,,cobbett',s ,,advice ,,to ,,young ,,men
  ,and 7,incidentally7 to ,young ,women1
 in the ,middle and ,higher ,ranks of   
,life4 ,in a ,series of ,letters1       
,addressed to a ,youth1 a ,bachelor1 a  
,lover1 a ,husband1 a ,father1 a        
,citizen1 or a ,subject4  by  ,,william 
,,cobbett  7,from the ,edition of #ahbi7
 ,london ,henry ,frowde #aijf ,oxford3  
,horace ,hart ,printer to the           
,university        ,,introduction  #a4  
,it is the duty1 and ought to be the    
pleasure1 of age and experience to warn 
and instruct youth and to come to the   
aid of inexperience4 ,when sailors have 
discovered rocks or breakers1 and have  
had the good luck to escape with life   
from amidst them1 they1 unless they be  
pirates or barbarians as well as        
sailors1 point out the spots for the    
placing of buoys and of lights1 in order
 that others may not be exposed to the  
danger which they have so narrowly      
escaped4 ,what man of common humanity1  
having1 by good luck1 missed being      

engulfed in a quagmire or quicksand1    
will withhold from his neighbours a     
knowledge of the peril without which the
 dangerous spots are not to be          
approached8  #b4 ,the great effect which
 correct opinions and sound principles1 
imbibed in early life1 together with the
 good conduct1 at that age1 which must  
naturally result from such opinions and 
principles2 the great effect which these
 have on the whole course of our lives  
is1 and must be1 well known to every man
 of common observation4 ,how many of us1
 arrived at only forty years1 have to   
repent2 nay1 which of us has not to     
repent1 or has not had to repent1 that  
he did not1 at an earlier age1 possess a
 great stock of knowledge of that kind  
which has an immediate effect on our    
personal ease and happiness2 that kind  
of knowledge1 upon which the            
cheerfulness and the harmony of our     
homes depend6  #c4 ,it is to communicate
 a stock of this sort of knowledge1 in  
particular1 that this work is intended2 

knowledge1 indeed1 relative to          
education1 to many sciences1 to trade1  
agriculture1 horticulture1 law1         
government1 and religion2 knowledge     
relating1 incidentally1 to all these2   
but1 the main object is to furnish that 
sort of knowledge to the young which but
 few men acquire until they be old1 when
 it comes too late to be useful4  #d4   
,to communicate to others the knowledge 
that ,i possess has always been my taste
 and my delight2 and few1 who know      
anything of my progress through life1   
will be disposed to question my fitness 
for the task4 ,talk of rocks and        
breakers and quagmires and quicksands1  
who has ever escaped from amidst so many
 as ,i have6 ,thrown 7by my own will1   
indeed7 on the wide world at a very     
early age1 not more than eleven or      
twelve years1 without money to support1 
without friends to advise1 and without  
book-learning to assist me2 passing a   
few years dependent solely on my own    
labour for my subsistence2 then becoming

 a common soldier and leading a military
 life1 chiefly in foreign parts1 for    
eight years2 quitting that life after   
really1 for me1 high promotion1 and     
with1 for me1 a large sum of money2     
marrying at an early age1 going at once 
to ,france to acquire the ,french       
language1 thence to ,america2 passing   
eight years there1 becoming bookseller  
and author1 and taking a prominent part 
in all the important discussions of the 
interesting period from #agic to #agii1 
during which there was1 in that country1
 a continued struggle carried on between
 the ,english and the ,french parties2  
conducting myself1 in the ever-active   
part which ,i took in that struggle1 in 
such a way as to call forth marks of    
unequivocal approbation from the        
government at home2 returning to        
,england in #ahjj1 resuming my labours  
here1 suffering1 during these           
twenty-nine years1 two years of         
imprisonment1 heavy fines1 three years  
self-banishment to the other side of the

 ,atlantic1 and a total breaking of     
fortune1 so as to be left without a bed 
to lie on1 and1 during these twenty-nine
 years of troubles and of punishments1  
writing and publishing1 every week of my
 life1 whether in exile or not1 eleven  
weeks only excepted1 a periodical paper1
 containing more or less of matter      
worthy of public attention2 writing and 
publishing1 during the same twenty-nine 
years1 a grammar of the ,french and     
another of the ,english language1 a work
 on the ,economy of the ,cottage1 a work
 on ,forest ,trees and ,woodlands1 a    
work on ,gardening1 an account of       
,america1 a book of ,sermons1 a work on 
the ,corn-plant1 a ,history of the      
,protestant ,reformation2 all books of  
great and continued sale1 and the last  
unquestionably the book of greatest     
circulation in the whole world1 the     
,bible only excepted2 having1 during    
these same twenty-nine years of troubles
 and embarrassments without number1     
introduced into ,england the manufacture

 of ,straw-plat2 also several valuable  
trees2 having introduced1 during the    
same twenty-nine years1 the cultivation 
of the ,corn-plant1 so manifestly       
valuable as a source of food2 having1   
during the same period1 always 7whether 
in exile or not7 sustained a shop of    
some size1 in ,london2 having1 during   
the whole of the same period1 never     
employed less1 on an average1 than ten  
persons1 in some capacity or other1     
exclusive of printers1 bookbinders1 and 
others1 connected with papers and books2
 and having1 during these twenty-nine   
years of troubles1 embarrassments1      
prisons1 fines1 and banishments1 bred up
 a family of seven children to man's and
 woman's state4  #e4 ,if such a man be  
not1 after he has survived and          
accomplished all this1 qualified to give
 ,advice to ,young ,men1 no man is      
qualified for that task4 ,there may have
 been natural genius3 but genius alone1 
not all the genius in the world1 could1 
without something more1 have conducted  

me through these perils4 ,during these  
twenty-nine years1 ,i have had for      
deadly and ever-watchful foes1 a        
government that has the collecting and  
distributing of sixty millions of pounds
 in a year1 and also every soul who     
shares in that distribution4 ,until very
 lately1 ,i have had1 for the far       
greater part of the time1 the whole of  
the press as my deadly enemy4 ,yet1 at  
this moment1 it will not be pretended1  
that there is another man in the        
kingdom1 who has so many cordial        
friends4 ,for as to the friends of      
ministers and the great1 the friendship 
is towards the power1 the influence2 it 
is1 in fact1 towards those taxes1 of    
which so many thousands are gaping to   
get at a share4 ,and1 if we could1      
through so thick a veil1 come at the    
naked fact1 we should find the          
subscription1 now going on in ,dublin   
for the purpose of erecting a monument  
in that city1 to commemorate the good   
recently done1 or alleged to be done1 to

 ,ireland1 by the ,,duke of             
,,wellington2 we should find1 that the  
subscribers have the taxes in view2 and 
that1 if the monument shall actually be 
raised1 it ought to have selfishness1   
and not gratitude1 engraven on its base4
 ,nearly the same may be said with      
regard to all the praises that we hear  
bestowed on men in power4 ,the          
friendship which is felt towards me is  
pure and disinterested3 it is not       
founded in any hope that the parties can
 have1 that they can ever profit from   
professing it3 it is founded on the     
gratitude which they entertain for the  
good that ,i have done them2 and1 of    
this sort of friendship1 and friendship 
so cordial1 no man ever possessed a     
larger portion4  #f4 ,now1 mere genius  
will not acquire this for a man4 ,there 
must be something more than genius3     
there must be industry3 there must be   
perseverance3 there must be1 before the 
eyes of the nation1 proofs of           
extraordinary exertion3 people must say 

to themselves1 ',what wise conduct must 
there have been in the employing of the 
time of this man6 ,how sober1 how       
sparing in diet1 how early a riser1 how 
little expensive he must have been6'    
,these are the things1 and not genius1  
which have caused my labours to be so   
incessant and so successful3 and1 though
 ,i do not affect to believe1 that every
 young man1 who shall read this work1   
will become able to perform labours of  
equal magnitude and importance1 ,i do   
pretend1 that every young man1 who will 
attend to my advice1 will become able to
 perform a great deal more than men     
generally do perform1 whatever may be   
his situation in life2 and1 that he     
will1 too1 perform it with greater ease 
and satisfaction than he would1 without 
the advice1 be able to perform the      
smaller portion4  #g4 ,i have had1 from 
thousands of young men1 and men advanced
 in years also1 letters of thanks for   
the great benefit which they have       
derived from my labours4 ,some have     

thanked me for my ,grammars1 some for my
 ,cottage ,economy1 others for the      
,woodlands and the ,gardener2 and1 in   
short1 for every one of my works have ,i
 received letters of thanks from        
numerous persons1 of whom ,i had never  
heard before4 ,in many cases ,i have    
been told1 that1 if the parties had had 
my books to read some years before1 the 
gain to them1 whether in time or in     
other things1 would have been very      
great4 ,many1 and a great many1 have    
told me1 that1 though long at school1   
and though their parents had paid for   
their being taught ,english ,grammar1 or
 ,french1 they had1 in a short time1    
learned more from my books1 on those    
subjects1 than they had learned1 in     
years1 from their teachers4 ,how many   
gentlemen have thanked me1 in the       
strongest terms1 for my ,woodlands and  
,gardener1 observing 7just as ,lord     
,bacon had observed in his time7 that   
they had before seen no books1 on these 
subjects1 that they could understand6   

,but1 ,i know not of anything that ever 
gave me more satisfaction than ,i       
derived from the visit of a gentleman of
 fortune1 whom ,i had never heard of    
before1 and who1 about four years ago1  
came to thank me in person for a        
complete reformation1 which had been    
worked in his son by the reading of my  
two ,,sermons on drinking and on gaming4
  #h4 ,i have1 therefore1 done1 already1
 a great deal in this way3 but1 there is
 still wanting1 in a compact form1 a    
body of ,,advice such as that which ,i  
now propose to give3 and in the giving  
of which ,i shall divide my matter as   
follows4 #a4 ,advice addressed to a     
,,youth2 #b4 ,advice addressed to a     
,,bachelor2 #c4 ,advice addressed to a  
,,lover2 #d4 ,to a ,,husband2 #e4 ,to a 
,,father2 #f4 ,to a ,,citizen or        
,,subject4  #i4 ,some persons will      
smile1 and others laugh outright1 at the
 idea of ',cobbett's giving advice for  
conducting the affairs of love4' ,yes1  
but ,i was once young1 and surely ,i may

 say with the poet1 ,i forget which of  
them1    ',though old ,i am1 for ladies'
 love unfit1   ,the power of beauty ,i  
remember yet4'  ,i forget1 indeed1 the  
names of the ladies as completely1      
pretty nigh1 as ,i do that of the poets2
 but ,i remember their influence1 and of
 this influence on the conduct and in   
the affairs and on the condition of men1
 ,i have1 and must have1 been a witness 
all my life long4 ,and1 when we consider
 in how great a degree the happiness of 
all the remainder of a man's life       
depends1 and always must depend1 on his 
taste and judgment in the character of a
 lover1 this may well be considered as  
the most important period of the whole  
term of his existence4  #aj4 ,in my     
address to the ,,husband1 ,i shall1 of  
course1 introduce advice relative to the
 important duties of masters and        
servants2 duties of great importance1   
whether considered as affecting families
 or as affecting the community4 ,in my  
address to the ,,citizen or ,,subject1  

,i shall consider all the reciprocal    
duties of the governors and the         
governed1 and also the duties which man 
owes to his neighbour4 ,it would be     
tedious to attempt to lay down rules for
 conduct exclusively applicable to every
 distinct calling1 profession1 and      
condition of life2 but1 under the       
above-described heads1 will be conveyed 
every species of advice of which ,i deem
 the utility to be unquestionable4  #aa4
 ,i have thus fully described the nature
 of my little work1 and1 before ,i enter
 on the first ,letter1 ,i venture to    
express a hope1 that its good effects   
will be felt long after its author shall
 have ceased to exist4     ,,letter ,i  
,,to ,a ,,youth  #ab4 ,you are now      
arrived at that age which the law thinks
 sufficient to make an oath1 taken by   
you1 valid in a court of law4 ,let us   
suppose from fourteen to nearly twenty2 
and1 reserving1 for a future occasion1  
my remarks on your duty towards parents1
 let me here offer you my advice as to  

the means likely to contribute largely  
towards making you a happy man1 useful  
to all about you1 and an honour to those
 from whom you sprang4  #ac4 ,start1 ,i 
beseech you1 with a conviction firmly   
fixed on your mind1 that you have no    
right to live in this world2 that1 being
 of hale body and sound mind1 you have  
no right to any earthly existence1      
without doing work of some sort or      
other1 unless you have ample fortune    
whereon to live clear of debt2 and1 that
 even in that case1 you have no right to
 breed children1 to be kept by others1  
or to be exposed to the chance of being 
so kept4 ,start with this conviction    
thoroughly implanted on your mind4 ,to  
wish to live on the labour of others is1
 besides the folly of it1 to contemplate
 a fraud at the least1 and1 under       
certain circumstances1 to meditate      
oppression and robbery4  #ad4 ,i suppose
 you in the middle rank of life4        
,happiness ought to be your great       
object1 and it is to be found only in   

independence4 ,turn your back on        
,whitehall and on ,somerset-,house2     
leave the ,customs and ,excise to the   
feeble and low-minded2 look not for     
success to favour1 to partiality1 to    
friendship1 or to what is called        
interest3 write it on your heart1 that  
you will depend solely on your own merit
 and your own exertions4 ,think not1    
neither1 of any of those situations     
where gaudy habiliments and sounding    
titles poorly disguise from the eyes of 
good sense the mortifications and the   
heart-ache of slaves4 ,answer me not by 
saying1 that these situations 'must be  
filled by somebody2' for1 if ,i were to 
admit the truth of the proposition1     
which ,i do not1 it would remain for you
 to show that they are conducive to     
happiness1 the contrary of which has    
been proved to me by the observation of 
a now pretty long life4  #ae4 ,indeed1  
reason tells us1 that it must be thus3  
for that which a man owes to favour or  
to partiality1 that same favour or      

partiality is constantly liable to take 
from him4 ,he who lives upon anything   
except his own labour1 is incessantly   
surrounded by rivals3 his grand resource
 is that servility in which he is always
 liable to be surpassed4 ,he is in daily
 danger of being out-bidden2 his very   
bread depends upon caprice2 and he lives
 in a state of uncertainty and          
never-ceasing fear4 ,his is not1 indeed1
 the dog's life1 'hunger and idleness2' 
but it is worse2 for it is 'idleness    
with slavery1' the latter being the just
 price of the former4 ,slaves frequently
 are well fed and well clad2 but slaves 
dare not speak2 they dare not be        
suspected to think differently from     
their masters3 hate his acts as much as 
they may2 be he tyrant1 be he drunkard1 
be he fool1 or be he all three at once1 
they must be silent1 or1 nine times out 
of ten1 affect approbation3 though      
possessing a thousand times his         
knowledge1 they must feign a conviction 
of his superior understanding2 though   

knowing that it is they who1 in fact1 do
 all that he is paid for doing1 it is   
destruction to them to seem as if they  
thought any portion of the service      
belonged to them6 ,far from me be the   
thought1 that any youth who shall read  
this page would not rather perish than  
submit to live in a state like this6    
,such a state is fit only for the refuse
 of nature2 the halt1 the half-blind1   
the unhappy creatures whom nature has   
marked out for degradation4  #af4 ,and  
how comes it1 then1 that we see hale and
 even clever youths voluntarily bending 
their necks to this slavery2 nay1       
pressing forward in eager rivalship to  
assume the yoke that ought to be        
insupportable8 ,the cause1 and the only 
cause1 is1 that the deleterious fashion 
of the day has created so many          
artificial wants1 and has raised the    
minds of young men so much above their  
real rank and state of life1 that they  
look scornfully on the employment1 the  
fare1 and the dress1 that would become  

them2 and1 in order to avoid that state 
in which they might live free and happy1
 they become showy slaves4  #ag4 ,the   
great source of independence1 the       
,french express in a precept of three   
words1 ',vivre de peu1' which ,i have   
always very much admired4 ',to live upon
 little' is the great security against  
slavery2 and this precept extends to    
dress and other things besides food and 
drink4 ,when ,,doctor ,,johnson wrote   
his ,dictionary1 he put in the word     
pensioner thus3 ',,pensioner--,a slave  
of state4' ,after this he himself became
 a pensioner6 ,and thus1 agreeably to   
his own definition1 he lived and died 'a
 slave of state6' ,what must this man of
 great genius1 and of great industry    
too1 have felt at receiving this        
pension6 ,could he be so callous as not 
to feel a pang upon seeing his own name 
placed before his own degrading         
definition8 ,and what could induce him  
to submit to this8 ,his wants1 his      
artificial wants1 his habit of indulging

 in the pleasures of the table2 his     
disregard of the precept ',vivre de     
peu4' ,this was the cause2 and1 be it   
observed1 that indulgences of this sort1
 while they tend to make men poor and   
expose them to commit mean acts1 tend   
also to enfeeble the body1 and more     
especially to cloud and to weaken the   
mind4  #ah4 ,when this celebrated author
 wrote his ,dictionary1 he had not been 
debased by luxurious enjoyments2 the    
rich and powerful had not caressed him  
into a slave2 his writings then bore the
 stamp of truth and independence3 but1  
having been debased by luxury1 he who   
had1 while content with plain fare1 been
 the strenuous advocate of the rights of
 the people1 became a strenuous advocate
 for taxation without representation2   
and1 in a work under the title of       
',taxation no ,tyranny1' defended1 and  
greatly assisted to produce1 that unjust
 and bloody war which finally severed   
from ,england that great country the    
,united states of ,america1 now the most

 powerful and dangerous rival that this 
kingdom ever had4 ,the statue of ,dr4   
,,johnson was the first that was put    
into ,st4 ,,paul',s ,,church6 ,a signal 
warning to us not to look upon monuments
 in honour of the dead as a proof of    
their virtues2 for here we see ,st4     
,,paul',s ,,church holding up to the    
veneration of posterity a man whose own 
writings1 together with the records of  
the pension list1 prove him to have been
 'a slave of state4'  #ai4 ,endless are 
the instances of men of bright parts and
 high spirit having been1 by degrees1   
rendered powerless and despicable1 by   
their imaginary wants4 ,seldom has there
 been a man with a fairer prospect of   
accomplishing great things and of       
acquiring lasting renown1 than ,,charles
 ,,fox3 he had great talents of the most
 popular sort2 the times were singularly
 favourable to an exertion of them with 
success2 a large part of the nation     
admired him and were his partisans2 he  
had1 as to the great question between   

him and his rival 7,,pitt71 reason and  
justice clearly on his side3 but he had 
against him his squandering and         
luxurious habits3 these made him        
dependent on the rich part of his       
partisans2 made his wisdom subservient  
to opulent folly or selfishness2        
deprived his country of all the benefit 
that it might have derived from his     
talents2 and1 finally1 sent him to the  
grave without a single sigh from a      
people1 a great part of whom would1 in  
his earlier years1 have wept at his     
death as at a national calamity4  #bj4  
,extravagance in dress1 in the haunting 
of play-houses1 in horses1 in everything
 else1 is to be avoided1 and1 in youths 
and young men1 extravagance in dress    
particularly4 ,this sort of             
extravagance1 this waste of money on the
 decoration of the body1 arises solely  
from vanity1 and from vanity of the most
 contemptible sort4 ,it arises from the 
notion1 that all the people in the      
street1 for instance1 will be looking at

 you as soon as you walk out2 and that  
they will1 in a greater or less degree1 
think the better of you on account of   
your fine dress4 ,never was notion more 
false4 ,all the sensible people that    
happen to see you1 will think nothing at
 all about you3 those who are filled    
with the same vain notion as you are1   
will perceive your attempt to impose on 
them1 and will despise you accordingly3 
rich people will wholly disregard you1  
and you will be envied and hated by     
those who have the same vanity that you 
have without the means of gratifying it4
 ,dress should be suited to your rank   
and station2 a surgeon or physician     
should not dress like a carpenter6 but  
there is no reason why a tradesman1 a   
merchant's clerk1 or clerk of any kind1 
or why a shopkeeper or manufacturer1 or 
even a merchant2 no reason at all why   
any of these should dress in an         
expensive manner4 ,it is a great mistake
 to suppose1 that they derive any       
advantage from exterior decoration4 ,men

 are estimated by other men according to
 their capacity and willingness to be in
 some way or other useful2 and though1  
with the foolish and vain part of women1
 fine clothes frequently do something1  
yet the greater part of the sex are much
 too penetrating to draw their          
conclusions solely from the outside show
 of a man3 they look deeper1 and find   
other criterions whereby to judge4 ,and1
 after all1 if the fine clothes obtain  
you a wife1 will they bring you1 in that
 wife1 frugality1 good sense1 and that  
sort of attachment that is likely to be 
lasting8 ,natural beauty of person is   
quite another thing3 this always has1 it
 always will and must have1 some weight 
even with men1 and great weight with    
women4 ,but this does not want to be set
 off by expensive clothes4 ,female eyes 
are1 in such cases1 very sharp3 they can
 discover beauty though half hidden by  
beard and even by dirt and surrounded by
 rags3 and1 take this as a secret worth 
half a fortune to you1 that women1      

however personally vain they may be     
themselves1 despise personal vanity in  
men4  #ba4 ,let your dress be as cheap  
as may be without shabbiness2 think more
 about the colour of your shirt than    
about the gloss or texture of your coat2
 be always as clean as your occupation  
will1 without inconvenience1 permit2 but
 never1 no1 not for one moment1 believe1
 that any human being1 with sense in his
 skull1 will love or respect you on     
account of your fine or costly clothes4 
,a great misfortune of the present day  
is1 that every one is1 in his own       
estimate1 raised above his real state of
 life3 every one seems to think himself 
entitled1 if not to title and great     
estate1 at least to live without work4  
,this mischievous1 this most            
destructive1 way of thinking has1       
indeed1 been produced1 like almost all  
our other evils1 by the ,acts of our    
,septennial and ,unreformed ,parliament4
 ,that body1 by its ,acts1 has caused an
 enormous ,debt to be created1 and1 in  

consequence1 a prodigious sum to be     
raised annually in taxes4 ,it has       
caused1 by these means1 a race of       
loan-mongers and stock-jobbers to arise4
 ,these carry on a species of gaming1 by
 which some make fortunes in a day1 and 
others1 in a day1 become beggars4 ,the  
unfortunate gamesters1 like the         
purchasers of blanks in a lottery1 are  
never heard of2 but the fortunate ones  
become companions for lords1 and some of
 them lords themselves4 ,we have1 within
 these few years1 seen many of these    
gamesters get fortunes of a quarter of a
 million in a few days1 and then we have
 heard them1 though notoriously amongst 
the lowest and basest of human          
creatures1 called 'honourable           
gentlemen'6 ,in such a state of things1 
who is to expect patient industry1      
laborious study1 frugality and care2    
who1 in such a state of things1 is to   
expect these to be employed in pursuit  
of that competence which it is the      
laudable wish of all men to secure8 ,not

 long ago a man1 who had served his time
 to a tradesman in ,london1 became1     
instead of pursuing his trade1 a        
stock-jobber1 or gambler2 and1 in about 
two years1 drove his coach-and-four1 had
 his town house and country house1 and  
visited1 and was visited by1 peers of   
the highest rank6 ,a fellow-apprentice  
of this lucky gambler1 though a         
tradesman in excellent business1 seeing 
no earthly reason why he should not have
 his coach-and-four also1 turned his    
stock in trade into a stake for the     
',change2 but1 alas6 at the end of a few
 months1 instead of being in a          
coach-and-four1 he was in the ,gazette6 
#bb4 ,this is one instance out of       
hundreds of thousands2 not1 indeed1     
exactly of the same description1 but all
 arising from the same copious source4  
,the words speculate and speculation    
have been substituted for gamble and    
gambling4 ,the hatefulness of the       
pursuit is thus taken away2 and1 while  
taxes to the amount of more than double 

the whole of the rental of the kingdom2 
while these cause such crowds of idlers1
 every one of whom calls himself a      
gentleman1 and avoids the appearance of 
working for his bread2 while this is the
 case1 who is to wonder1 that a great   
part of the youth of the country1       
knowing themselves to be as good1 as    
learned1 and as well-bred as these      
gentlemen2 who is to wonder1 that they  
think1 that they also ought to be       
considered as gentlemen8 ,then1 the late
 war 7also the work of the ,septennial  
,parliament7 has left us1 amongst its   
many legacies1 such swarms of titled men
 and women2 such swarms of ',sirs' and  
their ',ladies'2 men and women who1 only
 the other day1 were the                
fellow-apprentices1 fellow-tradesmen's  
or farmers' sons and daughters1 or      
indeed1 the fellow-servants1 of those   
who are now in these several states of  
life2 the late ,septennial ,parliament  
war has left us such swarms of these1   
that it is no wonder that the heads of  

young people are turned1 and that they  
are ashamed of that state of life to act
 their part well in which ought to be   
their delight4  #bc4 ,but1 though the   
cause of the evil is in ,acts of the    
,septennial ,parliament2 though this    
universal desire in people to be thought
 to be above their station2 though this 
arises from such acts2 and1 though it is
 no wonder that young men are thus      
turned from patient study and labour2   
though these things be undoubted1 they  
form no reason why ,i should not warn   
you against becoming a victim to this   
national scourge4 ,for1 in spite of     
every art made use of to avoid labour1  
the taxes will1 after all1 maintain only
 so many idlers4 ,we cannot all be      
'knights' and 'gentlemen'3 there must be
 a large part of us1 after all1 to make 
and mend clothes and houses1 and carry  
on trade and commerce1 and1 in spite of 
all that we can do1 the far greater part
 of us must actually work at something2 
for1 unless we can get at some of the   

taxes1 we fall under the sentence of    
,holy ,writ1 ',he who will not work     
shall not eat4' ,yet1 so strong is the  
propensity to be thought 'gentlemen'2 so
 general is this desire amongst the     
youth of this formerly laborious and    
unassuming nation2 a nation famed for   
its pursuit of wealth through the       
channels of patience1 punctuality1 and  
integrity2 a nation famed for its love  
of solid acquisitions and qualities1 and
 its hatred of everything showy and     
false3 so general is this really        
fraudulent desire amongst the youth of  
this now 'speculating' nation1 that     
thousands upon thousands of them are1 at
 this moment1 in a state of half        
starvation1 not so much because they are
 too lazy to earn their bread1 as       
because they are too proud6 ,and what   
are the consequences8 ,such a youth     
remains or becomes a burden to his      
parents1 of whom he ought to be the     
comfort1 if not the support4 ,always    
aspiring to something higher than he can

 reach1 his life is a life of           
disappointment and of shame4 ,if        
marriage befal him1 it is a real        
affliction1 involving others as well as 
himself4 ,his lot is a thousand times   
worse than that of the common labouring 
pauper4 ,nineteen times out of twenty a 
premature death awaits him3 and1 alas6  
how numerous are the cases in which that
 death is most miserable1 not to say    
ignominious6 ,stupid pride is one of the
 symptoms of madness4 ,of the two madmen
 mentioned in ,don ,quixote1 one thought
 himself ,,neptune1 and the other       
,,jupiter4 ,shakspeare agrees with      
,,cervantes2 for1 ,mad ,tom1 in ,king   
,lear1 being asked who he is1 answers1  
',i am a tailor run mad with pride4'    
,how many have we heard of1 who claimed 
relationship with noblemen and kings2   
while of not a few each has thought     
himself the ,son of ,god6 ,to the public
 journals1 and to the observations of   
every one1 nay1 to the 'county-lunatic  
asylums' 7things never heard of in      

,england till now71 ,i appeal for the   
fact of the vast and hideous increase of
 madness in this country2 and1 within   
these very few years1 how many scores of
 young men1 who1 if their minds had been
 unperverted by the gambling principles 
of the day1 had a probably long and     
happy life before them2 who had talent1 
personal endowments1 love of parents1   
love of friends1 admiration of large    
circles2 who had1 in short1 everything  
to make life desirable1 and who1 from   
mortified pride1 founded on false       
pretensions1 have put an end to their   
own existence6  #bd4 ,as to             
,,drunkenness and ,,gluttony1 generally 
so called1 these are vices so nasty and 
beastly that ,i deem any one capable of 
indulging in them to be wholly unworthy 
of my advice2 and1 if any youth         
unhappily initiated in these odious and 
debasing vices should happen to read    
what ,i am now writing1 ,i refer him to 
the command of ,god1 conveyed to the    
,israelites by ,moses1 in ,deuteronomy1 

chap4 xxi4 ,the father and mother are to
 take the bad son 'and bring him to the 
elders of the city2 and they shall say  
to the elders1 ,this our son will not   
obey our voice3 he is a glutton and a   
drunkard4 ,and all the men of the city  
shall stone him with stones1 that he    
die4' ,i refer downright beastly        
gluttons and drunkards to this2 but     
indulgence short1 far short1 of this    
gross and really nasty drunkenness and  
gluttony is to be deprecated1 and that1 
too1 with the more earnestness because  
it is too often looked upon as being no 
crime at all1 and as having nothing     
blameable in it2 nay1 there are many    
persons who pride themselves on their   
refined taste in matters connected with 
eating and drinking3 so far from being  
ashamed of employing their thoughts on  
the subject1 it is their boast that they
 do it4 ,st4 ,gregory1 one of the       
,christian fathers1 says3 ',it is not   
the quantity or the quality of the meat1
 or drink1 but the love of it that is   

condemned2' that is to say1 the         
indulgence beyond the absolute demands  
of nature2 the hankering after it2 the  
neglect of some duty or other for the   
sake of the enjoyments of the table4    
#be4 ,this love of what are called 'good
 eating and drinking1' if very unamiable
 in grown-up persons1 is perfectly      
hateful in a youth2 and1 if he indulge  
in the propensity1 he is already half   
ruined4 ,to warn you against acts of    
fraud1 robbery1 and violence1 is not my 
province2 that is the business of those 
who make and administer the law4 ,i am  
not talking to you against acts which   
the jailor and the hangman punish2 nor  
against those moral offences which all  
men condemn2 but against indulgences1   
which1 by men in general1 are deemed not
 only harmless1 but meritorious2 but    
which the observation of my whole life  
has taught me to regard as destructive  
to human happiness1 and against which   
all ought to be cautioned even in their 
boyish days4 ,i have been a great       

observer1 and ,i can truly say1 that ,i 
have never known a man1 'fond of good   
eating and drinking1' as it is called2  
that ,i have never known such a man 7and
 hundreds ,i have known7 who was worthy 
of respect4  #bf4 ,such indulgences are1
 in the first place1 very expensive4    
,the materials are costly1 and the      
preparations still more so4 ,what a     
monstrous thing1 that1 in order to      
satisfy the appetite of a man1 there    
must be a person or two at work every   
day6 ,more fuel1 culinary implements1   
kitchen-room2 what6 all these merely to 
tickle the palate of four or five       
people1 and especially people who can   
hardly pay their way6 ,and1 then1 the   
loss of time3 the time spent in pleasing
 the palate3 it is truly horrible to    
behold people who ought to be at work1  
sitting1 at the three meals1 not less   
than three of the about fourteen hours  
that they are out of their beds6 ,a     
youth1 habituated to this sort of       
indulgence1 cannot be valuable to any   

employer4 ,such a youth cannot be       
deprived of his table-enjoyments on any 
account3 his eating and drinking form   
the momentous concern of his life3 if   
business interfere with that1 the       
business must give way4 ,a young man1   
some years ago1 offered himself to me1  
on a particular occasion1 as an         
amanuensis1 for which he appeared to be 
perfectly qualified4 ,the terms were    
settled1 and ,i1 who wanted the job     
dispatched1 requested him to sit down1  
and begin2 but he1 looking out of the   
window1 whence he could see the church  
clock1 said1 somewhat hastily1 ',i      
cannot stop now1 sir1 ,i must go to     
dinner4' ',oh6' said ,i1 'you must go to
 dinner1 must you6 ,let the dinner1     
which you must wait upon to-day1 have   
your constant services1 then3 for you   
and ,i shall never agree4' ,he had told 
me that he was in great distress for    
want of employment2 and yet1 when relief
 was there before his eyes1 he could    
forego it for the sake of getting at his

 eating and drinking three or four      
hours1 perhaps1 sooner than ,i should   
have thought it right for him to leave  
off work4 ,such a person cannot be sent 
from home1 except at certain times2 he  
must be near the kitchen at three fixed 
hours of the day2 if he be absent more  
than four or five hours1 he is          
ill-treated4 ,in short1 a youth thus    
pampered is worth nothing as a person to
 be employed in business4  #bg4 ,and1 as
 to friends and acquaintances2 they will
 say nothing to you2 they will offer you
 indulgences under their roofs2 but the 
more ready you are to accept of their   
offers1 and1 in fact1 the better taste  
you discover1 the less they will like   
you1 and the sooner they will find means
 of shaking you off2 for1 besides the   
cost which you occasion them1 people do 
not like to have critics sitting in     
judgment on their bottles and dishes4   
,water-drinkers are universally laughed 
at2 but1 it has always seemed to me1    
that they are amongst the most welcome  

of guests1 and that1 too1 though the    
host be by no means of a niggardly turn4
 ,the truth is1 they give no trouble2   
they occasion no anxiety to please them2
 they are sure not to make their        
sittings inconveniently long2 and1 which
 is the great thing of all1 their       
example teaches moderation to the rest  
of the company4 ,your notorious 'lovers 
of good cheer' are1 on the contrary1 not
 to be invited without due reflection3  
to entertain one of them is a serious   
business2 and as people are not apt     
voluntarily to undertake such pieces of 
business1 the well-known 'lovers of good
 eating and drinking' are left1 very    
generally1 to enjoy it by themselves and
 at their own expense4  #bh4 ,but1 all  
other considerations aside1 health1 the 
most valuable of all earthly            
possessions1 and without which all the  
rest are worth nothing1 bids us1 not    
only to refrain from excess in eating   
and drinking1 but bids us to stop short 
of what might be indulged in without any

 apparent impropriety4 ,the words of    
,,ecclesiasticus ought to be read once a
 week by every young person in the      
world1 and particularly by the young    
people of this country at this time4    
',eat modestly that which is set before 
thee1 and devour not1 lest thou be      
hated4 ,when thou sittest amongst many1 
reach not thine hand out first of all4  
,how little is sufficient for man well  
taught6 ,a wholesome sleep cometh of a  
temperate belly4 ,such a man riseth up  
in the morning1 and is well at ease with
 himself4 ,be not too hasty of meats2   
for excess of meats bringeth sickness1  
and choleric disease cometh of gluttony4
 ,by surfeit have many perished1 and he 
that dieteth himself prolongeth his     
life4 ,show not thy valiantness in wine2
 for wine hath destroyed many4 ,wine    
measurably taken1 and in season1        
bringeth gladness and cheerfulness of   
mind2 but drinking with excess maketh   
bitterness of mind1 brawlings and       
scoldings4' ,how true are these words6  

