-stated4 ,while imperterbable good temper and civility are indispensible in the shopkeeper1 it is not impossible that he may also err in displaying a too great obsequiousness of manner4 ,this1 by disgusting the common sense and good taste of customers1 may do as much harm as want of civility4 ,a too pressing manner1 likewise1 does harm1 by causing the customer to feel as if he were obliged to purchase4 ,the medium of an easy1 obliging1 and good-humoured manner1 is perhaps what suits best4 ,but here1 as in many other things1 it is not easy to lay down any general rule4 ,much must be left to the goos sense and tact of the trader4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,of ,,other ,,reasons ,,for ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,disasters3 ,,and1 ,,first1 ,,of ,,innocent ,,diversions ,a few directions seasonably given1 and wisely received1 will be sufficient to guide a tradesman in a right management of his business1 so as that1 if he observes them1 he may secure his prosperity and success3 but it requires a long and serious caveat to warn him of the dangers he meets with in his way4 ,trade is a straight and direct way1 if they will but keep in it with a steady foot1 and not wander1 and launch out here and there1 as a loose head and giddy fancy will prompt them to do4 ,the road1 ,i say1 is straight and direct2 but there are many turnings and openings in it1 both to the right hand and to the left1 in which1 if a tradesman but once ventures to step awry1 it is ten thousand to one but he loses himself1 and very rarely finds his way back again2 at least if he does1 it is like a man that has been lost in a wood2 he comes out with a scratched face1 and torn clothes1 tired and spent1 and does not recover himself in a long while after4 ,in a word1 one steady motion carries him up1 but many things assist to pull him down2 there are many ways open to his ruin1 but few to his rising3 and though employment is said to be the best fence against temptations1 and he that is busy heartily in his business1 temptations to idleness and negligence will not be so busy about him1 yet tradesmen are as often drawn from their business as other men2 and when they are so1 it is more fatal to them a great deal1 than it is to gentlemen and persons whose employments do not call for their personal attendance so much as a shop does4 ,among the many turnings and bye-lanes1 which1 as ,i say1 are to be met with in the straight road of trade1 there are two as dangerous and fatal to their prosperity as the worst1 though they both carry an appearance of good1 and promise contrary to what they perform2 these are-- ,i4 ,pleasures and diversions1 especially such as they will have us call innocent diversions4 ,,ii4 ,projects and adventures1 and especially such as promise mountains of profit in nubibus in the clouds1 and are therefore the more likely to ensnare the poor eager avaricious tradesman4 #a4 ,i am now to speak of the first1 namely1 pleasures and diversions4 ,i cannot allow any pleasures to be innocent1 when they turn away either the body or the mind of a tradesman from the one needful thing which his calling makes necessary1 and that necessity makes his duty--,i mean1 the application both of his hands and head to his business4 ,those pleasures and diversions may be innocent in themselves1 which are not so to him3 there are very few things in the world that are simply evil1 but things are made circumstantially evil when they are not so in themselves3 killing a man is not simply sinful2 on the contrary1 it is not lawful only1 but a duty1 when justice and the laws of ,god or man require it2 but when done maliciously1 from any corrupt principle1 or to any corrupted end1 is murder1 and the worst of crimes4 ,pleasures and diversions are thus made criminal1 when a man is engaged in duty to a full attendance upon such business as those pleasures and diversions necessarily interfere with and interrupt2 those pleasures1 though innocent in themselves1 become a fault in him1 because his legal avocations demand his attendance in another place4 ,thus those pleasures may be lawful to another man1 which are not so to him1 because another man has not the same obligation to a calling1 the same necessity to apply to it1 the same cry of a family1 whose bread may depend upon his diligence1 as a tradesman has4 ,solomon1 the royal patron of industry1 tells us1 ',he that is a lover of pleasure1 shall be a poor man4' ,i must not doubt but ,solomon is to be understood of tradesmen and working men1 such as ,i am writing of1 whose time and application is due to their business1 and who1 in pursuit of their pleasures1 are sure to neglect their shops1 or employments1 and ,i therefore render the words thus1 to the present purpose--',the tradesman that is a lover of pleasure1 shall be a poor man4' ,i hope ,i do not wrest the ,scripture in my interpretation of it2 ,i am sure it agrees with the whole tenor of the wise man's other discourses4 ,when ,i see young shopkeepers keep horses1 ride a-hunting1 learn dog-language1 and keep the sportsmen's brogue upon their tongues1 ,i will not say ,i read their destiny1 for ,i am no fortuneteller1 but ,i do say1 ,i am always afraid for them2 especially when ,i know that either their fortunes and beginnings are below it1 or that their trades are such as in a particular manner to require their constant attendance4 ,as to see a barber abroad on a ,saturday1 a corn-factor abroad on a ,wednesday and ,friday1 or a ,blackwell-hall man on a ,thursday1 you may as well say a country shopkeeper should go a-hunting on a market-day1 or go a-feasting at the fair day of the town where he lives2 and yet riding and hunting are otherwise lawful diversions1 and in their kind very good for exercise and health4 ,i am not for making a galley-slave of a shopkeeper1 and have him chained down to the oar2 but if he be a wise1 a prudent1 and a diligent tradesman1 he will allow himself as few excursions as possible4 ,business neglected is business lost2 it is true1 there are some businesses which require less attendance than others1 and give a man less occasion of application2 but1 in general1 that tradesman who can satisfy himself to be absent from his business1 must not expect success2 if he is above the character of a diligent tradesman1 he must then be above the business too1 and should leave it to somebody1 that1 having more need of it1 will think it worth his while to mind it better4 ,nor1 indeed1 is it possible a tradesman should be master of any of the qualifications which ,i have set down to denominate him complete1 if he neglects his shop and his time1 following his pleasures and diversions4 ,i will allow that the man is not vicious and wicked1 that he is not addicted to drunkenness1 to women1 to gaming1 or any such things as those1 for those are not woundings1 but murder1 downright killing4 ,a man may wound and hurt himself sometimes1 in the rage of an ungoverned passion1 or in a phrensy or fever1 and intend no more2 but if he shoots himself through the head1 or hangs himself1 we are sure then he intended to kill and destroy himself1 and he dies inevitably4 ,for a tradesman to follow his pleasures1 which indeed is generally attended with a slighting of his business1 leaving his shop to servants or others1 it is evident to me that he is indifferent whether it thrives or no2 and1 above all1 it is evident that his heart is not in his business2 that he does not delight in it1 or look on it with pleasure4 ,to a complete tradesman there is no pleasure equal to that of being in his business1 no delight equal to that of seeing himself thrive1 to see trade flow in upon him1 and to be satisfied that he goes on prosperously4 ,he will never thrive1 that cares not whether he thrives or no4 ,as trade is the chief employment of his life1 and is therefore called1 by way of eminence1 his business1 so it should be made the chief delight of his life4 ,the tradesman that does not love his business1 will never give it due attendance4 ,pleasure is a bait to the mind1 and the mind will attract the body3 where the heart is1 the object shall always have the body's company4 ,the great objection ,i meet with from young tradesmen against this argument is1 they follow no unlawful pleasures2 they do not spend their time in taverns1 and drinking to excess2 they do not spend their money in gaming1 and so stock-starve their business1 and rob the shop to supply the extravagant losses of play2 or they do not spend their hours in ill company and debaucheries2 all they do1 is a little innocent diversion in riding abroad now and then for the air1 and for their health1 and to ease their thoughts of the throng of other affairs which are heavy upon them1 c4 ,these1 ,i say1 are the excuses of young tradesmen2 and1 indeed1 they are young excuses1 and1 ,i may say truly1 have nothing in them4 ,it is perhaps true1 or ,i may grant it so for the present purpose1 that the pleasure the tradesman takes is1 as he says1 not unlawful1 and that he follows only a little innocent diversion2 but let me tell him1 the words are ill put together1 and the diversion is rather recommended from the word little1 than from the word innocent3 if it be1 indeed1 but little1 it may be innocent2 but the case is quite altered by the extent of the thing2 and the innocence lies here1 not in the nature of the thing1 not in the diversion or pleasure that is taken1 but in the time it takes2 for if the man spends the time in it which should be spent in his shop or warehouse1 and his business suffers by his absence1 as it must do1 if the absence is long at a time1 or often practised--the diversion so taken becomes criminal to him1 though the same diversion might be innocent in another4 ,thus ,i have heard a young tradesman1 who loved his bottle1 excuse himself1 and say1 ',it is true1 ,i have been at the tavern1 but ,i was treated1 it cost me nothing4' ,and this1 he thinks1 clears him of all blame2 not considering that when he spends no money1 yet he spends five times the value of the money in time4 ,another says1 ',why1 indeed1 ,i was at the tavern yesterday all the afternoon1 but ,i could not help it1 and ,i spent but sixpence4' ,but at the same time perhaps it might be said he spent five pounds' worth of time1 his business being neglected1 his shop unattended1 his books not posted1 his letters not written1 and the like--for all those things are works necessary to a tradesman1 as well as the attendance on his shop1 and infinitely above the pleasure of being treated at the expense of his time4 ,all manner of pleasures should buckle and be subservient to business3 he that makes his pleasure be his business1 will never make his business be a pleasure4 ,innocent pleasures become sinful1 when they are used to excess1 and so it is here2 the most innocent diversion becomes criminal1 when it breaks in upon that which is the due and just employment of the man's life4 ,pleasures rob the tradesman1 and how1 then1 can he call them innocent diversions8 ,they are downright thieves2 they rob his shop of his attendance1 and of the time which he ought to bestow there2 they rob his family of their due support1 by the man's neglecting that business by which they are to be supported and maintained2 and they oftentimes rob the creditors of their just debts1 the tradesman sinking by the inordinate use of those innocent diversions1 as he calls them1 as well by the expense attending them1 as the loss of his time1 and neglect of his business1 by which he is at last reduced to the necessity of shutting up shop in earnest1 which was indeed as good as shut before4 ,a shop without a master is like the same shop on a middling holiday1 half shut up1 and he that keeps it long so1 need not doubt but he may in a little time more shut it quite up4 ,in short1 pleasure is a thief to business2 how any man can call it innocent1 let him answer that does so2 it robs him every way1 as ,i have said above3 and if the tradesman be a ,christian1 and has any regard to religion and his duty1 ,i must tell him1 that when upon his disasters he shall reflect1 and see that he has ruined himself and his family1 by following too much those diversions and pleasures which he thought innocent1 and which perhaps in themselves were really so1 he will find great cause to repent of that which he insisted on as innocent2 he will find himself lost1 by doing lawful things1 and that he made those innocent things sinful1 and those lawful things unlawful to him4 ,thus1 as they robbed his family and creditors before of their just debts--for maintenance is a tradesman's just debt to his family1 and a wife and children are as much a tradesman's real creditors as those who trusted him with their goods--,i say1 as his innocent pleasures robbed his family and creditors before1 they will rob him now of his peace1 and of all that calm of soul which an honest1 industrious1 though unfortunate1 tradesman meets with under his disasters4 ,i am asked here1 perhaps1 how much pleasure an honest-meaning tradesman may be allowed to take8 for it cannot be supposed ,i should insist that all pleasure is forbidden him1 that he must have no diversion1 no spare hours1 no intervals from hurry and fatigue2 that would be to pin him down to the very floor of his shop1 as ,john ,sheppard was locked down to the floor of his prison4 ,the answer to this question every prudent tradesman may make for himself3 if his pleasure is in his shop1 and in his business1 there is no danger of him2 but if he has an itch after exotic diversions--,i mean such as are foreign to his shop1 and to his business1 and which ,i therefore call exotic--let him honestly and fairly state the case between his shop and his diversions1 and judge impartially for himself4 ,so much pleasure1 and no more1 may be innocently taken1 as does not interfere with1 or do the least damage to his business1 by taking him away from it4 ,every moment that his trade wants him in his shop or warehouse1 it is his duty to be there2 it is not enough to say1 ,i believe ,i shall not be wanted2 or ,i believe ,i shall suffer no loss by my absence4 ,he must come to a point and not deceive himself2 if he does1 the cheat is all his own4 ,if he will not judge sincerely at first1 he will reproach himself sincerely at last2 for there is no fraud against his own reflections3 a man is very rarely a hypocrite to himself4 ,the rule may be1 in a few words1 thus3 those pleasures or diversions1 and those only1 can be innocent1 which the man may or does use1 or allow himself to use1 without hindrance of1 or injury to1 his business and reputation4 ,let the diversions or pleasures in question be what they will1 and how innocent soever they are in themselves1 they are not so to him1 because they interrupt or interfere with his business1 which is his immediate duty4 ,i have mentioned the circumstance which touches this part too1 namely1 that there may be a time when even the needful duties of religion may become faults1 and unseasonable1 when another more needful attendance calls for us to apply to it2 much more1 then1 those things which are only barely lawful4 ,there is a visible difference between the things which we may do1 and the things which we must do4 ,pleasures at certain seasons are allowed1 and we may give ourselves some loose to them2 but business1 ,i mean to the man of business1 is that needful thing1 of which it is not to be said it may1 but it must be done4 ,again1 those pleasures which may not only be lawful in themselves1 but which may be lawful to other men1 yet are criminal and unlawful to him4 ,to gentlemen of fortunes and estates1 who being born to large possessions1 and have no avocations of this kind1 it is certainly lawful to spend their spare hours on horseback1 with their hounds or hawks1 pursuing their game2 or1 on foot1 with their gun and their net1 and their dogs to kill the hares or birds1 c4--all which we call sport4 ,these are the men that can1 with a particular satisfaction1 when they come home1 say they have only taken an innocent diversion2 and yet even in these1 there are not wanting some excesses which take away the innocence of them1 and consequently the satisfaction in their reflection1 and therefore it was ,i said it was lawful to them to spend their spare hours--by which ,i am to be understood1 those hours which are not due to more solemn and weighty occasions1 such as the duties of religion in particular4 ,but as this is not my present subject1 ,i proceed2 for ,i am not talking to gentlemen now1 but to tradesmen4 ,the prudent tradesman will1 in time1 consider what he ought or ought not to do1 in his own particular case1 as to his pleasures--not what another man may or may not do4 ,in short1 nothing of pleasure or diversion can be innocent to him1 whatever it may be to another1 if it injures his business1 if it takes either his time1 or his mind1 or his delight1 or his attendance1 from his business2 nor can all the little excuses1 of its being for his health1 and for the needful unbending the bow of the mind1 from the constant application of business1 for all these must stoop to the great article of his shop and business2 though ,i might add1 that the bare taking the air for health1 and for a recess to the mind1 is not the thing ,i am talking of--it is the taking an immoderate liberty1 and spending an immoderate length of time1 and that at unseasonable and improper hours1 so as to make his pleasures and diversions be prejudicial to his business--this is the evil ,i object to1 and this is too much the ruin of the tradesmen of this age2 and thus any man who calmly reads these papers will see ,i ought to be understood4 ,nor do ,i confine this discourse to the innocent diversions of a horse1 and riding abroad to take the air2 things which1 as above1 are made hurtful and unlawful to him1 only as they are hindrances to his business1 and are more or less so1 as they rob his shop or warehouse1 or business1 or his attendance and time1 and cause him to draw his affections off from his calling4 ,but we see other and new pleasures daily crowding in upon the tradesman1 and some which no age before this have been in danger of--,i mean1 not to such an excess as is now the case1 and consequently there were fewer tradesmen drawn into the practice4 ,the present age is a time of gallantry and gaiety2 nothing of the present pride and vanity was known1 or but very little of it1 in former times3 the baits which are every where laid for the corruption of youth1 and for the ruin of their fortunes1 were never so many and so mischievous as they are now4 ,we scarce now see a tradesman's apprentice come to his fifth year1 but he gets a long wig and a sword1 and a set of companions suitable2 and this wig and sword1 being left at proper and convenient places1 are put on at night after the shop is shut1 or when they can slip out to go a-raking in1 and when they never fail of company ready to lead them into all manner of wickedness and debauchery2 and from this cause it is principally that so many apprentices are ruined1 and run away from their masters before they come out of their times--more1 ,i am persuaded1 now1 than ever were to be found before4 ,nor1 as ,i said before1 will ,i charge the devil with having any hand in the ruin of these young fellows--indeed1 he needs not trouble himself about them1 they are his own by early choice--they anticipate temptation1 and are as forward as the devil can desire them to be4 ,these may be truly said to be drawn aside of their own lusts1 and enticed--they need no tempter4 ,but of these ,i may also say1 they seldom trouble the tradesmen's class2 they get ruined early1 and finish the tradesman before they begin1 so my discourse is not at present directed much to them2 indeed1 they are past advice before they come in my way4 ,indeed1 ,i knew one of these sort of gentlemen-apprentices make an attempt to begin1 and set up his trade--he was a dealer in what they call ,crooked-lane wares3 he got about #cjj from his father1 an honest plain countryman1 to set him up1 and his said honest father exerted himself to the utmost to send him up so much money4 ,when he had gotten the money1 he took a shop near the place where he had served his time1 and entering upon the shop1 he had it painted1 and fitted up1 and some goods he bought in order to furnish it2 but before that1 he was obliged to pay about #gj of the money to little debts1 which he had contracted in his apprenticeship1 at two or three ale-houses1 for drink and eatables1 treats1 and junketings2 and at the barber's for long perukes1 at the sempstress's for fine ,holland-shirts1 turn-overs1 white gloves1 c1 to make a beau of him1 and at several other places4 ,when he came to dip into this1 and found that it wanted still #cj or #dj to equip him for the company which he had learned to keep1 he took care to do this first2 and being delighted with his new dress1 and how like a gentleman he looked1 he was resolved1 before he opened a shop1 to take his swing a little in the town2 so away he went1 with two of his neighbour's apprentices1 to the play-house1 thence to the tavern1 not far from his dwelling1 and there they fell to cards1 and sat up all night--and thus they spent about a fortnight2 the rest just creeping into their masters' houses1 by the connivance of their fellow-servants1 and he getting a bed in the tavern1 where what he spent1 to be sure1 made them willing enough to oblige him--that is to say1 to encourage him to ruin himself4 ,they then changed their course1 indeed1 and went to the ball1 and that necessarily kept them out the most part of the night1 always having their supper dressed at the tavern at their return2 and thus1 in a few words1 he went on till he made way through all the remaining money he had left1 and was obliged to call his creditors together1 and break before he so much as opened his shop--,i say1 his creditors1 for great part of the goods which he had furnished his shop with were unpaid for2 perhaps some few might be bought with ready money4 ,this man1 indeed1 is the only tradesman that ever ,i met with1 that set up and broke before his shop was open2 others ,i have indeed known make very quick work of it4 ,but this part rather belongs to another head4 ,i am at present not talking of madmen1 as ,i hope1 indeed1 ,i am not writing to madmen1 but ,i am talking of tradesmen undone by lawful things1 by what they call innocent and harmless things--such as riding abroad1 or walking abroad to take the air1 and to divert themselves1 dogs1 gun1 country-sport1 and city-recreation4 ,these things are certainly lawful1 and in themselves very innocent2 nay1 they may be needful for health1 and to give some relaxation to the mind1 hurried with too much business2 but the needfulness of them is so much made an excuse1 and the excess of them is so injurious to the tradesman's business and to his time1 which should be set apart for his shop and his trade1 that there are not a few tradesmen thus lawfully ruined1 as ,i may call it--in a word1 lawful or unlawful1 their shop is neglected1 their business goes behind-hand1 and it is all one to the subject of breaking1 and to the creditor1 whether the man was undone by being a knave1 or by being a fool2 it is all one whether he lost his trade by scandalous immoral negligence1 or by sober or religious negligence4 ,in a word1 business languishes1 while the tradesman is absent1 and neglects it1 be it for his health or for his pleasure1 be it in good company or in bad1 be it from a good or an ill design2 and if the business languishes1 the tradesman will not be long before he languishes too2 for nothing can support the tradesman but his supporting his trade by a due attendance and application4#ah ,,footnotes3 #ah ,in the above admirable series of plain-spoken advices1 the author has omitted one weighty reason why young tradesmen should not spend their evenings in frivolous1 or otherwise improper company4 ,the actual loss of time and of money incurred by such courses of conduct1 is generally of less consequence than the losses arising from habitual distraction of mind1 and the acquisition of an acquaintanceship with a set of idle or silly companions4 ,it is of the utmost importance that young tradesmen should spend their leisure hours in a way calculated to soothe the feelings1 and enlarge the mind2 and in the present day1 from the prevalance of literature1 and other rational means for amusement1 they have ample opportunities of doing so4 ,,chapter ,x ,,of ,,extravagant ,,and ,,expensive ,,living2 ,,another ,,step ,,to ,a ,,tradesman',s ,,disaster ,hitherto ,i have written of tradesmen ruined by lawful and innocent diversions2 and1 indeed1 these are some of the most dangerous pits for a tradesman to fall into1 because men are so apt to be insensible of the danger3 a ship may as well be lost in a calm smooth sea1 and an easy fair gale of wind1 as in a storm1 if they have no pilot1 or the pilot be ignorant or unwary2 and disasters of that nature happen as frequently as any others1 and are as fatal4 ,when rocks are apparent1 and the pilot1 bold and wilful1 runs directly upon them1 without fear or wit1 we know the fate of the ship--it must perish1 and all that are in it will inevitably be lost2 but in a smooth sea1 a bold shore1 an easy gale1 the unseen rocks or shoals are the only dangers1 and nothing can hazard them but the skilfulness of the pilot3 and thus it is in trade4 ,open debaucheries and extravagances1 and a profusion of expense1 as well as a general contempt of business1 these are open and current roads to a tradesman's destruction2 but a silent going on1 in pursuit of innocent pleasures1 a smooth and calm1 but sure neglect of his shop1 and time1 and business1 will as effectually and as surely ruin the tradesman as the other2 and though the means are not so scandalous1 the effect is as certain4 ,but ,i proceed to the other4 ,next to immoderate pleasures1 the tradesman ought to be warned against immoderate expense4 ,this is a terrible article1 and more particularly so to the tradesman1 as custom has now1 as it were on purpose for their undoing1 introduced a general habit of1 and as it were a general inclination among all sorts of people to1 an expensive way of living2 to which might be added a kind of necessity of it2 for that even with the greatest prudence and frugality a man cannot now support a family with the ordinary expense1 which the same family might have been maintained with some few years ago3 there is now 7#a7 a weight of taxes upon almost all the necessaries of life1 bread and flesh excepted1 as coals1 salt1 malt1 candles1 soap1 leather1 hops1 wine1 fruit1 and all foreign consumptions2 7#b7 a load of pride upon the temper of the nation1 which1 in spite of taxes and the unusual dearess of every thing1 yet prompts people to a profusion in their expenses4 ,this is not so properly called a tax upon the tradesmen2 ,i think rather1 it may be called a plague upon them3 for there is1 first1 the dearness of every necessary thing to make living expensive2 and secondly1 an unconquerable aversion to any restraint2 so that the poor will be like the rich1 and the rich like the great1 and the great like the greatest--and thus the world runs on to a kind of distraction at this time3 where it will end1 time must discover4 ,now1 the tradesman ,i speak of1 if he will thrive1 he must resolve to begin as he can go on2 and if he does so1 in a word1 he must resolve to live more under restraint than ever tradesmen of his class used to do2 for every necessary thing being1 as ,i have said1 grown dearer than before1 he must entirely omit all the enjoyment of the unnecessaries which he might have allowed himself before1 or perhaps be obliged to an expense beyond the income of his trade3 and in either of these cases he has a great hardship upon him4 ,when ,i talk of immoderate expenses1 ,i must be understood not yet to mean the extravagances of wickedness and debaucheries2 there are so many sober extravagances1 and so many grave sedate ways for a tradesman's ruin1 and they are so much more dangerous than those hair-brained desperate ways of gaming and debauchery1 that ,i think it is the best service ,i can do the tradesmen to lay before them those sunk rocks 7as the seamen call them71 those secret dangers in the first place1 that they may know how to avoid them2 and as for the other common ways1 common discretion will supply them with caution for those1 and their senses will be their protection4 ,the dangers to the tradesmen whom ,i am directing myself to1 are from lawful things1 and such as before are called innocent2 for ,i am speaking to the sober part of tradesmen1 who yet are often ruined and overthrown in trade2 and perhaps as many such miscarry1 as of the mad and extravagant1 particularly because their number far exceeds them4 ,expensive living is a kind of slow fever2 it is not so open1 so threatening and dangerous1 as the ordinary distemper which goes by that name1 but it preys upon the spirits1 and1 when its degrees are increased to a height1 is as fatal and as sure to kill as the other3 it is a secret enemy1 that feeds upon the vitals2 and when it has gone its full length1 and the languishing tradesman is weakened in his solid part1 ,i mean his stock1 then it overwhelms him at once4 ,expensive living feeds upon the life and blood of the tradesman1 for it eats into the two most essential branches of his trade1 namely1 his credit and his cash2 the first is its triumph1 and the last is its food3 nothing goes out to cherish the exorbitance1 but the immediate money2 expenses seldom go on trust1 they are generally supplied and supported with ready money1 whatever are not4 ,this expensive way of living consists in several things1 which are all indeed in their degree ruinous to the tradesman2 such as #a4 ,expensive house-keeping1 or family extravagance4 #b4 ,expensive dressing1 or the extravagance of fine clothes4 #c4 ,expensive company1 or keeping company above himself4 #d4 ,expensive equipages1 making a show and ostentation of figure in the world4 ,i might take them all in bulk1 and say1 what has a young tradesman to do with these8 and yet where is there a tradesman now to be found1 who is not more or less guilty8 ,it is1 as ,i have said1 the general vice of the times2 the whole nation are more or less in the crime2 what with necessity and inclination1 where is the man or the family that lives as such families used to live8 ,in short1 good husbandry and frugality is quite out of fashion1 and he that goes about to set up for the practice of it1 must mortify every thing about him that has the least tincture of frugality2 it is the mode to live high1 to spend more than we get1 to neglect trade1 contemn care and concern1 and go on without forecast1 or without consideration2 and1 in consequence1 it is the mode to go on to extremity1 to break1 become bankrupt and beggars1 and so going off the trading stage1 leave it open for others to come after us1 and do the same4#ai ,to begin with house-keeping4 ,i have already hinted1 that every thing belonging to the family subsistence bears a higher price than usual1 ,i may say1 than ever2 at the same time ,i can neither undertake to prove that there is more got by selling1 or more ways to get it1 ,i mean to a tradesman1 than there was formerly2 the consequence then must be1 that the tradesmen do not grow rich faster than formerly2 at least we may venture to say this of tradesmen and their families1 comparing them with former times1 namely1 that there is not more got1 and ,i am satisfied there is less laid up1 than was then2 or1 if you will have it1 that tradesmen get less and spend more than they ever did4 ,how they should be richer than they were in those times1 is very hard to say4 ,that all things are dearer than formerly to a house-keeper1 needs little demonstration2 the taxes necessarily infer it from the weight of them1 and the many things charged2 for1 besides the things enumerated above1 we find all articles of foreign importation are increased by the high duties laid on them2 such as linen1 especially fine linen2 silk1 especially foreign wrought silk3 every thing eatable1 drinkable1 and wearable1 are made heavy to us by high and exorbitant customs and excises1 as brandies1 tobacco1 sugar2 deals and timber for building2 oil1 wine1 spice1 raw silks1 calico1 chocolate1 coffee1 tea2 on some of these the duties are more than doubled3 and yet that which is most observable is1 that such is the expensive humour of the times1 that not a family1 no1 hardly of the meanest tradesman1 but treat their friends with wine1 or punch1 or fine ale2 and have their parlours set off with the tea-table and the chocolate-pot--treats and liquors all exotic1 foreign and new among tradesmen1 and terrible articles in their modern expenses2 which have nothing to be said for them1 either as to the expense of them1 or the helps to health which they boast of3 on the contrary1 they procure us rheumatic bodies and consumptive purses1 and can no way pass with me for necessaries2 but being needless1 they add to the expense1 by sending us to the doctors and apothecaries to cure the breaches which they make in our health1 and are themselves the very worst sort of superfluities4 ,but ,i come back to necessaries2 and even in them1 family-expenses are extremely risen1 provisions are higher rated--no provisions that ,i know of1 except only bread1 mutton1 and fish1 but are made dearer than ever--house-rent1 in almost all the cities and towns of note in ,england1 is excessively and extremely dearer1 and that in spite of such innumerable buildings as we see almost everywhere raised up1 as well in the country as in ,london1 and the parts adjacent4 ,add to the rents of houses1 the wages of servants4 ,a tradesman1 be he ever so much inclined to good husbandry1 cannot always do his kitchen-work himself1 suppose him a bachelor1 or can his wife1 suppose him married1 and suppose her to have brought him any portion1 be his bedfellow and his cook too4 ,these maid-servants1 then1 are to be considered1 and are an exceeding tax upon house-keepers2 those who were formerly hired at three pounds to four pounds a-year wages1 now demand five1 six and eight pounds a-year2 nor do they double anything upon us but their wages and their pride2 for1 instead of doing more work for their advance of wages1 they do less3 and the ordinary work of families cannot now be performed by the same number of maids1 which1 in short1 is a tax upon the upper sort of tradesmen1 and contributes very often to their disasters1 by the extravagant keeping three or four maid-servants in a house1 nay1 sometimes five1 where two formerly were thought sufficient4 ,this very extravagance is such1 that talking lately with a man very well experienced in this matter1 he told me he had been making his calculations on that very particular1 and he found by computation1 that the number of servants kept by all sorts of people1 tradesmen as well as others1 was so much increased1 that there are in ,london1 and the towns within ten miles of it1 take it every way1 above a hundred thousand more maid-servants and footmen1 at this time in place1 than used to be in the same compass of ground thirty years ago2#bj and that their wages amounted to above forty shillings a-head per annum1 more than the wages of the like number of servants did amount to at the same length of time past2 the advance to the whole body amounting to no less than two hundred thousand pounds a-year4 ,indeed1 it is not easy to guess what the expense of wages to servants amounts to in a year1 in this nation2 and consequently we cannot easily determine what the increase of that expense amounts to in ,england1 but certainly it must rise to many hundred thousand pounds a-year in the whole4 ,the tradesmen bear their share of this expense1 and indeed too great a share1 very ordinary tradesmen in ,london keeping at least two maids1 and some more1 and some a footman or two besides2 for it is an ordinary thing to see the tradesmen and shopkeepers of ,london keep footmen1 as well as the gentlemen3 witness the infinite number of blue liveries1 which are so common now that they are called the tradesmen's liveries2 and few gentlemen care to give blue to their servants for that very reason4 ,in proportion to their servants1 the tradesmen now keep their tables1 which are also advanced in their proportion of expense to other things3 indeed1 the citizen's and tradesmen's tables are now the emblems1 not of plenty1 but of luxury1 not of good house-keeping1 but of profusion1 and that of the highest kind of extravagance2 insomuch1 that it was the opinion of a gentleman who had been not a traveller only1 but a nice observer of such things abroad1 that there is at this time more waste of provisions in ,england than in any other nation in the world1 of equal extent of ground2 and that ,england consumes for their whole subsistence more flesh than half ,europe besides2 that the beggars of ,london1 and within ten miles round it1 eat more white bread than the whole kingdom of ,scotland1#ba and the like4 ,but this is an observation only1 though ,i believe it is very just2 ,i am bringing it in here only as an example of the dreadful profusion of this age1 and how an extravagant way of expensive living1 perfectly negligent of all degrees of frugality or good husbandry1 is the reigning vice of the people4 ,i could enlarge upon it1 and very much to the purpose here1 but ,i shall have occasion to speak of it again4 ,the tradesman1 whom ,i am speaking to by way of direction1 will not1 ,i hope1 think this the way for him to thrive1 or find it for his convenience to fall in with this common height of living presently1 in his beginning2 if he comes gradually into it after he has gotten something considerable to lay by1 ,i say1 if he does it then1 it is early enough1 and he may be said to be insensibly drawn into it by the necessity of the times2 because1 forsooth1 it is a received notion1 ',we must be like other folks3' ,i say1 if he does fall into it then1 when he will pretend he cannot help it1 it is better than worse1 and if he can afford it1 well and good2 but to begin thus1 to set up at this rate1 when he first looks into the world1 ,i can only say this1 he that begins in such a manner1 it will not be difficult to guess where he will end2 for a tradesman's pride certainly precedes his destruction1 and an expensive living goes before his fall4 ,we are speaking now to a tradesman1 who1 it is supposed1 must live by his business1 a young man who sets up a shop1 or warehouse1 and expects to get money2 one that would be a rich tradesman1 rather than a poor1 fine1 gay man2 a grave citizen1 not a peacock's feather2 for he that sets up for a ,sir ,fopling ,flutter1 instead of a complete tradesman1 is not to be thought capable of relishing this discourse2 neither does this discourse relish him2 for such men seem to be among the incurables1 and are rather fit for an hospital of fools 7so the ,french call our ,bedlam7 than to undertake trade1 and enter upon business4 ,trade is not a ball1 where people appear in masque1 and act a part to make sport2 where they strive to seem what they really are not1 and to think themselves best dressed when they are least known3 but it is a plain visible scene of honest life1 shown best in its native appearance1 without disguise2 supported by prudence and frugality2 and like strong1 stiff1 clay land1 grows fruitful only by good husbandry1 culture1 and manuring4 ,a tradesman dressed up fine1 with his long wig and sword1 may go to the ball when he pleases1 for he is already dressed up in the habit2 like a piece of counterfeit money1 he is brass washed over with silver1 and no tradesman will take him for current2 with money in his hand1 indeed1 he may go to the merchant's warehouse and buy any thing1 but no body will deal with him without it3 he may write upon his edged hat1 as a certain tradesman1 after having been once broke and set up again1 ',i neither give nor take credit3' and as others set up in their shops1 ',no trust by retail1' so he may say1 ',no trust by wholesale4' ,in short1 thus equipped1 he is truly a tradesman in masquerade1 and must pass for such wherever he is known4 ,how long it may be before his dress and he may suit1 it not hard to guess4 ,some will have it that this expensive way of living began among the tradesmen first1 that is to say1 among the citizens of ,london2 and that their eager resolved pursuit of that empty and meanest kind of pride1 called imitation1 namely1 to look like the gentry1 and appear above themselves1 drew them into it4 ,it has indeed been a fatal custom1 but it has been too long a city vanity4 ,if men of quality lived like themselves1 men of no quality would strive to live not like themselves3 if those had plenty1 these would have profusion2 if those had enough1 these would have excess2 if those had what was good1 these would have what was rare and exotic2 ,i mean as to season1 and consequently dear4 ,and this is one of the ways that have worn out so many tradesmen before their time4 ,this extravagance1 wherever it began1 had its first rise among those sorts of tradesmen1 who1 scorning the society of their shops and customers1 applied themselves to rambling to courts and plays2 kept company above themselves1 and spent their hours in such company as lives always above them2 this could not but bring great expense along with it1 and that expense would not be confined to the bare keeping such company abroad1 but soon showed itself in a living like them at home1 whether the tradesmen could support it or no4 ,keeping high company abroad certainly brings on visitings and high treatings at home2 and these are attended with costly furniture1 rich clothes1 and dainty tables4 ,how these things agree with a tradesman's income1 it is easy to suggest2 and that1 in short1 these measures have sent so many tradesmen to the ,mint and to the ,fleet1 where ,i am witness to it that they have still carried on their expensive living till they have come at last to starving and misery2 but have been so used to it1 they could not abate it1 or at least not quite leave it off1 though they wanted the money to pay for it4 ,nor is the expensive dressing a little tax upon tradesmen1 as it is now come up to an excess not formerly known to tradesmen2 and though it is true that this particularly respects the ladies 7for the tradesmen's wives now claim that title1 as they do by their dress claim the appearance71 yet to do justice to them1 and not to load the women with the reproach1 as if it were wholly theirs1 it must be acknowledged the men have their share in dress1 as the times go now1 though1 it is true1 not so antic and gay as in former days2 but do we not see fine wigs1 fine ,holland shirts of six to seven shillings an ell1 and perhaps laced also1 all lately brought down to the level of the apron1 and become the common wear of tradesmen--nay1 ,i may say1 of tradesmen's apprentices--and that in such a manner as was never known in ,england before8 ,if the tradesman is thriving1 and can support this and his credit too1 that makes the case differ1 though even then it cannot be said to be suitable2 but for a tradesman to begin thus1 is very imprudent1 because the expense of this1 as ,i said before1 drains the very life-blood of his trade1 taking away his ready money only1 and making no return1 but the worst of return1 poverty and reproach2 and1 in case of miscarriage1 infinite scandal and offence4 ,i am loth to make any part of my writing a satire upon the women2 nor1 indeed1 does the extravagance either of dress or house-keeping1 lie all1 or always1 at the door of the tradesmen's wives--the husband is often the prompter of it2 at least he does not let his wife into the detail of his circumstances1 he does not make her mistress of her own condition1 but either flatters her with notions of his wealth1 his profits1 and his flourishing circumstances1 and so the innocent woman spends high and lives great1 believing that she is in a condition to afford it1 and that her husband approves of it2 at least1 he does not offer to retrench or restrain her1 but lets her go on1 and indeed goes on with her1 to the ruin of both4 ,i cannot but mention one thing here 7though ,i purpose to give you one discourse on that subject by itself71 namely1 the great and indispensable obligation there is upon a tradesman always to acquaint his wife with the truth of his circumstances1 and not to let her run on in ignorance1 till she falls with him down the precipice of an unavoidable ruin--a thing no prudent woman would do1 and therefore will never take amiss a husband's plainness in that particular case4 ,but ,i reserve this to another place1 because ,i am rather directing my discourse at this time to the tradesman at his beginning1 and1 as it may be supposed1 unmarried4 ,next to the expensive dressing1 ,i place the expensive keeping company1 as one thing fatal to a tradesman1 and which1 if he would be a complete tradesman1 he should avoid with the utmost diligence4 ,it is an agreeable thing to be seen in good company2 for a man to see himself courted and valued1 and his company desired by men of fashion and distinction1 is very pleasing to any young tradesman1 and it is really a snare which a young tradesman1 if he be a man of sense1 can very hardly resist4 ,there is in itself indeed nothing that can be objected against1 or is not very agreeable to the nature of man1 and that not to his vicious part merely1 but even to his best faculties2 for who would not value himself upon being1 as above1 rendered acceptable to men both in station and figure above themselves8 and it is really a piece of excellent advice which a learned man gave to his son1 always to keep company with men above himself1 not with men below himself4 ,but take me now to be talking1 as ,i really am1 not to the man merely1 but to his circumstances1 if he were a man of fortune1 and had the view of great things before him1 it would hold good2 but if he is a young tradesman1 such as ,i am now speaking of1 who is newly entered into business1 and must depend upon his said business for his subsistence and support1 and hopes to raise himself by it--,i say1 if ,i am talking to such a one1 ,i must say to him1 that keeping company as above1 with men superior to himself in knowledge1 in figure1 and estate1 is not his business2 for1 first1 as such conversation must necessarily take up a great deal of his time1 so it ordinarily must occasion a great expense of money1 and both destructive of his prosperity2 nay1 sometimes the first may be as fatal to him as the last1 and it is oftentimes true in that sense of trade1 that while by keeping company he is drawn out of his business1 his absence from his shop or warehouse is the most fatal to him2 and while he spends one crown in the tavern1 he spends forty crowns' worth of his time2 and with this difference1 too1 which renders it the worse to the tradesman1 namely1 that the money may be recovered1 and gotten up again1 but the time cannot4 ,for example-- #a4 ,perhaps in that very juncture a person comes to his warehouse4 ,suppose the tradesman to be a warehouse-keeper1 who trades by commission1 and this person1 being a clothier in the country1 comes to offer him his business1 the commission of which might have been worth to him thirty to forty or fifty pounds per annum2 but finding him abroad1 or rather1 not finding him at home and in his business1 goes to another1 and fixes with him at once4 ,i once knew a dealer lose such an occasion as this1 for an afternoon's pleasure1 he being gone a-fishing into ,hackney-marsh4 ,this loss can never be restored1 this expense of time was a fatal expense of money2 and no tradesman will deny but they find many such things as this happen in the course of trade1 either to themselves or others4 #b4 ,another tradesman is invited to dinner by his great friend2 for ,i am now speaking chiefly upon the subject of keeping high company1 and what the tradesman sometimes suffers by it2 it is true1 that there he finds a most noble entertainment1 the person of quality1 and that professes a friendship for him1 treats him with infinite respect1 is fond of him1 makes him welcome as a prince--for ,i am speaking of the acquaintance as really valuable and good in itself--but then1 see it in its consequences4 ,the tradesman on this occasion misses his ',change1 that is1 omits going to the ,exchange for that one day only1 and not being found there1 a merchant with whom he was in treaty for a large parcel of foreign goods1 which would have been to his advantage to have bought1 sells them to another more diligent man in the same way2 and when he comes home1 he finds1 to his great mortification1 that he has lost a bargain that would have been worth a hundred pounds buying2 and now being in want of the goods1 he is forced to entreat his neighbour who bought them to part with some of them at a considerable advance of price1 and esteem it a favour too4 ,who now paid dearest for the visit to a person of figure8--the gentleman1 who perhaps spent twenty shillings extraordinary to give him a handsome dinner1 or the tradesman who lost a bargain worth a hundred pounds buying to go to eat it8 #c4 ,another tradesman goes to ',change in the ordinary course of his business1 intending to speak with some of the merchants1 his customers1 as is usual1 and get orders for goods1 or perhaps an appointment to come to his warehouse to buy2 but a snare of the like kind falls in his way1 and a couple of friends1 who perhaps have little or no business1 at least with him1 lay hold of him1 and they agree to go off ,change to the tavern together4 ,by complying with this invitation1 he omits speaking to some of those merchants1 as above1 who1 though he knew nothing of their minds1 yet it had been his business to have shown himself to them1 and have put himself in the way of their call2 but omitting this1 he goes and drinks a bottle of wine1 as above1 and though he stays but an hour1 or1 as we say1 but a little while1 yet unluckily1 in that interim1 the merchant1 not seeing him on the ,exchange1 calls at his warehouse as he goes from the ,exchange1 but not finding him there either1 he goes to another warehouse1 and gives his orders to the value of #cjj or #djj1 to a more diligent neighbour of the same business2 by which he 7the warehouse-keeper7 not only loses the profit of selling that parcel1 or serving that order1 but the merchant is shown the way to his neighbour's warehouse1 who1 being more diligent than himself1 fails not to cultivate his interest1 obliges him with selling low1 even to little or no gain1 for the first parcel2 and so the unhappy tradesman loses not his selling that parcel only1 but loses the very customer1 which was1 as it were1 his peculiar property before4 ,all these things1 and many more such1 are the consequences of a tradesman's absence from his business2 and ,i therefore say1 the expense of time on such light occasions as these1 is one of the worst sorts of extravagance1 and the most fatal to the tradesman1 because really he knows not what he loses4 ,above all things1 the tradesman should take care not to be absent in the season of business1 as ,i have mentioned above2 for the warehouse-keeper to be absent from ',change1 which is his market1 or from his warehouse1 at the times when the merchants generally go about to buy1 he had better be absent all the rest of the day4 ,i know nothing is more frequent1 than for the tradesman1 when company invites1 or an excursion from business presses1 to say1 ',well1 come1 ,i have nothing to do2 there is no business to hinder1 there is nothing neglected1 ,i have no letters to write2' and the like2 and away he goes to take the air for the afternoon1 or to sit and enjoy himself with a friend--all of them things innocent and lawful in themselves2 but here is the crisis of a tradesman's prosperity4 ,in that very moment business presents1 a valuable customer comes to buy1 an unexpected bargain offers to be sold2 another calls to pay money2 and the like3 nay1 ,i would almost say1 but that ,i am loth to concern the devil in more evils than he is guilty of--that the devil frequently draws a man out of his business when something extraordinary is just at hand for his advantage4 ,but not1 as ,i have said1 to charge the devil with what he is not guilty of1 the tradesman is generally his own tempter2 his head runs off from his business by a secret indolence2 company1 and the pleasure of being well received among gentlemen1 is a cursed snare to a young tradesman1 and carries him away from his business1 for the mere vanity of being caressed and complimented by men who mean no ill1 and perhaps know not the mischief they do to the man they show respect to2 and this the young tradesman cannot resist1 and that is in time his undoing4 ,the tradesman's pleasure should be in his business1 his companions should be his books2 and if he has a family1 he makes his excursions up stairs1 and no farther2 when he is there1 a bell or a call brings him down2 and while he is in his parlour1 his shop or his warehouse never misses him2 his customers never go away unserved1 his letters never come in and are unanswered4 ,none of my cautions aim at restraining a tradesman from diverting himself1 as we call it1 with his fireside1 or keeping company with his wife and children3 there are so few tradesmen ruin themselves that way1 and so few ill consequences happen upon an uxorious temper1 that ,i will not so much as rank it with the rest2 nor can it be justly called one of the occasions of a tradesman's disasters2 on the contrary1 it is too often that the want of a due complacency there1 the want of taking delight there1 estranges the man from not his parlour only1 but his warehouse and shop1 and every part of business that ought to engross both his mind and his time4 ,that tradesman who does not delight in his family1 will never long delight in his business2 for1 as one great end of an honest tradesman's diligence is the support of his family1 and the providing for the comfortable subsistence of his wife and children1 so the very sight of1 and above all1 his tender and affectionate care for his wife and children1 is the spur of his diligence2 that is1 it puts an edge upon his mind1 and makes him hunt the world for business1 as hounds hunt the woods for their game4 ,when he is dispirited1 or discouraged by crosses and disappointments1 and ready to lie down and despair1 the very sight of his family rouses him again1 and he flies to his business with a new vigour2 ',i must follow my business1' says he1 'or we must all starve1 my poor children must perish2' in a word1 he that is not animated to diligence by the very sight and thought of his wife and children being brought to misery and distress1 is a kind of a deaf adder that no music will charm1 or a ,turkish mute that no pity can move3 in a word1 he is a creature not to be called human1 a wretch hardened against all the passions and affections that nature has furnished to other animals2 and as there is no rhetoric of use to such a kind of man as that1 so ,i am not talking to such a one1 he must go among the incurables2 for1 where nature cannot work1 what can argument assist8 ,,footnotes3 #ai ,now1 as in ,defoe's time1 a common observer is apt to be impressed with the idea1 that expenses1 with a large part of the community1 exceed gains4 ,certainly1 this is true at all times with a certain portion of society1 but probably at no time with a large portion4 ,there is a tendency to great self-deception in all such speculations2 and no one ever thinks of bringing them to the only true test--statistical facts4 ,the reader ought1 therefore1 to pay little attention to the complaints in the text1 as to an increased extravagance in the expenses of tradesmen1 and only regard the general recommendation1 and the reasons by which that recommendation is enforced1 to live within income4 #bj ,there can be little doubt1 that the calculation of this experienced gentleman is grossly inconsistent with the truth4 ,nevertheless1 this part of ,defoe's work contains some curious traits of manners1 which are probably not exaggerated #ba ,defoe1 from his having been employed for several years in ,scotland at the time of the ,union1 must have well known how rare was then the use of white or wheaten bread in that country4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,marrying ,,too ,,soon ,it was a prudent provision which our ancestors made in the indenture of tradesmen's apprentices1 that they should not contract matrimony during their apprenticeship2 and they bound it with a penalty that was then thought sufficient4 ,however1 custom has taken off the edge of it since2 namely1 that they who did thus contract matrimony should forfeit their indentures1 that is to say1 should lose the benefit of their whole service1 and not be made free4 ,doubtless our forefathers were better acquainted with the advantages of frugality than we are1 and saw farther into the desperate consequences of expensive living in the beginning of a tradesman's setting out into the world than we do2 at least1 it is evident they studied more and practised more of the prudential part in those cases1 than we do4 ,hence we find them very careful to bind their youth under the strongest obligations they could1 to temperance1 modesty1 and good husbandry1 as the grand foundations of their prosperity in trade1 and to prescribe to them such rules and methods of frugality and good husbandry1 as they thought would best conduce to their prosperity4 ,among these rules this was one of the chief--namely1 'that they should not wed before they had sped8' ,it is an old homely rule1 and coarsely expressed1 but the meaning is evident1 that a young beginner should never marry too soon4 ,while he was a servant1 he was bound from it as above2 and when he had his liberty1 he was persuaded against it by all the arguments which indeed ought to prevail with a considering man--namely1 the expenses that a family necessarily would bring with it1 and the care he ought to take to be able to support the expense before he brought it upon himself4 ,on this account it is1 ,i say1 our ancestors took more of their youth than we now do2 at least1 ,i think1 they studied well the best methods of thriving1 and were better acquainted with the steps by which a young tradesman ought to be introduced into the world than we are1 and of the difficulties which those people would necessarily involve themselves in1 who1 despising those rules and methods of frugality1 involved themselves in the expense of a family before they were in a way of gaining sufficient to support it4 ,a married apprentice will always make a repenting tradesman2 and those stolen matches1 a very few excepted1 are generally attended with infinite broils and troubles1 difficulties1 and cross events1 to carry them on at first by way of intrigue1 to conceal them afterwards under fear of superiors1 to manage after that to keep off scandal1 and preserve the character as well of the wife as of the husband2 and all this necessarily attended with a heavy expense1 even before the young man is out of his time2 before he has set a foot forward1 or gotten a shilling in the world2 so that all this expense is out of his original stock1 even before he gets it1 and is a sad drawback upon him when it comes4 ,nay1 this unhappy and dirty part is often attended with worse consequences still2 for this expense coming upon him while he is but a servant1 and while his portion1 or whatever it is to be called1 is not yet come into his hand1 he is driven to terrible exigencies to supply this expense4 ,if his circumstances are mean1 and his trade mean1 he is frequently driven to wrong his master1 and rob his shop or his till for money1 if he can come at it3 and this1 as it begins in madness1 generally ends in destruction2 for often he is discovered1 exposed1 and perhaps punished1 and so the man is undone before he begins4 ,if his circumstances are good1 and he has friends that are able1 and expectations that are considerable1 then his expense is still the greater1 and ways and means are found out1 or at least looked for1 to supply the expense1 and conceal the fact1 that his friends may not know it1 till he has gotten the blessing he expects into his hands1 and is put in a way to stand upon his own legs2 and then it comes out1 with a great many grieving aggravations to a parent to find himself tricked and defeated in the expectations of his son's marrying handsomely1 and to his advantage2 instead of which1 he is obliged to receive a dish-clout for a daughter-in-law1 and see his family propagated