,how well worthy of a constant place in 
our memories6 ,yet1 what pains have been
 taken to apologise for a life contrary 
to these precepts6 ,and1 good ,god6 what
 punishment can be too great1 what mark 
of infamy sufficiently signal1 for those
 pernicious villains of talent1 who have
 employed that talent in the composition
 of ,bacchanalian songs2 that is to say1
 pieces of fine and captivating writing 
in praise of one of the most odious and 
destructive vices in the black catalogue
 of human depravity6  #bi4 ,in the      
passage which ,i have just quoted from  
chap4 xxxi4 of ,,ecclesiasticus1 it is  
said1 that 'wine1 measurably taken1 and 
in season1' is a proper thing4 ,this1   
and other such passages of the ,old     
,testament1 have given a handle to      
drunkards1 and to extravagant people1 to
 insist1 that ,god intended that wine   
should be commonly drunk4 ,no doubt of  
that4 ,but1 then1 he could intend this  
only in countries in which he had given 
wine1 and to which he had given no      

cheaper drink except water4 ,if it be   
said1 as it truly may1 that1 by the     
means of the sea and the winds1 he has  
given wine to all countries1 ,i answer  
that this gift is of no use to us now1  
because our government steps in between 
the sea and the winds and us4 ,formerly1
 indeed1 the case was different2 and1   
here ,i am about to give you1           
incidentally1 a piece of historical     
knowledge1 which you will not have      
acquired from ,,hume1 ,,goldsmith1 or   
any other of the romancers called       
historians4 ,before that unfortunate    
event1 the ,protestant ,reformation1 as 
it is called1 took place1 the price of  
,,red ,,wine1 in ,england1 was fourpence
 a gallon1 ,winchester measure2 and of  
,,white ,,wine1 sixpence a gallon4 ,at  
the same time the pay of a labouring man
 per day1 as fixed by law1 was          
fourpence4 ,now1 when a labouring man   
could earn four quarts of good wine in a
 day1 it was1 doubtless1 allowable1 even
 in ,england1 for people in the middle  

rank of life to drink wine rather       
commonly2 and1 therefore1 in those happy
 days of ,england1 these passages of    
,scripture were applicable enough4 ,but1
 now1 when we have got a ,protestant    
government1 which by the taxes which it 
makes people pay to it1 causes the      
eighth part of a gallon of wine to cost 
more than the pay of a labouring man for
 a day2 now1 this passage of ,scripture 
is not applicable to us4 ,there is no   
'season' in which we can take wine      
without ruining ourselves1 however      
'measurably' we may take it2 and ,i beg 
you to regard1 as perverters of         
,scripture and as seducers of youth1 all
 those who cite passages like that above
 cited1 in justification of1 or as an   
apology for1 the practice of            
wine-drinking in ,england4  #cj4 ,i     
beseech you to look again and again at1 
and to remember every word of1 the      
passage which ,i have just quoted from  
the book of ,,ecclesiasticus4 ,how      
completely have been1 and are1 its words

 verified by my experience and in my    
person6 ,how little of eating and       
drinking is sufficient for me6 ,how     
wholesome is my sleep6 ,how early do ,i 
rise2 and how 'well at ease' am ,i 'with
 myself6' ,i should not have deserved   
such blessings1 if ,i had withheld from 
my neighbours a knowledge of the means  
by which they were obtained2 and1       
therefore1 this knowledge ,i have been  
in the constant habit of communicating4 
,when one gives a dinner to a company1  
it is an extraordinary affair1 and is   
intended1 by sensible men1 for purposes 
other than those of eating and drinking4
 ,but1 in general1 in the every-day     
life1 despicable are those who suffer   
any part of their happiness to depend   
upon what they have to eat or to drink1 
provided they have a sufficiency of     
wholesome food2 despicable is the man1  
and worse than despicable the youth1    
that would make any sacrifice1 however  
small1 whether of money or of time1 or  
of anything else1 in order to secure a  

dinner different from that which he     
would have had without such sacrifice4  
,who1 what man1 ever performed a greater
 quantity of labour than ,i have        
performed8 ,what man ever did so much8  
,now1 in a great measure1 ,i owe my     
capability to perform this labour to my 
disregard of dainties4 ,being shut up   
two years in ,newgate1 with a fine on my
 head of a thousand pounds to the king1 
for having expressed my indignation at  
the flogging of ,englishmen under a     
guard of ,german bayonets1 ,i ate1      
during one whole year1 one mutton chop  
every day4 ,being once in town1 with one
 son 7then a little boy7 and a clerk1   
while my family was in the country1 ,i  
had during some weeks nothing but legs  
of mutton2 first day1 leg of mutton     
boiled or roasted2 second1 cold2 third1 
hashed2 then1 leg of mutton boiled2 and 
so on4 ,when ,i have been by myself1 or 
nearly so1 ,i have always proceeded     
thus3 given directions for having every 
day the same thing1 or alternately as   

above1 and every day exactly at the same
 hour1 so as to prevent the necessity of
 any talk about the matter4 ,i am       
certain that1 upon an average1 ,i have  
not1 during my life1 spent more than    
thirty-five minutes a day at table1     
including all the meals of the day4 ,i  
like1 and ,i take care to have1 good and
 clean victuals2 but1 if wholesome and  
clean1 that is enough4 ,if ,i find it1  
by chance1 too coarse for my appetite1  
,i put the food aside1 or let somebody  
do it1 and leave the appetite to gather 
keenness4 ,but the great security of all
 is1 to eat little1 and to drink nothing
 that intoxicates4 ,he that eats till he
 is full is little better than a beast2 
and he that drinks till he is drunk is  
quite a beast4  #ca4 ,before ,i dismiss 
this affair of eating and drinking1 let 
me beseech you to resolve to free       
yourselves from the slavery of the tea  
and coffee and other slop-kettle1 if1   
unhappily1 you have been bred up in such
 slavery4 ,experience has taught me1    

that those slops are injurious to       
health3 until ,i left them off 7having  
taken to them at the age of #bf71 even  
my habits of sobriety1 moderate eating1 
early rising2 even these were not1 until
 ,i left off the slops1 sufficient to   
give me that complete health which ,i   
have since had4 ,i pretend not to be a  
'doctor2' but1 ,i assert1 that to pour  
regularly1 every day1 a pint or two of  
warm liquid matter down the throat1     
whether under the name of tea1 coffee1  
soup1 grog1 or whatever else1 is greatly
 injurious to health4 ,however1 at      
present1 what ,i have to represent to   
you is the great deduction1 which the   
use of these slops makes1 from your     
power of being useful1 and also from    
your power to husband your income1      
whatever it may be1 and from whatever   
source arising4 ,i am to suppose you to 
be desirous to become a clever and a    
useful man2 a man to be1 if not admired 
and revered1 at least to be respected4  
,in order to merit respect beyond that  

which is due to very common men1 you    
must do something more than very common 
men2 and ,i am now going to show you how
 your course must be impeded by the use 
of the slops4  #cb4 ,if the women       
exclaim1 ',nonsense6 come and take a    
cup1' take it for that once2 but hear   
what ,i have to say4 ,in answer to my   
representation regarding the waste of   
time which is occasioned by the slops1  
it has been said1 that let what may be  
the nature of the food1 there must be   
time for taking it4 ,not so much time1  
however1 to eat a bit of meat or cheese 
or butter with a bit of bread4 ,but1    
these may be eaten in a shop1 a         
warehouse1 a factory1 far from any fire1
 and even in a carriage on the road4    
,the slops absolutely demand fire and a 
congregation2 so that1 be your business 
what it may2 be you shopkeeper1 farmer1 
drover1 sportsman1 traveller1 to the    
slop-board you must come2 you must wait 
for its assembling1 or start from home  
without your breakfast2 and1 being used 

to the warm liquid1 you feel out of     
order for the want of it4 ,if the slops 
were in fashion amongst ploughmen and   
carters1 we must all be starved2 for the
 food could never be raised4 ,the       
mechanics are half-ruined by them4 ,many
 of them are become poor1 enervated     
creatures2 and chiefly from this cause4 
,but is the positive cost nothing8 ,at  
boarding-schools an additional price is 
given on account of the tea slops4      
,suppose you to be a clerk1 in hired    
lodgings1 and going to your             
counting-house at nine o'clock4 ,you get
 your dinner1 perhaps1 near to the scene
 of your work2 but how are you to have  
the breakfast slops without a servant8  
,perhaps you find a lodging just to suit
 you1 but the house is occupied by      
people who keep no servants1 and you    
want a servant to light a fire and get  
the slop ready4 ,you could get this     
lodging for several shillings a week    
less than another at the next door2 but 
there they keep a servant1 who will 'get

 you your breakfast1' and preserve you1 
benevolent creature as she is1 from the 
cruel necessity of going to the cupboard
 and cutting off a slice of meat or     
cheese and a bit of bread4 ,she will1   
most likely1 toast your bread for you   
too1 and melt your butter2 and then     
muffle you up1 in winter1 and send you  
out almost swaddled4 ,really such a     
thing can hardly be expected ever to    
become a man4 ,you are weak2 you have   
delicate health2 you are 'bilious6'     
,why1 my good fellow1 it is these very  
slops that make you weak and bilious2   
,and1 indeed1 the poverty1 the real     
poverty1 that they and their            
concomitants bring on you1 greatly      
assists1 in more ways than one1 in      
producing your 'delicate health4'  #cc4 
,so much for indulgences in eating1     
drinking1 and dress4 ,next1 as to       
amusements4 ,it is recorded of the      
famous ,,alfred1 that he devoted eight  
hours of the twenty-four to labour1     
eight to rest1 and eight to recreation4 

,he was1 however1 a king1 and could be  
thinking during the eight hours of      
recreation4 ,it is certain1 that there  
ought to be hours of recreation1 and ,i 
do not know that eight are too many2    
but1 then observe1 those hours ought to 
be well-chosen1 and the sort of         
recreation ought to be attended to4 ,it 
ought to be such as is at once innocent 
in itself and in its tendency1 and not  
injurious to health4 ,the sports of the 
field are the best of all1 because they 
are conducive to health1 because they   
are enjoyed by day-light1 and because   
they demand early rising4 ,the nearer   
that other amusements approach to these1
 the better they are4 ,a town-life1     
which many persons are compelled1 by the
 nature of their calling1 to lead1      
precludes the possibility of pursuing   
amusements of this description to any   
very considerable extent2 and young men 
in towns are1 generally speaking1       
compelled to choose between books on the
 one hand1 or gaming and the play-house 

on the other4 ,dancing is at once       
rational and healthful3 it gives animal 
spirits3 it is the natural amusement of 
young people1 and such it has been from 
the days of ,moses3 it is enjoyed in    
numerous companies3 it makes the parties
 to be pleased with themselves and with 
all about them2 it has no tendency to   
excite base and malignant feelings2 and 
none but the most grovelling and hateful
 tyranny1 or the most stupid and        
despicable fanaticism1 ever raised its  
voice against it4 ,the bad modern habits
 of ,england have created one           
inconvenience attending the enjoyment of
 this healthy and innocent pastime1     
namely1 late hours1 which are at once   
injurious to health and destructive of  
order and of industry4 ,in other        
countries people dance by day-light4    
,here they do not2 and1 therefore1 you  
must1 in this respect1 submit to the    
custom1 though not without robbing the  
dancing night of as many hours as you   
can4  #cd4 ,as to ,,gaming1 it is always

 criminal1 either in itself1 or in its  
tendency4 ,the basis of it is           
covetousness2 a desire to take from     
others something1 for which you have    
given1 and intend to give1 no           
equivalent4 ,no gambler was ever yet a  
happy man1 and very few gamblers have   
escaped being miserable2 and1 observe1  
to game for nothing is still gaming1 and
 naturally leads to gaming for          
something4 ,it is sacrificing time1 and 
that1 too1 for the worst of purposes4 ,i
 have kept house for nearly forty years2
 ,i have reared a family2 ,i have       
entertained as many friends as most     
people2 and ,i have never had cards1    
dice1 a chess-board1 nor any implement  
of gaming1 under my roof4 ,the hours    
that young men spend in this way are    
hours murdered2 precious hours1 that    
ought to be spent either in reading or  
in writing1 or in rest1 preparatory to  
the duties of the dawn4 ,though ,i do   
not agree with the base and nauseous    
flatterers1 who now declare the army to 

be the best school for statesmen1 it is 
certainly a school in which to learn    
experimentally many useful lessons2 and1
 in this school ,i learned1 that men1   
fond of gaming1 are very rarely1 if     
ever1 trust-worthy4 ,i have known many a
 clever man rejected in the way of      
promotion only because he was addicted  
to gaming4 ,men1 in that state of life1 
cannot ruin themselves by gaming1 for   
they possess no fortune1 nor money2 but 
the taste for gaming is always regarded 
as an indication of a radically bad     
disposition2 and ,i can truly say1 that 
,i never in my whole life knew a man1   
fond of gaming1 who was not1 in some way
 or other1 a person unworthy of         
confidence4 ,this vice creeps on by very
 slow degrees1 till1 at last1 it becomes
 an ungovernable passion1 swallowing up 
every good and kind feeling of the      
heart4 ,the gambler1 as pourtrayed by   
,,regnard1 in a comedy the translation  
of which into ,english resembles the    
original much about as nearly as ,sir   

,,james ,,graham',s plagiarisms         
resembled the ,registers on which they  
had been committed1 is a fine instance  
of the contempt and scorn to which      
gaming at last reduces its votaries2    
but1 if any young man be engaged in this
 fatal career1 and be not yet wholly    
lost1 let him behold ,,hogarth',s       
gambler just when he has made his last  
throw and when disappointment has bereft
 him of his senses4 ,if after this sight
 he remain obdurate1 he is doomed to be 
a disgrace to his name4  #ce4 ,the      
,theatre may be a source not only of    
amusement but also of instruction2 but1 
as things now are in this country1 what1
 that is not bad1 is to be learned in   
this school8 ,in the first place not a  
word is allowed to be uttered on the    
stage1 which has not been previously    
approved of by the ,lord ,chamberlain2  
that is to say1 by a person appointed by
 the ,ministry1 who1 at his pleasure1   
allows1 or disallows1 of any piece1 or  
any words in a piece1 submitted to his  

inspection4 ,in short1 those who go to  
play-houses pay their money to hear     
uttered such words as the government    
approve of1 and no others4 ,it is now   
just twenty-six years since ,i first    
well understood how this matter was     
managed2 and1 from that moment to this1 
,i have never been in an ,english       
play-house4 ,besides this1 the meanness1
 the abject servility1 of the players1  
and the slavish conduct of the audience1
 are sufficient to corrupt and debase   
the heart of any young man who is a     
frequent beholder of them4 ,homage is   
here paid to every one clothed with     
power1 be he who or what he may2 real   
virtue and public-spirit are subjects of
 ridicule2 and mock-sentiment and       
mock-liberality and mock-loyalty are    
applauded to the skies4  #cf4 ',show me 
a man's companions' says the proverb1   
'and ,i will tell you what the man is2' 
and this is1 and must be true2 because  
all men seek the society of those who   
think and act somewhat like themselves3 

sober men will not associate with       
drunkards1 frugal men will not like     
spendthrifts1 and the orderly and decent
 shun the noisy1 the disorderly1 and the
 debauched4 ,it is for the very vulgar  
to herd together as singers1 ringers1   
and smokers2 but1 there is a class      
rather higher still more blamable2 ,i   
mean the tavern-haunters1 the gay       
companions1 who herd together to do     
little but talk1 and who are so fond of 
talk that they go from home to get at   
it4 ,the conversation amongst such      
persons has nothing of instruction in   
it1 and is generally of a vicious       
tendency4 ,young people naturally and   
commendably seek the society of those of
 their own age2 but1 be careful in      
choosing your companions2 and lay this  
down as a rule never to be departed     
from1 that no youth1 nor man1 ought to  
be called your friend1 who is addicted  
to indecent talk1 or who is fond of the 
society of prostitutes4 ,either of these
 argues a depraved taste1 and even a    

depraved heart2 an absence of all       
principle and of all trust-worthiness2  
and1 ,i have remarked it all my life    
long1 that young men1 addicted to these 
vices1 never succeed in the end1        
whatever advantages they may have1      
whether in fortune or in talent4 ,fond  
mothers and fathers are but too apt to  
be over-lenient to such offenders2 and1 
as long as youth lasts and fortune      
smiles1 the punishment is deferred2 but1
 it comes at last2 it is sure to come2  
and the gay and dissolute youth is a    
dejected and miserable man4 ,after the  
early part of a life spent in illicit   
indulgences1 a man is unworthy of being 
the husband of a virtuous woman2 and1 if
 he have anything like justice in him1  
how is he to reprove1 in his children1  
vices in which he himself so long       
indulged8 ,these vices of youth are     
varnished over by the saying1 that there
 must be time for 'sowing the wild      
oats1' and that 'wildest colts make the 
best horses4' ,these figurative oats    

are1 however1 generally like the literal
 ones2 they are never to be eradicated  
from the soil2 and as to the colts1     
wildness in them is an indication of    
high animal spirit1 having nothing at   
all to do with the mind1 which is       
invariably debilitated and debased by   
profligate indulgences4 ,yet this       
miserable piece of sophistry1 the       
offspring of parental weakness1 is in   
constant use1 to the incalculable injury
 of the rising generation4 ,what so     
amiable as a steady1 trust-worthy boy8  
,he is of real use at an early age3 he  
can be trusted far out of the sight of  
parent or employer1 while the 'pickle1' 
as the poor fond parents call the       
profligate1 is a great deal worse than  
useless1 because there must be some one 
to see that he does no harm4 ,if you    
have to choose1 choose companions of    
your own rank in life as nearly as may  
be2 but1 at any rate1 none to whom you  
acknowledge inferiority2 for1 slavery is
 too soon learned2 and1 if the mind be  

bowed down in the youth1 it will seldom 
rise up in the man4 ,in the schools of  
those best of teachers the ,,jesuits1   
there is perfect equality as to rank in 
life3 the boy1 who enters there1 leaves 
all family pride behind him3 intrinsic  
merit alone is the standard of          
preference2 and the masters are so      
scrupulous upon this head1 that they do 
not suffer one scholar1 of whatever     
rank1 to have more money to spend than  
the poorest4 ,these wise men know well  
the mischiefs that must arise from      
inequality of pecuniary means amongst   
their scholars3 they know how injurious 
it would be to learning1 if deference   
were1 by the learned1 paid to the dunce2
 and they1 therefore1 take the most     
effectual means to prevent it4 ,hence1  
amongst other causes1 it is1 that their 
scholars have1 ever since the existence 
of their ,order1 been the most          
celebrated for learning of any men in   
the world4  #cg4 ,in your manners be    
neither boorish nor blunt1 but even     

these are preferable to simpering and   
crawling4 ,i wish every ,english youth  
could see those of the ,united ,states  
of ,america2 always civil1 never        
servile4 ,be obedient1 where obedience  
is due2 for1 it is no act of meanness1  
and no indication of want of spirit1 to 
yield implicit and ready obedience to   
those who have a right to demand it at  
your hands4 ,in this respect ,england   
has been1 and ,i hope always will be1 an
 example to the whole world4 ,to this   
habit of willing and prompt obedience in
 apprentices1 in servants1 in all       
inferiors in station1 she owes1 in a    
great measure1 her multitudes of        
matchless merchants1 tradesmen1 and     
workmen of every description1 and also  
the achievements of her armies and      
navies4 ,it is no disgrace1 but the     
contrary1 to obey1 cheerfully1 lawful   
and just commands4 ,none are so saucy   
and disobedient as slaves2 and1 when you
 come to read history1 you will find    
that in proportion as nations have been 

free has been their reverence for the   
laws4 ,but1 there is a wide difference  
between lawful and cheerful obedience   
and that servility which represents     
people as laying petitions 'at the      
king's feet1' which makes us imagine    
that we behold the supplicants actually 
crawling upon their bellies4 ,there is  
something so abject in this expression2 
there is such horrible self-abasement in
 it1 that ,i do hope that every youth1  
who shall read this1 will hold in       
detestation the reptiles who make use of
 it4 ,in all other countries1 the lowest
 individual can put a petition into the 
hands of the chief magistrate1 be he    
king or emperor3 let us hope1 that the  
time will yet come when ,englishmen will
 be able to do the same4 ,in the        
meanwhile ,i beg you to despise these   
worse than pagan parasites4  #ch4       
,hitherto ,i have addressed you chiefly 
relative to the things to be avoided3   
let me now turn to the things which you 
ought to do4 ,and1 first of all1 the    

husbanding of your time4 ,the respect   
that you will receive1 the real and     
sincere respect1 will depend entirely on
 what you are able to do4 ,if you be    
rich1 you may purchase what is called   
respect2 but it is not worth having4 ,to
 obtain respect worth possessing1 you   
must1 as ,i observed before1 do more    
than the common run of men in your state
 of life2 and1 to be enabled to do this1
 you must manage well your time3 and1 to
 manage it well1 you must have as much  
of the day-light and as little of the   
candle-light as is consistent with the  
due discharge of your duties4 ,when     
people get into the habit of sitting up 
merely for the purpose of talking1 it is
 no easy matter to break themselves of  
it3 and if they do not go to bed early1 
they cannot rise early4 ,young people   
require more sleep than those that are  
grown up3 there must be the number of   
hours1 and that number cannot well be1  
on an average1 less than eight3 and1 if 
it be more in winter time1 it is all the

 better2 for1 an hour in bed is better  
than an hour spent over fire and candle 
in an idle gossip4 ,people never should 
sit talking till they do not know what  
to talk about4 ,it is said by the       
country-people1 that one hour's sleep   
before midnight is worth more than two  
are worth after midnight1 and this ,i   
believe to be a fact2 but it is useless 
to go to bed early and even to rise     
early1 if the time be not well employed 
after rising4 ,in general1 half the     
morning is loitered away1 the party     
being in a sort of half-dressed         
half-naked state2 out of bed1 indeed1   
but still in a sort of bedding4 ,those  
who first invented morning-gowns and    
slippers could have very little else to 
do4 ,these things are very suitable to  
those who have had fortunes gained for  
them by others2 very suitable to those  
who have nothing to do1 and who merely  
live for the purpose of assisting to    
consume the produce of the earth2 but he
 who has his bread to earn1 or who means

 to be worthy of respect on account of  
his labours1 has no business with       
morning gown and slippers4 ,in short1 be
 your business or calling what it may1  
dress at once for the day2 and learn to 
do it as quickly as possible4 ,a        
looking-glass is a piece of furniture a 
great deal worse than useless4 ,looking 
at the face will not alter its shape or 
its colour2 and1 perhaps1 of all wasted 
time2 none is so foolishly wasted as    
that which is employed in surveying     
one's own face4 ,nothing can be of      
little importance1 if one be compelled  
to attend to it every day of our lives2 
if we shaved but once a year1 or once a 
month1 the execution of the thing would 
be hardly worth naming3 but this is a   
piece of work that must be done once    
every day2 and1 as it may cost only     
about five minutes of time1 and may be1 
and frequently is1 made to cost thirty1 
or even fifty minutes2 and1 as only     
fifteen minutes make about a            
fifty-eighth part of the hours of our   

average day-light2 this being the case1 
this is a matter of real importance4 ,i 
once heard ,,sir ,,john ,,sinclair ask  
,mr4 ,,cochrane ,,johnstone1 whether he 
meaned to have a son of his 7then a     
little boy7 taught ,latin4 ',no1' said  
,mr4 ,,johnstone1 'but ,i mean to do    
something a great deal better for him4' 
',what is that8' said ,sir ,john4       
',why1' said the other1 'teach him to   
shave with cold water and without a     
glass4' ,which1 ,i dare say1 he did2 and
 for which benefit ,i am sure that son  
has had good reason to be grateful4     
,only think of the inconvenience        
attending the common practice6 ,there   
must be hot water2 to have this there   
must be a fire1 and1 in some cases1 a   
fire for that purpose alone2 to have    
these1 there must be a servant1 or you  
must light a fire yourself4 ,for the    
want of these1 the job is put off until 
a later hour3 this causes a stripping   
and another dressing bout2 or1 you go in
 a slovenly state all that day1 and the 

next day the thing must be done1 or     
cleanliness must be abandoned           
altogether4 ,if you be on a journey you 
must wait the pleasure of the servants  
at the inn before you can dress and set 
out in the morning2 the pleasant time   
for travelling is gone before you can   
move from the spot2 instead of being at 
the end of your day's journey in good   
time1 you are benighted1 and have to    
endure all the great inconveniences     
attendant on tardy movements4 ,and1 all 
this1 from the apparently insignificant 
affair of shaving6 ,how many a piece of 
important business has failed from a    
short delay6 ,and how many thousand of  
such delays daily proceed from this     
unworthy cause6 ',toujours pret' was the
 motto of a famous ,french general2 and 
pray let it be yours3 be 'always ready2'
 and never1 during your whole life1 have
 to say1 ',i cannot go till ,i be shaved
 and dressed4' ,do the whole at once for
 the day1 whatever may be your state of 
life2 and then you have a day unbroken  

by those indispensable performances4    
,begin thus1 in the days of your youth1 
and1 having felt the superiority which  
this practice will give you over those  
in all other respects your equals1 the  
practice will stick by you to the end of
 your life4 ,till you be shaved and     
dressed for the day1 you cannot set     
steadily about any business2 you know   
that you must presently quit your labour
 to return to the dressing affair2 you1 
therefore1 put it off until that be     
over2 the interval1 the precious        
interval1 is spent in lounging about2   
and1 by the time that you are ready for 
business1 the best part of the day is   
gone4  #ci4 ,trifling as this matter    
appears upon naming it1 it is1 in fact1 
one of the great concerns of life2 and1 
for my part1 ,i can truly say1 that ,i  
owe more of my great labours to my      
strict adherence to the precepts that ,i
 have here given you1 than to all the   
natural abilities with which ,i have    
been endowed2 for these1 whatever may   

have been their amount1 would have been 
of comparatively little use1 even aided 
by great sobriety and abstinence1 if ,i 
had not1 in early life1 contracted the  
blessed habit of husbanding well my     
time4 ,to this1 more than to any other  
thing1 ,i owed my very extraordinary    
promotion in the army4 ,i was always    
ready3 if ,i had to mount guard at ten1 
,i was ready at nine3 never did any man1
 or any thing1 wait one moment for me4  
,being1 at an age under twenty years1   
raised from ,corporal to ,serjeant      
,major at once1 over the heads of thirty
 ,serjeants1 ,i naturally should have   
been an object of envy and hatred2 but  
this habit of early rising and of rigid 
adherence to the precepts which ,i have 
given you1 really subdued these         
passions2 because every one felt1 that  
what ,i did he had never done1 and never
 could do4 ,before my promotion1 a clerk
 was wanted to make out the morning     
report of the regiment4 ,i rendered the 
clerk unnecessary2 and1 long before any 

other man was dressed for the parade1 my
 work for the morning was all done1 and 
,i myself was on the parade1 walking1 in
 fine weather1 for an hour perhaps4 ,my 
custom was this3 to get up1 in summer1  
at day-light1 and in winter at four     
o'clock2 shave1 dress1 even to the      
putting of my sword-belt over my        
shoulder1 and having my sword lying on  
the table before me1 ready to hang by my
 side4 ,then ,i ate a bit of cheese1 or 
pork1 and bread4 ,then ,i prepared my   
report1 which was filled up as fast as  
the companies brought me in the         
materials4 ,after this ,i had an hour or
 two to read1 before the time came for  
any duty out of doors1 unless when the  
regiment or part of it went out to      
exercise in the morning4 ,when this was 
the case1 and the matter was left to me1
 ,i always had it on the ground in such 
time as that the bayonets glistened in  
the rising sun1 a sight which gave me   
delight1 of which ,i often think1 but   
which ,i should in vain endeavour to    

describe4 ,if the officers were to go   
out1 eight or ten o'clock was the hour1 
sweating the men in the heat of the day1
 breaking in upon the time for cooking  
their dinner1 putting all things out of 
order and all men out of humour4 ,when  
,i was commander1 the men had a long day
 of leisure before them3 they could     
ramble into the town or into the woods2 
go to get raspberries1 to catch birds1  
to catch fish1 or to pursue any other   
recreation1 and such of them as chose1  
and were qualified1 to work at their    
trades4 ,so that here1 arising solely   
from the early habits of one very young 
man1 were pleasant and happy days given 
to hundreds4  #dj4 ,money is said to be 
power1 which is1 in some cases1 true2   
and the same may be said of knowledge2  
but superior sobriety1 industry and     
activity1 are a still more certain      
source of power2 for without these1     
knowledge is of little use2 and1 as to  
the power which money gives1 it is that 
of brute force1 it is the power of the  

bludgeon and the bayonet1 and of the    
bribed press1 tongue and pen4 ,superior 
sobriety1 industry1 activity1 though    
accompanied with but a moderate portion 
of knowledge1 command respect1 because  
they have great and visible influence4  
,the drunken1 the lazy1 and the inert1  
stand abashed before the sober and the  
active4 ,besides1 all those whose       
interests are at stake prefer1 of       
necessity1 those whose exertions produce
 the greatest and most immediate and    
visible effect4 ,self-interest is no    
respecter of persons3 it asks1 not who  
knows best what ought to be done1 but   
who is most likely to do it3 we may1 and
 often do1 admire the talents of lazy1  
and even dissipated men1 but we do not  
trust them with the care of our         
interests4 ,if1 therefore1 you would    
have respect and influence in the circle
 in which you move1 be more sober1 more 
industrious1 more active than the       
general run of those amongst whom you   
live4  #da4 ,as to ,,education1 this    

word is now applied exclusively to      
things which are taught in schools2 but 
education means rearing up1 and the     
,french speak of the education of pigs  
and sheep4 ,in a very famous ,french    
book on rural affairs1 there is a       
,chapter entitled ',education du        
,cochon1' that is1 education of the hog4
 ,the word has the same meaning in both 
languages2 for both take it from the    
,latin4 ,neither is the word ,,learning 
properly confined to things taught in   
schools1 or by books2 for1 learning     
means knowledge2 and1 but a             
comparatively small part of useful      
knowledge comes from books4 ,men are not
 to be called ignorant merely because   
they cannot make upon paper certain     
marks with a pen1 or because they do not
 know the meaning of such marks when    
made by others4 ,a ploughman may be very
 learned in his line1 though he does not
 know what the letters p4 l4 o4 u4 g4 h 
mean when he sees them combined upon    
paper4 ,the first thing to be required  

of a man is1 that he understand well his
 own calling1 or profession2 and1 be you
 in what state of life you may1 to      
acquire this knowledge ought to be your 
first and greatest care4 ,a man who has 
had a new-built house tumble down will  
derive little more consolation from     
being told that the architect is a great
 astronomer1 than this distressed nation
 now derives from being assured that its
 distresses arise from the measures of a
 long list of the greatest orators and  
greatest heroes that the world ever     
beheld4  #db4 ,nevertheless1            
book-learning is by no means to be      
despised2 and it is a thing which may be
 laudably sought after by persons in all
 states of life4 ,in those pursuits     
which are called professions1 it is     
necessary1 and also in certain trades2  
and1 in persons in the middle ranks of  
life1 a total absence of such learning  
is somewhat disgraceful4 ,there is1     
however1 one danger to be carefully     
guarded against2 namely1 the opinion    

that your genius1 or your literary      
acquirements1 are such as to warrant you
 in disregarding the calling in which   
you are1 and by which you gain your     
bread4 ,parents must have an uncommon   
portion of solid sense to counterbalance
 their natural affection sufficiently to
 make them competent judges in such a   
case4 ,friends are partial2 and those   
who are not1 you deem enemies4 ,stick1  
therefore1 to the shop2 rely upon your  
mercantile or mechanical or professional
 calling2 try your strength in          
literature1 if you like2 but1 rely on   
the shop4 ,if ,,bloomfield1 who wrote a 
poem called the ,,farmer',s ,,boy1 had  
placed no reliance on the faithless     
muses1 his unfortunate and              
much-to-be-pitied family would1 in all  
probability1 have not been in a state to
 solicit relief from charity4 ,i        
remember that this loyal shoemaker was  
flattered to the skies1 and 7ominous    
sign1 if he had understood it7 feasted  
at the tables of some of the great4     

,have1 ,i beseech you1 no hope of this  
sort2 and1 if you find it creeping      
towards your heart1 drive it instantly  
away as the mortal foe of your          
independence and your peace4  #dc4 ,with
 this precaution1 however1 book-learning
 is not only proper1 but highly         
commendable2 and portions of it are     
absolutely necessary in every case of   
trade or profession4 ,one of these      
portions is distinct reading1 plain and 
neat writing1 and arithmetic4 ,the two  
former are mere child's work2 the latter
 not quite so easily acquired1 but      
equally indispensable1 and of it you    
ought to have a thorough knowledge      
before you attempt to study even the    
grammar of your own language4           
,arithmetic is soon learned2 it is not a
 thing that requires much natural       
talent2 it is not a thing that loads the
 memory or puzzles the mind2 and it is a
 thing of every-day utility4 ,therefore1
 this is1 to a certain extent1 an       
absolute necessary2 an indispensable    

acquisition4 ,every man is not to be a  
surveyor or an actuary2 and1 therefore1 
you may stop far short of the knowledge1
 of this sort1 which is demanded by     
these professions2 but1 as far as common
 accounts and calculations go1 you ought
 to be perfect2 and this you may make   
yourself1 without any assistance from a 
master1 by bestowing upon this science1 
during six months1 only one half of the 
time that is1 by persons of your age1   
usually wasted over the tea-slops1 or   
other kettle-slops1 alone6 ,if you      
become fond of this science1 there may  
be a little danger of wasting your time 
on it4 ,when1 therefore1 you have got as
 much of it as your business or         
profession can possibly render          
necessary1 turn the time to some other  
purpose4 ,as to books1 on this subject1 
they are in everybody's hand2 but1 there
 is one book on the subject of          
calculations1 which ,i must point out to
 you2 ',,the ,,cambist1' by ,dr4        
,,kelly4 ,this is a bad title1 because1 

to men in general1 it gives no idea of  
what the book treats of4 ,it is a book  
which shows the value of the several    
pieces of money of one country when     
stated in the money of another country4 
,for instance1 it tells us what a       
,spanish ,dollar1 a ,dutch ,dollar1 a   
,french ,frank1 and so on1 is worth in  
,english money4 ,it does the same with  
regard to weights and measures3 and it  
extends its information to all the      
countries in the world4 ,it is a work of
 rare merit2 and every youth1 be his    
state of life what it may1 if it permit 
him to pursue book-learning of any sort1
 and particularly if he be destined1 or 
at all likely to meddle with commercial 
matters1 ought1 as soon as convenient1  
to possess this valuable and instructive
 book4  #dd4 ,the next thing is the     
,,grammar of your own language4 ,without
 understanding this1 you can never hope 
to become fit for anything beyond mere  
trade or agriculture4 ,it is true1 that 
we do 7,god knows67 but too often see   

men have great wealth1 high titles1 and 
boundless power heaped upon them1 who   
can hardly write ten lines together     
correctly2 but1 remember1 it is not     
merit that has been the cause of their  
advancement2 the cause has been1 in     
almost every such case1 the subserviency
 of the party to the will of some       
government1 and the baseness of some    
nation who have quietly submitted to be 
governed by brazen fools4 ,do not you   
imagine1 that you will have luck of this
 sort3 do not you hope to be rewarded   
and honoured for that ignorance which   
shall prove a scourge to your country1  
and which will earn you the curses of   
the children yet unborn4 ,rely you upon 
your merit1 and upon nothing else4      
,without a knowledge of grammar1 it is  
impossible for you to write correctly1  
and it is by mere accident if you speak 
correctly2 and1 pray bear in mind1 that 
all well-informed persons judge of a    
man's mind 7until they have other means 
of judging7 by his writing or speaking4 

,the labour necessary to acquire this   
knowledge is1 indeed1 not trifling3     
grammar is not1 like arithmetic1 a      
science consisting of several distinct  
departments1 some of which may be       
dispensed with3 it is a whole1 and the  
whole must be learned1 or no part is    
learned4 ,the subject is abstruse3 it   
demands much reflection and much        
patience3 but1 when once the task is    
performed1 it is performed for life1 and
 in every day of that life it will be   
found to be1 in a greater or less       
degree1 a source of pleasure or of      
profit or of both together4 ,and1 what  
is the labour8 ,it consists of no bodily
 exertion2 it exposes the student to no 
cold1 no hunger1 no suffering of any    
sort4 ,the study need subtract from the 
hours of no business1 nor1 indeed1 from 
the hours of necessary exercise3 the    
hours usually spent on the tea and      
coffee slops and in the mere gossip     
which accompany them2 those wasted hours
 of only one year1 employed in the study

 of ,english grammar1 would make you a  
correct speaker and writer for the rest 
of your life4 ,you want no school1 no   
room to study in1 no expenses1 and no   
troublesome circumstances of any sort4  
,i learned grammar when ,i was a private
 soldier on the pay of sixpence a day4  
,the edge of my berth1 or that of the   
guard-bed1 was my seat to study in2 my  
knapsack was my book-case2 a bit of     
board1 lying on my lap1 was my          
writing-table2 and the task did not     
demand any thing like a year of my life4
 ,i had no money to purchase candle or  
oil2 in winter-time it was rarely that  
,i could get any evening-light but that 
of the fire1 and only my turn even of   
that4 ,and if ,i1 under such            
circumstances1 and without parent or    
friend to advise or encourage me1       
accomplished this undertaking1 what     
excuse can there be for any youth1      
however poor1 however pressed with      
business1 or however circumstanced as to
 room or other conveniences8 ,to buy a  

pen or a sheet of paper ,i was compelled
 to forego some portion of food1 though 
in a state of half-starvation2 ,i had no
 moment of time that ,i could call my   
own2 and ,i had to read and to write    
amidst the talking1 laughing1 singing1  
whistling and brawling of at least half 
a score of the most thoughtless of men1 
and that too in the hours of their      
freedom from all control4 ,think not    
lightly of the farthing that ,i had to  
give1 now and then1 for ink1 pen1 or    
paper6 ,that farthing was1 alas6 a great
 sum to me6 ,i was as tall as ,i am now2
 ,i had great health and great exercise4
 ,the whole of the money1 not expended  
for us at market1 was two-pence a week  
for each man4 ,i remember1 and well ,i  
may6 that upon one occasion ,i1 after   
all absolutely necessary expenses1 had1 
on a ,friday1 made shift to have a      
halfpenny in reserve1 which ,i had      
destined for the purchase of a          
red-herring in the morning2 but1 when ,i
 pulled off my clothes at night1 so     

hungry then as to be hardly able to     
endure life1 ,i found that ,i had lost  
my halfpenny6 ,i buried my head under   
the miserable sheet and rug1 and cried  
like a child6 ,and1 again ,i say1 if ,i1
 under circumstances like these1 could  
encounter and overcome this task1 is    
there1 can there be1 in the whole world1
 a youth to find an excuse for the      
non-performance8 ,what youth1 who shall 
read this1 will not be ashamed to say1  
that he is not able to find time and    
opportunity for this most essential of  
all the branches of book-learning8  #de4
 ,i press this matter with such         
earnestness1 because a knowledge of     
grammar is the foundation of all        
literature2 and because without this    
knowledge opportunities for writing and 
speaking are only occasions for men to  
display their unfitness to write and    
speak4 ,how many false pretenders to    
erudition1 have ,i exposed to shame     
merely by my knowledge of grammar6 ,how 
many of the insolent and ignorant great 

and powerful have ,i pulled down and    
made little and despicable6 ,and1 with  
what ease have ,i conveyed upon numerous
 important subjects1 information and    
instruction to millions now alive1 and  
provided a store of both for millions   
yet unborn6 ,as to the course to be     
pursued in this great undertaking1 it   
is1 first1 to read the grammar from the 
first word to the last1 very            
attentively1 several times over2 then1  
to copy the whole of it very correctly  
and neatly2 and then to study the       
,chapters one by one4 ,and what do this 
reading and writing require as to time8 
,both together not more than the        
tea-slops and their gossips for three   
months6 ,there are about three hundred  
pages in my ,english ,grammar4 ,four of 
those little pages in a day1 which is a 
mere trifle of work1 do the thing in    
three months4 ,two hours a day are quite
 sufficient for the purpose2 and these  
may1 in any town that ,i have ever      
known1 or in any village1 be taken from 

that part of the morning during which   
the main part of the people are in bed4 
,i do not like the evening-candle-light 
work3 it wears the eyes much more than  
the same sort of light in the morning1  
because then the faculties are in vigour
 and wholly unexhausted4 ,but for this  
purpose there is sufficient of that     
day-light which is usually wasted2      
usually gossipped or lounged away2 or   
spent in some other manner productive of
 no pleasure1 and generally producing   
pain in the end4 ,it is very becoming in
 all persons1 and particularly in the   
young1 to be civil1 and even polite3 but
 it becomes neither young nor old to    
have an everlasting simper on their     
faces1 and their bodies sawing in an    
everlasting bow3 and1 how many youths   
have ,i seen who1 if they had spent1 in 
the learning of grammar1 a tenth part of
 the time that they have consumed in    
earning merited contempt for their      
affected gentility1 would have laid the 
foundation of sincere respect towards   

them for the whole of their lives6  #df4
 ,perseverance is a prime quality in    
every pursuit1 and particularly in this4
 ,yours is1 too1 the time of life to    
acquire this inestimable habit4 ,men    
fail much oftener from want of          
perseverance than from want of talent   
and of good disposition3 as the race was
 not to the hare but to the tortoise1 so
 the meed of success in study is to him 
who is not in haste1 but to him who     
proceeds with a steady and even step4   
,it is not to a want of taste or of     
desire or of disposition to learn that  
we have to ascribe the rareness of good 
scholars1 so much as to the want of     
patient perseverance4 ,grammar is a     
branch of knowledge2 like all other     
things of high value1 it is of difficult
 acquirement3 the study is dry2 the     
subject is intricate2 it engages not the
 passions2 and1 if the great end be not 
kept constantly in view2 if you lose1   
for a moment1 sight of the ample reward1
 indifference begins1 that is followed  

by weariness1 and disgust and despair   
close the book4 ,to guard against this  
result be not in haste2 keep steadily   
on2 and1 when you find weariness        
approaching1 rouse yourself1 and        
remember1 that if you give up1 all that 
you have done has been done in vain4    
,this is a matter of great moment2 for  
out of every ten1 who undertake this    
task1 there are1 perhaps1 nine who      
abandon it in despair2 and this1 too1   
merely for the want of resolution to    
overcome the first approaches of        
weariness4 ,the most effectual means of 
security against this mortifying result 
is to lay down a rule to write or to    
read a certain fixed quantity every day1
 ,sunday excepted4 ,our minds are not   
always in the same state2 they have not1
 at all times1 the same elasticity2     
to-day we are full of hope on the very  
same grounds which1 to-morrow1 afford us
 no hope at all3 every human being is   
liable to those flows and ebbs of the   
mind2 but1 if reason interfere1 and bid 

you overcome the fits of lassitude1 and 
almost mechanically to go on without the
 stimulus of hope1 the buoyant fit      
speedily returns2 you congratulate      
yourself that you did not yield to the  
temptation to abandon your pursuit1 and 
you proceed with more vigour than ever4 
,five or six triumphs over temptation to
 indolence or despair lay the foundation
 of certain success2 and1 what is of    
still more importance1 fix in you the   
habit of perseverance4  #dg4 ,if ,i have
 bestowed a large portion of my space on
 this topic1 it has been because ,i     
know1 from experience as well as from   
observation1 that it is of more         
importance than all the other branches  
of book-learning put together4 ,it gives
 you1 when you possess it thoroughly1 a 
real and practical superiority over the 
far greater part of men4 ,how often did 
,i experience this even long before ,i  
became what is called an author6 ,the   
,adjutant1 under whom it was my duty to 
act when ,i was a ,serjeant ,major1 was1

 as almost all military officers are1 or
 at least were1 a very illiterate man1  
perceiving that every sentence of mine  
was in the same form and manner as      
sentences in print1 became shy of       
letting me see pieces of his writing4   
,the writing of orders1 and other       
things1 therefore1 fell to me2 and thus1
 though no nominal addition was made to 
my pay1 and no nominal addition to my   
authority1 ,i acquired the latter as    
effectually as if a law had been passed 
to confer it upon me4 ,in short1 ,i owe 
to the possession of this branch of     
knowledge everything that has enabled me
 to do so many things that very few     
other men have done1 and that now gives 
me a degree of influence1 such as is    
possessed by few others1 in the most    
weighty concerns of the country4 ,the   
possession of this branch of knowledge  
raises you in your own esteem1 gives    
just confidence in yourself1 and        
prevents you from being the willing     
slave of the rich and the titled part of

 the community4 ,it enables you to      
discover that riches and titles do not  
confer merit2 you think comparatively   
little of them2 and1 as far as relates  
to you1 at any rate1 their insolence is 
innoxious4  #dh4 ,hoping that ,i have   
said enough to induce you to set        
resolutely about the study of grammar1  
,i might here leave the subject of      
learning2 arithmetic and grammar1 both  
well learned1 being as much as ,i could 
wish in a mere youth4 ,but these need   
not occupy the whole of your spare time2
 and1 there are other branches of       
learning which ought immediately to     
follow4 ,if your own calling or         
profession require book-study1 books    
treating of that are to be preferred to 
all others2 for1 the first thing1 the   
first object in life1 is to secure the  
honest means of obtaining sustenance1   
raiment1 and a state of being suitable  
to your rank1 be that rank what it may3 
excellence in your own calling is1      
therefore1 the first thing to be aimed  

at4 ,after this may come general        
knowledge1 and of this1 the first is a  
thorough knowledge of your own country2 
for1 how ridiculous is it to see an     
,english youth engaged in reading about 
the customs of the ,chinese or of the   
,hindoos1 while he is content to be     
totally ignorant of those of ,kent or of
 ,cornwall6 ,well employed he must be in
 ascertaining how ,greece was divided   
and how the ,romans parcelled out their 
territory1 while he knows not1 and      
apparently does not want to know1 how   
,england came to be divided into        
counties1 hundreds1 parishes and        
tithings4  #di4 ,,geography naturally   
follows ,grammar2 and you should begin  
with that of this kingdom1 which you    
ought to understand well1 perfectly     
well1 before you venture to look abroad4
 ,a rather slight knowledge of the      
divisions and customs of other countries
 is1 generally speaking1 sufficient2    
but1 not to know these full well1 as far
 as relates to our own country1 is1 in  

one who pretends to be a gentleman or a 
scholar1 somewhat disgraceful4 ,yet how 
many men are there1 and those called    
gentlemen too1 who seem to think that   
counties and parishes1 and churches and 
parsons1 and tithes and glebes1 and     
manors and courts-leet1 and paupers and 
poor-houses1 all grew up in ,england1 or
 dropped down upon it1 immediately after
 ,noah's flood6 ,surely1 it is necessary
 for every man1 having any pretensions  
to scholarship1 to know how these things
 came2 and1 the sooner this knowledge is
 acquired the better2 for1 until it be  
acquired1 you read the history of your  
country in vain4 ,indeed1 to communicate
 this knowledge is one main part of the 
business of history2 but it is a part   
which no historian1 commonly so called1 
has1 that ,i know of1 ever yet          
performed1 except1 in part1 myself1 in  
the ,history of the ,,protestant        
,,reformation4 ,i had read ,,hume',s    
,history of ,england1 and the           
,continuation by ,,smollett2 but1 in    

#ahjb1 when ,i wanted to write on the   
subject of the non-residence of the     
clergy1 ,i found1 to my great           
mortification1 that ,i knew nothing of  
the foundation of the office and the    
claims of the parsons1 and that ,i could
 not even guess at the origin of        
parishes4 ,this gave a new turn to my   
inquiries2 and ,i soon found the        
romancers1 called historians1 had given 
me no information that ,i could rely on1
 and1 besides1 had done1 apparently1 all
 they could to keep me in the dark4     
#ej4 ,when you come to ,,history1 begin 
also with that of your own country2 and 
here it is my bounden duty to put you   
well on your guard2 for in this respect 
we are peculiarly unfortunate1 and for  
the following reasons1 to which ,i beg  
you to attend4 ,three hundred years ago1
 the religion of ,england had been1     
during nine hundred years1 the ,catholic
 religion3 the ,catholic clergy         
possessed about a third part of all the 
lands and houses1 which they held in    

trust for their own support1 for the    
building and repairing of churches1 and 
for the relief of the poor1 the widow1  
the orphan1 and the stranger2 but1 at   
the time just mentioned1 the king and   
the aristocracy changed the religion to 
,protestant1 took the estates of the    
church and the poor to themselves as    
their own property1 and taxed the people
 at large for the building and repairing
 of churches and for the relief of the  
poor4 ,this great and terrible change1  
effected partly by force against the    
people and partly by the most artful    
means of deception1 gave rise to a      
series of efforts1 which has been       
continued from that day to this1 to     
cause us all to believe1 that that      
change was for the better1 that it was  
for our good2 and that1 before that     
time1 our forefathers were a set of the 
most miserable slaves that the sun ever 
warmed with his beams4 ,it happened1    
too1 that the art of printing was not   
discovered1 or1 at least1 it was very   

little understood1 until about the time 
when this change took place2 so that the
 books relating to former times were    
confined to manuscript2 and1 besides1   
even these manuscript libraries were    
destroyed with great care by those who  
had made the change and had grasped the 
property of the poor and the church4    
,our ',historians1' as they are called1 
have written under fear of the powerful1
 or have been bribed by them2 and1      
generally speaking1 both at the same    
time2 and1 accordingly1 their works are1
 as far as they relate to former times1 
masses of lies unmatched by any others  
that the world has ever seen4  #ea4 ,the
 great object of these lies always has  
been to make the main body of the people
 believe1 that the nation is now more   
happy1 more populous1 more powerful1    
than it was before it was ,protestant1  
and thereby to induce us to conclude1   
that it was a good thing for us that the
 aristocracy should take to themselves  
the property of the poor and the church1

 and make the people at large pay taxes 
for the support of both4 ,this has been1
 and still is1 the great object of all  
those heaps of lies2 and those lies are 
continually spread about amongst us in  
all forms of publication1 from heavy    
folios down to halfpenny tracts4 ,in    
refutation of those lies we have only   
very few and rare ancient books to refer
 to1 and their information is           
incidental1 seeing that their authors   
never dreamed of the possibility of the 
lying generations which were to come4   
,we have the ancient acts of parliament1
 the common-law1 the customs1 the canons
 of the church1 and the churches        
themselves2 but these demand analyses   
and argument1 and they demand also a    
really free press1 and unprejudiced and 
patient readers4 ,never in this world1  
before1 had truth to struggle with so   
many and such great disadvantages6  #eb4
 ,to refute lies is not1 at present1 my 
business2 but it is my business to give 
you1 in as small a compass as possible1 

one striking proof that they are lies2  
and thereby to put you well upon your   
guard for the whole of the rest of your 
life4 ,the opinion sedulously inculcated
 by these 'historians' is this2 that1   
before the ,protestant times came1      
,england was1 comparatively1 an         
insignificant country1 having few people
 in it1 and those few wretchedly poor   
and miserable4 ,now1 take the following 
undeniable facts4 ,all the parishes in  
,england are now 7except where they have
 been united1 and two1 three1 or four1  
have been made into one7 in point of    
size1 what they were a thousand years   
ago4 ,the county of ,norfolk is the best
 cultivated of any one in ,england4     
,this county has now #gca parishes2 and 
the number was formerly greater4 ,of    
these parishes #bb have now no churches 
at all2 #gd contain less than #ajj souls
 each3 and #bfh have no                 
parsonage-houses4 ,now1 observe1 every  
parish had1 in old times1 a church and a
 parsonage-house4 ,the county contains  

#b1jib square miles2 that is to say1    
something less than #c square miles to  
each parish1 and that is #a1ibj statute 
acres of land2 and the size of each     
parish is1 on an average1 that of a     
piece of ground about one mile and a    
half each way2 so that the churches are1
 even now1 on an average1 only about a  
mile and a half from each other4 ,now1  
the questions for you to put to yourself
 are these3 ,were churches formerly     
built and kept up without being wanted1 
and especially by a poor and miserable  
people8 ,did these miserable people     
build #gd churches out of #gca1 each of 
which #gd had not a hundred souls       
belonging to it8 ,is it a sign of an    
augmented population1 that #bb churches 
out of #gca have tumbled down and been  
effaced8 ,was it a country thinly       
inhabited by miserable people that could
 build and keep a church in every piece 
of ground a mile and a half each way1   
besides having1 in this same county1 #gg
 monastic establishments and #adb free  

chapels8 ,is it a sign of augmented     
population1 ease and plenty1 that1 out  
of #gca parishes1 #bfh have suffered the
 parsonage houses to fall into ruins1   
and their sites to become patches of    
nettles and of brambles8 ,put these     
questions calmly to yourself3 common    
sense will dictate the answers2 and     
truth will call for an expression of    
your indignation against the lying      
historians and the still more lying     
population-mongers4     ,,letter ,,ii   
,,to ,a ,,young ,,man  #ec4 ,in the     
foregoing ,letter1 ,i have given my     
advice to a ,youth4 ,in addressing      
myself to you1 ,i am to presume that you
 have entered upon your present stage of
 life1 having acted upon the precepts   
contained in that letter2 and that1 of  
course1 you are a sober1 abstinent1     
industrious and well-informed young man4
 ,in the succeeding letters1 which will 
be addressed to the ,lover1 the         
,husband1 the ,father and the ,citizen1 
,i shall1 of course1 have to include my 

notion of your duties as a master1 and  
as a person employed by another4 ,in the
 present letter1 therefore1 ,i shall    
confine myself principally to the       
conduct of a young man with regard to   
the management of his means1 or money4  
#ed4 ,be you in what line of life you   
may1 it will be amongst your misfortunes
 if you have not time properly to attend
 to this matter2 for it very frequently 
happens1 it has happened to thousands   
upon thousands1 not only to be ruined1  
according to the common acceptation of  
the word2 not only to be made poor1 and 
to suffer from poverty1 in consequence  
of want of attention to pecuniary       
matters2 but it has frequently1 and even
 generally1 happened1 that a want of    
attention to these matters has impeded  
the progress of science1 and of genius  
itself4 ,a man1 oppressed with pecuniary
 cares and dangers1 must be next to a   
miracle1 if he have his mind in a state 
fit for intellectual labours2 to say    
nothing of the temptations1 arising from

 such distress1 to abandon good         
principles1 to suppress useful opinions 
and useful facts2 and1 in short1 to     
become a disgrace to his kindred1 and an
 evil to his country1 instead of being  
an honour to the former and a blessing  
to the latter4 ,to be poor and          
independent1 is very nearly an          
impossibility4  #ee4 ,but1 then1 poverty
 is not a positive1 but a relative term4
 ,,burke observed1 and very truly1 that 
a labourer who earned a sufficiency to  
maintain him as a labourer1 and to      
maintain him in a suitable manner2 to   
give him a sufficiency of good food1 of 
clothing1 of lodging1 and of fuel1 ought
 not to be called a poor man2 for that1 
though he had little riches1 though his1
 compared with that of a lord1 was a    
state of poverty1 it was not a state of 
poverty in itself4 ,when1 therefore1 ,i 
say that poverty is the cause of a      
depression of spirit1 of inactivity and 
of servility in men of literary talent1 
,i must say1 at the same time1 that the 

evil arises from their own fault2 from  
their having created for themselves     
imaginary wants2 from their having      
indulged in unnecessary enjoyments1 and 
from their having caused that to be     
poverty1 which would not have been      
poverty1 if they had been moderate in   
their enjoyments4  #ef4 ,as it may be   
your lot 7such has been mine7 to live by
 your literary talent1 ,i will here1    
before ,i proceed to matter more        
applicable to persons in other states of
 life1 observe1 that ,i cannot form an  
idea of a mortal more wretched than a   
man of real talent1 compelled to curb   
his genius1 and to submit himself in the
 exercise of that genius1 to those whom 
he knows to be far inferior to himself1 
and whom he must despise from the bottom
 of his soul4 ,the late ,mr4 ,,william  
,,gifford1 who was the son of a         
shoemaker at ,,ashburton in ,devonshire2
 who was put to school and sent to the  
university at the expense of a generous 
and good clergyman of the name of       

,,cookson1 and who died1 the other day1 
a sort of whipper-in of ,,murray',s     
,,quarterly ,,review2 this was a man of 
real genius2 and1 to my certain personal
 knowledge1 he detested1 from the bottom
 of his soul1 the whole of the          
paper-money and ,boroughmongering       
system1 and despised those by whom the  
system was carried on4 ,but1 he had     
imaginary wants2 he had been bred up in 
company with the rich and the           
extravagant2 expensive indulgences had  
been made necessary to him by habit2    
and1 when in the year #agih1 or         
thereabouts1 he had to choose between a 
bit of bacon1 a scrag of mutton1 and a  
lodging at ten shillings a week1 on the 
one side1 and made-dishes1 wine1 a fine 
house and a footman on the other side1  
he chose the latter4 ,he became the     
servile ,editor of ,,canning',s         
,anti-jacobin newspaper2 and he1 who had
 more wit and learning than all the rest
 of the writers put together1 became the
 miserable tool in circulating their    

attacks upon everything that was hostile
 to a system which he deplored and      
detested4 ,but he secured the           
made-dishes1 the wine1 the footman and  
the coachman4 ,a sinecure as 'clerk of  
the ,foreign ,estreats1' gave him #cbil4
 a year1 a double commissionership of   
the lottery gave him #fjjl4 or #gjjl4   
more2 and1 at a later period1 his       
,editorship of the ,quarterly ,review   
gave him perhaps as much more4 ,he      
rolled in his carriage for several      
years2 he fared sumptuously2 he was     
buried at ,westminster ,abbey1 of which 
his friend and formerly his brother     
pamphleteer in defence of ,,pitt was the
 ,dean2 and never is he to be heard of  
more6 ,mr4 ,,gifford would have been    
full as happy2 his health would have    
been better1 his life longer1 and his   
name would have lived for ages1 if he   
could have turned to the bit of bacon   
and scrag of mutton in #agih2 for his   
learning and talents were such1 his     
reasonings so clear and conclusive1 and 

his wit so pointed and keen1 that his   
writings must have been generally read1 
must have been of long duration6 and1   
indeed1 must have enabled him 7he being 
always a single man7 to live in his     
latter days in as good style as that    
which he procured by becoming a         
sinecurist1 a pensioner and a hack1 all 
which he was from the moment he lent    
himself to the ,quarterly ,review4      
,think of the mortification of such a   
man1 when he was called upon to justify 
the power-of-imprisonment bill in #ahag6
 ,but to go into particulars would be   
tedious3 his life was a life of         
luxurious misery1 than which a worse is 
not to be imagined4  #eg4 ,so that      
poverty is1 except where there is an    
actual want of food and raiment1 a thing
 much more imaginary than real4 ,the    
shame of poverty1 the shame of being    
thought poor1 is a great and fatal      
weakness1 though arising1 in this       
country1 from the fashion of the times  
themselves4 ,when a good man1 as in the 

phraseology of the city1 means a rich   
man1 we are not to wonder that every one
 wishes to be thought richer than he is4
 ,when adulation is sure to follow      
wealth1 and when contempt would be      
awarded to many if they were not        
wealthy1 who are spoken of with         
deference1 and even lauded to the skies1
 because their riches are great and     
notorious2 when this is the case1 we are
 not to be surprised that men are       
ashamed to be thought to be poor4 ,this 
is one of the greatest of all the       
dangers at the outset of life3 it has   
brought thousands and hundreds of       
thousands to ruin1 even to pecuniary    
ruin4 ,one of the most amiable features 
in the character of ,american society is
 this2 that men never boast of their    
riches1 and never disguise their        
poverty2 but they talk of both as of any
 other matter fit for public            
conversation4 ,no man shuns another     
because he is poor3 no man is preferred 
to another because he is rich4 ,in      

hundreds and hundreds of instances1 men1
 not worth a shilling1 have been chosen 
by the people and entrusted with their  
rights and interests1 in preference to  
men who ride in their carriages4  #eh4  
,this shame of being thought poor1 is   
not only dishonourable in itself1 and   
fatally injurious to men of talent2 but 
it is ruinous even in a pecuniary point 
of view1 and equally destructive to     
farmers1 traders1 and even gentlemen of 
landed estate4 ,it leads to everlasting 
efforts to disguise one's poverty3 the  
carriage1 the servants1 the wine1 7oh1  
that fatal wine67 the spirits1 the      
decanters1 the glasses1 all the table   
apparatus1 the dress1 the horses1 the   
dinners1 the parties1 all must be kept  
up2 not so much because he or she who   
keeps or gives them1 has any pleasure   
arising therefrom1 as because not to    
keep and give them1 would give rise to a
 suspicion of the want of means so to   
give and keep2 and thus thousands upon  
thousands are yearly brought into a     

state of real poverty by their great    
anxiety not to be thought poor4 ,look   
round you1 mark well what you behold1   
and say if this be not the case4 ,in how
 many instances have you seen most      
amiable and even most industrious       
families brought to ruin by nothing but 
this6 ,mark it well2 resolve to set this
 false shame at defiance1 and when you  
have done that1 you have laid the first 
stone of the surest foundation of your  
future tranquillity of mind4 ,there are 
thousands of families1 at this very     
moment1 who are thus struggling to keep 
up appearances4 ,the farmers accommodate
 themselves to circumstances more easily
 than tradesmen and professional men4   
,they live at a greater distance from   
their neighbours3 they can change their 
style of living unperceived3 they can   
banish the decanter1 change the dishes  
for a bit of bacon1 make a treat out of 
a rasher and eggs1 and the world is none
 the wiser all the while4 ,but the      
tradesman1 the doctor1 the attorney1 and

 the trader1 cannot make the change so  
quietly1 and unseen4 ,the accursed wine1
 which is a sort of criterion of the    
style of living1 a sort of scale to the 
plan1 a sort of key to the tune2 this is
 the thing to banish first of all2      
because all the rest follow1 and come   
down to their proper level in a short   
time4 ,the accursed decanter cries      
footman or waiting maid1 puts bells to  
the side of the wall1 screams aloud for 
carpets2 and when ,i am asked1 ',lord1  
what is a glass of wine8' my answer is1 
that1 in this country1 it is everything2
 it is the pitcher of the key2 it       
demands all the other unnecessary       
expenses2 it is injurious to health1 and
 must be injurious1 every bottle of wine
 that is drunk containing a certain     
portion of ardent spirits1 besides other
 drugs deleterious in their nature2 and1
 of all the friends to the doctors1 this
 fashionable beverage is the greatest4  
,and1 which adds greatly to the folly1  
or1 ,i should say1 the real vice of     

using it1 is1 that the parties          
themselves1 nine times out of ten1 do   
not drink it by choice2 do not like it2 
do not relish it2 but use it from mere  
ostentation1 being ashamed to be seen   
even by their own servants1 not to drink
 wine4 ,at the very moment ,i am writing
 this1 there are thousands of families  
in and near ,london1 who daily have wine
 upon their tables1 and who drink it    
too1 merely because their own servants  
should not suspect them to be poor1 and 
not deem them to be genteel2 and thus   
families by thousands are ruined1 only  
because they are ashamed to be thought  
poor4  #ei4 ,there is no shame belonging
 to poverty1 which frequently arises    
from the virtues of the impoverished    
parties4 ,not so frequently1 indeed1 as 
from vice1 folly1 and indiscretion2 but 
still very frequently4 ,and as the      
,scripture tells us1 that we are not to 
'despise the poor because he is poor'2  
so we ought not to honour the rich      
because he is rich4 ,the true way is1 to

 take a fair survey of the character of 
a man as depicted in his conduct1 and to
 respect him1 or despise him1 according 
to a due estimate of that character4 ,no
 country upon earth exhibits so many1 as
 this1 of those fatal terminations of   
life1 called suicides4 ,these arise1 in 
nine instances out of ten1 from this    
very source4 ,the victims are1 in       
general1 what may be fairly called      
insane2 but their insanity almost always
 arises from the dread of poverty2 not  
from the dread of a want of the means of
 sustaining life1 or even decent living1
 but from the dread of being thought or 
known to be poor2 from the dread of what
 is called falling in the scale of      
society2 a dread which is prevalent     
hardly in any country but this4 ,looked 
at in its true light1 what is there in  
poverty to make a man take away his own 
life8 he is the same man that he was    
before3 he has the same body and the    
same mind3 if he even foresee a great   
alteration in his dress or his diet1 why

 should he kill himself on that account8
 ,are these all the things that a man   
wishes to live for8 ,but1 such is the   
fact2 so great is the disgrace upon this
 country1 and so numerous and terrible  
are the evils arising from this dread of
 being thought to be poor4  #fj4        
,nevertheless1 men ought to take care of
 their means1 ought to use them         
prudently and sparingly1 and to keep    
their expenses always within the bounds 
of their income1 be it what it may4 ,one
 of the effectual means of doing this is
 to purchase with ready money4 ,,st4    
,,paul says1 ',owe no man any thing3'   
and of his numerous precepts this is by 
no means the least worthy of our        
attention4 ,credit has been boasted of  
as a very fine thing3 to decry credit   
seems to be setting oneself up against  
the opinions of the whole world2 and ,i 
remember a paper in the ,,freeholder or 
the ,,spectator1 published just after   
the funding system had begun1           
representing ',,public ,credit' as a    

,,goddess1 enthroned in a temple        
dedicated to her by her votaries1       
amongst whom she is dispensing blessings
 of every description4 ,it must be more 
than forty years since ,i read this     
paper1 which ,i read soon after the time
 when the late ,mr4 ,,pitt uttered in   
,parliament an expression of his anxious
 hope1 that his 'name would be inscribed
 on the monument which he should raise  
to 'public credit4' ,time has taught me1
 that ,,public ,,credit means1 the      
contracting of debts which a nation     
never can pay2 and ,i have lived to see 
this ,goddess produce effects1 in my    
country1 which ,satan himself never     
could have produced4 ,it is a very      
bewitching ,goddess2 and not less fatal 
in her influence in private than in     
public affairs4 ,it has been carried in 
this latter respect to such a pitch1    
that scarcely any transaction1 however  
low and inconsiderable in amount1 takes 
place in any other way4 ,there is a     
trade in ,london1 called the            

'tally-trade1' by which1 household      
goods1 coals1 clothing1 all sorts of    
things1 are sold upon credit1 the seller
 keeping a tally1 and receiving payment 
for the goods1 little by little2 so that
 the income and the earnings of the     
buyers are always anticipated2 are      
always gone1 in fact1 before they come  
in or are earned2 the sellers receiving1
 of course1 a great deal more than the  
proper profit4  #fa4 ,without supposing 
you to descend to so low a grade as     
this1 and even supposing you to be      
lawyer1 doctor1 parson1 or merchant2 it 
is still the same thing1 if you purchase
 on credit1 and not1 perhaps1 in a much 
less degree of disadvantage4 ,besides   
the higher price that you pay there is  
the temptation to have what you really  
do not want4 ,the cost seems a trifle1  
when you have not to pay the money until
 a future time4 ,it has been observed1  
and very truly observed1 that men used  
to lay out a one-pound note when they   
would not lay out a sovereign2 a        

consciousness of the intrinsic value of 
the things produces a retentiveness in  
the latter case more than in the former3
 the sight and the touch assist the mind
 in forming its conclusions1 and the    
one-pound note was parted with1 when the
 sovereign would have been kept4 ,far   
greater is the difference between       
,credit and ,ready money4 ,innumerable  
things are not bought at all with ready 
money1 which would be bought in case of 
trust3 it is so much easier to order a  
thing than to pay for it4 ,a future day2
 a day of payment must come1 to be sure1
 but that is little thought of at the   
time2 but if the money were to be drawn 
out1 the moment the thing was received  
or offered1 this question would arise1  
',can ,i do without it8' ,is this thing 
indispensable2 am ,i compelled to have  
it1 or suffer a loss or injury greater  
in amount than the cost of the thing8   
,if this question were put1 every time  
we make a purchase1 seldom should we    
hear of those suicides which are such a 

disgrace to this country4  #fb4 ,i am   
aware1 that it will be said1 and very   
truly said1 that the concerns of        
merchants2 that the purchasing of great 
estates1 and various other great        
transactions1 cannot be carried on in   
this manner2 but these are rare         
exceptions to the rule2 even in these   
cases there might be much less of bills 
and bonds1 and all the sources of       
litigation2 but in the every-day        
business of life2 in transactions with  
the butcher1 the baker1 the tailor1 the 
shoemaker1 what excuse can there be for 
pleading the example of the merchant1   
who carries on his work by ships and    
exchanges8 ,i was delighted1 some time  
ago1 by being told of a young man1 who1 
upon being advised to keep a little     
account of all he received and expended1
 answered1 'that his business was not to
 keep account books3 that he was sure   
not to make a mistake as to his income2 
and that1 as to his expenditure1 the    
little bag that held his sovereigns     

would be an infallible guide1 as he     
never bought anything that he did not   
immediately pay for4'  #fc4 ,i believe  
that nobody will deny1 that1 generally  
speaking1 you pay for the same article a
 fourth part more in the case of trust  
than you do in the case of ready money4 
,suppose1 then1 the baker1 butcher1     
tailor1 and shoemaker1 receive from you 
only one hundred pounds a year4 ,put    
that together2 that is to say1 multiply 
twenty-five by twenty1 and you will     
find1 that1 at the end of twenty years1 
you have #ejjl41 besides the            
accumulating and growing interest4 ,the 
fathers of the ,church 7,i mean the     
ancient ones71 and also the canons of   
the ,church1 forbade selling on trust at
 a higher price than for ready money1   
which was in effect to forbid trust2 and
 this1 doubtless1 was one of the great  
objects which those wise and pious men  
had in view2 for they were fathers in   
legislation and morals as well as in    
religion4 ,but the doctrine of these    

fathers and canons no longer prevails2  
they are set at nought by the present   
age1 even in the countries that adhere  
to their religion4 ,,addison',s ,goddess
 has prevailed over the fathers and the 
canons2 and men not only make a         
difference in the price regulated by the
 difference in the mode of payment2 but 
it would be absurd to expect them to do 
otherwise4 ,they must not only charge   
something for the want of the use of the
 money2 but they must charge something  
additional for the risk of its loss1    
which may frequently arise1 and most    
frequently does arise1 from the         
misfortunes of those to whom they have  
assigned their goods on trust4 ,the man1
 therefore1 who purchases on trust1 not 
only pays for the trust1 but he also    
pays his due share of what the tradesman
 loses by trust2 and1 after all1 he is  
not so good a customer as the man who   
purchases cheaply with ready money2 for 
there is his name indeed in the         
tradesman's book2 but with that name the

 tradesman cannot go to market to get a 
fresh supply4  #fd4 ,infinite are the   
ways in which gentlemen lose by this    
sort of dealing4 ,servants go and order 
sometimes things not wanted at all2 at  
other times1 more than is wanted2 at    
others1 things of a higher quality2 and 
all this would be obviated by purchasing
 with ready money2 for1 whether through 
the hands of the party himself1 or      
through those of an inferior1 there     
would always be an actual counting out  
of the money2 somebody would see the    
thing bought and see the money paid2    
and1 as the master would give the       
housekeeper or steward a bag of money at
 the time1 he would see the money too1  
would set a proper value upon it1 and   
would just desire to know upon what it  
had been expended4  #fe4 ,how is it that
 farmers are so exact1 and show such a  
disposition to retrench in the article  
of labour1 when they seem to think      
little1 or nothing1 about the sums which
 they pay in tax upon malt1 wine1 sugar1

 tea1 soap1 candles1 tobacco1 and       
various other things8 ,you find the     
utmost difficulty in making them        
understand1 that they are affected by   
these4 ,the reason is1 that they see the
 money which they give to the labourer  
on each succeeding ,saturday night2 but 
they do not see that which they give in 
taxes on the articles before mentioned4 
,why is it that they make such an outcry
 about the six or seven millions a year 
which are paid in poor-rates1 and say   
not a word about the sixty millions a   
year raised in other taxes8 ,the        
consumer pays all2 and1 therefore1 they 
are as much interested in the one as the
 other2 and yet the farmers think of no 
tax but the poor tax4 ,the reason is1   
that the latter is collected from them  
in money3 they see it go out of their   
hands into the hands of another2 and1   
therefore1 they are everlastingly       
anxious to reduce the poor-rates1 and   
they take care to keep them within the  
smallest possible bounds4  #ff4 ,just   

thus would it be with every man that    
never purchased but with ready money3 he
 would make the amount as low as        
possible in proportion to his means3    
this care and frugality would make an   
addition to his means1 and therefore1 in
 the end1 at the end of his life1 he    
would have had a great deal more to     
spend1 and still be as rich as if he had
 gone in trust2 while he would have     
lived in tranquillity all the while1 and
 would have avoided all the endless     
papers and writings and receipts and    
bills and disputes and law-suits        
inseparable from a system of credit4    
,this is by no means a lesson of        
stinginess2 by no means tends to        
inculcate a heaping up of money2 for the
 purchasing with ready money really     
gives you more money to purchase with2  
you can afford to have a greater        
quantity and variety of things2 and ,i  
will engage that1 if horses or servants 
be your taste1 the saving in this way   
gives you an additional horse or an     

additional servant1 if you be in any    
profession or engaged in any            
considerable trade4 ,in towns1 it tends 
to accelerate your pace along the       
streets2 for the temptation of the      
windows is answered in a moment by      
clapping your hand upon your thigh2 and 
the question1 ',do ,i really want that8'
 is sure to occur to you immediately1   
because the touch of the money is sure  
to put that thought in your mind4  #fg4 
,now1 supposing you to have a plenty2 to
 have a fortune beyond your wants1 would
 not the money which you would save in  
this way be very well applied in acts of
 real benevolence8 ,can you walk many   
yards in the streets2 can you ride a    
mile in the country2 can you go to      
half-a-dozen cottages2 can you1 in      
short1 open your eyes1 without seeing   
some human being1 some one born in the  
same country with yourself1 and who1 on 
that account alone1 has some claim upon 
your good wishes and your charity2 can  
you open your eyes without seeing some  