by a race of beggars1 and yet perhaps as haughty1 as insolent1 and as expensive1 as if she had blessed the family with a lady of fortune1 and brought a fund with her to have supported the charge of her posterity4 ,when this happens1 the poor young man's case is really deplorable4 ,before he is out of his time1 he is obliged to borrow of friends1 if he has any1 on pretence his father does not make him a sufficient allowance1 or he trenches upon his master's cash1 which perhaps1 he being the eldest apprentice1 is in his hands2 and this he does1 depending1 that when he is out of his time1 and his father gives him wherewith to set up1 he will make good the deficiency2 and all this happens accordingly so that his reputation as to his master is preserved1 and he comes off clear as to dishonesty in his trust4 ,but what a sad chasm does it make in his fortune6 ,i knew a certain young tradesman1 whose father1 knowing nothing of his son's measures1 gave him #bjjj to set up with1 straining himself to the utmost for the well introducing his son into the world2 but who1 when he came to set up1 having near a year before married the servant-maid of the house where he lodged1 and kept her privately at a great expense1 had above #fjj of his stock already wasted and sunk1 before he began for himself2 the consequence of which was1 that going in partner with another young man1 who had likewise #bjjj to begin with1 he was1 instead of half of the profits1 obliged to make a private article to accept of a third of the trade2 and the beggar-wife proving more expensive1 by far1 than the partner's wife 7who married afterwards1 and doubled his fortune71 the first young man was obliged to quit the trade1 and with his remaining stock set up by himself2 in which case his expenses continuing1 and his stock being insufficient1 he sank gradually1 and then broke1 and died poor4 ,in a word1 he broke the heart of his father1 wasted what he had1 and could never recover it1 and at last it broke his own heart too4 ,but ,i shall bring it a little farther4 ,suppose the youth not to act so grossly neither2 not to marry in his apprenticeship1 not to be forced to keep a wife privately1 and eat the bread he never got2 but suppose him to be entered upon the world1 that he has set up1 opened shop1 or fitted up his warehouse1 and is ready to trade1 the next thing1 in the ordinary course of the world1 at this time is a wife2 nay1 ,i have met with some parents1 who have been indiscreet enough themselves to prompt their sons to marry as soon as they are set up2 and the reason they give for it is1 the wickedness of the age1 that youth are drawn in a hundred ways to ruinous matches or debaucheries1 and are so easily ruined by the mere looseness of their circumstances1 that it is needful to marry them to keep them at home1 and to preserve them diligent1 and bind them close to their business4 ,this1 be it just or not1 is a bad cure of an ill disease2 it is ruining the young man to make him sober1 and making him a slave for life to make him diligent4 ,be it that the wife he shall marry is a sober1 frugal1 housewifely woman1 and that nothing is to be laid to her charge but the mere necessary addition of a family expense1 and that with the utmost moderation1 yet1 at the best1 he cripples his fortune1 stock-starves his business1 and brings a great expense upon himself at first1 before1 by his success in trade1 he had laid up stock enough to support the charge4 ,first1 it is reasonable to suppose1 that at his beginning in the world he cannot expect to get so good a portion with a wife1 as he might after he had been set up a few years1 and by his diligence and frugality1 joined to a small expense in house-keeping1 had increased both his stock in trade and the trade itself2 then he would be able to look forward boldly1 and would have some pretence for insisting on a fortune1 when he could make out his improvements in trade1 and show that he was both able to maintain a wife1 and able to live without her4 ,when a young tradesman in ,holland or ,germany goes a-courting1 ,i am told the first question the young woman asks of him1 or perhaps her friends for her1 is1 ',are you able to pay the charges8' that is to say1 in ,english1 ',are you able to keep a wife when you have got her8' ,the question is a little ,gothic indeed1 and would be but a kind of gross way of receiving a lover here1 according to our ,english good breeding2 but there is a great deal of reason in the inquiry1 that must be confessed2 and he that is not able to pay the charges1 should never begin the journey2 for1 be the wife what she will1 the very state of life that naturally attends the marrying a woman1 brings with it an expense so very considerable1 that a tradesman ought to consider very well of it before he engages4 ,but it is to be observed1 too1 that abundance of young tradesmen1 especially in ,england1 not only marry early1 but by the so marrying they are obliged to take up with much less fortunes in their haste1 than when they allow themselves longer time of consideration4 ,as it stands now1 generally speaking1 the wife and the shop make their first show together2 but how few of these early marriages succeed--how hard such a tradesman finds it to stand1 and support the weight that attends it--,i appeal to the experience of those1 who having taken this wrong step1 and being with difficulty got over it1 are yet good judges of that particular circumstance in others that come after them4#bb ,i know it is a common cry that is raised against the woman1 when her husband fails in business1 namely1 that it is the wife has ruined him2 it is true1 in some particular cases it may be so1 but in general it is wrong placed--they may say marrying has ruined the man1 when they cannot say his wife has done it1 for the woman was not in fault1 but her husband4 ,when a tradesman marries1 there are necessary consequences1 ,i mean of expenses1 which the wife ought not be charged with1 and cannot be made accountable for--such as1 first1 furnishing the house2 and let this be done with the utmost plainness1 so as to be decent2 yet it must be done1 and this calls for ready money1 and that ready money by so much diminishes his stock in trade2 nor is the wife at all to be charged in this case1 unless she either put him to more charge than was needful1 or showed herself dissatisfied with things needful1 and required extravagant gaiety and expense4 ,secondly1 servants1 if the man was frugal before1 it may be he shifted with a shop1 and a servant in it1 an apprentice1 or journeyman1 or perhaps without one at first1 and a lodging for himself1 where he kept no other servant1 and so his expenses went on small and easy2 or if he was obliged to take a house because of his business and the situation of his shop1 he then either let part of the house out to lodgers1 keeping himself a chamber in it1 or at the worst left it unfurnished1 and without any one but a maid-servant to dress his victuals1 and keep the house clean2 and thus he goes on when a bachelor1 with a middling expense at most4 ,but when he brings home a wife1 besides the furnishing his house1 he must have a formal house-keeping1 even at the very first2 and as children come on1 more servants1 that is1 maids1 or nurses1 that are as necessary as the bread he eats--especially if he multiplies apace1 as he ought to suppose he may--in this case let the wife be frugal and managing1 let her be unexceptionable in her expense1 yet the man finds his charge mount high1 and perhaps too high for his gettings1 notwithstanding the additional stock obtained by her portion4 ,and what is the end of this but inevitable decay1 and at last poverty and ruin8 ,nay1 the more the woman is blameless1 the more certain is his overthrow1 for if it was an expense that was extravagant and unnecessary1 and that his wife ran him out by her high living and gaiety1 he might find ways to retrench1 to take up in time1 and prevent the mischief that is in view4 ,a woman may1 with kindness and just reasoning1 be easily convinced1 that her husband cannot maintain such an expense as she now lives at2 and let tradesmen say what they will1 and endeavour to excuse themselves as much as they will1 by loading their wives with the blame of their miscarriage1 as ,i have known some do1 and as old father ,adam1 though in another case1 did before them1 ,i must say so much in the woman's behalf at a venture4 ,it will be very hard to make me believe that any woman1 that was not fit for ,bedlam1 if her husband truly and timely represented his case to her1 and how far he was or was not able to maintain the expense of their way of living1 would not comply with her husband's circumstances1 and retrench her expenses1 rather than go on for a while1 and come to poverty and misery4 ,let1 then1 the tradesman lay it early and seriously before his wife1 and with kindness and plainness tell her his circumstances1 or never let him pretend to charge her with being the cause of his ruin4 ,let him tell her how great his annual expense is2 for a woman who receives what she wants as she wants it1 that only takes it with one hand1 and lays it out with another1 does not1 and perhaps cannot1 always keep an account1 or cast up how much it comes to by the year4 ,let her husband1 therefore1 ,i say1 tell her honestly how much his expense for her and himself amounts to yearly2 and tell her as honestly1 that it is too much for him1 that his income in trade will not answer it2 that he goes backward1 and the last year his family expenses amounted to so much1 say #djj--;for that is but an ordinary sum now for a tradesman to spend1 whatever it has been esteemed formerly--and that his whole trade1 though he made no bad debts1 and had no losses1 brought him in but #cbj the whole year1 so that he was #hj that year a worse man than he was before1 that this coming year he had met with a heavy loss already1 having had a shopkeeper in the country broke in his debt #bjj1 and that he offered but eight shillings in the pound1 so that he should lose #abj by him1 and that this1 added to the #hj run out last year1 came to #bjj1 and that if they went on thus1 they should be soon reduced4 ,what could the woman say to so reasonable a discourse1 if she was a woman of any sense1 but to reply1 she would do any thing that lay in her to assist him1 and if her way of living was too great for him to support1 she would lessen it as he should direct1 or as much as he thought was reasonable8--and thus1 going hand in hand1 she and he together abating what reason required1 they might bring their expenses within the compass of their gettings1 and be able to go on again comfortably4 ,but now1 when the man1 finding his expenses greater than his income1 and yet1 when he looks into those expenses1 finds that his wife is frugal too1 and industrious1 and applies diligently to the managing her family1 and bringing up her children1 spends nothing idly1 saves every thing that can be saved2 that instead of keeping too many servants1 is a servant to every body herself2 and that1 in short1 when he makes the strictest examination1 finds she lays out nothing but what is absolutely necessary1 what now must this man do8 ,he is ruined inevitably--for all his expense is necessary2 there is no retrenching1 no abating any thing4 ,this1 ,i say1 is the worst case of the two indeed2 and this man1 though he may say he is undone by marrying1 yet cannot blame the woman1 and say he is undone by his wife4 ,this is the very case ,i am speaking of2 the man should not have married so soon2 he should have staid till he had1 by pushing on his trade1 and living close in his expense1 increased his stock1 and been what we call beforehand in the world2 and had he done thus1 he had not been undone by marrying4 ,it is a little hard to say it1 but in this respect it is very true1 there is many a young tradesman ruined by marrying a good wife--in which1 pray take notice that ,i observe my own just distinction3 ,i do not say they are ruined or undone by a good wife1 or by their wives being good1 but by their marrying--their unseasonable1 early1 and hasty marrying--before they had cast up the cost of one1 or the income of the other--before they had inquired into the necessary charge of a wife and a family1 or seen the profits of their business1 whether it would maintain them or no2 and whether1 as above1 they could pay the charges1 the increasing necessary charge1 of a large and growing family4 ,how to persuade young men to consider this in time1 and beware and avoid the mischief of it1 that is a question by itself4 ,let no man1 then1 when he is brought to distress by this early rashness1 turn short upon his wife1 and reproach her with being the cause of his ruin1 unless1 at the same time1 he can charge her with extravagant living1 needless expense1 squandering away his money1 spending it in trifles and toys1 and running him out till the shop could not maintain the kitchen1 much less the parlour2 nor even then1 unless he had given her timely notice of it1 and warned her that he was not able to maintain so large a family1 or so great an expense1 and that1 therefore1 she would do well to consider of it1 and manage with a straiter hand1 and the like4 ,if1 indeed1 he had done so1 and she had not complied with him1 then she had been guilty1 and without excuse too2 but as the woman cannot judge of his affairs1 and he sees and bears a share in the riotous way of their living1 and does not either show his dislike of it1 or let her know1 by some means or other1 that he cannot support it1 the woman cannot be charged with being his ruin--no1 though her way of extravagant expensive living were really the cause of it4 ,i met with a short dialogue1 the other day1 between a tradesman and his wife1 upon such a subject as this1 some part of which may be instructing in the case before us4 ,the tradesman was very melancholy for two or three days1 and had appeared all that time to be pensive and sad1 and his wife1 with all her arts1 entreaties1 anger1 and tears1 could not get it out of him2 only now and then she heard him fetch a deep sigh1 and at another time say1 he wished he was dead1 and the like expressions4 ,at last1 she began the discourse with him in a respectful1 obliging manner1 but with the utmost importunity to get it out of him1 thus3-- ,wife4--,my dear1 what is the matter with you8 ,husb4--,nothing4 ,wife4--,nay1 don't put me off with an answer that signifies nothing2 tell me what is the matter1 for ,i am sure something extraordinary is the case--tell me1 ,i say1 do tell me4 ,then she kisses him4 ,husb4--,prithee1 don't trouble me4 ,wife4--,i will know what is the matter ,husb4--,i tell you nothing is the matter--what should be the matter8 ,wife4--,come1 my dear1 ,i must not be put off so2 ,i am sure1 if it be any thing ill1 ,i must have my share of it2 and why should ,i not be worthy to know it1 whatever it is1 before it comes upon me4 ,husb4--,poor woman6 ,he kisses her4 ,wife4--,well1 but let me know what it is2 come1 don't distract yourself alone2 let me bear a share of your grief1 as well as ,i have shared in your joy4 ,husb4--,my dear1 let me alone1 you trouble me now1 indeed4 ,still he keeps her off4 ,wife4--,then you will not trust your wife with knowing what touches you so sensibly8 ,husb4--,i tell you1 it is nothing1 it is a trifle1 it is not worth talking of4 ,wife4--,don't put me off with such stuff as that2 ,i tell you1 it is not for nothing that you have been so concerned1 and that so long too2 ,i have seen it plain enough2 why1 you have drooped upon it for this fortnight past1 and above4 ,husb4--,ay1 this twelvemonth1 and more4 ,wife4--,very well1 and yet it is nothing4 ,husb4--,it is nothing that you can help me in4 ,wife4--,well1 but how do you know that8 ,let me see1 and judge whether ,i can1 or no4 ,husb4--,i tell you1 you cannot4 ,wife4--,sure it is some terrible thing then4 ,why must not ,i know it8 ,what6 are you going to break8 ,come1 tell me the worst of it4 ,husb4--,break6 no1 no1 ,i hope not--,break6 no1 ,i'll never break4 ,wife4--,as good as you have broke2 don't presume2 no man in trade can say he won't break4 ,husb4--,yes1 yes2 ,i can say ,i won't break4 ,wife4--,i am glad to hear it2 ,i hope you have a knack1 then1 beyond other tradesmen4 ,husb4--,no1 ,i have not neither2 any man may say so as well as ,i2 and no man need break1 if he will act the part of an honest man4 ,wife4--,how is that1 pray8 ,husb4--,why1 give up all faithfully to his creditors1 as soon as he finds there is a deficiency in his stock1 and yet that there is enough left to pay them4 ,wife4--,well1 ,i don't understand those things1 but ,i desire you would tell me what it is troubles you now2 and if it be any thing of that kind1 yet ,i think you should let me know it4 ,husb4--,why should ,i trouble you with it8 ,wife4--,it would be very unkind to let me know nothing till it comes and swallows you up and me too1 all on a sudden2 ,i must know it1 then2 pray tell it me now4 ,husb4--,why1 then1 ,i will tell you2 indeed1 ,i am not going to break1 and ,i hope ,i am in no danger of it1 at least not yet4 ,wife4--,i thank you1 my dear1 for that2 but still1 though it is some satisfaction to me to be assured of so much1 yet ,i find there is something in it2 and your way of speaking is ambiguous and doubtful4 ,i entreat you1 be plain and free with me4 ,what is at the bottom of it8--why won't you tell me8--what have ,i done1 that ,i am not to be trusted with a thing that so nearly concerns me8 ,husb4--,i have told you1 my dear2 pray be easy2 ,i am not going to break1 ,i tell you4 ,wife4--,well1 but let us talk a little more seriously of it2 you are not going to break1 that is1 not just now1 not yet1 you said2 but1 my dear1 if it is then not just at hand1 but may happen1 or is in view at some distance1 may not some steps be taken to prevent it for the present1 and to save us from it at last too4 ,husb4--,what steps could you think of1 if that were the case8 ,wife4--,indeed it is not much that is in a wife's power1 but ,i am ready to do what lies in me1 and what becomes me2 and first1 pray let us live lower4 ,do you think ,i would live as ,i do1 if ,i thought your income would not bear it8 ,no1 indeed4 ,husb4--,you have touched me in the most sensible part1 my dear2 you have found out what has been my grief2 you need make no further inquiries4 ,wife4--,was that your grief8--and would you never be so kind to your wife as to let her know it8 ,husb4--,how could ,i mention so unkind a thing to you8 ,wife4--,would it not have been more unkind to have let things run on to destruction1 and left your wife to the reproach of the world1 as having ruined you by her expensive living8 ,husb4--,that's true1 my dear2 and it may be ,i might have spoke to you at last1 but ,i could not do it now2 it looks so cruel and so hard to lower your figure1 and make you look little in the eyes of the world1 for you know they judge all by outsides1 that ,i could not bear it4 ,wife4--,it would be a great deal more cruel to let me run on1 and be really an instrument to ruin1 my husband1 when1 ,god knows1 ,i thought ,i was within the compass of your gettings1 and that a great way2 and you know you always prompted me to go fine1 to treat handsomely1 to keep more servants1 and every thing of that kind4 ,could ,i doubt but that you could afford it very well8 ,husb4--,that's true1 but ,i see it is otherwise now2 and though ,i cannot help it1 ,i could not mention it to you1 nor1 for ought ,i know1 should ,i ever have done it4 ,wife4--,why6 you said just now you should have done it4 ,husb4--,ay1 at last1 perhaps1 ,i might1 when things had been past recovery4 ,wife4--,that is to say1 when you were ruined and undone1 and could not show your head1 ,i should know it2 or when a statute of bankrupt had come out1 and the creditors had come and turned us out of doors1 then ,i should have known it--that would have been a barbarous sort of kindness4 ,husb4--,what could ,i do8 ,i could not help it4 ,wife4--,just so our old acquaintance ,g--,w--did2 his poor wife knew not one word of it1 nor so much as suspected it1 but thought him in as flourishing circumstances as ever2 till on a sudden he was arrested in an action for a great sum1 so great that he could not find bail1 and the next day an execution on another action was served in the house1 and swept away the very bed from under her2 and the poor lady1 that brought him #cjjj portion1 was turned into the street with five small children to take care of4 ,husb4--,her case was very sad1 indeed4 ,wife4--,but was not he a barbarous wretch to her1 to let her know nothing of her circumstances8 ,she was at the ball but the day before1 in her velvet suit1 and with her jewels on1 and they reproach her with it every day4 ,husb4--,she did go too fine1 indeed4 ,wife4--,do you think she would have done so1 if she had known any thing of his circumstances8 ,husb4--,it may be not4 ,wife4--,no1 no2 she is a lady of too much sense1 to allow us to suggest it4 ,husb4--,and why did he not let her have some notice of it8 ,wife4--,why1 he makes the same dull excuse you speak of2 he could not bear to speak to her of it1 and it looked so unkind to do any thing to straiten her1 he could not do it1 it would break his heart1 and the like2 and now he has broke her heart4 ,husb4--,i know it is hard to break in upon one's wife in such a manner1 where there is any true kindness and affection2 but-- ,wife4--,but6 but what8 ,were there really a true kindness and affection1 as is the pretence1 it would be quite otherwise2 he would not break his own heart1 forsooth1 but chose rather to break his wife's heart6 he could not be so cruel to tell her of it1 and therefore left her to be cruelly and villanously insulted1 as she was1 by the bailiffs and creditors4 ,was that his kindness to her8 ,husb4--,well1 my dear1 ,i have not brought you to that1 ,i hope4 ,wife4--,no1 my dear1 and ,i hope you will not2 however1 you shall not say ,i will not do every thing ,i can to prevent it2 and1 if it lies on my side1 you are safe4 ,husb4--,what will you do to prevent it8 ,come1 let's see1 what can you do8 ,wife4--,why1 first1 ,i keep five maids1 you see1 and a footman2 ,i shall immediately give three of my maids warning1 and the fellow also1 and save you that part of the expense4 ,husb4--,how can you do that8--you can't do your business4 ,wife4--,yes1 yes1 there's nobody knows what they can do till they are tried2 two maids may do all my house-business1 and ,i'll look after my children myself2 and if ,i live to see them grown a little bigger1 ,i'll make them help one another1 and keep but one maid2 ,i hope that will be one step towards helping it4 ,husb4--,and what will all your friends and acquaintance1 and the world1 say to it8 ,wife4--,not half so much as they would to see you break1 and the world believe it be by my high living1 keeping a house full of servants1 and do nothing myself4 ,husb4--,they will say ,i am going to break upon your doing thus1 and that's the way to make it so4 ,wife4--,i had rather a hundred should say you were going to break1 than one could say you were really broke already4 ,husb4--,but it is dangerous to have it talked of1 ,i say4 ,wife4--,no1 no2 they will say we are taking effectual ways to prevent breaking4 ,husb4--,but it will put a slur upon yourself too4 ,i cannot bear any mortifications upon you1 any more than ,i can upon myself4 ,wife4--,don't tell me of mortifications2 it would be a worse mortification1 a thousand times over1 to have you ruined1 and have your creditors insult me with being the occasion of it4 ,husb4--,it is very kind in you1 my dear1 and ,i must always acknowledge it2 but1 however1 ,i would not have you straiten yourself too much neither4 ,wife4--,nay1 this will not be so much a mortification as the natural consequence of other things2 for1 in order to abate the expense of our living1 ,i resolve to keep less company4 ,i assure you ,i will lay down all the state of living1 as well as the expense of it2 and1 first1 ,i will keep no visiting days2 secondly1 ,i'll drop the greatest part of the acquaintance ,i have2 thirdly1 ,i will lay down our treats and entertainments1 and the like needless occasions of expense1 and then ,i shall have no occasion for so many maids4 ,husb4--,but this1 my dear1 ,i say1 will make as much noise almost1 as if ,i were actually broke4 ,wife4--,no1 no2 leave that part to me4 ,husb4--,but you may tell me how you will manage it then4 ,wife4--,why1 ,i'll go into the country4 ,husb4--,that will but bring them after you1 as it used to do4 ,wife4--,but ,i'll put off our usual lodgings at ,hampstead1 and give out that ,i am gone to spend the summer in ,bedfordshire1 at my aunt's1 where every body knows ,i used to go sometimes2 they can't come after me thither4 ,husb4--,but when you return1 they will all visit you4 ,wife4--,yes1 and ,i will make no return to all those ,i have a mind to drop1 and there's an end of all their acquaintance at once4 ,husb4--,and what must ,i do8 ,wife4--,nay1 my dear1 it is not for me to direct that part2 you know how to cure the evil which you sensibly feel the mischief of4 ,if ,i do my part1 ,i don't doubt you know how to do yours4 ,husb4--,yes1 ,i know1 but it is hard1 very hard4 ,wife4--,nay1 ,i hope it is no harder for you than it is for your wife4 ,husb4--,that is true1 indeed1 but ,i'll see4 ,wife4--,the question to me is not whether it is hard1 but whether it is necessary4 ,husb4--,nay1 it is necessary1 that is certain4 ,wife4--,then ,i hope it is as necessary to you as to your wife4 ,husb4--,i know not where to begin4 ,wife4--,why1 you keep two horses and a groom1 you keep rich high company1 and you sit long at the ,fleece every evening4 ,i need say no more2 you know where to begin well enough4 ,husb4--,it is very hard2 ,i have not your spirit1 my dear4 ,wife4--,i hope you are not more ashamed to retrench1 than you would be to have your name in the ,gazette4 ,husb4--,it is sad work to come down hill thus4 ,wife4--,it would be worse to fall down at one blow from the top2 better slide gently and voluntarily down the smooth part1 than to be pushed down the precipice1 and be dashed all in pieces4 ,there was more of this dialogue1 but ,i give the part which ,i think most to the present purpose2 and as ,i strive to shorten the doctrine1 so ,i will abridge the application also2 the substance of the case lies in a few particulars1 thus3-- ,i4 ,the man was melancholy1 and oppressed with the thoughts of his declining circumstances1 and yet had not any thought of letting his wife know it1 whose way of living was high and expensive1 and more than he could support2 but though it must have ended in ruin1 he would rather let it have gone on till she was surprised in it1 than to tell her the danger that was before her4 ,his wife very well argues the injustice and unkindness of such usage1 and how hard it was to a wife1 who1 being of necessity to suffer in the fall1 ought certainly to have the most early notice of it--that1 if possible1 she might prevent it1 or1 at least1 that she might not be overwhelmed with the suddenness and the terror of it4 ,,ii4 ,upon discovering it to his wife1 or rather her drawing the discovery from him by her importunity1 she immediately1 and most readily and cheerfully1 enters into measures to retrench her expenses1 and1 as far as she was able1 to prevent the blow1 which was otherwise apparent and unavoidable4 ,hence it is apparent1 that the expensive living of most tradesmen in their families1 is for want of a serious acquainting their wives with their circumstances1 and acquainting them also in time2 for there are very few ladies so unreasonable1 who1 if their husbands seriously informed them how things stood with them1 and that they could not support their way of living1 would not willingly come into measures to prevent their own destruction4 ,,iii4 ,that it is in vain1 as well as unequal1 for a tradesman to preach frugality to his wife1 and to bring his wife to a retrenching of her expenses1 and not at the same time to retrench his own2 seeing that keeping horses and high company is every way as great and expensive1 and as necessary to be abated1 as any of the family extravagances1 let them be which they will4 ,all this relates to the duty of a tradesman in preventing his family expenses being ruinous to his business2 but the true method to prevent all this1 and never to let it come so far1 is still1 as ,i said before1 not to marry too soon2 not to marry1 till by a frugal industrious management of his trade in the beginning1 he has laid a foundation for maintaining a wife1 and bringing up a family1 and has made an essay by which he knows what he can and cannot do1 and also before he has laid up and increased his stock1 that he may not cripple his fortune at first1 and be ruined before he has begun to thrive4 ,,footnotes3 #bb ,defoe's views on the subject of the too early marrying of young tradesmen1 are in every particular sound4 ,though there are instances of premature marriages followed by no evil result1 but rather the contrary1 there can be no doubt1 that the only prudent course is to wait till a settlement in life1 and a regular income1 have been secured4 ,a young man1 anxious for other reasons to marry1 is sometimes heard to express his conviction that he might live more cheaply married than single4 ,there could be no assertion more inconsistent with all common experience4 ,even if no positively ruinous consequences arise from an over-early marriage1 it almost always occasions much hardship4 ,it saddens a period of life which nature has designed to be peculiarly cheerful4 ,the whole life of such a man becomes like a year in which there has been no ,may or ,june4 ,the grave cares of matrimony do not appear to be naturally suitable to the human character1 till the man has approached his thirtieth1 and the woman her twenty-fourth year4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,leaving ,,his ,,business ,,to ,,servants ,it is the ordinary excuse of the gentlemen tradesmen of our times1 that they have good servants1 and that therefore they take more liberty to be out of their business1 than they would otherwise do4 ',oh6' says the shopkeeper1 ',i have an apprentice--it is an estate to have such a servant4 ,i am as safe in him as if ,i had my eye upon the business from morning till night2 let me be where ,i will1 ,i am always satisfied he is at home2 if ,i am at the tavern1 ,i am sure he is in the counting-house1 or behind the counter2 he is never out of his post4 ',and then for my other servants1 the younger apprentices1' says he1 'it is all one as if ,i were there myself--they would be idle it may be1 but he won't let them1 ,i assure you2 they must stick close to it1 or he will make them do it2 he tells them1 boys do not come apprentices to play1 but to work2 not to sit idle1 and be doing nothing1 but to mind their master's business1 that they may learn how to do their own4' ',very well2 and you think1 ,sir1 this young man being so much in the shop1 and so diligent and faithful1 is an estate to you1 and so indeed it is2 but are your customers as well pleased with this man1 too1 as you are8 or are they as well pleased with him1 as they would be1 if you were there yourself8' ',yes1 they are1' says the shopkeeper2 'nay1 abundance of the customers take him for the master of the shop1 and don't know any other2 and he is so very obliging1 and pleases so well1 giving content to every body1 that1 if ,i am at any other part of the shop1 and see him serving a customer1 ,i never interrupt them1 unless sometimes 7he is so modest7 he will call me1 and turning to the ladies say1 ,there's my master1 ,madam2 if you think he will abate you any thing1 ,i'll call him2 and sometimes they will look a little surprised1 and say1 ,is that your master8 indeed1 we thought you had been the master of the shop yourself4' ',well1' said ,i1 'and you think yourself very happy in all this1 don't you8 ,pray1 how long has this young gentleman to serve8 how long is it before his time will be out8' ',oh1 he has almost a year and a half to serve1' says the shopkeeper4 ',i hope1 then1' said ,i1 'you will take care to have him knocked on the head1 as soon as his time is out4' ',god forbid1' says the honest man2 'what do you mean by that8' ',mean6' said ,i1 'why1 if you don't1 he will certainly knock your trade on the head1 as soon as the year and a half comes to be up4 ,either you must dispose of him1 as ,i say1 or take care that he does not set up near you1 no1 not in the same street2 if you do1 your customers will all run thither4 ,when they miss him in the shop1 they will presently inquire for him2 and as1 you say1 they generally take him for the master1 they will ask whether the gentleman is removed that kept the shop before4' ,all my shopkeeper could say1 was1 that he had got a salve for that sore1 and that was1 that when ,timothy was out of his time1 he resolved to take him in partner4 ',a very good thing1 indeed6 so you must take ,timothy into half the trade when he is out of his time1 for fear he should run away with three-quarters of it1 when he sets up for himself4 ,but had not the master much better have been ,timothy himself8--then he had been sure never to have the customers take ,timothy for the master2 and when he went away1 and set up perhaps at next door1 leave the shop1 and run after him4' ,it is certain1 a good servant1 a faithful1 industrious1 obliging servant1 is a blessing to a tradesman1 and1 as he said1 is an estate to his master2 but the master1 by laying the stress of his business upon him1 divests himself of all the advantages of such a servant1 and turns the blessing into a blast2 for by giving up the shop as it were to him1 and indulging himself in being abroad1 and absent from his business1 the apprentice gets the mastery of the business1 the fame of the shop depends upon him1 and when he sets up1 certainly follows him4 ,such a servant would1 with the master's attendance too1 be very helpful1 and yet not be dangerous2 such a servant is well1 when he is visibly an assistant to the master1 but is ruinous when he is taken for the master4 ,there is a great deal of difference between a servant's being the stay of his master1 and his being the stay of his trade3 when he is the first1 the master is served by him2 and when he is gone1 he breeds up another to follow his steps2 but when he is the last1 he carries the trade with him1 and does his master infinitely more hurt than good4 ,a good tradesman has a great deal of trouble with a bad servant1 but must take heed that he is not wounded by a good one--the extravagant idle vagrant servant hurts himself1 but the diligent servant endangers his master4 ,the greater reputation the servant gets in his business1 the more care the master has upon him1 lest he gets within him1 and worms him out of his business4 ,the only way to prevent this1 and yet not injure a diligent servant1 is that the master be as diligent as the servant2 that the master be as much at the shop as the man4 ,he that will keep in his business1 need never fear keeping his business1 let his servant be as diligent as he will4 ,it is a hard thing that a tradesman should have the blessing of a good servant1 and make it a curse to him1 by his appearing less capable than his man4 ,let your apprentice be in the business1 but let the master be at the head of the business at all times4 ,there is a great deal of difference between being diligent in the business in the shop1 and leading the whole business of the shop4 ,an apprentice who is diligent may be master of his business1 but should never be master of the shop2 the one is to be useful to his master1 the other is to be master of his master2 and1 indeed1 this shows the absolute necessity of diligence and application in a tradesman1 and how1 for want of it1 that very thing which is the blessing of another tradesman's business is the ruin of his4 ,servants1 especially apprentices1 ought to be considered1 as they really are1 in their moveable station1 that they are here with you but seven years1 and that then they act or move in a sphere or station of their own3 their diligence is now for you1 but ever after it is for themselves2 that the better servants they have been while they were with you1 the more dangerous they will be to you when you part2 that1 therefore1 though you are bound in justice to them to let them into your business in every branch of it1 yet you are not bound to give your business away to them2 the diligence1 therefore1 of a good servant in the master's business1 should be a spur to the master's diligence to take care of himself4 ,there is a great deal of difference also between trusting a servant in your business1 and trusting him with your business3 the first is leaving your business with him1 the other is leaving your business to him4 ,he that trusts a servant in his business1 leaves his shop only to him2 but he that leaves his business to his servant1 leaves his wife and children at his disposal--in a word1 such a trusting1 or leaving the business to the servant1 is no less than a giving up all to him1 abandoning the care of his shop and all his affairs to him2 and when such a servant is out of his time1 the master runs a terrible risk1 such as1 indeed1 it is not fit any tradesman should run--namely1 of losing the best of his business4 ,what ,i have been now saying1 is of the tradesman leaving his business to his apprentices and servants1 when they prove good1 when they are honest and diligent1 faithful1 and industrious2 and if there are dangers even in trusting good servants1 and such as do their duty perfectly well1 what1 then1 must it be when the business is left to idle1 negligent1 and extravagant servants1 who both neglect their masters' business and their own1 who neither learn their trade for themselves1 nor regard it for the interest of their masters8 ,if the first are a blessing to their masters1 and may only be made dangerous by their carrying away the trade with them when they go1 these are made curses to their masters early1 for they lose the trade for themselves and their masters too4 ,the first carry the customers away with them1 the last drive the customers away before they go4 ',what signifies going to such a shop8' say the ladies1 either speaking of a mercer or a draper1 or any other trade2 'there is nothing to be met with there but a crew of saucy boys1 that are always at play when you come in1 and can hardly refrain it when you are there3 one hardly ever sees a master in the shop1 and the young rude boys hardly mind you when you are looking on their goods2 they talk to you as if they cared not whether you laid out your money or no1 and as if they had rather you were gone1 that they might go to play again4 ,i will go there no more1 not ,i4' ,if this be not the case1 then you are in danger of worse still1 and that is1 that they are often thieves--idle ones are seldom honest ones--nay1 they cannot indeed be honest1 in a strict sense1 if they are idle3 but by dishonest1 ,i mean downright thieves2 and what is more dangerous than for an apprentice1 to whom the whole business1 the cash1 the books1 and all is committed1 to be a thief8 ,for a tradesman1 therefore1 to commit his business thus into the hand of a false1 a negligent1 and a thievish servant1 is like a man that travels a journey1 and takes a highwayman into the coach with him3 such a man is sure to be robbed1 and to be fully and effectually plundered1 because he discovers where he hides his treasure4 ,thus the tradesman places his confidence in the thief1 and how should he avoid being robbed8 ,it is answered1 that1 generally tradesmen1 who have any considerable trust to put into the hands of an apprentice1 take security of them for their honesty by their friends1 when their indentures are signed2 and it is their fault then1 if they are not secure4 ,true1 it is often so2 but in a retail business1 if the servant be unfaithful1 there are so many ways to defraud a master1 besides that of merely not balancing the cash1 that it is impossible to detect them2 till the tradesman1 declining insensibly by the weight of the loss1 is ruined and undone4 ,what need1 then1 has the tradesman to give a close attendance1 and preserve himself from plunder1 by acquainting himself in and with his business and servants1 by which he makes it very difficult for them to deceive him1 and much easier to him to discover it if he suspects them4 ,but if the tradesman lives abroad1 keeps at his country-house or lodgings1 and leaves his business thus in the hands of his servants1 committing his affairs to them1 as is often the case2 if they prove thieves1 negligent1 careless1 and idle1 what is the consequence8--he is insensibly wronged1 his substance wasted1 his business neglected2 and how shall a tradesman thrive under such circumstances8 ,nay1 how is it possible he should avoid ruin and destruction8--,i mean1 as to his business2 for1 in short1 every such servant has his hand in his master's pocket1 and may use him as he pleases4 ,again1 if they are not thieves1 yet if they are idle and negligent1 it is1 in some cases1 the same thing2 and ,i wish it were well recommended to all such servants as call themselves honest1 that it is as criminal to neglect their master's business as to rob him2 and he is as really a thief who robs him of his time1 as he that robs him of his money4 ,i know1 as servants are now1 this is a principle they will not allow1 neither does one servant in fifty act by it2 but if the master be absent1 the servant is at his heels--that is to say1 is as soon out of doors as his master1 and having none but his conscience to answer to1 he makes shift to compound with himself1 like a bankrupt with his creditor1 to pay half the debt--that is to say1 half the time to his master1 and half to himself1 and think it good pay too4 ,the point of conscience1 indeed1 seems to be out of the question now1 between master and servant2 and as few masters concern themselves with the souls1 nay1 scarce with the morals of their servants1 either to instruct them1 or inform them of their duty either to ,god or man1 much less to restrain them by force1 or correct them1 as was anciently practised1 so1 few servants concern themselves in a conscientious discharge of their duty to their masters--so that the great law of subordination is destroyed1 and the relative duties on both sides are neglected2 all which1 as ,i take it1 is owing to the exorbitant sums of money which are now given with servants to the masters1 as the present or condition of their apprenticeship1 which1 as it is extravagant in itself1 so it gives the servant a kind of a different figure in the family1 places him above the ordinary class of servants hired for wages1 and exempts him from all the laws of family government1 so that a master seems now to have nothing to do with his apprentice1 any other than in what relates to his business4 ,and as the servant knows this1 so he fails not to take the advantage of it1 and to pay no more service than he thinks is due2 and the hours of his shop business being run out1 he claims all the rest for himself1 without the above restraint4 ,nor will the servants1 in these times1 bear any examinations with respect to the disposing of their waste time1 or with respect to the company they keep1 or the houses or places they go to4 ,the use ,i make of it is this1 and herein it is justly applicable to the case in hand2 by how much the apprentices and servants in this age are loose1 wild1 and ungovernable1 by so much the more should a master think himself obliged not to depend upon them1 much less to leave his business to them1 and dispense with his own attendance in it4 ,if he does1 he must have much better luck then his neighbours1 if he does not find himself very much wronged and abused1 seeing1 as ,i said above1 the servants and apprentices of this age do very rarely act from a principle of conscience in serving their master's interest1 which1 however1 ,i do not see they can be good ,christians without4 ,i knew one very considerable tradesman in this city1 and who had always five or six servants in his business1 apprentices and journeymen1 who lodged in his house2 and having a little more the spirit of government in him than most masters ,i now meet with1 he took this method with them4 ,when he took apprentices1 he told them beforehand the orders of his family1 and which he should oblige them to2 particularly1 that they should none be absent from his business without leave1 nor out of the house after nine o'clock at night2 and that he would not have it thought hard1 if he exacted three things of them3-- #a4 ,that1 if they had been out1 he should ask them where they had been1 and in what company8 and that they should give him a true and direct answer4 #b4 ,that1 if he found reason to forbid them keeping company with any particular person1 or in any particular house or family1 they should be obliged to refrain from such company4 #c4 ,that1 in breach of any of those two1 after being positively charged with it1 he would1 on their promising to amend it1 forgive them1 only acquainting their friends of it2 but the second time1 he would dismiss them his service1 and not be obliged to return any of the money he had with them4 ,and to these he made their parents consent when they were bound2 and yet he had large sums of money with them too1 not less than #bjj each1 and sometimes more4 ,as to his journeymen1 he conditioned with them as follows3-- #a4 ,they should never dine from home without leave asked and obtained1 and telling where1 if required4 #b4 ,after the shutting in of the shop1 they were at liberty to go where they pleased1 only not to be out of the house after nine o'clock at night4 #c4 ,never to be in drink1 or to swear1 on pain of being immediately dismissed without the courtesy usual with such servants1 namely1 of a month's warning4 ,these were excellent household laws2 but the question is1 how shall a master see them punctually obeyed1 for the life of all laws depends upon their being well executed2 and we are famous in ,england for being remiss in that very point2 and that we have the best laws the worst executed of any nation in the world4 ,but my friend was a man who knew as well how to make his laws be well executed1 as he did how to make the laws themselves4 ,his case was thus3 he kept a country-house about two miles from ,london1 in the summer-time1 for the air of his wife and children1 and there he maintained them very comfortably3 but it was a rule with him1 that he who expects his servants to obey his orders1 must be always upon the spot with them to see it done3 to this purpose he confined himself to lie always at home1 though his family was in the country2 and every afternoon he walked out to see them1 and to give himself the air too2 but always so ordered his diversions1 that he was sure to be at home before nine at night1 that he might call over his family1 and see that they observed orders1 that is1 that they were all at home at their time1 and all sober4 ,as this was1 indeed1 the only way to have good servants1 and an orderly family1 so he had both2 but it was owing much1 if not all1 to the exactness of his government2 and would all masters take the same method1 ,i doubt not they would have the like success2 but what servants can a man expect when he leaves them to their own government1 not regarding whether they serve ,god or the devil8 ,now1 though this man had a very regular family1 and very good servants1 yet he had this particular qualification1 too1 for a good tradesman1 namely1 that he never left his business entirely to them1 nor could any of them boast that they were trusted to more than another4 ,this is certainly the way to have regular servants and to have business thrive2 but this is not practised by one master to a thousand at this time--if it were1 we should soon see a change in the families of tradesmen1 and that very much for the better3 nor1 indeed1 would this family government be good for the tradesman only1 but it would be the servant's advantage too2 and such a practice1 we may say1 would in time reform all the next age1 and make them ashamed of us that went before them4 ,if1 then1 the morals of servants are thus loose and debauched1 and that it is a general and epidemic evil1 how much less ought tradesmen of this age to trust them1 and still less to venture their all upon them1 leave their great design1 the event of all their business with them1 and go into the country in pursuit of their pleasure4 ,the case of tradesmen differs extremely in this age from those in the last1 with respect to their apprentices and servants2 and the difference is all to the disadvantage of the present age1 namely1 in the last age1 that is to say1 fifty or sixty years ago1 for it is not less1 servants were infinitely more under subjection than they are now1 and the subordination of mankind extended effectually to them2 they were content to submit to family government2 and the just regulations which masters made in their houses were not scorned and contemned1 as they are now2 family religion also had some sway upon them2 and if their masters did keep good orders1 and preserve the worship of ,god in their houses1 the apprentices thought themselves obliged to attend at the usual hours for such services2 nay1 it has been known1 where such orders have been observed1 that if the master of the family has been sick1 or indisposed1 or out of town1 the eldest apprentice has read prayers to the family in his place4 ,how ridiculous1 to speak in the language of the present times1 would it be for any master to expect this of a servant in our days6 and where is the servant that would comply with it8 ,nay1 it is but very rarely now that masters themselves do it2 it is rather thought now to be a low step1 and beneath the character of a man in business1 as if worshipping ,god were a disgrace1 and not an honour1 to a family1 or to the master of a family2 and ,i doubt not but in a little while more1 either the worship of ,god will be quite banished out of families1 or the better sort of tradesmen1 and such as have any regard to it1 will keep chaplains1 as other persons of quality do4 ,it is confessed1 the first is most probable1 though the last1 as ,i am informed1 is already begun in the city1 in some houses1 where the reader of the parish is allowed a small additional salary to come once a-day1 namely1 every evening1 to read prayers in the house4 ,but ,i am not talking on this subject2 ,i am not directing myself to citizens or townsmen1 as masters of families1 but as heads of trade1 and masters in their business2 the other part would indeed require a whole book by itself1 and would insensibly run me into a long satirical discourse upon the loss of all family government among us2 in which1 indeed1 the practice of house-keepers and heads of families is grown not remiss only in all serious things1 but even scandalous in their own morals1 and in the personal examples they show to their servants1 and all about them4 ,but to come back to my subject1 namely1 that the case of tradesmen differs extremely from what it was formerly3 the second head of difference is this2 that whereas1 in former times1 the servants were better and humbler than they are now1 submitted more to family government1 and to the regulations made by their masters1 and masters were more moral1 set better examples1 and kept better order in their houses1 and1 by consequence of it1 all servants were soberer1 and fitter to be trusted1 than they are now2 yet1 on the other hand1 notwithstanding all their sobriety1 masters did not then so much depend upon them1 leave business to them1 and commit the management of their affairs so entirely to their servants1 as they do now4 ,all that ,i meet with1 which masters have to say to this1 is contained in two heads1 and these1 in my opinion1 amount to very little4 ,i4 ,that they have security for their servants' honesty1 which in former times they had not4 ,,ii4 ,that they receive greater premiums1 or present-money1 now with their apprentices1 than they did formerly4 ,the first of these is of no moment2 for1 first1 it does not appear that apprentices in those former days gave no security to their masters for their integrity1 which1 though perhaps not so generally as now1 yet ,i have good reason to know was then practised among tradesmen of note1 and is not now among inferior tradesmen3 but1 secondly1 this security extends to nothing1 but to make the master satisfaction for any misapplications or embezzlements which are discovered1 and can be proved1 but extend to no secret concealed mischiefs3 neither1 thirdly1 do those securities reach to the negligence1 idleness1 or debaucheries of servants2 but1 which is still more than all the rest1 they do not reach to the worst of robbery between the servant and his master1 ,i mean the loss of his time2 so that still there is as much reason for the master's inspection1 both into his servants and their business1 as ever4 ,but least of all does this security reach to make the master any satisfaction for the loss of his business1 the ill management of his shop1 the disreputation brought upon it by being committed to servants1 and those servants behaving ill1 slighting1 neglecting1 or disobliging customers2 this does not relate to securities given or taken1 nor can the master make himself any amends upon his servant1 or upon his securities1 for this irrecoverable damage4 ,he1 therefore1 that will keep up the reputation of his shop1 or of his business1 and preserve his trade to his own advantage1 must resolve to attend it himself1 and not leave it to servants1 whether good or bad2 if he leaves it to good servants1 they improve it for themselves1 and carry the trade away with them when they go2 if to bad servants1 they drive his customers away1 bring a scandal upon his shop1 and destroy both their master and themselves4 ,secondly1 ,as to the receiving great premiums with their apprentices1 which1 indeed1 is grown up to a strange height in this age1 beyond whatever it was before1 it is an unaccountable excess1 which is the ruin of more servants at this time than all the other excesses they are subject to1 nay1 in some respect it is the cause of it all2 and1 on the contrary1 is far from being an equivalent to their masters for the defect of their service1 but is an unanswerable reason why the master should not leave his business to their management4 ,this premium was originally not a condition of indenture1 but was a kind of usual or customary present to the tradesman's wife to engage her to be kind to the youth1 and take a motherly care of him1 being supposed to be young when first put out4 ,by length of time this compliment or present became so customary as to be made a debt1 and to be conditioned for as a demand1 but still was kept within bounds1 and thirty or forty pounds was sufficient to a very good merchant1 which now is run up to five hundred1 nay1 to a thousand pounds with an apprentice2 a thing which formerly would have been thought monstrous1 and not to be named4 ,the ill consequences of giving these large premiums are such and so many1 that it is not to be entered upon in such a small tract as this2 nor is it the design of this work3 but it is thus far to the purpose here--namely1 as it shows that this sets up servants into a class of gentlemen above their masters1 and above their business2 and they neither have a sufficient regard to one or other1 and consequently are the less fit to be trusted by the master in the essential parts of his business2 and this brings it down to the case in hand4 ,upon the whole1 the present state of things between masters and servants is such1 that now more than ever the caution is needful and just1 that he that leaves his business to the management of his servants1 it is ten to one but he ruins his business and his servants too4 ,ruining his business is1 indeed1 my present subject2 but ruining his servants also is a consideration that an honest1 conscientious master ought to think is of weight with him1 and will concern himself about4 ,servants out of government are like soldiers without an officer1 fit for nothing but to rob and plunder2 without order1 and without orders1 they neither know what to do1 or are directed how to do it4 ,besides1 it is letting loose his apprentices to levity and liberty in that particular critical time of life1 when they have the most need of government and restraint4 ,when should laws and limits be useful to mankind but in their youth1 when unlimited liberty is most fatal to them1 and when they are least capable of governing themselves8 ,to have youth left without government1 is leaving fire in a magazine of powder1 which will certainly blow it all up at last1 and ruin all the houses that are near it4 ,if there is any duty on the side of a master to his servant1 any obligation on him as a ,christian1 and as a trustee for his parents1 it lies here--to limit and restrain them1 if possible1 in the liberty of doing evil2 and this is certainly a debt due to the trust reposed in masters by the parents of the youth committed to them4 ,if he is let loose here1 he is undone1 of course1 and it may be said1 indeed1 he was ruined by his master2 and if the master is afterwards ruined by such a servant1 what can be said for it but this8 ,he could expect no other4 ,to leave a youth without government is indeed unworthy of any honest master2 he cannot discharge himself as a master2 for instead of taking care of him he indeed casts him off1 abandons him1 and1 to put it into ,scripture words1 he leads him into temptation3 nay1 he goes farther1 to use another ,scripture expression3 he delivers him over to ,satan4 ,it is confessed--and it is fatal both to masters and servants at this time--that not only servants are made haughty1 and above the government of their masters1 and think it below them to submit to any family government1 or any restraints of their masters1 as to their morals and religion2 but masters also seem to have given up all family government1 and all care or concern for the morals and manners1 as well as for the religion of their servants1 thinking themselves under no obligation to meddle with those things1 or to think any thing about them1 so that their business be but done1 and their shop or warehouse duly looked after4 ,but to bring it all home to the point in hand1 if it is so with the master and servant1 there is the less room still for the master of such servants to leave any considerable trust in the hands of such apprentices1 or to expect much from them1 to leave the weight of their affairs with them1 and1 living at their country lodgings1 and taking their own diversions1 depend upon such servants for the success of their business4 ,this is indeed abandoning their business1 throwing it away1 and committing themselves1 families1 and fortunes1 to the conduct of those1 who1 they have all the reason in the world to believe1 have no concern upon them for their good1 or care one farthing what becomes of them4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,of ,,tradesmen ,,making ,,composition ,,with ,,debtors1 ,,or ,,with ,,creditors ,there is an alternative in the subject of this chapter1 which places the discourse in the two extremes of a tradesman's fortunes4 ,i4 ,the fortunate tradesman1 called upon by his poor unfortunate neighbour1 who is his debtor1 and is become insolvent1 to have compassion on him1 and to compound with him for part of his debt1 and accept his offer in discharge of the whole4 ,,ii4 ,the unfortunate tradesman become insolvent and bankrupt himself1 and applying himself to his creditor to accept of a composition1 in discharge of his debt4 ,i must confess1 a tradesman1 let his circumstances be what they will1 has the most reason to consider the disasters of the unfortunate1 and be compassionate to them under their pressures and disasters1 of any other men2 because they know not--no1 not the most prosperous of them--what may be their own fate in the world4 ,there is a ,scripture proverb1 if ,i may call it so1 very necessary to a tradesman in this case1 ',let him that thinketh he standeth1 take heed lest he fall4' ,n4,b4 ,it is not said1 let him that standeth take heed1 but him that thinketh he standeth4 ,men in trade can but think they stand2 and there are so many incidents in a tradesman's circumstances1 that sometimes when he thinks himself most secure of standing1 he is in most danger of falling4 ,if1 then1 the contingent nature of trade renders every man liable to disaster that is engaged in it1 it seems strange that tradesmen should be outrageous and unmerciful to one another