person to whom even a small portion of  
your annual savings would convey        
gladness of heart8 ,your own heart will 
suggest the answer2 and1 if there were  
no motive but this1 what need ,i say    
more in the advice which ,i have here   
tendered to you8  #fh4 ,another great   
evil arising from this desire to be     
thought rich2 or1 rather from the desire
 not to be thought poor1 is the         
destructive thing which has been        
honoured by the name of 'speculation2'  
but which ought to be called ,gambling4 
,it is a purchasing of something which  
you do not want either in your family or
 in the way of ordinary trade3 a        
something to be sold again with a great 
profit2 and on the sale of which there  
is a considerable hazard4 ,when         
purchases of this sort are made with    
ready money1 they are not so offensive  
to reason and not attended with such    
risk2 but when they are made with money 
borrowed for the purpose1 they are      
neither more nor less than gambling     

transactions2 and they have been1 in    
this country1 a source of ruin1 misery1 
and suicide1 admitting of no adequate   
description4 ,i grant that this gambling
 has arisen from the influence of the   
',goddess' before mentioned2 ,i grant   
that it has arisen from the facility of 
obtaining the fictitious means of making
 the purchases2 and ,i grant that that  
facility has been created by the system 
under the baneful influence of which we 
live4 ,but it is not the less necessary 
that ,i beseech you not to practise such
 gambling2 that ,i beseech you1 if you  
be engaged in it1 to disentangle        
yourself from it as soon as you can4    
,your life1 while you are thus engaged1 
is the life of the gamester2 a life of  
constant anxiety2 constant desire to    
over-reach2 constant apprehension2      
general gloom1 enlivened1 now and then1 
by a gleam of hope or of success4 ,even 
that success is sure to lead to further 
adventures2 and1 at last1 a thousand to 
one1 that your fate is that of the      

pitcher to the well4  #fi4 ,the great   
temptation to this gambling is1 as is   
the case in other gambling1 the success 
of the few4 ,as young men who crowd to  
the army1 in search of rank and renown1 
never look into the ditch that holds    
their slaughtered companions2 but have  
their eye constantly fixed on the       
,general-in-chief2 and as each of them  
belongs to the same profession1 and is  
sure to be conscious that he has equal  
merit1 every one deems himself the      
suitable successor of him who is        
surrounded with ,aides des camps1 and   
who moves battalions and columns by his 
nod2 so with the rising generation of   
'speculators3' they see the great       
estates that have succeeded the         
pencil-box and the orange-basket2 they  
see those whom nature and good laws made
 to black shoes1 sweep chimnies or the  
streets1 rolling in carriages1 or       
sitting in saloons surrounded by gaudy  
footmen with napkins twisted round their
 thumbs2 and they can see no earthly    

reason why they should not all do the   
same2 forgetting the thousands and      
thousands1 who1 in making the attempt1  
have reduced themselves to that beggary 
which1 before their attempt1 they would 
have regarded as a thing wholly         
impossible4  #gj4 ,in all situations of 
life1 avoid the trammels of the law4    
,man's nature must be changed before    
law-suits will cease2 and1 perhaps1 it  
would be next to impossible to make them
 less frequent than they are in the     
present state of this country2 but      
though no man1 who has any property at  
all1 can say that he will have nothing  
to do with law-suits1 it is in the power
 of most men to avoid them in a         
considerable degree4 ,one good rule is  
to have as little as possible to do with
 any man who is fond of law-suits1 and  
who1 upon every slight occasion1 talks  
of an appeal to the law4 ,such persons1 
from their frequent litigations1        
contract a habit of using the technical 
terms of the ,courts1 in which they take

 a pride1 and are1 therefore1 companions
 peculiarly disgusting to men of sense4 
,to such men a law-suit is a luxury1    
instead of being as it is1 to men of    
ordinary minds1 a source of anxiety and 
a real and substantial scourge4 ,such   
men are always of a quarrelsome         
disposition1 and avail themselves of    
every opportunity to indulge in that    
which is mischievous to their           
neighbours4 ,in thousands of instances  
men go to law for the indulgence of mere
 anger4 ,the ,germans are said to bring 
spite-actions against one another1 and  
to harass their poorer neighbours from  
motives of pure revenge4 ,they have     
carried this their disposition with them
 to ,america2 for which reason no one   
likes to live in a ,german              
neighbourhood4  #ga4 ,before you go to  
law consider well the cost2 for if you  
win your suit and are poorer than you   
were before1 what do you accomplish8    
,you only imbibe a little additional    
anger against your opponent2 you injure 

him1 but do harm to yourself4 ,better to
 put up with the loss of one pound than 
of two1 to which latter is to be added  
all the loss of time1 all the trouble1  
and all the mortification and anxiety   
attending a law-suit4 ,to set an        
attorney to work to worry and torment   
another man is a very base act2 to alarm
 his family as well as himself1 while   
you are sitting quietly at home4 ,if a  
man owe you money which he cannot pay1  
why add to his distress without the     
chance of benefit to yourself8          
,thousands of men have injured          
themselves by resorting to the law2     
while very few ever bettered themselves 
by it1 except such resort were          
unavoidable4  #gb4 ,nothing is much more
 discreditable than what is called hard 
dealing4 ,they say of the ,turks1 that  
they know nothing of two prices for the 
same article2 and that to ask an        
abatement of the lowest shopkeeper is to
 insult him4 ,it would be well if       
,christians imitated ,mahometans in this

 respect4 ,to ask one price and take    
another1 or to offer one price and give 
another1 besides the loss of time that  
it occasions1 is highly dishonourable to
 the parties1 and especially when pushed
 to the extent of solemn protestations4 
,it is1 in fact1 a species of lying2 and
 it answers no one advantageous purpose 
to either buyer or seller4 ,i hope that 
every young man who reads this1 will    
start in life with a resolution never to
 higgle and lie in dealings4 ,there is  
this circumstance in favour of the      
bookseller's business3 every book has   
its fixed price1 and no one ever asks an
 abatement4 ,if it were thus in all     
other trades1 how much time would be    
saved1 and how much immorality          
prevented6  #gc4 ,as to the spending of 
your time1 your business or your        
profession is to claim the priority of  
everything else4 ,unless that be duly   
attended to1 there can be no real       
pleasure in any other employment of a   
portion of your time4 ,men1 however1    

must have some leisure1 some relaxation 
from business2 and in the choice of this
 relaxation much of your happiness will 
depend4 ,where fields and gardens are at
 hand1 they present the most rational   
scenes for leisure4 ,as to company1 ,i  
have said enough in the former letter to
 deter any young man from that of       
drunkards and rioting companions2 but   
there is such a thing as your quiet     
'pipe-and-pot-companions1' which are1   
perhaps1 the most fatal of all4 ,nothing
 can be conceived more dull1 more       
stupid1 more the contrary of edification
 and rational amusement1 than sitting1  
sotting1 over a pot and a glass1 sending
 out smoke from the head1 and           
articulating1 at intervals1 nonsense    
about all sorts of things4 ,seven years 
service as a galley-slave would be more 
bearable to a man of sense1 than seven  
months confinement to society like this4
 ,yet1 such is the effect of habit1     
that1 if a young man become a frequenter
 of such scenes1 the idle propensity    

sticks to him for life4 ,some           
companions1 however1 every man must     
have2 but these every well-behaved man  
will find in private houses1 where      
families are found residing and where   
the suitable intercourse takes place    
between women and men4 ,a man that      
cannot pass an evening without drink    
merits the name of a sot4 ,why should   
there be drink for the purpose of       
carrying on conversation8 ,women stand  
in need of no drink to stimulate them to
 converse2 and ,i have a thousand times 
admired their patience in sitting       
quietly at their work1 while their      
husbands are engaged1 in the same room1 
with bottles and glasses before them1   
thinking nothing of the expense and     
still less of the shame which the       
distinction reflects upon them4 ,we have
 to thank the women for many things1 and
 particularly for their sobriety1 for   
fear of following their example in which
 men drive them from the table1 as if   
they said to them3 ',you have had       

enough2 food is sufficient for you2 but 
we must remain to fill ourselves with   
drink1 and to talk in language which    
your ears ought not to endure4' ,when   
women are getting up to retire from the 
table1 men rise in honour of them2 but  
they take special care not to follow    
their excellent example4 ,that which is 
not fit to be uttered before women is   
not fit to be uttered at all2 and it is 
next to a proclamation1 tolerating      
drunkenness and indecency1 to send women
 from the table the moment they have    
swallowed their food4 ,the practice has 
been ascribed to a desire to leave them 
to themselves2 but why should they be   
left to themselves8 ,their conversation 
is always the most lively1 while their  
persons are generally the most agreeable
 objects4 ,no3 the plain truth is1 that 
it is the love of the drink and of the  
indecent talk that send women from the  
table2 and it is a practice which ,i    
have always abhorred4 ,i like to see    
young men1 especially1 follow them out  

of the room1 and prefer their company to
 that of the sots who are left behind4  
#gd4 ,another mode of spending the      
leisure time is that of books4 ,rational
 and well-informed companions may be    
still more instructive2 but books never 
annoy2 they cost little2 and they are   
always at hand1 and ready at your call4 
,the sort of books must1 in some degree1
 depend upon your pursuit in life2 but  
there are some books necessary to every 
one who aims at the character of a      
well-informed man4 ,i have slightly     
mentioned ,,history and ,geography in   
the preceding letter2 but ,i must here  
observe1 that1 as to both these1 you    
should begin with your own country1 and 
make yourself well acquainted1 not only 
with its ancient state1 but with the    
origin of all its principal             
institutions4 ,to read of the battles   
which it has fought1 and of the         
intrigues by which one king or one      
minister has succeeded another1 is very 
little more profitable than the reading 

of a romance4 ,to understand well the   
history of the country1 you should first
 understand how it came to be divided   
into counties1 hundreds1 and into       
parishes2 how judges1 sheriffs1 and     
juries1 first arose2 to what end they   
were all invented1 and how the changes  
with respect to any of them have been   
produced4 ,but it is of particular      
consequence that you ascertain the state
 of the people in former times1 which is
 to be ascertained by comparing the then
 price of labour with the then price of 
food4 ,you hear enough1 and you read    
enough1 about the glorious wars in the  
reign of ,,king ,,edward the ,,third2   
and it is very proper that those glories
 should be recorded and remembered2 but 
you never read1 in the works of the     
historians1 that1 in that reign1 a      
common labourer earned                  
threepence-halfpenny a day2 and that a  
fat sheep was sold1 at the same time1   
for one shilling and twopence1 and a fat
 hog1 two years old1 for three shillings

 and fourpence1 and a fat goose for     
twopence-halfpenny4 ,you never read that
 women received a penny a day for       
hay-making or weeding in the corn1 and  
that a gallon of red wine was sold for  
fourpence4 ,these are matters which     
historians have deemed to be beneath    
their notice2 but they are matters of   
real importance3 they are matters which 
ought to have practical effect at this  
time2 for these furnish the criterion   
whereby we are to judge of our condition
 compared with that of our forefathers4 
,the poor-rates form a great feature in 
the laws and customs of this country4   
,put to a thousand persons who have read
 what is called the history of ,england2
 put to them the question1 how the      
poor-rates came8 and nine hundred and   
ninety-nine of the thousand will tell   
you1 that they know nothing at all of   
the matter4 ,this is not history2 a list
 of battles and a string of intrigues   
are not history1 they communicate no    
knowledge applicable to our present     

state2 and it really is better to amuse 
oneself with an avowed romance1 which   
latter is a great deal worse than       
passing one's time in counting the      
trees4  #ge4 ,history has been described
 as affording arguments of experience2  
as a record of what has been1 in order  
to guide us as to what is likely to be1 
or what ought to be2 but1 from this     
romancing history1 no such experience is
 to be derived3 for it furnishes no     
facts on which to found arguments       
relative to the existing or future state
 of things4 ,to come at the true history
 of a country you must read its laws3   
you must read books treating of its     
usages and customs in former times2 and 
you must particularly inform yourself as
 to prices of labour and of food4 ,by   
reading the single ,act of the #bcrd    
year of ,,edward the ,,third1 specifying
 the price of labour at that time2 by   
reading an ,act of ,parliament passed in
 the #bdth year of ,,henry the ,,eighth2
 by reading these two ,acts1 and then   

reading the ,,chronicon ,,preciosum of  
,,bishop ,,fleetwood1 which shows the   
price of food in the former reign1 you  
come into full possession of the        
knowledge of what ,england was in former
 times4 ,divers books teach how the     
divisions of the country arose1 and how 
its great institutions were established2
 and the result of this reading is a    
store of knowledge1 which will afford   
you pleasure for the whole of your life4
  #gf4 ,history1 however1 is by no means
 the only thing about which every man's 
leisure furnishes him with the means of 
reading2 besides which1 every man has   
not the same taste4 ,poetry1 geography1 
moral essays1 the divers subjects of    
philosophy1 travels1 natural history1   
books on sciences2 and1 in short1 the   
whole range of book-knowledge is before 
you2 but there is one thing always to be
 guarded against2 and that is1 not to   
admire and applaud anything you read1   
merely because it is the fashion to     
admire and applaud it4 ,read1 consider  

well what you read1 form your own       
judgment1 and stand by that judgment in 
despite of the sayings of what are      
called learned men1 until fact or       
argument be offered to convince you of  
your error4 ,one writer praises another2
 and it is very possible for writers so 
to combine as to cry down and1 in some  
sort1 to destroy the reputation of any  
one who meddles with the combination1   
unless the person thus assailed be      
blessed with uncommon talent and        
uncommon perseverance4 ,when ,i read the
 works of ,,pope and of ,,swift1 ,i was 
greatly delighted with their lashing of 
,,dennis2 but wondered1 at the same     
time1 why they should have taken so much
 pains in running down such a fool4 ,by 
the merest accident in the world1 being 
at a tavern in the woods of ,america1 ,i
 took up an old book1 in order to pass  
away the time while my travelling       
companions were drinking in the next    
room2 but seeing the book contained the 
criticisms of ,,dennis1 ,i was about to 

lay it down1 when the play of ',,cato'  
caught my eye2 and having been          
accustomed to read books in which this  
play was lauded to the skies1 and       
knowing it to have been written by      
,,addison1 every line of whose works ,i 
had been taught to believe teemed with  
wisdom and genius1 ,i condescended to   
begin to read1 though the work was from 
the pen of that fool ,,dennis4 ,i read  
on1 and soon began to laugh1 not at     
,dennis1 but at ,addison4 ,i laughed so 
much and so loud1 that the landlord1 who
 was in the passage1 came in to see what
 ,i was laughing at4 ,in short1 ,i found
 it a most masterly production1 one of  
the most witty things that ,i had ever  
read in my life4 ,i was delighted with  
,,dennis1 and was heartily ashamed of my
 former admiration of ,,cato1 and felt  
no little resentment against ,,pope and 
,,swift for their endless reviling of   
this most able and witty critic4 ,this1 
as far as ,i recollect1 was the first   
emancipation that had assisted me in my 

reading4 ,i have1 since that time1 never
 taken any thing upon trust3 ,i have    
judged for myself1 trusting neither to  
the opinions of writers nor in the      
fashions of the day4 ,having been told  
by ,,dr4 ,,blair1 in his lectures on    
,rhetoric1 that1 if ,i meant to write   
correctly1 ,i must 'give my days and    
nights to ,,addison1' ,i read a few     
numbers of the ,spectator at the time ,i
 was writing my ,english ,grammar3 ,i   
gave neither my nights nor my days to   
him2 but ,i found an abundance of matter
 to afford examples of false grammar2   
and1 upon a reperusal1 ,i found that the
 criticisms of ,,dennis might have been 
extended to this book too4  #gg4 ,but   
that which never ought to have been     
forgotten by those who were men at the  
time1 and that which ought to be made   
known to every young man of the present 
day1 in order that he may be induced to 
exercise his own judgment with regard to
 books1 is1 the transactions relative to
 the writings of ,,shakspeare1 which    

transactions took place about thirty    
years ago4 ,it is still1 and it was then
 much more1 the practice to extol every 
line of ,,shakspeare to the skies3 not  
to admire ,,shakspeare has been deemed  
to be a proof of want of understanding  
and taste4 ,,mr4 ,,garrick1 and some    
others after him1 had their own good and
 profitable reasons for crying up the   
works of this poet4 ,when ,i was a very 
little boy1 there was a jubilee in      
honour of ,,shakspeare1 and as he was   
said to have planted a ,mulberry tree1  
boxes1 and other little ornamental      
things in wood1 were sold all over the  
country1 as having been made out of the 
trunk or limbs of this ancient and      
sacred tree4 ,we ,protestants laugh at  
the relics so highly prized by          
,catholics2 but never was a ,catholic   
people half so much duped by the relics 
of saints1 as this nation was by the    
mulberry tree1 of which1 probably1 more 
wood was sold than would have been      
sufficient in quantity to build a ship  

of war1 or a large house4 ,this madness 
abated for some years2 but1 towards the 
end of the last century it broke out    
again with more fury than ever4         
,,shakspeare',s works were published by 
,,boydell1 an ,alderman of ,london1 at a
 subscription of five hundred pounds for
 each copy1 accompanied by plates1 each 
forming a large picture4 ,amongst the   
mad men of the day was a ,,mr4          
,,ireland1 who seemed to be more mad    
than any of the rest4 ,his adoration of 
the poet led him to perform a pilgrimage
 to an old farm-house1 near             
,stratford-upon-,avon1 said to have been
 the birth-place of the poet4 ,arrived  
at the spot1 he requested the farmer and
 his wife to let him search the house   
for papers1 first going upon his knees1 
and praying1 in the poetic style1 the   
gods to aid him in his quest4 ,he found 
no papers2 but he found that the        
farmer's wife1 in clearing out a garret 
some years before1 had found some       
rubbishy old papers which she had burnt1

 and which had probably been papers used
 in the wrapping up of pigs' cheeks to  
keep them from the bats4 ',o1 wretched  
woman6' exclaimed he2 'do you know what 
you have done8' ',o dear1 no6' said the 
woman1 half frightened out of her wits3 
'no harm1 ,i hope2 for the papers were  
very old2 ,i dare say as old as the     
house itself4' ,this threw him into an  
additional degree of excitement1 as it  
is now fashionably called3 he raved1 he 
stamped1 he foamed1 and at last quitted 
the house1 covering the poor woman with 
very term of reproach2 and hastening    
back to ,stratford1 took post-chaise for
 ,london1 to relate to his brother      
madmen the horrible sacrilege of this   
heathenish woman4 ,unfortunately for    
,,mr4 ,,ireland1 unfortunately for his  
learned brothers in the metropolis1 and 
unfortunately for the reputation of     
,,shakspeare1 ,,mr4 ,,ireland took with 
him to the scene of his adoration a son1
 about sixteen years of age1 who was    
articled to an attorney in ,london4 ,the

 son was by no means so sharply bitten  
as the father2 and1 upon returning to   
town1 he conceived the idea of supplying
 the place of the invaluable papers     
which the farm-house heathen had        
destroyed4 ,he thought1 and he thought  
rightly1 that he should have little     
difficulty in writing plays just like   
those of ,shakspeare6 ,to get paper that
 should seem to have been made in the   
reign of ,,queen ,,elizabeth1 and ink   
that should give to writing the         
appearance of having the same age1 was  
somewhat difficult2 but both were       
overcome4 ,young ,,ireland was          
acquainted with a son of a bookseller1  
who dealt in old books3 the blank leaves
 of these books supplied the young      
author with paper2 and he found out the 
way of making proper ink for his        
purpose4 ,to work he went1 wrote several
 plays1 some love-letters1 and other    
things2 and having got a ,bible1 extant 
in the time of ,,shakspeare1 he wrote   
notes in the margin4 ,all these1        

together with sonnets in abundance1 and 
other little detached pieces1 he        
produced to his father1 telling him he  
got them from a gentleman1 who had made 
him swear that he would not divulge his 
name4 ,the father announced the         
invaluable discovery to the literary    
world3 the literary world rushed to him2
 the manuscripts were regarded as       
genuine by the most grave and learned   
,doctors1 some of whom 7and amongst     
these were ,,doctors ,,parr and         
,,warton7 gave1 under their hands1 an   
opinion1 that the manuscripts must have 
been written by ,,shakspeare2 for that  
no other man in the world could have    
been capable of writing them6  #gh4     
,,mr4 ,,ireland opened a subscription1  
published these new and invaluable      
manuscripts at an enormous price2 and   
preparations were instantly made for    
performing one of the plays1 called     
,,vortigern4 ,soon after the acting of  
the play1 the indiscretion of the lad   
caused the secret to explode2 and1      

instantly1 those who had declared that  
he had written as well as ,,shakspeare1 
did every thing in their power to       
destroy him6 ,the attorney drove him    
from his office2 the father drove him   
from his house2 and1 in short1 he was   
hunted down as if he had been a         
malefactor of the worst description4    
,the truth of this relation is          
undeniable2 it is recorded in numberless
 books4 ,the young man is1 ,i believe1  
yet alive2 and1 in short1 no man will   
question any one of the facts4  #gi4    
,after this1 where is the person of     
sense who will be guided in these       
matters by fashion8 where is the man1   
who wishes not to be deluded1 who will  
not1 when he has read a book1 judge for 
himself8 ,after all these jubilees and  
pilgrimages2 after ,,boydell',s         
subscription of #ejjl4 for one single   
copy2 after it had been deemed almost   
impiety to doubt of the genius of       
,,shakspeare surpassing that of all the 
rest of mankind2 after he had been      

called the ',immortal ,bard1' as a      
matter of course1 as we speak of ,,moses
 and ,,aaron1 there having been but one 
of each in the world2 after all this1   
comes a lad of sixteen years of age1    
writes that which learned ,doctors      
declare could have been written by no   
man but ,,shakspeare1 and1 when it is   
discovered that this laughing boy is the
 real author1 the ,,doctors turn round  
upon him1 with all the newspapers1      
magazines1 and reviews1 and1 of course1 
the public at their back1 revile him as 
an impostor2 and1 under that odious     
name1 hunt him out of society1 and doom 
him to starve6 ,this lesson1 at any     
rate1 he has given us3 not to rely on   
the judgment of ,doctors and other      
pretenders to literary superiority4     
,every young man1 when he takes up a    
book for the first time1 ought to       
remember this story2 and if he do       
remember it1 he will disregard fashion  
with regard to the book1 and will pay   
little attention to the decision of     

those who call themselves critics4  #hj4
 ,i hope that your taste would keep you 
aloof from the writings of those        
detestable villains1 who employ the     
powers of their mind in debauching the  
minds of others1 or in endeavours to do 
it4 ,they present their poison in such  
captivating forms1 that it requires     
great virtue and resolution to withstand
 their temptations2 and1 they have1     
perhaps1 done a thousand times as much  
mischief in the world as all the        
infidels and atheists put together4     
,these men ought to be called literary  
pimps3 they ought to be held in         
universal abhorrence1 and never spoken  
of but with execration4 ,any appeal to  
bad passions is to be despised2 any     
appeal to ignorance and prejudice2 but  
here is an appeal to the frailties of   
human nature1 and an endeavour to make  
the mind corrupt1 just as it is         
beginning to possess its powers4 ,i     
never have known any but bad men1       
worthless men1 men unworthy of any      

portion of respect1 who took delight in1
 or even kept in their possession1      
writings of the description to which ,i 
here allude4 ,the writings of ,,swift   
have this blemish2 and1 though he is not
 a teacher of lewdness1 but rather the  
contrary1 there are certain parts of his
 poems which are much too filthy for any
 decent person to read4 ,it was beneath 
him to stoop to such means of setting   
forth that wit which would have been far
 more brilliant without them4 ,i have   
heard1 that1 in the library of what is  
called an 'illustrious person1' sold    
some time ago1 there was an immense     
collection of books of this infamous    
description2 and from this circumstance1
 if from no other1 ,i should have formed
 my judgment of the character of that   
person4  #ha4 ,besides reading1 a young 
man ought to write1 if he have the      
capacity and the leisure4 ,if you wish  
to remember a thing well1 put it into   
writing1 even if you burn the paper     
immediately after you have done2 for the

 eye greatly assists the mind4 ,memory  
consists of a concatenation of ideas1   
the place1 the time1 and other          
circumstances1 lead to the recollection 
of facts2 and no circumstance more      
effectually than stating the facts upon 
paper4 ,a ,,journal should be kept by   
every young man4 ,put down something    
against every day in the year1 if it be 
merely a description of the weather4    
,you will not have done this for one    
year without finding the benefit of it4 
,it disburthens the mind of many things 
to be recollected2 it is amusing and    
useful1 and ought by no means to be     
neglected4 ,how often does it happen    
that we cannot make a statement of      
facts1 sometimes very interesting to    
ourselves and our friends1 for the want 
of a record of the places where we were1
 and of things that occurred on such and
 such a day6 ,how often does it happen  
that we get into disagreeable disputes  
about things that have passed1 and about
 the time and other circumstances       

attending them6 ,as a thing of mere     
curiosity1 it is of some value1 and may 
frequently prove of very great utility4 
,it demands not more than a minute in   
the twenty-four hours2 and that minute  
is most agreeably and advantageously    
employed4 ,it tends greatly to produce  
regularity in the conducting of affairs3
 it is a thing demanding a small portion
 of attention once in every day2 ,i     
myself have found it to be attended with
 great and numerous benefits1 and ,i    
therefore strongly recommend it to the  
practice of every reader4     ,,letter  
,,iii  ,,to ,a ,,lover  #hb4 ,there are 
two descriptions of ,lovers on whom all 
advice would be wasted2 namely1 those in
 whose minds passion so wholly          
overpowers reason as to deprive the     
party of his sober senses4 ,few people  
are entitled to more compassion than    
young men thus affected3 it is a species
 of insanity that assails them2 and1    
when it produces self-destruction1 which
 it does in ,england more frequently    

than in all the other countries in the  
world put together1 the mortal remains  
of the sufferer ought to be dealt with  
in as tender a manner as that of which  
the most merciful construction of the   
law will allow4 ,if ,,sir ,,samuel      
,,romilly',s remains were1 as they were1
 in fact1 treated as those of a person  
labouring under 'temporary mental       
derangement1' surely the youth who      
destroys his life on account of         
unrequited love1 ought to be considered 
in as mild a light6 ,,sir ,,samuel was  
represented1 in the evidence taken      
before the ,coroner's ,jury1 to have    
been inconsolable for the loss of his   
wife2 that this loss had so dreadful an 
effect upon his mind1 that it bereft him
 of his reason1 made life insupportable1
 and led him to commit the act of       
suicide3 and1 on this ground alone1 his 
remains and his estate were rescued from
 the awful1 though just and wise1       
sentence of the law4 ,but1 unfortunately
 for the reputation of the              

administration of that just and wise    
law1 there had been1 only about two     
years before1 a poor man1 at            
,manchester1 buried in crossroads1 and  
under circumstances which entitled his  
remains to mercy much more clearly than 
in the case of ,,sir ,,samuel ,,romilly4
  #hc4 ,this unfortunate youth1 whose   
name was ,,smith1 and who was a         
shoemaker1 was in love with a young     
woman1 who1 in spite of all his         
importunities and his proofs of ardent  
passion1 refused to marry him1 and even 
discovered her liking for another2 and  
he1 unable to support life1 accompanied 
by the thought of her being in          
possession of any body but himself1 put 
an end to his life by the means of a    
rope4 ,if1 in any case1 we are to       
presume the existence of insanity2 if1  
in any case1 we are led to believe the  
thing without positive proof2 if1 in any
 case1 there can be an apology in human 
nature itself1 for such an act2 this was
 that case4 ,we all know 7as ,i observed

 at the time72 that is to say1 all of us
 who cannot wait to calculate upon the  
gains and losses of the affair2 all of  
us1 except those who are endowed with   
this provident frigidity1 know well what
 youthful love is2 and what its torments
 are1 when accompanied by even the      
smallest portion of jealousy4 ,every    
man1 and especially every ,englishman   
7for here we seldom love or hate by     
halves71 will recollect how many mad    
pranks he has played2 how many wild and 
ridiculous things he has said and done  
between the age of sixteen and that of  
twenty-two2 how many times a kind glance
 has scattered all his reasoning and    
resolutions to the winds2 how many times
 a cool look has plunged him into the   
deepest misery6 ,poor ,,smith1 who was  
at this age of love and madness1 might1 
surely1 be presumed to have done the    
deed in a moment of 'temporary mental   
derangement4' ,he was an object of      
compassion in every humane breast3 he   
had parents and brethren and kindred and

 friends to lament his death1 and to    
feel shame at the disgrace inflicted on 
his lifeless body3 yet1 ,,he was        
pronounced to be a felo de se1 or       
self-murderer1 and his body was put into
 a hole by the way-side1 with a stake   
driven down through it2 while that of   
,,romilly had mercy extended to it1 on  
the ground that the act had been        
occasioned by 'temporary mental         
derangement' caused by his grief for the
 death of his wife6  #hd4 ,to reason    
with passion like that of the           
unfortunate ,,smith1 is perfectly       
useless2 you may1 with as much chance of
 success1 reason and remonstrate with   
the winds or the waves3 if you make     
impression1 it lasts but for a moment3  
your effort1 like an inadequate stoppage
 of waters1 only adds1 in the end1 to   
the violence of the torrent3 the current
 must have and will have its course1 be 
the consequences what they may4 ,in     
cases not quite so decided1 absence1 the
 sight of new faces1 the sound of new   

voices1 generally serve1 if not as a    
radical cure1 as a mitigation1 at least1
 of the disease4 ,but1 the worst of it  
is1 that1 on this point1 we have the    
girls 7and women too7 against us6 ,for  
they look upon it as right that every   
lover should be a little maddish2 and1  
every attempt to rescue him from the    
thraldom imposed by their charms1 they  
look upon as an overt act of treason    
against their natural sovereignty4 ,no  
girl ever liked a young man less for his
 having done things foolish and wild and
 ridiculous1 provided she was sure that 
love of her had been the cause3 let her 
but be satisfied upon this score1 and   
there are very few things which she will
 not forgive4 ,and1 though wholly       
unconscious of the fact1 she is a great 
and sound philosopher after all4 ,for1  
from the nature of things1 the rearing  
of a family always has been1 is1 and    
must ever be1 attended with cares and   
troubles1 which must infallibly produce1
 at times1 feelings to be combated and  

overcome by nothing short of that ardent
 affection which first brought the      
parties together4 ,so that1 talk as long
 as ,parson ,,malthus likes about 'moral
 restraint2' and report as long as the  
,committees of ,parliament please about 
preventing 'premature and improvident   
marriages' amongst the labouring        
classes1 the passion that they would    
restrain1 while it is necessary to the  
existence of mankind1 is the greatest of
 all the compensations for the          
inevitable cares1 troubles1 hardships1  
and sorrows of life2 and1 as to the     
marriages1 if they could once be        
rendered universally provident1 every   
generous sentiment would quickly be     
banished from the world4  #he4 ,the     
other description of lovers1 with whom  
it is useless to reason1 are those who  
love according to the rules of          
arithmetic1 or who measure their        
matrimonial expectations by the chain of
 the land-surveyor4 ,these are not love 
and marriage2 they are bargain and sale4

 ,young men will naturally1 and almost  
necessarily1 fix their choice on young  
women in their own rank in life2 because
 from habit and intercourse they will   
know them best4 ,but1 if the length of  
the girl's purse1 present or contingent1
 be a consideration with the man1 or the
 length of his purse1 present or        
contingent1 be a consideration with her1
 it is an affair of bargain and sale4 ,i
 know that kings1 princes1 and          
princesses are1 in respect of marriage1 
restrained by the law3 ,i know that     
nobles1 if not thus restrained by       
positive law1 are restrained1 in fact1  
by the very nature of their order4 ,and 
here is a disadvantage which1 as far as 
real enjoyment of life is concerned1    
more than counterbalances all the       
advantages that they possess over the   
rest of the community4 ,this            
disadvantage1 generally speaking1       
pursues rank and riches downwards1 till 
you approach very nearly to that        
numerous class who live by manual       

labour1 becoming1 however1 less and less
 as you descend4 ,you generally find    
even very vulgar rich men making a      
sacrifice of their natural and rational 
taste to their mean and ridiculous      
pride1 and thereby providing for        
themselves an ample supply of misery for
 life4 ,by preferring 'provident        
marriages' to marriages of love1 they   
think to secure themselves against all  
the evils of poverty2 but1 if poverty   
come1 and come it may1 and frequently   
does1 in spite of the best laid plans1  
and best modes of conduct2 if poverty   
come1 then where is the counterbalance  
for that ardent mutual affection1 which 
troubles1 and losses1 and crosses always
 increase rather than diminish1 and     
which1 amidst all the calamities that   
can befall a man1 whispers to his heart1
 that his best possession is still left 
him unimpaired8 ,the ,,worcestershire   
,,baronet1 who has had to endure the    
sneers of fools on account of his       
marriage with a beautiful and virtuous  

servant maid1 would1 were the present   
ruinous measures of the ,government to  
drive him from his mansion to a cottage1
 still have a source of happiness2 while
 many of those1 who might fall in       
company with him1 would1 in addition to 
all their other troubles1 have1 perhaps1
 to endure the reproaches of wives to   
whom poverty1 or even humble life1 would
 be insupportable4  #hf4 ,if marrying   
for the sake of money be1 under any     
circumstances1 despicable1 if not       
disgraceful2 if it be1 generally        
speaking1 a species of legal            
prostitution1 only a little less        
shameful than that which1 under some    
governments1 is openly licensed for the 
sake of a tax2 if this be the case      
generally1 what ought to be said of a   
young man1 who1 in the heyday of youth1 
should couple himself on to a libidinous
 woman1 old enough1 perhaps1 to be his  
grandmother1 ugly as the nightmare1     
offensive alike to the sight and the    
smell1 and who should pretend to love   

her too3 and all this merely for the    
sake of her money8 ,why1 it ought1 and  
it1 doubtless1 would be said of him1    
that his conduct was a libel on both man
 and womankind2 that his name ought1 for
 ever1 to be synonymous with baseness   
and nastiness1 and that in no age and in
 no nation1 not marked by a general     
depravity of manners1 and total absence 
of all sense of shame1 every associate1 
male or female1 of such a man1 or of his
 filthy mate1 would be held in          
abhorrence4 ,public morality would drive
 such a hateful pair from society1 and  
strict justice would hunt them from the 
face of the earth4  #hg4 ,,buonaparte   
could not be said to marry for money1   
but his motive was little better4 ,it   
was for dominion1 for power1 for        
ambition1 and that1 too1 of the most    
contemptible kind4 ,i knew an ,american 
,gentleman1 with whom ,,buonaparte had  
always been a great favourite2 but the  
moment the news arrived of his divorce  
and second marriage1 he gave him up4    