when they fall2 and yet so it is1 that no creditor is so furious upon an unhappy insolvent tradesman1 as a brother-tradesman of his own class1 and who is at least liable to the same disaster1 in the common event of his business4 ,nay1 ,i have lived to see--such is the uncertainty of human affairs1 and especially in trade--the furious and outrageous creditor become bankrupt himself in a few years1 or perhaps months after1 and begging the same mercy of others1 which he but just before denied to his not more unfortunate fellow-tradesman1 and making the same exclamations at the cruelty and hard-heartedness of his creditors in refusing to comply with him1 when1 at the same time1 his own heart must reproach him with his former conduct2 how inexorable he was to all the entreaties and tears of his miserable neighbour and his distressed family1 who begged his compassion with the lowest submission1 who employed friends to solicit and entreat for them1 laying forth their misery in the most lively expressions1 and using all the arguments which the most moving distress could dictate1 but in vain4 ,the tradesman is certainly wrong in this1 as compassion to the miserable is a debt of charity due from all mankind to their fellow-creatures2 and though the purse-proud tradesman may be able to say he is above the fear of being in the like circumstances1 as some may be1 yet1 even then1 he might reflect that perhaps there was a time when he was not so1 and he ought to pay that debt of charity1 in acknowledgement of the mercy that has set him above the danger4 ,and yet1 speaking in the ordinary language of men who are subject to vicissitudes of fortune1 where is the man that is sure he shall meet with no shock8 ,and how have we seen men1 who have to-day been immensely rich1 be to-morrow1 as it were1 reduced to nothing6 ,what examples were made in this city of such precipitations within the memory of some living1 when the ,exchequer shutting up ruined the great bankers of ,lombard ,street4#bc ,to what fell ,sir ,robert ,viner--the great ,alderman ,backwell--the three brothers of the name of ,forth1 of whom ,king ,charles ,,ii4 made that severe pun1 that ',three-fourths of the city were broke8' ,to what have we seen men of prodigious bulk in trade reduced--as ,sir ,thomas ,cook1 ,sir ,basil ,firebrass1 ,sheppard1 ,coggs1 and innumerable bankers1 money-scriveners1 and merchants1 who thought themselves as secure against the shocks of trade1 as any men in the world could be8 ,not to instance our late ,south ,sea directors1 and others1 reduced by the terrible fate of bubbles1 whose names ,i omit because they yet live1 though sinking still under the oppression of their fortunes1 and whose weight ,i would be far from endeavouring to make heavier4 ,why1 then1 should any tradesman1 presuming on his own security1 and of his being out of the reach of disaster1 harden his heart against the miseries and distresses of a fellow-tradesman1 who sinks1 as it were1 by his side1 and refuse to accept his offer of composition2 at least1 if he cannot object against the integrity of his representations1 and cannot charge him with fraud and deceit1 breaking with a wicked design to cheat and delude his creditors1 and to get money by a pretended breach8 ,i say1 why should any tradesman harden his heart in such a case1 and not1 with a generous pity1 comply with a reasonable and fair proposal1 while it is to be had8 ,i do acknowledge1 if there is an evident fraud1 if he can detect the bankrupt in any wicked design1 if he can prove he has effects sufficient to pay his debts1 and that he only breaks with a purpose to cheat his creditors1 and he conceals a part of his estate1 when he seems to offer a sincere surrender2 if this be the case1 and it can be made appear to be so--for in such a case1 too1 we ought to be very sure of the fact--then1 indeed1 no favour is due1 and really none ought to be shown4 ,and1 therefore1 it was a very righteous clause which was inflicted on the fraudulent bankrupt1 in a late act of ,parliament1 namely1 that in case he concealed his effects1 and that it appeared he had1 though upon his oath1 not given in a full account of his estate1 but willingly and knowingly concealed it1 or any part of it1 with design to defraud his creditors1 he should be put to death as a felon3 the reason and justice of which clause was this1 and it was given as the reason of it when the act was passed in the ,house of ,commons1 namely1 that the act was made for the relief of the debtor1 as well as of the creditor1 and to procure for him a deliverance on a surrender of his effects2 but then it was made also for the relief of the creditor1 too1 that he might have as much of his debt secured to him as possible1 and that he should not discharge the debtor with his estate in his pocket1 suffering him to run away with his 7the creditor's7 money before his face4 ,also it was objected1 that the act1 without a penalty1 would be only an act to encourage perjury1 and would deliver the hard-mouthed knave that could swear what he pleased1 and ruin and reject the modest conscientious tradesman1 that was willing and ready to give up the utmost farthing to his creditors4 ,on this account the clause was accepted1 and the act passed1 which otherwise had been thrown out4 ,now1 when the poor insolvent has thus surrendered his all1 stript himself entirely upon oath1 and that oath taken on the penalty of death if it be false1 there seems to be a kind of justice due to the bankrupt4 ,he has satisfied the law1 and ought to have his liberty given him as a prey1 as the text calls it1 ,jer4 xxxix4 #ah41 that he may try the world once again1 and see1 if possible1 to recover his disasters1 and get his bread2 and it is to be spoken in honour of the justice as well as humanity of that law for delivering bankrupts1 that there are more tradesmen recover themselves in this age upon their second endeavours1 and by setting up again after they have thus failed and been delivered1 than ever were known to do so in ten times the number of years before4 ,to break1 or turn bankrupt1 before this1 was like a man being taken by the ,turks2 he seldom recovered liberty to try his fortune again1 but frequently languished under the tyranny of the commissioners of bankrupt1 or in the ,mint1 or ,friars1 or rules of the ,fleet1 till he wasted the whole estate1 and at length his life1 and so his debts were all paid at once4 ,nor was the case of the creditor much better--,i mean as far as respected his debt1 for it was very seldom that any considerable dividend was made2 on the other hand1 large contributions were called for before people knew whether it was likely any thing would be made of the debtor's effects or no1 and oftentimes the creditor lost his whole debt1 contribution-money and all2 so that while the debtor was kept on the rack1 as above1 being held in suspense by the creditors1 or by the commissioners1 or both1 he spent the creditor's effects1 and subsisted at their expense1 till1 the estate being wasted1 the loss fell heavy on every side1 and generally most on those who were least able to bear it4 ,by the present state of things1 this evil is indeed altered1 and the ruin of the creditor's effects is better prevented2 the bankrupt can no more skulk behind the door of the ,mint and ,rules1 and prevent the commissioners' inspection2 he must come forth1 be examined1 give in an account1 and surrender himself and effects too1 or fly his country1 and be seen here no more2 and if he does come in1 he must give a full account upon oath1 on the penalty of his neck4 ,when the effects are thus surrendered1 the commissioners' proceedings are short and summary4 ,the assignees are obliged to make dividends1 and not detain the estate in their own hands1 as was the case in former days1 till sometimes they became bankrupts themselves1 so that the creditors are sure now what is put into the hands of the assignees1 shall in due time1 and without the usual delay1 be fairly divided4 ,on the other hand1 the poor debtor having honestly discharged his part1 and no objection lying against the sincerity of the discovery1 has a certificate granted him1 which being allowed by the ,lord ,chancellor1 he is a clear man1 and may begin the world again1 as ,i have said above4 ,the creditor1 being thus satisfied that the debtor has been faithful1 does not answer the end of the act of ,parliament1 if he declines to assent to the debtor's certificate2 nor can any creditor decline it1 but on principles which no man cares to own--namely1 that of malice1 and the highest resentment1 which are things a ,christian tradesman will not easily act upon4 ,but ,i come now to the other part of the case2 and this is supposing a debtor fails1 and the creditors do not think fit to take out a commission of bankrupt against him1 as sometimes is the case1 at least1 where they see the offers of the debtor are any thing reasonable3 my advice in such case is 7and ,i speak it from long experience in such things71 that they should always accept the first reasonable proposal of the debtor2 and ,i am not in this talking on the foot of charity and mercy to the debtor1 but of the real and undoubted interest of the creditor2 nor could ,i urge it1 by such arguments as ,i shall bring1 upon any other foundation2 for1 if ,i speak in behalf of the debtor1 ,i must argue commiseration to the miserable1 compassion and pity of his family1 and a reflection upon the sad changes which human life exposes us all to1 and so persuade the creditor to have pity upon not him only1 but upon all families in distress4 ,but1 ,i say1 ,i argue now upon a different foundation1 and insist that it is the creditor's true interest1 as ,i hinted before1 that if he finds the debtor inclined to be honest1 and he sees reason to believe he makes the best offer he can1 he should accept the first offer1 as being generally the best the debtor can make2#bd and1 indeed1 if the debtor be wise as well as honest1 he will make it so1 and generally it is found to be so4 ,and there are1 indeed1 many reasons why the first offers of the debtor are generally the best1 and why no commission of bankrupt ordinarily raises so much1 notwithstanding all its severities1 as the bankrupt offers before it is sued out--not reckoning the time and expense which1 notwithstanding all the new methods1 attend such things1 and are inevitable4 ,for example-- ,when the debtor1 first looking into his affairs1 sees the necessity coming upon him of making a stop in trade1 and calling his creditors together1 the first thought which by the consequence of the thing comes to be considered1 is1 what offers he can make to them to avoid the having a commission sued out against him1 and to which end common prudence1 as well as honest principles1 move him to make the best offers he can4 ,if he be a man of sense1 and1 according to what ,i mentioned in another chapter1 has prudently come to a stop in time1 before things are run to extremities1 and while he has something left to make an offer of that may be considerable1 he will seldom meet with creditors so weak or so blind to their own interest not to be willing to end it amicably1 rather than to proceed to a commission4 ,and as this is certainly best both for the debtor and the creditor1 so1 as ,i argued with the debtor1 that he should be wise enough1 as well as honest enough1 to break betimes1 and that it was infinitely best for his own interest1 so ,i must add1 on the other hand1 to the creditor1 that it is always his interest to accept the first offer2 and ,i never knew a commission make more of an estate1 where the debtor has been honest1 than he 7the debtor7 proposed to give them without it4 ,it is true1 there are cases where the issuing out a commission may be absolutely necessary4 ,for example-- #a4 ,where the debtor is evidently knavish1 and discovers himself to be so1 by endeavours to carry off his effects1 or alter the property of the estate1 confessing judgments1 or any the usual ways of fraud1 which in such cases are ordinarily practised4 ,or-- #b4 ,where some creditors1 by such judgments1 or by attachments of debts1 goods delivered1 effects made over1 or any other way1 have gotten some of the estate into their hands1 or securities belonging to it1 whereby they are in a better state1 as to payment1 than the rest4 ,or-- #c4 ,where some people are brought in as creditors1 whose debts there is reason to believe are not real1 but who place themselves in the room of creditors1 in order to receive a dividend for the use of the bankrupt1 or some of his family4 ,in these1 and such like cases1 a commission is inevitable1 and must be taken out2 nor does the man merit to be regarded upon the foot of what ,i call compassion and commiseration at all1 but ought to be treated like a rapparee1#be or plunderer1 who breaks with a design to make himself whole by the composition2 and as many did formerly1 who were beggars when they broke1 be made rich by the breach4 ,it was to provide against such harpies as these that the act of ,parliament was made2 and the only remedy against them is a commission1 in which the best thing they can do for their creditors is to come in and be examined1 give in a false account upon oath1 be discovered1 convicted of it1 and sent to the gallows1 as they deserve4 ,but ,i am speaking of honest men1 the reverse of such thieves as these1 who being brought into distress by the ordinary calamities of trade1 are willing to do the utmost to satisfy their creditors4 ,when such as these break in the tradesman's debt1 let him consider seriously my advice1 and he shall find--,i might say1 he shall always find1 but ,i do affirm1 he shall generally find--the first offer the best1 and that he will never lose by accepting it4 ,to refuse it is but pushing the debtor to extremities1 and running out some of the effects to secure the rest4 ,first1 as to collecting in the debts4 ,supposing the man is honest1 and they can trust him1 it is evident no man can make so much of them as the bankrupt4 7#a47 ,he knows the circumstances of the debtors1 and how best to manage them2 he knows who he may best push at1 and who best forbear4 7#b47 ,he can do it with the least charge2 the commissioners or assignees must employ other people1 such as attorneys1 solicitors1 c41 and they are paid dear4 ,the bankrupt sits at home1 and by letters into the country1 or by visiting them1 if in town1 can make up every account1 answer every objection1 judge of every scruple1 and1 in a word1 with ease1 compared to what others must do1 brings them to comply4 ,next1 as to selling off a stock of goods4 ,the bankrupt keeps open the shop1 disperses or disposes of the goods with advantage2 whereas the commission brings all to a sale1 or an outcry1 or an appraisement1 and all sinks the value of the stock2 so that the bankrupt can certainly make more of the stock than any other person 7always provided he is honest1 as ,i said before71 and much more than the creditors can do4 ,for these reasons1 and many others1 the bankrupt is able to make a better offer upon his estate than the creditors can expect to raise any other way2 and therefore it is their interest always to take the first offer1 if they are satisfied there is no fraud in it1 and that the man has offered any thing near the extent of what he has left in the world to offer from4 ,if1 then1 it be the tradesman's interest to accept of the offer made1 there needs no stronger argument to be used with him for the doing it2 and nothing is more surprising to me than to see tradesmen1 the hardest to come into such compositions1 and to push on severities against other tradesmen1 as if they were out of the reach of the shocks of fortune themselves1 or that it was impossible for them ever to stand in need of the same mercy--the contrary to which ,i have often seen4 ,to what purpose should tradesmen push things to extremities against tradesmen1 if nothing is to be gotten by it1 and if the insolvent tradesman will take proper measures to convince the creditor that his intentions are honest8 ,the law was made for offenders2 there needs no law for innocent men3 commissions are granted to manage knaves1 and hamper and entangle cunning and designing rogues1 who seek to raise fortunes out of their creditors' estates1 and exalt themselves by their own downfall2 they are not designed against honest men1 neither1 indeed1 is there any need of them for such4 ,let no man mistake this part1 therefore1 and think that ,i am moving tradesmen to be easy and compassionate to rogues and cheats3 ,i am far from it1 and have given sufficient testimony of the contrary2 having1 ,i assure you1 been the only person who actually formed1 drew up1 and first proposed that very cause to the ,house of ,commons1 which made it felony to the bankrupt to give in a false account4 ,it cannot1 therefore1 be suggested1 without manifest injustice1 that ,i would with one breath prompt creditors to be easy to rogues1 and to cheating fraudulent bankrupts1 and with another make a proposal to have them hanged4 ,but ,i move the creditor1 on account of his own interest1 always to take the first offer1 if he sees no palpable fraud in it1 or sees no reason to suspect such fraud2 and my reason is good1 namely1 because ,i believe1 as ,i said before1 it is generally the best4 ,i know there is a new method of putting an end to a tradesman's troubles1 by that which was formerly thought the greatest of all troubles2 ,i mean a fraudulent method1 or what they call taking out friendly statutes2 that is1 when tradesmen get statutes taken out against themselves1 moved first by some person in kindness to them1 and done at the request of the bankrupt himself4 ,this is generally done when the circumstances of the debtor are very low1 and he has little or nothing to surrender2 and the end is1 that the creditors may be obliged to take what there is1 and the man may get a full discharge4 ,this is1 indeed1 a vile corruption of a good law1 and turning the edge of the act against the creditor1 not against the debtor2 and as he has nothing to surrender1 they get little or nothing1 and the man is as effectually discharged as if he had paid twenty shillings in the pound2 and so he is in a condition to set up again1 take fresh credit1 break again1 and have another commission against him2 and so round1 as often as he thinks fit4 ,this1 indeed1 is a fraud upon the act1 and shows that all human wisdom is imperfect1 that the law wants some repairs1 and that it will in time come into consideration again1 to be made capable of disappointing the people that intend to make such use of it4 ,i think there is also wanting a law against twice breaking1 and that all second commissions should have some penalty upon the bankrupt1 and a third a farther penalty1 and if the fourth brought the man to the gallows1 it could not be thought hard2 for he that has set up and broke1 and set up again1 and broke again1 and the like1 a third time1 ,i think merits to be hanged1 if he pretends to venture any more4 ,most of those crimes against which any laws are published in particular1 and which are not capital1 have generally an addition of punishment upon a repetition of the crime1 and so on--a further punishment to a further repetition4 ,i do not see why it should not be so here2 and ,i doubt not but it would have a good effect upon tradesmen1 to make them cautious1 and to warn them to avoid such scandalous doings as we see daily practised1 breaking three or four1 or five times over2 and we see instances of some such while ,i am writing this very chapter4 ,to such1 therefore1 ,i am so far from moving for any favour1 either from the law1 or from their creditors1 that ,i think the only deficiency of the law at this time is1 that it does not reach to inflict a corporal punishment in such a case1 but leaves such insolvents to fare well1 in common with those whose disasters are greater1 and who1 being honest and conscientious1 merit more favour1 but do not often find it4 ,,footnotes3 #bc ,this event took place in #afga1 ,charles ,,ii4 finding it necessary to suspend the national payments for a year4 #bd ,the truth of this continues to be matter of daily observation in our own times4 #be ,a name applied1 in the seventeenth century1 to a certain class of robbers in ,ireland4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,of ,,the ,,unfortunate ,,tradesman ,,compounding ,,with ,,his ,,creditors ,this is what in the last chapter ,i called an alternative to that of the fortunate tradesman yielding to accept the composition of his insolvent debtor4 ,the poor unhappy tradesman1 having long laboured in the fire1 and finding it is in vain to struggle1 but that whether he strives or not strives1 he must break2 that he does but go backward more and more1 and that the longer he holds out1 he shall have the less to offer1 and be the harder thought of1 as well as the harder dealt with--resolves to call his creditors together in time1 while there is something considerable to offer them1 and while he may have some just account to give of himself1 and of his conduct1 and that he may not be reproached with having lived on the spoil1 and consumed their estates2 and thus1 being satisfied that the longer he puts the evil day from him1 the heavier it will fall when it comes2 ,i say1 he resolves to go no farther1 and so gets a friend to discourse with and prepare them1 and then draws up a state of his case to lay before them4 ,first1 ,he assures them that he has not wasted his estate1 either by vice and immorality1 or by expensive and riotous living1 luxury1 extravagance1 and the like4 ,secondly1 ,he makes it appear that he has met with great losses1 such as he could not avoid2 and yet such and so many1 that he has not been able to support the weight of them4 ,thirdly1 ,that he could have stood it out longer1 but that he was sensible if he did1 he should but diminish the stock1 which1 considering his debts1 was properly not his own2 and that he was resolved not to spend one part of their debts1 as he had lost the other4 ,fourthly1 ,that he is willing to show them his books1 and give up every farthing into their hands1 that they might see he acted the part of an honest man to them4 ,and1 ,fifthly1 ,that upon his doing so1 they will find1 that there is in goods and good debts sufficient to pay them fifteen shillings in the pound2 after which1 and when he has made appear that they have a faithful and just account of every thing laid before them1 he hopes they will give him his liberty1 that he may try to get his bread1 and to maintain his family in the best manner he can2 and1 if possible1 to pay the remainder of the debt4 ,you see ,i go all the way upon the suggestion of the poor unfortunate tradesman being critically honest1 and showing himself so to the full satisfaction of his creditors2 that he shows them distinctly a true state of his case1 and offers his books and vouchers to confirm every part of his account4 ,upon the suggestion of his being thus sincerely honest1 and allowing that the state of his account comes out so well as to pay fifteen shillings in the pound1 what and who but a parcel of outrageous hot-headed men would reject such a man8 ,what would they be called1 nay1 what would they say of themselves1 if they should reject such a composition1 and should go and take out a commission of bankrupt against such a man8 ,i never knew but one of the like circumstances1 that was refused by his creditors2 and that one held them out1 till they were all glad to accept of half what they said should be first paid them3 so may all those be served1 who reject such wholesome advice1 and the season for accepting a good offer1 when it was made them4 ,but ,i return to the debtor4 ,when he looks into his books1 he finds himself declined1 his own fortune lost1 and his creditors' stock in his hands wasted in part1 and still wasting1 his trade being for want of stock much fallen off1 and his family expense and house-rent great2 so he draws up the general articles thus3-- ,,stock ,,debtor ,to cash of my father 7being my stock7 to begin with in trade #hjj #j #j ,to ,cash of my father-in-law1 being my wife's portion #fjj #j #j ,to household-goods1 plate1 c4 of both #ajj #j #j ,to profits in trade for ten years1 as by the yearly balance in the journal appears #bdfi #aj #j ,to debts abroad esteemed good1 as by the ledger appears #aceg #h #j ,to goods in the warehouse at the prime cost #fgb #ab #j ,plate and some small jewels of my wife's left1 and old household-goods altogether #ajc #j #j ------------ #fajb #aj #j ,estate deficient to balance #ajjf #b #j ------------ #gajh #ab #j ,,stock ,,creditor ,by losses by bad debts in trade1 in the year #agae #ej #j #j ,by do4 #agaf #ff #aj #j ,by do4 #agag #bcd #ae #j ,by do4 #agah #dc #j #j ,by do4 #agai #be #j #j ,by do4 by the ,south ,sea stock1 #agbj #abhj #j #j ,by do4 in trade1 #agba #db #j #j ,by do4 #agbb #ajf #j #j ,by do4 #agbc #cjb #j #j ,by do4 #agbd #hf #ae #j ,by house-keeping and expenses1 taxes included1 as by the cash-book appears1 for ten years #ahcf #ab #j ,by house-rents at #ej per annum #ejj #j #j ,by credits now owing to sundry persons1 as by the ledger appears #becf #j #j ---------------- #gajh #ab #j ,this account is drawn out to satisfy himself how his condition stands1 and what it is he ought to do3 upon the stating which account he sees to his affliction that he has sunk all his own fortune and his wife's1 and is a thousand pounds worse than nothing in the world2 and that1 being obliged to live in the same house for the sake of his business and warehouse1 though the rent is too great for him1 his trade being declined1 his credit sunk1 and his family being large1 he sees evidently he cannot go on1 and that it will only be bringing things from bad to worse2 and1 above all the rest1 being greatly perplexed in his mind that he is spending other people's estates1 and that the bread he eats is not his own1 he resolves to call his creditors all together1 lay before them the true state of his case1 and lie at their mercy for the rest4 ,the account of his present and past fortune standing as it did1 and as appears above1 the result is as follows1 namely1 that he has not sufficient to pay all his creditors1 though his debts should prove to be all good1 and the goods in his warehouse should be fully worth the price they cost1 which1 being liable to daily contingencies1 add to the reasons which pressed him before to make an offer of surrender to his creditors both of his goods and debts1 and to give up all into their hands4 ,the state of his case1 as to his debts and credits1 stands as follows3-- ,his debts esteemed good1 as by the ledger1 are #aceg #h #j ,his goods in the warehouse #fgb #ab #j --------------- #bjcj #j #j ,his creditors demands1 as by the same ledger appears1 are #cjcf #j #j ,this amounts to fifteen shillings in the pound upon all his debts1 which1 if the creditors please to appoint an assignee or trustee to sell the goods1 and collect the debts1 he is willing to surrender wholly into their hands1 hoping they will1 as a favour1 give him his household goods1 as in the account1 for his family use1 and his liberty1 that he may seek out for some employment to get his bread4 ,the account being thus clear1 the books exactly agreeing1 and the man appearing to have acted openly and fairly1 the creditors meet1 and1 after a few consultations1 agree to accept his proposals1 and the man is a free man immediately1 gets fresh credit1 opens his shop again1 and1 doubling his vigilance and application in business1 he recovers in a few years1 grows rich2 then1 like an honest man still1 he calls all his creditors together again1 tells them he does not call them now to a second composition1 but to tell them1 that having1 with ,god's blessing and his own industry1 gotten enough to enable him1 he was resolved to pay them the remainder of his old debt2 and accordingly does so1 to the great joy of his creditors1 to his own very great honour1 and to the encouragement of all honest men to take the same measures4 ,it is true1 this does not often happen1 but there have been instances of it1 and ,i could name several within my own knowledge4 ,but here comes an objection in the way1 as follows3 ,it is true this man did very honestly1 and his creditors had a great deal of reason to be satisfied with his just dealing with them2 but is every man bound thus to strip himself naked8 ,perhaps this man at the same time had a family to maintain1 and had he no debt of justice to them1 but to beg his household goods back of them for his poor family1 and that as an alms8-and would he not have fared as well1 if he had offered his creditors ten shillings in the pound1 and took all the rest upon himself1 and then he had reserved to himself sufficient to have supported himself in any new undertaking8 ,the answer to this is short and plain1 and no debtor can be at a loss to know his way in it1 for otherwise people may make difficulties where there are none2 the observing the strict rules of justice and honesty will chalk out his way for him4 ,the man being deficient in stock1 and his estate run out to a thousand pounds worse than nothing by his losses1 c1 it is evident all he has left is the proper estate of his creditors1 and he has no right to one shilling of it2 he owes it them1 it is a just debt to them1 and he ought to discharge it fairly1 by giving up all into their hands1 or at least to offer to do so4 ,but to put the case upon a new foot2 as he is obliged to make an offer1 as above1 to put all his effects1 books1 and goods into their power1 so he may add an alternative to them thus1 namely--that if1 on the other hand1 they do not think proper to take the trouble1 or run the risk1 of collecting the debts1 and selling the goods1 which may be difficult1 if they will leave it to him to do it1 he will undertake to pay them--shillings in the pound1 and stand to the hazard both of debts and goods4 ,having thus offered the creditors their choice1 if they accept the proposal of a certain sum1 as sometimes ,i know they have chosen to do1 rather than to have the trouble of making assignees1 and run the hazard of the debts1 when put into lawyers' hands to collect1 and of the goods1 to sell them by appraisement2 if1 ,i say1 they choose this1 and offer to discharge the debtor upon payment1 suppose it be of ten or twelve shillings in the pound in money1 within a certain time1 or on giving security for the payment2 then1 indeed1 the debtor is discharged in conscience1 and may lawfully and honestly take the remainder as a gift given him by his creditors for undertaking their business1 or securing the remainder of their debt to them--,i say1 the debtor may do this with the utmost satisfaction to his conscience4 ,but without thus putting it into the creditors' choice1 it is a force upon them to offer them any thing less than the utmost farthing that he is able to pay2 and particularly to pretend to make an offer as if it were his utmost1 and1 as is usual1 make protestations that it is the most he is able to pay 7indeed1 every offer of a composition is a kind of protestation that the debtor is not able to pay any more7--,i say1 to offer thus1 and declare he offers as much as possible1 and as much as the effects he has left will produce1 if his effects are able to produce more1 he is then a cheat2 for he acts then like one that stands at bay with his creditors1 make an offer1 and if the creditors do not think fit to accept of it1 they must take what methods they think they can take to get more2 that is to say1 he bids open defiance to their statutes and commissions of bankrupt1 and any other proceedings3 like a town besieged1 which offers to capitulate and to yield upon such and such articles2 which implies1 that if those articles are not accepted1 the garrison will defend themselves to the last extremity1 and do all the mischief to the assailants that they can4 ,now1 this in a garrison-town1 ,i say1 may be lawful and fair1 but in a debtor to his creditor it is quite another thing3 for1 as ,i have said above1 the debtor has no property in the effects which he has in his hands2 they are the goods and the estate of the creditor2 and to hold out against the creditor1 keep his estate by violence1 and make him accept of a small part of it1 when the debtor has a larger part in his power1 and is able to give it--this is not fair1 much less is it honest and conscientious2 but it is still worse to do this1 and at the same time to declare that it is the utmost the debtor can do2 this1 ,i say1 is still more dishonest1 because it is not true1 and is adding falsehood to the other injustice4 ,thus1 ,i think1 ,i have stated the case clearly1 for the conduct of the debtor2 and1 indeed1 this way of laying all before the creditors1 and putting it into their choice1 seems a very happy method for the comfort of the debtor1 cast down and dejected with the weight of his circumstances2 and1 it may be1 with the reproaches of his own conscience too1 that he has not done honestly in running out the effects of his creditors1 and making other families suffer by him1 and perhaps poor families too--,i say1 this way of giving up all with an honest and single desire to make all the satisfaction he is able to his creditors1 greatly heals the breach in his peace1 which his circumstances had made before2 for1 by now doing all that is in his power1 he makes all possible amends for what is past1 ,i mean as to men2 and they are induced1 by this open1 frank usage1 to give him the reward of his honesty1 and freely forgive him the rest of the debt4 ,there is a manifest difference to the debtor1 in point of conscience1 between surrendering his whole effects1 or estate1 to his creditors for satisfaction of their debts1 and offering them a composition1 unless1 as ,i have said1 the composition is offered1 as above1 to the choice of the creditor4 ,by surrendering the whole estate1 the debtor acknowledges the creditors' right to all he has in his possession1 and gives it up to them as their own1 putting it in their full power to dispose of it as they please4 ,but1 by a composition1 the debtor1 as ,i have said above1 stands at bay with the creditors1 and1 keeping their estates in his hands1 capitulates with them1 as it were1 sword in hand1 telling them he can give them no more1 when perhaps1 and too often it is the case1 it is apparent that he is in condition to offer more4 ,now1 let the creditors consent to these proposals1 be what it will2 and1 however voluntary it may be pretended to be1 it is evident that a force is the occasion of it1 and the creditor complies1 and accepts the proposal1 upon the supposition that no better conditions can be had4 ,it is the plain language of the thing1 for no man accepts of less than he thinks he can get3 if he believed he could have more1 he would certainly get it if he could4 ,and if the debtor is able to pay one shilling more than he offers1 it is a cheat1 a palpable fraud1 and of so much he actually robs his creditor4 ,but in a surrender the case is altered in all its parts2 the debtor says to his creditors1 ',gentlemen1 there is a full and faithful account of all ,i have left2 it is your own1 and there it is2 ,i am ready to put it into your hands1 or into the hands of whomsoever you shall appoint to receive it1 and to lie at your mercy4' ,this is all the man is able to do1 and therefore is so far honest2 whether the methods that reduced him were honest or no1 that is a question by itself4 ,if on this surrender he finds the creditors desirous rather to have it digested into a composition1 and that they will voluntarily come into such a proposal1 then1 as above1 they being judges of the equity of the composition1 and of what ability the debtor is to perform it1 and1 above all1 of what he may or may not gain by it1 if they accept of such a composition1 instead of the surrender of his effects1 then the case alters entirely1 and the debtor is acquitted in conscience1 because the creditor had a fair choice1 and the composition is rather their proposal to the debtor1 than the debtor's proposal to them4 ,thus1 ,i think1 ,i have stated the case of justice and conscience on the debtor's behalf1 and cleared up his way1 in case of a necessity1 to stop trading1 that he may break without wounding his conscience1 as well as his fortunes2 and he that thinks fit to act thus1 will come off with the reputation of an honest man1 and will have the favour of his creditors to begin again1 with whatever he may have as to stock2 and sometimes that favour is better to him than a stock1 and has been the raising of many a broken tradesman1 so that his latter end has been better than his beginning4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,of ,,tradesmen ,,ruining ,,one ,,another ,,by ,,rumour ,,and ,,clamour1 ,,by ,,scandal ,,and ,,reproach ,i have dwelt long upon the tradesman's management of himself1 in order to his due preserving both his business and his reputation3 let me bestow one chapter upon the tradesman for his conduct among his neighbours and fellow-tradesmen4 ,credit is so much a tradesman's blessing that it is the choicest ware he deals in1 and he cannot be too chary of it when he has it1 or buy it too dear when he wants it2 it is a stock to his warehouse1 it is current money in his cash-chest1 it accepts all his bills1 for it is on the fund of his credit that he has any bills to accept2 demands would else be made upon the spot1 and he must pay for his goods before he has them--therefore1 ,i say1 it accepts all his bills1 and oftentimes pays them too2 in a word1 it is the life and soul of his trade1 and it requires his utmost vigilance to preserve it4 ,if1 then1 his own credit should be of so much value to him1 and he should be so nice in his concern about it1 he ought in some degree to have the same care of his neighbour's4 ,religion teaches us not to slander and defame our neighbour1 that is to say1 not to raise or promote any slander or scandal upon his good name4 ,as a good name is to another man1 and which the wise man says1 'is better than life1' the same is credit to a tradesman--it is the life of his trade2 and he that wounds a tradesman's credit without cause1 is as much a murderer in trade1 as he that kills a man in the dark is a murderer in matters of blood4 ,besides1 there is a particular nicety in the credit of a tradesman1 which does not reach in other cases3 a man is slandered in his character1 or reputation1 and it is injurious2 and if it comes in the way of a marriage1 or of a preferment1 or post1 it may disappoint and ruin him2 but if this happens to a tradesman1 he is immediately and unavoidably blasted and undone2 a tradesman has but two sorts of enemies to encounter with1 namely1 thieves breaking open his shop1 and ill neighbours blackening and blasting his reputation2 and the latter are the worst thieves of the two1 by a great deal2 and1 therefore1 people should indeed be more chary of their discourse of tradesmen1 than of other men1 and that as they would not be guilty of murder4 ,i knew an author of a book1 who was drawn in unwarily1 and without design1 to publish a scandalous story of a tradesman in ,london4 ,he 7the author7 was imposed upon by a set of men1 who did it maliciously1 and he was utterly ignorant of the wicked design2 nor did he know the person1 but rashly published the thing1 being himself too fond of a piece of news1 which he thought would be grateful to his readers2 nor yet did he publish the person's name1 so cautious he was1 though that was not enough1 as it proved1 for the person was presently published by those who had maliciously done it4 ,the scandal spread2 the tradesman1 a flourishing man1 and a considerable dealer1 was run upon by it with a torrent of malice2 a match which he was about with a considerable fortune was blasted and prevented1 and that indeed was the malicious end of the people that did it2 nor did it stop there--it brought his creditors upon him1 it ruined him1 it brought out a commission of bankrupt against him1 it broke his heart1 and killed him2 and after his death1 his debts and effects coming in1 there appeared to be seven shillings in the pound estate1 clear and good over and above all demands1 all his debts discharged1 and all the expenses of the statute paid4 ,it was to no purpose that the man purged himself of the crime laid to his charge--that the author1 who had ignorantly and rashly published the scandal1 declared himself ignorant2 the man was run down by a torrent of reproach2 scandal oppressed him2 he was buried alive in the noise and dust raised both against his morals and his credit1 and yet his character was proved good1 and his bottom in trade was so too1 as ,i have said above4 ,it is not the least reason of my publishing this to add1 that even the person who was ignorantly made the instrument of publishing the scandal1 was not able to retrieve it1 or to prevent the man's ruin by all the public reparation he could make in print1 and by all the acknowledgement he could make of his having been ignorantly drawn in to do it4 ,and this ,i mention for the honest tradesman's caution1 and to put him in mind1 that when he has unwarily let slip anything to the wounding the reputation of his neighbour tradesman1 whether in his trading credit1 or the credit of his morals1 it may not be in his power to unsay it again1 that is1 so as to prevent the ruin of the person2 and though it may grieve him as long as he lives1 as the like did the author ,i mention1 yet it is not in his power to recall it1 or to heal the wound he has given2 and that he should consider very well of beforehand4 ,a tradesman's credit and a virgin's virtue ought to be equally sacred from the tongues of men2 and it is a very unhappy truth1 that as times now go1 they are neither of them regarded among us as they ought to be4 ,the tea-table among the ladies1 and the coffee-house among the men1 seem to be places of new invention for a depravation of our manners and morals1 places devoted to scandal1 and where the characters of all kinds of persons and professions are handled in the most merciless manner1 where reproach triumphs1 and we seem to give ourselves a loose to fall upon one another in the most unchristian and unfriendly manner in the world4 ,it seems a little hard that the reputation of a young lady1 or of a new-married couple1 or of people in the most critical season of establishing the characters of their persons and families1 should lie at the mercy of the tea-table2 nor is it less hard1 that the credit of a tradesman1 which is the same thing in its nature as the virtue of a lady1 should be tossed about1 shuttle-cock-like1 from one table to another1 in the coffee-house1 till they shall talk all his creditors about his ears1 and bring him to the very misfortune which they reported him to be near1 when at the same time he owed them nothing who raised the clamour1 and owed nothing to all the world1 but what he was able to pay4 ,and yet how many tradesmen have been thus undone1 and how many more have been put to the full trial of their strength in trade1 and have stood by the mere force of their good circumstances2 whereas1 had they been unfurnished with cash to have answered their whole debts1 they must have fallen with the rest4 ,we need go no farther than ,lombard ,street for an exemplification of this truth4 ,there was a time when ,lombard ,street was the only bank1 and the goldsmiths there were all called bankers4 ,the credit of their business was such1 that the like has not been seen in ,england since1 in private hands3 some of those bankers1 as ,i have had from their own mouths1 have had near two millions of paper credit upon them at a time2 that is to say1 have had bills under their hands running abroad for so much at a time4 ,on a sudden1 like a clap of thunder1 ,king ,charles ,,ii4 shut up the ,exchequer1 which was the common centre of the overplus cash these great bankers had in their hands4 ,what was the consequence8 ,not only the bankers who had the bulk of their cash there1 but all ,lombard ,street1 stood still4 ,the very report of having money in the ,exchequer brought a run upon the goldsmiths that had no money there1 as well as upon those that had1 and not only ,sir ,robert ,viner1 ,alderman ,backwell1 ,farringdon1 ,forth1 and others1 broke and failed1 but several were ruined who had not a penny of money in the ,exchequer1 and only sunk by the rumour of it2 that rumour bringing a run upon the whole street1 and giving a check to the paper credit that was run up to such an exorbitant height4 ,i remember a shopkeeper who one time took the liberty 7foolish liberty67 with himself1 in public company in a coffee-house1 to say that he was broke4 ',i assure you1' says he1 'that ,i am broke1 and to-morrow ,i resolve to shut up my shop1 and call my creditors together4' ,his meaning was1 that he had a brother just dead in his house1 and the next day was to be buried1 when1 in civility to the deceased1 he kept his shop shut2 and several people whom he dealt with1 and owed money to1 were the next day invited to the funeral1 so that he did actually shut up his shop1 and call some of his creditors together4 ,but he sorely repented the jest which he put upon himself4 ',are you broke8' says one of his friends to him1 that was in the coffee-house2 'then ,i wish ,i had the little money you owe me' 7which however1 it seems1 was not much74 ,says the other1 still carrying on his jest1 ',i shall pay nobody1 till1 as ,i told you1 ,i have called my people together4' ,the other did not reach his jest1 which at best was but a dull one1 but he reached that part of it that concerned himself1 and seeing him continue carelessly sitting in the shop1 slipped out1 and1 fetching a couple of sergeants1 arrested him4 ,the other was a little surprised2 but however1 the debt being no great sum1 he paid it1 and when he found his mistake1 told his friends what he meant by his being broke4 ,but it did not end there2 for other people of his neighbours1 who were then in the coffee-house1 and heard his discourse1 and had thought nothing more of it1 yet in the morning seeing his shop shut1 concluded the thing was so indeed1 and immediately it went over the whole street that such a one was broke2 from thence it went to the ,exchange1 and from thence into the country1 among all his dealers1 who came up in a throng and a fright to look after him4 ,in a word1 he had as much to do to prevent his breaking as any man need to desire1 and if he had not had very good friends as well as a very good bottom1 he had inevitably been ruined and undone4 ,so small a rumour will overset a tradesman1 if he is not very careful of himself2 and if a word in jest from himself1 which though indeed no man that had considered things1 or thought before he spoke1 would have said 7and1 on the other hand1 no man who had been wise and thinking would have taken as it was taken7--,i say1 if a word taken from the tradesman's own mouth could be so fatal1 and run such a dangerous length1 what may not words spoken slyly1 and secretly1 and maliciously1 be made to do8 ,a tradesman's reputation is of the nicest nature imaginable2 like a blight upon a fine flower1 if it is but touched1 the beauty of it1 or the flavour of it1 or the seed of it1 is lost1 though the noxious breath which touched it might not reach to blast the leaf1 or hurt the root2 the credit of a tradesman1 at least in his beginning1 is too much at the mercy of every enemy he has1 till it has taken root1 and is established on a solid foundation of good conduct and success4 ,it is a sad truth1 that every idle tongue can blast a young shopkeeper2 and therefore1 though ,i would not discourage any young beginner1 yet it is highly beneficial to alarm them1 and to let them know that they must expect a storm of scandal and reproach upon the least slip they make3 if they but stumble1 fame will throw them down2 it is true1 if they recover1 she will set them up as fast2 but malice generally runs before1 and bears down all with it2 and there are ten tradesmen who fall under the weight of slander and an ill tongue1 to one that is lifted up again by the common hurry of report4 ,to say ,i am broke1 or in danger of breaking1 is to break me3 and though sometimes the malicious occasion is discovered1 and the author detected and exposed1 yet how seldom is it so2 and how much oftener are ill reports raised to ruin and run down a tradesman1 and the credit of a shop2 and like an arrow that flies in the dark1 it wounds unseen4 ,the authors1 no nor the occasion of these reports1 are never discovered perhaps1 or so much as rightly guessed at2 and the poor tradesman feels the wound1 receives the deadly blow1 and is perhaps mortally stabbed in the vitals of his trade1 ,i mean his trading credit1 and never knows who hurt him4 ,i must say1 in the tradesman's behalf1 that he is in such a case to be esteemed a sacrifice to the worst and most hellish of all secret crimes1 ,i mean envy2 which is made up of every hateful vice1 a complication of crimes which nothing but the worst of ,god's reasonable world can be guilty of2 and he will indeed merit and call for every honest man's pity and concern4 ,but what relief is this to him8 for1 in the meantime1 though the devil himself were the raiser of the scandal1 yet it shall go about2 the blow shall take1 and every man1 though at the same time expressing their horror and aversion at the thing1 shall yet not be able1 no not themselves1 to say they receive no impression from it4 ,though ,i know the clamour or rumour was raised maliciously1 and from a secret envy at the prosperity of the man1 yet if ,i deal with him1 it will in spite of all my abhorrence of the thing1 in spite of all my willingness to do justice1 ,i say it will have some little impression upon me1 it will be some shock to my confidence in the man2 and though ,i know the devil is a liar1 a slanderer1 a calumniator1 and that his name devil is derived from it2 and that ,i knew1 if that1 as ,i said1 were possible1 that the devil in his proper person raised and began1 and carried on1 this scandal upon the tradesman1 yet there is a secret lurking doubt 7about him71 which hangs about me concerning him2 the devil is a liar1 but he may happen to speak truth just then1 he may chance to be right1 and ,i know not what there may be in it1 and whether there may be any thing or no1 but ,i will have a little care1 c4 ,thus1 insensibly and involuntarily1 nay1 in spite of friendship1 good wishes1 and even resolution to the contrary1 it is almost impossible to prevent our being shocked by rumour1 and we receive an impression whether we will or not1 and that from the worst enemy2 there is such a powerful sympathy between our thoughts and our interest1 that the first being but touched1 and that in the lightest manner imaginable1 we cannot help it1 caution steps on in behalf of the last1 and the man is jealous and afraid1 in spite of all the kindest and best intentions in the world4 ,nor is it only dangerous in case of false accusations and false charges1 for those indeed are to be expected fatal2 but even just and true things may be as fatal as false1 for the truth is not always necessary to be said of a tradesman3 many things a tradesman may perhaps allow himself to do1 and may be lawfully done1 but if they should be known to be part of his character1 it would sink deep into his trading fame1 his credit would suffer by it1 and in the end it might be his ruin2 so that he that would not set his hand to his neighbour's ruin1 should as carefully avoid speaking some truths1 as raising some forgeries upon him4 ,of what fatal consequence1 then1 is the raising rumours and suspicions upon the credit and characters of young tradesmen6 and how little do those who are forward to raise such suspicions1 and spread such rumours1 consult conscience1 or principle1 or honour1 in what they do6 ,how little do they consider that they are committing a trading murder1 and that1 in respect to the justice of it1 they may with much more equity break open the tradesman's house1 and rob his cash-chest1 or his shop2 and what they can carry away thence will not do him half the injury that robbing his character of what is due to it from an upright and diligent conduct1 would do4 ,the loss of his money or goods is easily made up1 and may be sometimes repaired with advantage1 but the loss of credit is never repaired2 the one is breaking open his house1 but the other is burning it down2 the one carries away some goods1 but the other shuts goods out from coming in2 one is hurting the tradesman1 but the other is undoing him4 ,credit is the tradesman's life2 it is1 as the wise man says1 'marrow to his bones2' it is by this that all his affairs go on prosperously and pleasantly2 if this be hurt1 wounded1 or weakened1 the tradesman is sick1 hangs his head1 is dejected and discouraged2 and if he does go on1 it is heavily and with difficulty1 as well as with disadvantage2 he is beholding to his fund of cash1 not his friends2 and he may be truly said to stand upon his own legs1 for nothing else can do it4 ,and therefore1 on the other hand1 if such a man is any way beholding to his credit1 if he stood before upon the foundation of his credit1 if he owes any thing considerable1 it is a thousand to one but he sinks under the oppression of it2 that is to say1 it brings every body upon him--,i mean1 every one that has any demand upon him--for in pushing for their own1 especially in such cases1 men have so little mercy1 and are so universally persuaded that he that comes first is first served1 that ,i did not at all wonder1 that in the story of the tradesman who so foolishly exposed himself in the coffee-house1 as above1 his friend whom he said the words to1 began with him that very night1 and before he went out of the coffee-house2 it was rather a wonder to me he did not go out and bring in half-a-dozen more upon him the same evening4 ,it is very rarely that men are wanting to their own interest2 and the jealousy of its being but in danger1 is enough to make men forget1 not friendship only1 and generosity1 but good manners1 civility1 and even justice itself1 and fall upon the best friends they have in the world1 if they think they are in the least danger of suffering by them4 ,on these accounts it is1 and many more1 that a tradesman walks in continual jeopardy1 from the looseness and inadvertency of men's tongues1 ay1 and women's too2 for though ,i am all along very tender of the ladies1 and would do justice to the sex1 by telling you1 they were not the dangerous people whom ,i had in view in my first writing upon this subject1 yet ,i must be allowed to say1 that they are sometimes fully even with the men1 for ill usage1 when they please to fall upon them in this nice article1 in revenge for any slight1 or but pretended slight1 put upon them4 ,it was a terrible revenge a certain lady1 who was affronted by a tradesman in ,london1 in a matter of love1 took upon him in this very article4 ,it seems a tradesman had courted her some time1 and it was become public1 as a thing in a manner concluded1 when the tradesman left the lady a little abruptly1 without giving a good reason for it1 and1 indeed1 she afterwards discovered1 that he had left her for the offer of another with a little more money1 and that1 when he had done so1 he reported that it was for another reason1 which reflected a little on the person of the lady2 and in this the tradesman did very unworthily indeed1 and deserved her resentment3 but1 as ,i said1 it was a terrible revenge she took1 and what she ought not to have done4 ,first1 she found out who it was that her former pretended lover had been recommended to1 and she found means to have it insinuated to her by a woman-friend1 that he was not only rakish and wicked1 but1 in short1 that he had a particular illness1 and went so far as to produce letters from him to a quack-doctor1 for directions to him how to take his medicines1 and afterwards a receipt for money for the cure2 though both the letters and receipt also1 as afterwards appeared1 were forged1 in which she went a dismal length in her revenge1 as you may see4 ,then she set two or three female instruments to discourse her case in all their gossips' companies1 and at the tea-tables wherever they came1 and to magnify the lady's prudence in refusing such a man1 and what an escape she had had in being clear of him4 ',why1' says a lady to one of these emissaries1 'what was the matter8 ,i thought she was like to be very well married4' ',oh no1 ,madam6 by no means1' says the emissary4 ',why1 ,madam1' says another lady1 'we all know ,mr ,h----2 he is a very pretty sort of a man4' ',ay1 ,madam1' says the emissary again1 'but you know a pretty man is not all that is required4' ',nay1' says the lady again1 ',i don't mean so2 he is no beauty1 no rarity that way2 but ,i mean a clever good sort of a man in his business1 such as we call a pretty tradesman4' ',ay1' says the lady employed1 'but that is not all neither4' ',why1' says the other lady1 'he has a very good trade too1 and lives in good credit4' ',yes1' says malice1 'he has some of the first1 but not too much of the last1 ,i suppose4' ',no6' says the lady2 ',i thought his credit had been very good4' ',if it had1 ,i suppose1' says the first1 'the match had not been broke off4' ',why1' says the lady1 ',i understood it was broken off on his side4' ',and so did ,i1' says another4 ',and so did ,i1 indeed1' says a third4 ',oh1 ,madam6' says the tool1 'nothing like it1 ,i assure you4' ',indeed1' says another1 ,i understood he had quitted ,mrs----1 because she had not fortune enough for him1 and that he courted another certain lady1 whom we all know4' ,then the ladies fell to talking of the circumstances of his leaving her1 and how he had broken from her abruptly and unmannerly1 and had been too free with her character2 at which the first lady1 that is to say1 the emissary1 or tool1 as ,i call her1 took it up a little warmly1 thus3-- #a4 ,lady4--,well1 you see1 ladies1 how easily a lady's reputation may be injured2 ,i hope you will not go away with it so4 #b4 ,lady4--,nay1 we have all of us a respect for ,mrs----1 and some of us visit there sometimes2 ,i believe none of us would be willing to injure her4 #a4 ,lady4--,but indeed1 ladies1 she is very much injured in that story4 #b4 ,lady4--,indeed1 it is generally understood so1 and every body believes it4 #a4 ,lady4--,i can assure you it is quite otherwise in fact4 #b4 ,lady4--,i believe he reports it so himself1 and that with some very odd things about the lady too4 #a4 ,lady4--,the more base unworthy fellow he4 #b4 ,lady4--,especially if he knows it to be otherwise4 #a4 ,lady4--,especially if he knows the contrary to be true1 ,madam4 #b4 ,lady4--,is that possible8 ,did he not refuse her1 then8 #a4 ,lady4--,nothing like it1 ,madam2 but just the contrary4 #b4 ,lady4--,you surprise me6 #c4 ,lady4--,i am very glad to hear it1 for her sake4 #a4 ,lady4--,i can assure you1 ,madam1 she had refused him1 and that he knows well enough1 which has been one of the reasons that has made him abuse her as he has done4 #b4 ,lady4--,indeed1 she has been used very ill by him1 or somebody for him4 #a4 ,lady4--,yes1 he has reported strange things1 but they are all lies4 #b4 ,lady4--,well2 but pray1 ,madam1 what was the reason1 if we may be so free1 that she turned him off after she had entertained him so long8 #a4 ,lady4--,oh1 ,madam6 reason enough2 ,i wonder he should pretend1 when he knew his own circumstances too1 to court a lady of her fortune4 #b4 ,lady4--,why1 are not his circumstances good1 then8 #a4 ,lady4--,no1 ,madam4 ,good6 alas1 he has no bottom4 #b4 ,lady4--,no bottom6 ,why1 you surprise me2 we always looked upon him to be a man of substance1 and that he was very well in the world4 #a4 ,lady4--,it is all a cheat1 ,madam2 there's nothing in it2 when it came to be made out1 nothing at all in it4 #b4 ,lady4--,that cannot be1 ,madam2 ,mr ---- has lived always in good reputation and good credit in his business4 #a4 ,lady4--,it is all sunk again then1 if it was so2 ,i don't know4 #b4 ,lady4--,why did she entertain him so long1 then8 #a4 ,lady4--,alas6 ,madam1 how could she know1 poor lady1 till her friends inquired into things8 ,but when they came to look a little narrowly into it1 they soon found reason to give her a caution1 that he was not the man she took him for4 #b4 ,lady4--,well1 it is very strange2 ,i am sure he passed for another man among us4 #a4 ,lady4--,it must be formerly1 then1 for they tell me his credit has been sunk these three or four years2 he had need enough indeed to try for a greater fortune1 he wants it enough4 #b4 ,lady4--,it