,this piece of grand prostitution was   
too much to be defended4 ,and the truth 
is1 that ,,buonaparte might have dated  
his decline from the day of that        
marriage4 ,my ,american friend said1    
',if ,i had been he1 ,i would1 in the   
first place1 have married the poorest   
and prettiest girl in all ,france4' ,if 
he had done this1 he would1 in all      
probability1 have now been on an        
imperial throne1 instead of being eaten 
by worms at the bottom of a very deep   
hole in ,saint ,helena2 whence1 however1
 his bones convey to the world the      
moral1 that to marry for money1 for     
ambition1 or from any motive other than 
the one pointed out by affection1 is not
 the road to glory1 to happiness1 or to 
peace4  #hh4 ,let me now turn from these
 two descriptions of lovers1 with whom  
it is useless to reason1 and address    
myself to you1 my reader1 whom ,i       
suppose to be a real lover1 but not so  
smitten as to be bereft of your reason4 
,you should never forget1 that marriage1

 which is a state that every young      
person ought to have in view1 is a thing
 to last for life2 and that1 generally  
speaking1 it is to make life happy1 or  
miserable2 for1 though a man may bring  
his mind to something nearly a state of 
indifference1 even that is misery1      
except with those who can hardly be     
reckoned amongst sensitive beings4      
,marriage brings numerous cares1 which  
are amply compensated by the more       
numerous delights which are their       
companions4 ,but to have the delights1  
as well as the cares1 the choice of the 
partner must be fortunate4 ,i say       
fortunate2 for1 after all1 love1 real   
love1 impassioned affection1 is an      
ingredient so absolutely necessary1 that
 no perfect reliance can be placed on   
the judgment4 ,yet1 the judgment may do 
something2 reason may have some         
influence2 and1 therefore1 ,i here offer
 you my advice with regard to the       
exercise of that reason4  #hi4 ,the     
things which you ought to desire in a   

wife are1 #a4 ,chastity2 #b4 sobriety2  
#c4 industry2 #d4 frugality2 #e4        
cleanliness2 #f4 knowledge of domestic  
affairs2 #g4 good temper2 #h4 beauty4   
#ij4 ,,chastity1 perfect modesty1 in    
word1 deed1 and even thought1 is so     
essential1 that1 without it1 no female  
is fit to be a wife4 ,it is not enough  
that a young woman abstain from         
everything approaching towards indecorum
 in her behaviour towards men2 it is1   
with me1 not enough that she cast down  
her eyes1 or turn aside her head with a 
smile1 when she hears an indelicate     
allusion3 she ought to appear not to    
understand it1 and to receive from it no
 more impression than if she were a     
post4 ,a loose woman is a disagreeable  
acquaintance3 what must she be1 then1 as
 a wife8 ,love is so blind1 and vanity  
is so busy in persuading us that our own
 qualities will be sufficient to ensure 
fidelity1 that we are very apt to think 
nothing1 or1 at any rate1 very little1  
of trifling symptoms of levity2 but if  

such symptoms show themselves now1 we   
may be well assured1 that we shall never
 possess the power of effecting a cure4 
,if prudery mean false modesty1 it is to
 be despised2 but if it mean modesty    
pushed to the utmost extent1 ,i confess 
that ,i like it4 ,your 'free and hearty'
 girls ,i have liked very well to talk  
and laugh with2 but never1 for one      
moment1 did it enter into my mind that  
,i could have endured a 'free and       
hearty' girl for a wife4 ,the thing is1 
,i repeat1 to last for life2 it is to be
 a counterbalance for troubles and      
misfortunes2 and it must1 therefore1 be 
perfect1 or it had better not be at all4
 ,to say that one despises jealousy is  
foolish2 it is a thing to be lamented2  
but the very elements of it ought to be 
avoided4 ,gross indeed is the beast1 for
 he is unworthy of the name of man2     
nasty indeed is the wretch1 who can even
 entertain the thought of putting       
himself between a pair of sheets with a 
wife of whose infidelity he possesses   

the proof2 but1 in such cases1 a man    
ought to be very slow to believe        
appearances2 and he ought not to decide 
against his wife but upon the clearest  
proof4 ,the last1 and1 indeed1 the only 
effectual safeguard is1 to begin well2  
to make a good choice2 to let the       
beginning be such as to render          
infidelity and jealousy next to         
impossible4 ,if you begin in grossness2 
if you couple yourself on to one with   
whom you have taken liberties1          
infidelity is the natural and just      
consequence4 ,when a ,peer of the realm1
 who had not been over-fortunate in his 
matrimonial affairs1 was urging ,,major 
,,cartwright to seek for nothing more   
than 'moderate reform1' the ,major      
7forgetting the domestic circumstances  
of his ,lordship7 asked him how he      
should relish 'moderate chastity' in a  
wife6 ,the bare use of the two words1   
thus coupled together1 is sufficient to 
excite disgust4 ,yet with this 'moderate
 chastity' you must be1 and ought to be1

 content1 if you have entered into      
marriage with one1 in whom you have ever
 discovered the slightest approach      
towards lewdness1 either in deeds1      
words1 or looks4 ,to marry has been your
 own act2 you have made the contract for
 your own gratification2 you knew the   
character of the other party2 and the   
children1 if any1 or the community1 are 
not to be the sufferers for your gross  
and corrupt passion4 ',moderate         
chastity' is all that you have1 in fact1
 contracted for3 you have it1 and you   
have no reason to complain4 ,when ,i    
come to address myself to the husband1  
,i shall have to say more upon this     
subject1 which ,i dismiss for the       
present with observing1 that my         
observation has convinced me1 that1 when
 families are rendered unhappy from the 
existence of 'moderate chastity1' the   
fault1 first or last1 has been in the   
man1 ninety-nine times out of every     
hundred4  #ia4 ,,sobriety4 ,by sobriety 
,i do not mean merely an absence of     

drinking to a state of intoxication2    
for1 if that be hateful in a man1 what  
must it be in a woman6 ,there is a      
,latin proverb1 which says1 that wine1  
that is to say1 intoxication1 brings    
forth truth4 ,whatever it may do in this
 way1 in men1 in women it is sure1      
unless prevented by age or by salutary  
ugliness1 to produce a moderate1 and a  
very moderate1 portion of chastity4     
,there never was a drunken woman1 a     
woman who loved strong drink1 who was   
chaste1 if the opportunity of being the 
contrary presented itself to her4 ,there
 are cases where health requires wine1  
and even small portions of more ardent  
liquor2 but 7reserving what ,i have     
further to say on this point1 till ,i   
come to the conduct of the husband7     
young unmarried women can seldom stand  
in need of these stimulants2 and1 at any
 rate1 only in cases of well-known      
definite ailments4 ,wine6 'only a glass 
or two of wine at dinner1 or so'6 ,as   
soon as have married a girl whom ,i had 

thought liable to be persuaded to drink1
 habitually1 'only a glass or two of    
wine at dinner1 or so2' as soon as have 
married such a girl1 ,i would have taken
 a strumpet from the streets4 ,and it   
has not required age to give me this way
 of thinking3 it has always been rooted 
in my mind from the moment that ,i began
 to think the girls prettier than posts4
 ,there are few things so disgusting as 
a guzzling woman4 ,a gormandizing one is
 bad enough2 but1 one who tips off the  
liquor with an appetite1 and exclaims   
'good6 good6' by a smack of her lips1 is
 fit for nothing but a brothel4 ,there  
may be cases1 amongst the hard-labouring
 women1 such as reapers1 for instance1  
especially when they have children at   
the breast2 there may be cases1 where   
very hard-working women may stand in    
need of a little good beer2 beer1 which1
 if taken in immoderate quantities1     
would produce intoxication4 ,but1 while 
,i only allow the possibility of the    
existence of such cases1 ,i deny the    

necessity of any strong drink at all in 
every other case4 ,yet1 in this         
metropolis1 it is the general custom for
 tradesmen1 journeymen1 and even        
labourers1 to have regularly on their   
tables the big brewers' poison1 twice in
 every day1 and at the rate of not less 
than a pot to a person1 women1 as well  
as men1 as the allowance for the day4 ,a
 pot of poison a day1 at fivepence the  
pot1 amounts to seven pounds and two    
shillings in the year6 ,man and wife    
suck down1 in this way1 fourteen pounds 
four shillings a year6 ,is it any wonder
 that they are clad in rags1 that they  
are skin and bone1 and that their       
children are covered with filth8  #ib4  
,but by the word ,,sobriety1 in a young 
woman1 ,i mean a great deal more than   
even a rigid abstinence from that love  
of drink1 which ,i am not to suppose1   
and which ,i do not believe1 to exist   
any thing like generally amongst the    
young women of this country4 ,i mean a  
great deal more than this2 ,i mean      

sobriety of conduct4 ,the word sober1   
and its derivatives1 do not confine     
themselves to matters of drink3 they    
express steadiness1 seriousness1        
carefulness1 scrupulous propriety of    
conduct2 and they are thus used amongst 
country people in many parts of         
,england4 ,when a ,somersetshire fellow 
makes too free with a girl1 she reproves
 him with1 ',come6 be sober6' ,and when 
we wish a team1 or any thing1 to be     
moved on steadily and with great care1  
we cry out to the carter1 or other      
operator1 ',soberly1 soberly4' ,now1    
this species of sobriety is a great     
qualification in the person you mean to 
make your wife4 ,skipping1 capering1    
romping1 rattling girls are very amusing
 where all costs and other consequences 
are out of the question2 and they may   
become sober in the ,somersetshire sense
 of the word4 ,but while you have no    
certainty of this1 you have a           
presumptive argument on the other side4 
,to be sure1 when girls are mere        

children1 they are to play and romp like
 children4 ,but1 when they arrive at    
that age which turns their thoughts     
towards that sort of connexion which is 
to be theirs for life2 when they begin  
to think of having the command of a     
house1 however small or poor1 it is time
 for them to cast away the levity of the
 child4 ,it is natural1 nor is it very  
wrong1 that ,i know of1 for children to 
like to gad about and to see all sorts  
of strange sights1 though ,i do not     
approve of this even in children3 but1  
if ,i could not have found a young woman
 7and ,i am sure ,i never should have   
married an old one7 who ,i was not sure 
possessed all the qualities expressed by
 the word sobriety1 ,i should have      
remained a bachelor to the end of that  
life1 which1 in that case1 would1 ,i am 
satisfied1 have terminated without my   
having performed a thousandth part of   
those labours which have been1 and are1 
in spite of all political prejudice1 the
 wonder of all who have seen1 or heard  

of1 them4 ,scores of gentlemen have1 at 
different times1 expressed to me their  
surprise1 that ,i was 'always in        
spirits2' that nothing pulled me down2  
and the truth is1 that1 throughout      
nearly forty years of troubles1 losses1 
and crosses1 assailed all the while by  
more numerous and powerful enemies than 
ever man had before to contend with1 and
 performing1 at the same time1 labours  
greater than man ever before performed2 
all those labours requiring mental      
exertion1 and some of them mental       
exertion of the highest order2 the truth
 is1 that1 throughout the whole of this 
long time of troubles and of labours1 ,i
 have never known a single hour of real 
anxiety2 the troubles have been no      
troubles to me2 ,i have not known what  
lowness of spirits meaned2 have been    
more gay1 and felt less care1 than any  
bachelor that ever lived4 ',you are     
always in spirits1 ,cobbett6' ,to be    
sure2 for why should ,i not8 ,poverty ,i
 have always set at defiance1 and ,i    

could1 therefore1 defy the temptations  
of riches2 and1 as to home and children1
 ,i had taken care to provide myself    
with an inexhaustible store of that     
'sobriety1' which ,i am so strongly     
recommending my reader to provide       
himself with2 or1 if he cannot do that1 
to deliberate long before he ventures on
 the life-enduring matrimonial voyage4  
,this sobriety is a title to            
trust-worthiness2 and this1 young man1  
is the treasure that you ought to prize 
far above all others4 ,miserable is the 
husband1 who1 when he crosses the       
threshold of his house1 carries with him
 doubts and fears and suspicions4 ,i do 
not mean suspicions of the fidelity of  
his wife1 but of her care1 frugality1   
attention to his interests1 and to the  
health and morals of his children4      
,miserable is the man1 who cannot leave 
all unlocked1 and who is not sure1 quite
 certain1 that all is as safe as if     
grasped in his own hand4 ,he is the     
happy husband1 who can go away1 at a    

moment's warning1 leaving his house and 
his family with as little anxiety as he 
quits an inn1 not more fearing to find1 
on his return1 any thing wrong1 than he 
would fear a discontinuance of the      
rising and setting of the sun1 and if1  
as in my case1 leaving books and papers 
all lying about at sixes and sevens1    
finding them arranged in proper order1  
and the room1 during the lucky interval1
 freed from the effects of his and his  
ploughman's or gardener's dirty shoes4  
,such a man has no real cares2 such a   
man has no troubles2 and this is the    
sort of life that ,i have led4 ,i have  
had all the numerous and indescribable  
delights of home and children1 and1 at  
the same time1 all the bachelor's       
freedom from domestic cares3 and to this
 cause1 far more than to any other1 my  
readers owe those labours1 which ,i     
never could have performed1 if even the 
slightest degree of want of confidence  
at home had ever once entered into my   
mind4  #ic4 ,but1 in order to possess   

this precious trust-worthiness1 you     
must1 if you can1 exercise your reason  
in the choice of your partner4 ,if she  
be vain of her person1 very fond of     
dress1 fond of flattery1 at all given to
 gadding about1 fond of what are called 
parties of pleasure1 or coquetish1      
though in the least degree2 if either of
 these1 she never will be trust-worthy2 
worthy2 she cannot change her nature2   
and if you marry her1 you will be unjust
 if you expect trust-worthiness at her  
hands4 ,but1 besides this1 even if you  
find in her that innate 'sobriety' of   
which ,i have been speaking1 there      
requires on your part1 and that at once 
too1 confidence and trust without any   
limit4 ,confidence is1 in this case1    
nothing unless it be reciprocal4 ,to    
have a trust-worthy wife1 you must begin
 by showing her1 even before you are    
married1 that you have no suspicions1 no
 fears1 no doubts1 with regard to her4  
,many a man has been discarded by a     
virtuous girl1 merely on account of his 

querulous conduct4 ,all women despise   
jealous men2 and1 if they marry such    
their motive is other than that of      
affection4 ,therefore1 begin by proofs  
of unlimited confidence2 and1 as example
 may serve to assist precept1 and as ,i 
never have preached that which ,i have  
not practised1 ,i will give you the     
history of my own conduct in this       
respect4  #id4 ,when ,i first saw my    
wife1 she was thirteen years old1 and ,i
 was within about a month of twenty-one4
 ,she was the daughter of a ,serjeant of
 artillery1 and ,i was the              
,serjeant-,major of a regiment of foot1 
both stationed in forts near the city of
 ,st4 ,john1 in the ,province of        
,new-,brunswick4 ,i sat in the same room
 with her1 for about an hour1 in company
 with others1 and ,i made up my mind    
that she was the very girl for me4 ,that
 ,i thought her beautiful is certain1   
for that ,i had always said should be an
 indispensable qualification2 but ,i saw
 in her what ,i deemed marks of that    

sobriety of conduct of which ,i have    
said so much1 and which has been by far 
the greatest blessing of my life4 ,it   
was now dead of winter1 and1 of course1 
the snow several feet deep on the       
ground1 and the weather piercing cold4  
,it was my habit1 when ,i had done my   
morning's writing1 to go out at break of
 day to take a walk on a hill at the    
foot of which our barracks lay4 ,in     
about three mornings after ,i had first 
seen her1 ,i had1 by an invitation to   
breakfast with me1 got up two young men 
to join me in my walk2 and our road lay 
by the house of her father and mother4  
,it was hardly light1 but she was out on
 the snow1 scrubbing out a washing-tub4 
',that's the girl for me1' said ,i1 when
 we had got out of her hearing4 ,one of 
these young men came to ,england soon   
afterwards2 and he1 who keeps an inn in 
,yorkshire1 came over to ,preston1 at   
the time of the election1 to verify     
whether ,i were the same man4 ,when he  
found that ,i was1 he appeared          

surprised2 but what was his surprise1   
when ,i told him that those tall young  
men1 whom he saw around me1 were the    
sons of that pretty little girl that he 
and ,i saw scrubbing out the washing-tub
 on the snow in ,new-,brunswick at      
day-break in the morning6  #ie4 ,from   
the day that ,i first spoke to her1 ,i  
never had a thought of her ever being   
the wife of any other man1 more than ,i 
had a thought of her being transformed  
into a chest of drawers2 and ,i formed  
my resolution at once1 to marry her as  
soon as we could get permission1 and to 
get out of the army as soon as ,i could4
 ,so that this matter was1 at once1     
settled as firmly as if written in the  
book of fate4 ,at the end of about six  
months1 my regiment1 and ,i along with  
it1 were removed to ,,frederickton1 a   
distance of a hundred miles1 up the     
river of ,,st4 ,,john2 and1 which was   
worse1 the artillery were expected to go
 off to ,england a year or two before   
our regiment6 ,the artillery went1 and  

she along with them2 and now it was that
 ,i acted a part becoming a real and    
sensible lover4 ,i was aware1 that1 when
 she got to that gay place ,,woolwich1  
the house of her father and mother1     
necessarily visited by numerous persons 
not the most select1 might become       
unpleasant to her1 and ,i did not like1 
besides1 that she should continue to    
work hard4 ,i had saved a hundred and   
fifty guineas1 the earnings of my early 
hours1 in writing for the paymaster1 the
 quartermaster1 and others1 in addition 
to the savings of my own pay4 ,i sent   
her all my money1 before she sailed2 and
 wrote to her to beg of her1 if she     
found her home uncomfortable1 to hire a 
lodging with respectable people3 and1 at
 any rate1 not to spare the money1 by   
any means1 but to buy herself good      
clothes1 and to live without hard work1 
until ,i arrived in ,england2 and ,i1 in
 order to induce her to lay out the     
money1 told her that ,i should get      
plenty more before ,i came home4  #if4  

,as the malignity of the devil would    
have it1 we were kept abroad two years  
longer than our time1 ,mr4 ,,pitt       
7,england not being so tame then as she 
is now7 having knocked up a dust with   
,spain about ,nootka ,sound4 ,oh1 how ,i
 cursed ,nootka ,sound1 and poor bawling
 ,pitt too1 ,i am afraid6 ,at the end of
 four years1 however1 home ,i came2     
landed at ,portsmouth1 and got my       
discharge from the army by the great    
kindness of poor ,,lord ,,edward        
,,fitzgerald1 who was then the ,major of
 my regiment4 ,i found my little girl a 
servant of all work 7and hard work it   
was71 at five pounds a year1 in the     
house of a ,,captain ,,brisac2 and1     
without hardly saying a word about the  
matter1 she put into my hands the whole 
of my hundred and fifty guineas         
unbroken6  #ig4 ,need ,i tell the reader
 what my feelings were8 ,need ,i tell   
kind-hearted ,english parents what      
effect this anecdote must have produced 
on the minds of our children8 ,need ,i  

attempt to describe what effect this    
example ought to have on every young    
woman who shall do me the honour to read
 this book8 ,admiration of her conduct1 
and self-gratulation on this indubitable
 proof of the soundness of my own       
judgment1 were now added to my love of  
her beautiful person4  #ih4 ,now1 ,i do 
not say that there are not many young   
women of this country who would1 under  
similar circumstances1 have acted as my 
wife did in this case2 on the contrary1 
,i hope1 and do sincerely believe1 that 
there are4 ,but when her age is         
considered2 when we reflect1 that she   
was living in a place crowded1 literally
 crowded1 with gaily-dressed and        
handsome young men1 many of whom really 
far richer and in higher rank than ,i   
was1 and scores of them ready to offer  
her their hand2 when we reflect that she
 was living amongst young women who put 
upon their backs every shilling that    
they could come at2 when we see her     
keeping the bag of gold untouched1 and  

working hard to provide herself with but
 mere necessary apparel1 and doing this 
while she was passing from fourteen to  
eighteen years of age2 when we view the 
whole of the circumstances1 we must say 
that here is an example1 which1 while it
 reflects honour on her sex1 ought to   
have weight with every young woman whose
 eyes or ears this relation shall reach4
  #ii4 ,if any young man imagine1 that  
this great sobriety of conduct in young 
women must be accompanied with          
seriousness approaching to gloom1 he is1
 according to my experience and         
observation1 very much deceived4 ,the   
contrary is the fact2 for ,i have found 
that as1 amongst men1 your jovial       
companions are1 except over the bottle1 
the dullest and most insipid of souls2  
so amongst women1 the gay1 rattling1 and
 laughing1 are1 unless some party of    
pleasure1 or something out of domestic  
life1 is going on1 generally in the     
dumps and blue-devils4 ,some stimulus is
 always craved after by this description

 of women2 some sight to be seen1       
something to see or hear other than what
 is to be found at home1 which1 as it   
affords no incitement1 nothing 'to raise
 and keep up the spirits'1 is looked    
upon merely as a place to be at for want
 of a better2 merely a place for eating 
and drinking1 and the like2 merely a    
biding place1 whence to sally in search 
of enjoyments4 ,a greater curse than a  
wife of this description1 it would be   
somewhat difficult to find2 and1 in your
 character of ,lover1 you are to provide
 against it4 ,i hate a dull1 melancholy1
 moping thing3 ,i could not have existed
 in the same house with such a thing for
 a single month4 ,the mopers are1 too1  
all giggle at other times3 the gaiety is
 for others1 and the moping for the     
husband1 to comfort him1 happy man1 when
 he is alone3 plenty of smiles and of   
badinage for others1 and for him to     
participate with others2 but the moping 
is reserved exclusively for him4 ,one   
hour she is capering about1 as if       

rehearsing a jig2 and1 the next1 sighing
 to the motion of a lazy needle1 or     
weeping over a novel and this is called 
sentiment6 ,music1 indeed6 ,give me a   
mother singing to her clean and fat and 
rosy baby1 and making the house ring    
with her extravagant and hyperbolical   
encomiums on it4 ,that is the music     
which is 'the food of love2' and not the
 formal1 pedantic noises1 an affectation
 of skill in which is now-a-days the    
ruin of half the young couples in the   
middle rank of life4 ,let any man       
observe1 as ,i so frequently have1 with 
delight1 the excessive fondness of the  
labouring people for their children4    
,let him observe with what pride they   
dress them out on a ,sunday1 with means 
deducted from their own scanty meals4   
,let him observe the husband1 who has   
toiled all the week like a horse1       
nursing the baby1 while the wife is     
preparing the bit of dinner4 ,let him   
observe them both abstaining from a     
sufficiency1 lest the children should   

feel the pinchings of hunger4 ,let him  
observe1 in short1 the whole of their   
demeanour1 the real mutual affection1   
evinced1 not in words1 but in           
unequivocal deeds4 ,let him observe     
these things1 and1 having then cast a   
look at the lives of the great and      
wealthy1 he will say1 with me1 that1    
when a man is choosing his partner for  
life1 the dread of poverty ought to be  
cast to the winds4 ,a labourer's        
cottage1 on a ,sunday2 the husband or   
wife having a baby in arms1 looking at  
two or three older ones playing between 
the flower-borders going from the wicket
 to the door1 is1 according to my taste1
 the most interesting object that eyes  
ever beheld2 and1 it is an object to be 
beheld in no country upon earth but     
,england4 ,in ,france1 a labourer's     
cottage means a shed with a dung-heap   
before the door2 and it means much about
 the same in ,america1 where it is      
wholly inexcusable4 ,in riding once1    
about five years ago1 from ,petworth to 

,horsham1 on a ,sunday in the afternoon1
 ,i came to a solitary cottage which    
stood at about twenty yards distance    
from the road4 ,there was the wife with 
the baby in her arms1 the husband       
teaching another child to walk1 while   
four more were at play before them4 ,i  
stopped and looked at them for some     
time1 and then1 turning my horse1 rode  
up to the wicket1 getting into talk by  
asking the distance to ,horsham4 ,i     
found that the man worked chiefly in the
 woods1 and that he was doing pretty    
well4 ,the wife was then only           
twenty-two1 and the man only            
twenty-five4 ,she was a pretty woman1   
even for ,sussex1 which1 not excepting  
,lancashire1 contains the prettiest     
women in ,england4 ,he was a very fine  
and stout young man4 ',why1' said ,i1   
'how many children do you reckon to have
 at last8' ',i do not care how many1'   
said the man3 ',god never sends mouths  
without sending meat4' ',did you ever   
hear1' said ,i1 'of one ,,parson        

,,malthus8' ',no1 sir4' ',why1 if he    
were to hear of your works1 he would be 
outrageous2 for he wants an act of      
parliament to prevent poor people from  
marrying young1 and from having such    
lots of children4' ',oh6 the brute6'    
exclaimed the wife2 while the husband   
laughed1 thinking that ,i was joking4 ,i
 asked the man whether he had ever had  
relief from the parish2 and upon his    
answering in the negative1 ,i took out  
my purse1 took from it enough to bait my
 horse at ,horsham1 and to clear my     
turnpikes to ,,worth1 whither ,i was    
going in order to stay awhile1 and gave 
him all the rest4 ,now1 is it not a     
shame1 is it not a sin of all sins1 that
 people like these should1 by acts of   
the government1 be reduced to such      
misery as to be induced to abandon their
 homes and their country1 to seek1 in a 
foreign land1 the means of preventing   
themselves and their children from      
starving8 ,and this has been1 and now   
is1 actually the case with many such    

families in this same county of ,sussex6
  #ajj4 ,an ardent-minded young man     
7who1 by-the-by1 will1 as ,i am afraid1 
have been wearied by this rambling      
digression7 may fear1 that this great   
sobriety of conduct in a young woman1   
for which ,i have been so strenuously   
contending1 argues a want of that       
warmth1 which he naturally so much      
desires2 and1 if my observation and     
experience warranted the entertaining of
 this fear1 ,i should say1 had ,i to    
live my life over again1 give me the    
warmth1 and ,i will stand my chance as  
to the rest4 ,but1 this observation and 
this experience tell me the contrary2   
they tell me that levity is1 ninety-nine
 times out of a hundred1 the companion  
of a want of ardent feeling4            
,prostitutes never love1 and1 for the   
far greater part1 never did4 ,their     
passion1 which is more mere animal than 
any thing else1 is easily gratified2    
they1 like rakes1 change not only       
without pain1 but with pleasure2 that is

 to say1 pleasure as great as they can  
enjoy4 ,women of light minds have seldom
 any ardent passion2 love is a mere     
name1 unless confined to one object2 and
 young women1 in whom levity of conduct 
is observable1 will not be thus         
restricted4 ,i do not1 however1         
recommend a young man to be too severe  
in judging1 where the conduct does not  
go beyond mere levity1 and is not       
bordering on loose conduct2 for         
something depends here upon constitution
 and animal spirits1 and something also 
upon the manners of the country4 ,that  
levity1 which1 in a ,french girl1 ,i    
should not have thought a great deal of1
 would have frightened me away from an  
,english or an ,american girl4 ,when ,i 
was in ,france1 just after ,i was       
married1 there happened to be amongst   
our acquaintance a gay1 sprightly girl1 
of about seventeen4 ,i was remonstrating
 with her1 one day1 on the facility with
 which she seemed to shift her smiles   
from object to object2 and she1         

stretching one arm out in an upward     
direction1 the other in a downward      
direction1 raising herself upon one     
foot1 leaning her body on one side1 and 
thus throwing herself into flying       
attitude1 answered my grave lecture by  
singing1 in a very sweet voice          
7significantly bowing her head and      
smiling at the same time71 the following
 lines from the vaudeville1 in the play 
of ,figaro3    ,si l'amour a des ailles2
   ,n'est ce pas pour voltiger8  ,that  
is1 if love has wings1 is it not to     
flutter about with8 ,the wit1 argument1 
and manner1 all together1 silenced me4  
,she1 after ,i left ,france1 married a  
very worthy man1 has had a large family1
 and has been1 and is1 a most excellent 
wife and mother4 ,but that which does   
sometimes well in ,france1 does not do  
here at all4 ,our manners are more      
grave3 steadiness is the rule1 and      
levity the exception4 ,love may voltige 
in ,france2 but1 in ,england1 it cannot1
 with safety to the lover3 and it is a  

truth which1 ,i believe1 no man of      
attentive observation will deny1 that1  
as1 in general1 ,english wives are more 
warm in their conjugal attachments than 
those of ,france1 so1 with regard to    
individuals1 that those ,english women  
who are the most light in their manners1
 and who are the least constant in their
 attachments1 have the smallest portion 
of that warmth1 that indescribable      
passion which ,god has given to human   
beings as the great counterbalance to   
all the sorrows and sufferings of life4 
#aja4 ,,industry4 ,by industry1 ,i do   
not mean merely laboriousness1 merely   
labour or activity of body1 for purposes
 of gain or of saving2 for there may be 
industry amongst those who have more    
money than they know well what to do    
with3 and there may be lazy ladies1 as  
well as lazy farmers' and tradesmen's   
wives4 ,there is no state of life in    
which industry in the wife is not       
necessary to the happiness and          
prosperity of the family1 at the head of

 the household affairs of which she is  
placed4 ,if she be lazy1 there will be  
lazy servants1 and1 which is a great    
deal worse1 children habitually lazy3   
every thing1 however necessary to be    
done1 will be put off to the last       
moment3 then it will be done badly1 and1
 in many cases1 not at all3 the dinner  
will be too late2 the journey or the    
visit will be tardy2 inconveniencies of 
all sorts will be continually arising3  
there will always be a heavy arrear of  
things unperformed2 and this1 even      
amongst the most wealthy of all1 is a   
great curse2 for1 if they have no       
business imposed upon them by necessity1
 they make business for themselves2 life
 would be unbearable without it3 and    
therefore a lazy woman must always be a 
curse1 be her rank or station what it   
may4  #ajb4 ,but1 who is to tell whether
 a girl will make an industrious woman8 
,how is the purblind lover especially1  
to be able to ascertain whether she1    
whose smiles and dimples and bewitching 

lips have half bereft him of his senses2
 how is he to be able to judge1 from any
 thing that he can see1 whether the     
beloved object will be industrious or   
lazy8 ,why1 it is very difficult3 it is 
a matter that reason has very little to 
do with2 but there are1 nevertheless1   
certain outward and visible signs1 from 
which a man1 not wholly deprived of the 
use of his reason1 may form a pretty    
accurate judgment as to this matter4 ,it
 was a story in ,philadelphia1 some     
years ago1 that a young man1 who was    
courting one of three sisters1 happened 
to be on a visit to her1 when all the   
three were present1 and when one said to
 the others1 ',i wonder where our needle
 is4' ,upon which he withdrew1 as soon  
as was consistent with the rules of     
politeness1 resolved never to think more
 of a girl who possessed a needle only  
in partnership1 and who1 it appeared1   
was not too well informed as to the     
place where even that share was         
deposited4  #ajc4 ,this was1 to be sure1

 a very flagrant instance of a want of  
industry2 for1 if the third part of the 
use of a needle satisfied her when      
single1 it was reasonable to anticipate 
that marriage would banish that useful  
implement altogether4 ,but such         
instances are seldom suffered to come in
 contact with the eyes and ears of the  
lover1 to disguise all defects from whom
 is the great business1 not only of the 
girl herself1 but of her whole family4  
,there are1 however1 certain outward    
signs1 which1 if attended to with care1 
will serve as pretty sure guides4 ,and1 
first1 if you find the tongue lazy1 you 
may be nearly certain that the hands and
 feet are the same4 ,by laziness of the 
tongue ,i do not mean silence2 ,i do not
 mean an absence of talk1 for that is1  
in most cases1 very good2 but1 ,i mean1 
a slow and soft utterance2 a sort of    
sighing out of the words instead of     
speaking them2 a sort of letting the    
sounds fall out1 as if the party were   
sick at stomach4 ,the pronunciation of  

an industrious person is generally      
quick1 distinct1 and the voice1 if not  
strong1 firm at the least4 ,not         
masculine2 as feminine as possible2 not 
a croak nor a bawl1 but a quick1        
distinct1 and sound voice4 ,nothing is  
much more disgusting than what the      
sensible country people call a          
maw-mouthed woman4 ,a maw-mouthed man is
 bad enough3 he is sure to be a lazy    
fellow3 but1 a woman of this            
description1 in addition to her         
laziness1 soon becomes the most         
disgusting of mates4 ,in this whole     
world nothing is much more hateful than 
a female's under jaw1 lazily moving up  
and down1 and letting out a long string 
of half-articulate sounds4 ,it is       
impossible for any man1 who has any     
spirit in him1 to love such a woman for 
any length of time4  #ajd4 ,look a      
little1 also1 at the labours of the     
teeth1 for these correspond with those  
of the other members of the body1 and   
with the operations of the mind4 ',quick

 at meals1 quick at work1' is a saying  
as old as the hills1 in this1 the most  
industrious nation upon earth2 and never
 was there a truer saying4 ,but fashion 
comes in here1 and decides that you     
shall not be quick at meals2 that you   
shall sit and be carrying on the affair 
of eating for an hour1 or more4 ,good   
,god6 what have ,i not suffered on this 
account6 ,however1 though she must sit  
as long as the rest1 and though she must
 join in the performance 7for it is a   
real performance7 unto the end of the   
last scene1 she cannot make her teeth   
abandon their character4 ,she may1 and  
must1 suffer the slice to linger on the 
plate1 and must make the supply slow1 in
 order to fill up the time2 but when she
 does bite1 she cannot well disguise    
what nature has taught her to do2 and   
you may be assured1 that if her jaws    
move in slow time1 and if she rather    
squeeze than bite the food2 if she so   
deal with it as to leave you in doubt as
 to whether she mean finally to admit or

 reject it2 if she deal with it thus1   
set her down as being1 in her very      
nature1 incorrigibly lazy4 ,never mind  
the pieces of needle-work1 the          
tambouring1 the maps of the world made  
by her needle4 ,get to see her at work  
upon a mutton chop1 or a bit of bread   
and cheese2 and1 if she deal quickly    
with these1 you have a pretty good      
security for that activity1 that        
stirring industry1 without which a wife 
is a burden instead of being a help4    
,and1 as to love1 it cannot live for    
more than a month or two 7in the breast 
of a man of spirit7 towards a lazy      
woman4  #aje4 ,another mark of industry 
is1 a quick step1 and a somewhat heavy  
tread1 showing that the foot comes down 
with a hearty good will2 and if the body
 lean a little forward1 and the eyes    
keep steadily in the same direction1    
while the feet are going1 so much the   
better1 for these discover earnestness  
to arrive at the intended point4 ,i do  
not like1 and ,i never liked1 your      

sauntering1 soft-stepping girls1 who    
move as if they were perfectly          
indifferent as to the result2 and1 as to
 the love part of the story1 whoever    
expects ardent and lasting affection    
from one of these sauntering girls1     
will1 when too late1 find his mistake3  
the character runs the same all the way 
through2 and no man ever yet saw a      
sauntering girl1 who did not1 when      
married1 make a mawkish wife1 and a     
cold-hearted mother2 cared very little  
for either by husband or children2 and1 
of course1 having no store of those     
blessings which are the natural         
resources to apply to in sickness and in
 old age4  #ajf4 ,early-rising is       
another mark of industry2 and though1 in
 the higher situations of life1 it may  
be of no importance in a mere pecuniary 
point of view1 it is1 even there1 of    
importance in other respects2 for it is1
 ,i should imagine1 pretty difficult to 
keep love alive towards a woman who     
never sees the dew1 never beholds the   

rising sun1 and who constantly comes    
directly from a reeking bed to the      
breakfast table1 and there chews about1 
without appetite1 the choicest morsels  
of human food4 ,a man might1 perhaps1   
endure this for a month or two1 without 
being disgusted2 but that is ample      
allowance of time4 ,and1 as to people in
 the middle rank of life1 where a living
 and a provision for children is to be  
sought by labour of some sort or other1 
late rising in the wife is certain ruin2
 and1 never was there yet an            
early-rising wife1 who had been a       
late-rising girl4 ,if brought up to late
 rising1 she will like it2 it will be   
her habit2 she will1 when married1 never
 want excuses for indulging in the      
habit2 at first she will be indulged    
without bounds2 to make a change        
afterwards will be difficult2 it will be
 deemed a wrong done to her2 she will   
ascribe it to diminished affection2 a   
quarrel must ensue1 or1 the husband must
 submit to be ruined1 or1 at the very   

least1 to see half the fruit of his     
labour snored and lounged away4 ,and1 is
 this being rigid8 ,is it being harsh2  
is it being hard upon women8 ,is it the 
offspring of the frigid severity of age8
 ,it is none of these3 it arises from an
 ardent desire to promote the happiness1
 and to add to the natural1 legitimate1 
and salutary influence1 of the female   
sex4 ,the tendency of this advice is to 
promote the preservation of their       
health2 to prolong the duration of their
 beauty2 to cause them to be beloved to 
the last day of their lives2 and to give
 them1 during the whole of those lives1 
weight and consequence1 of which        
laziness would render them wholly       
unworthy4  #ajg4 ,,frugality4 ,this     
means the contrary of extravagance4 ,it 
does not mean stinginess2 it does not   
mean a pinching of the belly1 nor a     
stripping of the back2 but it means an  
abstaining from all unnecessary         
expenditure1 and all unnecessary use1 of
 goods of any and of every sort2 and a  

quality of great importance it is1      
whether the rank in life be high or low4
 ,some people are1 indeed1 so rich1 they
 have such an overabundance of money and
 goods1 that how to get rid of them     
would1 to a looker-on1 seem to be their 
only difficulty4 ,but while the         
inconvenience of even these immense     
masses is not too great to be overcome  
by a really extravagant woman1 who jumps
 with joy at a basket of strawberries at
 a guinea an ounce1 and who would not   
give a straw for green peas later in the
 year than ,january2 while such a dame  
would lighten the bags of a loan-monger1
 or shorten the rent-roll of            
half-a-dozen peerages amalgamated into  
one possession1 she would1 with very    
little study and application of her     
talent1 send a nobleman of ordinary     
estate to the poor-house or the pension 
list1 which last may be justly regarded 
as the poor-book of the aristocracy4    
,how many noblemen and gentlemen1 of    
fine estates1 have been ruined and      

degraded by the extravagance of their   
wives6 ,more frequently by their own    
extravagance1 perhaps2 but1 in numerous 
instances1 by that of those whose duty  
it is to assist in upholding their      
stations by husbanding their fortunes4  
#ajh4 ,if this be the case amongst the  
opulent1 who have estates to draw upon1 
what must be the consequences of a want 
of frugality in the middle and lower    
ranks of life8 ,here it must be fatal1  
and especially amongst that description 
of persons whose wives have1 in many    
cases1 the receiving as well as the     
expending of money4 ,in such a case1    
there wants nothing but extravagance in 
the wife to make ruin as sure as the    
arrival of old age4 ,to obtain security 
against this is very difficult2 yet1 if 
the lover be not quite blind1 he may    
easily discover a propensity towards    
extravagance4 ,the object of his        
addresses will1 nine times out of ten1  
not be the manager of a house2 but she  
must have her dress1 and other little   

matters under her control4 ,if she be   
costly in these2 if1 in these1 she step 
above her rank1 or even to the top of   
it2 if she purchase all she is able to  
purchase1 and prefer the showy to the   
useful1 the gay and the fragile to the  
less sightly and more durable1 he may be
 sure that the disposition will cling to
 her through life4 ,if he perceive in   
her a taste for costly food1 costly     
furniture1 costly amusements2 if he find
 her love of gratification to be bounded
 only by her want of means2 if he find  
her full of admiration of the trappings 
of the rich1 and of desire to be able to
 imitate them1 he may be pretty sure    
that she will not spare his purse1 when 
once she gets her hand into it2 and1    
therefore1 if he can bid adieu to her   
charms1 the sooner he does it the       
better4  #aji4 ,the outward and visible 
and vulgar signs of extravagance are    
rings1 broaches1 bracelets1 buckles1    
necklaces1 diamonds 7real or mock71 and1
 in short1 all the hard-ware which women

 put upon their persons4 ,these things  
may be proper enough in palaces1 or in  
scenes resembling palaces2 but1 when    
they make their appearance amongst      
people in the middle rank of life1      
where1 after all1 they only serve to    
show that poverty in the parties which  
they wish to disguise2 when the nasty1  
mean1 tawdry things make their          
appearance in this rank of life1 they   
are the sure indications of a           
disposition that will always be         
straining at what it can never attain4  
,to marry a girl of this disposition is 
really self-destruction4 ,you never can 
have either property or peace4 ,earn her
 a horse to ride1 she will want a gig3  
earn the gig1 she will want a chariot3  
get her that1 she will long for a coach 
and four3 and1 from stage to stage1 she 
will torment you to the end of her or   
your days2 for1 still there will be     
somebody with a finer equipage than you 
can give her2 and1 as long as this is   
the case1 you will never have rest4     

,reason would tell her1 that she could  
never be at the top2 that she must stop 
at some point short of that2 and that1  
therefore1 all expenses in the rivalship
 are so much thrown away4 ,but1 reason  
and broaches and bracelets do not go in 
company3 the girl who has not the sense 
to perceive that her person is          
disfigured1 and not beautified1 by      
parcels of brass and tin 7for they are  
generally little better7 and other      
hard-ware1 stuck about her body2 the    
girl that is so foolish as not to       
perceive1 that1 when silks and cottons  
and cambrics1 in their neatest form1    
have done their best1 nothing more is to
 be done2 the girl that cannot perceive 
this is too great a fool to be trusted  
with the purse of any man4  #aaj4       
,,cleanliness4 ,this is a capital       
ingredient2 for there never yet was1 and
 there never will be1 love of long      
duration1 sincere and ardent love1 in   
any man1 towards a 'filthy mate4' ,i    
mean any man in ,england1 or in those   

parts of ,america where the people have 
descended from the ,english4 ,i do not  
say1 that there are not men enough1 even
 in ,england1 to live peaceably and even
 contentedly1 with dirty1 sluttish      
women2 for1 there are some who seem to  
like the filth well enough4 ,but what ,i
 contend for is this3 that there never  
can exist1 for any length of time1      
ardent affection in any man towards a   
woman who is filthy either in her       
person1 or in her house affairs4 ,men   
may be careless as to their own persons2
 they may1 from the nature of their     
business1 or from their want of time to 
adhere to neatness in dress1 be slovenly
 in their own dress and habits2 but1    
they do not relish this in their wives1 
who must still have charms2 and charms  
and filth do not go together4  #aaa4 ,it
 is not dress that the husband wants to 
be perpetual3 it is not finery2 but     
cleanliness in every thing4 ,the ,french
 women dress enough1 especially when    
they sally forth4 ,my excellent         

neighbour1 ,mr4 ,,john ,,tredwell1 of   
,long ,island1 used to say1 that the    
,french were 'pigs in the parlour1 and  
peacocks on the promenade2' an          
alliteration which ',,canning',s ,,self'
 might have envied6 ,this occasional    
cleanliness is not the thing that an    
,english or an ,american husband wants3 
he wants it always2 indoors as well as  
out2 by night as well as by day2 on the 
floor as well as on the table2 and1     
however he may grumble about the 'fuss' 
and the 'expense' of it1 he would       
grumble more if he had it not4 ,i once  
saw a picture representing the          
amusements of ,portuguese ,lovers2 that 
is to say1 three or four young men1     
dressed in gold or silver laced clothes1
 each having a young girl1 dressed like 
a princess1 and affectionately engaged  
in hunting down and killing the vermin  
in his head6 ,this was1 perhaps1 an     
exaggeration2 but that it should have   
had the shadow of foundation1 was enough
 to fill me with contempt for the whole 

nation4  #aab4 ,the signs of cleanliness
 are1 in the first place1 a clean skin4 
,an ,english girl will hardly let her   
lover see the stale dirt between her    
fingers1 as ,i have many times seen it  
between those of ,french women1 and even
 ladies1 of all ages4 ,an ,english girl 
will have her face clean1 to be sure1 if
 there be soap and water within her     
reach2 but1 get a glance1 just a glance1
 at her poll1 if you have any doubt upon
 the subject2 and1 if you find there1 or
 behind the ears1 what the ,yorkshire   
people call grime1 the sooner you cease 
your visits the better4 ,i hope1 now1   
that no young woman will be offended at 
this1 and think me too severe on her    
sex4 ,i am only saying1 ,i am only      
telling the women1 that which all men   
think2 and1 it is a decided advantage to
 them to be fully informed of our       
thoughts on the subject4 ,if any one1   
who shall read this1 find1 upon         
self-examination1 that she is defective 
in this respect1 there is plenty of time

 for correcting the defect4  #aac4 ,in  
the dress you can1 amongst rich people1 
find little whereon to form a judgment  
as to cleanliness1 because they have not
 only the dress prepared for them1 but  
put upon them into the bargain4 ,but1 in
 the middle rank of life1 the dress is a
 good criterion in two respects3 first1 
as to its colour2 for1 if the white be a
 sort of yellow1 cleanly hands would    
have been at work to prevent that4 ,a   
white-yellow cravat1 or shirt1 on a man1
 speaks1 at once1 the character of his  
wife2 and1 be you assured1 that she will
 not take with your dress pains which   
she has never taken with her own4 ,then1
 the manner of putting on the dress is  
no bad foundation for judging4 ,if it be
 careless1 slovenly1 if it do not fit   
properly1 no matter for its mean        
quality3 mean as it may be1 it may be   
neatly and trimly put on2 and1 if it be 
not1 take care of yourself2 for1 as you 
will soon find to your cost1 a sloven in
 one thing is a sloven in all things4   

,the country-people judge greatly from  
the state of the covering of the ancles 
and1 if that be not clean and tight1    
they conclude1 that all out of sight is 
not what it ought to be4 ,look at the   
shoes6 ,if they be trodden on one side1 
loose on the foot1 or run down at the   
heel1 it is a very bad sign2 and1 as to 
slip-shod1 though at coming down in the 
morning and even before day-light1 make 
up your mind to a rope1 rather than to  
live with a slip-shod wife4  #aad4 ,oh6 
how much do women lose by inattention to
 these matters6 ,men1 in general1 say   
nothing about it to their wives2 but    
they think about it2 they envy their    
luckier neighbours2 and in numerous     
cases1 consequences the most serious    
arise from this apparently trifling     
cause4 ,beauty is valuable2 it is one of
 the ties1 and a strong tie too2 that1  
however1 cannot last to old age2 but1   
the charm of cleanliness never ends but 
with life itself4 ,i dismiss this part  
of my subject with a quotation from my  

',,year',s ,,residence ,,in ,,america1' 
containing words which ,i venture to    
recommend to every young woman to       
engrave on her heart3 ',the sweetest    
flowers1 when they become putrid1 stink 
the most2 and a nasty woman is the      
nastiest thing in nature4'  #aae4       
,,knowledge ,,of ,,domestic ,,affairs4  
,without more or less of this knowledge1
 a lady1 even the wife of a peer1 is but
 a poorish thing4 ,it was the fashion1  
in former times1 for ladies to          
understand a great deal about these     
affairs1 and it would be very hard to   
make me believe that this did not tend  
to promote the interests and honour of  
their husbands4 ,the affairs of a great 
family never can be well managed1 if    
left wholly to hirelings2 and there are 
many parts of these affairs in which it 
would be unseemly for the husband to    
meddle4 ,surely1 no lady can be too high
 in rank to make it proper for her to be
 well acquainted with the characters and
 general demeanour of all the female    

servants4 ,to receive and give them     
characters is too much to be left to a  
servant1 however good1 and of service   
however long4 ,much of the ease and     
happiness of the great and rich must    
depend on the character of those by whom
 they are served3 they live under the   
same roof with them2 they are frequently
 the children of their tenants1 or      
poorer neighbours2 the conduct of their 
whole lives must be influenced by the   
examples and precepts which they here   
imbibe2 and when ladies consider how    
much more weight there must be in one   
word from them than in ten thousand     
words from a person who1 call her what  
you like1 is still a fellow-servant1 it 
does appear strange that they should    
forego the performance of this at once  
important and pleasing part of their    
duty4 ,it was from the mansions of      
noblemen and gentlemen1 and not from    
boarding-schools1 that farmers and      
tradesmen formerly took their wives2 and
 though these days are gone1 with little

 chance of returning1 there is still    
something left for ladies to do in      
checking that torrent of immorality     
which is now crowding the streets with  
prostitutes and cramming the jails with 
thieves4  #aaf4 ,i am1 however1         
addressing myself1 in this work1 to     
persons in the middle rank of life2 and 
here a knowledge of domestic affairs is 
so necessary in every wife1 that the    
lover ought to have it continually in   
his eye4 ,not only a knowledge of these 
affairs2 not only to know how things    
ought to be done1 but how to do them2   
not only to know what ingredients ought 
to be put into a pie or a pudding1 but  
to be able to make the pie or the       
pudding4 ,young people1 when they come  
together1 ought not1 unless they have   
fortunes1 or are in a great way of      
business1 to think about servants6      
,servants for what6 ,to help them to eat
 and drink and sleep8 ,when children    
come1 there must be some help in a      
farmer's or tradesman's house2 but until

 then1 what call for a servant in a     
house1 the master of which has to earn  
every mouthful that is consumed8  #aag4 
,i shall1 when ,i come to address myself
 to the husband1 have much more to say  
upon this subject of keeping servants2  
but1 what the lover1 if he be not quite 
blind1 has to look to1 is1 that his     
intended wife know how to do the work of
 a house1 unless he have fortune        
sufficient to keep her like a lady4     
',eating and drinking1' as ,i observe in
 ,,cottage ,,economy1 came three times  
every day2 they must come2 and1 however 
little we may1 in the days of our health
 and vigour1 care about choice food and 
about cookery1 we very soon get tired of
 heavy or burnt bread and of spoiled    
joints of meat3 we bear them for a time1
 or for two1 perhaps2 but1 about the    
third time1 we lament inwardly2 about   
the fifth time1 it must be an           
extraordinary honey-moon that will keep 
us from complaining3 if the like        
continue for a month or two1 we begin to

 repent1 and then adieu to all our      
anticipated delights4 ,we discover1 when
 it is too late1 that we have not got a 
help-mate1 but a burden2 and1 the fire  
of love being damped1 the unfortunately 
educated creature1 whose parents are    
more to blame than she is1 is1 unless   
she resolve to learn her duty1 doomed to
 lead a life very nearly approaching to 
that of misery2 for1 however considerate
 the husband1 he never can esteem her as
 he would have done1 had she been       
skilled and able in domestic affairs4   
#aah4 ,the mere manual performance of   
domestic labours is not1 indeed1        
absolutely necessary in the female head 
of the family of professional men1 such 
as lawyers1 doctors1 and parsons2 but1  
even here1 and also in the case of great
 merchants and of gentlemen living on   
their fortunes1 surely the head of the  
household ought to be able to give      
directions as to the purchasing of meat1
 salting meat1 making bread1 making     
preserves of all sorts1 and ought to see

 the things done1 or that they be done4 
,she ought to take care that food be    
well cooked1 drink properly prepared and
 kept2 that there be always a sufficient
 supply2 that there be good living      
without waste2 and that1 in her         
department1 nothing shall be seen       
inconsistent with the rank1 station1 and
 character of her husband1 who1 if he   
have a skilful and industrious wife1    
will1 unless he be of a singularly      
foolish turn1 gladly leave all these    
things to her absolute dominion1        
controlled only by the extent of the    
whole expenditure1 of which he must be  
the best1 and1 indeed1 the sole1 judge4 
#aai4 ,but1 in a farmer's or a          
tradesman's family1 the manual          
performance is absolutely necessary1    
whether there be servants or not4 ,no   
one knows how to teach another so well  
as one who has done1 and can do1 the    
thing himself4 ,it was said of a famous 
,french commander1 that1 in attacking an
 enemy1 he did not say to his men 'go   

on1' but 'come on2' and1 whoever have   
well observed the movements of servants1
 must know what a prodigious difference 
there is in the effect of the words1 go 
and come4 ,a very good rule would be1 to
 have nothing to eat1 in a farmer's or  
tradesman's house1 that the mistress did
 not know how to prepare and to cook2 no
 pudding1 tart1 pie or cake1 that she   
did not know how to make4 ,never fear   
the toil to her3 exercise is good for   
health2 and without health there is no  
beauty2 a sick beauty may excite pity1  
but pity is a short-lived passion4      
,besides1 what is the labour in such a  
case8 ,and how many thousands of ladies1
 who loll away the day1 would give half 
their fortunes for that sound sleep     
which the stirring house-wife seldom    
fails to enjoy4  #abj4 ,yet1 if a young 
farmer or tradesman marry a girl1 who   
has been brought up to play music1 to   
what is called draw1 to sing1 to waste  
paper1 pen and ink1 in writing long and 
half romantic letters1 and to see shows1

 and plays1 and read novels2 if a young 
man do marry such an unfortunate young  
creature1 let him bear the consequences 
with temper2 let him be just2 and       
justice will teach him to treat her with
 great indulgence2 to endeavour to cause
 her to learn her business as a wife2 to
 be patient with her2 to reflect that he
 has taken her1 being apprised of her   
inability2 to bear in mind1 that he was1
 or seemed to be1 pleased with her showy
 and useless acquirements2 and that1    
when the gratification of his passion   
has been accomplished1 he is unjust and 
cruel and unmanly1 if he turn round upon
 her1 and accuse her of a want of that  
knowledge1 which he well knew that she  
did not possess4  #aba4 ,for my part1 ,i
 do not know1 nor can ,i form an idea   
of1 a more unfortunate being than a girl
 with a mere boarding-school education1 
and without a fortune to enable her to  
keep a servant1 when married4 ,of what  
use are her accomplishments8 ,of what   
use her music1 her drawing1 and her     

romantic epistles8 ,if she be good in   
her nature1 the first little faint cry  
of her first baby drives all the tunes  
and all the landscapes and all the      
,clarissa ,harlowes out of her head for 
ever4 ,i once saw a very striking       
instance of this sort4 ,it was a        
climb-over-the-wall match1 and ,i gave  
the bride away1 at ,st4 ,margaret's     
,church1 ,westminster1 the pair being as
 handsome a pair as ever ,i saw in my   
life4 ,beauty1 however1 though in double
 quantity1 would not pay the baker and  
butcher2 and1 after an absence of little
 better than a year1 ,i found the       
husband in prison for debt2 but ,i there
 found also his wife1 with her baby1 and
 she1 who had never1 before her         
marriage1 known what it was to get water
 to wash her own hands1 and whose talk  
was all about music1 and the like1 was  
now the cheerful sustainer of her       
husband1 and the most affectionate of   
mothers4 ,all the music and all the     
drawing1 and all the plays and romances 

were gone to the winds6 ,the husband and
 baby had fairly supplanted them2 and   
even this prison-scene was a blessing1  
as it gave her1 at this early stage1 an 
opportunity of proving her devotion to  
her husband1 who1 though ,i have not    
seen him for about fifteen years1 he    
being in a part of ,america which ,i    
could not reach when last there1 has1 ,i
 am sure1 amply repaid her for that     
devotion4 ,they have now a numerous     
family 7not less than twelve children1  
,i believe71 and she is1 ,i am told1 a  
most excellent and able mistress of a   
respectable house4  #abb4 ,but1 this is 
a rare instance3 the husband1 like his  
countrymen in general1 was at once      
brave1 humane1 gentle1 and considerate1 
and the love was so sincere and ardent1 
on both sides1 that it made losses and  
sufferings appear as nothing4 ,when ,i1 
in a sort of half-whisper1 asked ,mrs4  
,,dickens where her piano was1 she      
smiled1 and turned her face towards her 
baby1 that was sitting on her knee2 as  

much as to say1 ',this little fellow has
 beaten the piano2' and1 if what ,i am  
now writing should ever have the honour 
to be read by her1 let it be the bearer 
of a renewed expression of my admiration
 of her conduct1 and of that regard for 
her kind and sensible husband1 which    
time and distance have not in the least 
diminished1 and which will be an inmate 
of my heart until it shall cease to     
beat4  #abc4 ,the like of this is1      
however1 not to be expected3 no man     
ought to think that he has even a chance
 of it3 besides1 the husband was1 in    
this case1 a man of learning and of     
great natural ability3 he has not had to
 get his bread by farming or trade2 and1
 in all probability1 his wife has had   
the leisure to practise those           
acquirements which she possessed at the 
time of her marriage4 ,but1 can this be 
the case with the farmer or the         
tradesman's wife8 ,she has to help to   
earn a provision for her children2 or1  
at the least1 to help to earn a store   

for sickness or old age4 ,she1          
therefore1 ought to be qualified to     
begin1 at once1 to assist her husband in
 his earnings3 the way in which she can 
most efficiently assist1 is by taking   
care of his property2 by expending his  
money to the greatest advantage2 by     
wasting nothing2 by making the table    
sufficiently abundant with the least    
expense4 ,and how is she to do these    
things1 unless she have been brought up 
to understand domestic affairs8 ,how is 
she to do these things1 if she have been
 taught to think these matters beneath  
her study8 ,how is any man to expect her
 to do these things1 if she have been so
 bred up as to make her habitually look 
upon them as worthy the attention of    
none but low and ignorant women8  #abd4 
,ignorant1 indeed6 ,ignorance consists  
in a want of knowledge of those things  
which your calling or state of life     
naturally supposes you to understand4 ,a
 ploughman is not an ignorant man       
because he does not know how to read3 if

 he knows how to plough1 he is not to be
 called an ignorant man2 but1 a wife may
 be justly called an ignorant woman1 if 
she does not know how to provide a      
dinner for her husband4 ,it is cold     
comfort for a hungry man1 to tell him   
how delightfully his wife plays and     
sings3 lovers may live on very aerial   
diet2 but husbands stand in need of the 
solids2 and young women may take my word
 for it1 that a constantly clean board1 
well cooked victuals1 a house in order1 
and a cheerful fire1 will do more in    
preserving a husband's heart1 than all  
the 'accomplishments1' taught in all the
 'establishments' in the world4  #abe4  
,,good ,,temper4 ,this is a very        
difficult thing to ascertain beforehand4
 ,smiles are so cheap2 they are so      
easily put on for the occasion2 and1    
besides1 the frowns are1 according to   
the lover's whim1 interpreted into the  
contrary4 ,by 'good temper1' ,i do not  
mean easy temper1 a serenity which      
nothing disturbs1 for that is a mark of 

laziness4 ,sulkiness1 if you be not too 
blind to perceive it1 is a temper to be 
avoided by all means4 ,a sulky man is   
bad enough2 what1 then1 must be a sulky 
woman1 and that woman a wife2 a constant
 inmate1 a companion day and night6     
,only think of the delight of sitting at
 the same table1 and sleeping in the    
same bed1 for a week1 and not exchange a
 word all the while6 ,very bad to be    
scolding for such a length of time2 but 
this is far better than the sulks4 ,if  
you have your eyes1 and look sharp1 you 
will discover symptoms of this1 if it   
unhappily exist4 ,she will1 at some time
 or other1 show it towards some one or  
other of the family2 or1 perhaps1       
towards yourself2 and you may be quite  
sure that1 in this respect1 marriage    
will not mend her4 ,sulkiness arises    
from capricious displeasure1 displeasure
 not founded in reason4 ,the party takes
 offence unjustifiably2 is unable to    
frame a complaint1 and therefore        
expresses displeasure by silence4 ,the  

remedy for sulkiness is1 to suffer it to
 take its full swing2 but it is better  
not to have the disease in your house2  
and to be married to it is little short 
of madness4  #abf4 ,querulousness is a  
great fault4 ,no man1 and1 especially1  
no woman1 likes to hear eternal         
plaintiveness4 ,that she complain1 and  
roundly complain1 of your want of       
punctuality1 of your coolness1 of your  
neglect1 of your liking the company of  
others3 these are all very well1 more   
especially as they are frequently but   
too just4 ,but an everlasting           
complaining1 without rhyme or reason1 is
 a bad sign4 ,it shows want of patience1
 and1 indeed1 want of sense4 ,but1 the  
contrary of this1 a cold indifference1  
is still worse4 ',when will you come    
again8 ,you can never find time to come 
here4 ,you like any company better than 
mine4' ,these1 when groundless1 are very
 teasing1 and demonstrate a disposition 
too full of anxiousness2 but1 from a    
girl who always receives you with the   

same civil smile1 lets you1 at your own 
good pleasure1 depart with the same2 and
 who1 when you take her by the hand1    
holds her cold fingers as straight as   
sticks1 ,i say 7or should if ,i were    
young71 ,god1 in his mercy1 preserve me6
  #abg4 ,pertinacity is a very bad thing
 in anybody1 and especially in a young  
woman2 and it is sure to increase in    
force with the age of the party4 ,to    
have the last word is a poor triumph2   
but with some people it is a species of 
disease of the mind4 ,in a wife it must 
be extremely troublesome2 and1 if you   
find an ounce of it in the maid1 it will
 become a pound in the wife4 ,an eternal
 disputer is a most disagreeable        
companion2 and where young women thrust 
their say into conversations carried on 
by older persons1 give their opinions in
 a positive manner1 and court a contest 
of the tongue1 those must be very bold  
men who will encounter them as wives4   
#abh4 ,still1 of all the faults as to   
temper1 your melancholy ladies have the 

worst1 unless you have the same mental  
disease4 ,most wives are1 at times1     
misery-makers2 but these carry it on as 
a regular trade4 ,they are always       
unhappy about something1 either past1   
present1 or to come4 ,both arms full of 
children is a pretty efficient remedy in
 most cases2 but1 if the ingredients be 
wanting1 a little want1 a little real   
trouble1 a little genuine affliction    
must1 if you would effect a cure1 be    
resorted to4 ,but1 this is very painful 
to a man of any feeling2 and1 therefore1
 the best way is to avoid a connexion1  
which is to give you a life of wailing  
and sighs4  #abi4 ,,beauty4 ,though ,i  
have reserved this to the last of the   
things to be desired in a wife1 ,i by no
 means think it the last in point of    
importance4 ,the less favoured part of  
the sex say1 that 'beauty is but        
skin-deep2' and this is very true2 but1 
it is very agreeable1 though1 for all   
that4 ,pictures are only paint-deep1 or 
pencil-deep2 but we admire them1        

nevertheless4 ,handsome is that handsome
 does1 used to say to me an old man1 who
 had marked me out for his not over     
handsome daughter4 ',please your eye and
 plague your heart' is an adage that    
want of beauty invented1 ,i dare say1   
more than a thousand years ago4 ,these  
adages would say1 if they had but the   
courage1 that beauty is inconsistent    
with chastity1 with sobriety of conduct1
 and with all the female virtues4 ,the  
argument is1 that beauty exposes the    
possessor to greater temptation than    
women not beautiful are exposed to2 and 
that1 therefore1 their fall is more     
probable4 ,let us see a little how this 
matter stands4  #acj4 ,it is certainly  
true1 that pretty girls will have more1 
and more ardent1 admirers than ugly     
ones2 but1 as to the temptation when in 
their unmarried state1 there are few so 
very ugly as to be exposed to no        
temptation at all2 and1 which is the    
most likely to resist2 she who has a    
choice of lovers1 or she who if she let 

the occasion slip may never have it     
again8 ,which of the two is most likely 
to set a high value upon her reputation1
 she whom all beholders admire1 or she  
who is admired1 at best1 by mere chance8
 ,and as to women in the married state1 
this argument assumes1 that1 when they  
fall1 it is from their own vicious      
disposition2 when the fact is1 that1 if 
you search the annals of conjugal       
infidelity1 you will find1 that1 nine   
times out of ten1 the fault is in the   
husband4 ,it is his neglect1 his        
flagrant disregard1 his frosty          
indifference1 his foul example2 it is to
 these that1 nine times out of ten1 he  
owes the infidelity of his wife2 and1 if
 ,i were to say ninety-nine times out of
 a hundred1 the facts1 if verified1     
would1 ,i am certain1 bear me out4 ,and 
whence this neglect1 this disregard1    
this frosty indifference2 whence this   
foul example8 ,because it is easy1 in so
 many cases1 to find some woman more    
beautiful than the wife4 ,this is no    

justification for the husband to plead2 
for he has1 with his eyes open1 made a  
solemn contract3 if he have not beauty  
enough to please him1 he should have    
sought it in some other woman3 if1 as is
 frequently the case1 he have preferred 
rank or money to beauty1 he is an       
unprincipled man1 if he do any thing to 
make her unhappy who has brought him the
 rank or the money4 ,at any rate1 as    
conjugal infidelity is1 in so many      
cases2 as it is generally caused by the 
want of affection and due attention in  
the husband1 it follows1 of course1 that
 it must more frequently happen in the  
case of ugly than in that of handsome   
women4  #aca4 ,in point of dress1       
nothing need be said to convince any    
reasonable man1 that beautiful women    
will be less expensive in this respect  
than women of a contrary description4   
,experience teaches us1 that ugly women 
are always the most studious about their
 dress2 and1 if we had never observed   
upon the subject1 reason would tell us1 

that it must be so4 ,few women are      
handsome without knowing it2 and if they
 know that their features naturally     
attract admiration1 will they desire to 
draw it off1 and to fix it on lace and  
silks and jewels8  #acb4 ,as to manners 
and temper there are certainly some     
handsome women who are conceited and    
arrogant2 but1 as they have all the best
 reasons in the world for being pleased 
with themselves1 they afford you the    
best chance of general good humour2 and 
this good humour is a very valuable     
commodity in the married state4 ,some   
that are called handsome1 and that are  
such at the first glance1 are dull1     
inanimate things1 that might as well    
have been made of wax1 or of wood4 ,but1
 the truth is1 that this is not beauty1 
for this is not to be found only in the 
form of the features1 but in the        
movements of them also4 ,besides1 here  
nature is very impartial2 for she gives 
animation promiscuously to the handsome 
as well as to the ugly2 and the want of 

this in the former is surely as bearable
 as in the latter4  #acc4 ,but1 the     
great use of female beauty1 the great   
practical advantage of it is1 that it   
naturally and unavoidably tends to keep 
the husband in good humour with himself1
 to make him1 to use the dealer's       
phrase1 pleased with his bargain4 ,when 
old age approaches1 and the parties have
 become endeared to each other by a long
 series of joint cares and interests1   
and when children have come and bound   
them together by the strongest ties that
 nature has in store2 at this age the   
features and the person are of less     
consequence2 but1 in the young days of  
matrimony1 when the roving eye of the   
bachelor is scarcely become steady in   
the head of the husband1 it is dangerous
 for him to see1 every time he stirs    
out1 a face more captivating than that  
of the person to whom he is bound for   
life4 ,beauty is1 in some degree1 a     
matter of taste3 what one man admires1  
another does not2 and it is fortunate   

for us that it is thus4 ,but still there
 are certain things that all men admire2
 and a husband is always pleased when he
 perceives that a portion1 at least1 of 
these things are in his own possession3 
he takes this possession as a compliment
 to himself3 there must1 he will think  
the world will believe1 have been some  
merit in him1 some charm1 seen or       
unseen1 to have caused him to be blessed
 with the acquisition4  #acd4 ,and then 
there arise so many things1 sickness1   
misfortune in business1 losses1 many    
many things1 wholly unexpected2 and1    
there are so many circumstances1        
perfectly nameless1 to communicate to   
the new-married man the fact1 that it is
 not a real angel of whom he has got the
 possession2 there are so many things of
 this sort1 so many and such powerful   
dampers of the passions1 and so many    
incentives to cool reflection2 that it  
requires something1 and a good deal too1
 to keep the husband in countenance in  
this his altered and enlightened state4 

,the passion of women does not cool so  
soon3 the lamp of their love burns more 
steadily1 and even brightens as it      
burns3 and1 there is1 the young man may 
be assured1 a vast difference in the    
effect of the fondness of a pretty woman
 and that of one of a different         
description2 and1 let reason and        
philosophy say what they will1 a man    
will come down stairs of a morning      
better pleased after seeing the former1 
than he would after seeing the latter1  
in her night-cap4  #ace4 ,to be sure1   
when a man has1 from whatever           
inducement1 once married a woman1 he is 
unjust and cruel if he even slight her  
on account of her want of beauty1 and1  
if he treat her harshly1 on this        
account1 he is a brute4 ,but1 it        
requires a greater degree of reflection 
and consideration than falls to the lot 
of men in general to make them act with 
justice in such a case2 and1 therefore1 
the best way is to guard1 if you can1   
against the temptation to commit such   

injustice1 which is to be done in no    
other way1 than by not marrying any one 
that you do not think handsome4  #acf4  
,i must not conclude this address to    
,,the ,,lover without something on the  
subject of seduction and inconstancy4   
,in1 perhaps1 nineteen cases out of     
twenty1 there is1 in the unfortunate    
cases of illicit gratification1 no      
seduction at all1 the passion1 the      
absence of virtue1 and the crime1 being 
all mutual4 ,but1 there are other cases 
of a very different description2 and    
where a man goes coolly and deliberately
 to work1 first to gain and rivet the   
affections of a young girl1 then to take
 advantage of those affections to       
accomplish that which he knows must be  
her ruin1 and plunge her into misery for
 life2 when a man does this merely for  
the sake of a momentary gratification1  
he must be either a selfish and         
unfeeling brute1 unworthy of the name of
 man1 or he must have a heart little    
inferior1 in point of obduracy1 to that 

of the murderer4 ,let young women1      
however1 be aware2 let them be well     
aware1 that few1 indeed1 are the cases  
in which this apology can possibly avail
 them4 ,their character is not solely   
theirs1 but belongs1 in part1 to their  
family and kindred4 ,they may1 in the   
case contemplated1 be objects of        
compassion with the world2 but what     
contrition1 what repentance1 what       
remorse1 what that even the tenderest   
benevolence can suggest1 is to heal the 
wounded hearts of humbled1 disgraced1   
but still affectionate1 parents1        
brethren and sisters8  #acg4 ,as to     
constancy in ,lovers1 though ,i do not  
approve of the saying1 ',at lovers' lies
 ,jove laughs2' yet1 when people are    
young1 one object may supplant another  
in their affections1 not only without   
criminality in the party experiencing   
the change1 but without blame2 and it is
 honest1 and even humane1 to act upon   
the change2 because it would be both    
foolish and cruel to marry one girl     

while you liked another better3 and the 
same holds good with regard to the other
 sex4 ,even when marriage has been      
promised1 and that1 too1 in the most    
solemn manner1 it is better for both    
parties to break off1 than to be coupled
 together with the reluctant assent of  
either2 and ,i have always thought1 that
 actions for damages1 on this score1 if 
brought by the girl1 show a want of     
delicacy as well as of spirit2 and1 if  
brought by the man1 excessive meanness4 
,some damage may1 indeed1 have been done
 to the complaining party2 but no damage
 equal to what that party would have    
sustained from a marriage1 to which the 
other party would have yielded by a sort
 of compulsion1 producing to almost a   
certainty what ,hogarth1 in his         
,marriage a la ,mode1 most aptly        
typifies by two curs1 of different      
sexes1 fastened together by what        
sportsmen call couples1 pulling         
different ways1 and snarling and barking
 and foaming like furies4  #ach4 ,but   

when promises have been made to a young 
woman2 when they have been relied on for
 any considerable time2 when it is      
manifest that her peace and happiness1  
and1 perhaps1 her life1 depend upon     
their fulfilment2 when things have been 
carried to this length1 the change in   
the ,lover ought to be announced in the 
manner most likely to make the          
disappointment as supportable as the    
case will admit of2 for1 though it is   
better to break the promise than to     
marry one while you like another better2
 though it is better for both parties1  
you have no right to break the heart of 
her who has1 and that1 too1 with your   
accordance1 and1 indeed1 at your        
instigation1 or1 at least1 by your      
encouragement1 confided it to your      
fidelity4 ,you cannot help your change  
of affections2 but you can help making  
the transfer in such a way as to cause  
the destruction1 or even probable       
destruction1 nay1 if it were but the    
deep misery1 of her1 to gain whose heart

 you had pledged your own4 ,you ought to
 proceed by slow degrees2 you ought to  
call time to your aid in executing the  
painful task2 you ought scrupulously to 
avoid every thing calculated to         
aggravate the sufferings of the         
disconsolate party4  #aci4 ,a striking1 
a monstrous1 instance of conduct the    
contrary of this has recently been      
placed upon the melancholy records of   
the ,coroner of ,middlesex2 which have  
informed an indignant public1 that a    
young man1 having first secured the     
affections of a virtuous young woman1   
next promised her marriage1 then caused 
the banns to be published1 and then1 on 
the very day appointed for the          
performance of the ceremony1 married    
another woman1 in the same church2 and  
this1 too1 without1 as he avowed1 any   
provocation1 and without the smallest   
intimation or hint of his intention to  
the disappointed party1 who1 unable to  
support existence under a blow so cruel1
 put an end to that existence by the    

most deadly and the swiftest poison4 ,if
 any thing could wipe from our country  
the stain of having given birth to a    
monster so barbarous as this1 it would  
be the abhorrence of him which the jury 
expressed2 and which1 from every tongue1
 he ought to hear to the last moment of 
his life4  #adj4 ,nor has a man any     
right to sport with the affections of a 
young woman1 though he stop short of    
positive promises4 ,vanity is generally 
the tempter in this case2 a desire to be
 regarded as being admired by the women3
 a very despicable species of vanity1   
but frequently greatly mischievous1     
notwithstanding4 ,you do not1 indeed1   
actually1 in so many words1 promise to  
marry2 but the general tenor of your    
language and deportment has that        
meaning2 you know that your meaning is  
so understood2 and if you have not such 
meaning2 if you be fixed by some        
previous engagement with1 or greater    
liking for1 another2 if you know you are
 here sowing the seeds of               

disappointment2 and if you1 keeping your
 previous engagement or greater liking a
 secret1 persevere1 in spite of the     
admonitions of conscience1 you are      
guilty of deliberate deception1         
injustice and cruelty3 you make to ,god 
an ungrateful return for those          
endowments which have enabled you to    
achieve this inglorious and unmanly     
triumph2 and if1 as is frequently the   
case1 you glory in such triumph1 you may
 have person1 riches1 talents to excite 
envy2 but every just and humane man will
 abhor your heart4  #ada4 ,there are1   
however1 certain cases in which you     
deceive1 or nearly deceive1 yourself2   
cases in which you are1 by degrees and  
by circumstances1 deluded into something
 very nearly resembling sincere love for
 a second object1 the first still1      
however1 maintaining her ground in your 
heart2 cases in which you are not       
actuated by vanity1 in which you are not
 guilty of injustice and cruelty2 but   
cases in which you1 nevertheless1 do    