is a sad thing when men look out for fortunes to heal their trade-breaches with1 and make the poor wife patch up their old bankrupt credit4 #a4 ,lady4--,especially1 ,madam1 when they know themselves to be gone so far1 that even with the addition they can stand but a little while1 and must inevitably bring the lady to destruction with them4 #b4 ,lady4--,well1 ,i could never have thought ,mr ---- was in such circumstances4 #c4 ,lady4--,nor ,i2 we always took him for a ten thousand pound man4 #a4 ,lady4--,they say he was deep in the bubbles1 ,madam4 #b4 ,lady4--,nay1 if he was gotten into the ,south ,sea1 that might hurt him indeed1 as it has done many a gentleman of better estates than he4 #a4 ,lady4--,i don't know whether it was the ,south ,sea1 or some other bubbles1 but he was very near making a bubble of her1 and #cjjj into the bargain4 #b4 ,lady4--,i am glad she has escaped him1 if it be so2 it is a sign her friends took a great deal of care of her4 #a4 ,lady4--,he won't hold it long2 he will have his desert1 ,i hope2 ,i don't doubt but we shall see him in the ,gazette quickly for a bankrupt4 #b4 ,lady4--,if he does not draw in some innocent young thing that has her fortune in her own hands to patch him up4 #a4 ,lady4--,i hope not1 ,madam2 ,i hear he is blown where he went since1 and there1 they say1 they have made another discovery of him1 in a worse circumstance than the other4 #b4 ,lady4--,how1 pray8 #a4 ,lady4--,nothing1 ,madam1 but a particular kind of illness1 c4 ,i need say no more4 #b4 ,lady4--,you astonish me6 ,why1 ,i always thought him a very civil1 honest1 sober man4 #a4 ,lady4--,this is a sad world1 ,madam2 men are seldom known now1 till it is too late2 but sometimes murder comes out seasonably1 and so ,i understand it is here2 for the lady had not gone so far with him1 but that she could go off again4 #b4 ,lady4--,nay1 it was time to go off again1 if it were so4 #a4 ,lady4--,nay1 ,madam1 ,i do not tell this part of my own knowledge2 ,i only heard so1 but ,i am afraid there is too much in it4 ,thus ended this piece of hellish wildfire1 upon the character and credit of a tradesman1 the truth of all which was no more than this--that the tradesman1 disliking his first lady1 left her1 and soon after1 though not presently1 courted another of a superior fortune indeed1 though not for that reason2 and the first lady1 provoked at being cast off1 and1 as she called it1 slighted1 raised all this clamour upon him1 and persecuted him with it1 wherever she was able4 ,such a discourse as this at a tea-table1 it could not be expected would be long a secret2 it ran from one tittle-tattle society to another2 and in every company1 snow-ball like1 it was far from lessening1 and it went on1 till at length it began to meet with some contradiction1 and the tradesman found himself obliged to trace it as far and as well as he could4 ,but it was to no purpose to confront it2 when one was asked1 and another was asked1 they only answered they heard so1 and they heard it in company in such a place1 and in such a place1 and some could remember where they had it1 and some could not2 and the poor tradesman1 though he was really a man of substance1 sank under it prodigiously3 his new mistress1 whom he courted1 refused him1 and would never hear any thing in his favour1 or trouble herself to examine whether it were true or no--it was enough1 she said1 to her1 that he was laden with such a report2 and1 if it was unjust1 she was sorry for it1 but the misfortune must be his1 and he must place it to the account of his having made some enemies1 which she could not help4 ,as to his credit1 the slander of the first lady's raising was spread industriously1 and with the utmost malice and bitterness1 and did him an inexpressible prejudice2 every man he dealt with was shy of him2 every man he owed any thing to came for it1 and1 as he said1 he was sure he should see the last penny demanded2 it was his happiness that he had wherewith to pay1 for had his circumstances been in the least perplexed1 the man had been undone2 nay1 as ,i have observed in another case1 as his affairs might have lain1 he might have been able to have paid forty shillings in the pound1 and yet have been undone1 and been obliged to break1 and shut up his shop4 ,it is true1 he worked through it1 and he carried it so far as to fix the malice of all the reports pretty much upon the first lady1 and particularly so far as to discover that she was the great reason of his being so positively rejected by the other2 but he could never fix it so upon her as to recover any damages of her1 only to expose her a little1 and that she did not value1 having1 as she said wickedly1 had her full revenge of him1 and so indeed she had4 ,the sum of the matter is1 and it is for this reason ,i tell you the story1 that the reputation of a tradesman is too much at the mercy of men's tongues or women's either2 and a story raised upon a tradesman1 however malicious1 however false1 and however frivolous the occasion1 is not easily suppressed1 but1 if it touches his credit1 as a flash of fire it spreads over the whole air like a sheet2 there is no stopping it4 ,my inference from all this shall be very brief2 if the tongues of every ill-disposed envious gossip1 whether man-gossip or woman-gossip1 for there are of both sorts1 may be thus mischievous to the tradesman1 and he is so much at the mercy of the tattling slandering part of the world1 how much more should tradesmen be cautious and wary how they touch or wound the credit and character of one another4 ,there are but a very few tradesmen who can say they are out of the reach of slander1 and that the malice of enemies cannot hurt them with the tongue4 ,here and there one1 and those ancient and well established1 may be able to defy the world2 but there are so many others1 that ,i think ,i may warn all tradesmen against making havoc of one another's reputation1 as they would be tenderly used in the same case4 ,and yet ,i cannot but say it is too much a tradesman's crime1 ,i mean to speak slightly and contemptibly of other tradesman1 their neighbours1 or perhaps rivals in trade1 and to run them down in the characters they give of them1 when inquiry may be made of them1 as often is the case4 ,the reputation of tradesmen is too often put into the hands of their fellow-tradesmen1 when ignorant people think to inform themselves of their circumstances1 by going to those whose interest it is to defame and run them down4 ,i know no case in the world in which there is more occasion for the golden rule1 ,do as you would be done unto2 and though you may be established1 as you may think1 and be above the reach of the tongues of others1 yet the obligation of the rule is the same1 for you are to do as you would be done unto1 supposing that you were in the same condition1 or on a level with the person4 ,it is confessed that tradesmen do not study this rule in the particular case ,i am now speaking of4 ,no men are apter to speak slightly and coldly of a fellow-tradesman than his fellow-tradesmen1 and to speak unjustly so too2 the reasons for which cannot be good1 unless it can be pleaded for upon the foundation of a just and impartial concern in the interest of the inquirer2 and even then nothing must be said but what is consistent with strict justice and truth3 all that is more than that1 is mere slander and envy1 and has nothing of the ,christian in it1 much less of the neighbour or friend4 ,it is true that friendship may be due to the inquirer1 but still so much justice is due to the person inquired of1 that it is very hard to speak in such cases1 and not be guilty of raising dust1 as they call it1 upon your neighbour1 and at least hurting1 if not injuring him4 ,it is1 indeed1 so difficult a thing1 that ,i scarce know what stated rule to lay down for the conduct of a tradesman in this case3--,a tradesman at a distance is going to deal with another tradesman1 my neighbour2 and before he comes to bargain1 or before he cares to trust him1 he goes1 weakly enough perhaps1 to inquire of him1 and of his circumstances1 among his neighbours and fellow-tradesmen1 perhaps of the same profession or employment1 and who1 among other things1 it may be1 are concerned by their interest1 that this tradesman's credit should not rise too fast4 ,what must be done in this case8 ,if ,i am the person inquired of1 what must ,i do8 ,if ,i would have this man sink in his reputation1 or be discredited1 and if it is for my interest to have him cried down in the world1 it is a sore temptation to me to put in a few words to his disadvantage2 and yet1 if ,i do it in gratification of my private views or interest1 or upon the foot of resentment of any kind whatever1 and let it be from what occasion it will1 nay1 however just and reasonable the resentment is1 or may be1 it is utterly unjust and unlawful1 and is not only unfair as a man1 but unchristian1 and is neither less nor more than a secret revenge1 which is forbidden by the laws of ,god and man4 ,if1 on the other hand1 ,i give a good character of the man1 or of his reputation1 ,i mean1 of his credit in business1 in order to have the inquirer trust him1 and at the same time know or believe that he is not a sound and good man 7that is1 as to trade1 for it is his character in trade that ,i am speaking of71 what am ,i doing then8 ,it is plain ,i lay a snare for the inquirer1 and am at least instrumental to his loss1 without having really any design to hurt him2 for it is to be supposed1 before he came to me to inquire1 ,i had no view of acting any thing to his prejudice4 ,again1 there is no medium1 for to refuse or decline giving a character of the man1 is downright giving him the worst character ,i can--it is1 in short1 shooting him through the head in his trade4 ,a man comes to me for a character of my neighbouring tradesman2 ,i answer him with a repulse to his inquiry thus-- ,a4--,good sir1 do not ask me the character of my neighbours--,i resolve to meddle with nobody's character2 pray1 do not inquire of me4 ,b4--,well1 but1 sir1 you know the gentleman2 you live next door to him2 you can tell me1 if you please1 all that ,i desire to know1 whether he is a man in credit1 and fit to be trusted1 or no1 in the way of his business4 ,a4--,i tell you1 sir1 ,i meddle with no man's business2 ,i will not give characters of my neighbours--it is an ill office--a man gets no thanks for it1 and perhaps deserves none4 ,b4--,but1 sir1 you would be willing to be informed and advised1 if it were your own case4 ,a4--,it may be so1 but ,i cannot oblige people to inform me4 ,b4--,but you would entreat it as a favour1 and so ,i come to you4 ,a4--,but you may go to any body else4 ,b4--,but you are a man of integrity2 ,i can depend upon what you say2 ,i know you will not deceive me2 and1 therefore1 ,i beg of you to satisfy me4 ,a4--,but ,i desire you to excuse me1 for it is what ,i never do--,i cannot do it4 ,b4--,but1 sir1 ,i am in a great strait2 ,i am just selling him a great parcel of goods1 and ,i am willing to sell them too1 and yet ,i am willing to be safe1 as you would yourself1 if you were in my case4 ,a4--,i tell you1 sir1 ,i have always resolved to forbear meddling with the characters of my neighbours--it is an ill office4 ,besides1 ,i mind my own business2 ,i do not enter into the inquiries after other people's affairs4 ,b4--,well1 sir1 ,i understand you1 then2 ,i know what ,i have to do4 ,a4--,what do you mean by that8 ,b4--,nothing1 sir1 but what ,i suppose you would have me understand by it4 ,a4--,i would have you understand what ,i say--namely1 that ,i will meddle with nobody's business but my own4 ,b4--,and ,i say ,i understand you2 ,i know you are a good man1 and a man of charity1 and loth to do your neighbours any prejudice1 and that you will speak the best of every man as near as you can4 ,a4--,i tell you1 ,i speak neither the best nor the worst--,i speak nothing4 ,b4--,well1 sir1 that is to say1 that as charity directs you to speak well of every man1 so1 when you cannot speak well1 you refrain1 and will say nothing2 and you do very well1 to be sure2 you are a very kind neighbour4 ,a4--,but that is a base construction of my words2 for ,i tell you1 ,i do the like by every body4 ,b4--,yes1 sir1 ,i believe you do1 and ,i think you are in the right of it--am fully satisfied4 ,a4--,you act more unjustly by me than by my neighbour2 for you take my silence1 or declining to give a character1 to be giving an ill character4 ,b4--,no1 sir1 not for an ill character4 ,a4--,but ,i find you take it for a ground of suspicion4 ,b4--,i take it1 indeed1 for a due caution to me1 sir2 but the man may be a good man for all that1 only-- ,a4--,only what8 ,i understand you--only you won't trust him with your goods4 ,b4--,but another man may1 sir1 for all that1 so that you have been kind to your neighbours and to me too1 sir--and you are very just4 ,i wish all men would act so one by another2 ,i should feel the benefit of it myself among others1 for ,i have suffered deeply by ill tongues1 ,i am sure4 ,a4--,well1 however unjust you are to me1 and to my neighbour too1 ,i will not undeceive you at present2 ,i think you do not deserve it4 ,he used a great many more words with him to convince him that he did not mean any discredit to his neighbour tradesman2 but it was all one2 he would have it be1 that his declining to give his said neighbour a good character was giving him an ill character1 which the other told him was a wrong inference4 ,however1 he found that the man stood by his own notion of it1 and declined trusting the tradesman with the goods1 though he was satisfied he 7the tradesman7 was a sufficient man4 ,upon this1 he was a little uneasy1 imagining that he had been the cause of it1 as indeed he had1 next to the positive humour of the inquirer1 though it was not really his fault2 neither was the construction the other made of it just to his intention1 for he aimed at freeing himself from all inquiries of that nature1 but found there was no prevailing with him to understand it any other way than he did2 so1 to requite the man a little in his own way1 he contrived the following method3 he met with him two or three days after1 and asked him if he had sold his goods to the person his neighbour8 ',no1' says he2 'you know ,i would not4' ',nay1' says the other1 ',i only knew you said so2 ,i did not think you would have acted so from what ,i said1 nor do ,i think ,i gave you any reason4' ',why1' says he1 ',i knew you would have given him a good character if you could1 and ,i knew you were too honest to do it1 if you were not sure it was just4' ',the last part ,i hope is true1 but you might have believed me honest too1 in what ,i did say1 that ,i had resolved to give no characters of any body4' ',as to that1 ,i took it1 as any body would1 to be the best and modestest way of covering what you would not have be disclosed1 namely1 that you could not speak as you would2 and ,i also judged that you therefore chose to say nothing4' ',well1 ,i can say no more but this2 you are not just to me in it1 and ,i think you are not just to yourself neither4' ,they parted again upon this1 and the next day the first tradesman1 who had been so pressed to give a character of his neighbour1 sent a man to buy the parcel of goods of the other tradesman1 and offering him ready money1 bought them considerably cheaper than the neighbour-tradesman was to have given for them1 besides reckoning a reasonable discount for the time1 which was four months1 that the first tradesman was to have given to his neighbour4 ,as soon as he had done1 he went and told the neighbour-tradesman what he had done1 and the reason of it1 and sold the whole parcel to him again1 giving the same four months' credit for them as the first man was to have given1 and taking the discount for time only to himself1 gave him all the advantage of the buying1 and gave the first man the mortification of knowing it all1 and that the goods were not only for the same man1 but that the very tradesman1 whom he would not believe when he declined giving a character of any man in general1 had trusted him with them4 ,he pretended to be very angry1 and to take it very ill2 but the other told him1 that when he came to him for a character of the man1 and he told him honestly1 that he would give no characters at all1 that it was not for any ill to his neighbour that he declined it1 he ought to have believed him2 and that he hoped1 when he wanted a character of any of his neighbours again1 he would not come to him for it4 ,this story is to my purpose in this particular1 which is indeed very significant2 that it is the most difficult thing of its kind in the world to avoid giving characters of our neighbouring tradesmen2 and that1 let your reasons for it be what they will1 to refuse giving a character is giving a bad character1 and is generally so taken1 whatever caution or arguments you use to the contrary4 ,in the next place1 it is hard indeed1 if an honest neighbour be in danger of selling a large parcel of goods to a fellow1 who ,i may know it is not likely should be able to pay for them1 though his credit may in the common appearance be pretty good at that time2 and what must ,i do8 ,if ,i discover the man's circumstances1 which perhaps ,i am let into by some accident1 ,i say1 if ,i discover them1 the man is undone2 and if ,i do not1 the tradesman1 who is in danger of trusting him1 is undone4 ,i confess the way is clear1 if ,i am obliged to speak at all in the case3 the man unsound is already a bankrupt at bottom1 and must fail1 but the other man is sound and firm1 if this disaster does not befall him3 the first has no wound given him1 but negatively2 he stands where he stood before2 whereas the other is drawn in perhaps to his own ruin4 ,in the next place1 the first is a knave1 or rather thief1 for he offers to buy1 and knows he cannot pay2 in a word1 he offers to cheat his neighbour2 and if ,i know it1 ,i am so far confederate with him in the cheat4 ,in this case ,i think ,i am obliged to give the honest man a due caution for his safety1 if he desires my advice2 ,i cannot say ,i am obliged officiously to go out of my way to do it1 unless ,i am any way interested in the person--for that would be to dip into other men's affairs1 which is not my proper work2 and if ,i should any way be misinformed of the circumstances of the tradesman ,i am to speak of1 and wrong him1 ,i may be instrumental to bring ruin causelessly upon him4 ,in a word1 it is a very nice and critical case1 and a tradesman ought to be very sure of what he says or does in such a case1 the good or evil fate of his neighbour lying much at stake1 and depending too much on the breath of his mouth4 ,every part of this discourse shows how much a tradesman's welfare depends upon the justice and courtesy of his neighbours1 and how nice and critical a thing his reputation is4 ,this1 well considered1 would always keep a tradesman humble1 and show him what need he has to behave courteously and obligingly among his neighbours2 for one malicious word from a man much meaner than himself1 may overthrow him in such a manner1 as all the friends he has may not be able to recover him2 a tradesman1 if possible1 should never make himself any enemies4 ,but if it is so fatal a thing to tradesmen to give characters of one another1 and that a tradesman should be so backward in it for fear of hurting his neighbour1 and that1 notwithstanding the character given should be just1 and the particular reported of him should be true1 with how much greater caution should we act in like cases where what is suggested is really false in fact1 and the tradesman is innocent1 as was the case in the tradesman mentioned before about courting the lady4 ,if a tradesman may be ruined and undone by a true report1 much more may he be so by a false report1 by a malicious1 slandering1 defaming tongue4 ,there is an artful way of talking of other people's reputation1 which really1 however some people salve the matter1 is equal1 if not superior1 in malice to the worst thing they can say2 this is1 by rendering them suspected1 talking doubtfully of their characters1 and of their conduct1 and rendering them first doubtful1 and then strongly suspected4 ,i don't know what to say to such a man4 ,a gentleman came to me the other day1 but ,i knew not what to say2 ,i dare not say he is a good man1 or that ,i would trust him with five hundred pounds myself2 if ,i should say so1 ,i should belie my own opinion4 ,i do not know1 indeed1 he may be a good man at bottom1 but ,i cannot say he minds his business2 if ,i should1 ,i must lie2 ,i think he keeps a great deal of company1 and the like4 ,another1 he is asked of the currency of his payments1 and he answers suspiciously on that side too2 ,i know not what to say1 he may pay them at last1 but he does not pay them the most currently of any man in the street1 and ,i have heard saucy boys huff him at his door for bills1 on his endeavouring to put them off2 indeed1 ,i must needs say ,i had a bill on him a few weeks ago for a hundred pounds1 and he paid me very currently1 and without any dunning1 or often calling upon1 but it was ,i believe because ,i offered him a bargain at that time1 and ,i supposed he was resolved to put a good face upon his credit4 ,a tradesman1 that would do as he would be done by1 should carefully avoid these people who come always about1 inquiring after other tradesman's characters4 ,there are men who make it their business to do thus2 and as they are thereby as ready to ruin and blow up good fair-dealing tradesmen as others1 so they do actually surprise many1 and come at their characters earlier and nearer than they expect they would4 ,tradesmen1 ,i say1 that will thus behave to one another1 cannot be supposed to be men of much principle1 but will be apt to lay hold of any other advantage1 how unjust soever1 and1 indeed1 will wait for an occasion of such advantages2 and where is there a tradesman1 but who1 if he be never so circumspect1 may some time or other give his neighbour1 who watches for his halting1 advantage enough against him4 ,when such a malicious tradesman appears in any place1 all the honest tradesmen about him ought to join to expose him1 whether they are afraid of him or no3 they should blow him among the neighbourhood1 as a public nuisance1 as a common barrettor1 or raiser of scandal2 by such a general aversion to him they would depreciate him1 and bring him into so just a contempt1 that no body would keep him company1 much less credit any thing he said2 and then his tongue would be no slander1 and his breath would be no blast1 and nobody would either tell him any thing1 or hear any thing from him3 and this kind of usage1 ,i think1 is the only way to put a stop to a defamer2 for when he has no credit of his own left1 he would be unable to hurt any of his neighbour's4 ,,chapter ,,xvi ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,entering ,,into ,,partnership ,,in ,,trade1 ,,and ,,the ,,many ,,dangers ,,attending ,,it ,there are some businesses which are more particularly accustomed to partnerships than others1 and some that are very seldom managed without two1 three1 or four partners1 and others that cannot be at all carried on without partnership2 and there are those again1 in which they seldom join partners together4 ,mercers1 linen-drapers1 banking goldsmiths1 and such considerable trades1 are often1 and indeed generally1 carried on in partnership2 but other meaner trades1 and of less business1 are carried on1 generally speaking1 single-handed4 ,some merchants1 who carry on great business in foreign ports1 have what they call houses in those ports1 where they plant and breed up their sons and apprentices2 and these are such as ,i hinted could not carry on their business without partnership4 ,the trading in partnership is not only liable to more hazards and difficulties1 but it exposes the tradesman to more snares and disadvantages by a great deal1 than the trading with a single hand does2 and some of those snares are these3-- #a4 ,if the partner is a stirring1 diligent1 capable man1 there is danger of his slipping into the whole trade1 and1 getting in between you and home1 by his application1 thrusting you at last quite out2 so that you bring in a snake into your chimney corner1 which1 when it is warmed and grown vigorous1 turns about at you1 and hisses you out of the house4 ,it is with the tradesman1 in the case of a diligent and active partner1 as ,i have already observed it was in the case of a trusty and diligent apprentice1 namely1 that if the master does not appear constantly at the head of the business1 and make himself be known by his own application and diligence to be what he is1 he shall soon look to be what he is not1 that is to say1 one not concerned in the business4 ,he will never fail to be esteemed the principal person concerned in the shop1 and in the trade1 who is principally and most constantly found there1 acting at the head of every business2 and be it a servant or a partner1 the master or chief loses himself extremely by the advances the other makes of that kind2 for1 whenever they part again1 either the apprentice by being out of his time1 or the partner by the expiration of the articles of partnership1 or by any other determination of their agreement1 the customers most certainly desire to deal with the man whom they have so often been obliged by2 and if they miss him1 inquire after and follow him4 ,it is true1 the apprentice is the more dangerous of the two1 because his separation is supposed to be more certain1 and generally sooner than the partner2 the apprentice is not known1 and cannot have made his interest among the buyers1 but for perhaps a year1 or a year and a half1 before his time expired3 sooner than that he could not put himself in the way of being known and observed2 and then1 when his time is out1 he certainly removes1 unless he is taken into the shop as a partner1 and that1 indeed1 prolongs the time1 and places the injury at a greater distance1 but still it makes it the more influencing when it comes2 and unless he is brought some how or other into the family1 and becomes one of the house1 perhaps by marriage1 or some other settled union with the master1 he never goes off without making a great chasm in the master's affairs1 and the more1 by how much he has been more diligent and useful in the trade1 the wounds of which the master seldom if ever recovers4 ,if the partner were not an apprentice1 but that they either came out of their times together1 or near it1 or had a shop and business before1 but quitted it to come in1 it may then be said that he brought part of the trade with him1 and so increased the trade when he joined with the other in proportion to what he may be said to carry away when he went off2 this is the best thing that can be said of a partnership2 and then ,i have this to add1 first1 that the tradesman who took the partner in has a fair field1 indeed1 to act in with his partner1 and must take care1 by his constant attendance1 due acquaintance with the customers1 and appearing in every part of the business1 to maintain not his interest only1 but the appearance of his interest1 in the shop or warehouse1 that he may1 on every occasion1 and to every customer1 not only be1 but be known to be1 the master and head of the business2 and that the other is at best but a partner1 and not a chief partner1 as1 in case of his absence and negligence1 will presently be suggested2 for he that chiefly appears will be always chief partner in the eye of the customers1 whatever he is in the substance of the thing4 ,this1 indeed1 is much the same case with what is said before of a diligent servant1 and a negligent master1 and therefore ,i forbear to enlarge upon it2 but it is so important in both cases1 that indeed it cannot well be mentioned too often3 the master's full application1 in his own person1 is the only answer to both4 ,he that takes a partner only to ease him of the toil of his business1 that he may take his pleasure1 and leave the drudgery1 as they call it1 to the partner1 should take care not to do it till about seven years before he resolves to leave off trade1 that1 at the end of the partnership1 he may be satisfied to give up the trade to his partner1 or see him run away with it1 and not trouble himself about it4 ,but if he takes a partner at his beginning1 with an intent1 by their joint enlarged stock1 to enlarge their business1 and so carry on a capital trade1 which perhaps neither of them were able to do by themselves1 and which is the only justifiable reason for taking a partner at all1 he must resolve then to join with his partner1 not only in stock1 but in mutual diligence and application1 that the trade may flourish by their joint assistance and constant labour1 as two oxen yoked together in the same draught1 by their joint assistance1 draw much more than double what they could either of them draw by their single strength2 and this1 indeed1 is the only safe circumstance of a partnership3 then1 indeed1 they are properly partners when they are assistants to one another1 whereas otherwise they are like two gamesters striving to worm one another out1 and to get the mastery in the play they are engaged in4 ,the very word partner imports the substance of the thing1 and they are1 as such1 engaged to a mutual application1 or they are no more partners1 but rather one is the trading gentleman1 and the other is the trading drudge2 but even then1 let them depend1 the drudge will carry away the trade1 and the profit too1 at last4 ,and this is the way how one partner may honestly ruin another1 and for ought ,i know it is the only one3 for it cannot be said but that the diligent partner acts honestly in acting diligently1 and if the other did the same1 they would both thrive alike2 but if one is negligent and the other diligent1 one extravagant and expensive1 the other frugal and prudent1 it cannot be said to be his fault that one is rich and the other poor--that one increases in the stock1 and the other is lessened1 and at last worked quite out of it4 ,as a partner1 then1 is taken in only for ease1 to abate the first tradesman's diligence1 and take off the edge of his application1 so far a partner1 let him be as honest and diligent as he will1 is dangerous to the tradesman--nay1 the more honest and the more diligent he is1 the more dangerous he is1 and the more a snare to the tradesman that takes him in2 and a tradesman ought to be very cautious in the adventure1 for1 indeed1 it is an adventure--that he be not brought in time to relax his diligence1 by having a partner1 even contrary to his first intention2 for laziness is a subtle insinuating thing1 and it is a sore temptation to a man of ease and indolence to see his work done for him1 and less need of him in the business than used to be1 and yet the business to go on well too2 and this danger is dormant1 and lies unseen1 till after several years it rises1 as it were1 out of its ambuscade1 and surprises the tradesman1 letting him see by his loss what his neglect has cost him4 #b4 ,but there are other dangers in partnership1 and those not a few2 for you may not only be remiss and negligent1 remitting the weight of the business upon him1 and depending upon him for its being carried on1 by which he makes himself master1 and brings you to be forgot in the business2 but he may be crafty too1 and designing in all this1 and when he has thus brought you to be as it were nobody1 he shall make himself be all somebody in the trade1 and in that particular he by degrees gets the capital interest1 as well as stock in the trade1 while the true original of the shop1 who laid the foundation of the whole business1 brought a trade to the shop1 or brought commissions to the house1 and whose the business more particularly is1 is secretly supplanted1 and with the concurrence of his own negligence--for without that it cannot be--is1 as it were1 laid aside1 and at last quite thrust out4 ,thus1 whether honest or dishonest1 the tradesman is circumvented1 and the partnership is made fatal to him2 for it was all owing to the partnership the tradesman was diligent before1 understood his business1 and kept close to it1 gave up his time to it1 and by employing himself1 prevented the indolence which he finds breaking insensibly upon him afterwards1 by being made easy1 as they call it1 in the assistance of a partner4 #c4 ,but there are abundance of other cases which make a partnership dangerous2 for if it be so where the partner is honest and diligent1 and where he works into the heart of the business by his industry and application1 or by his craft and insinuation1 what may it not be if he proves idle and extravagant2 and if1 instead of working him out1 he may be said to play him out of the business1 that is to say1 prove wild1 expensive1 and run himself and his partner out by his extravagance8 ,there are but too many examples of this kind2 and here the honest tradesman has the labouring oar indeed2 for instead of being assisted by a diligent industrious partner1 whom on that account he took into the trade1 he proves a loose1 extravagant1 wild fellow1 runs abroad into company1 and leaves him 7for whose relief he was taken in7 to bear the burden of the whole trade1 which1 perhaps1 was too heavy for him before1 and if it had not been so1 he had not been prevailed with to have taken in a partner at all4 ,this is1 indeed1 a terrible disappointment1 and is very discouraging1 and the more so1 because it cannot be recalled2 for a partnership is like matrimony1 it is almost engaged in for better or for worse1 till the years expire2 there is no breaking it off1 at least1 not easily nor fairly1 but all the inconveniences which are to be feared will follow and stare in your face3 as1 first1 the partner in the first place draws out all his stock2 and this sometimes is a blow fatal enough1 for perhaps the partner cannot take the whole trade upon himself1 and cannot carry on the trade upon his own stock3 if he could1 he would not have taken in a partner at all4 ,this withdrawing the stock has sometimes been very dangerous to a partner2 nay1 has many times been the overthrow and undoing of him and of the family that is left4 ,he that takes a partner into his trade on this account--namely1 for the support of his stock1 to enjoy the assistance of so much cash to carry on the trade1 ought seriously to consider what he shall be able to do when the partner1 breaking off the partnership1 shall carry all his stock1 and the improvement of it too1 with him3 perhaps the tradesman's stock is not much increased1 perhaps not at all2 nay1 perhaps the stock is lessened1 instead of being increased1 and they have rather gone backward than forward4 ,what shall the tradesman do in such a case8 ,and how shall he bear the breach in his stock which that separation would make8 ,thus he is either tied down to the partner1 or the partner is pinned down to him1 for he cannot separate without a breach4 ,it is a sad truth to many a partner1 that when the partnership comes to be finished and expired1 the man would let his partner go1 but the other cannot go without tearing him all to pieces whom he leaves behind him2 and yet the partner being loose1 idle1 and extravagant1 in a word1 will ruin both if he stays4 ,this is the danger of partnership in some of the best circumstances of it2 but how hazardous and how fatal is it in other cases6 ,and how many an honest and industrious tradesman has been prevailed with to take in a partner to ease himself in the weight of the business1 or on several other accounts1 some perhaps reasonable and prudent enough1 but has found himself immediately involved in a sea of trouble1 is brought into innumerable difficulties1 concealed debts1 and unknown incumbrances1 such as he could no ways extricate himself out of1 and so both have been unavoidably ruined together6 ,these cases are so various and so uncertain1 that it is not easy to enumerate them3 but we may include the particulars in a general or two4 #a4 ,one partner may contract debts1 even in the partnership itself1 so far unknown to the other1 as that the other may be involved in the danger of them1 though he was not at all concerned in1 or acquainted with1 them at the same time they were contracted4 #b4 ,one partner may discharge debts for both partners2 and so1 having a design to be knavish1 may go and receive money1 and give receipts for it1 and not bringing it to account1 or not bringing the money into cash1 may wrong the stock to so considerable a sum as may be to the ruin of the other partner4 #c4 ,one partner may confess judgment1 or give bonds1 or current notes in the name1 and as for the account of the company1 and yet convert the effects to his own private use1 leaving the stock to be answerable for the value4 #d4 ,one partner may sell and give credit1 and deliver parcels of goods to what sum1 or what quantity1 he thinks fit1 and to whom1 and so1 by his indiscretion1 or perhaps by connivance and knavery1 lose to the stock what parcel of goods he pleases1 to the ruin of the other partner1 and bring themselves to be both bankrupt together4 #e4 ,nay1 to sum up all1 one partner may commit acts of bankruptcy without the knowledge of the other1 and thereby subject the united stock1 and both or all the partners1 to the danger of a commission1 when they may themselves know nothing of it till the blow is given1 and given so as to be too late to be retrieved4 ,all these1 and many more1 being the ill consequences and dangers of partnership in trade1 ,i cannot but seriously warn the honest industrious tradesman1 if possible1 to stand upon his own legs1 and go on upon his own bottom2 to pursue his business diligently1 but cautiously1 and what we call fair and softly2 not eagerly pushing to drive a vast trade1 and enjoy but half of it1 rather carry on a middling business1 and let it be his own4 ,there may be cases1 indeed1 which may have their exceptions to this general head of advice2 partnerships may sometimes prove successful1 and in some particular business they are more necessary than in others1 and in some they tell us that they are absolutely necessary1 though the last ,i can by no means grant2 but be that as it will1 there are so many cases more in number1 and of great consequence too1 which miscarry by the several perplexed circumstances1 differing tempers1 and open knavery of partners1 that ,i cannot but give it as a friendly advice to all tradesmen--if possible1 to avoid partnerships of all kinds4 ,but if the circumstances of trade require partnerships1 and the risk must be run1 ,i would recommend to the tradesman not to enter into partnerships1 but under the following circumstances3-- #a4 ,not to take in any partner who should be allowed to carry on any separate business1 in which the partnership is not concerned4 ,depend upon it1 whatever other business your partner carries on1 you run the risk of it as much as you do of your own2 and you run the risk with this particular circumstance too1 that you have the hazard without the profit or success3 that is1 without a share in the profit or success1 which is very unequal and unfair4 ,i know cunning men will tell you1 that there may be provision made so effectually in the articles of partnership1 that the stock in partnership should be concerned in no other interest or engagements but its own2 but let such cunning gentlemen tell me1 if the partner meets with a disappointment in his other undertakings1 which wounds him so deep as to break him1 will it not affect the partnership thus far8 #a4 ,that it may cause his stock to be drawn hastily out1 and perhaps violently too4 #b4 ,that it touches and taints the credit of the partner to be concerned with such a man2 and though a man's bottom may support him1 if it be very good1 yet it is a blow to him1 touches his credit1 and makes the world stand a little at a stay about him1 if it be no more1 for a while1 till they see that he shows himself upon the ,exchange1 or at his shop-door again1 in spite of all the apprehensions and doubts that have been handed about concerning him4 ,either of these are so essential to the tradesman1 whose partner thus sinks by his own private breaches1 in which the parnership is not concerned1 that it is worth while to caution the tradesman against venturing4 ,and ,i must add1 too1 that many a tradesman has fallen under the disaster by the partner's affairs thus affecting him1 though the immediate losses which the partner had suffered have not been charged upon him2 and yet ,i believe it is not so easy to avoid being fallen upon for those debts also4 ,it is certain1 as ,i formerly noted1 rumour will break a tradesman almost at any time4 ,it matters not1 at first1 whether the rumour be true or false4 ,what rumour can sit closer to a man in business--his own personal misfortunes excepted--than such as this-that his partner is broke8 ,that his partner has met with a loss1 suppose an insurance1 suppose a fall of stocks1 suppose a bubble or a cheat1 or we know not what1 the partner is sunk1 no man knows whether the partnership be concerned in it or no2 and while it is not known1 every man will suppose it1 for mankind always think the worst of every thing4 ,what can be a closer stroke at the poor tradesman8 ,he knows not what his partner has done2 he has reason to fear the worst2 he even knows not himself1 for a while1 whether he can steer clear of the rocks or no2 but soon recovers1 knows his own circumstances1 and struggles hard with the world1 pays out his partner's stock1 and gets happily over it4 ,and it is well he does so1 for that he is at the brink of ruin must be granted2 and where one stands and keeps up his reputation and his business1 there are twenty would be undone in the same circumstance4 ,who1 then1 would run the venture of a partner1 if it were possible to avoid it8 ,and who1 if they must have a partner1 would have one that was concerned in separate business1 in which the partnership was not engaged8 #b4 ,if you must have a partner1 always choose to have the partner rather under than over you2 by this ,i mean1 take him in for a fifth1 a fourth1 or at most a third1 never for a half4 ,there are many reasons to be given for this1 besides that of having the greater share of profits1 for that ,i do not give as a reason here at all2 but the principal reasons are these3--,first1 in case of any disaster in any of the particular supposed accidents which ,i have mentioned1 and that you should be obliged to pay out your partner's stock1 it will not be so heavy1 or be so much a blow to you3 and1 secondly1 you preserve to yourself the governing influence in your own business2 you cannot be overruled1 overawed1 or dogmatically told1 it shall1 or shall not1 be thus1 or thus4 ,he that takes in a partner for a third1 has a partner servant2 he that takes him in for a half1 has a partner master--that is to say1 a director1 or preceptor3 let your partner have always a lesser interest in the business than yourself1 and be rather less acquainted with the business than yourself1 at least not better4 ,you should rather have a partner to be instructed1 than a partner to instruct you2 for he that teaches you1 will always taunt you4 #c4 ,if you must have a partner1 let him always be your junior1 rather than your senior2 by this ,i mean1 your junior in business1 whether he is so in years or not4 ,there are many reasons why the tradesman should choose this1 and particularly the same as the other of taking him in for a junior or inferior part of the trade--that is to say1 to maintain the superiority of the business in his own hands2 and this ,i mention1 not at all upon account of the pride or vanity of the superiority1 for that is a trifle compared to the rest2 but that he may have the more authority to inspect the conduct of his partner1 in which he is so much and so essentially concerned2 and to inquire whether he is doing any thing1 or taking any measures1 dangerous or prejudicial to the stock1 or to the credit of the partnership1 that so if he finds any thing1 he may restrain him1 and prevent in time the mischief which would otherwise be inevitable to them both4 ,there are many other advantages to a tradesman who is obliged to take a partner1 by keeping in his own hands the major part of the trade1 which are too long to repeat here2 such as his being always able to put a check to any rash adventure1 any launching out into bubbles and projects1 and things dangerous to the business3 and this is a very needful thing in a partnership1 that one partner should be able to correct the rash resolves of another in hazardous cases4 ,by this correcting of rash measures1 ,i mean over-ruling them with moderation and temper1 for the good of the whole1 and for their mutual advantage4 ,the ,romans frequently had two generals1 or consuls1 to command their armies in the field3 one of which was to be a young man1 that by his vigour and sprightly forwardness he might keep up the spirits and courage of the soldiers1 encourage them to fight1 and lead them on by his example2 the other an old soldier1 that by his experience in the military affairs1 age1 and counsels1 he might a little abate the fire of his colleague1 and might not only know how to fight1 but know when to fight1 that is to say1 when to avoid fighting2 and the want of this lost them many a victory1 and the great battle of ,cannae in particular1 in which #hj1jjj ,romans were killed in one day4 ,to compare small things with great1 ,i may say it is just so in the affair of trade4 ,you should always join a sober grave head1 weighed to business1 and acquainted with trade1 to the young trader1 who having been young in the work will the easier give up his judgment to the other1 and who is governed with the solid experience of the other2 and so you join their ways together1 the rash and the sedate1 the grave and the giddy4 ,again1 if you must go into partnership1 be sure1 if possible1 you take nobody into partnership but such as whose circumstances in trade you are fully acquainted with4 ,such there are frequently to be had among relations and neighbours1 and such1 if possible1 should be the man that is taken into partnership1 that the hazard of unsound circumstances may be avoided4 ,a man may else be taken into partnership who may be really bankrupt even before you take him2 and such things have been done1 to the ruin of many an honest tradesman4 ,if possible1 let your partner be a beginner1 that his stock may be reasonably supposed to be free and unentangled2 and let him be one that you know personally1 and his circumstances1 and did know even before you had any thoughts of engaging together4 ,all these cautions are with a supposition that the partner must be had2 but ,i must still give it as my opinion1 in the case of such tradesmen as ,i have all along directed myself to1 that if possible they should go on single-handed in trade2 and ,i close it with this brief note1 respecting the qualifications of a partner1 as above1 that1 next to no partner1 such a partner is best4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,,of ,,honesty ,,in ,,dealing1 ,,and ,,lying ,there is some difference between an honest man and an honest tradesman2 and though the distinction is very nice1 yet1 ,i must say1 it is to be supported4 ,trade cannot make a knave of an honest man1 for there is a specific difference between honesty and knavery which can never be altered by trade or any other thing2 nor can that integrity of mind which describes and is peculiar to a man of honesty be ever abated to a tradesman2 the rectitude of his soul must be the same1 and he must not only intend or mean honestly and justly1 but he must do so2 he must act honestly and justly1 and that in all his dealings2 he must neither cheat nor defraud1 over-reach nor circumvent his neighbour1 nor indeed anybody he deals with2 nor must he design to do so1 or lay any plots or snares to that purpose in his dealing1 as is frequent in the general conduct of too many1 who yet call themselves honest tradesmen1 and would take it very ill to have any one tax their integrity4 ,but after all this is premised1 there are some latitudes1 like poetical licences in other cases1 which a tradesman is and must be allowed1 and which by the custom and usage of trade he may give himself a liberty in1 which cannot be allowed in other cases to any man1 no1 nor to the tradesman himself out of his business--,i say1 he may take some liberties1 but within bounds2 and whatever some pretenders to strict living may say1 yet that tradesman shall pass with me for a very honest man1 notwithstanding the liberty which he gives himself of this kind1 if he does not take those liberties in an exorbitant manner2 and those liberties are such as these4 #a4 ,the liberty of asking more than he will take4 ,i know some people have condemned this practice as dishonest1 and the ,quakers for a time stood to their point in the contrary practice1 resolving to ask no more than they would take1 upon any occasion whatsoever1 and choosing rather to lose the selling of their goods1 though they could afford sometimes to take what was offered1 rather than abate a farthing of the price they had asked2 but time and the necessities of trade made them wiser1 and brought them off of that severity1 and they by degrees came to ask1 and abate1 and abate again1 just as other business tradesmen do1 though not perhaps as some do1 who give themselves a fuller liberty that way4 ,indeed1 it is the buyers that make this custom necessary2 for they1 especially those who buy for immediate use1 will first pretend positively to tie themselves up to a limited price1 and bid them a little and a little more1 till they come so near the sellers' price1 that they1 the sellers1 cannot find in their hearts to refuse it1 and then they are tempted to take it1 notwithstanding their first words to the contrary4 ,it is common1 indeed1 for the tradesman to say1 ',i cannot abate anything1' when yet they do and can afford it2 but the tradesman should indeed not be understood strictly and literally to his words1 but as he means it1 namely1 that he cannot reasonably abate1 and that he cannot afford to abate3 and there he may be in earnest1 namely1 that he cannot make a reasonable profit of his goods1 if he is obliged to abate1 and so the meaning is honest1 that he cannot abate2 and yet rather than not take your money1 he may at last resolve to do it1 in hopes of getting a better price for the remainder1 or being willing to abate his ordinary gain1 rather than disoblige the customer2 or being perhaps afraid he should not sell off the quantity2 and many such reasons may be given why he submits to sell at a lower price than he really intended1 or can afford to do2 and yet he cannot be said to be dishonest1 or to lie1 in saying at first he cannot1 or could not1 abate4 ,a man in trade is properly to be said not to be able to do what he cannot do to his profit and advantage4 ,the ,english cannot trade to ,hungary1 and into ,slavonia--that is to say1 they cannot do it to advantage2 but it is better for them to trade to ,venice with their goods1 and let the ,venetians carry on a trade into ,hungary through ,dalmatia1 ,croatia1 c1 and the like in other places4 ,to bring it down to particular cases3 one certain merchant cannot deal in one sort of goods which another merchant is eminent for2 the other merchant is as free to the trade as he1 but he cannot do it to profit2 for he is unacquainted with the trade1 and it is out of his way1 and therefore he cannot do it4 ,thus1 to the case in hand4 ,the tradesman says he cannot sell his goods under such a price1 which in the sense of his business is true2 that is to say1 he cannot do it to carry on his trade with the usual and reasonable advantage which he ought to expect1 and which others make in the same way of business4 ,or1 he cannot1 without underselling the market1 and undervaluing the goods1 and seeming to undersell his neighbour-shopkeepers1 to whom there is a justice due in trade1 which respects the price of sale2 and to undersell is looked upon as an unfair kind of trading4 ,all these1 and many more1 are the reasons why a tradesman may be said not to lie1 though he should say he cannot abate1 or cannot sell his goods under such a price1 and yet may after think fit to sell you his goods something lower than he so intended1 or can afford to do1 rather than lose your custom1 or rather than lose the selling of his goods1 and taking your ready money1 which at that time he may have occasion for4 ,in these cases1 ,i cannot say a shopkeeper should be tied down to the literal meaning of his words in the price he asks1 or that he is guilty of lying in not adhering stiffly to the letter of his first demand2 though1 at the same time1 ,i would have every tradesman take as little liberty that way as may be3 and if the buyer would expect the tradesman should keep strictly to his demand1 he should not stand and haggle1 and screw the shopkeeper down1 bidding from one penny to another1 to a trifle within his price1 so1 as it were1 to push him to the extremity1 either to turn away his customer for a sixpence1 or some such trifle1 or to break his word3 as if he would say1 ,i will force you to speak falsely1 or turn me away for a trifle4 ,in such cases1 if1 indeed1 there is a breach1 the sin is the buyer's3 at least1 he puts himself in the devil's stead1 and makes himself both tempter and accuser2 nor can ,i say that the seller is in that case so much to blame as the buyer4 ,however1 it were to be wished that on both sides buying and selling might be carried on without it2 for the buyer as often says1 ',i won't give a farthing more1' and yet advances1 as the seller says1 ',i can't abate a farthing1' and yet complies4 ,these are1 as ,i call them1 trading lies2 and it were to be wished they could be avoided on both sides2 and the honest tradesman does avoid them as much as possible1 but yet must not1 ,i say1 in all cases1 be tied up to the strict1 literal sense of that expression1 ,i cannot abate1 as above4#bf #b4 ,another trading licence is that of appointing1 and promising payments of money1 which men in business are oftentimes forced to make1 and forced to break1 without any scrupple2 nay1 and without any reproach upon their integrity4 ,let us state this case as clearly as we can1 and see how it stands as to the morality of it1 for that is the point in debate4 ,the credit usually given by one tradesman to another1 as particularly by the merchant to the wholesale-man1 and by the wholesale-man to the retailer1 is such1 that1 without tying the buyer up to a particular day of payment1 they go on buying and selling1 and the buyer pays money upon account1 as his convenience admits1 and as the seller is content to take it4 ,this occasions the merchant1 or the wholesale-man1 to go about1 as they call it1 a-dunning among their dealers1 and which is generally the work of every ,saturday4 ,when the merchant comes to his customer the wholesale-man1 or warehouse-keeper1 for money1 he tells him1 ',i have no money1 ,sir2 ,i cannot pay you now2 if you call next week1 ,i will pay you4' ,next week comes1 and the merchant calls again2 but it is the same thing1 only the warehouseman adds1 ',well1 ,i will pay you next week1 without fail4' ,when the week comes1 he tells him he has met with great disappointments1 and he knows not what to do1 but desires his patience another week3 and when the other week comes1 perhaps he pays him1 and so they go on4 ,now1 what is to be said for this8 ,in the first place1 let us look back to the occasion4 ,this warehouse-keeper1 or wholesale-man1 sells the goods which he buys of the merchant--,i say1 he sells them to the retailers1 and it is for that reason ,i place it first there4 ,now1 as they buy in smaller quantities than he did of the merchant1 so he deals with more of them in number1 and he goes about among them the same ,saturday1 to get in money that he may pay his merchant1 and he receives his bag full of promises1 too1 every where instead of money1 and is put off from week to week1 perhaps by fifty shopkeepers in a day2 and their serving him thus obliges him to do the same to the merchant4 ,again1 come to the merchant4 ,except some1 whose circumstances are above it1 they are by this very usage obliged to put off the ,blackwell-hall factor1 or the packer1 or the clothier1 or whoever they deal with1 in proportion2 and thus promises go round for payment1 and those promises are kept or broken as money comes in1 or as disappointments happen2 and all this while there is no breach of honesty1 or parole2 no lying1 or supposition of it1 among the tradesmen1 either on one side or other4 ,but let us come1 ,i say1 to the morality of it4 ,to break a solemn promise is a kind of prevarication2 that is certain1 there is no coming off of it2 and ,i might enlarge here upon the first fault1 namely1 of making the promise1 which1 say the strict objectors1 they should not do4 ,but the tradesman's answer is this3 all those promises ought to be taken as they are made--namely1 with a contingent dependence upon the circumstances of trade1 such as promises made them by others who owe them money1 or the supposition of a week's trade bringing in money by retail1 as usual1 both of which are liable to fail1 or at least to fall short2 and this the person who calls for the money knows1 and takes the promise with those attending casualties2 which if they fail1 he knows the shopkeeper1 or whoever he is1 must fail him too4 ,the case is plain1 if the man had the money in cash1 he need not make a promise or appointment for a farther day2 for that promise is no more or less than a capitulation for a favour1 a desire or condition of a week's forbearance1 on his assurance1 that if possible he will not fail to pay him at the time4 ,it is objected1 that the words if possible should then be mentioned1 which would solve the morality of the case3 to this ,i must answer1 that ,i own ,i think it needless1 unless the man to whom the promise was made could be supposed to believe the promise was to be performed1 whether it were possible or no2 which no reasonable man can be supposed to do4 ,there is a parallel case to this in the ordinary appointment of people to meet either at place or time1 upon occasions of business4 ,two friends make an appointment to meet the next day at such a house1 suppose a tavern at or near the ,exchange3 one says to the other1 ',do not fail me at that time1 for ,i will certainly be there2' the other answers1 ',i will not fail4' ,some people1 who think themselves more religious than others1 or at least would be thought so1 object against these positive appointments1 and tell us we ought to say1 ',i will1 if it pleases ,god4' or ,i will1 life and health permitting2#bg and they quote the text for it1 where our ,saviour expressly commands to use such a caution1 and which ,i shall say nothing to lessen the force of4 ,but to say a word to our present custom4 ,since ,christianity is the public profession of the country1 and we are to suppose we not only are ,christians ourselves1 but that all those we are talking to1 or of1 are also ,christians1 we must add that ,christianity supposes we acknowledge that life1 and all the contingencies of life1 are subjected to the dominion of ,providence1 and liable to all those accidents which ,god permits to befall us in the ordinary course of our living in the world1 therefore we expect to be taken in that sense in all such appointments2 and it is but justice to us as ,christians1 in the common acceptation of our words1 that when ,i say1 ,i will certainly meet my friend at such a place1 and at such a time1 he should understand me to mean1 if it pleases ,god to give me life and health1 or that his ,providence permits me to come1 or1 as the text says1 ',if the ,lord will2' for we all know that unless the ,lord will1 ,i cannot meet1 or so much as live4 ,not to understand me thus1 is as much as to say1 you do not understand me to be a ,christian1 or to act like a ,christian in any thing2 and on the other hand1 they that understand it otherwise1 ,i ought not to understand them to be ,christians4 ,nor should ,i be supposed to put any neglect or dishonour upon the government of ,providence in the world1 or to suggest that ,i did not think myself subjected to it1 because ,i omitted the words in my appointment4 ,in like manner1 when a man comes to me for money1 ,i put him off3 that1 in the first place1 supposes ,i have not the money by me1 or cannot spare it to pay him at that time2 if it were otherwise1 it may be supposed ,i would pay him just then4 ,he is then perhaps impatient1 and asks me when ,i will pay him1 and ,i tell him at such a time4 ,this naturally supposes1 that by that time ,i expect to be supplied1 so as to be able to pay2 ,i have current bills1 or promises of money1 to be paid me1 or ,i expect the ordinary takings in my shop or warehouse will supply me to make good my promise3 thus my promise is honest in its foundation1 because ,i have reason to expect money to come in to make me in a condition to perform it2 but so it falls out1 contrary to my expectation1 and contrary to the reason of things1 ,i am disappointed1 and cannot do it2 ,i am then1 indeed1 a trespasser upon my creditor1 whom ,i ought to have paid1 and ,i am under affliction enough on that account1 and ,i suffer in my reputation for it also2 but ,i cannot be said to be a liar1 an immoral man1 a man that has no regard to my promise1 and the like2 for at the same time ,i have perhaps used my utmost endeavour to do it1 but am prevented by many several men breaking promise with me1 and ,i am no way able to help myself4 ,it is objected to this1 that then ,i should not make my promises absolute1 but conditional4 ,to this ,i say1 that the promises1 as is above observed1 are really not absolute1 but conditional in the very nature of them1 and are understood so when they are made1 or else they that hear them do not understand them1 as all human appointments ought to be understood2 ,i do confess1 it would be better not to make an absolute promise at all1 but to express the condition or reserve with the promise1 and say1 ',i will if ,i can1' or1 ',i will if people are just to me1 and perform their promises to me4' ,but to this ,i answer1 the importunity of the person who demands the payment will not permit it--nothing short of a positive promise will satisfy--they never believe the person intends to perform if he makes the least reserve or condition in his promise1 though1 at the same time1 they know that even the nature of the promise and the reason of the promise strongly implies the condition--,i say1 the importunity of the creditor occasions the breach1 which he reproaches the debtor with the immorality of4#bh ,custom1 indeed1 has driven us beyond the limits of our morals in many things1 which trade makes necessary1 and which we cannot now avoid2 so that if we must pretend to go back to the literal sense of the command2 if our yea must be yea1 and our nay nay2 if no man must go beyond1 or defraud his neighbour2 if our conversation must be without covetousness1 and the like--why1 then1 it is impossible for tradesmen to be ,christians1 and we must unhinge all business1 act upon new principles in trade1 and go on by new rules--in short1 we must shut up shop1 and leave off trade1 and so in many things we must leave off living2 for as conversation is called life1 we must leave off to converse3 all the ordinary communication of life is now full of lying2 and what with table-lies1 salutation-lies1 and trading-lies1 there is no such thing as every man speaking truth with his neighbour4 ,but this is a subject would launch me out beyond the bounds of a chapter1 and make a book by itself4 ,i return to the case particularly in hand--promises of payment of money4 ,men in trade1 ,i say1 are under this unhappy necessity1 they are forced to make them1 and they are forced to break them2 the violent pressing and dunning1 and perhaps threatening too1 of the creditor1 when the poor shopkeeper cannot comply with his demand1 forces him to promise2 in short1 the importunate creditor will not be otherwise put off1 and the poor shopkeeper1 almost worried1 and perhaps a little terrified too1 and afraid of him1 is glad to do and say any thing to pacify him1 and this extorts a promise1 which1 when the time comes1 he is no more able to perform than he was before1 and this multiplies promises1 and consequently breaches1 so much of which are to be placed to the accounts of force1 that ,i must acknowledge1 though the debtor is to blame1 the creditor is too far concerned in the crime of it to be excused1 and it were to be wished some other method could be found out to prevent the evil1 and that tradesmen would resolve with more courage to resist the importunities of the creditor1 be the consequence what it would1 rather than break in upon their morals1 and load their consciences with the reproaches of it for all their lives after4 ,i remember ,i knew a tradesman1 who1 labouring long under the ordinary difficulties of men embarrassed in trade1 and past the possibility of getting out1 and being at last obliged to stop and call his people together1 told me1 that after he was broke1 though it was a terrible thing to him at first too1 as it is to most tradesmen1 yet he thought himself in a new world1 when he was at a full stop1 and had no more the terror upon him of bills coming for payment1 and creditors knocking at his door to dun him1 and he without money to pay4 ,he was no more obliged to stand in his shop1 and be bullied and ruffled by his creditors1 nay1 by their apprentices and boys1 and sometimes by porters and footmen1 to whom he was forced to give good words1 and sometimes strain his patience to the utmost limits3 he was now no more obliged to make promises1 which he knew he could not perform1 and break promises as fast as he made them1 and so lie continually both to ,god and man2 and1 he added1 the ease of his mind which he felt upon that occasion was so great1 that it balanced all the grief he was in at the general disaster of his affairs2 and1 farther1 that even in the lowest of his circumstances which followed1 he would not go back to live as he had done1 in the exquisite torture of want of money to pay his bills and his duns4 ,nor was it any satisfaction to him to say1 that it was owing to the like breach of promise in the shopkeepers1 and gentlemen1 and people whom he dealt with1 who owed him money1 and who made no conscience of promising and disappointing him1 and thereby drove him to the necessity of breaking his own promises2 for this did not satisfy his mind in the breaches of his word1 though they really drove him to the necessity of it3 but that which lay heaviest upon him was the violence and clamour of creditors1 who would not be satisfied without such promises1 even when he knew1 or at least believed1 he should not be able to perform4 ,nay1 such was the importunity of one of his merchants1 that when he came for money1 and he was obliged to put him off1 and to set him another day1 the merchant would not be satisfied1 unless he would swear that he would pay him on that day without fail4 ',and what said you to him8' said ,i4 ',say to him6' said he1 ',i looked him full in the face1 and sat me down without speaking a word1 being filled with rage and indignation at him2 but after a little while he insisted again1 and asked me what answer ,i would make him1 at which ,i smiled1 and asked him1 if he were in earnest8 ,he grew angry then1 and asked me if ,i laughed at him1 and if ,i thought to laugh him out of his money8 ,i then asked him1 if he really did expect ,i should swear that ,i would pay him the next week1 as ,i proposed to promise8 ,he told me1 yes1 he did1 and ,i should swear it1 or pay him before he went out of my warehouse4 ,i wondered1 indeed1 at the discourse1 and at the folly of the merchant1 who1 ,i understood afterwards1 was a foreigner2 and though ,i thought he had been in jest at first1 when he assured me he was not1 ,i was curious to hear the issue1 which at first he was loth to go on with1 because he knew it would bring about all the rest2 but ,i pressed him to know--so he told me that the merchant carried it to such a height as put him into a furious passion1 and1 knowing he must break some time or other1 he was resolved to put an end to his being insulted in that manner2 so at last he rose up in a rage1 told the merchant1 that as no honest man could take such an oath1 unless he had the money by him to pay it1 so no honest man could ask such a thing of him2 and that1 since he must have an answer1 his answer was1 he would not swear such an oath for him1 nor any man living1 and if he would not be satisfied without it1 he might do his worst--and so turned from him2 and knowing the man was a considerable creditor1 and might do him a mischief1 he resolved to shut up that very night1 and did so1 carrying all his valuable goods with him into the ,mint1 and the next day he heard that his angry creditor waylaid him the same afternoon to arrest him1 but he was too quick for him2 and1 as he said1 though it almost broke his heart to shut up his shop1 yet that being delivered from the insulting temper of his creditor1 and the perpetual perplexities of want of money to pay people when they dunned him1 and1 above all1 from the necessity of making solemn promises for trifling sums1 and then breaking them again1 was to him like a load taken off his back when he was weary1 and could stand under it no longer2 it was a terror to him1 he said1 to be continually lying1 breaking faith with all mankind1 and making promises which he could not perform4 ,this necessarily brings me to observe here1 and it is a little for the ease of the tradesman's mind in such severe cases1 that there is a distinction to be made in this case between wilful premeditated lying1 and the necessity men may be driven to by their disappointments1 and other accidents of their circumstances1 to break such promises1 as they had made with an honest intention of performing them4 ,he that breaks a promise1 however solemnly made1 may be an honest man1 but he that makes a promise with a design to break it1 or with no resolution of performing it1 cannot be so3 nay1 to carry it farther1 he that makes a promise1 and does not do his endeavour to perform it1 or to put himself into a condition to perform it1 cannot be an honest man4 ,a promise once made supposes the person willing to perform it1 if it were in his power1 and has a binding influence upon the person who made it1 so far as his power extends1 or that he can within the reach of any reasonable ability perform the conditions2 but if it is not in his power to perform it1 as in this affair of payment of money is often the case1 the man cannot be condemned as dishonest1 unless it can be made appear1 either #a4 ,that when he made the promise1 he knew he should not be able to perform it2 or1 #b4 ,that he resolved when he made the promise not to perform it1 though he should be in a condition to do it4 ,and in both these cases the morality of promising cannot be justified1 any more than the immorality of not performing it4 ,but1 on the other hand1 the person promising1 honestly intending when he made the appointment to perform it if possible1 and endeavouring faithfully to be able1 but being rendered unable by the disappointment of those on whose promises he depended for the performance of his own2 ,i cannot say that such a tradesman can be charged with lying1 or with any immorality in promising1 for the breach was not properly his own1 but the people's on whom he depended2 and this is justified from what ,i said before1 namely1 that every promise of that kind supposes the possibility of such a disappointment1 even in the very nature of its making2 for1 if the man were not under a moral incapacity of payment1 he would not promise at all1 but pay at the time he promised4 ,his promising1 then1 implies that he has only something future to depend upon1 to capacitate him for the payment2 that is to say1 the appointments of payment by other tradesmen1 who owe him 7that promises7 the money1 or the daily supply from the ordinary course of his trade1 suppose him a retailer in a shop1 and the like2 all which circumstances are subject to contingencies and disappointments1 and are known to be so by the person to whom the promise is made2 and it is with all those contingencies and possibilities of disappointment1 that he takes or accepts the tradesman's promise1 and forbears him1 in hopes that he will be able to perform1 knowing1 that unless he receives money as above1 he cannot4 ,i must1 however1 acknowledge1 that it is a very mortifying thing to a tradesman1 whether we suppose him to be one that values his credit in trade1 or his principle as to honest dealing1 to be obliged to break his word2 and therefore1 where men are not too much under the hatches to the creditor1 and they can possibly avoid it1 a tradesman should not make his promises of payment so positive1 but rather conditional1 and thereby avoid both the immorality and the discredit of breaking his word2 nor will any tradesman1 ,i hope1 harden himself in a careless forwardness to promise1 without endeavouring or intending to perform1 from any thing said in this chapter2 for be the excuse for it as good as it will1 as to the point of strict honesty1 he can have but small regard to his own peace of mind1 or to his own credit in trade1 who will not avoid it as much as possible4 ,,footnotes3 #bf ,the practice of haggling about prices is now very properly abandoned by all respectable dealers in goods1 greatly to the comfort of both sellers and buyers4 #bg ,it was a fashion of trade in ,defoe's time1 and down to a somewhat later period1 to thrust the phrase ',god willing' into almost every promise or announcement1 the purport of which might possibly be thwarted by death or any other accident4 ,the phrase1 in particular1 appeared at the beginning of all letters in which a merchant announced his design of visiting retail dealers in the provinces2 as1 ',god willing1 ,i shall have the honour of waiting on you on the #aeth proximo3' hence ,english riders1 or commercial travellers1 came to be known in ,scotland by the nickname of ,god-willings4' ,this pious phraseology seems now to be banished from all mercantile affairs1 except the shipping of goods4 #bh ,notwithstanding all this ingenious reasoning1 we cannot help thinking that it would be better if conditional promises were made in conditional language4 ,it is not necessarily to be understood in all cases that a direct unreserved promise means something conditional1 so that there is a liability to being much deceived and grievously disappointed by all such promises4 ,a sound morality certainly demands that the tradesman should use the practices described in the text as rarely1 and with as much reluctance1 as possible1 and that1 like other men1 he should make his words1 as nearly as may be1 the echo of his thoughts4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,,of ,,the ,,customary ,,frauds ,,of ,,trade1 ,,which ,,honest ,,men ,,allow ,,themselves ,,to ,,practise1 ,,and ,,pretend ,,to ,,justify ,as there are trading lies which honest men tell1 so there are frauds in trade1 which tradesmen daily practise1 and which1 notwithstanding1 they think are consistent with their being honest men4 ,it is certainly true1 that few things in nature are simply unlawful and dishonest1 but that all crime is made so by the addition and concurrence of circumstances2 and of these ,i am now to speak3 and the first ,i take notice of1 is that of taking and repassing1 or putting off1 counterfeit or false money4 ,it must be confessed1 that calling in the old money in the time of the late ,king ,william was an act particularly glorious to that reign1 and in nothing more than this1 that it delivered trade from a terrible load1 and tradesmen from a vast accumulated weight of daily crime4 ,there was scarce a shopkeeper that had not a considerable quantity or bag full of false and unpassable money2 not an apprentice that kept his master's cash1 but had an annual loss1 which they sometimes were unable to support1 and sometimes their parents and friends were called upon for the deficiency4 ,the consequence was1 that every raw youth or unskilful body1 that was sent to receive money1 was put upon by the cunning tradesmen1 and all the bad money they had was tendered in payment among the good1 that by ignorance or oversight some might possibly be made to pass2 and as these took it1 so they were not wanting again in all the artifice and sleight of hand they were masters of1 to put it off again2 so that1 in short1 people were made bites and cheats to one another in all their business2 and if you went but to buy a pair of gloves1 or stockings1 or any trifle1 at a shop1 you went with bad money in one hand1 and good money in the other1 proffering first the bad coin1 to get it off1 if possible1 and then the good1 to make up the deficiency1 if the other was rejected4 ,thus1 people were daily upon the catch to cheat and surprise one another1 if they could2 and1 in short1 paid no good money for anything1 if they could help it4 ,and how did we triumph1 if meeting with some poor raw servant1 or ignorant woman1 behind a counter1 we got off a counterfeit half-crown1 or a brass shilling1 and brought away their goods 7which were worth the said half-crown or shilling1 if it had been good7 for a half-crown that was perhaps not worth sixpence1 or for a shilling not worth a penny3 as if this were not all one with picking the shopkeeper's pocket1 or robbing his house6 ,the excuse ordinarily given for this practice was this--namely1 that it came to us for good2 we took it1 and it only went as it came2 we did not make it1 and the like2 as if1 because we had been basely cheated by ,a1 we were to be allowed to cheat ,b2 or that because ,c had robbed our house1 that therefore we might go and rob ,d4 ,and yet this was constantly practised at that time over the whole nation1 and by some of the honestest tradesmen among us1 if not by all of them4 ,when the old money was1 as ,i have said1 called in1 this cheating trade was put to an end1 and the morals of the nation in some measure restored--for1 in short1 before that1 it was almost impossible for a tradesman to be an honest man2 but now we begin to fall into it again1 and we see the current coin of the kingdom strangely crowded with counterfeit money again1 both gold and silver2 and especially we have found a great deal of counterfeit foreign money1 as particularly ,portugal and ,spanish gold1 such as moydores and ,spanish pistoles1 which1 when we have the misfortune to be put upon with them1 the fraud runs high1 and dips deep into our pockets1 the first being twenty-seven shillings1 and the latter seventeen shillings4 ,it is true1 the latter being payable only by weight1 we are not often troubled with them2 but the former going all by tale1 great quantities of them have been put off among us4 ,i find1 also1 there is a great increase of late of counterfeit money of our own coin1 especially of shillings1 and the quantity increasing1 so that1 in a few years more1 if the wicked artists are not detected1 the grievance may be in proportion as great as it was formerly1 and perhaps harder to be redressed1 because the coin is not likely to be any more called in1 as the old smooth money was4 ,what1 then1 must be done8 ,and how must we prevent the mischief to conscience and principle which lay so heavy upon the whole nation before8 ,the question is short1 and the answer would be as short1 and to the purpose1 if people would but submit to the little loss that would fall upon them at first1 by which they would lessen the weight of it as they go on1 as it would never increase to such a formidable height as it was at before1 nor would it fall so much upon the poor as it did then4 ,first1 ,i must lay it down as a stated rule or maxim1 in the moral part of the question--that to put off counterfeit base money for good money1 knowing it to be counterfeit1 is dishonest and knavish4 ,nor will it take off from the crime of it1 or lessen the dishonesty1 to say1 ',i took it for good and current money1 and it goes as it comes2' for1 as before1 my having been cheated does not authorise me to cheat any other person1 so neither was it a just or honest thing in that person who put the bad money upon me1 if they knew it to be bad2 and if it were not honest in them1 how can it be so in me8 ,if1 then1 it came by knavery1 it should not go by knavery--that would be1 indeed1 to say1 it goes as it comes1 in a literal sense2 that is to say1 it came by injustice1 and ,i shall make it go so3 but that will not do in matters of right and wrong4 ,the laws of our country1 also1 are directly against the practice2 the law condemns the coin as illegal--that is to say1 it is not current money1 or1 as the lawyers style it1 it is not lawful money of ,england4 ,now1 every bargain or agreement in trade1 is in the common and just acceptation1 and the language of trade1 made for such a price or rate1 in the current money of ,england2 and though you may not express it in words at length1 it is so understood1 as much as if it were set down in writing4 ,if ,i cheapen any thing at a shop1 suppose it the least toy or trifle1 ,i ask them1 ',what must you have for it8' ,the shopkeeper answers--so much2 suppose it were a shilling1 what is the ,english but this--one shilling of lawful money of ,england8 ,and ,i agree to give that shilling2 but instead of it give them a counterfeit piece of lead or tin1 washed over1 to make it look like a shilling4 ,do ,i pay them what ,i bargained for8 ,do ,i give them one shilling of lawful money of ,england8 ,do ,i not put a cheat upon them1 and act against justice and mutual agreement8 ,to say ,i took this for the lawful money of ,england1 will not add at all1 except it be to the fraud2 for my being deceived does not at all make it be lawful money3 so that1 in a word1 there can be nothing in that part but increasing the criminal part1 and adding one knave more to the number of knaves which the nation was encumbered with before4 ,the case to me is very clear1 namely1 that neither by law1 justice1 nor conscience1 can the tradesman put off his bad money after he has taken it1 if he once knows it to be false and counterfeit money4 ,that it is against the law is evident1 because it is not good and lawful money of ,england2 it cannot be honest1 because you do not pay in the coin you agreed for1 or perform the bargain you made1 or pay in the coin expected of you2 and it is not just1 because you do not give a valuable consideration for the goods you buy1 but really take a tradesman's goods away1 and return dross and dirt to him in the room of it4 ,the medium ,i have to propose in the room of this1 is1 that every man who takes a counterfeit piece of money1 and knows it to be such1 should immediately destroy it--that is to say1 destroy it as money1 cut it in pieces2 or1 as ,i have seen some honest tradesmen do1 nail it up against a post1 so that it should go no farther4 ,it is true1 this is sinking so much upon himself1 and supporting the credit of the current coin at his own expense1 and he loses the whole piece1 and this tradesmen are loth to do3 but my answer is very clear1 that thus they ought to do1 and that sundry public reasons1 and several public benefits1 would follow to the public1 in some of which he might have his share of benefit hereafter1 and if he had not1 yet he ought to do it4 ,first1 by doing thus1 he puts a stop to the fraud--that piece of money is no more made the instrument to deceive others1 which otherwise it might do2 and though it is true that the loss is only to the last man1 that is to say1 in the ordinary currency of the money1 yet the breach upon conscience and principle is to every owner through whose hands that piece of money has fraudulently passed1 that is to say1 who have passed it away for good1 knowing it to be counterfeit2 so that it is a piece of good service to the public to take away the occasion and instrument of so much knavery and deceit4 ,secondly1 he prevents a worse fraud1 which is1 the buying and selling such counterfeit money4 ,this was a very wicked1 but open trade1 in former days1 and may in time come to be so again3 fellows went about the streets1 crying ',brass money1 broken or whole2' that is to say1 they would give good money for bad4 ,it was at first pretended that they were obliged to cut it in pieces1 and if you insisted upon it1 they would cut it in pieces before your face2 but they as often got it without that ceremony1 and so made what wicked shifts they could to get it off again1 and many times did put it off for current money1 after they had bought it for a trifle4 ,thirdly1 by this fraud1 perhaps1 the same piece of money might1 several years after1 come into your hands again1 after you had sold it for a trifle1 and so you might lose by the same shilling two or three times over1 and the like of other people2 but if men were obliged to demolish all the counterfeit money they take1 and let it go no farther1 they they would be sure the fraud could go no farther1 nor would the quantity be ever great at a time2 for whatever quantity the false coiners should at any time make1 it would gradually lessen and sink away1 and not a mass of false and counterfeit coin appear together1 as was formerly the case1 and which lost the nation a vast sum of money to call in4 ,it has been the opinion of some1 that a penalty should be inflicted upon those who offered any counterfeit money in payment2 but besides that1 there is already a statute against uttering false money1 knowing it to be such4 ,if any other or farther law should be made1 either to enforce the statute1 or to have new penalties added1 they would still fall into the same difficulties as in the act4 #a4 ,that innocent men would suffer1 seeing many tradesmen may take a piece of counterfeit money in tale with other money1 and really and bona fide not know it1 and so may offer it again as innocently as they at first took it ignorantly2 and to bring such into trouble for every false shilling which they might offer to pay away without knowing it1 would be to make the law be merely vexatious and tormenting to those against whom it was not intended1 and at the same time not to meddle with the subtle crafty offender whom it was intended to punish1 and who is really guilty4 #b4 ,such an act would be difficultly executed1 because it would still be difficult to know who did knowingly utter false money1 and who did not2 which is the difficulty1 indeed1 in the present law--so that1 upon the whole1 such a law would no way answer the end1 nor effectually discover the offender1 much less suppress the practice4 ,but ,i am not upon projects and schemes--it is not the business of this undertaking4 ,but a general act1 obliging all tradesmen to suppress counterfeit money1 by refusing to put it off again1 after they knew it to be counterfeit1 and a general consent of tradesmen to do so2 this would be the best way to put a stop to the practice1 the morality of which is so justly called in question1 and the ill consequences of which to trade are so very well known2 nor will any thing but a universal consent of tradesmen1 in the honest suppressing of counterfeit money1 ever bring it to pass4 ,in the meantime1 as to the dishonesty of the practice1 however popular it is grown at this time1 ,i think it is out of question2 it can have nothing but custom to plead for it1 which is so far from an argument1 that ,i think the plea is criminal in itself1 and really adds to its being a grievance1 and calls loudly for a speedy redress4 ,another trading fraud1 which1 among many others of the like nature1 ,i think worth speaking of1 is the various arts made use of by tradesmen to set off their goods to the eye of the ignorant buyer4 ,i bring this in here1 because ,i really think it is something of kin to putting off counterfeit money2 every false gloss put upon our woollen manufactures1 by hot-pressing1 folding1 dressing1 tucking1 packing1 bleaching1 c1 what are they but washing over a brass shilling to make it pass for sterling8 ,every false light1 every artificial side-window1 sky-light1 and trunk-light we see made to show the fine ,hollands1 lawns1 cambrics1 c4 to advantage1 and to deceive the buyer--what is it but a counterfeit coin to cheat the tradesman's customers8--an ignis fatuus to impose upon fools and ignorant people1 and make their goods look finer than they are8 ,but where in trade is there any business entirely free from these frauds8 and how shall we speak of them1 when we see them so universally made use of8 ,either they are honest1 or they are not4 ,if they are not1 why do we1 ,i say1 universally make use of them8--if they are honest1 why so much art and so much application to manage them1 and to make goods appear fairer and finer to the eye than they really are8--which1 in its own nature1 is evidently a design to cheat1 and that in itself is criminal1 and can be no other4 ,and yet there is much to be said for setting goods out to the best advantage too2 for in some goods1 if they are not well dressed1 well pressed1 and packed1 the goods are not really shown in a true light2 many of our woollen manufactures1 if brought to market rough and undressed1 like a piece of cloth not carried to the fulling or thicking mill1 it does not show itself to a just advantage1 nay1 it does not show what it really is2 and therefore such works as may be proper for so far setting it forth to the eye may be necessary4 ,for example3 ,the cloths1 stuffs1 serges1 druggets1 c1 which are brought to market in the west and northern parts of ,england1 and in ,norfolk1 as they are bought without the dressing and making up1 it may be said of them that they are brought to market unfinished1 and they are bought there again by the wholesale dealers1 or cloth-workers1 tuckers1 and merchants1 and they carry them to their warehouses and workhouses1 and there they go through divers operations again1 and are finished for the market2 nor1 indeed1 are they fit to be shown till they are so2 the stuffs are in the grease1 the cloth is in the oil1 they are rough and foul1 and are not dressed1 and consequently not finished2 and as our buyers do not understand them till they are so dressed1 it is no proper finishing the goods to bring them to market before--they are not1 indeed1 properly said to be made till that part is done4 ,therefore ,i cannot call all those setting-out of goods to be knavish and false2 but when the goods1 like a false shilling1 are to be set out with fraud and false colours1 and made smooth and shining to delude the eye1 there1 where they are so1 it is really a fraud2 and though in some cases it extremely differs1 yet that does not excuse the rest by any means4 ,the packers and hot-pressers1 tuckers1 and cloth-workers1 are very necessary people in their trades1 and their business is to set goods off to the best advantage2 but it may be said1 too1 that their true and proper business is to make the goods show what really they are1 and nothing else4 ,it is true1 as above1 that in the original dress1 as a piece of cloth or drugget1 or stuff1 comes out of the hand of the maker1 it does not show itself as it really is1 nor what it should and ought to show3 thus far these people are properly called finishers of the manufactures1 and their work is not lawful only1 but it is a doing justice to the manufacture4 ,but if1 by the exuberances of their art1 they set the goods in a false light1 give them a false gloss1 a finer and smoother surface than really they have3 this is like a painted jade1 who puts on a false colour upon her tawny skin to deceive and delude her customers1 and make her seem the beauty which she has no just claim to the name of4 ,so far as art is thus used to show these goods to be what they really are not1 and deceive the buyer1 so far it is a trading fraud1 which is an unjustifiable practice in business1 and which1 like coining of counterfeit money1 is making goods to pass for what they really are not2 and is done for the advantage of the person who puts them off1 and to the loss of the buyer1 who is cheated and deceived by the fraud4 ,the making false lights1 sky-lights1 trunks1 and other contrivances1 to make goods look to be what they are not1 and to deceive the eye of the buyer1 these are all so many brass shillings washed over1 in order to deceive the person who is to take them1 and cheat him of his money2 and so far these false lights are really criminal1 they are cheats in trade1 and made to deceive the world2 to make deformity look like beauty1 and to varnish over deficiencies2 to make goods which are ordinary in themselves appear fine2 to make things which are ill made look well2 in a word1 they are cheats in themselves1 but being legitimated by custom1 are become a general practice2 the honestest tradesmen have them1 and make use of them2 the buyer knows of it1 and suffers himself to be so imposed upon2 and1 in a word1 if it be a cheat1 as no doubt it is1 they tell us that yet it is a universal cheat1 and nobody trades without it2 so custom and usage make it lawful1 and there is little to be said but this1 ,si populus vult decepi1 decipiatur--if the people will be cheated1 let them be cheated1 or they shall be cheated4 ,i come next to the setting out their goods to the buyer by the help of their tongue2 and here ,i must confess our shop rhetoric is a strange kind of speech2 it is to be understood in a manner by itself2 it is to be taken1 not in a latitude only1 but in such a latitude as indeed requires as many flourishes to excuse it1 as it contains flourishes in itself4 ,the end of it1 indeed1 is corrupt1 and it is also made up of a corrupt composition2 it is composed of a mass of rattling flattery to the buyer1 and that filled with hypocrisy1 compliment1 self-praises1 falsehood1 and1 in short1 a complication of wickedness2 it is a corrupt means to a vicious end3 and ,i cannot see any thing in it but what a wise man laughs at1 a good man abhors1 and any man of honesty avoids as much as possible4 ,the shopkeeper ought1 indeed1 to have a good tongue1 but he should not make a common prostitute of his tongue1 and employ it to the wicked purpose of abusing and imposing upon all that come to deal with him4 ,there is a modest liberty1 which trading licence1 like the poetic licence1 allows to all the tradesmen of every kind3 but tradesmen ought no more to lie behind the counter1 than the parsons ought to talk treason in the pulpit4 ,let them confine themselves to truth1 and say what they will4 ,but it cannot be done2 a talking rattling mercer1 or draper1 or milliner1 behind his counter1 would be worth nothing if he should confine himself to that mean silly thing called truth--they must lie2 it is in support of their business1 and some think they cannot live without it2 but ,i deny that part1 and recommend it1 ,i mean to the tradesmen ,i am speaking of1 to consider what a scandal it is upon trade1 to pretend to say that a tradesman cannot live without lying1 the contrary to which may be made appear in almost every article4 ,on the other hand1 ,i must do justice to the tradesmen1 and must say1 that much of it is owing to the buyers--they begin the work1 and give the occasion4 ,it was the saying of a very good shopman once upon this occasion1 ',that their customers would not be pleased without lying2 and why1' said he1 'did ,solomon reprove the buyer8--he said nothing to the shopkeeper--,it is naught1 it is naught1 says the buyer2 but when he goes away1 then he boasteth 7,prov4 xx4 #ad47 ,the buyer telling us1' adds he1 'that every thing is worse than it is1 forces us1 in justifying its true value1 to tell them it is better than it is4' ,it must be confessed1 this verbose way of trading is most ridiculous1 as well as offensive1 both in buyer and seller2 and as it adds nothing to the goodness or value of the goods1 so1 ,i am sure1 it adds nothing to the honesty or good morals of the tradesman1 on one side or other1 but multiplies trading-lies on every side1 and brings a just reproach on the integrity of the dealer1 whether he be the buyer or seller4 ,it was a kind of a step to the cure of this vice in trade1 for such it is1 that there was an old office erected in the city of ,london1 for searching and viewing all the goods which were sold in bulk1 and could not be searched into by the buyer--this was called garbling2 and the garbler having viewed the goods1 and caused all damaged or unsound goods to be taken out1 set his seal upon the case or bags which held the rest1 and then they were vouched to be marketable1 so that when the merchant and the shopkeeper met to deal1 there was no room for any words about the goodness of the wares2 there was the garbler's seal to vouch that they were marketable and good1 and if they were otherwise1 the garbler was answerable4 ,this respected some particular sorts of goods only1 and chiefly spices and drugs1 and dye-stuffs1 and the like4 ,it were well if some other method than that of a rattling tongue could be found out1 to ascertain the goodness and value of goods between the shopkeeper and the retail buyer1 that such a flux of falsehoods and untruths might be avoided1 as we see every day made use of to run up and run down every thing that is bought or sold1 and that without any effect too2 for1 take it one time with another1 all the shopkeeper's lying does not make the buyer like the goods at all the better1 nor does the buyer's lying make the shopkeeper sell the cheaper4 ,it would be worth while to consider a little the language that passes between the tradesman and his customer over the counter1 and put it into plain homespun ,english1 as the meaning of it really imports4 ,we would not take that usage if it were put into plain words--it would set all the shopkeepers and their customers together by the ears1 and we should have fighting and quarrelling1 instead of bowing and curtseying1 in every shop4 ,let us hark a little1 and hear how it would sound between them4 ,a lady comes into a mercer's shop to buy some silks1 or to the laceman's to buy silver laces1 or the like2 and when she pitches upon a piece which she likes1 she begins thus3 ,lady4--,i like that colour and that figure well enough1 but ,i don't like the silk--there is no substance in it4 ,mer4--,indeed1 ,madam1 your ladyship lies--it is a very substantial silk4 ,lady4-,no1 no6 you lie indeed1 ,sir2 it is good for nothing2 it will do no service4 ,mer4--,pray1 ,madam1 feel how heavy it is2 you will find it is a lie2 the very weight of it may satisfy you that you lie1 indeed1 ,madam4 ,lady4--,come1 come1 show me a better piece2 ,i am sure you have better4 ,mer4--,indeed1 ,madam1 your ladyship lies2 ,i may show you more pieces1 but ,i cannot show you a better2 there is not a better piece of silk of that sort in ,london1 ,madam4 ,lady4--,let me see that piece of crimson there4 ,mer4--,here it is1 ,madam4 ,lady4--,no1 that won't do neither2 it is not a good colour4 ,mer4--,indeed1 ,madam1 you lie2 it is as fine a colour as can be dyed4 ,lady4--,oh fy6 you lie1 indeed1 ,sir2 why1 it is not in grain4 ,mer4--,your ladyship lies1 upon my word1 ,madam2 it is in grain1 indeed1 and as fine as can be dyed4 ,i might make this dialogue much longer1 but here is enough to set the mercer and the lady both in a flame1 and to set the shop in an uproar1 if it were but spoken out in plain language1 as above2 and yet what is all the shop-dialect less or more than this8 ,the meaning is plain--it is nothing but you lie1 and you lie--downright ,billingsgate1 wrapped up in silk and satin1 and delivered dressed finely up in better clothes than perhaps it might come dressed in between a carman and a porter4 ,how ridiculous is all the tongue-padding flutter between ,miss ,tawdry1 the sempstress1 and ,tattle1 my lady's woman1 at the change-shop1 when the latter comes to buy any trifle6 and how many lies1 indeed1 creep into every part of trade1 especially of retail trade1 from the meanest to the uppermost part of business6--till1 in short1 it is grown so scandalous1 that ,i much wonder the shopkeepers themselves do not leave it off1 for the mere shame of its simplicity and uselessness4 ,but habits once got into use are very rarely abated1 however ridiculous they are2 and the age is come to such a degree of obstinate folly1 that nothing is too ridiculous for them1 if they please but to make a custom of it4 ,i am not for making my discourse a satire upon the shopkeepers1 or upon their customers3 if ,i were1 ,i could give a long detail of the arts and tricks made use of behind the counter to wheedle and persuade the buyer1 and manage the selling part among shopkeepers1 and how easily and dexterously they draw in their customers2 but this is rather work for a ballad and a song3 my business is to tell the complete tradesman how to act a wiser part1 to talk to his customers like a man of sense and business1 and not like a mountebank and his merry-andrew2 to let him see that there is a way of managing behind a counter1 that1 let the customer be what or how it will1 man or woman1 impertinent or not impertinent--for sometimes1 ,i must say1 the men customers are every jot as impertinent as the women2 but1 ,i say1 let them be what they will1 and how they will1 let them make as many words as they will1 and urge the shopkeeper how they will1 he may behave himself so as to avoid all those impertinences1 falsehoods1 follish and wicked excursions which ,i complain of1 if he pleases4 ,it by no means follows1 that because the buyer is foolish1 the seller must be so too2 that because the buyer has a never-ceasing tongue1 the seller must rattle as fast as she2 that because she tells a hundred lies to run down his goods1 he must tell another hundred to run them up2 and that because she belies the goods one way1 he must do the same the other way4 ,there is a happy medium in these things4 ,the shopkeeper1 far from being rude to his customers on one hand1 or sullen and silent on the other1 may speak handsomely and modestly1 of his goods2 what they deserve1 and no other2 may with truth1 and good manners too1 set forth his goods as they ought to be set forth2 and neither be wanting to the commodity he sells1 nor run out into a ridiculous extravagance of words1 which have neither truth of fact nor honesty of design in them4 ,nor is this middle way of management at all less likely to succeed1 if the customers have any share of sense in them1 or the goods he shows any merit to recommend them2 and ,i must say1 ,i believe this grave middle way of discoursing to a customer1 is generally more effectual1 and more to the purpose1 and more to the reputation of the shopkeeper1 than a storm of words1 and a mouthful of common1 shop-language1 which makes a noise1 but has little in it to plead1 except to here and there a fool that can no otherwise be prevailed with4 ,it would be a terrible satire upon the ladies1 to say that they will not be pleased or engaged either with good wares or good pennyworths1 with reasonable good language1 or good manners1 but they must have the addition of long harangues1 simple1 fawning1 and flattering language1 and a flux of false and foolish words1 to set off the goods1 and wheedle them in to lay out their money2 and that without these they are not to be pleased4 ,but let the tradesman try the honest part1 and stand by that1 keeping a stock of fashionable and valuable goods in his shop to show1 and ,i dare say he will run no venture1 nor need he fear customers2 if any thing calls for the help of noise1 and rattling words1 it must be mean and sorry1 unfashionable1 and ordinary goods1 together with weak and silly buyers2 and let the buyers that chance to read this remember1 that whenever they find the shopkeeper begins his noise1 and makes his fine speeches1 they ought to suppose he 7the shopkeeper7 has trash to bring out1 and believes he has fools to show it to4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,,of ,,fine ,,shops1 ,,and ,,fine ,,shows ,it is a modern custom1 and wholly unknown to our ancestors1 who yet understood trade1 in proportion to the trade they carried on1 as well as we do1 to have tradesmen lay out two-thirds of their fortune in fitting up their shops4 ,by fitting up1 ,i do not mean furnishing their shops with wares and goods to sell--for in that they came up to us in every particular1 and perhaps went beyond us too--but in painting and gilding1 fine shelves1 shutters1 boxes1 glass-doors1 sashes1 and the like1 in which1 they tell us now1 it is a small matter to lay out two or three hundred pounds1 nay1 five hundred pounds1 to fit up a pastry-cook's1 or a toy-shop4 ,the first inference to be drawn from this must necessarily be1 that this age must have more fools than the last3 for certainly fools only are most taken with shows and outsides4 ,it is true1 that a fine show of goods will bring customers2 and it is not a new custom1 but a very old one1 that a new shop1 very well furnished1 goes a great way to bringing a trade2 for the proverb was1 and still is1 very true1 that every body has a penny for a new shop2 but that a fine show of shelves and glass-windows should bring customers1 that was never made a rule in trade till now4 ,and yet1 even now1 ,i should not except so much against it1 if it were not carried on to such an excess1 as is too much for a middling tradesman to bear the expense of4 ,in this1 therefore1 it is made not a grievance only1 but really scandalous to trade2 for now1 a young beginner has such a tax upon him before he begins1 that he must sink perhaps a third part1 nay1 a half part1 of his stock1 in painting and gilding1 wainscoting and glazing1 before he begins to trade1 nay1 before he can open his shop4 ,as they say of building a watermill1 two-thirds of the expense lies under the water2 and when the poor tradesman comes to furnish his shop1 and lay in his stock of goods1 he finds a great hole made in his cash to the workmen1 and his show of goods1 on which the life of his trade depends1 is fain to be lessened to make up his show of boards1 and glass to lay them in4 ,nor is this heavy article to be abated upon any account2 for if he does not make a good show1 he comes abroad like a mean ordinary fellow1 and nobody of fashion comes to his shop2 the customers are drawn away by the pictures and painted shelves1 though1 when they come there1 they are not half so well filled as in other places1 with goods fit for a trade2 and how1 indeed1 should it be otherwise8 the joiners and painters1 glaziers and carvers1 must have all ready money2 the weavers and merchants may give credit2 their goods are of so much less moment to the shopkeeper1 that they must trust2 but the more important show must be finished first1 and paid first2 and when that has made a deep hole in the tradesman's stock1 then the remainder may be spared to furnish the shop with goods1 and the merchant must trust for the rest4 ,it will hardly be believed in ages to come1 when our posterity shall be grown wiser by our loss1 and1 as ,i may truly say1 at our expense1 that a pastry-cook's shop1 which twenty pounds would effectually furnish at a time1 with all needful things for sale1 nay1 except on an extraordinary show1 as on twelfth-day at night for cakes1 or upon some great feast1 twenty pounds can hardly be laid out at one time in goods for sale1 yet that fitting up one of these shops should cost upwards of #cjj in the year #agaj--let the year be recorded--the fitting up to consist of the following particulars3-- #a4 ,sash windows1 all of looking-glass plates1 #ab inches by #af inches in measure4 #b4 ,all the walls of the shop lined up with galley-tiles1 and the back shop with galley-tiles in panels1 finely painted in forest-work and figures4 #c4 ,two large pier looking-glasses and one chimney glass in the shop1 and one very large pier-glass seven feet high in the back shop4 #d4 ,two large branches of candlesticks1 one in the shop1 and one in the back room4 #e4 ,three great glass lanterns in the shop1 and eight small ones4 #f4 ,twenty-five sconces against the wall1 with a large pair of silver standing candlesticks in the back room1 value #be4 #g4 ,six fine large silver salvers to serve sweetmeats4 #h4 ,twelve large high stands of rings1 whereof three silver1 to place small dishes for tarts1 jellies1 c41 at a feast4 #i4 ,painting the ceiling1 and gilding the lanterns1 the sashes1 and the carved work1 #ee4 ,these1 with some odd things to set forth the shop1 and make a show1 besides small plate1 and besides china basins and cups1 amounted to1 as ,i am well informed1 above #cjj4 ,add to this the more necessary part1 which was3-- #a4 ,building two ovens1 about #be4 #b4 ,twenty pounds in stock for pies1 cheese-cakes1 c4 ,so that1 in short1 here was a trade which might be carried on for about #cj or #dj stock1 required #cjj expenses to fit up the shop1 and make a show to invite customers4 ,i might give something of a like example of extravagance in fitting up a cutler's shop1 ,anglic a toyman1 which are now come up to such a ridiculous expense1 as is hardly to be thought of without the utmost contempt3 let any one stop at the ,temple1 or at ,paul's corner1 or in many other places4 ,as to the shops of the more considerable trades1 they all bear a proportion of the humour of the times1 but do not call for so loud a remark4 ,leaving1 therefore1 the just reflection which such things call for1 let me bring it home to the young tradesman1 to whom ,i am directing this discourse1 and to whom ,i am desirous to give solid and useful hints for his instruction1 ,i would recommend it to him to avoid all such needless expenses1 and rather endeavour to furnish his shop with goods1 than to paint and gild it over1 to make it fine and gay2 let it invite customers rather by the well-filled presses and shelves1 and the great choice of rich and fashionable goods1 that one customer being well-served may bring another2 and let him study to bring his shop into reputation for good choice of wares1 and good attendance on his customers2 and this shall bring a throng to him much better1 and of much better people1 than those that go in merely for a gay shop4 ,let the shop be decent and handsome1 spacious as the place will allow1 and let something like the face of a master be always to be seen in it2 and1 if possible1 be always busy1 and doing something in it1 that may look like being employed3 this takes as much with the wiser observers of such things1 as any other appearance can do4 ,i have heard of a young apothecary1 who setting up in a part of the town1 where he had not much acquaintance1 and fearing much whether he should get into business1 hired a man acquainted with such business1 and made him be every morning between five and six1 and often late in the evenings1 working very hard at the great mortar2 pounding and beating1 though he had nothing to do with it1 but beating some very needless thing1 that all his neighbours might hear it1 and find that he was in full employ1 being at work early and late1 and that consequently he must be a man of vast business1 and have a great practice3 and the thing was well laid1 and took accordingly2 for the neighbours1 believing he had business1 brought business to him2 and the reputation of having a trade1 made a trade for him4 ,the observation is just3 a show may bring some people to a shop1 but it is the fame of business that brings business2 and nothing raises the fame of a shop like its being a shop of good trade already2 then people go to it1 because they think other people go to it1 and because they think there is good choice of goods2 their gilding and painting may go a little way1 but it is the having a shop well filled with goods1#bi having good choice to sell1 and selling reasonable--these are the things that bring a trade1 and a trade thus brought will stand by you and last2 for fame of trade brings trade anywhere4 ,it is a sign of the barrenness of the people's fancy1 when they are so easily taken with shows and outsides of things4 ,never was such painting and gilding1 such sashings and looking-glasses among the shopkeepers1 as there is now2 and yet trade flourished more in former times by a gread deal that it does now1 if we may believe the report of very honest and understanding men4 ,the reason1 ,i think1 cannot be to the credit of the present age1 nor it it to the discredit of the former2 for they carried on their trade with less gaiety1 and with less expense1 than we do now4#cj ,my advice to a young tradesman is to keep the safe middle between these extremes2 something the times must be humoured in1 because fashion and custom must be followed2 but let him consider the depth of his stock1 and not lay out half his estate upon fitting up his shop1 and then leave but the other half to furnish it2 it is much better to have a full shop1 than a fine shop2 and a hundred pounds in goods will make a much better show than a hundred pounds' worth of painting and carved work2 it is good to make a show1 but not to be all show4 ,it is true1 that painting and adorning a shop seems to intimate1 that the tradesman has a large stock to begin with1 or else they suggest he would not make such a show2 hence the young shopkeepers are willing to make a great show1 and beautify1 and paint1 and gild1 and carve1 because they would be thought to have a great stock to begin with2 but let me tell you1 the reputation of having a great stock is ill purchased1 when half your stock is laid out to make the world believe it2 that is1 in short1 reducing yourself to a small stock to have the world believe you have a great one2 in which you do no less than barter the real stock for the imaginary1 and give away your stock to keep the name of it only4 ,i take this indeed to be a ,french humour1 or a spice of it turned ,english2 and1 indeed1 we are famous for this1 that when we do mimic the ,french1 we generally do it to our hurt1 and over-do the ,french themselves4 ,the ,french nation are eminent for making a fine outside1 when perhaps within they want necessaries2 and1 indeed1 a gay shop and a mean stock is something like the ,frenchman with his laced ruffles1 without a shirt4 ,i cannot but think a well-furnished shop with a moderate outside is much better to a tradesman1 than a fine shop and few goods2 ,i am sure it will be much more to his satisfaction1 when he casts up his year's account1 for his fine shop will weigh but sorrily in his account of profit and loss2 it is all a dead article2 it is sunk out of his first money1 before he makes a shilling profit1 and may be some years a-recovering1 as trade may go with him4 ,it is true that all these notions of mine in trade are founded upon the principle of frugality and good husbandry2 and this is a principle so disagreeable to the times1 and so contrary to the general practice1 that we shall find very few people to whom it is agreeable4 ,but let me tell my young tradesmen1 that if they must banish frugality and good husbandry1 they must at the same time banish all expectation of growing rich by their trade4 ,it is a maxim in commerce1 that money gets money1 and they that will not frugally lay up their gain1 in order to increase their gain1 must not expect to gain as they might otherwise do2 frugality may be out of fashion among the gentry1 but if it comes to be so among tradesmen1 we shall soon see that wealthy tradesmen will be hard to find2 for they who will not save as well as gain1 must expect to go out of trade as lean as they began4 ,some people tell us indeed in many cases1 especially in trade1 that putting a good face upon things goes as far as the real merit of the things themselves2 and that a fine1 painted1 gilded shop1 among the rest1 has a great influence upon the people1 draws customers1 and brings trade2 and they run a great length in this discourse by satirising on the blindness and folly of mankind1 and how the world are to be taken in their own way2 and seeing they are to be deluded and imposed upon in such an innocent way1 they ought to be so far deluded and imposed upon1 alluding to the old proverbial saying1 ',si populus vult decipi1 decipiatur2' that it is no fraud1 no crime1 and can neither be against conscience1 nor prudence2 for if they are pleased with a show1 why should they not have it8 and the like4 ,this way of talking is indeed plausible2 and were the fact true1 there might be more in it than ,i think there is4 ,but ,i do not grant that the world is thus to be deluded2 and that the people do follow this rule in general--,i mean1 go always to a fine shop to lay out their money4 ,perhaps1 in some cases1 it may be so1 where the women1 and the weakest of the sex too1 are chiefly concerned2 or where the fops and fools of the age resort2 and as to those few1 they that are willing to be so imposed upon1 let them have it4 ,but ,i do not see1 that even this extends any farther than to a few toy-shops1 and pastry-cooks2 and the customers of both these are not of credit sufficient1 ,i think1 to weigh in this case3 we may as well argue for the fine habits at a puppet-show and a rope-dancing1 because they draw the mob about them2 but ,i cannot think1 after you go but one degree above these1 the thing is of any weight1 much less does it bring credit to the tradesman1 whatever it may do to the shop4 ,the credit of a tradesman respects two sorts of people1 first1 the merchants1 or wholesale men1 or makers1 who sell him his goods1 or the customers1 who come to his shop to buy4 ,the first of these are so far from valuing him upon the gay appearance of his shop1 that they are often the first that take an offence at it1 and suspect his credit upon that account3 their opinion upon a tradesman1 and his credit with them1 is raised quite another way1 namely1 by his current pay1 diligent attendance1 and honest figure2 the gay shop does not help him at all there1 but rather the contrary4 ,as to the latter1 though some customers may at first be drawn by the gay appearance and fine gilding and painting of a shop1 yet it is the well sorting a shop with goods1 and the selling good pennyworths1 that will bring trade1 especially after the shop has been open some time3 this1 and this only1 establishes the man and the credit of the shop4 ,to conclude3 the credit raised by the fine show of things is also of a different kind from the substantial reputation of a tradesman2 it is rather the credit of the shop1 than of the man2 and1 in a word1 it is no more or less than a net spread to catch fools2 it is a bait to allure and deceive1 and the tradesman generally intends it so4 ,he intends that the customers shall pay for the gilding and painting his shop1 and it is the use he really makes of it1 namely1 that his shop looking like something eminent1 he may sell dearer than his neighbours3 who1 and what kind of fools can so be drawn in1 it is easy to describe1 but satire is none of our business here4 ,on the contrary1 the customers1 who are the substantial dependence of a tradesman's shop1 are such as are gained and preserved by good usage1 good pennyworths1 good wares1 and good choice2 and a shop that has the reputation of these four1 like good wine that needs no bush1 needs no painting and gilding1 no carved works and ornaments2#ca it requires only a diligent master and a faithful servant1 and it will never want a trade4 ,,footnotes3 #bi ,in another place1 the author recommends a light stock1 as showing a nimble trade4 ,there can be little doubt that he is more reasonable here4 ,a considerable abundance of goods is certainly an attraction to a shop4 ,no doubt1 a tradesman with little capital would only be incurring certain ruin having a larger stock than he could readily pay for4 ,he must needs keep a small stock1 if he would have a chance at all of doing well in the world4 ,but this does not make it the less an advantage to a tradesman of good capital to keep an abundant and various stock of goods4 #cj ,it is really curious to find in this chapter the same contrast drawn between the old and the new style of fitting up shops1 and carrying on business1 as would be drawn at the present day by nine out of every ten common observers4 ,the notion that the shops of the past age were plain1 while those of the present are gaudy1 and that the tradesmen of a past age carried on all their business in a quiet way and with little expense1 is as strongly impressed on the minds of the present generation1 as it is here seen to have been on those of ,defoe's contemporaries1 a hundred and twenty years ago1 although it is quite impossible that the notion can be just in both cases4 ,the truth probably is1 that in ,defoe's time1 and at all former times1 there were conspicuous1 but not very numerous1 examples of finely decorated shops1 which seemed1 and really were1 very much of a novelty1 as well as a rather striking exception from the style in which such places in general were then1 and had for many years been furnished4 ,so far1 however1 from these proving1 as ,defoe anticipates1 a warning to future generations1 the general appearance of shops has experienced a vast improvement since those days2 and the third-rate class are now probably as fine as the first-rate were at no distant period4 ,at