wrong3 and as ,i once did a wrong of    
this sort myself1 ,i will here give a   
history of it1 as a warning to every    
young man who shall read this little    
book2 that being the best and1 indeed1  
the only atonement1 that ,i can make1 or
 ever could have made1 for this only    
serious sin that ,i ever committed      
against the female sex4  #adb4 ,the     
,province of ,new ,brunswick1 in ,north 
,america1 in which ,i passed my years   
from the age of eighteen to that of     
twenty-six1 consists1 in general1 of    
heaps of rocks1 in the interstices of   
which grow the pine1 the spruce1 and    
various sorts of fir trees1 or1 where   
the woods have been burnt down1 the     
bushes of the raspberry or those of the 
huckleberry4 ,the province is cut       
asunder lengthwise1 by a great river1   
called the ,st4 ,john1 about two hundred
 miles in length1 and1 at half way from 
the mouth1 full a mile wide4 ,into this 
main river run innumerable smaller      
rivers1 there called ,,creeks4 ,on the  

sides of these creeks the land is1 in   
places1 clear of rocks2 it is1 in these 
places1 generally good and productive2  
the trees that grow here are the birch1 
the maple1 and others of the deciduous  
class2 natural meadows here and there   
present themselves2 and some of these   
spots far surpass in rural beauty any   
other that my eyes ever beheld2 the     
creeks1 abounding towards their sources 
in water-falls of endless variety1 as   
well in form as in magnitude1 and always
 teeming with fish1 while water-fowl    
enliven their surface1 and while        
wild-pigeons1 of the gayest plumage1    
flutter1 in thousands upon thousands1   
amongst the branches of the beautiful   
trees1 which1 sometimes1 for miles      
together1 form an arch over the creeks4 
#adc4 ,i1 in one of my rambles in the   
woods1 in which ,i took great delight1  
came to a spot at a very short distance 
from the source of one of these creeks4 
,here was every thing to delight the    
eye1 and especially of one like me1 who 

seem to have been born to love rural    
life1 and trees and plants of all sorts4
 ,here were about two hundred acres of  
natural meadow1 interspersed with       
patches of maple-trees in various forms 
and of various extent2 the creek 7there 
about thirty miles from its point of    
joining the ,st4 ,john7 ran down the    
middle of the spot1 which formed a sort 
of dish1 the high and rocky hills rising
 all round it1 except at the outlet of  
the creek1 and these hills crowned with 
lofty pines3 in the hills were the      
sources of the creek1 the waters of     
which came down in cascades1 for any one
 of which many a nobleman in ,england   
would1 if he could transfer it1 give a  
good slice of his fertile estate2 and in
 the creek1 at the foot of the cascades1
 there were1 in the season1 salmon the  
finest in the world1 and so abundant1   
and so easily taken1 as to be used for  
manuring the land4  #add4 ,if nature1 in
 her very best humour1 had made a spot  
for the express purpose of captivating  

me1 she could not have exceeded the     
efforts which she had here made4 ,but ,i
 found something here besides these rude
 works of nature2 ,i found something in 
the fashioning of which man had had     
something to do4 ,i found a large and   
well-built log dwelling house1 standing 
7in the month of ,september7 on the edge
 of a very good field of ,indian ,corn1 
by the side of which there was a piece  
of buck-wheat just then mowed4 ,i found 
a homestead1 and some very pretty cows4 
,i found all the things by which an easy
 and happy farmer is surrounded3 and ,i 
found still something besides all these2
 something that was destined to give me 
a great deal of pleasure and also a     
great deal of pain1 both in their       
extreme degree2 and both of which1 in   
spite of the lapse of forty years1 now  
make an attempt to rush back into my    
heart4  #ade4 ,partly from              
misinformation1 and partly from         
miscalculation1 ,i had lost my way2 and1
 quite alone1 but armed with my sword   

and a brace of pistols1 to defend myself
 against the bears1 ,i arrived at the   
log-house in the middle of a moonlight  
night1 the hoar frost covering the trees
 and the grass4 ,a stout and clamorous  
dog1 kept off by the gleaming of my     
sword1 waked the master of the house1   
who got up1 received me with great      
hospitality1 got me something to eat1   
and put me into a feather-bed1 a thing  
that ,i had been a stranger to for some 
years4 ,i1 being very tired1 had tried  
to pass the night in the woods1 between 
the trunks of two large trees1 which had
 fallen side by side1 and within a yard 
of each other4 ,i had made a nest for   
myself of dry fern1 and had made a      
covering by laying boughs of spruce     
across the trunks of the trees4 ,but    
unable to sleep on account of the cold2 
becoming sick from the great quantity of
 water that ,i had drank during the heat
 of the day1 and being1 moreover1       
alarmed at the noise of the bears1 and  
lest one of them should find me in a    

defenceless state1 ,i had roused myself 
up1 and had crept along as well as ,i   
could4 ,so that no hero of eastern      
romance ever experienced a more         
enchanting change4  #adf4 ,i had got    
into the house of one of those ,,yankee 
,,loyalists1 who1 at the close of the   
revolutionary war 7which1 until it had  
succeeded1 was called a rebellion7 had  
accepted of grants of land in the       
,king's ,province of ,new ,brunswick2   
and who1 to the great honour of         
,england1 had been furnished with all   
the means of making new and comfortable 
settlements4 ,i was suffered to sleep   
till breakfast time1 when ,i found a    
table1 the like of which ,i have since  
seen so many in the ,united ,states1    
loaded with good things4 ,the master and
 the mistress of the house1 aged about  
fifty1 were like what an ,english farmer
 and his wife were half a century ago4  
,there were two sons1 tall and stout1   
who appeared to have come in from work1 
and the youngest of whom was about my   

age1 then twenty-three4 ,but there was  
another member of the family1 aged      
nineteen1 who 7dressed according to the 
neat and simple fashion of ,new         
,england1 whence she had come with her  
parents five or six years before7 had   
her long light-brown hair twisted nicely
 up1 and fastened on the top of her     
head1 in which head were a pair of      
lively blue eyes1 associated with       
features of which that softness and that
 sweetness1 so characteristic of        
,american girls1 were the predominant   
expressions1 the whole being set off by 
a complexion indicative of glowing      
health1 and forming1 figure1 movements1 
and all taken together1 an assemblage of
 beauties1 far surpassing any that ,i   
had ever seen but once in my life4 ,that
 once was1 too1 two years agone2 and1 in
 such a case and at such an age1 two    
years1 two whole years1 is a long1 long 
while6 ,it was a space as long as the   
eleventh part of my then life6 ,here was
 the present against the absent3 here   

was the power of the eyes pitted against
 that of the memory3 here were all the  
senses up in arms to subdue the         
influence of the thoughts3 here was     
vanity1 here was passion1 here was the  
spot of all spots in the world1 and here
 were also the life1 and the manners and
 the habits and the pursuits that ,i    
delighted in3 here was every thing that 
imagination can conceive1 united in a   
conspiracy against the poor little      
brunette in ,england6 ,what1 then1 did  
,i fall in love at once with this       
bouquet of lilies and roses8 ,oh6 by no 
means4 ,i was1 however1 so enchanted    
with the place2 ,i so much enjoyed its  
tranquillity1 the shade of the maple    
trees1 the business of the farm1 the    
sports of the water and of the woods1   
that ,i stayed at it to the last        
possible minute1 promising1 at my       
departure1 to come again as often as ,i 
possibly could2 a promise which ,i most 
punctually fulfilled4  #adg4 ,winter is 
the great season for jaunting and       

dancing 7called frolicking7 in ,america4
 ,in this ,province the river and the   
creeks were the only roads from         
settlement to settlement4 ,in summer we 
travelled in canoes2 in winter in       
sleighs on the ice or snow4 ,during more
 than two years ,i spent all the time ,i
 could with my ,yankee friends3 they    
were all fond of me3 ,i talked to them  
about country affairs1 my evident       
delight in which they took as a         
compliment to themselves3 the father and
 mother treated me as one of their      
children2 the sons as a brother2 and the
 daughter1 who was as modest and as full
 of sensibility as she was beautiful1 in
 a way to which a chap much less        
sanguine than ,i was would have given   
the tenderest interpretation2 which     
treatment ,i1 especially in the         
last-mentioned case1 most cordially     
repaid4  #adh4 ,it is when you meet in  
company with others of your own age that
 you are1 in love matters1 put1 most    
frequently1 to the test1 and exposed to 

detection4 ,the next door neighbour     
might1 in that country1 be ten miles    
off4 ,we used to have a frolic1         
sometimes at one house and sometimes at 
another4 ,here1 where female eyes are   
very much on the alert1 no secret can   
long be kept2 and very soon father1     
mother1 brothers and the whole          
neighbourhood looked upon the thing as  
certain1 not excepting herself1 to whom 
,i1 however1 had never once even talked 
of marriage1 and had never even told her
 that ,i loved her4 ,but ,i had a       
thousand times done these by            
implication1 taking into view the       
interpretation that she would naturally 
put upon my looks1 appellations and     
acts2 and it was of this1 that ,i had to
 accuse myself4 ,yet ,i was not a       
deceiver2 for my affection for her was  
very great3 ,i spent no really pleasant 
hours but with her3 ,i was uneasy if she
 showed the slightest regard for any    
other young man3 ,i was unhappy if the  
smallest matter affected her health or  

spirits3 ,i quitted her in dejection1   
and returned to her with eager delight3 
many a time1 when ,i could get leave but
 for a day1 ,i paddled in a canoe two   
whole succeeding nights1 in order to    
pass that day with her4 ,if this was not
 love1 it was first cousin to it2 for as
 to any criminal intention ,i no more   
thought of it1 in her case1 than if she 
had been my sister4 ,many times ,i put  
to myself the questions3 ',what am ,i   
at8 ,is not this wrong8 ,why do ,i go8' 
,but still ,i went4  #adi4 ,then1       
further in my excuse1 my prior          
engagement1 though carefully left       
unalluded to by both parties1 was1 in   
that thin population1 and owing to the  
singular circumstances of it1 and to the
 great talk that there always was about 
me1 perfectly well known to her and all 
her family4 ,it was matter of so much   
notoriety and conversation in the       
,province1 that ,,general ,,carleton    
7brother of the late ,lord ,dorchester71
 who was the ,governor when ,i was      

there1 when he1 about fifteen years     
afterwards1 did me the honour1 on his   
return to ,england1 to come and see me  
at my house in ,duke ,street1           
,westminster1 asked1 before he went     
away1 to see my wife1 of whom he had    
heard so much before her marriage4 ,so  
that here was no deception on my part3  
but still ,i ought not to have suffered 
even the most distant hope to be        
entertained by a person so innocent1 so 
amiable1 for whom ,i had so much        
affection1 and to whose heart ,i had no 
right to give a single twinge4 ,i ought1
 from the very first1 to have prevented 
the possibility of her ever feeling pain
 on my account4 ,i was young1 to be     
sure2 but ,i was old enough to know what
 was my duty in this case1 and ,i ought1
 dismissing my own feelings1 to have had
 the resolution to perform it4  #aej4   
,the last parting came2 and now came my 
just punishment6 ,the time was known to 
every body1 and was irrevocably fixed2  
for ,i had to move with a regiment1 and 

the embarkation of a regiment is an     
epoch in a thinly settled province4 ,to 
describe this parting would be too      
painful even at this distant day1 and   
with this frost of age upon my head4    
,the kind and virtuous father came forty
 miles to see me just as ,i was going on
 board in the river4 ,his looks and     
words ,i have never forgotten4 ,as the  
vessel descended1 she passed the mouth  
of that creek which ,i had so often     
entered with delight2 and though        
,england1 and all that ,england         
contained1 were before me1 ,i lost sight
 of this creek with an aching heart4    
#aea4 ,on what trifles turn the great   
events in the life of man6 ,if ,i had   
received a cool letter from my intended 
wife2 if ,i had only heard a rumour of  
any thing from which fickleness in her  
might have been inferred2 if ,i had     
found in her any1 even the smallest1    
abatement of affection2 if she had but  
let go any one of the hundred strings by
 which she held my heart3 if any of     

these1 never would the world have heard 
of me4 ,young as ,i was2 able as ,i was 
as a soldier2 proud as ,i was of the    
admiration and commendations of which ,i
 was the object2 fond as ,i was1 too1 of
 the command1 which1 at so early an age1
 my rare conduct and great natural      
talents had given me2 sanguine as was my
 mind1 and brilliant as were my         
prospects3 yet ,i had seen so much of   
the meannesses1 the unjust partialities1
 the insolent pomposity1 the disgusting 
dissipations of that way of life1 that  
,i was weary of it3 ,i longed1          
exchanging my fine laced coat for the   
,yankee farmer's home-spun1 to be where 
,i should never behold the supple crouch
 of servility1 and never hear the       
hectoring voice of authority1 again2    
and1 on the lonely banks of this        
branch-covered creek1 which contained   
7she out of the question7 every thing   
congenial to my taste and dear to my    
heart1 ,i1 unapplauded1 unfeared1       
unenvied and uncalumniated1 should have 

lived and died4     ,,letter ,,iv  ,,to 
,a ,,husband  #aeb4 ,it is in this      
capacity that your conduct will have the
 greatest effect on your happiness2 and 
a great deal will depend on the manner  
in which you begin4 ,i am to suppose    
that you have made a good choice2 but a 
good young woman may be made1 by a weak1
 a harsh1 a neglectful1 an extravagant1 
or a profligate husband1 a really bad   
wife and mother4 ,all in a wife1 beyond 
her own natural disposition and         
education is1 nine times out of ten1 the
 work of her husband4  #aec4 ,the first 
thing of all1 be the rank in life what  
it may1 is to convince her of the       
necessity of moderation in expense2 and 
to make her clearly see the justice of  
beginning to act upon the presumption1  
that there are children coming1 that    
they are to be provided for1 and that   
she is to assist in the making of that  
provision4 ,legally speaking1 we have a 
right to do what we please with our own 
property1 which1 however1 is not our    

own1 unless it exceed our debts4 ,and1  
morally speaking1 we1 at the moment of  
our marriage1 contract a debt with the  
naturally to be expected fruit of it2   
and1 therefore 7reserving further       
remarks upon this subject till ,i come  
to speak of the education of children71 
the scale of expense should1 at the     
beginning1 be as low as that of which a 
due attention to rank in life will      
admit4  #aed4 ,the great danger of all  
is1 beginning with servants1 or a       
servant4 ,where there are riches1 or    
where the business is so great as to    
demand help in the carrying on of the   
affairs of a house1 one or more female  
servants must be kept2 but1 where the   
work of a house can be done by one pair 
of hands1 why should there be two2      
especially as you cannot have the hands 
without having the mouth1 and1 which is 
frequently not less costly1 inconvenient
 and injurious1 the tongue8 ,when       
children come1 there must1 at times1 be 
some foreign aid2 but1 until then1 what 

need can the wife of a young tradesman1 
or even farmer 7unless the family be    
great7 have of a servant8 ,the wife is  
young1 and why is she not to work as    
well as the husband8 ,what justice is   
there in wanting you to keep two women  
instead of one8 ,you have not married   
them both in form2 but1 if they be      
inseparable1 you have married them in   
substance2 and if you are free from the 
crime of bigamy1 you have the far most  
burthensome part of its consequences4   
#aee4 ,i am well aware of the           
unpopularity of this doctrine2 well     
aware of its hostility to prevalent     
habits2 well aware that almost every    
tradesman and every farmer1 though with 
scarcely a shilling to call his own2 and
 that every clerk1 and every such       
person1 begins by keeping a servant1 and
 that the latter is generally provided  
before the wife be installed3 ,i am well
 aware of all this2 but knowing1 from   
long and attentive observation1 that it 
is the great bane of the marriage life2 

the great cause of that penury1 and of  
those numerous and tormenting           
embarrassments1 amidst which conjugal   
felicity can seldom long be kept alive1 
,i give the advice1 and state the       
reasons on which it was founded4  #aef4 
,in ,london1 or near it1 a maid servant 
cannot be kept at an expense so low as  
that of thirty pounds a year2 for1      
besides her wages1 board and lodging1   
there must be a fire solely for her2 or 
she must sit with the husband and wife1 
hear every word that passes between     
them1 and between them and their        
friends2 which will1 of course1 greatly 
add to the pleasures of their fire-side6
 ,to keep her tongue still would be     
impossible1 and1 indeed1 unreasonable2  
and if1 as may frequently happen1 she be
 prettier than the wife1 she will know  
how to give the suitable interpretation 
to the looks which1 to a next to a      
certainty1 she will occasionally get    
from him1 whom1 as it were in mockery1  
she calls by the name of 'master4' ,this

 is almost downright bigamy2 but this   
can never do2 and1 therefore1 she must  
have a fire to herself4 ,besides the    
blaze of coals1 however1 there is       
another sort of flame that she will     
inevitably covet4 ,she will by no means 
be sparing of the coals2 but1 well fed  
and well lodged1 as she will be1        
whatever you may be1 she will naturally 
sigh for the fire of love1 for which she
 carries in her bosom a match always    
ready prepared4 ,in plain language1 you 
have a man to keep1 a part1 at least1 of
 every week2 and the leg of lamb1 which 
might have lasted you and your wife for 
three days1 will1 by this gentleman's   
sighs1 be borne away in one4 ,shut the  
door against this intruder2 out she goes
 herself2 and1 if she go empty-handed1  
she is no true ,christian1 or1 at least1
 will not be looked upon as such by the 
charitable friend at whose house she    
meets the longing soul1 dying partly    
with love and partly with hunger4  #aeg4
 ,the cost1 altogether1 is nearer fifty 

pounds a year than thirty4 ,how many    
thousands of tradesmen and clerks1 and  
the like1 who might have passed through 
life without a single embarrassment1    
have lived in continual trouble and     
fear1 and found a premature grave1 from 
this very cause1 and this cause alone6  
,when ,i1 on my return from ,america1 in
 #ahjj1 lived a short time in ,saint    
,james's ,street1 following my habit of 
early rising1 ,i used to see the servant
 maids1 at almost every house1          
dispensing charity at the expense of    
their masters1 long before they1 good   
men1 opened their eyes1 who thus did    
deeds of benevolence1 not only without  
boasting of them1 but without knowing of
 them4 ,meat1 bread1 cheese1 butter1    
coals1 candles2 all came with equal     
freedom from these liberal hands4 ,i    
have observed the same1 in my early     
walks and rides1 in every part of this  
great place and its environs4 ,where    
there is one servant it is worse than   
where there are two or more2 for1       

happily for their employers1 they do not
 always agree4 ,so that the oppression  
is most heavy on those who are the least
 able to bear it3 and particularly on   
clerk1 and such like people1 whose wives
 seem to think1 that1 because the       
husband's work is of a genteel          
description1 they ought to live the life
 of ladies4 ,poor fellows6 their work is
 not hard and rough1 to be sure2 but1 it
 is work1 and work for many hours too1  
and painful enough2 and as to their     
income1 it scarcely exceeds1 on an      
average1 the double1 at any rate1 of    
that of a journeyman carpenter1         
bricklayer1 or tailor4  #aeh4 ,besides1 
the man and wife will live on cheaper   
diet and drink than a servant will live4
 ,thousands1 who would never have had   
beer in their house1 have it for the    
servant1 who will not live without it4  
,however frugal your wife1 her frugality
 is of little use1 if she have one of   
these inmates to provide for4 ,many a   
hundred thousand times has it happened  

that the butcher and the butter-man have
 been applied to solely because there   
was a servant to satisfy4 ,you cannot1  
with this clog everlastingly attached to
 you1 be frugal1 if you would3 you can  
save nothing against the days of        
expense1 which are1 however1 pretty sure
 to come4 ,and why should you bring into
 your house a trouble like this2 an     
absolute annoyance2 a something for your
 wife to watch1 to be a constraint upon 
her1 to thwart her in her best          
intentions1 to make her uneasy1 and to  
sour her temper8 ,why should you do this
 foolish thing8 ,merely to comply with  
corrupt fashion2 merely from false      
shame1 and false and contemptible pride8
 ,if a young man were1 on his marriage1 
to find any difficulty in setting this  
ruinous fashion at defiance1 a very good
 way would be to count down to his wife1
 at the end of every week1 the amount of
 the expense of a servant for that week1
 and request her to deposit it in her   
drawer4 ,in a short time she would find 

the sum so large1 that she would be     
frightened at the thoughts of a servant2
 and would never dream of one again1    
except in case of absolute necessity1   
and then for as short a time as         
possible4  #aei4 ,but the wife may not  
be able to do all the work to be done in
 the house4 ,not able6 ,a young woman   
not able to cook and wash1 and mend and 
make1 and clean the house and make the  
bed for one young man and herself1 and  
that young man her husband too1 who is  
quite willing 7if he be worth a straw7  
to put up with cold dinner1 or with a   
crust2 to get up and light her fire2 to 
do any thing that the mind can suggest  
to spare her labour1 and to conduce to  
her convenience6 ,not able to do this8  
,then1 if she brought no fortune1 and he
 had none1 she ought not to have been   
able to marry3 and1 let me tell you1    
young man1 a small fortune would not put
 a servant-keeping wife upon an equality
 with one who required no such inmate4  
#afj4 ,if1 indeed1 the work of a house  

were harder than a young woman could    
perform without pain1 or great fatigue2 
if it had a tendency to impair her      
health or deface her beauty2 then you   
might hesitate3 but1 it is not too hard1
 and it tends to preserve health1 to    
keep the spirits buoyant1 and1 of       
course1 to preserve beauty4 ,you often  
hear girls1 while scrubbing or washing1 
singing till they are out of breath2 but
 never while they are at what they call 
working at the needle4 ,the ,american   
wives are most exemplary in this        
respect4 ,they have none of that false  
pride1 which prevents thousands in      
,england from doing that which interest1
 reason1 and even their own inclination 
would prompt them to do4 ,they work1 not
 from necessity2 not from compulsion of 
any sort2 for their husbands are the    
most indulgent in the whole world4 ,in  
the towns they go to the market1 and    
cheerfully carry home the result3 in the
 country1 they not only do the work in  
the house1 but extend their labours to  

the garden1 plant and weed and hoe1 and 
gather and preserve the fruits and the  
herbs2 and this1 too1 in a climate far  
from being so favourable to labour as   
that of ,england2 and they are amply    
repaid for these by those gratifications
 which their excellent economy enables  
their husbands to bestow upon them1 and 
which it is their universal habit to do 
with a liberal hand4  #afa4 ,but did ,i 
practise what ,i am here preaching8     
,aye1 and to the full extent4 ,till ,i  
had a second child1 no servant ever     
entered my house1 though well able to   
keep one2 and never1 in my whole life1  
did ,i live in a house so clean1 in such
 trim order1 and never have ,i eaten or 
drunk1 or slept or dressed1 in a manner 
so perfectly to my fancy1 as ,i did     
then4 ,i had a great deal of business to
 attend to1 that took me a great part of
 the day from home2 but1 whenever ,i    
could spare a minute from business1 the 
child was in my arms2 ,i rendered the   
mother's labour as light as ,i could2   

any bit of food satisfied me2 when      
watching was necessary1 we shared it    
between us2 and that famous ,,grammar   
for teaching ,french people ,english1   
which has been for thirty years1 and    
still is1 the great work of this kind1  
throughout all ,america1 and in every   
nation in ,europe1 was written by me1 in
 hours not employed in business1 and1 in
 great part1 during my share of the     
night-watchings over a sick1 and then   
only child1 who1 after lingering many   
months1 died in my arms4  #afb4 ,this   
was the way that we went on3 this was   
the way that we began the married life2 
and surely1 that which we did with      
pleasure no young couple1 unendowed with
 fortune1 ought to be ashamed to do4    
,but she may be ill2 the time may be    
near at hand1 or may have actually      
arrived1 when she must encounter that   
particular pain and danger of which you 
have been the happy cause6 ,oh6 that is 
quite another matter6 ,and if you now   
exceed in care1 in watchings over her1  

in tender attention to all her wishes1  
in anxious efforts to quiet her fears2  
if you exceed in pains and expense to   
procure her relief and secure her life2 
if you1 in any of these1 exceed that    
which ,i would recommend1 you must be   
romantic indeed6 ,she deserves them all1
 and more than all1 ten thousand times  
told4 ,and now it is that you feel the  
blessing conferred by her economy4 ,that
 heap of money1 which might have been   
squandered on1 or by1 or in consequence 
of1 an useless servant1 you now have in 
hand wherewith to procure an abundance  
of that skill and that attendance of    
which she stands in absolute need2 and  
she1 when restored to you in smiling    
health1 has the just pride to reflect1  
that she may have owed her life and your
 happiness to the effects of her        
industry4  #afc4 ,it is the beginning   
that is every thing in this important   
case2 and you will have1 perhaps1 much  
to do to convince her1 not that what you
 recommend is advantageous2 not that it 

is right2 but to convince her that she  
can do it without sinking below the     
station that she ought to maintain4 ,she
 would cheerfully do it2 but there are  
her next-door neighbours1 who do not do 
it1 though1 in all other respects1 on a 
par with her4 ,it is not laziness1 but  
pernicious fashion1 that you will have  
to combat4 ,but the truth is1 that there
 ought to be no combat at all2 this     
important matter ought to be settled and
 fully agreed on beforehand4 ,if she    
really love you1 and have common sense1 
she will not hesitate a moment2 and if  
she be deficient in either of these     
respects2 and if you be so mad in love  
as to be unable to exist without her1 it
 is better to cease to exist at once1   
than to become the toiling and          
embarrassed slave of a wasting and      
pillaging servant4  #afd4 ,the next     
thing to be attended to is1 your        
demeanor towards a young wife4 ,as to   
oldish ones1 or widows1 time and other  
things have1 in most cases1 blunted     

their feelings1 and rendered harsh or   
stern demeanor in the husband a matter  
not of heart-breaking consequence4 ,but 
with a young and inexperienced one1 the 
case is very different2 and you should  
bear in mind1 that the first frown that 
she receives from you is a dagger to her
 heart4 ,nature has so ordered it1 that 
men shall become less ardent in their   
passion after the wedding day2 and that 
women shall not4 ,their ardour increases
 rather than the contrary2 and they are 
surprisingly quick-sighted and          
inquisitive on this score4 ,when the    
child comes1 it divides this ardour with
 the father2 but until then you have it 
all2 and if you have a mind to be happy1
 repay it with all your soul4 ,let what 
may happen to put you out of humour with
 others1 let nothing put you out of     
humour with her4 ,let your words and    
looks and manners be just what they were
 before you called her wife4  #afe4 ,but
 now1 and throughout your life1 show    
your affection for her1 and your        

admiration of her1 not in nonsensical   
compliment2 not in picking up her       
handkerchief1 or her glove1 or in       
carrying her fan or parasol2 not1 if you
 have the means1 in hanging trinkets and
 baubles upon her2 not in making        
yourself a fool by winking at1 and      
seeming pleased at1 her foibles1 or     
follies1 or faults2 but show them by    
acts of real goodness towards her2 prove
 by unequivocal deeds the high value    
that you set on her health and life and 
peace of mind2 let your praise of her go
 to the full extent of her deserts1 but 
let it be consistent with truth and with
 sense1 and such as to convince her of  
your sincerity4 ,he who is the flatterer
 of his wife only prepares her ears for 
the hyperbolical stuff of others4 ,the  
kindest appellation that her ,christian 
name affords is the best you can use1   
especially before faces4 ,an everlasting
 'my dear' is but a sorry compensation  
for a want of that sort of love that    
makes the husband cheerfully toil by    

day1 break his rest by night1 endure all
 sorts of hardships1 if the life or     
health of his wife demand it4 ,let your 
deeds1 and not your words1 carry to her 
heart a daily and hourly confirmation of
 the fact1 that you value her health and
 life and happiness beyond all other    
things in the world2 and let this be    
manifest to her1 particularly at those  
times when life is always more or less  
in danger4  #aff4 ,i began my young     
marriage days in and near ,philadelphia4
 ,at one of those times to which ,i have
 just alluded1 in the middle of the     
burning hot month of ,july1 ,i was      
greatly afraid of fatal consequences to 
my wife for want of sleep1 she not      
having1 after the great danger was over1
 had any sleep for more than forty-eight
 hours4 ,all great cities1 in hot       
countries1 are1 ,i believe1 full of     
dogs2 and they1 in the very hot weather1
 keep up1 during the night1 a horrible  
barking and fighting and howling4 ,upon 
the particular occasion to which ,i am  

adverting1 they made a noise so terrible
 and so unremitted1 that it was next to 
impossible that even a person in full   
health and free from pain should obtain 
a minute's sleep4 ,i was1 about nine in 
the evening1 sitting by the bed3 ',i do 
think1' said she1 'that ,i could go to  
sleep now1 if it were not for the dogs4'
 ,down stairs ,i went1 and out ,i       
sallied1 in my shirt and trowsers1 and  
without shoes and stockings2 and1 going 
to a heap of stones lying beside the    
road1 set to work upon the dogs1 going  
backward and forward1 and keeping them  
at two or three hundred yards' distance 
from the house4 ,i walked thus the whole
 night1 barefooted1 lest the noise of my
 shoes might possibly reach her ears2   
and ,i remember that the bricks of the  
causeway were1 even in the night1 so hot
 as to be disagreeable to my feet4 ,my  
exertions produced the desired effect3 a
 sleep of several hours was the         
consequence2 and1 at eight o'clock in   
the morning1 off went ,i to a day's     

business1 which was to end at six in the
 evening4  #afg4 ,women are all patriots
 of the soil2 and when her neighbours   
used to ask my wife whether all ,english
 husbands were like hers1 she boldly    
answered in the affirmative4 ,i had     
business to occupy the whole of my time1
 ,sundays and weekdays1 except sleeping 
hours2 but ,i used to make time to      
assist her in the taking care of her    
baby1 and in all sorts of things3 get   
up1 light her fire1 boil her tea-kettle1
 carry her up warm water in cold        
weather1 take the child while she       
dressed herself and got the breakfast   
ready1 then breakfast1 get her in water 
and wood for the day1 then dress myself 
neatly1 and sally forth to my business4 
,the moment that was over ,i used to    
hasten back to her again2 and ,i no more
 thought of spending a moment away from 
her1 unless business compelled me1 than 
,i thought of quitting the country and  
going to sea4 ,the thunder and lightning
 are tremendous in ,america1 compared   

with what they are in ,england4 ,my wife
 was1 at one time1 very much afraid of  
thunder and lightning2 and as is the    
feeling of all such women1 and1 indeed1 
all men too1 she wanted company1 and    
particularly her husband1 in those times
 of danger4 ,i knew well1 of course1    
that my presence would not diminish the 
danger2 but1 be ,i at what ,i might1 if 
within reach of home1 ,i used to quit my
 business and hasten to her1 the moment 
,i perceived a thunder storm            
approaching4 ,scores of miles have ,i1  
first and last1 run on this errand1 in  
the streets of ,philadelphia6 ,the      
,frenchmen1 who were my scholars1 used  
to laugh at me exceedingly on this      
account2 and sometimes1 when ,i was     
making an appointment with them1 they   
would say1 with a smile and a bow1      
',sauve la tonnerre toujours1 ,monsieur 
,cobbett4'  #afh4 ,i never dangled about
 at the heels of my wife2 seldom1 very  
seldom1 ever walked out1 as it is       
called1 with her2 ,i never 'went a      

walking' in the whole course of my life2
 never went to walk without having some 
object in view other than the walk2 and1
 as ,i never could walk at a slow pace1 
it would have been hard work for her to 
keep up with me2 so that1 in the nearly 
forty years of our married life1 we have
 not walked out together1 perhaps1      
twenty times4 ,i hate a dangler1 who is 
more like a footman than a husband4 ,it 
is very cheap to be kind in trifles2 but
 that which rivets the affections is not
 to be purchased with money4 ,the great 
thing of all1 however1 is to prove your 
anxiety at those times of peril to her1 
and for which times you1 nevertheless1  
wish4 ,upon those occasions ,i was never
 from home1 be the necessity for it ever
 so great3 it was my rule1 that every   
thing must give way to that4 ,in the    
year #ahji1 some ,english local         
militiamen were flogged1 in the ,isle of
 ,ely1 in ,england1 under a guard of    
,hanoverians1 then stationed in         
,england4 ,i1 reading an account of this

 in a ,london newspaper1 called the     
,,courier1 expressed my indignation at  
it in such terms as it became an        
,englishman to do4 ,the ,attorney       
,general1 ,gibbs1 was set on upon me2 he
 harassed me for nearly a year1 then    
brought me to trial1 and ,i was1 by     
,ellenborough1 ,grose1 ,le ,blanc1 and  
,bailey1 sentenced to two years'        
imprisonment in ,newgate1 to pay a fine 
to the king of a thousand pounds1 and to
 be held in heavy bail for seven years  
after the expiration of the             
imprisonment6 ,every one regarded it as 
a sentence of death4 ,i lived in the    
country at the time1 seventy miles from 
,london2 ,i had a farm on my hands2 ,i  
had a family of small children1 amongst 
whom ,i had constantly lived2 ,i had a  
most anxious and devoted wife1 who was1 
too1 in that state1 which rendered the  
separation more painful ten-fold4 ,i was
 put into a place amongst felons1 from  
which ,i had to rescue myself at the    
price of twelve guineas a week for the  

whole of the two years4 ,the ,king1 poor
 man6 was1 at the close of my           
imprisonment1 not in a condition to     
receive the thousand pounds2 but his    
son1 the present king1 punctually       
received it 'in his name and behalf2'   
and he keeps it still4  #afi4 ,the      
sentence1 though it proved not to be one
 of death1 was1 in effect1 one of ruin1 
as far as then-possessed property went4 
,but this really appeared as nothing1   
compared with the circumstance1 that ,i 
must now have a child born in a felons' 
jail1 or be absent from the scene at the
 time of the birth4 ,my wife1 who had   
come to see me for the last time        
previous to her lying-in1 perceiving my 
deep dejection at the approach of her   
departure for ,botley1 resolved not to  
go2 and actually went and took a lodging
 as near to ,newgate as she could find  
one1 in order that the communication    
between us might be as speedy as        
possible2 and in order that ,i might see
 the doctor1 and receive assurances from

 him relative to her state4 ,the nearest
 lodging that she could find was in     
,skinner-street1 at the corner of a     
street leading to ,smithfield4 ,so that 
there she was1 amidst the incessant     
rattle of coaches and butchers' carts1  
and the noise of cattle1 dogs1 and      
bawling men2 instead of being in a quiet
 and commodious country-house1 with     
neighbours and servants and every thing 
necessary about her4 ,yet1 so great is  
the power of the mind in such cases1    
she1 though the circumstances proved    
uncommonly perilous1 and were attended  
with the loss of the child1 bore her    
sufferings with the greatest composure1 
because1 at any minute she could send a 
message to1 and hear from1 me4 ,if she  
had gone to ,botley1 leaving me in that 
state of anxiety in which she saw me1 ,i
 am satisfied that she would have died2 
and that event taking place at such a   
distance from me1 how was ,i to         
contemplate her corpse1 surrounded by   
her distracted children1 and to have    

escaped death1 or madness1 myself8 ,if  
such was not the effect of this         
merciless act of the government towards 
me1 that amiable body may be well       
assured that ,i have taken and recorded 
the will for the deed1 and that as such 
it will live in my memory as long as    
that memory shall last4  #agj4 ,i make  
no apology for this account of my own   
conduct1 because example is better than 
precept1 and because ,i believe that my 
example may have weight with many       
thousands1 as it has had in respect to  
early rising1 abstinence1 sobriety1     
industry1 and mercy towards the poor4   
,it is not1 then1 dangling about after a
 wife2 it is not the loading her with   
baubles and trinkets2 it is not the     
jaunting of her about from show to show1
 and from what is called pleasure to    
pleasure4 ,it is none of these that     
endears you to her3 it is the adherence 
to that part of the promise you have    
made her3 ',with my body ,i thee        
worship2' that is to say1 respect and   

honour by personal attention and acts of
 affection4 ,and remember1 that the     
greatest possible proof that you can    
give of real and solid affection is to  
give her your time1 when not wanted in  
matters of business2 when not wanted for
 the discharge of some duty1 either     
towards the public or towards private   
persons4 ,amongst duties of this sort1  
we must1 of course1 in some ranks and   
circumstances of life1 include the      
intercourse amongst friends and         
neighbours1 which may frequently and    
reasonably call the husband from his    
home3 but what are we to think of the   
husband who is in the habit of leaving  
his own fire-side1 after the business of
 the day is over1 and seeking           
promiscuous companions in the ale or the
 coffee house8 ,i am told that1 in      
,france1 it is rare to meet with a      
husband who does not spend every evening
 of his life in what is called a caffe2 
that is to say1 a place for no other    
purpose than that of gossipping1        

drinking and gaming4 ,and it is with    
great sorrow that ,i acknowledge that   
many ,english husbands indulge too much 
in a similar habit4 ,drinking clubs1    
smoking clubs1 singing clubs1 clubs of  
odd-fellows1 whist clubs1 sotting clubs3
 these are inexcusable1 they are        
censurable1 they are at once foolish and
 wicked1 even in single men2 what must  
they be1 then1 in husbands2 and how are 
they to answer1 not only to their wives1
 but to their children1 for this        
profligate abandonment of their homes2  
this breach of their solemn vow made to 
the former1 this evil example to the    
latter8  #aga4 ,innumerable are the     
miseries that spring from this cause4   
,the expense is1 in the first place1    
very considerable4 ,i much question     
whether1 amongst tradesmen1 a shilling a
 night pays the average score2 and that1
 too1 for that which is really worth    
nothing at all1 and cannot1 even by     
possibility1 be attended with any one   
single advantage1 however small4        