the same time1 as in the reign of the first ,george1 we have now also a few shops fitted up in a style of extraordinary and startling elegance1 and thus forming that contrast with the general appearance of shops for the last forty years1 which makes old people1 and many others1 talk of all the past as homely and moderate1 and all the present as showy and expensive4 #ca ,the author seems here to carry his objections to decoration to an extreme4 ,good usage1 good pennyworths1 good wares1 and good choice1 are doubtless the four cardinal points of business2 but a handsome shop also goes a considerable way in attracting customers1 and is a principle which no prudent tradesman will despise4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,keeping ,,his ,,books1 ,,and ,,casting ,,up ,,his ,,shop ,it was an ancient and laudable custom with tradesmen in ,england always to balance their accounts of stock1 and of profit and loss1 at least once every year2 and generally it was done at ,christmas1 or ,new-year's tide1 when they could always tell whether they went backward or forward1 and how their affairs stood in the world2 and though this good custom is very much lost among tradesmen at this time1 yet there are a great many that do so still1 and they generally call it casting up shop4 ,to speak the truth1 the great occasion of omitting it has been from the many tradesmen1 who do not care to look into things1 and who1 fearing their affairs are not right1 care not to know how they go at all1 good or bad2 and when ,i see a tradesman that does not cast up once a-year1 ,i conclude that tradesman to be in very bad circumstances1 that at least he fears he is so1 and by consequence cares not to inquire4 ,as casting up the shop is the way to know every year whether he goes backward or forward1 and is the tradesman's particular satisfaction1 so he must cast up his books too1 or else it will be very ominous to the tradesman's credit4 ,now1 in order to doing this effectually once a-year1 it is needful the tradesman should keep his books always in order2 his day-book duly posted1 his cash duly balanced1 and all people's accounts always fit for a view4 ,he that delights in his trade will delight in his books2 and1 as ,i said that he that will thrive must diligently attend his shop or warehouse1 and take up his delight there1 so1 ,i say now1 he must also diligently keep his books1 or else he will never know whether he thrives or no4 ,exact keeping his books is one essential part of a tradesman's prosperity4 ,the books are the register of his estate1 the index of his stock4 ,all the tradesman has in the world must be found in these three articles1 or some of them3-- ,goods in the shop2 ,money in cash2 ,debts abroad4 ,the shop will at any time show the first of these upon a small stop to cast it up2 the cash-chest and bill-box will show the second at demand2 and the ledger when posted will show the last2 so that a tradesman can at any time1 at a week's notice1 cast up all these three2 and then1 examining his accounts1 to take the balance1 which is a real trying what he is worth in the world4 ,it cannot be satisfactory to any tradesman to let his books go unsettled1 and uncast up1 for then he knows nothing of himself1 or of his circumstances in the world2 the books can tell him at any time what his condition is1 and will satisfy him what is the condition of his debts abroad4 ,in order to his regular keeping his books1 several things might be said very useful for the tradesman to consider3 ,i4 ,every thing done in the whole circumference of his trade must be set down in a book1 except the retail trade2 and this is clear1 if the goods are not in bulk1 then the money is in cash1 and so the substance will be always found either there1 or somewhere else2 for if it is neither in the shop1 nor in the cash1 nor in the books1 it must be stolen and lost4 ,,ii4 ,as every thing done must be set down in the books1 so it should be done at the very time of it2 all goods sold must be entered in the books before they are sent out of the house2 goods sent away and not entered1 are goods lost2 and he that does not keep an exact account of what goes out and comes in1 can never swear to his books1 or prove his debts1 if occasion calls for it4 ,i am not going to set down rules here for book-keeping1 or to teach the tradesman how to do it1 but ,i am showing the necessity and usefulness of doing it at all4 ,that tradesman who keeps no books1 may depend upon it he will ere long keep no trade1 unless he resolves also to give no credit4 ,he that gives no trust1 and takes no trust1 either by wholesale or by retail1 and keeps his cash all himself1 may indeed go on without keeping any books at all2 and has nothing to do1 when he would know his estate1 but to cast up his shop and his cash1 and see how much they amount to1 and that is his whole and neat estate2 for as he owes nothing1 so nobody is in debt to him1 and all his estate is in his shop2 but ,i suppose the tradesman that trades wholly thus1 is not yet born1 or if there ever were any such1 they are all dead4 ,a tradesman's books1 like a ,christian's conscience1 should always be kept clean and clear2 and he that is not careful of both will give but a sad account of himself either to ,god or man4 ,it is true1 that a great many tradesmen1 and especially shopkeepers1 understand but little of book-keeping2 but it is as true that they all understand something of it1 or else they will make but poor work of shopkeeping4 ,i knew a tradesman that could not write1 and yet he supplied the defect with so many ingenious knacks of his own1 to secure the account of what people owed him1 and was so exact doing it1 and then took such care to have but very short accounts with any body1 that he brought up his method to be every way an equivalent to writing2 and1 as ,i often told him1 with half the study and application that those things cost him1 he might have learned to write1 and keep books too4 ,he made notches upon sticks for all the middling sums1 and scored with chalk for lesser things4 ,he had drawers for every particular customer's name1 which his memory supplied1 for he knew every particular drawer1 though he had a great many1 as well as if their faces had been painted upon them2 he had innumerable figures to signify what he would have written1 if he could2 and his shelves and boxes always put me in mind of the ,egyptian hieroglyphics1 and nobody understood them1 or any thing of them1 but himself4 ,it was an odd thing to see him1 when a country-chap1 came up to settle accounts with him2 he would go to a drawer directly1 among such a number as was amazing3 in that drawer was nothing but little pieces of split sticks1 like laths1 with chalk-marks on them1 all as unintelligible as the signs of the zodiac are to an old school-mistress that teaches the horn-book and primer1 or as ,arabic or ,greek is to a ploughman4 ,every stick had notches on one side for single pounds1 on the other side for tens of pounds1 and so higher2 and the length and breadth also had its signification1 and the colour too2 for they were painted in some places with one colour1 and in some places with anther2 by which he knew what goods had been delivered for the money3 and his way of casting up was very remarkable1 for he knew nothing of figures2 but he kept six spoons in a place on purpose1 near his counter1 which he took out when he had occasion to cast up any sum1 and1 laying the spoons in a row before him1 he counted upon them thus3 ,one1 two1 three1 and another1 one odd spoon1 and t'other ,by this he told up to six2 if he had any occasion to tell any farther1 he began again1 as we do after the number ten in our ordinary numeration2 and by this method1 and running them up very quick1 he would count any number under thirty-six1 which was six spoons of six spoons1 and then1 by the strength of his head1 he could number as many more as he pleased1 multiplying them always by sixes1 but never higher4 ,i give this instance to show how far the application of a man's head might go to supply the defect1 but principally to show 7and it does abundantly show it7 what an absolute necessity there is for a tradesman to be very diligent and exact in keeping his books1 and what pains those who understand their business will always take to do it4 ,this tradesman was indeed a country shopkeeper2 but he was so considerable a dealer1 that he became mayor of the city which he lived in 7for it was a city1 and that a considerable city too71 and his posterity have been very considerable traders in the same city ever since1 and they show their great-grandfather's six counting spoons and his hieroglyphics to this day4 ,after some time1 the old tradesman bred up two of his sons to his business1 and the young men having learned to write1 brought books into the counting-house1 things their father had never used before2 but the old man kept to his old method for all that1 and would cast up a sum1 and make up an account with his spoons and his drawers1 as soon as they could with their pen and ink1 if it were not too full of small articles1 and that he had always avoided in his business4 ,however1 as ,i have said above1 this evidently shows the necessity of book-keeping to a tradesman1 and the very nature of the thing evidences also that it must be done with the greatest exactness4 ,he that does not keep his books exactly1 and so as that he may depend upon them for charging his debtors1 had better keep no books at all1 but1 like my shopkeeper1 score and notch every thing2 for as books well kept make business regular1 easy1 and certain1 so books neglected turn all into confusion1 and leave the tradesman in a wood1 which he can never get out of without damage and loss4 ,if ever his dealers know that his books are ill kept1 they play upon him1 and impose horrid forgeries and falsities upon him3 whatever he omits they catch at1 and leave it out2 whatever they put upon him1 he is bound to yield to2 so that1 in short1 as books well kept are the security of the tradesman's estate1 and the ascertaining of his debts1 so books ill kept will assist every knavish customer or chapman to cheat and deceive him4 ,some men keep a due and exact entry or journal of all they sell1 or perhaps of all they buy or sell1 but are utterly remiss in posting it forward to a ledger2 that is to say1 to another book1 where every parcel is carried to the debtor's particular account4 ,likewise they keep another book1 where they enter all the money they receive1 but1 as above1 never keeping any account for the man2 there it stands in the cash-book1 and both these books must be ransacked over for the particulars1 as well of goods sold1 as of the money received1 when this customer comes to have his account made up2 and as the goods are certainly entered when sold or sent away1 and the money is certainly entered when it is received1 this they think is sufficient1 and all the rest superfluous4 ,i doubt not such tradesmen often suffer as much by their slothfulness and neglect of book-keeping1 as might1 especially if their business is considerable1 pay for a book-keeper2 for what is such a man's case1 when his customer1 suppose a country dealer1 comes to town1 which perhaps he does once a-year 7as in the custom of other tradesmen71 and desires to have his account made up8 ,the ,london tradesman goes to his books1 and first he rummages his day-book back for the whole year1 and takes out the foot#cb of all the parcels sent to his chapman1 and they make the debtor side of the account2 then he takes his cash-book1 if it deserves that name1 and there he takes out all the sums of money which the chapman has sent up1 or bills which he has received1 and these make the creditor side of the account2 and so the balance is drawn out1 and this man thinks himself a mighty good accountant1 that he keeps his books exactly2 and so perhaps he does1 as far as he keeps them at all2 that is to say1 he never sends a parcel away to his customer1 but he enters it down1 and never receives a bill from him1 but he sets it down when the money is paid2 but now take this man and his chap1 together1 as they are making up this account4 ,the chapman1 a sharp clever tradesman1 though a countryman1 has his pocket-book with him1 and in it a copy of his posting-book1 so the countrymen call a ledger1 where the ,london tradesman's accounts are copied out2 and when the city tradesman has drawn out his account1 he takes it to his inn and examines it by his little book1 and what is the consequence8 ,if the city tradesman has omitted any of the bills which the country tradesman has sent him up1 he finds it out1 and is sure to put him in mind of it4 ',sir1' says he1 'you had a bill from me upon ,mr ,a4,g4 at such a time1 for thirty pounds1 and ,i have your letter that you received the money2 but you have omitted it in the account1 so that ,i am not so much in your debt by thirty pounds1 as you thought ,i was4' ',say you so6' says the city tradesman2 ',i cannot think but you must be mistaken4' ',no1 no6' says the other1 ',i am sure ,i can't be mistaken1 for ,i have it in my book2 besides1 ,i can go to ,mr ,a4,g41 whom the bill was drawn upon1 and there is1 to be sure1 your own endorsement upon it1 and a receipt for the money4' ',well1' says the citizen1 ',i keep my books as exact as any body--,i'll look again1 and if it be there ,i shall find it1 for ,i am sure if ,i had it1 it is in my cash-book4' ',pray do1 then1' says the countryman1 'for ,i am sure ,i sent it you1 and ,i am sure ,i can produce the bill1 if there be occasion4' ,away goes the tradesman to his books1 which he pretends he keeps so exact1 and examining them over again1 he finds the bill for thirty pounds entered fairly1 but in his running the whole year over together1 as well he might1 he had overlooked it1 whereas1 if his cash-book had been duly posted every week1 as it ought to have been1 this bill had been regularly placed to account4 ,but now1 observe the difference3 the bill for thirty pounds being omitted1 was no damage to the country tradesman1 because he has an account of it in his book of memorandums1 and had it regularly posted in his books at home1 whatever the other had1 and also was able to bring sufficient proof of the payment2 so the ,london tradesman's omission was no hurt to him4 ,but the case differs materially in the debtor side of the account2 for here the tradesman1 who with all his boasts of keeping his books exactly1 has yet no ledger1 which being1 as ,i have said1 duly posted1 should show every man's account at one view2 and being done every week1 left it scarce possible to omit any parcel that was once entered in the day-book or journal--,i say1 the tradesman keeping no ledger1 he looks over his day-book for the whole year past1 to draw up the debtor side of his customer's account1 and there being a great many parcels1 truly he overlooks one or two of them1 or suppose but one of them1 and gives the chapman the account1 in which he sums up his debtor side so much1 suppose #acf1 #ajs43 the chapman examining this by his book1 as he did the cash1 finds two parcels1 one #g1 #aes41 and the other #i1 #acs41 omitted2 so that by his own book his debtor side was #aec1 #ahs42 but being a cunning sharp tradesman1 and withal not exceeding honest1 ',well1 well1' says he to himself1 'if ,mr ,g4 says it is no more than #acf1 #ajs4 what have ,i to do to contradict him8 it is none of my business to keep his books for him2 it is time enough for me to reckon for it when he charges me4' ,so he goes back to him the next day1 and settles accounts with him1 pays him the balance in good bills which he brought up with him for that purpose1 takes a receipt in full of all accounts and demands to such a day of the month1 and the next day comes and looks out another parcel of goods1 and so begins an account for the next year1 like a current chapman1 and has the credit of an extraordinary customer that pays well1 and clears his accounts every year2 which he had not done had he not seen the advantage1 and so strained himself to pay1 that he might get a receipt in full of all accounts4 ,it happens some years after that this city tradesman dies1 and his executors finding his accounts difficult to make up1 there being no books to be found but a day-book and a cash-book1 they get some skilful book-keeper to look into them1 who immediately sees that the only way to bring the accounts to a head1 is to form a ledger out of the other two1 and post every body's account into it from the beginning2 for though it were a long way back1 there is no other remedy4 ,in doing this1 they come to this mistake1 among a great many others of the like kind in other chapmen's accounts2 upon this they write to the chapman1 and tell him they find him debtor to the estate of the deceased in such a sum of money1 and desire him to make payment4 ,the country shopkeeper huffs them1 tells them he always made up accounts with ,mr4 ,g41 the deceased1 once a-year1 as he did with all his other chapmen1 and that he took his receipt in full of all accounts and demands1 upon paying the balance to him at such a time2 which receipt he has to show2 and that he owes him nothing1 or but such a sum1 being the account of goods bought since4 ,the executors finding the mistake1 and how it happened1 endeavour to convince him of it2 but it is all one-he wants no convincing1 for he knows at bottom how it is2 but being a little of a knave himself1 or if you please1 not a little1 he tells them he cannot enter into the accounts so far back--,mr ,g4 always told him he kept his books very exactly1 and he trusted to him2 and as he has his receipt in full1 and it is so long ago1 he can say nothing to it4 ,from hence they come to quarrel1 and the executors threaten him with going to law2 but he bids them defiance1 and insists upon his receipt in full2 and besides that1 it is perhaps six years ago1 and so he tells them he will plead the statute of limitations upon them2 and then adds1 that he does not do it avoid a just debt1 but to avoid being imposed upon1 he not understanding books so well as ,mr ,g4 pretended to do2 and having balanced accounts so long ago with him1 he stands by the balance1 and has nothing to say to their mistakes1 not he4 ,so that1 in short1 not finding any remedy1 they are forced to sit down by the loss2 and perhaps in the course of twenty years' trade1 ,mr ,g4 might lose a great many such parcels in the whole2 and had much better have kept a ledger2 or if he did not know how to keep a ledger himself1 had better have hired a book-keeper to have come once a-week1 or once a-month1 to have posted his day-book for him4 ,the like misfortune attends the not balancing his cash1 a thing which such book-keepers as ,mr ,g4 do not think worth their trouble2 nor do they understand the benefit of it4 ,the particulars1 indeed1 of this article are tedious1 and would be too long for a chapter2 but certainly they that know any thing of the use of keeping an exact cash-book1 know that1 without it1 a tradesman can never be thoroughly satisfied either of his own not committing mistakes1 or of any people cheating him1 ,i mean servants1 or sons1 or whoever is the first about him4 ,what ,i call balancing his cash-book1 is1 first1 the casting up daily1 or weekly1 or monthly1 his receipts and payments1 and then seeing what money is left in hand1 or1 as the usual expression of the tradesman is1 what money is in cash2 secondly1 the examining his money1 telling it over1 and seeing how much he has in his chest or bags1 and then seeing if it agrees with the balance of his book1 that what is1 and what should be1 correspond4 ,and here let me give tradesmen a caution or two4 #a4 ,never sit down satisfied with an error in the cash2 that is to say1 with a difference between the money really in the cash1 and the balance in the book2 for if they do not agree1 there must be a mistake somewhere1 and while there is a mistake in the cash1 the tradesman cannot1 at least he ought not to be1 easy4 ,he that can be easy with a mistake in his cash1 may be easy with a gang of thieves in his house2 for if his money does not come right1 he must have paid something that is not set down1 and that is to be supposed as bad as if it were lost2 or he must have somebody about him that can find the way to his money besides himself1 that is to say1 somebody that should not come to it2 and if so1 what is the difference between that and having a gang of thieves about him8--for every one that takes money out of his cash without his leave1 and without letting him know it1 is so far a thief to him3 and he can never pretend to balance his cash1 nor1 indeed1 know any thing of his affairs1 that does not know which way his money goes4 #b4 ,a tradesman endeavouring to balance his cash1 should no more be satisfied if he finds a mistake in his cash one way1 than another--that is to say1 if he finds more in cash than by the balance of his cash-book ought to be there1 than if he finds less1 or wanting in cash4 ,i know many1 who1 when they find it thus1 sit down satisfied1 and say1 ',well1 there is an error1 and ,i don't know where it lies2 but come1 it is an error on the right hand2 ,i have more cash in hand than ,i should have1 that is all1 so ,i am well enough2 let it go2 ,i shall find it some time or other4' ,but the tradesman ought to consider that he is quite in the dark2 and as he does not really know where it lies1 so1 for ought he knows1 the error may really be to his loss very considerably--and the case is very plain1 that it is as dangerous to be over1 as it would be to be under2 he should1 therefore1 never give it over till he has found it out1 and brought it to rights4 ,for example3 ,if there appears to be more money in the cash than there is by the balance in the cash-book1 this must follow--namely1 that some parcel of money must have been received1 which is not entered in the book2 now1 till the tradesman knows what sum of money this is1 that is thus not entered1 how can he tell but the mistake may be quite the other way1 and the cash be really wrong to his loss8 ,thus1 ,my cash-book being cast up for the last month1 ,i find1 by the foot of the leaf1 there is cash remaining in hand to balance #agf1 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,to see if all things are right1 ,i go and tell my money over1 and there1 to my surprise1 ,i find #aid1 #ajs4 #f;d4 in cash1 so that ,i have #ah there more than ,i should have4 ,now1 far from being pleased that ,i have more money by me than ,i should have1 my inquiry is plain1 ',how comes this to pass8' ,perhaps ,i puzzle my head a great while about it1 but not being able to find out1 ,i sit down easy and satisfied1 and say1 ',well1 ,i don't much concern myself about it2 it is better to be so than #ah missing2 ,i cannot tell where it lies1 but let it lie where it will1 here is the money to make up the mistake when it appears4' ,but how foolish is this6 how ill-grounded the satisfaction6 and how weak am ,i to argue thus1 and please myself with the delusion6 ,for some months after1 it appears1 perhaps1 that whereas there was #ch entered1 received of ,mr ,b4,k41 the figure #c was mistaken1 and set down for a figure of #e1 for the sum received was #eh2 so that1 instead of having #ah more in cash than there ought to be1 ,i have #djs4 wanting in my cash1 which my son or my apprentice stole from me when they put in the money1 and made the mistake of the figures to puzzle the book1 that it might be some time before it should be discovered4 ,upon the whole1 take it as a rule1 the tradesman ought to be as unsatisfied when he finds a mistake to his gain in his cash1 as when he finds it to his loss2 and it is every whit as dangerous1 nay1 it is the more suspicious1 because it seems to be laid as a bait for him to stop his mouth1 and to prevent further inquiries2 and it is on that account that ,i leave this caution upon record1 that the tradesman may be duly alarmed4 ,the keeping a cash-book is one of the nicest parts of a tradesman's business1 because there is always the bag and the book to be brought together1 and if they do not exactly speak the same language1 even to a farthing1 there must be some omission2 and how big or how little that omission may be1 who knows1 or how shall it be known1 but by casting and recasting up1 telling1 and telling over and over again1 the money8 ,if there is but twenty shillings over in the money1 the question is1 ',how came it there8' ,it must be received somewhere1 and of somebody1 more than is entered2 and how can the cash-keeper1 be he master or servant1 know but more was received with it1 which is not1 and should have been1 entered1 and so the loss may be the other way8 ,it is true1 in telling money there may have been a mistake1 and he that received a sum of money may have received twenty shillings too much1 or five pounds too much--and such a mistake ,i have known to be made in the paying and receiving of money--and a man's cash has been more perplexed1 and his mind more distracted about it1 than the five pounds have been worth1 because he could not find it out1 till some accident has discovered it2#cc and the reason is1 because not knowing which way it could come there1 he could not know but some omission might be made to his loss another way1 as in the case above mentioned4 ,i knew1 indeed1 a strong waterman1 who drove a very considerable trade1 but1 being an illiterate tradesman1 never balanced his cash-book for many years1 nor scarce posted his other books1 and1 indeed1 hardly understood how to do it2 but knowing his trade was exceedingly profitable1 and keeping his money all himself1 he was easy1 and grew rich apace1 in spite of the most unjustifiable1 and1 indeed1 the most intolerable1 negligence2 but lest this should be pleaded as an exception to my general rule1 and to invalidate the argument1 give me leave to add1 that1 though this man grew rich in spite of indolence1 and a neglect of his book1 yet1 when he died1 two things appeared1 which no tradesman in his wits would desire should be said of him4 ,i4 ,the servants falling out1 and maliciously accusing one another1 had1 as it appeared by the affidavits of several of them1 wronged him of several considerable sums of money1 which they received1 and never brought into the books2 and others1 of sums which they brought into the books1 but never brought into the cash2 and others1 of sums which they took ready money in the shop1 and never set down1 either the goods in the day-book1 or the money into the cash-book2 and it was thought1 though he was so rich as not to feel it1 that is1 not to his hurt1 yet that he lost three or four hundred pounds a-year in that manner1 for the two or three last years of his life2 but his widow and son1 who came after him1 having the discovery made to them1 took better measures afterwards4 ,,ii4 ,he never did1 or could know1 what he was worth1 for the accounts in his books were never made up2 nor when he came to die1 could his executors make up any man's account1 so as to be able to prove the particulars1 and make a just demand of their debt1 but found a prodigious number of small sums of money paid by the debtors1 as by receipts in their books and on their files1 some by himself1 and some by his man1 which were never brought to account1 or brought into cash2 and his man's answer being still1 that he gave all to the master1 they could not tell how to charge him by the master's account1 because several sums1 which the master himself received1 were omitted being entered in the same manner1 so that all was confusion and neglect2 and though the man died rich1 it was in spite of that management that would have made any but himself have died poor4 ,exact book-keeping is to me the effect of a man whose heart is in his business1 and who intends to thrive4 ,he that cares not whether his books are kept well or no1 is in my opinion one that does not much care whether he thrives or no2 or else1 being in desperate circumstances1 knows it1 and that he cannot1 or does not thrive1 and so matters not which way it goes4 ,it is true1 the neglect of the books is private and secret1 and is seldom known to any body but the tradesman himself1 at least till he comes to break1 and be a bankrupt1 and then you frequently hear them exclaim against him1 upon that very account4 ',break6' says one of the assignees2 'how should he but break8--why1 he kept no books2 you never saw books kept in such a scandalous manner in your life2 why1 he has not posted his cash-book1 for ,i know not how many months2 nor posted his day-book and journal at all1 except here and there an account that he perhaps wanted to know the balance of2 and as for balancing his cash1 ,i don't see any thing of that done1 ,i know not how long4 ,why1 this fellow could never tell how he went on1 or how things stood with him3 ,i wonder he did not break a long time ago4' ,now1 the man's case was this3 he knew how to keep his books well enough1 perhaps1 and could write well enough2 and if you look into his five or six first years of trade1 you find all his accounts well kept1 the journal duly posted1 the cash monthly balanced2 but the poor man found after that1 that things went wrong1 that he went backwards1 and that all went down-hill1 and he hated to look into his books4 ,as a profligate never looks into his conscience1 because he can see nothing there but what terrifies and affrights him1 makes him uneasy and melancholy1 so a sinking tradesman cares not to look into his books1 because the prospect there is dark and melancholy4 ',what signify the accounts to me8' says he2 ',i can see nothing in the books but debts that #a cannot pay1 and debtors that will never pay2 ,i can see nothing there but how ,i have trusted my estate away like a fool1 and how ,i am to be ruined for my easiness1 and being a sot3' and this makes him throw them away1 and hardly post things enough to make up when folks call to pay2 or if he does post such accounts as he has money to receive from1 that's all1 and the rest lie at random1 till1 as ,i say1 the assignees come to reproach him with his negligence4 ,whereas1 in truth1 the man understood his books well enough1 but had no heart to look in them1 no courage to balance them1 because of the afflicting prospect of them4 ,but let me here advise tradesmen to keep a perfect acquaintance with their books1 though things are bad and discouraging2 it keeps them in full knowledge of what they are doing1 and how they really stand2 and it brings them sometimes to the just reflections on their circumstances which they ought to make2 so to stop in time1 as ,i hinted before1 and not let things run too far before they are surprised and torn to pieces by violence4 ,and1 at the worst1 even a declining tradesman should not let his books be neglected2 if his creditors find them punctually kept to the last1 it will be a credit to him1 and they would see he was a man fit for business2 and ,i have known when that very thing has recommended a tradesman so much to his creditors1 that after the ruin of his fortunes1 some or other of them have taken him into business1 as into partnership1 or into employment1 only because they knew him to be qualified for business1 and for keeping books in particular4 ,but if we should admonish the tradesman to an exact and regular care of his books1 even in his declining fortunes1 much more should it be his care in his beginning1 and before any disaster has befallen him4 ,i doubt not1 that many a tradesman has miscarried by the mistakes and neglect of his books2 for the losses that men suffer on that account are not easily set down2 but ,i recommend it to a tradesman to take exact care of his books1 as ,i would to every man to take care of his diet and temperate living1 in order to their health2 for though1 according to some1 we cannot1 by all our care and caution1 lengthen out life1 but that every one must and shall live their appointed time1#cd yet1 by temperance and regular conduct1 we may make that life more comfortable1 more agreeable1 and pleasant1 by its being more healthy and hearty2 so1 though the exactest book-keeping cannot be said to make a tradesman thrive1 or that he shall stand the longer in his business1 because his profit and loss do not depend upon his books1 or the goodness of his debts depend upon the debtor's accounts being well posted1 yet this must be said1 that the well keeping of his books may be the occasion of his trade being carried on with the more ease and pleasure1 and the more satisfaction1 by having numberless quarrels1 and contentions1 and law-suits1 which are the plagues of a tradesman's life1 prevented and avoided2 which1 on the contrary1 often torment a tradesman1 and make his whole business be uneasy to him for want of being able to make a regular proof of things by his books4 ,a tradesman without his books1 in case of a law-suit for a debt1 is like a married woman without her certificate4 ,how many times has a woman been cast1 and her cause not only lost1 but her reputation and character exposed1 for want of being able to prove her marriage1 though she has been really and honestly married1 and has merited a good character all her days8 ,and so in trade1 many a debt has been lost1 many an account been perplexed by the debtor1 many a sum of money been recovered1 and actually paid over again1 especially after the tradesman has been dead1 for want of hits keeping his books carefully and exactly when he was alive2 by which negligence1 if he has not been ruined when he was living1 his widow and children have been ruined after his decease2 though1 had justice been done1 he had left them in good circumstances1 and with sufficient to support them4 ,and this brings me to another principal reason why a tradesman should not only keep books1 but be very regular and exact in keeping them in order1 that is to say1 duly posted1 and all his affairs exactly and duly entered in his books2 and this is1 that if he should be surprised by sudden or unexpected sickness1 or death1 as many are1 and as all may be1 his accounts may not be left intricate and unsettled1 and his affairs thereby be perplexed4 ,next to being prepared for death1 with respect to ,heaven and his soul1 a tradesman should be always in a state of preparation for death1 with respect to his books2 it is in vain that he calls for a scrivener or lawyer1 and makes a will1 when he finds a sudden summons sent him for the grave1 and calls his friends about him to divide and settle his estate2 if his business is in confusion below stairs1 his books out of order1 and his accounts unsettled1 to what purpose does he give his estate among his relations1 when nobody knows where to find it8 ,as1 then1 the minister exhorts us to take care of our souls1 and make our peace with ,heaven1 while we are in a state of health1 and while life has no threatening enemies about it1 no diseases1 no fevers attending2 so let me second that advice to the tradesman always to keep his books in such a posture1 that if he should be snatched away by death1 his distressed widow and fatherless family may know what is left for them1 and may know where to look for it4 ,he may depend upon it1 that what he owes to any one they will come fast enough for1 and his widow and executrix will be pulled to pieces for it1 if she cannot and does not speedily pay it4 ,why1 then1 should he not put her in a condition to have justice done her and her children1 and to know how and of whom to seek for his just debts1 that she may be able to pay others1 and secure the remainder for herself and her children8 ,i must confess1 a tradesman not to leave his books in order when he dies1 argues him to be either4 #a4 ,a very bad ,christian1 who had few or no thoughts of death upon him1 or that considered nothing of its frequent coming unexpected and sudden without warning2 or1 #b4 ,a very unnatural relation1 without the affections of a father1 or a husband1 or even of a friend1 that should rather leave what he had to be swallowed up by strangers1 than leave his family and friends in a condition to find1 and to recover it4 ,again1 it is the same case as in matters religious1 with respect to the doing this in time1 and while health and strength remain4 ,for1 as we say very well1 and with great reason1 that the work of eternity should not be left to the last moments2 that a death-bed is no place1 and a sick languishing body no condition1 and the last breath no time1 for repentance2 so ,i may add1 neither are these the place1 the condition1 nor the time1 to make up our accounts4 ,there is no posting the books on a death-bed1 or balancing the cash-book in a high fever4 ,can the tradesman tell you where his effects lie1 and to whom he has lent or trusted sums of money1 or large quantities of goods1 when he is delirious and light-headed8 ,all these things must be done in time1 and the tradesman should take care that his books should always do this for him1 and then he has nothing to do but make his will1 and dispose of what he has2 and for the rest he refers them to his books1 to know where every thing is to be had4 ,,footnotes3 #cb ,the sum at the bottom1 or foot1 of the account4 #cc ,this reminds the editor of an amusing anecdote he has heard1 illustrative of the diseased accuracy1 as it may be called1 of a certain existing ,london merchant4 ,on reckoning up his household book one year1 he found that he had expended one penny more than was accounted for1 and there was accordingly an error to that extent in his reckoning4 ,the very idea of an error1 however trifling the amount1 gave him great uneasiness1 and he set himself with the greatest anxiety to discover1 if possible1 the occasion4 ,he employed the by-hours of weeks in the vain attempt2 but at length1 having one day to cross ,waterloo ,bridge1 where there is a pontage of a penny for foot passengers1 he all at once1 to his inconceivable joy1 recollected having there disbursed the coin in question about a twelvemonth before4 #cd ,the correct doctrine is1 we may not1 by our utmost care and diligence1 avoid the causes of an early and premature death2 but he who acts according to the rules which promote health1 and avoids all things which tend to endanger it1 has a much better chance of living to the natural period appointed for human life than he who acts otherwise--besides1 as stated in the text1 making his life more agreeable4 ,the author's illustration would be more properly drawn if we were to say1 ',the tradesman1 by keeping exact accounts1 may not succeed in contending against certain unfavourable circumstances1 no more than the man who lives according to the just rules of nature may thereby succeed in eviting other evils that tend to cut short life2 but as the temperate man is most likely to be healthy1 so is the tradesman1 who keeps exact accounts1 most likely to thrive in business4' ,,chapter ,,xxi ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman ,,letting ,,his ,,wife ,,be ,,acquainted ,,with ,,his ,,business ,it must be acknowledged1 that as this chapter seems to be written in favour of the women1 it also seems to be an officious1 thankless benefaction to the wives2 for that1 as the tradesman's ladies now manage1 they are above the favour1 and put no value upon it4 ,on the contrary1 the women1 generally speaking1 trouble not their heads about it1 scorn to be seen in the counting house1 much less behind the counter2 despise the knowledge of their husbands' business1 and act as if they were ashamed of being tradesmen's wives1 and never intended to be tradesmen's widows4 ,if this chosen ignorance of theirs comes some time or other to be their loss1 and they find the disadvantage of it too late1 they may read their fault in their punishment1 and wish too late they had acted the humbler part1 and not thought it below them to inform themselves of what it is so much their interest to know4 ,this pride is1 indeed1 the great misfortune of tradesmen's wives2 for1 as they lived as if they were above being owned for the tradesman's wife1 so1 when he dies1 they live to be the shame of the tradesman's widow4 ,they knew nothing how he got his estate when he was alive1 and they know nothing where to find it when he is dead4 ,this drives them into the hands of lawyers1 attorneys1 and solicitors1 to get in their effects2 who1 when they have got it1 often run away with it1 and leave the poor widow in a more disconsolate and perplexed condition than she was in before4 ,it is true1 indeed1 that this is the women's fault in one respect1 and too often it is so in many1 since the common spirit is1 as ,i observed1 so much above the tradesman's condition2 but since it is not so with every body1 let me state the case a little for the use of those who still have ther senses about them2 and whose pride is not got so much above their reason1 as to let them choose to be tradesmen's beggars1 rather than tradesmen's widows4 ,when the tradesman dies1 it is to be expected that what estate or effects he leaves1 is1 generally speaking1 dispersed about in many hands2 his widow1 if she is left executrix1 has the trouble of getting things together as well as she can2 if she is not left executrix1 she has not the trouble indeed1 but then it is looked upon that she is dishonoured in not having the trust2 when she comes to look into her affairs1 she is more or less perplexed and embarrassed1 as she has not or has acquainted herself1 or been made acquainted1 with her husband's affairs in his lifetime4 ,if she has been one of those gay delicate ladies1 that valuing herself upon her being a gentlewoman1 and that thought it a step below herself1 when she married this mechanic thing called a tradesman1 and consequently scorned to come near his shop1 or warehouse1 and by consequence acquainting herself with any of his affairs1#ce or so much as where his effects lay1 which are to be her fortune for the future--,i say1 if this has been her case1 her folly calls for pity now1 as her pride did for contempt before2 for as she was foolish in the first1 she may be miserable in the last part of it2 for now she falls into a sea of trouble1 she has the satisfaction of knowing that her husband has died1 as the tradesmen call it1 well to pass1 and that she is left well enough2 but she has at the same time the mortification of knowing nothing how to get it in1 or in what hands it lies4 ,the only relief she has is her husband's books1 and she is happy in that1 but just in proportion to the care he took in keeping them2 even when she finds the names of debtors1 she knows not who they are1 or where they dwell1 who are good1 and who are bad2 the only remedy she has here1 if her husband had ever a servant1 or apprentice1 who was so near out of his time as to be acquainted with the customers1 and with the books1 then she is forced to be beholden to him to settle the accounts for her1 and endeavour to get in the debts2 in return for which she is forced to give him his time and freedom1 and let him into the trade1 make him master of all the business in the world1 and it may be at last1 with all her pride1 has to take him for a husband2 and when her friends upbraid her with it1 that she should marry her apprentice boy1 when it may be she was old enough to be his mother1 her answer is1 ',why1 what could ,i do8 ,i see ,i must have been ruined else2 ,i had nothing but what lay abroad in debts1 scattered about the world1 and nobody but he knew how to get them in4 ,what could ,i do8 ,if ,i had not done it1 ,i must have been a beggar4' ,and so1 it may be1 she is at last too1 if the boy of a husband proves a brute to her1 as many do1 and as in such unequal matches indeed most such people do4 ,thus1 that pride which once set her above a kind1 diligent1 tender husband1 and made her scorn to stoop to acquaint herself with his affairs1 by which1 had she done it1 she had been tolerably qualified to get in her debts1 dispose of her shop-goods1 and bring her estate together--the same pride sinks her into the necessity of cringing to a scoundrel1 and taking her servant to be her master4 ,this ,i mention for the caution of those ladies who stoop to marry men of business1 and yet despise the business they are maintained by2 that marry the tradesman1 but scorn the trade4 ,if madam thinks fit to stoop to the man1 she ought never to think herself above owning his employment2 and as she may upon occasion of his death be left to value herself upon it1 and to have at least her fortune and her children's to gather up out of it1 she ought not to profess herself so unacquainted with it as not to be able to look into it when necessity obliges her4 ,it is a terrible disaster to any woman to be so far above her own circumstances1 that she should not qualify herself to make the best of things that are left her1 or to preserve herself from being cheated1 and being imposed upon4 ,in former times1 tradesmen's widows valued themselves upon the shop and trade1 or the warehouse and trade1 that were left them2 and at least1 if they did not carry on the trade in their own names1 they would keep it up till they put it off to advantage2 and often ,i have known a widow get from #cjj to #ejj for the good-will1 as it is called1 of the shop and trade1 if she did not think fit to carry on the trade2 if she did1 the case turned the other way1 namely1 that if the widow did not put off the shop1 the shop would put off the widow2 and ,i may venture to say1 that where there is one widow that keeps on the trade now1 after a husband's decease1 there were ten1 if not twenty1 that did it then4 ,but now the ladies are above it1 and disdain it so much1 that they choose rather to go without the prospect of a second marriage1 in virtue of the trade1 than to stoop to the mechanic low step of carrying on a trade2 and they have their reward1 for they do go without it2 and whereas they might in former times match infinitely to their advantage by that method1 now they throw themselves away1 and the trade too4#cf ,but this is not the case which ,i particularly aim at in this chapter4 ,if the women will act weakly and foolishly1 and throw away the advantages that he puts into their hands1 be that to them1 and it is their business to take care of that2 but ,i would have them have the opportunity put into their hands1 and that they may make the best of it if they please2 if they will not1 the fault is their own4 ,but to this end1 ,i say1 ,i would have every tradesman make his wife so much acquainted with his trade1 and so much mistress of the managing part of it1 that she might be able to carry it on if she pleased1 in case of his death2 if she does not please1 that is another case2 or if she will not acquaint herself with it1 that also is another case1 and she must let it alone2 but he should put it into her power1 or give her the offer of it4 ,first1 he should do it for her own sake1 namely1 as before1 that she may make her advantage of it1 either for disposing herself and the shop together1 as is said above1 or for the more readily disposing the goods1 and getting in the debts1 without dishonouring herself1 as ,i have observed1 and marrying her 'prentice boy1 in order to take care of the effects--that is to say1 ruining herself to prevent her being ruined4 ,secondly1 he should do it for his children's sake1 if he has any1 that if the wife have any knowledge of the business1 and has a son to breed up to it1 though he be not yet of age to take it up1 she may keep the trade for him1 and introduce him into it1 that so he may take the trouble off her hands1 and she may have the satisfaction of preserving the father's trade for the benefit of his son1 though left too young to enter upon it at first4 ,thus ,i have known many a widow that would have thought it otherwise below her1 has engaged herself in her husbands's business1 and carried it on1 purely to bring her eldest son up to it1 and has preserved it for him1 and which has been an estate to him1 whereas otherwise it must have been lost1 and he would have had the world to seek for a new business4 ,this is a thing which every honest affectionate mother would1 or at least should1 be so willing to do for a son1 that she1 ,i think1 who would not1 ought not to marry a tradesman at all2 but if she would think herself above so important a trust for her own children1 she should likewise think herself above having children by a tradesman1 and marry somebody whose children she would act the mother for4 ,but every widow is not so unnatural1 and ,i am willing to suppose the tradesman ,i am writing to shall be better married1 and1 therefore1 ,i give over speaking to the woman's side1 and ,i will suppose the tradesman's wife not to be above her quality1 and willing to be made acquainted with her husband's affairs1 as well as to be helpful to him1 if she can1 as to be in a condition to be helpful to herself and her family1 if she comes to have occasion4 ,but1 then1 the difficulty often lies on the other side the question1 and the tradesman cares not to lay open his business to1 or acquaint his wife with it2 and many circumstances of the tradesman draw him into this snare2 for ,i must call it a snare both to him and to her4 ,i4 ,the tradesman is foolishly vain of making his wife a gentlewoman1 and1 forsooth1 he will have her sit above in the parlour1 and receive visits1 and drink tea1 and entertain her neighbours1 or take a coach and go abroad2 but as to the business1 she shall not stoop to touch it2 he has apprentices and journeymen1 and there is no need of it4 ,,ii4 ,some trades1 indeed1 are not proper for the women to meddle in1 or custom has made it so1 that it would be ridiculous for the women to appear in their shops2 that is1 such as linen and woollen drapers1 mercers1 booksellers1 goldsmiths1 and all sorts of dealers by commission1 and the like--custom1 ,i say1 has made these trades so effectually shut out the women1 that1 what with custom1 and the women's generally thinking it below them1 we never1 or rarely1 see any women in those shops or warehouses4 ,,iii4 ,or if the trade is proper1 and the wife willing1 the husband declines it1 and shuts her out--and this is the thing ,i complain of as an unjustice upon the woman4 ,but our tradesmen1 forsooth1 think it an undervaluing to them and to their business to have their wives seen in their shops--that is to say1 that1 because other trades do not admit them1 therefore they will not have their trades or shops thought less masculine or less considerable than others1 and they will not have their wives be seen in their shops4 ,,iv4 ,but there are two sorts of husbands more who decline acquainting their wives with their business2 and those are1 7#a47 ,those who are unkind1 haughty1 and imperious1 who will not trust their wives1 because they will not make them useful1 that they may not value themselves upon it1 and make themselves1 as it were1 equal to their husbands4 ,a weak1 foolish1 and absurd suggestion6 as if the wife were at all exalted by it1 which1 indeed1 is just the contrary1 for the woman is rather humbled and made a servant by it3 or1 7#b47 ,the other sort are those who are afraid their wives should be let into the grand secret of all--namely1 to know that they are bankrupt1 and undone1 and worth nothing4 ,all these considerations are foolish or fraudulent1 and in every one of them the husband is in the wrong--nay1 they all argue very strongly for the wife's being1 in a due degree1 let into the knowledge of their business2 but the last1 indeed1 especially that she may be put into a posture to save him from ruin1 if it be possible1 or to carry on some business without him1 if he is forced to fail1 and fly2 as many have been1 when the creditors have encouraged the wife to carry on a trade for the support of her family and children1 when he perhaps may never show his head again4 ,but let the man's case be what it will1 ,i think he can never call it a hard shift to let his wife into an acquaintance with his business1 if she desires it1 and is fit for it2 and especially in case of mortality1 that she may not be left helpless and friendless with her children when her husband is gone1 and when1 perhaps1 her circumstances may require it4 ,i am not for a man setting his wife at the head of his business1 and placing himself under her like a journeyman1 like a certain china-seller1 not far from the ,east ,india ,house1 who1 if any customers came into the shop that made a mean1 sorry figure1 would leave them to her husband to manage and attend them2 but if they looked like quality1 and people of fashion1 would come up to her husband1 when he was showing them his goods1 putting him by with a ',hold your tongue1 ,tom1 and let me talk4' ,i say1 it is not this kind1 or part1 that ,i would have the tradesman's wife let into1 but such1 and so much1 of the trade only as may be proper for her1 not ridiculous1 in the eye of the world1 and may make her assisting and helpful1 not governing to him1 and1 which is the main thing ,i am at1 such as should qualify her to keep up the business for herself and children1 if her husband should be taken away1 and she be left destitute in the world1 as many are4 ,thus much1 ,i think1 it is hard a wife should not know1 and no honest tradesman ought to refuse it2 and above all1 it is a great pity the wives of tradesmen1 who so often are reduced to great inconvenience for want of it1 should so far withstand their own felicity1 as to refuse to be thus made acquainted with their business1 by which weak and foolish pride they expose themselves1 as ,i have observed1 to the misfortune of throwing the business away1 when they may come to want it1 and when the keeping it up might be the restoring of their family1 and providing for their children4 ,for1 not to compliment tradesmen too much1 their wives are not all ladies1 nor are their children all born to be gentlemen4 ,trade1 on the contrary1 is subject to contingencies2 some begin poor1 and end rich2 others1 and those very many1 begin rich1 and end poor3 and there are innumerable circumstances which may attend a tradesman's family1 which may make it absolutely necessary to preserve the trade for his children1 if possible2 the doing which may keep them from misery1 and raise them all in the world1 and the want of it1 on the other hand1 sinks and suppresses them4 ,for example3-- ,a tradesman has begun the world about six or seven years2 he has1 by his industry and good understanding in business1 just got into a flourishing trade1 by which he clears five or six hundred pounds a-year2 and if it should please ,god to spare his life for twenty years or more1 he would certainly be a rich man1 and get a good estate2 but on a sudden1 and in the middle of all his prosperity1 he is snatched away by a sudden fit of sickness1 and his widow is left in a desolate despairing condition1 having five children1 and big with another2 but the eldest of these is not above six years old1 and1 though he is a boy1 yet he is utterly incapable to be concerned in the business2 so the trade which 7had his father lived to bring him up in his shop or warehouse7 would have been an estate to him1 is like to be lost1 and perhaps go all away to the eldest apprentice1 who1 however1 wants two years of his time4 ,now1 what is to be done for this unhappy family8 ',done6' says the widow2 'why1 ,i will never let the trade fall so1 that should be the making of my son1 and in the meantime be the maintenance of all my children4' ',why1 what can you do1 child8' says her father1 or other friends2 'you know nothing of it4 ,mr ---- did not acquaint you with his business4' ',that is true1' says the widow2 'he did not1 because ,i was a fool1 and did not care to look much into it1 and that was my fault4 ,mr ---- did not press me to it1 because he was afraid ,i might think he intended to put me upon it2 but he often used to say1 that if he should drop off before his boys were fit to come into the shop1 it would be a sad loss to them--that the trade would make gentlemen of a couple of them1 and it would be great pity it should go away from them4' ',but what does that signify now1 child8' adds the father2 'you see it is so2 and how can it be helped8' ',why1' says the widow1 ',i used to ask him if he thought ,i could carry it on for them1 if such a thing should happen8' ',and what answer did he make8' says the father4 ',he shook his head1' replied the widow1 'and answered1 ,yes1 ,i might1 if ,i had good servants1 and if ,i would look a little into it beforehand4' ',why1' says the father1 'he talked as if he had foreseen his end4' ',i think he did foresee it1' says she1 'for he was often talking thus4' ',and why did you not take the hint then1' says her father1 'and acquaint yourself a little with things1 that you might have been prepared for such an unhappy circumstance1 whatever might happen8' ',why1 so ,i did1' says the widow1 'and have done for above two years past2 he used to show me his letters1 and his books1 and ,i know where he bought every thing2 and ,i know a little of goods too1 when they are good1 and when bad1 and the prices2 also ,i know all the country-people he dealt with1 and have seen most of them1 and talked with them4 ,mr---- used to bring them up to dinner sometimes1 and he would prompt my being acquainted with them1 and would sometimes talk of his business with them at table1 on purpose that ,i might hear it2 and ,i know a little how to sell1 too1 for ,i have stood by him sometimes1 and seen the customers and him chaffer with one another4' ',and did your husband like that you did so8' says the father4 ',yes1' says she1 'he loved to see me do it1 and often told me he did so2 and told me1 that if he were dead1 he believed ,i might carry on the trade as well as he4' ',but he did not believe so1 ,i doubt1' says the father4 ',i do not know as to that1 but ,i sold goods several times to some customers1 when he has been out of the way4' ',and was he pleased with it when he came home8 ,did you do it to his mind8' ',nay1 ,i have served a customer sometimes when he has been in the warehouse1 and he would go away to his counting-house on purpose1 and say1 ,i'll leave you and my wife to make the bargain1 and ,i have pleased the customer and him too4' ',well1' says the father1 'do you think you could carry on the trade8' ',i believe ,i could1 if ,i had but an honest fellow of a journeyman for a year or two to write in the books1 and go abroad among customers4' ',well1 you have two apprentices2 one of them begins to understand things very much1 and seems to be a diligent lad4' ',he comes forward1 indeed1 and will be very useful1 if he does not grow too forward1 upon a supposition that ,i shall want him too much3 but it will be necessary to have a man to be above him for a while4' ',well1' says the father1 'we will see to get you such a one4' ,in short1 they got her a man to assist to keep the books1 go to ,exchange1 and do the business abroad1 and the widow carried on the business with great application and success1 till her eldest son grew up1 and was first taken into the shop as an apprentice to his mother2 the eldest apprentice served her faithfully1 and was her journeyman four years after his time was out2 then she took him in partner to one-fourth of the trade1 and when her son came of age1 she gave the apprentice one of her daughters1 and enlarged his share to a third1 gave her own son another third1 and kept a third for herself to support the family4 ,thus the whole trade was preserved1 and the son and son-in-law grew rich in it1 and the widow1 who grew as skilful in the business as her husband was before her1 advanced the fortunes of all the rest of her children very considerably4 ,this was an example of the husband's making the wife 7but a little7 acquainted with his business2 and if this had not been the case1 the trade had been lost1 and the family left just to divide what the father left2 which1 as they were seven of them1 mother and all1 would not have been considerable enough to have raised them above just the degree of having bread to eat1 and none to spare4 ,i hardly need give any examples where tradesmen die1 leaving nourishing businesses1 and good trades1 but leaving their wives ignorant and destitute1 neither understanding their business1 nor knowing how to learn1 having been too proud to stoop to it when they had husbands1 and not courage or heart to do it when they have none4 ,the town is so full of such as these1 that this book can scarce fall into the hands of any readers but who will be able to name them among their own acquaintance4 ,these indolent1 lofty ladies have generally the mortification to see their husbands' trades catched up by apprentices or journeymen in the shop1 or by other shopkeepers in the neighbourhood1 and of the same business1 that might have enriched them1 and descended to their children2 to see their bread carried away by strangers1 and other families flourishing on the spoils of their fortunes4 ,and this brings me to speak of those ladies1 who1 though they do1 perhaps1 for want of better offers1 stoop to wed a trade1 as we call it1 and take up with a mechanic2 yet all the while they are the tradesmen's wives1 they endeavour to preserve the distinction of their fancied character2 carry themselves as if they thought they were still above their station1 and that1 though they were unhappily yoked with a tradesman1 they would still keep up the dignity of their birth1 and be called gentlewomen2 and in order to this1 would behave like such all the way1 whatever rank they were levelled with by the misfortune of their circumstances4 ,this is a very unhappy1 and1 indeed1 a most unseasonable kind of pride2 and if ,i might presume to add a word here by way of caution to such ladies1 it should be to consider1 before they marry tradesmen1 the great disadvantages they lay themselves under1 in submitting to be a tradesman's wife1 but not putting themselves in a condition to take the benefit1 as well as the inconvenience of it2 for while they are above the circumstances of the tradesman's wife1 they are deprived of all the remedy against the miseries of a tradesman's widow2 and if the man dies1 and leaves them little or nothing but the trade to carry on and maintain them1 they1 being unacquainted with that1 are undone4 ,a lady that stoops to marry a tradesman1 should consider the usage of ,england among the gentry and persons of distinction1 where the case is thus3 if a lady1 who has a title of honour1 suppose it be a countess1 or if she were a duchess1 it is all one--if1 ,i say1 she stoop to marry a private gentleman1 she ceases to rank for the future as a countess1 or duchess1 but must be content to be1 for the time to come1 what her husband can entitle her to1 and no other2 and1 excepting the courtesy of the people calling her my ,lady ,duchess1 or the ,countess1 she is no more than plain ,mrs such a one1 meaning the name of her husband1 and no other4 ,thus1 if a baronet's widow marry a tradesman in ,london1 she is no more my lady1 but plain ,mrs----1 the draper's wife1 c4 ,the application of the thing is thus3 if the lady think fit to marry a mechanic1 say a glover1 or a cutler1 or whatever it is1 she should remember she is a glover's wife from that time1 and no more2 and to keep up her dignity1 when fortune has levelled her circumstances1 is but a piece of unseasonable pageantry1 and will do her no service at all4 ,the thing she is to inquire is1 what she must do if ,mr----1 the glover1 or cutler1 should die8 whether she can carry on the trade afterwards1 or whether she can live without it8 ,if she find she cannot live without it1 it is her prudence to consider in time1 and so to acquaint herself with the trade1 that she may be able to do it when she comes to it4 ,i do confess1 there is nothing more ridiculous than the double pride of the ladies of this age1 with respect to marrying what they call below their birth4 ,some ladies of good families1 though but of mean fortune1 are so stiff upon the point of honour1 that they refuse to marry tradesmen1 nay1 even merchants1 though vastly above them in wealth and fortune1 only because they are tradesmen1 or1 as they are pleased to call them1 though improperly1 mechanics2 and though perhaps they have not above #ejj or #ajjj to their portion1 scorn the man for his rank1 who does but turn round1 and has his choice of wives1 perhaps1 with two1 or three1 or four thousand pounds1 before their faces4 ,the gentlemen of quality1 we see1 act upon quite another foot1 and1 ,i may say1 with much more judgment1 seeing nothing is more frequent than when any noble family are loaded with titles and honour rather than fortune1 they come down into the city1 and choose wives among the merchants' and tradesmen's daughters to raise their families2 and ,i am mistaken1 if at this time we have not several duchesses1 countesses1 and ladies of rank1 who are the daughters of citizens and tradesmen1 as the ,duchess of ,bedford1 of ,a----e1 of ,wharton1 and others2 the ,countess of ,exeter1 of ,onslow1 and many more1 too many to name1 where it is thought no dishonour at all for those persons to have matched into rich families1 though not ennobled2 and we have seen many trading families lay the foundation of nobility by their wealth and opulence--as ,mr ,child1 for example1 afterwards ,sir ,josiah ,child1 whose posterity by his two daughters are now ,dukes of ,beaufort and of ,bedford1 and his grandson ,lord ,viscount ,castlemain1 and yet he himself began a tradesman1 and in circumstances very mean4 ,but this stiffness of the ladies1 in refusing to marry tradesmen1 though it is weak in itself1 is not near so weak as the folly of those who first do stoop to marry thus1 and yet think to maintain the dignity of their birth in spite of the meanness of their fortune1 and so1 carrying themselves above that station in which ,providence has placed them1 disable themselves from receiving the benefit which their condition offers them1 upon any subsequent changes of their life4 ,this extraordinary stiffness1 ,i have known1 has brought many a well-bred gentlewoman to misery and the utmost distress1 whereas1 had they been able to have stooped to the subsequent circumstances of life1 which ,providence also thought fit to make their lot1 they might have lived comfortably and plentifully all their days4 ,it is certainly every lady's prudence to bring her spirit down to her condition2 and if she thinks fit1 or it is any how her lot to marry a tradesman1 which many ladies of good families have found it for their advantage to do--,i say1 if it be her lot1 she should take care she does not make that a curse to her1 which would be her blessing1 by despising her own condition1 and putting herself into a posture not to enjoy it4 ,in all this1 ,i am to be understood to mean that unhappy temper1 which ,i find so much among the tradesman's wives at this time1 of being above taking any notice of their husband's affairs1 as if nothing were before them but a constant settled state of prosperity1 and it were impossible for them to taste any other fortune2 whereas1 that very hour they embark with a tradesman1 they ought to remember that they are entering a state of life full of accidents and hazards1 and that innumerable families1 in as good circumstances as theirs1 fall every day into disasters and misfortunes1 and that a tradesman's condition is liable to more casualties than any other life whatever4 ,how many widows of tradesmen1 nay1 and wives of broken and ruined tradesmen1 do we daily see recover themselves and their shattered families1 when the man has been either snatched away by death1 or demolished by misfortunes1 and has been forced to fly to the ,east or ,west ,indies1 and forsake his family in search of bread8 ,women1 when once they give themselves leave to stoop to their own circumstances1 and think fit to rouse up themselves to their own relief1 are not so helpless and shiftless creatures as some would make them appear in the world2 and we see whole families in trade frequently recovered by their industry3 but1 then1 they are such women as can stoop to it1 and can lay aside the particular pride of their first years2 and who1 without looking back to what they have been1 can be content to look into what ,providence has brought them to be1 and what they must infallibly be1 if they do not vigorously apply to the affairs which offer1 and fall into the business which their husbands leave them the introduction to1 and do not level their minds to their condition4 ,it may1 indeed1 be hard to do this at first1 but necessity is a spur to industry1 and will make things easy where they seem difficult2 and this necessity will humble the minds of those whom nothing else could make to stoop2 and where it does not1 it is a defect of the understanding1 as well as of prudence1 and must reflect upon the senses as well as the morals of the person4 ,,footnotes3 #ce ,most of the wives of tradesmen above a certain rather humble condition would now smile at the idea of their being expected to attend their husbands' shops1 in order to form an intimate acquaintance with their affairs4 ,doubtless1 however1 in the days of ,defoe1 when the capitals of tradesmen were less1 when provision for widows by insurance upon lives was not practised1 and when the comparative simplicity of the modes of conducting business admitted it1 a female in that situation would only be exercising a prudent caution1 and doing nothing in the least inconsistent with the delicacy of her sex1 in obeying the rules laid down in the text4 #cf ,the number of widows1 or at least females1 carrying on trade in ,england1 is still very considerable4 ,in ,scotland1 it is a comparatively rare case4 ,a native of the northern part of the island is apt to be strongly impressed with this fact1 when1 in the large manufacturing towns of ,england1 he sees female names in so many cases inscribed upon the waggons used in the transport of goods4 ,the complaint in the text1 that females have1 to such an extent1 ceased to carry on the business of their deceased husbands1 is probably1 like many other complaints of the same kind already pointed out1 merely a piece of querulousness on the part of our author1 or the result of a very common mental deception4 ,,chapter ,,xxii ,,of ,,the ,,dignity ,,of ,,trade ,,in ,,england ,,more ,,than ,,in ,,other ,,countries ,it is said of ,england1 by way of distinction1 and we all value ourselves upon it1 that it is a trading country2 and ,king ,charles ,,ii41 who was perhaps that prince of all the kings that ever reigned in ,england1 that best understood the country and the people that he governed1 used to say1 ',that the tradesmen were the only gentry in ,england4' ,his majesty spoke it merrily1 but it had a happy signification in it1 such as was peculiar to the bright genius of that prince1 who1 though he was not the best governor1 was the best acquainted with the world of all the princes of his age1 if not of all the men in it2 and1 though it be a digression1 give me leave1 after having quoted the king1 to add three short observations of my own1 in favour of ,england1 and of the people and trade of it1 and yet without the least partiality to our own country4 ,i4 ,we are not only a trading country1 but the greatest trading country in the world4 ,,ii4 ,our climate is the most agreeable climate in the world to live in4 ,,iii4 ,our ,englishmen are the stoutest and best men 7,i mean what we call men of their hands7 in the world4 ,these are great things to advance in our own favour1 and yet to pretend not to be partial too2 and1 therefore1 ,i shall give my reasons1 which ,i think support my opinion1 and they shall be as short as the heads themselves1 that ,i may not go too much off from my subject4 #a4 ,we are the greatest trading country in the world1 because we have the greatest exportation of the growth and product of our land1 and of the manufacture and labour of our people2 and the greatest importation and consumption of the growth1 product1 and manufactures of other countries from abroad1 of any nation in the world4#cg #b4 ,our climate is the best and most agreeable1 because a man can be more out of doors in ,england than in other countries4 ,this was ,king ,charles ,,ii4's reason for it1 and ,i cannot name it1 without doing justice to his majesty in it4 #c4 ,our men are the stoutest and best1 because1 strip them naked from the waist upwards1 and give them no weapons at all but their hands and heels1 and turn them into a room1 or stage1 and lock them in with the like number of other men of any nation1 man for man1 and they shall beat the best men you shall find in the world4 ,from this digression1 which ,i hope will not be disagreeable1 as it is not very tedious1 ,i come back to my first observation1 that ,england is a trading country1 and two things ,i offer from that head4 ,first1 our tradesmen are not1 as in other countries1 the meanest of our people4 ,secondly1 some of the greatest and best1 and most flourishing families1 among not the gentry only1 but even the nobility1 have been raised from trade1 owe their beginning1 their wealth1 and their estates1 to trade2 and1 ,i may add1 ,thirdly1 those families are not at all ashamed of their original1 and1 indeed1 have no occasion to be ashamed of it4 ,it is true1 that in ,england we have a numerous and an illustrious nobility and gentry2 and it is true1 also1 that not so many of those families have raised themselves by the sword as in other nations1 though we have not been without men of fame in the field too4 ,but trade and learning have been the two chief steps by which our gentlemen have raised their relations1 and have built their fortunes2 and from which they have ascended up to the prodigious height1 both in wealth and number1 which we see them now risen to4 ,as so many of our noble and wealthy families are raised by1 and derive from trade1 so it is true1 and1 indeed1 it cannot well be otherwise1 that many of the younger branches of our gentry1 and even of the nobility itself1 have descended again into the spring from whence they flowed1 and have become tradesmen2 and thence it is1 that1 as ,i said above1 our tradesmen in ,england are not1 as it generally is in other countries1 always of the meanest of our people4 ,indeed1 ,i might have added here1 that trade itself in ,england is not1 as it generally is in other countries1 the meanest thing the men can turn their hand to2 but1 on the contrary1 trade is the readiest way for men to raise their fortunes and families2 and1 therefore1 it is a field for men of figure and of good families to enter upon4 ,n4,b4 ,by trade we must be understood to include navigation1 and foreign discoveries1 because they are1 generally speaking1 all promoted and carried on by trade1 and even by tradesmen1 as well as merchants2 and the tradesmen are at this time as much concerned in shipping 7as owners7 as the merchants2 only the latter may be said to be the chief employers of the shipping4 ,having thus done a particular piece of justice to ourselves1 in the value we put upon trade and tradesmen in ,england1 it reflects very much upon the understanding of those refined heads1 who pretend to depreciate that part of the nation1 which is so infinitely superior in number and in wealth to the families who call themselves gentry1 or quality1 and so infinitely more numerous4 ,as to the wealth of the nation1 that undoubtedly lies chiefly among the trading part of the people2 and though there are a great many families raised within few years1 in the late war1 by great employments1 and by great actions abroad1 to the honour of the ,english gentry2 yet how many more families among the tradesmen have been raised to immense estates1 even during the same time1 by the attending circumstances of the war1 such as the clothing1 the paying1 the victualling and furnishing1 c1 both army and navy6 ,and by whom have the prodigious taxes been paid1 the loans supplied1 and money advanced upon all occasions8 ,by whom are the banks and companies carried on8--and on whom are the customs and excises levied8 ,have not the trade and tradesmen born the burden of the war8--and do they not still pay four millions a-year interest for the public debts8 ,on whom are the funds levied1 and by whom the public credit supported8 ,is not trade the inexhausted fund of all funds1 and upon which all the rest depend8 ,as is the trade1 so in proportion are the tradesmen2 and how wealthy are tradesmen in almost all the several parts of ,england1 as well as in ,london6 ,how ordinary is it to see a tradesman go off the stage1 even but from mere shopkeeping1 with from ten to forty thousand pounds' estate1 to divide among his family6--when1 on the contrary1 take the gentry in ,england from one end to the other1 except a few here and there1 what with excessive high living1 which is of late grown so much into a disease1 and the other ordinary circumstances of families1 we find few families of the lower gentry1 that is to say1 from six or seven hundred a-year downwards1 but they are in debt and in necessitous circumstances1 and a great many of greater estates also4 ,on the other hand1 let any one who is acquainted with ,england1 look but abroad into the several counties1 especially near ,london1 or within fifty miles of it4 ,how are the ancient families worn out by time and family misfortunes1 and the estates possessed by a new race of tradesmen1 grown up into families of gentry1 and established by the immense wealth1 gained1 as ,i may say1 behind the counter1 that is1 in the shop1 the warehouse1 and the counting-house6 ,how are the sons of tradesmen ranked among the prime of the gentry6 ,how are the daughters of tradesmen at this time adorned with the ducal coronets1 and seen riding in the coaches of the best of our nobility6 ,nay1 many of our trading gentlemen at this time refuse to be ennobled1 scorn being knighted1 and content themselves with being known to be rated among the richest commoners in the nation4 ,and it must be acknowledged1 that1 whatever they be as to court-breeding and to manners1 they1 generally speaking1 come behind none of the gentry in knowledge of the world4 ,at this very day we see the son of ,sir ,thomas ,scawen matched into the ducal family of ,bedford1 and the son of ,sir ,james ,bateman into the princely house of ,marlborough1 both whose ancestors1 within the memory of the writer of these sheets1 were tradesmen in ,london2 the first ,sir ,william ,scawen's apprentice1 and the latter's grandfather a porter upon or near ,london ,bridge4 ,how many noble seats1 superior to the palaces of sovereign princes 7in some countries7 do we see erected within few miles of this city by tradesmen1 or the sons of tradesmen1 while the seats and castles of the ancient gentry1 like their families1 look worn out1 and fallen into decay4 ,witness the noble house of ,sir ,john ,eyles1 himself a merchant1 at ,giddy-hall near ,rumford2 ,sir ,gregory ,page on ,blackheath1 the son of a brewer2 ,sir ,nathaniel ,mead near ,wealgreen1 his father a linen-draper1 with many others too long to repeat2 and1 to crown all1 the ,lord ,castlemains at ,wanstead1 his father ,sir ,josiah ,child1 originally a tradesman4 ,it was a smart1 but just repartee1 of a ,london tradesman1 when a gentleman1 who had a good estate too1 rudely reproached him in company1 and bade him hold his tongue1 for he was no gentleman4 ',no1 ,sir1' says he1 'but ,i can buy a gentleman1 and therefore ,i claim a liberty to speak among gentlemen4' ,again1 in how superior a port or figure 7as we now call it7 do our tradesmen live1 to what the middling gentry either do or can support6 ,an ordinary tradesman now1 not in the city only1 but in the country1 shall spend more money by the year1 than a gentleman of four or five hundred pounds a-year can do1 and shall increase and lay up every year too1 whereas the gentleman shall at the best stand stock still1 just where he began1 nay1 perhaps decline2 and as for the lower gentry1 from a hundred pounds a-year to three hundred1 or thereabouts1 though they are often as proud and high in their appearance as the other--as to them1 ,i say1 a shoemaker in ,london shall keep a better house1 spend more money1 clothe his family better1 and yet grow rich too4 ,it is evident where the difference lies2 an estate's a pond1 but a trade's a spring3 the first1 if it keeps full1 and the water wholesome1 by the ordinary supplies and drains from the neighbouring grounds1 it is well1 and it is all that is expected2 but the other is an inexhausted current1 which not only fills the pond1 and keeps it full1 but is continually running over1 and fills all the lower ponds and places about it4 ,this being the case in ,england1 and our trade being so vastly great1 it is no wonder that the tradesmen in ,england fill the lists of our nobility and gentry2 no wonder that the gentlemen of the best families marry tradesmen's daughters1 and put their younger sons apprentices to tradesmen2 and how often do these younger sons come to buy the elder son's estates1 and restore the family1 when the elder1 and head of the house1 proving rakish and extravagant1 has wasted his patrimony1 and is obliged to make out the blessing of ,israel's family1 where the younger son bought the birthright1 and the elder was doomed to serve him4 ,trade is so far here from being inconsistent with a gentleman1 that1 in short1 trade in ,england makes gentlemen1 and has peopled this nation with gentlemen2 for after a generation or two the tradesmen's children1 or at least their grand-children1 come to be as good gentlemen1 statesmen1 parliament-men1 privy-counsellors1 judges1 bishops1 and noblemen1 as those of the highest birth and the most ancient families1 and nothing too high for them4 ,thus the late ,earl of ,haversham was originally a merchant2 the late ,secretary ,craggs was the son of a barber2 the present ,lord ,castlemain's father was a tradesman2 the great-grandfather of the present ,duke of ,bedford the same2 and so of several others4 ,nor do we find any defect either in the genius or capacities of the posterity of tradesmen1 arising from any remains of mechanic blood1 which it is pretended should influence them1 but all the gallantry of spirit1 greatness of soul1 and all the generous principles1 that can be found in any of the ancient families1 whose blood is the most untainted1 as they call it1 with the low mixtures of a mechanic race1 are found in these2 and1 as is said before1 they generally go beyond them in knowledge of the world1 which is the best education4 ,we see the tradesmen of ,england1 as they grow wealthy1 coming every day to the ,herald's ,office1 to search for the coats-of-arms of their ancestors1 in order to paint them upon their coaches1 and engrave them upon their plate1 embroider them upon their furniture1 or carve them upon the pediments of their new houses2 and how often do we see them trace the registers of their families up to the prime nobility1 or the most ancient gentry of the kingdom6 ,in this search we find them often qualified to raise new families1 if they do not descend from old2 as was said of a certain tradesman of ,london that if he could not find the ancient race of gentlemen from which he came1 he would begin a new race1 who should be as good gentlemen as any that went before them4 ,they tell us a story of the old ,lord ,craven1 who was afterwards created ,earl of ,craven by ,king ,charles ,,ii41 that1 being upbraided with his being of an upstart nobility1 by the famous ,aubery1 ,earl of ,oxford1 who was himself of the very ancient family of the ,veres1 ,earls of ,oxford1 the ,lord ,craven told him1 he 7,craven7 would cap pedigrees with him 7,oxford7 for a wager4 ,the ,earl of ,oxford laughed at the challenge1 and began reckoning up his famous ancestors1 who had been ,earls of ,oxford for a hundred years past1 and knights for some hundreds of years more2 but when my ,lord ,craven began1 he read over his family thus3--',i am ,william ,lord ,craven2 my father was ,lord ,mayor of ,london1 and my grandfather was the ,lord knows who2 wherefore ,i think my pedigree as good as yours1 my lord4' ,the story was merry enough1 but is to my purpose exactly2 for let the grandfather be who he would1 his father1 ,sir ,william ,craven1 who was ,lord ,mayor of ,london1 was a wholesale grocer1 and raised the family by trade1 and yet nobody doubts but that the family of ,craven is at this day as truly noble1 in all the beauties which adorn noble birth and blood1 as can be desired of any family1 however ancient1 or anciently noble4 ,in ,italy1 and especially at ,venice1 we see every day the sons of merchants1 and other trades1 who grow in wealth and estates1 and can advance for the service of their country a considerable sum of money1 namely1 #fj1jjj to #ajj1jjj dollars1 are accepted to honour by the senate1 and translated into the list of the nobility1 without any regard to the antiquities of their families1 or the nobility of blood2 and in all ages the best kings and sovereign princes have thought fit to reward the extraordinary merit of their subjects with titles of honour1 and to rank men among their nobility1 who have deserved it by good and great actions1 whether their birth and the antiquity of their families entitled them to it or not4 ,thus in the late wars between ,england and ,france1 how was our army full of excellent officers1 who went from the shop1 and from behind the counter1 into the camp1 and who distinguished themselves there by their merit and gallant behaviour4 ,and several such came to command regiments1 and even to be general officers1 and to gain as much reputation in the service as any2 as ,colonel ,pierce1 ,wood1 ,richards1 and several others that might be named4 ,all this confirms what ,i have said before1 namely1 that trade in ,england neither is nor ought to be levelled with what it is in other countries2 nor the tradesmen depreciated as they are abroad1 and as some of our gentry would pretend to do in ,england2 but that1 as many of our best families rose from trade1 so many branches of the best families in ,england1 under the nobility1 have stooped so low as to be put apprentices to tradesmen in ,london1 and to set up and follow those trades when they have come out of their times1 and have thought it no dishonour to their blood4 ,to bring this once more home to the ladies1 who are so scandalised at that mean step1 which they call it1 of marrying a tradesman--it may be told them for their humiliation1 that1 however they think fit to act1 sometimes those tradesmen come of better families than their own2 and oftentimes1 when they have refused them to their loss1 those very tradesmen have married ladies of superior fortune to them1 and have raised families of their own1 who in one generation have been superior to those nice ladies both in dignity and estate1 and have1 to their great mortification1 been ranked above them upon all public occasions4 ,the word tradesman in ,england does not sound so harsh as it does in other countries2 and to say a gentleman-tradesman1 is not so much nonsense as some people would persuade us to reckon it3 and1 indeed1 as trade is now flourishing in ,england1 and increasing1 and the wealth of our tradesmen is already so great1 it is very probable a few years will show us still a greater race of trade-bred gentlemen1 than ever ,england yet had4 ,the very name of an ,english tradesman will1 and does already obtain in the world2 and as our soldiers by the late war gained the reputation of being some of the best troops in the world1 and our seamen are at this day1 and very justly too1 esteemed the best sailors in the world1 so the ,english tradesmen may in a few years be allowed to rank with the best gentlemen in ,europe2 and as the prophet ,isaiah said of the merchants of ,tyre1 that 'her traffickers were the honourable of the earth1' 7,isaiah1 xxiii4 #h47 ,in the meantime1 it is evident their wealth at this time out-does that of the like rank of any nation in ,europe2 and as their number is prodigious1 so is their commerce2 for the inland commerce of ,england--and it is of those tradesmen1 or traffickers1 that ,i am now speaking in particular--is certainly the greatest of its kind of any in the world2 nor is it possible there should ever be any like it1 the consumption of all sorts of goods1 both of our own manufacture1 and of foreign growth1 being so exceeding great4 ,if the ,english nation were to be nearly inquired into1 and its present opulence and greatness duly weighed1 it would appear1 that1 as the figure it now makes in ,europe is greater than it ever made before--take it either in ,king ,edward ,,iii4's reign1 or in ,queen ,elizabeth's1 which were the two chief points of time when the ,english fame was in its highest extent--,i say1 if its present greatness were to be duly weighed1 there is no comparison in its wealth1 the number of its people1 the value of its lands1 the greatness of the estates of its private inhabitants2 and1 in consequence of all this1 its real strength is infinitely beyond whatever it was before1 and if it were needful1 ,i could fill up this work with a very agreeable and useful inquiry into the particulars4 ,but ,i content myself with turning it to the case in hand1 for the truth of fact is not to be disputed--,i say1 ,i turn it to the case in hand thus3 whence comes it to be so8--how is it produced8 ,war has not done it2 no1 nor so much as helped or assisted to it2 it is not by any martial exploits2 we have made no conquests abroad1 added no new kingdoms to the ,british empire1 reduced no neighbouring nations1 or extended the possession of our monarchs into the properties of others2 we have grained nothing by war and encroachment2 we are butted and bounded just where we were in ,queen ,elizabeth's time2 the ,dutch1 the ,flemings1 the ,french1 are in view of us just as they were then4 ,we have subjected no new provinces or people to our government2 and1 with few or no exceptions1 we are almost for dominion where ,king ,edward ,i4 left us2 nay1 we have lost all the dominions which our ancient kings for some hundreds of years held in ,france--such as the rich and powerful provinces of ,normandy1 ,poictou1 ,gascoigne1 ,bretagne1 and ,acquitaine2 and instead of being enriched by war and victory1 on the contrary we have been torn in pieces by civil wars and rebellions1 as well in ,ireland as in ,england1 and that several times1 to the ruin of our richest families1 and the slaughter of our nobility and gentry1 nay1 to the destruction even of monarchy itself1 and this many years at a time1 as in the long bloody wars between the houses of ,lancaster and ,york1 the many rebellions of the ,irish1 as well in ,queen ,elizabeth's time1 as in ,king ,charles ,i4's time1 and the fatal massacre1 and almost extirpation of the ,english name in that kingdom2 and at last1 the late rebellion in ,england1 in which the monarch fell a sacrifice to the fury of the people1 and monarchy itself gave way to tyranny and usurpation1 for almost twenty years4 ,these things prove abundantly that the rising greatness of the ,british nation is not owing to war and conquests1 to enlarging its dominion by the sword1 or subjecting the people of other countries to our power2 but it is all owing to trade1 to the increase of our commerce at home1 and the extending it abroad4 ,it is owing to trade1 that new discoveries have been made in lands unknown1 and new settlements and plantations made1 new colonies placed1 and new governments formed in the uninhabited islands1 and the uncultivated continent of ,america2 and those plantings and settlements have again enlarged and increased the trade1 and thereby the wealth and power of the nation by whom they were discovered and planted4 ,we have not increased our power1 or the number of our subjects1 by subduing the nations which possessed those countries1 and incorporating them into our own1 but have entirely planted our colonies1 and peopled the countries with our own subjects1 natives of this island2 and1 excepting the negroes1 which we transport from ,africa to ,america1 as slaves to work in the sugar and tobacco plantations1 all our colonies1 as well in the islands as on the continent of ,america1 are entirely peopled from ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 and chiefly the former2 the natives having either removed farther up into the country1 or by their own folly and treachery raising war against us1 been destroyed and cut off4 ,as trade alone has peopled those countries1 so trading with them has raised them also to a prodigy of wealth and opulence2 and we see now the ordinary planters at ,jamaica and ,barbadoes rise to immense estates1 riding in their coaches and six1 especially at ,jamaica1 with twenty or thirty negroes on foot running before them whenever they please to appear in public4 ,as trade has thus extended our colonies abroad1 so it has1 except those colonies1 kept our people at home1 where they are multiplied to that prodigious degree1 and do still continue to multiply in such a manner1 that if it goes on so1 time may come that all the lands in ,england will do little more than serve for gardens for them1 and to feed their cows2 and their corn and cattle be supplied from ,scotland and ,ireland4 ,what is the reason that we see numbers of ,french1 and of ,scots1 and of ,germans1 in all the foreign nations in ,europe1 and especially filling up their armies and courts1 and that you see few or no ,english there8 ,what is the reason1 that when we want to raise armies1 or to man navies in ,england1 we are obliged to press the seamen1 and to make laws and empower the justices of the peace1 and magistrates of towns1 to force men to go for soldiers1 and enter into the service1 or allure them by giving bounty-money1 as an encouragement to men to list themselves8--whereas the people of other nations1 and even the ,scots and ,irish1 travel abroad1 and run into all the neighbour nations1 to seek service1 and to be admitted into their pay4 ,what is it but trade8--the increase of business at home1 and the employment of the poor in the business and manufactures of this kingdom1 by which the poor get so good wages1 and live so well1 that they will not list for soldiers2 and have so good pay in the merchants' service1 that they will not serve on board the ships of war1 unless they are forced to do it8 ,what is the reason1 that1 in order to supply our colonies and plantations with people1 besides the encouragement given in those colonies to all people that will come there to plant and to settle1 we are obliged to send away thither all our petty offenders1 and all the criminals that we think fit to spare from the gallows1 besides what we formerly called the kidnapping trade8--that is to say1 the arts made use of to wheedle and draw away young vagrant and indigent people1 and people of desperate fortunes1 to sell themselves--that is1 bind themselves for servants1 the numbers of which are very great4 ,it is poverty fills armies1 mans navies1 and peoples colonies4 ,in vain the drums beat for soldiers1 and the king's captains invite seamen to serve in the armies for fivepence a-day1 and in the royal navy for twenty-three shillings per month1 in a country where the ordinary labourer can have nine shillings a-week for his labour1 and the manufacturers earn from twelve to sixteen shillings a-week for their work1 and while trade gives thirty shillings per month wages to the seamen on board merchant ships4 ,men will always stay or go1 as the pay gives them encouragement2 and this is the reason why it has been so much more difficult to raise and recruit armies in ,england1 than it has been in ,scotland and ,ireland1 ,france and ,germany4 ,the same trade that keeps our people at home1 is the cause of the well living of the people here2 for as frugality is not the national virtue of ,england1 so the people that get much spend much2 and as they work hard1 so they live well1 eat and drink well1 clothe warm1 and lodge soft--in a word1 the working manufacturing people of ,england eat the fat1 and drink the sweet1 live better1 and fare better1 than the working poor of any other nation in ,europe2 they make better wages of their work1 and spend more of the money upon their backs and bellies1 than in any other country4 ,this expense of the poor1 as it causes a prodigious consumption both of the provisions1 and of the manufactures of our country at home1 so two things are undeniably the consequence of that part4 #a4 ,the consumption of provisions increases the rent and value of the lands1 and this raises the gentlemen's estates1 and that again increases the employment of people1 and consequently the numbers of them1 as well those who are employed in the husbandry of land1 breeding and feeding of cattle1 c1 as of servants in the gentlemen's families1 who1 as their estates increase in value1 so they increase their families and equipages4 #b4 ,as the people get greater wages1 so they1 ,i mean the same poorer part of the people1 clothe better1 and furnish better1 and this increases the consumption of the very manufactures they make2 then that consumption increases the quantity made1 and this creates what we call inland trade1 by which innumerable families are employed1 and the increase of the people maintained1 and by which increase of trade and people the present growing prosperity of this nation is produced4 ,the whole glory and greatness of ,england1 then1 being thus raised by trade1 it must be unaccountable folly and ignorance in us to lessen that one article in our own esteem1 which is the only fountain from whence we all1 take us as a nation1 are raised1 and by which we are enriched and maintained4 ,the ,scripture says1 speaking of the riches and glory of the city of ,tyre--which was1 indeed1 at that time1 the great port or emporium of the world for foreign commerce1 from whence all the silks and fine manufactures of ,persia and ,india were exported all over the western world--',that her merchants were princes2' and1 in another place1 ',by thy traffic thou hast increased thy riches4' 7,ezek4 xxviii4 #e47 ,certain it is1 that our traffic has increased our riches2 and it is also certain1 that the flourishing of our manufactures is the foundation of all our traffic1 as well our merchandise as our inland trade4 ,the inland trade of ,england is a thing not easily described2 it would1 in a word1 take up a whole book by itself2 it is the foundation of all our wealth and greatness2 it is the support of all our foreign trade1 and of our manufacturing1 and1 as ,i have hitherto written1 of the tradesmen who carry it on4 ,i shall proceed with a brief discourse of the trade itself4 ,,footnotes3 #cg ,we have here a pleasing trait of the superior sagacity of ,defoe1 in as far as it was a prevalent notion down to his time1 and even later 7nor is it1 perhaps1 altogether extinguished yet71 that the prosperity of a country was marked by its excess of exports over imports4 ,defoe justly ranks the amount of importation on a level with that of exportation1 as indicative of the well-being of the country4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,,of ,,the ,,inland ,,trade ,,of ,,england1 ,,its ,,magnitude1 ,,and ,,the ,,great ,,advantage ,,it ,,is ,,to ,,the ,,nation ,,in ,,general ,i have1 in a few words1 described what ,i mean by the inland trade of ,england1 in the introduction to this work4 ,it is the circulation of commerce among ourselves4 ,i4 ,for the carrying on our manufactures of several kinds in the several counties where they are made1 and the employing the several sorts of people and trades needful for the said manufactures4 ,,ii4 ,for the raising and vending provisions of all kinds for the supply of the vast numbers of people who are employed every where by the said manufactures4 ,,iii4 ,for the importing and bringing in from abroad all kinds of foreign growth and manufactures which we want4 ,,iv4 ,for the carrying about and dispersing1 as well our own growth and manufactures as the foreign imported growth and manufactures of other nations1 to the retailer1 and by them to the last consumer1 which is the utmost end of all trade2 and this1 in every part1 to the utmost corner of the island of ,great ,britain and ,ireland4 ,this ,i call inland trade1 and these circulators of goods1 and retailers of them to the last consumer1 are those whom we are to understand by the word tradesmen1 in all the parts of this work2 for 7as ,i observed in the beginning7 the ploughmen and farmers who labour at home1 and the merchant who imports our merchandise from abroad1 are not at all meant or included1 and whatever ,i have been saying1 except where they have been mentioned in particular1 and at length4 ,this inland trade is in itself at this time the wonder of all the world of trade1 nor is there any thing like it now in the world1 much less that exceeds it1 or perhaps ever will be1 except only what itself may grow up to in the ages to come2 for1 as ,i have said on all occasions1 it is still growing and increasing4 ,by this prodigy of a trade1 all the vast importation from our own colonies is circulated and dispersed to the remotest corner of the island1 whereby the consumption is become so great1 and by which those colonies are so increased1 and are become so populous and so wealthy as ,i have already observed of them4 ,this importation consists chiefly of sugars and tobacco1 of which the consumption in ,great ,britain is scarcely to be conceived of1 besides the consumption of cotton1 indigo1 rice1 ginger1 pimento or ,jamaica pepper1 cocoa or chocolate1 rum and molasses1 train-oil1 salt-fish1 whale-fin1 all sorts of furs1 abundance of valuable drugs1 pitch1 tar1 turpentine1 deals1 masts1 and timber1 and many other things of smaller value2 all which1 besides the employing a very great number of ships and ,english seamen1 occasion again a very great exportation of our own manufactures of all sorts to those colonies2 which being circulated again for consumption there1 that circulation is to be accounted a branch of home or inland trade1 as those colonies are on all such occasions esteemed as a branch of part of ourselves1 and of the ,british government in the world4 ,this trade to our ,west ,indies and ,american colonies1 is very considerable1 as it employs so many ships and sailors1 and so much of the growth of those colonies is again exported by us to other parts of the world1 over and above what is consumed among us at home2 and1 also1 as all those goods1 and a great deal of money in specie1 is returned hither for and in balance of our own manufactures and merchandises exported thither--on these accounts some have insisted that more real wealth is brought into ,great ,britain every year from those colonies1 than is brought from the ,spanish ,west ,indies to old ,spain1 notwithstanding the extent of their dominion is above twenty times as much1 and notwithstanding the vast quantity of gold and silver which they bring from the mines of ,mexico1 and the mountains of ,potosi4#ch ,whether these people say true or no1 is not my business to inquire here2 though1 if ,i may give my opinion1 ,i must acknowledge that ,i believe they do2 but be it so or not1 it is certain that it is an infinitely extended trade1 and daily increasing2 and much of it1 if not all1 is and ought to be esteemed as an inland trade1 because1 as above1 it is a circulation among ourselves4 ,as the manufactures of ,england1 particularly those of wool 7cotton wool included71 and of silk1 are the greatest1 and amount to the greatest value of any single manufacture in ,europe1#ci so they not only employ more people1 but those people gain the most money1 that is to say1 have the best wages for their work of any people in the world2 and yet1 which is peculiar to ,england1 the ,english manufactures are1 allowing for their goodness1 the cheapest at market of any in the world1 too4 ,even ,france itself1 after all the pains they are at to get our wool1 and all the expense they have been at to imitate our manufactures1 by getting over our workmen1 and giving them even greater wages than they had here1 have yet made so little proficiency in it1 and are so far from outselling us in foreign markets1 that they still1 in spite of the strictest prohibitions1 send hither1 and to ,holland and ,germany1 for ,english broad-cloths1 druggets1 duroys1 flannels1 serges1 and several other sorts of our goods1 to supply their own4 ,nor can they clothe themselves to their satisfaction with their own goods2 but if any ,french gentleman of quality comes over hither from ,france1 he is sure to bring no more coats with him than backs1 but immediately to make him new clothes as soon as he arrives1 and to carry as many new suits home with him at his return1 as he can get leave to bring ashore when he comes there--a demonstration that our manufacture exceeds theirs1 after all their boasts of it1 both in goodness and in cheapness1 even by their own confession4 ,but ,i am not now to enter upon the particular manufactures1 but the general trade in the manufacture2 this particular being a trade of such a magnitude1 it is to be observed for our purpose1 that the greatness of it consists of two parts3-- #a4 ,the consumption of it at home1 including our own plantations and factories4 #b4 ,the exportation of it to foreign parts1 exclusive of the said plantations and factories4 ,it is the first of these which is the subject of my present discourse1 because the tradesmen to whom1 and for whose instruction these chapters are designed1 are the people principally concerned in the making all these manufactures1 and wholly and solely concerned in dispersing and circulating them for the home consumption2 and this1 with some additions1 as explained above1 ,i call inland trade4 ,the home-consumption of our own goods1 as it is very great1 so it has one particular circumstance attending it1 which exceedingly increases it as a trade1 and that is1 that besides the numbers of people which it employs in the raising the materials1 and making the goods themselves as a manufacture--,i say1 besides all this1 there are multitudes of people employed1 cattle maintained1 with waggons and carts for the service on shore1 barges and boats for carriage in the rivers1 and ships and barks for carrying by sea1 and all for the circulating these manufactures from one place to another1 for the consumption of them among the people4 ,so that1 in short1 the circulation of the goods is a business not equal1 indeed1 but bearing a very great proportion to the trade itself4 ,this is owing to another particular circumstance of our manufacture1 and perhaps is not so remarkably the case of any other manufacture or country in ,europe1 namely1 that though all our manufactures are used and called for by almost all the people1 and that in every part of the whole ,british dominion1 yet they are made and wrought in their several distinct and respective countries in ,britain1 and some of them at the remotest distance from one another1 hardly any two manufactures being made in one place4 ,for example3 ,the broad-cloth and druggets in ,wilts1 ,gloucester1 and ,worcestershire2 serges in ,devon and ,somersetshire2 narrow-cloths in ,yorkshire and ,staffordshire2 kerseys1 cottons1 half-thicks1 duffields1 plains1 and coarser things1 in ,lancashire and ,westmoreland2 shalloons in the counties of ,northampton1 ,berks1 ,oxford1 ,southampton1 and ,york2 women's-stuffs in ,norfolk2 linsey-woolseys1 c1 at ,kidderminster2 dimmeties and cotton-wares at ,manchester2 flannels at ,salisbury1 and in ,wales2 tammeys at ,coventry2 and the like4 ,it is the same1 in some respects1 with our provisions1 especially for the supply of the city of ,london1 and also of several other parts3 for example1 when ,i speak of provisions1 ,i mean such as are not made use of in the county where they are made and produced4 ,for example3 ,butter1 in firkins1 in ,suffolk and ,yorkshire2 cheese from ,cheshire1 ,wiltshire1 ,warwickshire1 and ,gloucestershire2 herrings1 cured red1 from ,yarmouth in ,norfolk2 coals1 for fuel1 from ,northumberland and ,durham2 malt from the counties of ,hertford1 ,essex1 ,kent1 ,bucks1 ,oxford1 ,berks1 c4 ,and thus of many other things which are the proper produce of one part of the country only1 but are from thence dispersed for the ordinary use of the people into many1 or perhaps into all the other counties of ,england1 to the infinite advantage of our inland commerce1 and employing a vast number of people and cattle2 and consequently those people and cattle increasing the consumption of provisions and forage1 and the improvement of lands2 so true it is1 and so visible1 that trade increases people1 and people increase trade4 ,this carriage of goods in ,england from those places is chiefly managed by horses and waggons2 the number of which is not to be guessed at1 nor is there any rule or art that can be thought of1 by which any just calculation can be made of it1 and therefore ,i shall not enter upon any particular of it at this time2 it is sufficient to say1 what ,i believe to be true1 namely1 that it is equal to the whole trade of some nations1 and the rather because of the great improvement of land1 which proceeds from the employing so many thousands of horses as are furnished for this part of business4 ,in other countries1 and indeed1 in most countries in ,europe1 all their inland trade1 such as it is1 is carried on by the convenience of navigation1 either by coastings on the sea1 or by river-navigation4 ,it is true1 our coasting trade is exceedingly great1 and employs a prodigious number of ships1 as well from all the shores of ,england to ,london1 as from one port to another4 ,but as to our river-navigation1 it is not equal to it1 though in some places it is very great too2 but we have but a very few navigable rivers in ,england1 compared with those of other countries2 nor are many of those rivers we have navigable to any considerable length from the sea4 ,the most considerable rivers in ,england for navigation are as follows3--,the ,thames1 the ,trent1 the ,severn1 the ,wye1 the ,ouse1 the ,humber1 the ,air1 and the ,calder4 ,these are navigable a considerable way1 and receive several other navigable rivers into them2 but except these there are very few rivers in ,england which are navigable much above the first town of note within their mouth4 ,most of our other greatest and most navigable rivers are navigable but a very little way in2 as the northern ,ouse but to ,york1 the ,orwell but to ,ipswich1 the ,yare but to ,norwich2 the ,tyne itself but a very little above ,newcastle1 not in all above twelve miles2 the ,tweed not at all above ,berwick2 the great ,avon but to ,bristol2 the ,exe but to ,exeter2 and the ,dee but to ,chester3 in a word1 our river-navigation is not to be named for carriage1 with the vast bulk of carriage by pack-horses and by waggons2 nor must the carriage by pedlars on their backs be omitted4#dj ,this carriage is the medium of our inland trade1 and1 as ,i said1 is a branch of the trade itself4 ,this great carriage is occasioned by the situation of our produce and manufactures4 ,for example--the ,taunton and ,exeter serges1 perpetuanas1 and duroys1 come chiefly by land2 the clothing1 such as the broad-cloth and druggets from ,wilts1 ,gloucester1 ,worcester1 and ,shropshire1 comes all by land-carriage to ,london1 and goes down again by land-carriages to all parts of ,england2 the ,yorkshire clothing trade1 the ,manchester and ,coventry trades1 all by land1 not to ,london only1 but to all parts of ,england1 by horse-packs--the ,manchester men being1 saving their wealth1 a kind of pedlars1 who carry their goods themselves to the country shopkeepers every where1 as do now the ,yorkshire and ,coventry manufacturers also4 ,now1 in all these manufactures1 however remote from one another1 every town in ,england uses something1 not only of one or other1 but of all the rest4 ,every sort of goods is wanted every where2 and where they make one sort of goods1 and sell them all over ,england1 they at the same time want other goods from almost every other part4 ,for example3 ,norwich makes chiefly woollen stuffs and camblets1 and these are sold all over ,england2 but then ,norwich buys broad-cloth from ,wilts and ,worcestershire1 serges and sagathies from ,devon and ,somersetshire1 narrow cloth from ,yorkshire1 flannel from ,wales1 coal from ,newcastle1 and the like2 and so it is1 mutatis mutandis1 of most of the other parts4 ,the circulating of these goods in this manner1 is the life of our inland trade1 and increases the numbers of our people1 by keeping them employed at home2 and1 indeed1 of late they are prodigiously multiplied2 and they again increase our trade1 as shall be mentioned in its place4 ,as the demand for all sorts of ,english goods is thus great1 and they are thus extended in every part of the island1 so the tradesmen are dispersed and spread over every part also2 that is to say1 in every town1 great or little1 we find shopkeepers1 wholesale or retail1 who are concerned in this circulation1 and hand forward the goods to the last consumer4 ,from ,london1 the goods go chiefly to the great towns1 and from those again to the smaller markets1 and from those to the meanest villages2 so that all the manufactures of ,england1 and most of them also of foreign countries1 are to be found in the meanest village1 and in the remotest corner of the whole island of ,britain1 and are to be bought1 as it were1 at every body's door4 ,this shows not the extent of our manufactures only1 but the usefulness of them1 and how they are so necessary to mankind that our own people cannot be without them1 and every sort of them1 and cannot make one thing serve for another2 but as they sell their own1 so they buy from others1 and every body here trades with every body3 this it is that gives the whole manufacture so universal a circulation1 and makes it so immensely great in ,england4 ,what it is abroad1 is not so much to our present purpose4 ,again1 the magnitude of the city of ,london adds very considerably to the greatness of the inland trade2 for as this city is the centre of our trade1 so all the manufactures are brought hither1 and from hence circulated again to all the country1 as they are particularly called for4 ,but that is not all2 the magnitude of the city influences the whole nation also in the article of provisions1 and something is raised in every county in ,england1 however remote1 for the supply of ,london2 nay1 all the best of every produce is brought hither2 so that all the people1 and all the lands in ,england1 seem to be at work for1 or employed by1 or on the account of1 this overgrown city4 ,this makes the trade increase prodigiously1 even as the city itself increases2 and we all know the city is very greatly increased within few years past4 ,again1 as the whole nation is employed to feed and clothe this city1 so here is the money1 by which all the people in the whole nation seem to be supported and maintained4 ,i have endeavoured to make some calculation of the number of shopkeepers in this kingdom1 but ,i find it is not to be done--we may as well count the stars2 not that they are equal in number neither1 but it is as impossible1 unless any one person corresponded so as to have them numbered in every town or parish throughout the kingdom4 ,i doubt not they are some hundreds of thousands1 but there is no making an estimate--the number is in a manner infinite4 ,it is as impossible likewise to make any guess at the bulk of their trade1 and how much they return yearly2 nor1 if we could1 would it give any foundation for any just calculation of the value of goods in general1 because all our goods circulate so much1 and go so often through so many hands before they come to the consumer4 ,this so often passing every sort of goods through so many hands1 before it comes into the hands of the last consumer1 is that which makes our trade be so immensely great4 ,for example1 if there is made in ,england for our home-consumption the value of #ajj1jjj worth of any particular goods1 say1 for example1 that it be so many pieces of serge or cloth1 and if this goes through ten tradesmen's hands1 before it comes to the last consumer1 then there is #a1jjj1jjj returned in trade for that #ajj1jjj worth of goods2 and so of all the sorts of goods we trade in4 ,again1 as ,i said above1 all our manufactures are so useful to1 and depend on1 one another so much in trade1 that the sale of one necessarily causes the demand of the other in all parts4 ,for example1 suppose the poorest countryman wants to be clothed1 or suppose it be a gentleman wants to clothe one of his servants1 whether a footman in a livery1 or suppose it be any servant in ordinary apparel1 yet he shall in some part employ almost every one of the manufacturing counties of ,england1 for making up one ordinary suit of clothes4 ,for example3 ,if his coat be of woollen-cloth1 he has that from ,yorkshire2 the lining is shalloon from ,berkshire2 the waistcoat is of callamanco from ,norwich2 the breeches of a strong drugget from ,devizes1 ,wiltshire2 the stockings being of yarn from ,westmoreland2 the hat is a felt from ,leicester2 the gloves of leather from ,somersetshire2 the shoes from ,northampton2 the buttons from ,macclesfield in ,cheshire1 or1 if they are of metal1 they come from ,birmingham1 or ,warwickshire2 his garters from ,manchester2 his shirt of home-made linen of ,lancashire1 or ,scotland4 ,if it be thus of every poor man's clothing1 or of a servant1 what must it be of the master1 and of the rest of the family8 ,and in this particular the case is the same1 let the family live where they will2 so that all these manufactures must be found in all the remotest towns and counties in ,england1 be it where you will4 ,again1 take the furnishing of our houses1 it is the same in proportion1 and according to the figure and quality of the person4 ,suppose1 then1 it be a middling tradesman that is going to live in some market-town1 and to open his shop there2 suppose him not to deal in the manufacture1 but in groceries1 and such sort of wares as the country grocers sell4 ,this man1 however1 must clothe himself and his wife1 and must furnish his house3 let us see1 then1 to how many counties and towns1 among our manufactures1 must he send for his needful supply4 ,nor is the quantity concerned in it2 let him furnish himself as frugally as he pleases1 yet he must have something of every necessary thing2 and we will suppose for the present purpose the man lived in ,sussex1 where very few1 if any1 manufactures are carried on2 suppose he lived at ,horsham1 which is a market-town in or near the middle of the county4 ,for his clothing of himself--for we must allow him to have a new suit of clothes when he begins the world--take them to be just as above2 for as to the quality or quantity1 it is much the same2 only1 that instead of buying the cloth from ,yorkshire1 perhaps he has it a little finer than the poor man above1 and so his comes out of ,wiltshire1 and his stockings are1 it may be1 of worsted1 not of yarn1 and so they come from ,nottingham1 not ,westmoreland2 but this does not at all alter the case4 ,come we next to his wife2 and she being a good honest townsman's daughter1 is not dressed over fine1 yet she must have something decent1 being newly married too1 especially as times go1 when the burghers' wives of ,horsham1 or any other town1 go as fine as they do in other places3 allow her1 then1 to have a silk gown1 with all the necessaries belonging to a middling tolerable appearance1 yet you shall find all the nation more or less concerned in clothing this country grocer's wife1 and furnishing his house1 and yet nothing at all extravagant4 ,for example3 ,her gown1 a plain ,english mantua-silk1 manufactured in ,spitalfields2 her petticoat the same2 her binding1 a piece of chequered-stuff1 made at ,bristol and ,norwich2 her under-petticoat1 a piece of black callamanco1 made at ,norwith--quilted at home1 if she be a good housewife1 but the quilting of cotton from ,manchester1 or cotton-wool from abroad2 her inner-petticoats1 flannel and swanskin1 from ,salisbury and ,wales2 her stockings from ,tewksbury1 if ordinary1 from ,leicester1 if woven2 her lace and edgings from ,stony ,stratford the first1 and ,great ,marlow the last2 her muslin from foreign trade1 as likewise her linen1 being something finer than the man's1 may perhaps be a guilick-,holland2 her wrapper1 or morning-gown1 a piece of ,irish linen1 printed at ,london2 her black hood1 a thin ,english lustring2 her gloves1 lamb's-skin1 from ,berwick and ,northumberland1 or ,scotland2 her ribands1 being but very few1 from ,coventry1 or ,london2 her riding-hood1 of ,english worsted-camblet1 made at ,norwich4 ,come next to the furniture of their house4 ,it is scarce credible1 to how many counties of ,england1 and how remote1 the furniture of but a mean house must send them1 and how many people are every where employed about it2 nay1 and the meaner the furniture1 the more people and places employed4 ,for example3 ,the hangings1 suppose them to be ordinary linsey-woolsey1 are made at ,kidderminster1 dyed in the country1 and painted1 or watered1 at ,london2 the chairs1 if of cane1 are made at ,london2 the ordinary matted chairs1 perhaps in the place where they live2 tables1 chests of drawers1 c41 made at ,london2 as also looking-glass2 bedding1 c41 the curtains1 suppose of serge from ,taunton and ,exeter1 or of camblets1 from ,norwich1 or the same with the hangings1 as above2 the ticking comes from the west country1 ,somerset and ,dorsetshire2 the feathers also from the same country2 the blankets from ,whitney in ,oxfordshire2 the rugs from ,westmoreland and ,yorkshire2 the sheets1 of good linen1 from ,ireland2 kitchen utensils and chimney-furniture1 almost all the brass and iron from ,birmingham and ,sheffield2 earthen-ware from ,stafford1 ,nottingham1 and ,kent2 glass ware from ,sturbridge in ,worcestershire1 and ,london4 ,i give this list to explain what ,i said before1 namely1 that there is no particular place in ,england1 where all the manufactures are made1 but every county or place has its peculiar sort1 or particular manufacture1 in which the people are wholly employed2 and for all the rest that is wanted1 they fetch them from other parts4#da ,but1 then1 as what is thus wanted by every particular person1 or family1 is but in small quantities1 and they would not be able to send for it to the country or town where it is to be bought1 there are shopkeepers in every village1 or at least in every considerable market-town1 where the particulars are to be bought1 and who find it worth their while to furnish themselves with quantities of all the particular goods1 be they made where and as far off as they will2 and at these shops the people who want them are easily supplied4 ,nor do even these shopkeepers go or send to all the several counties where those goods are made--that is to say1 to this part for the cloth1 or to that for the lining2 to another for the buttons1 and to another for the thread2 but they again correspond with the wholesale dealers in ,london1 where there are particular shops or warehouses for all these2 and they not only furnish the country shopkeepers1 but give them large credit1 and sell them great quantities of goods1 by which they again are enabled to trust the tailors who make the clothes1 or even their neighbours who wear them2 and the manufacturers in the several counties do the like by those wholesale dealers who supply the country shops4 ,through so many hands do all the necessary things pass for the clothing a poor plain countryman1 though he lived as far as ,berwick-upon-,tweed2 and this occasions1 as ,i have said1 a general circulation of trade1 both to and from ,london1 from and to all the parts of ,england1 so that every manufacture is sold and removed five or six times1 and perhaps more1 before it comes at the last consumer4 ,this method of trade brings another article in1 which also is the great foundation of the increase of commerce1 and the prodigious magnitude of our inland trade is much owing to it2 and that is giving credit1 by which every tradesman is enabled to trade for a great deal more than he otherwise could do4 ,by this method a shopkeeper is able to stock his shop1 or warehouses1 with two or three times as much goods in value1 as he has stock of his own to begin the world with1 and by that means is able to trust out his goods to others1 and give them time1 and so under one another--nay1 ,i may say1 many a tradesman begins the world with borrowed stocks1 or with no stock at all1 but that of credit1 and yet carries on a trade for several hundreds1 nay1 for several thousands1 of pounds a-year4 ,by this means the trade in general is infinitely increased--nay1 the stock of the kingdom in trade is doubled1 or trebled1 or more1 and there is infinitely more business carried on1 than the real stock could be able to manage1 if no credit were to be given2 for credit in this particular is a stock1 and that not an imaginary1 but a real stock2 for the tradesman1 that perhaps begins but with five hundred1 or one thousand pounds' stock1 shall be able to furnish or stock his shop with four times the sum in the value of goods2 and as he gives credit again1 and trusts other tradesmen under him1 so he launches out into a trade of great magnitude2 and yet1 if he is a prudent manager of his business1 he finds himself able to answer his payments1 and so continually supply himself with goods1 keeping up the reputation of his dealings1 and the credit of his shop1 though his stock be not a fifth1 nay1 sometimes not a tenth part1 in proportion to the returns that he makes by the year3 so that credit is the foundation on which the trade of ,england is made so considerable4 ,nor is it enough to say1 that people must and will have goods1 and that the consumption is the same2 it is evident that consumption is not the same2 and in those nations where they give no credit1 or not so much as here1 the trade is small in proportion1 as ,i shall show in its place4 ,,footnotes3 #ch ,the amount of trade produced by the ,british colonies is still great2 but it has been ascertained that it is not profitable to the nation at large1 as much more is paid from the public purse for the military protection required by the colonies1 than returns to individuals through the medium of business4 #ci ,the cotton manufacture has now the prominence which1 in ,defoe's time1 was due to those of wool and silk4 #dj ,it is scarcely necessary to remind the reader1 that the canal navigation of ,england has come into existence since the date of this work--the railway communication is but of yesterday4 #da ,since ,defoe's time1 little alteration has taken place in the locality of a number of manufactures in ,england2 but1 in the interval1 an entire change has been effected in ,scotland1 which now possesses various manufactures of importance in the commercial economy of the nation4 ,we need only allude to the cambrics1 gauzes1 and silks of ,paisley2 the cottons and other goods of ,glasgow2 the plaidings of ,stirlingshire2 the stockings of ,hawick2 the printing-paper of ,mid-,lothian2 the carpets and bonnets of ,kilmarnock2 the iron of ,muirkirk and ,carron2 the linens of ,fife and ,dundee2 and the shawls of ,edinburgh4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,,of ,,credit ,,in ,,trade1 ,,and ,,how ,a ,,tradesman ,,ought ,,to ,,value ,,and ,,improve ,,it3 ,,how ,,easily ,,lost1 ,,and ,,how ,,hard ,,it ,,is ,,to ,,be ,,recovered ,credit is1 or ought to be1 the tradesman's mistress2 but ,i must tell him too1 he must not think of ever casting her off1 for if once he loses her1 she hardly ever returns2 and yet she has one quality1 in which she differs from most of the ladies who go by that name--if you court her1 she is gone2 if you manage so wisely as to make her believe you really do not want her1 she follows and courts you4 ,but1 by the way1 no tradesman can be in so good circumstances as to say he does not want1 that is1 does not stand in need of credit4 ,credit1 next to real stock1 is the foundation1 the life and soul1 of business in a private tradesman2 it is his prosperity2 it is his support in the substance of his whole trade2 even in public matters1 it is the strengh and fund of a nation4 ,we felt1 in the late wars1 the consequence of both the extremes--namely1 of wanting and of enjoying a complete fund of credit4 ,credit makes war1 and makes peace2 raises armies1 fits out navies1 fights battles1 besieges towns2 and1 in a word1 it is more justly called the sinews of war than the money itself1#db because it can do all these things without money--nay1 it will bring in money to be subservient1 though it be independent4 ,credit makes the soldier fight without pay1 the armies march without provisions1 and it makes tradesmen keep open shop without stock4 ,the force of credit is not to be described by words2 it is an impregnable fortification1 either for a nation1 or for a single man in business2 and he that has credit is invulnerable1 whether he has money or no2 nay1 it will make money1 and1 which is yet more1 it will make money without an intrinsic1 without the materia medica 7as the doctors have it72 it adds a value1 and supports whatever value it adds1 to the meanest substance2 it makes paper pass for money1 and fills the ,exchequer and the banks with as many millions as it pleases1 upon demand4 ,as ,i said in last chapter1 it increases commerce2 so1 ,i may add1 it makes trade1 and makes the whole kingdom trade for many millions more than the national specie can amount to4 ,it may be true1 as some allege1 that we cannot drive a trade for more goods than we have to trade with1 but then it is as true1 that it is by the help of credit that we can increase the quantity1 and that more goods are made to trade with than would otherwise be2 more goods are brought to market than they could otherwise sell2 and even in the last consumption1 how many thousands of families wear out their clothes before they pay for them1 and eat their dinner upon tick with the butcher6 ,nay1 how many thousands who could not buy any clothes1 if they were to pay for them in ready money1 yet buy them at a venture upon their credit1 and pay for them as they can6 ,trade is anticipated by credit1 and it grows by the anticipation2 for men often buy clothes before they pay for them1 because they want clothes before they can spare the money2 and these are so many in number1 that really they add a great stroke to the bulk of our inland trade4 ,how many families have we in ,england that live upon credit1 even to the tune of two or three years' rent of their revenue1 before it comes in6--so that they must be said to eat the calf in the cow's belly4 ,this encroachment they make upon the stock in trade2 and even this very article may state the case3 ,i doubt not but at this time the land owes to the trade some millions sterling2 that is to say1 the gentlemen owe to the tradesmen so much money1 which1 at long run1 the rents of their lands must pay4 ,the tradesmen having1 then1 trusted the landed men with so much1 where must they have it but by giving credit also to one another8 ,trusting their goods and money into trade1 one launching out into the hands of another1 and forbearing payment till the lands make it good out of their produce1 that is to say1 out of their rents4 ,the trade is not limited2 the produce of lands may be and is restrained4 ,trade cannot exceed the bounds of the goods it can sell2 but while trade can increase its stock of cash by credit1 it can increase its stock of goods for sale1 and then it has nothing to do but to find a market to sell at2 and this we have done in all parts of the world1 still by the force of our stocks being so increased4 ,thus1 credit raising stock at home1 that stock enables us to give credit abroad2 and thus the quantity of goods which we make1 and which is infinitely increased at home1 enables us to find or force a vent abroad4 ,this is apparent1 our home trade having so far increased our manufacture1 that ,england may be said to be able almost to clothe the whole world2 and in our carrying on the foreign trade wholly upon the ,english stocks1 giving credit to almost all the nations of the world2 for it is evident1 our stocks lie at this time upon credit in the warehouses of the merchants in ,spain and ,portugal1 ,holland and ,germany1 ,italy and ,turkey2 nay1 in ,new ,spain and ,brazil4 ,the exceeding quantity of goods thus raised in ,england cannot be supposed to be the mere product of the solid wealth and stocks of the ,english people2 we do not pretend to it2 the joining those stocks to the value of goods1 always appearing in ,england in the hands of the manufacturers1 tradesmen1 and merchants1 and to the wealth which appears in shipping1 in stock upon land1 and in the current coin of the nation1 would amount to such a prodigy of stock1 as not all ,europe could pretend to4 ,but all this is owing to the prodigious thing called credit1 the extent of which in the ,british trade is as hard to be valued1 as the benefit of it to ,england is really not to be described4 ,it must be likewise said1 to the honour of our ,english tradesman1 that they understand how to manage the credit they both give and take1 better than any other tradesmen in the world2 indeed1 they have a greater opportunity to improve it1 and make use of it1 and therefore may be supposed to be more ready in making the best of their credit1 than any other nations are4 ,hence it is that we frequently find tradesmen carrying on a prodigious trade with but a middling stock of their own1 the rest being all managed by the force of their credit2 for example1 ,i have known a man in a private warehouse in ,london trade for forty thousand pounds a-year sterling1 and carry on such a return for many years together1 and not have one thousand pounds' stock of his own1 or not more--all the rest has been carried on upon credit1 being the stocks of other men running continually through his hands2 and this is not practised now and then1 as a great rarity1 but is very frequent in trade1 and may be seen every day1 as what in its degree runs through the whole body of the tradesmen in ,england4#dc ,every tradesman both gives and takes credit1 and the new mode of setting it up over their shop and warehouse doors1 in capital letters1 ,no trust by retail1 is a presumption in trade2 and though it may have been attempted in some trades1 was never yet brought to any perfection2 and most of those trades1 who were the forwardest to set it up1 have been obliged to take it down again1 or act contrary to it in their business1 or see some very good customers go away from them to other shops1 who1 though they have not brought money with them1 have yet good foundations to make any tradesmen trust them1 and who do at proper times make payments punctual enough4 ,on the contrary1 instead of giving no trust by retail1 we see very considerable families who buy nothing but on trust2 even bread1 beer1 butter1 cheese1 beef1 and mutton1 wine1 groceries1 c1 being the things which even with the meanest families are generally sold for ready money4 ,thus ,i have known a family1 whose revenue has been some thousands a-year1 pay their butcher1 and baker1 and grocer1 and cheesemonger1 by a hundred pounds at a time1 and be generally a hundred more in each of their debts1 and yet the tradesmen have thought it well worth while to trust them1 and their pay has in the end been very honest and good4 ,this is what ,i say brings land so much in debt to trade1 and obliges the tradesman to take credit of one another2 and yet they do not lose by it neither1 for the tradesmen find it in the price1 and they take care to make such families pay warmly for the credit1 in the rate of their goods2 nor can it be expected it should be otherwise1 for unless the profit answered it1 the tradesman could not afford to be so long without his money4 ,this credit takes its beginning in our manufactures1 even at the very first of the operation1 for the master manufacturer himself begins it4 ,take a country clothier1 or bay-maker1 or what other maker of goods you please1 provided he be one that puts out the goods to the making2 it is true that the poor spinners and weavers cannot trust2 the first spin for their bread1 and the last not only weave for their bread1 but they have several workmen and boys under them1 who are very poor1 and if they should want their pay on ,saturday night1 must want their dinner on ,sunday2 and perhaps would be in danger of starving with their families1 by the next ,saturday4 ,but though the clothier cannot have credit for spinning and weaving1 he buys his wool at the stapler's or fellmonger's1 and he gets two or three months' credit for that2 he buys his oil and soap of the country shopkeeper1 or has it sent down from his factor at ,london1 and he gets longer credit for that1 and the like of all other things2 so that a clothier of any considerable business1 when he comes to die1 shall appear to be #djjj or #ejjj in debt4 ,but1 then1 look into his books1 and you shall find his factor at ,blackwell ,hall1 who sells his cloths1 or the warehouse-keeper who sells his duroys and druggets1 or both together1 have #bjjj worth of goods in hand left unsold1 and has trusted out to drapers1 and mercers1 and merchants1 to the value of #djjj more2 and look into his workhouse at home1 namely1 his wool-lofts1 his combing-shop1 his yarn-chamber1 and the like1 and there you will find it--in wool unspun1 and in yarn spun1 and in wool at the spinners'1 and in yarn at and in the looms at the weavers'2 in rape-oil1 gallipoli oil1 and perhaps soap1 c1 in his warehouses1 and in cloths at the fulling-mill1 and in his rowing-shops1 finished and unfinished1 #djjj worth of goods more2 so that1 though this clothier owed #ejjj at his death1 he has nevertheless died in good circumstances1 and has #ejjj estate clear to go among his children1 all his debts paid and discharged4 ,however1 it is evident1 that at the very beginning of this manufacturer's trade1 his #ejjj stock is made #aj1jjj1 by the help of his credit1 and he trades for three times as much in the year2 so that #ejjj stock makes #aj1jjj stock and credit1 and that together makes #cj1jjj a-year returned in trade4 ,when you come from him to the warehouse-keeper in ,london1 there you double and treble upon it1 to an unknown degree2 for the ,london wholesale man shall at his death appear to have credit among the country clothiers for #aj1jjj or #ae1jjj1 nay1 to #bj1jjj1 and yet have kept up an unspotted credit all his days4 ,when he is dead1 and his executors or widow come to look into things1 they are frightened with the very appearance of such a weight of debts1 and begin to doubt how his estate will come out at the end of it4 ,but when they come to cast up his books and his warehouse1 they find1 ,in debts abroad1 perhaps #cj1jjj ,in goods in his warehouse #ab1jjj ,so that1 in a word1 the man has died immensely rich2 that is to say1 worth between #bj1jjj and #cj1jjj1 only that1 having been a long standard in trade1 and having a large stock1 he drove a very great business1 perhaps to the tune of #fj1jjj or #gj1jjj a-year2 so that1 of all the #cj1jjj owing1 there may be very little of it delivered above four to six months1 and the debtors being many of them considerable merchants1 and good paymasters1 there is no difficulty in getting in money enough to clear all his own debts2 and the widow and children being left well1 are not in such haste for the rest but that it comes in time enough to make them easy2 and at length it all comes in1 or with but a little loss4 ,as it is thus in great things1 it is the same in proportion with small2 so that in all the trade of ,england1 you may reckon two-thirds of it carried on upon credit2 in which reckoning ,i suppose ,i speak much within compass1 for in some trades there is four parts of five carried on so1 and in some more4 ,all these things serve to show the infinite value of which credit is to the tradesman1 as well as to trade itself2 and it is for this reason ,i have closed my instructions with this part of the discourse4 ,credit is the choicest jewel the tradesman is trusted with2 it is better than money many ways2 if a man has #aj1jjj in money1 he may certainly trade for #aj1jjj1 and if he has no credit1 he cannot trade for a shilling more4 ,but how often have we seen men1 by the mere strength of their credit1 trade for ten thousand pounds a-year1 and have not one groat of real stock of their own left in the world6 ,nay1 ,i can say it of my own knowledge1 that ,i have known a tradesman trade for ten thousand pounds a-year1 and carry it on with full credit to the last gasp1 then die1 and break both at once2 that is to say1 die unsuspected1 and yet1 when his estate has been cast up1 appear to be five thousand pounds worse than nothing in the world3 how he kept up his credit1 and made good his payments so long1 is indeed the mystery1 and makes good what ,i said before1 namely1 that as none trade so much upon credit in the world1 so none know so well how to improve and manage credit to their real advantage1 as the ,english tradesmen do2 and we have many examples of it1 among our bankers especially1 of which ,i have not room to enter at this time into the discourse1 though it would afford a great many diverting particulars4#dd ,i have mentioned on several occasions in this work1 how nice and how dainty a dame this credit is1 how soon she is affronted and disobliged1 and how hard to be recovered1 when once distasted and fled2 particularly in the story of the tradesman who told his friends in a public coffee-house that he was broke1 and should shut up his shop the next day4 ,i have hinted how chary we ought to be of one another's credit1 and that we should take care as much of our neighbour tradesman's credit as we would of his life1 or as we would of firing his house1 and1 consequently1 the whole street4 ,let me close all with a word to the tradesman himself1 that if it be so valuable to him1 and his friends should be all so chary of injuring his reputation1 certainly he should be very chary of it himself4 ,the tradesman that is not as tender of his credit as he is of his eyes1 or of his wife and children1 neither deserves credit1 nor will long be master of it4 ,as credit is a coy mistress1 and will not easily be courted1 so she is a mighty nice touchy lady1 and is soon affronted2 if she is ill used1 she flies at once1 and it is a very doubtful thing whether ever you gain her favour again4 ,some may ask me here1 ',how comes it to pass1 since she is so nice and touchy a lady1 that so many clowns court and carry her1 and so many fools keep her so long8' ,my answer is1 that those clowns have yet good breeding enough to treat her civilly2 he must be a fool indeed that will give way to have his credit injured1 and sit still and be quiet-that will not bustle and use his utmost industry to vindicate his own reputation1 and preserve his credit4 ,but the main question for a tradesman in this case1 and which ,i have not spoken of yet1 is1 ',what is the man to do to preserve his credit8 ,what are the methods that a young tradesman is to take1 to gain a good share of credit in his beginning1 and to preserve and maintain it when it is gained8'#de ,every tradesman's credit is supposed to be good at first4 ,he that begins without credit1 is an unhappy wretch of a tradesman indeed1 and may be said to be broke even before he sets up2 for what can a man do1 who by any misfortune in his conduct during his apprenticeship1 or by some ill character upon him so early1 begins with a blast upon his credit8 ,my advice to such a young man would be1 not to set up at all2 or if he did1 to stay for some time1 till by some better behaviour1 either as a journeyman1 or as an assistant in some other man's shop or warehouse1 he had recovered himself2 or else to go and set up in some other place or town remote from that where he has been bred2 for he must have a great assurance that can flatter himself to set up1 and believe he shall recover a lost reputation4 ,but take a young tradesman as setting up with the ordinary stock1 that is to say1 a negative character1 namely1 that he has done nothing to hurt his character1 nothing to prejudice his behaviour1 and to give people a suspicion of him3 what1 then1 is the first principle on which to build a tradesman's reputation8 and what is it he is to do8 ,the answer is short4 ,two things raise credit in trade1 and1 ,i may say1 they are the only things required2 there are some necessary addenda1 but these are the fundamentals4 #a4 ,industry4 #b4 ,honesty4 ,i have dwelt upon the first2 the last ,i have but a few words to say to1 but they will be very significant2 indeed1 that head requires no comment1 no explanations or enlargements3 nothing can support credit1 be it public or private1 but honesty2 a punctual dealing1 a general probity in every transaction4 ,he that once breaks through his honesty1 violates his credit--once denominate a man a knave1 and you need not forbid any man to trust him4 ,even in the public it appears to be the same thing4 ,let any man view the public credit in its present flourishing circumstances1 and compare it with the latter end of the years of ,king ,charles ,,ii4 after the ,exchequer had been shut up1 parliamentary appropriations misapplied1 and1 in a word1 the public faith broken2 who would lend8 ,seven or eight per cent1 was given for anticipations in ,king ,william's time1 though no new fraud had been offered1 only because the old debts were unpaid2 and how hard was it to get any one to lend money at all6 ,but1 after by a long series of just and punctual dealing1 the ,parliament making good all the deficient funds1 and paying even those debts for which no provision was made1 and the like1 how is the credit restored1 the public faith made sacred again1 and how money flows into the ,exchequer without calling for1 and that at three or four per cent4 interest1 even from foreign countries as well as from our own people6 ,they that have credit can never want money2 and this credit is to be raised by no other method1 whether by private tradesmen1 or public bodies of men1 by nations and governments1 but by a general probity and an honest punctual dealing4 ,the reason of this case is as plain as the assertion2 the cause is in itself2 no man lends his money but with an expectation of receiving it again with the interest4 ,if the borrower pays it punctually without hesitations and defalcations1 without difficulties1 and1 above all1 without compulsion1 what is the consequence8--he is called an honest man1 he has the reputation of a punctual fair dealer4 ,and what then8--why1 then1 he may borrow again whenever he will1 he may take up money and goods1 or anything1 upon his bare words1 or note2 when another man must give bondsmen1 or mainprize1 that is1 a pawn or pledge for security1 and hardly be trusted to neither4 ,this is credit4 ,it is not the quality of the person would give credit to his dealing2 not kings1 princes1 emperors1 it is all one2 nay1 a private shopkeeper shall borrow money much easier than a prince1 if the credit of the tradesman has the reputation of being an honest man4 ,not the crown itself can give credit to the head that wears it1 if once he that wears it comes but to mortgage his honour in the matter of payment of money4 ,who would have lent ,king ,charles ,,ii4 fifty pounds on the credit of his word or bond1 after the shutting up the ,exchequer8 ,the royal word was made a jest of1 and the character of the king was esteemed a fluttering trifle1 which no man would venture upon1 much less venture his money upon4 ,in ,king ,william's time the case was much the same at first2 though the king had not broken his credit then with any man1 yet how did they break their faith with the whole world1 by the deficiency of the funds1 the giving high and ruinous interest to men almost as greedy as vultures1 the causing the government to pay great and extravagant rates for what they bought1 and great premiums for what they borrowed--these were the injuries to the public for want of credit2 nor was it in the power of the whole nation to remedy it2 on the contrary1 they made it still grow worse and worse1 till1 as above1 the parliament recovered it4 ,and how was it done8 ,not but by the same method a private person must do the same1 namely1 by doing justly1 and fairly1 and honestly1 by every body4 ,thus credit began to revive1 and to enlarge itself again2 and usury1 which had1 as it were1 eaten up mankind in business1 declined1 and so things came to their right way again4 ,the case is the same with a tradesman2 if he shuffles in payment1 bargains at one time1 and pays at another1 breaks his word and his honour in the road of his business1 he is gone2 no man will take his bills1 no man will trust him4 ,the conclusion is open and clear3 the tradesman cannot be too careful of his credit1 he cannot buy it too dear1 or be too careful to preserve it3 it is in vain to maintain it by false and loose doing business2 by breaking faith1 refusing to perform agreements1 and such shuffling things as those2 the greatest monarch in ,europe could not so preserve his credit4 ,nothing but probity will support credit2 just1 and fair1 and honourable dealings give credit1 and nothing but the same just1 and fair1 and honourable dealings will preserve it4 ,,footnotes3 #db ,how strikingly was this proved in the last war1 when the ,british government obtained credit for no less than six hundred millions to conduct warlike operations1 and by these means was ultimately victorious4 #dc ,the author's praises of credit must be received with caution4 ,if his descriptions of the credit system of his own day are true1 an improvement has since taken place1 as business neither is nor can be now carried on to such an extent upon credit--a circumstance that redounds to the advantage of all parties4 #dd ,defoe speaks of such cases as if there were something laudable in them1 whereas it is obviously for the interest of all honest traders1 that no such men should be allowed to carry on business4 #de ,defoe almost appears in this place to lay capital out of the question1 and to represent credit as all in all4 ,credit is a matter of great consequence2 but we must not attempt to carry on business by its means alone4 ,it should only be considered as an aid to capital4 ,those who1 without capital1 endeavour to set up in business by means of credit1 or1 when capital is exhausted1 attempt to struggle on by means of credit alone1 will1 in general1 only have a life of anxiety and dispeace for their pains4 ,,chapter ,,xxv ,,of ,,the ,,tradesman',s ,,punctual ,,paying ,,his ,,bills ,,and ,,promissory ,,notes ,,under ,,his ,,hand1 ,,and ,,the ,,credit ,,he ,,gains ,,by ,,it ,as ,i said that credit is maintained by just and honourable dealing1 so that just dealing depends very much upon the tradesman's punctual payment of money in all the several demands that are upon him4 ,the ordinary demands of money upon a tradesman are-- ,i4 ,promises of money for goods bought at time4 ,,ii4 ,bills drawn upon him2 which1 generally speaking1 are from the country1 that is to say1 from some places remote from where he lives4 ,or1 ,,iii4 ,promissory notes under his hand1 which are passed oftentimes upon buying goods3 bought also at time1 as in the first head4 ,,iv4 ,bonds bearing interest1 given chiefly for money borrowed at running interest4 #a4 ,promises of money for goods bought at time4 ,this indeed is the loosest article in a tradesman's payments2 and it is true that a tradesman's credit is maintained upon the easiest terms in this case of any other that belongs to trade2 for in this case not one man in twenty keeps to his time2 and so easy are tradesmen to one another1 that in general it is not much expected1 but he that pays tolerably well1 and without dunning1 is a good man1 and in credit2 shall be trusted any where1 and keeps up a character in his business3 sometimes he pays sooner1 sometimes later1 and is accounted so good a customer1 that though he owes a great deal1 yet he shall be trusted any where1 and is as lofty and touchy if his credit be called in question1 as if he paid all ready money4 ,and1 indeed1 these men shall often buy their goods as cheap upon the credit of their ordinary pay1 as another man shall that brings his money in his hand2 and it is reasonable it should be so1 for the ready-money man comes and buys a parcel here and a parcel there1 and comes but seldom1 but the other comes every day1 that is to say1 as often as he wants goods1 buys considerably1 perhaps deals for two or three thousand pounds a-year with you1 and the like1 and pays currently too4 ,such a customer ought indeed to be sold as cheap to1 as the other chance customer for his ready money4 ,in this manner of trade1 ,i say1 credit is maintained upon the easiest terms of any other1 and yet here the tradesman must have a great care to keep it up too2 for though it be the easiest article to keep up credit in1 yet even in this article the tradesman may lose his credit1 and then he is undone at once2 and this is by growing 7what in the language of trade is called7 long-winded1 putting off and putting off continually1 till he will bear dunning2 then his credit falls1 his dealer that trusted him perhaps a thousand pounds previously1 that esteemed him as good as ready money1 now grows sick of him1 declines him1 cares not whether he deals with him or no1 and at last refuses to trust him any longer4 ,then his credit is quite sunk and gone1 and in a little after that his trade is ruined and the tradesman too2 for he must be a very extraordinary tradesman that can open his shop after he has outlived his credit3 let him look which way he will1 all is lost1 nobody cares to deal with him1 and1 which is still worse1 nobody will trust him4 #b4 ,bills drawn upon him from the country1 that is to say1 from some places remote from where he now dwells3 it is but a little while ago since those bills were the loosest things in trade1 for as they could not be protested1 so they would not 7in all their heats7 always sue for them1 but rather return them to the person from whom they received them4 ,in the meantime1 let the occasion be what it will1 the tradesman ought on all occasions to pay these notes without a public recalling and returning them1 and without hesitation of any kind whatsoever4 ,he that lets his bills lie long unpaid1 must not expect to keep his credit much after them4 ,besides1 the late law for noting and protesting inland bills1 alters the case very much4 ,bills now accepted1 are protested in form1 and1 if not punctually paid1 are either returned immediately1 or the person on whom they are drawn is liable to be sued at law2 either of which is at best a blow to the credit of the acceptor4 ,a tradesman may1 without hurt to his reputation1 refuse to accept a bill1 for then1 when the notary comes he gives his reasons1 namely1 that he refuses to accept the bill for want of advice1 or for want of effects in his hands for account of the drawer1 or that he has not given orders to draw upon him2 in all which cases the non-acceptance touches the credit of the drawer2 for in trade it is always esteemed a dishonourable thing to draw upon any man that has not effects in his hands to answer the bill2 or to draw without order1 or to draw and not give advice of it2 because it looks like a forwardness to take the remitter's money without giving him a sufficient demand for it1 where he expects and ought to have it4 ,a tradesman comes to me in ,london1 and desires me to give him a bill payable at ,bristol1 for he is going to the fair there1 and being to buy goods there1 he wants money at ,bristol to pay for them4 ,if ,i give him a bill1 he pays me down the money upon receipt of it1 depending upon my credit for the acceptance of the bill4 ,if ,i draw this bill where ,i have no reason to draw it1 where ,i have no demand1 or no effects to answer it1 or if ,i give my correspondent no advice of it1 ,i abuse the remitter1 that is1 the man whose money ,i take1 and this reflects upon my credit that am the drawer1 and the next time this tradesman wants money at ,bristol fair1 he will not come to me4 ',no1' says he1 'his last bills were not accepted4' ,or1 if he does come to me1 then he demands that he should not pay his money till he has advice that my bills are accepted4 ,but1 on the other hand1 if bills are right drawn1 and advice duly given1 and the person has effects in his hands1 then1 if he refuses the bill1 he says to the notary he does not accept the bill1 but gives no reason for it1 only that he says absolutely1 ',i will not accept it--you may take that for an answer2' or he adds1 ',i refuse to accept it1 for reasons best known to myself4' ,this is sometimes done1 but this does not leave the person's credit who refuses1 so clear as the other1 though perhaps it may not so directly reflect upon him2 but it leaves the case a little dubious and uncertain1 and men will be apt to write back to the person who sent the bill to inquire what the drawer says to it1 and what account he gives1 or what character he has upon his tongue for the person drawn upon4 ,as the punctual paying of bills when accepted1 is a main article in the credit of the acceptor1 so a tradesman should be very cautious in permitting men to draw upon him where he has not effects1 or does not give order2 for though1 as ,i said1 it ought not to affect his reputation not to accept a bill where it ought not to be drawn1 yet a tradesman that is nice of his own character does not love to be always or often refusing to accept bills1 or to have bills drawn upon him where he has no reason to accept them1 and therefore he will be very positive in forbidding such drawing2 and if1 notwithstanding that1 the importunities of the country tradesman oblige him to draw1 the person drawn upon will give smart and rough answers to such bills2 as particularly1 ',i refuse to accept this bill1 because ,i have no effects of the drawer's to answer it4' ,or thus1 ',i refuse to accept this bill1 because ,i not only gave no orders to draw1 but gave positive orders not to draw4' ,or thus1 ',i neither will accept this bill1 nor any other this man shall draw2' and the like4 ,this thoroughly clears the credit of the acceptor1 and reflects grossly on the drawer4 ,and yet1 ,i say1 even in this case a tradesman does not care to be drawn upon1 and be obliged to see bills presented for acceptance1 and for payment1 where he has given orders not to draw1 and where he has no effects to answer4 ,it is the great error of our country manufacturers1 in many1 if not in most1 parts of ,england at this time1 that as soon as they can finish their goods1 they hurry them up to ,london to their factor1 and as soon as the goods are gone1 immediately follow them with their bills for the money1 without waiting to hear whether the goods are come to a market1 are sold1 or in demand1 and whether they are likely to sell quickly or not2 thus they load the factor's warehouse with their goods before they are wanted1 and load the factor with their bills1 before it is possible that he can have gotten cash in his hand to pay them4 ,this is1 first1 a direct borrowing money of their factor2 and it is borrowing1 as it were1 whether the factor will lend or no1 and sometimes whether he can or no4 ,the factor1 if he be a man of money1 and answers their bills1 fails not to make them pay for advancing2 or sells the goods to loss to answer the bills1 which is making them pay dear for the loan2 or refuses their bills1 and so baulks both their business and their credit4 ,but if the factor1 willing to oblige his employers1 and knowing he shall otherwise lose their commission1 accepts the bills on the credit of the goods1 and then1 not being able to sell the goods in time1 is also made unable to pay the bills when due--this reflects upon his credit1 though the fault is indeed in the drawer whose effects are not come in2 and this has ruined many an honest factor4 ,first1 it has hurt him by drawing large sums out of his cash1 for the supply of the needy manufacturer1 who is his employer1 and has thereby made him unable to pay his other bills currently1 even of such men's drafts who had perhaps good reason to draw4 ,secondly1 it keeps the factor always bare of money1 and wounds his reputation1 so that he pays those very bills with discredit1 which in justice to himself he ought not to pay at all1 and the borrower has the money1 at the expense of the credit of the lender2 whereas1 indeed1 the reproach ought to be to him that borrows1 not to him that lends--to him that draws where there are no effects to warrant his draft1 not to him that pays where he does not owe4 ,but the damage lies on the circumstances of accepting the bill1 for the factor lends his employer the money the hour he accepts the bill1 and the blow to his credit is for not paying when accepted4 ,when the bill is accepted1 the acceptor is debtor to the person to whom the bill is payable1 or in his right to every indorser2 for a bill of exchange is in this case different from a bond1 namely1 that the right of action is transferable by indorsement1 and every indorser has a right to sue the acceptor in his own name1 and can transfer that right to another2 whereas in a bond1 though it be given to me by assignment1 ,i must sue in the name of the first person to whom the bond is payable1 and he may at any time discharge the bond1 notwithstanding my assignment4 ,tradesmen1 then1 especially such as are factors1#df are unaccountably to blame to accept bills for their employers before their goods are sold1 and the money received1 or within reach3 if the employers cannot wait1 the reproach should lie on them1 not on the factor2 and1 indeed1 the manufacturers all over ,england are greatly wrong in that part of their business2 for1 not considering the difference between a time of demand and a time of glut1 a quick or a dead market1 they go on in the same course of making1 and1 without slackening their hands as to quantity1 crowd up their goods1 as if it were enough to them that the factor had them1 and that they were to be reckoned as sold when they were in his hands3 but would the factor truly represent to them the state of the market--that there are great quantities of goods in hand unsold1 and no present demand1 desiring them to slack their hands a little in making2 and at the same time back their directions in a plain and positive way1 though with respect too1 by telling them they could accept no more bills till the goods were sold4 ,this would bring the trade into a better regulation1 and the makers would stop their hands when the market stopped2 and when the merchant ceased to buy1 the manufacturers would cease to make1 and1 consequently1 would not crowd or clog the market with goods1 or wrong their factors with bills4 ,but this would require a large discourse1 and the manufacturers' objections should be answered1 namely1 that they cannot stop1 that they have their particular sets of workmen and spinners1 whom they are obliged to keep employed1 or1 if they should dismiss them1 they could not have them again when a demand for goods came1 and the markets revived1 and that1 besides1 the poor would starve4 ,these objections are easy to be answered1 though that is not my present business2 but thus far it is to my purpose--it is the factor's business to keep himself within compass3 if the goods cannot be sold1 the maker must stay till they can2 if the poor must be employed1 the manufacturer is right to keep them at work if he can2 but if he cannot1 without oppressing the factor1 then he makes the factor employ them1 not himself2 and ,i do not see the factor has any obligation upon him to consider the spinners and weavers1 especially not at the expense of his own credit1 and his family's safety4 ,upon the whole1 all tradesmen that trade thus1 whether by commission from the country1 or upon their own accounts1 should make it the standing order of their business not to suffer themselves to be overdrawn by their employers1 so as to straiten themselves in their cash1 and make them unable to pay their bills when accepted4 ,it is also to be observed1 that when a tradesman once comes to suffer himself to be thus overdrawn1 and sinks his credit in kindness to his employer1 he buys his employment so dear as all his employer can do for him can never repay the price4 ,and even while he is thus serving his employer1 he more and more wounds himself2 for suppose he does 7with difficulty7 raise money1 and1 after some dunning1 does pay the bills1 yet he loses in the very doing it1 for he never pays them with credit1 but suffers in reputation by every day's delay4 ,in a word1 a tradesman that buys upon credit1 that is to say1 in a course of credit1 such as ,i have described before1 may let the merchant or the warehouse-keeper call two or three times1 and may put him off without much damage to his credit2 and if he makes them stay one time1 he makes it up again another1 and recovers in one good payment what he lost in two or three bad ones4 ,but in bills of exchange or promissory notes1 it is quite another thing2 and he that values his reputation in trade should never let a bill come twice for payment1 or a note under his hand stay a day after it is due1 that is to say1 after the three days of grace1 as it is called4 ,those three days1 indeed1 are granted to all bills of exchange1 not by law1 but by the custom of trade3 it is hard to tell how this custom prevailed1 or when it began1 but it is one of those many instances which may be given1 where custom of trade is equal to an established law2 and it is so much a law now in itself1 that no bill is protested now1 till those three days are expired2 nor is a bill of exchange esteemed due till the third day2 no man offers to demand it1 nor will any goldsmith1 or even the bank itself1 pay a foreign bill sooner4 ,but that by the way4 ,bills of exchange being thus sacred in trade1 and inland bills being 7by the late law for protesting them1 and giving interest and damage upon them7 made1 as near as can be1 equally sacred1 nothing can be of more moment to a tradesman than to pay them always punctually and honourably4 ,let no critic cavil at the word honourably1 as it relates to trade3 punctual payment is the honour of trade1 and there is a word always used among merchants which justifies my using it in this place2 and that is1 when a merchant draws a bill from abroad upon his friend at ,london1 his correspondent in ,london answering his letter1 and approving his drawing upon him1 adds1 that he shall be sure to honour his bill when it appears2 that is to say1 to accept it4 ,likewise1 when the drawer gives advice of his having drawn such a bill upon him1 he gives an account of the sum drawn1 the name of the person it is payable to1 the time it is drawn at1 that is1 the time given for payment1 and he adds thus--',i doubt not your giving my bill due honour2' that is1 of accepting it1 and paying it when it is due4 ,this term is also used in another case in foreign trade only1 namely--a merchant abroad 7say it be at ,lisbon1 or ,bourdeaux7 draws a bill of #cjj sterling upon his correspondent at ,london3 the correspondent happens to be dead1 or is broke1 or by some other accident the bill is not accepted2 another merchant on the ,exchange hearing of it1 and knowing1 and perhaps corresponding with1 the merchant abroad who drew the bill1 and loth his credit should suffer by the bill going back protested1 accepts it1 and pays it for him4 ,this is called accepting it for the honour of the drawer2 and he writes so upon the bill when he accepts it1 which entitles him to re-draw the same with interest upon the drawer in ,lisbon or ,bourdeaux1 as above4 ,this is1 indeed1 a case peculiar to foreign commerce1 and is not often practised in home trade1 and among shopkeepers1 though sometimes ,i have known it practised here too3 but ,i name it on two accounts1 first--to legitimate the word honourable1 which ,i had used1 and which has its due propriety in matters of trade1 though not in the same acceptation as it generally receives in common affairs2 and1 secondly1 to let the tradesman see how deeply the honour1 that is1 the credit of trade1 is concerned in the punctual payment of bills of exchange1 and the like of promissory notes2 for in point of credit there is no difference1 though in matter of form there is4 ,there are a great many variations in the drawing bills from foreign countries1 according as the customs and usages of merchants direct1 and according as the coins and rates of exchange differ1 and according as the same terms are differently understood in several places2 as the word usance1 and two usance1 which is a term for the number of days given for payment1 after the date of the bill2 and though this is a thing particularly relating to merchants1 and to foreign commerce1 yet as the nature of bills of exchange is pretty general1 and that sometimes an inland tradesman1 especially in seaport towns1 may be obliged to take foreign accepted bills in payment for their goods2 or if they have money to spare 7as sometimes it is an inland tradesman's good luck to have71 may be asked to discount such bills--,i say1 on this account1 and that they may know the value of a foreign bill when they see it1 and how far it has to run1 before it has to be demanded1 ,i think it not foreign to the case before me1 to give them the following account3-- #a4 ,as to the times of payment of foreign bills of exchange1 and the terms of art ordinarily used by merchants in drawing1 and expressed in the said bills3 the times of payment are1 as above1 either-- 7#a47 ,at sight2 which is to be understood1 not the day it is presented1 but three days 7called days of grace7 after the bill is accepted3 7#b47 usance3 7#c47 two usance4#dg ,usance between ,london and all the towns in the ,states ,generals' dominions1 and also in the provinces now called the ,austrian ,netherlands ,belgium1 is one month4 ,and two usance is two months2 reckoning not from the acceptance of the bill1 but from the date of it4 ,usance between ,london and ,hamburgh is two months1 ,venice is three months2 and double usance1 or two usance1 is double that time4 ,usance payable at ,florence or ,leghorn1 is two months2 but from thence payable at ,london1 usance is three months4 ,usance from ,london to ,rouen or ,paris1 is one month2 but they generally draw at a certain number of days1 usually twenty-one days' sight4 ,usance from ,london to ,seville1 is two months2 as likewise between ,london and ,lisbon1 and ,oporto1 to or from4 ,usance from ,genoa to ,rome is payable at ,rome ten days after sight4 ,usance between ,antwerp and ,genoa1 ,naples or ,messina1 is two months1 whether to or from4 ,usance from ,antwerp or ,amsterdam1 payable at ,venice1 is two months1 payable in bank4 ,there are abundance of niceties in the accepting and paying of bills of exchange1 especially foreign bills1 which ,i think needless to enter upon here2 but this ,i think ,i should not omit1 namely-- ,that if a man pays a bill of exchange before it is due1 though he had accepted it1 if the man to whom it was payable proves a bankrupt after he has received the money1 and yet before the bill becomes due1 the person who voluntarily paid the money before it was due1 shall be liable to pay it again to the remitter2 for as the remitter delivered his money to the drawer1 in order to have it paid again to such person as he should order1 it is1 and ought to be1 in his power to divert the payment by altering the bill1 and make it payable to any other person whom he thinks fit1 during all the time between the acceptance and the day of payment4 ,this has been controverted1 ,i know1 in some cases1 but ,i have always found1 that by the most experienced merchants1 and especially in places of the greatest business abroad1 it was always given in favour of the remitter1 namely1 that the right of guiding the payment is in him1 all the time the bill is running2 and no bill can or ought to be paid before it is due1 without the declared assent of the remitter1 signified under his hand1 and attested by a public notary4 ,there are1 ,i say1 abundance of niceties in the matter of foreign exchanges1 and in the manner of drawing1 accepting1 and protesting bills2 but as ,i am now speaking with1 and have confined my discourse in this work to1 the inland tradesmen of ,england1 ,i think it would be as unprofitable to them to meddle with this1 as it would be difficult to them to understand it4#dh ,i return1 therefore1 to the subject in hand1 as well as to the people to whom ,i have all along directed my discourse4 ,though the inland tradesmen do not1 and need not1 acquaint themselves with the manner of foreign exchanges1 yet there is a great deal of business done by exchange among ourselves1 and at home1 and in which our inland trade is chiefly concerned2 and as this is the reason why ,i speak so much1 and repeat it so often to the tradesman for whose instruction ,i am writing1 that he should maintain the credit of his bills1 so it may not be amiss to give the tradesman some directions concerning such bills4 ,he is to consider1 that1 in general1 bills pass through a number of hands1 by indorsation from one to another1 and that if the bill comes to be protested afterwards and returned1 it goes back again through all those hands with this mark of the tradesman's disgrace upon it1 namely1 that it has been accepted1 but that the man who accepted it is not able to pay it1 than which nothing can expose the tradesman more4 ,he is to consider that the grand characteristic of a tradesman1 and by which his credit is rated1 is this of paying his bills well or ill4 ,if any man goes to the neighbours or dealers of a tradesman to inquire of his credit1 or his fame in business1 which is often done upon almost every extraordinary occasion1 the first question is1 ',how does he pay his bills8' ,as when we go to a master or mistress to inquire the character of a maid-servant1 one of the first questions generally is of her probity1 ',is she honest8' so here1 if you would be able to judge of the man1 your first question is1 ',what for a paymaster is he8 ,how does he pay his bills8'--strongly intimating1 and1 indeed1 very reasonably1 that if he has any credit1 or any regard to his credit1 he will be sure to pay his bills well2 and if he does not pay his bills well1 he cannot be sound at bottom1 because he would never suffer a slur there1 if it were possible for him to avoid it4 ,on the other hand1 if a tradesman pays his bills punctually1 let whatever other slur be upon his reputation1 his credit will hold good4 ,i knew a man in the city1 who upon all occasions of business issued promissory notes1 or notes under his hand1 at such or such time1 and it was for an immense sum of money that he gave out such notes2 so that they became frequent in trade1 and at length people began to carry them about to discount1 which lessened the gentleman so much1 though he was really a man of substance1 that his bills went at last at twenty per cent1 discount or more2 and yet this man maintained his credit by this1 that though he would always take as much time as he could get in these notes1 yet when they came due they were always punctually paid to a day2 no man came twice for his money4 ,this was a trying case1 for though upon the multitude of his notes that were out1 and by reason of the large discount given upon them1 his credit at first suffered exceedingly1 and men began to talk very dubiously of him1 yet upon the punctual discharge of them when due1 it began presently to be taken notice of1 and said openly how well he paid his notes2 upon which presently the rate of his discount fell1 and in a short time all his notes were at par2 so that punctual payment1 in spite of rumour1 and of a rumour not so ill grounded as rumours generally are1 prevailed and established the credit of the person1 who was indeed rich at bottom1 but might have found it hard enough to have stood it1 if1 as his bills had a high discount upon them1 they had been ill paid too4 ,all which confirms what ,i have hitherto alleged1 namely1 of how much concern it is for a tradesman to pay his bills and promissory notes very punctually4 ,i might argue here how much it is his interest to do so1 and how it enables him to coin as many bills as he pleases--in short1 a man whose notes are currently paid1 and the credit of whose bills is established by their being punctually paid1 has an infinite advantage in trade2 he is a bank to himself2 he can buy what bargains he pleases2 no advantage in business offers but he can grasp at it1 for his notes are current as another man's cash2 if he buys at time in the country1 he has nothing to do but to order them to draw for the money when it is due1 and he gains all the time given in the bills into the bargain4 ,if he knows what he buys1 and how to put it off1 he buys a thousand pounds' worth of goods at once1 sells them for less time than he buys at1 and pays them with their own money4 ,i might swell this discourse to a volume by itself1 to set out the particular profit that such a man may make of his credit1 and how he can raise what sums he will1 by buying goods1 and by ordering the people whom he is to pay in the country1 to draw bills on him4 ,nor is it any loss to those he buys of1 for as all the remitters of money know his bills1 and they are currently paid1 they never scruple delivering their money upon his bills1 so that the countryman or manufacturer is effectually supplied1 and the time given in the bill is the property of the current dealer on whom they are drawn4 ,but1 then1 let me add a caution here for the best of tradesmen not to neglect--namely1 as the tradesman should take care to pay his bills and notes currently1 so1 that he may do it1 he must be careful what notes he issues out1 and how he suffers others to draw on him4 ,he that is careful of his reputation in business1 will also be cautious not to let any man he deals with over draw him1 or draw upon him before the money drawn for his due4 ,and as to notes promissory1 or under his hand1 he is careful not to give out such notes but on good occasions1 and where he has the effects in his hand to answer them2 this keeps his cash whole1 and preserves his ability of performing and punctually paying when the notes become due2 and the want of this caution has ruined the reputation of a tradesman many times1 when he might otherwise have preserved himself in as good credit and condition as other men4 ,all these cautions are made thus needful on account of that one useful maxim1 that the tradesman's all depends upon his punctual complying with the payment of his bills4 ,,footnotes3 #df ,by factors1 ,defoe seems to mean the class of persons whom we now name commission-agents4 #dg ,all bills and promissory notes1 inland or foreign1 payable in this country1 are allowed three days of grace beyond the actual period expressed upon them2 thus1 a bill drawn at thirty days after date1 is payable only on the thirty-third day4 ,if bills be not presented for payment on the last day of grace1 they cannot be protested1 and consitute only an evidence of the debt for legal recovery4 ,if the last day of grace be a ,sunday1 the bill is presentible on the ,saturday previous4 #dh ,in consequence of the great extension of commerce since the time of ,defoe1 a short explanation of the principle and practice of drawing foreign bills of exchange now seems necessary4 ,foreign bills of exchange are used1 in order to avoid the necessity of transmitting actual money from one country to another4 ,a merchant1 for instance1 in ,nova ,scotia1 is owing #ajj to a manufacturer in ,glasgow3 he seeks out some one who is a creditor to that amount to some person in ,britain2 we shall say he finds a captain in the army who wishes to draw #ajj from his agent in ,london4 ,to this captain the ,nova ,scotia merchant pays #ajj1 and gets his order or bill on the ,london agent1 which bill he sends to the manufacturer in ,glasgow1 and the manufacturer transmits the bill to ,london for payment2 any banker1 indeed1 will give him the money for it1 deducting a small commission4 ,thus two debts are liquidated1 without the transmission of a farthing in money4 ,the demand for bills in foreign countries to send to ,great ,britain1 has the effect of raising them to a premium1 which is called the rate of exchange1 and is a burden which falls on the purchaser of the bill4 ,foreign bills of exchange drawn on parties in ,great ,britain1 have expressed upon them the number of days after sight at which they are to be payable4 ,thus1 a merchant on receiving a foreign bill drawn at 'thirty days after sight1' hastens to get it 'sighted1' or shown to the party on whom it is drawn1 and that party accepts it1 at the same time marking the date of doing so4 ,the bill is then complete and negociable1 and is presented for payment to the acceptor at the end of the time specified1 allowing the usual three days of grace4 ,should the bill not be accepted on being 'sighted1' it is a dishonoured bill1 and is returned with a legal protest to the foreign correspondent4 ,to avert1 as far as possible1 the loss of foreign bills by shipwreck1 a set of three bills is drawn for each transaction1 called first1 second1 and third1 of the same tenor4 ,for example3 ',thirty days after sight pay this my first bill of exchange1 for the sum of #ajj sterling2 second and third of the same tenor being unpaid4' ,this first bill is first sent1 and by next conveyance the second is sent4 ,should the first arrive safely1 the second1 on making its appearance1 is destroyed4 ,the third is retained by the foreign correspondent till he hear whether the former two have arrived at their destination1 and is sent only if they have been lost4 ,on receiving whichever comes first1 it is the duty of the receiver to communicate intelligence of the fact to the sender4