,fifteen pounds a year thus thrown away1
 would amount1 in the course of a       
tradesman's life1 to a decent fortune   
for a child4 ,then there is the injury  
to health from these night adventures2  
there are the quarrels1 there is the    
vicious habit of loose and filthy talk2 
there are the slanders and the          
back-bitings2 there is the admiration of
 contemptible wit1 and there are the    
scoffings at all that is sober and      
serious4  #agb4 ,and does the husband   
who thus abandons his wife and children 
imagine that she will not1 in some      
degree at least1 follow his example8 ,if
 he do1 he is very much deceived4 ,if   
she imitate him even in drinking1 he has
 no great reason to complain2 and then  
the cost may be two shillings the night 
instead of one1 equal in amount to the  
cost of all the bread wanted in the     
family1 while the baker's bill is1      
perhaps1 unpaid4 ,here are the          
slanderings1 too1 going on at home2 for1
 while the husbands are assembled1 it   

would be hard if the wives were not to  
do the same2 and the very least that is 
to be expected is1 that the tea-pot     
should keep pace with the porter-pot or 
grog-glass4 ,hence crowds of female     
acquaintances and intruders1 and all the
 consequent and inevitable squabbles    
which form no small part of the torment 
of the life of man4  #agc4 ,if you have 
servants1 they know to a moment the time
 of your absence2 and they regulate     
their proceedings accordingly4 ',like   
master like man1' is an old and true    
proverb2 and it is natural1 if not just1
 that it should be thus2 for it would be
 unjust if the careless and neglectful  
sot were served as faithfully as the    
vigilant1 attentive and sober man4 ,late
 hours1 cards and dice1 are amongst the 
consequences of the master's absence2   
and why not1 seeing that he is setting  
the example8 ,fire1 candle1 profligate  
visitants1 expences1 losses1 children   
ruined in habits and morals1 and1 in    
short1 a train of evils hardly to be    

enumerated1 arise from this most vicious
 habit of the master spending his       
leisure time from home4 ,but beyond all 
the rest is the ill-treatment of the    
wife4 ,when left to ourselves we all    
seek the company that we like best2 the 
company in which we take the most       
delight3 and therefore every husband1 be
 his state of life what it may1 who     
spends his leisure time1 or who1 at     
least1 is in the habit of doing it1 in  
company other than that of his wife and 
family1 tells her and them1 as plainly  
by deeds as he could possibly do by     
words1 that he takes more delight in    
other company than in theirs4 ,children 
repay this with disregard for their     
father2 but to a wife of any            
sensibility1 it is either a dagger to   
her heart or an incitement to revenge1  
and revenge1 too1 of a species which a  
young woman will seldom be long in want 
of the means to gratify4 ,in conclusion 
of these remarks respecting absentee    
husbands1 ,i would recommend all those  

who are prone to1 or likely to fall     
into1 the practice1 to remember the     
words of ,mrs4 ,,sullen1 in the ,,beaux'
 ,,stratagem3 ',my husband1' says she1  
addressing a footman whom she had taken 
as a paramour1 'comes reeling home at   
midnight1 tumbles in beside me as a     
salmon flounces in a net1 oversets the  
economy of my bed1 belches the fumes of 
his drink in my face1 then twists       
himself round1 leaving me half naked1   
and listening till morning to that      
tuneful nightingale1 his nose4' ,it is  
at least forty-three years since ,i read
 the ,,beaux' ,,stratagem1 and ,i now   
quote from memory2 but the passage has  
always occurred to me whenever ,i have  
seen a sottish husband2 and though that 
species of revenge1 for the taking of   
which the lady made this apology1 was   
carrying the thing too far1 yet ,i am   
ready to confess1 that if ,i had to sit 
in judgment on her for taking even this 
revenge1 my sentence would be very      
lenient2 for what right has such a      

husband to expect fidelity8 ,he has     
broken his vow2 and by what rule of     
right has she to be bound to hers8 ,she 
thought that she was marrying a man2 and
 she finds that she was married to a    
beast4 ,he has1 indeed1 committed no    
offence that the law of the land can    
reach2 but he has violated the vow by   
which he obtained possession of her     
person2 and1 in the eye of justice1 the 
compact between them is dissolved4      
#agd4 ,the way to avoid the sad         
consequences of which ,i have been      
speaking is to begin well3 many a man   
has become a sottish husband1 and       
brought a family to ruin1 without being 
sottishly inclined1 and without liking  
the gossip of the ale or coffee house4  
,it is by slow degrees that the mischief
 is done4 ,he is first inveigled1 and1  
in time1 he really likes the thing2 and1
 when arrived at that point1 he is      
incurable4 ,let him resolve1 from the   
very first1 never to spend an hour from 
home1 unless business1 or1 at least1    

some necessary and rational purpose     
demand it4 ,where ought he to be1 but   
with the person whom he himself hath    
chosen to be his partner for life1 and  
the mother of his children8 ,what other 
company ought he to deem so good and so 
fitting as this8 ,with whom else can he 
so pleasantly spend his hours of leisure
 and relaxation8 ,besides1 if he quit   
her to seek company more agreeable1 is  
not she set at large by that act of his8
 ,what justice is there in confining her
 at home without any company at all1    
while he rambles forth in search of     
company more gay than he finds at home8 
#age4 ,let the young married man try the
 thing2 let him resolve not to be       
seduced from his home2 let him never go1
 in one single instance1 unnecessarily  
from his own fire-side4 ,habit is a     
powerful thing2 and if he begin right1  
the pleasure that he will derive from it
 will induce him to continue right4     
,this is not being 'tied to the         
apron-strings1' which means quite       

another matter1 as ,i shall show        
by-and-by4 ,it is being at the husband's
 place1 whether he have children or not4
 ,and is there any want of matter for   
conversation between a man and his wife8
 ,why not talk of the daily occurrences 
to her1 as well as to any body else2 and
 especially to a company of tippling and
 noisy men8 ,if you excuse yourself by  
saying that you go to read the          
newspaper1 ,i answer1 buy the newspaper1
 if you must read it3 the cost is not   
half of what you spend per day at the   
pot-house2 and then you have it your    
own1 and may read it at your leisure1   
and your wife can read it as well as    
yourself1 if read it you must4 ,and1 in 
short1 what must that man be made of1   
who does not prefer sitting by his own  
fire-side with his wife and children1   
reading to them1 or hearing them read1  
to hearing the gabble and balderdash of 
a club or a pot-house company6  #agf4   
,men must frequently be from home at all
 hours of the day and night4 ,sailors1  

soldiers1 merchants1 all men out of the 
common track of labour1 and even some in
 the very lowest walks1 are sometimes   
compelled by their affairs1 or by       
circumstances1 to be from their homes4  
,but what ,i protest against is1 the    
habit of spending leisure hours from    
home1 and near to it2 and doing this    
without any necessity1 and by choice3   
liking the next door1 or any house in   
the same street1 better than your own4  
,when absent from necessity1 there is no
 wound given to the heart of the wife2  
she concludes that you would be with her
 if you could1 and that satisfies2 she  
laments the absence1 but submits to it  
without complaining4 ,yet1 in these     
cases1 her feelings ought to be         
consulted as much as possible2 she ought
 to be fully apprised of the probable   
duration of the absence1 and of the time
 of return2 and if these be dependent on
 circumstances1 those circumstances     
ought to be fully stated2 for you have  
no right to keep her mind upon the rack1

 when you have it in your power to put  
it in a state of ease4 ,few men have    
been more frequently taken from home by 
business1 or by a necessity of some     
sort1 than ,i have2 and ,i can          
positively assert1 that1 as to my       
return1 ,i never once disappointed my   
wife in the whole course of our married 
life4 ,if the time of return was        
contingent1 ,i never failed to keep her 
informed from day to day3 if the time   
was fixed1 or when it became fixed1 my  
arrival was as sure as my life4 ,going  
from ,london to ,botley1 once1 with ,mr4
 ,,finnerty1 whose name ,i can never    
pronounce without an expression of my   
regard for his memory1 we stopped at    
,,alton1 to dine with a friend1 who1    
delighted with ,finnerty's talk1 as     
every body else was1 kept us till ten or
 eleven o'clock1 and was proceeding to  
the other bottle1 when ,i put in my     
protest1 saying1 ',we must go1 my wife  
will be frightened4' ',blood1 man1' said
 ,finnerty1 'you do not mean to go home 

to-night6' ,i told him ,i did2 and then 
sent my son1 who was with us1 to order  
out the post-chaise4 ,we had            
twenty-three miles to go1 during which  
we debated the question1 whether ,mrs4  
,,cobbett would be up to receive us1 ,i 
contending for the affirmative1 and he  
for the negative4 ,she was up1 and had a
 nice fire for us to sit down at4 ,she  
had not committed the matter to a       
servant3 her servants and children were 
all in bed2 and she was up1 to perform  
the duty of receiving her husband and   
his friend4 ',you did not expect him8'  
said ,finnerty4 ',to be sure ,i did1'   
said she2 'he never disappointed me in  
his life4'  #agg4 ,now1 if all young men
 knew how much value women set upon this
 species of fidelity1 there would be    
fewer unhappy couples than there are4   
,if men have appointments with lords1   
they never dream of breaking them2 and  
,i can assure them that wives are as    
sensitive in this respect as lords4 ,i  
had seen many instances of conjugal     

unhappiness arising out of that         
carelessness which left wives in a state
 of uncertainty as to the movements of  
their husbands2 and ,i took care1 from  
the very outset1 to guard against it4   
,for no man has a right to sport with   
the feelings of any innocent person     
whatever1 and particularly with those of
 one who has committed her happiness to 
his hands4 ,the truth is1 that men in   
general look upon women as having no    
feelings different from their own2 and  
they know that they themselves would    
regard such disappointments as nothing4 
,but this is a great mistake3 women feel
 more acutely than men2 their love is   
more ardent1 more pure1 more lasting1   
and they are more frank and sincere in  
the utterance of their feelings4 ,they  
ought to be treated with due            
consideration had for all their amiable 
qualities and all their weaknesses1 and 
nothing by which their minds are        
affected ought to be deemed a trifle4   
#agh4 ,when we consider what a young    

woman gives up on her wedding day2 she  
makes a surrender1 an absolute          
surrender1 of her liberty1 for the joint
 lives of the parties2 she gives the    
husband the absolute right of causing   
her to live in what place1 and in what  
manner and what society1 he pleases2 she
 gives him the power to take from her1  
and to use1 for his own purposes1 all   
her goods1 unless reserved by some legal
 instrument2 and1 above all1 she        
surrenders to him her person4 ,then1    
when we consider the pains which they   
endure for us1 and the large share of   
all the anxious parental cares that fall
 to their lot2 when we consider their   
devotion to us1 and how unshaken their  
affection remains in our ailments1 even 
though the most tedious and disgusting2 
when we consider the offices that they  
perform1 and cheerfully perform1 for us1
 when1 were we left to one another1 we  
should perish from neglect2 when we     
consider their devotion to their        
children1 how evidently they love them  

better1 in numerous instances1 than     
their own lives2 when we consider these 
things1 how can a just man think any    
thing a trifle that affects their       
happiness8 ,i was once going1 in my gig1
 up the hill1 in the village of         
,,frankford1 near ,philadelphia1 when a 
little girl1 about two years old1 who   
had toddled away from a small house1 was
 lying basking in the sun1 in the middle
 of the road4 ,about two hundred yards  
before ,i got to the child1 the teams1  
five big horses in each1 of three       
wagons1 the drivers of which had stopped
 to drink at a tavern on the brow of the
 hill1 started off1 and came1 nearly    
abreast1 galloping down the road4 ,i got
 my gig off the road as speedily as ,i  
could2 but expected to see the poor     
child crushed to pieces4 ,a young man1 a
 journeyman carpenter1 who was shingling
 a shed by the side of the road1 seeing 
the child1 and seeing the danger1 though
 a stranger to the parents1 jumped from 
the top of the shed1 ran into the road1 

and snatched up the child1 from scarcely
 an inch before the hoof of the leading 
horse4 ,the horse's leg knocked him     
down2 but he1 catching the child by its 
clothes1 flung it back1 out of the way  
of the other horses1 and saved himself  
by rolling back with surprising agility4
 ,the mother of the child1 who had1     
apparently1 been washing1 seeing the    
teams coming1 and seeing the situation  
of the child1 rushed out1 and catching  
up the child1 just as the carpenter had 
flung it back1 and hugging it in her    
arms1 uttered a shriek such as ,i never 
heard before1 never heard since1 and1 ,i
 hope1 shall never hear again2 and then 
she dropped down1 as if perfectly dead6 
,by the application of the usual means1 
she was restored1 however1 in a little  
while2 and ,i1 being about to depart1   
asked the carpenter if he were a married
 man1 and whether he were a relation of 
the parents of the child4 ,he said he   
was neither3 ',well1 then1' said ,i1    
'you merit the gratitude of every father

 and mother in the world1 and ,i will   
show mine1 by giving you what ,i have1' 
pulling out the nine or ten dollars that
 ,i had in my pocket4 ',no2 ,i thank    
you1 ,sir1' said he3 ',i have only done 
what it was my duty to do4'  #agi4      
,bravery1 disinterestedness1 and        
maternal affection surpassing these1 it 
is impossible to imagine4 ,the mother   
was going right in amongst the feet of  
these powerful and wild horses1 and     
amongst the wheels of the wagons4 ,she  
had no thought for herself2 no feeling  
of fear for her own life2 her shriek was
 the sound of inexpressible joy2 joy too
 great for her to support herself under4
 ,perhaps ninety-nine mothers out of    
every hundred would have acted the same 
part1 under similar circumstances4      
,there are1 comparatively1 very few     
women not replete with maternal love2   
and1 by-the-by1 take you care1 if you   
meet with a girl who 'is not fond of    
children1' not to marry her by any      
means4 ,some few there are who even make

 a boast that they 'cannot bear         
children1' that is1 cannot endure them4 
,i never knew a man that was good for   
much who had a dislike to little        
children2 and ,i never knew a woman of  
that taste who was good for any thing at
 all4 ,i have seen a few such in the    
course of my life1 and ,i have never    
wished to see one of them a second time4
  #ahj4 ,being fond of little children  
argues no effeminacy in a man1 but1 as  
far as my observation has gone1 the     
contrary4 ,a regiment of soldiers       
presents no bad school wherein to study 
character4 ,soldiers have leisure1 too1 
to play with children1 as well as with  
'women and dogs1' for which the proverb 
has made them famed4 ,and ,i have never 
observed that effeminacy was at all the 
marked companion of fondness for little 
children4 ,this fondness manifestly     
arises from a compassionate feeling     
towards creatures that are helpless1 and
 that must be innocent4 ,for my own     
part1 how many days1 how many months1   

all put together1 have ,i spent with    
babies in my arms6 ,my time1 when at    
home1 and when babies were going on1 was
 chiefly divided between the pen and the
 baby4 ,i have fed them and put them to 
sleep hundreds of times1 though there   
were servants to whom the task might    
have been transferred4 ,yet1 ,i have not
 been effeminate2 ,i have not been idle2
 ,i have not been a waster of time2 but 
,i should have been all these if ,i had 
disliked babies1 and had liked the      
porter pot and the grog glass4  #aha4   
,it is an old saying1 ',praise the      
child1 and you make love to the mother2'
 and it is surprising how far this will 
go4 ,to a fond mother you can do nothing
 so pleasing as to praise the baby1 and1
 the younger it is1 the more she values 
the compliment4 ,say fine things to her1
 and take no notice of her baby1 and she
 will despise you4 ,i have often beheld 
this1 in many women1 with great         
admiration2 and it is a thing that no   
husband ought to overlook2 for if the   

wife wish her child to be admired by    
others1 what must be the ardour of her  
wishes with regard to his admiration4   
,there was a drunken dog of a ,norfolk  
man in our regiment1 who came from      
,thetford1 ,i recollect1 who used to    
say1 that his wife would forgive him for
 spending all the pay1 and the washing  
money into the bargain1 'if he would but
 kiss her ugly brat1 and say it was     
pretty4' ,now1 though this was a very   
profligate fellow1 he had philosophy in 
him2 and certain it is1 that there is   
nothing worthy of the name of conjugal  
happiness1 unless the husband clearly   
evince that he is fond of his children1 
and that1 too1 from their very birth4   
#ahb4 ,but though all the aforementioned
 considerations demand from us the      
kindest possible treatment of a wife1   
the husband is to expect dutiful        
deportment at her hands4 ,he is not to  
be her slave2 he is not to yield to her 
against the dictates of his own reason  
and judgment2 it is her duty to obey all

 his lawful commands2 and1 if she have  
sense1 she will perceive that it is a   
disgrace to herself to acknowledge1 as a
 husband1 a thing over which she has an 
absolute controul4 ,it should always be 
recollected that you are the party whose
 body must1 if any do1 lie in jail for  
debt1 and for debts of her contracting1 
too1 as well as of your own contracting4
 ,over her tongue1 too1 you possess a   
clear right to exercise1 if necessary1  
some controul2 for if she use it in an  
unjustifiable manner1 it is against you1
 and not against her1 that the law      
enables1 and justly enables1 the        
slandered party to proceed2 which would 
be monstrously unjust1 if the law were  
not founded on the right which the      
husband has to control1 if necessary1   
the tongue of the wife1 to compel her to
 keep it within the limits prescribed by
 the law4 ,a charming1 a most           
enchanting1 life1 indeed1 would be that 
of a husband1 if he were bound to       
cohabit with and to maintain one for all

 the debts and all the slanders of whom 
he was answerable1 and over whose       
conduct he possessed no compulsory      
controul4  #ahc4 ,of the remedies in the
 case of really bad wives1 squanderers1 
drunkards1 adultresses1 ,i shall speak  
further on2 it being the habit of us all
 to put off to the last possible moment 
the performance of disagreeable duties4 
,but1 far short of these vices1 there   
are several faults in a wife that may1  
if not cured in time1 lead to great     
unhappiness1 great injury to the        
interests as well as character of her   
husband and children2 and which faults  
it is1 therefore1 the husband's duty to 
correct4 ,a wife may be chaste1 sober in
 the full sense of the word1            
industrious1 cleanly1 frugal1 and may be
 devoted to her husband and her children
 to a degree so enchanting as to make   
them all love her beyond the power of   
words to express4 ,and yet she may1     
partly under the influence of her       
natural disposition1 and partly         

encouraged by the great and constant    
homage paid to her virtues1 and         
presuming1 too1 on the pain with which  
she knows her will would be thwarted2   
she may1 with all her virtues1 be thus  
led to a bold interference in the       
affairs of her husband2 may attempt to  
dictate to him in matters quite out of  
her own sphere2 and1 in the pursuit of  
the gratification of her love of power  
and command1 may wholly overlook the    
acts of folly or injustice which she    
would induce her husband to commit1 and 
overlook1 too1 the contemptible thing   
that she is making the man whom it is   
her duty to honour and obey1 and the    
abasement of whom cannot take place     
without some portion of degradation     
falling upon herself4 ,at the time when 
',,the ,,book' came out1 relative to the
 late ill-treated ,,queen ,,caroline1 ,i
 was talking upon the subject1 one day1 
with a parson1 who had not read the     
,book1 but who1 as was the fashion with 
all those who were looking up to the    

government1 condemned the ,queen        
unheard4 ',now1' said ,i1 'be not so    
shamefully unjust2 but get the book1    
read it1 and then give your             
judgment4'--',indeed1' said his wife1   
who was sitting by1 'but ,,he           
,,sha',n',t1' pronouncing the words     
sha'n't with an emphasis and a voice    
tremendously masculine4 ',oh6' said ,i1 
'if he ,,sha',n',t1 that is another     
matter2 but1 if he sha'n't read1 if he  
sha'n't hear the evidence1 he sha'n't be
 looked upon1 by me1 as a just judge2   
and ,i sha'n't regard him1 in future1 as
 having any opinion of his own in any   
thing4' ,all which the husband1 the poor
 henpecked thing1 heard without a word  
escaping his lips4  #ahd4 ,a husband    
thus under command1 is the most         
contemptible of ,god's creatures4       
,nobody can place reliance on him for   
any thing2 whether in the capacity of   
employer or employed1 you are never sure
 of him4 ,no bargain is firm1 no        
engagement sacred1 with such a man4     

,feeble as a reed before the boisterous 
she-commander1 he is bold in injustice  
towards those whom it pleases her       
caprice to mark out for vengeance4 ,in  
the eyes of neighbours1 for friends such
 a man cannot have1 in the eyes of      
servants1 in the eyes of even the       
beggars at his door1 such a man is a    
mean and despicable creature1 though he 
may roll in wealth and possess great    
talents into the bargain4 ,such a man   
has1 in fact1 no property2 he has       
nothing that he can rightly call his    
own2 he is a beggarly dependent under   
his own roof2 and if he have any thing  
of the man left in him1 and if there be 
rope or river near1 the sooner he       
betakes him to the one or the other the 
better4 ,how many men1 how many         
families1 have ,i known brought to utter
 ruin only by the husband suffering     
himself to be subdued1 to be cowed down1
 to be held in fear1 of even a virtuous 
wife6 ,what1 then1 must be the lot of   
him who submits to a commander who1 at  

the same time1 sets all virtue at       
defiance6  #ahe4 ,women are a           
sisterhood4 ,they make common cause in  
behalf of the sex2 and1 indeed1 this is 
natural enough1 when we consider the    
vast power that the law gives us over   
them4 ,the law is for us1 and they      
combine1 wherever they can1 to mitigate 
its effects4 ,this is perfectly natural1
 and1 to a certain extent1 laudable1    
evincing fellow-feeling and public      
spirit3 but when carried to the length  
of 'he sha'n't1' it is despotism on the 
one side and slavery on the other4      
,watch1 therefore1 the incipient steps  
of encroachment2 and they come on so    
slowly1 so softly1 that you must be     
sharp-sighted if you perceive them2 but 
the moment you do perceive them3 your   
love will blind for too long a time2 but
 the moment you do perceive them1 put at
 once an effectual stop to their        
progress4 ,never mind the pain that it  
may give you3 a day of pain at this time
 will spare you years of pain in time to

 come4 ,many a man has been miserable1  
and made his wife miserable too1 for a  
score or two of years1 only for want of 
resolution to bear one day of pain3 and 
it is a great deal to bear2 it is a     
great deal to do to thwart the desire of
 one whom you so dearly love1 and whose 
virtues daily render her more and more  
dear to you4 ,but 7and this is one of   
the most admirable of the mother's      
traits7 as she herself will1 while the  
tears stream from her eyes1 force the   
nauseous medicine down the throat of her
 child1 whose every cry is a dagger to  
her heart2 as she herself has the       
courage to do this for the sake of her  
child1 why should you flinch from the   
performance of a still more important   
and more sacred duty towards herself1 as
 well as towards you and your children8 
#ahf4 ,am ,i recommending tyranny8 ,am  
,i recommending disregard of the wife's 
opinions and wishes8 ,am ,i recommending
 a reserve towards her that would seem  
to say that she was not trust-worthy1 or

 not a party interested in her husband's
 affairs8 ,by no means3 on the contrary1
 though ,i would keep any thing         
disagreeable from her1 ,i should not    
enjoy the prospect of good without      
making her a participator4 ,but reason  
says1 and ,god has said1 that it is the 
duty of wives to be obedient to their   
husbands2 and the very nature of things 
prescribes that there must be a head of 
every house1 and an undivided authority4
 ,and then it is so clearly just that   
the authority should rest with him on   
whose head rests the whole              
responsibility1 that a woman1 when      
patiently reasoned with on the subject1 
must be a virago in her very nature not 
to submit with docility to the terms of 
her marriage vow4  #ahg4 ,there are1 in 
almost every considerable neighbourhood1
 a little squadron of she-commanders1   
generally the youngish wives of old or  
weak-minded men1 and generally without  
children4 ,these are the tutoresses of  
the young wives of the vicinage2 they1  

in virtue of their experience1 not only 
school the wives1 but scold the         
husbands2 they teach the former how to  
encroach and the latter how to yield3 so
 that if you suffer this to go quietly  
on1 you are soon under the care of a    
comite as completely as if you were     
insane4 ,you want no comite3 reason1    
law1 religion1 the marriage vow2 all    
these have made you head1 have given you
 full power to rule your family1 and if 
you give up your right1 you deserve the 
contempt that assuredly awaits you1 and 
also the ruin that is1 in all           
probability1 your doom4  #ahh4 ,taking  
it for granted that you will not suffer 
more than a second or third session of  
the female comite1 let me say a word or 
two about the conduct of men in deciding
 between the conflicting opinions of    
husbands and wives4 ,when a wife has a  
point to carry1 and finds herself hard  
pushed1 or when she thinks it necessary 
to call to her aid all the force she can
 possibly muster1 one of her resources  

is1 the vote on her side of all her     
husband's visiting friends4 ',my husband
 thinks so and so1 and ,i think so and  
so2 now1 ,mr4 ,tomkins1 don't you think 
,i am right8' ,to be sure he does2 and  
so does ,mr4 ,jenkins1 and so does      
,wilkins1 and so does ,mr4 ,dickins1 and
 you would swear that they were all her 
kins4 ,now this is very foolish1 to say 
the least of it4 ,none of these         
complaisant kins would like this in     
their own case4 ,it is the fashion to   
say aye to all that a woman asserts1 or 
contends for1 especially in             
contradiction to her husband2 and a very
 pernicious fashion it is4 ,it is1 in   
fact1 not to pay her a compliment worthy
 of acceptance1 but to treat her as an  
empty and conceited fool2 and no        
sensible woman will1 except from mere   
inadvertence1 make the appeal4 ,this    
fashion1 however1 foolish and           
contemptible as it is in itself1 is     
attended1 very frequently1 with serious 
consequences4 ,backed by the opinions of

 her husband's friends1 the wife returns
 to the charge with redoubled vigour and
 obstinacy2 and if you do not yield1 ten
 to one but a quarrel is the result2 or1
 at least1 something approaching towards
 it4 ,a gentleman at whose house ,i was1
 about five years ago1 was about to take
 a farm for his eldest son1 who was a   
very fine young man1 about eighteen     
years old4 ,the mother1 who was as      
virtuous and as sensible a woman as ,i  
have ever known1 wished him to be 'in   
the law4' ,there were six or eight      
intimate friends present1 and all       
unhesitatingly joined the lady1 thinking
 it a pity that ,,harry1 who had had    
'such a good education1' should be      
buried in a farm-house4 ',and don't you 
think so too1 ,mr4 ,cobbett1' said the  
lady1 with great earnestness4 ',indeed1 
,ma'am1' said ,i1 ',i should think it   
very great presumption in me to offer   
any opinion at all1 and especially in   
opposition to the known decision of the 
father1 who is the best judge1 and the  

only rightful judge1 in such a case4'   
,this was a very sensible and           
well-behaved woman1 and ,i still respect
 her very highly2 but ,i could perceive 
that ,i instantly dropped out of her    
good graces4 ,harry1 however1 ,i was    
glad to hear1 went 'to be buried in the 
farm-house4'  #ahi4 ',a house divided   
against itself1' or1 rather1 in itself1 
'cannot stand2' and it is divided       
against itself if there be a divided    
authority4 ,the wife ought to be heard1 
and patiently heard2 she ought to be    
reasoned with1 and1 if possible1        
convinced2 but if1 after all endeavours 
in this way1 she remain opposed to the  
husband's opinion1 his will must be     
obeyed2 or he1 at once1 becomes nothing2
 she is1 in fact1 the master1 and he is 
nothing but an insignificant inmate4 ,as
 to matters of little comparative       
moment2 as to what shall be for dinner2 
as to how the house shall be furnished2 
as to the management of the house and of
 menial servants2 as to these matters1  

and many others1 the wife may have her  
way without any danger2 but when the    
questions are1 what is to be the calling
 to be pursued2 what is to be the place 
of residence2 what is to be the style of
 living and scale of expence2 what is to
 be done with property2 what the manner 
and place of educating children2 what is
 to be their calling or state of life2  
who are to be employed or entrusted by  
the husband2 what are the principles    
that he is to adopt as to public        
matters2 whom he is to have for         
coadjutors or friends2 all these must be
 left solely to the husband2 in all     
these he must have his will2 or there   
never can be any harmony in the family4 
#aij4 ,nevertheless1 in some of these   
concerns1 wives should be heard with a  
great deal of attention1 especially in  
the affairs of choosing your male       
acquaintances and friends and           
associates4 ,women are more             
quick-sighted than men2 they are less   
disposed to confide in persons upon a   

first acquaintance2 they are more       
suspicious as to motives2 they are less 
liable to be deceived by professions and
 protestations2 they watch words with a 
more scrutinizing ear1 and looks with a 
keener eye2 and1 making due allowance   
for their prejudices in particular      
cases1 their opinions and remonstrances1
 with regard to matters of this sort1   
ought not to be set at naught without   
great deliberation4 ,,louvet1 one of the
 ,brissotins1 who fled for their lives  
in the time of ,,robespierre2 this      
,,louvet1 in his narrative1 entitled    
',mes ,perils' and which ,i read1 for   
the first time1 to divert my mind from  
the perils of the yellow-fever1 in      
,philadelphia1 but with which ,i was so 
captivated as to have read it many times
 since2 this writer1 giving an account  
of his wonderful dangers and escapes1   
relates1 that being on his way to ,paris
 from the vicinity of ,bordeaux1 and    
having no regular passport1 fell lame1  
but finally crept on to a miserable     

pot-house1 in a small town in the       
,limosin4 ,the landlord questioned him  
with regard to who and what he was and  
whence he came and was satisfied with   
his answers4 ,but the landlady1 who had 
looked sharply at him on his arrival1   
whispered a little boy1 who ran away1   
and quickly returned with the mayor of  
the town4 ,,louvet soon discovered that 
there was no danger in the mayor1 who   
could not decipher his forged passport1 
and who1 being well plied with wine1    
wanted to hear no more of the matter4   
,the landlady1 perceiving this1 slipped 
out and brought a couple of aldermen1   
who asked to see the passport4 ',o1 yes2
 but drink first4' ,then there was a    
laughing story to tell over again1 at   
the request of the half-drunken mayor2  
then a laughing and more drinking2 the  
passport in ,,louvet',s hand1 but never 
opened1 and1 while another toast was    
drinking1 the passport slid back quietly
 into the pocket2 the woman looking     
furious all the while4 ,at last1 the    

mayor1 the aldermen1 and the landlord1  
all nearly drunk1 shook hands with      
,,louvet1 and wished him a good journey1
 swore he was a true sans culotte2 but1 
he says1 that the 'sharp-sighted woman1 
who was to be deceived by none of his   
stories or professions1 saw him get off 
with deep and manifest disappointment   
and chagrin4' ,i have thought of this   
many times since1 when ,i have had      
occasion to witness the                 
quick-sightedness and penetration of    
women4 ,the same quality that makes     
them1 as they notoriously are1 more     
quick in discovering expedients in cases
 of difficulty1 makes them more apt to  
penetrate into motives and character4   
#aia4 ,i now come to a matter of the    
greatest possible importance2 namely1   
that great troubler of the married      
state1 that great bane of families1     
,,jealousy2 and ,i shall first speak of 
jealousy in the wife4 ,this is always an
 unfortunate thing1 and sometimes fatal4
 ,yet1 if there be a great propensity   

towards it1 it is very difficult to be  
prevented4 ,one thing1 however1 every   
husband can do in the way of prevention2
 and that is1 to give no ground for it4 
,and here1 it is not sufficient that he 
strictly adhere to his marriage vow2 he 
ought further to abstain from every art1
 however free from guilt1 calculated to 
awaken the slightest degree of suspicion
 in a mind1 the peace of which he is    
bound by every tie of justice and       
humanity not to disturb1 or1 if he can  
avoid it1 to suffer it to be disturbed  
by others4 ,a woman that is very fond of
 her husband1 and this is the case with 
nine-tenths of ,english and ,american   
women1 does not like to share with      
another any1 even the smallest portion1 
not only of his affection1 but of his   
assiduities and applause2 and1 as the   
bestowing of them on another1 and       
receiving payment in kind1 can serve no 
purpose other than of gratifying one's  
vanity1 they ought to be abstained from1
 and especially if the gratification be 

to be purchased with even the chance of 
exciting uneasiness in her1 whom it is  
your sacred duty to make as happy as you
 can4  #aib4 ,for about two or three    
years after ,i was married1 ,i1         
retaining some of my military manners1  
used1 both in ,france and ,america1 to  
romp most famously with the girls that  
came in my way2 till one day1 at        
,philadelphia1 my wife said to me1 in a 
very gentle manner1 ',don't do that3 ,i 
do not like it4' ,that was quite enough3
 ,i had never thought on the subject    
before3 one hair of her head was more   
dear to me than all the other women in  
the world1 and this ,i knew that she    
knew2 but ,i now saw that this was not  
all that she had a right to from me2 ,i 
saw1 that she had the further claim upon
 me that ,i should abstain from every   
thing that might induce others to       
believe that there was any other woman  
for whom1 even if ,i were at liberty1 ,i
 had any affection4 ,i beseech young    
married men to bear this in mind2 for1  

on some trifle of this sort1 the        
happiness or misery of a long life      
frequently turns4 ,if the mind of a wife
 be disturbed on this score1 every      
possible means ought to be used to      
restore it to peace2 and though her     
suspicions be perfectly groundless2     
though they be wild as the dreams of    
madmen2 though they may present a       
mixture of the furious and the          
ridiculous1 still they are to be treated
 with the greatest lenity and           
tenderness2 and if1 after all1 you fail1
 the frailty is to be lamented as a     
misfortune1 and not punished as a fault1
 seeing that it must have its foundation
 in a feeling towards you1 which it     
would be the basest of ingratitude1 and 
the most ferocious of cruelty1 to repay 
by harshness of any description4  #aic4 
,as to those husbands who make the      
unjust suspicions of their wives a      
justification for making those          
suspicions just2 as to such as can make 
a sport of such suspicions1 rather brag 

of them than otherwise1 and endeavour to
 aggravate rather than assuage them2 as 
to such ,i have nothing to say1 they    
being far without the scope of any      
advice that ,i can offer4 ,but to such  
as are not of this description1 ,i have 
a remark or two to offer with respect to
 measures of prevention4  #aid4 ,and1   
first1 ,i never could see the sense of  
its being a piece of etiquette1 a sort  
of mark of good breeding1 to make it a  
rule that man and wife are not to sit   
side by side in a mixed company2 that if
 a party walk out1 the wife is to give  
her arm to some other than her husband2 
that if there be any other hand near1   
his is not to help to a seat or into a  
carriage4 ,i never could see the sense  
of this2 but ,i have always seen the    
nonsense of it plainly enough2 it is1 in
 short1 amongst many other foolish and  
mischievous things that we do in aping  
the manners of those whose riches       
7frequently ill-gotten7 and whose power 
embolden them to set1 with impunity1    

pernicious examples2 and to their       
examples this nation owes more of its   
degradation in morals than to any other 
source4 ,the truth is1 that this is a   
piece of false refinement3 it1 being    
interpreted1 means1 that so free are the
 parties from a liability to suspicion1 
so innately virtuous and pure are they1 
that each man can safely trust his wife 
with another man1 and each woman her    
husband with another woman4 ,but this   
piece of false refinement1 like all     
others1 overshoots its mark2 it says too
 much2 for it says that the parties have
 lewd thoughts in their minds4 ,this is 
not the fact1 with regard to people in  
general2 but it must have been the      
origin of this set of consummately      
ridiculous and contemptible rules4      
#aie4 ,now ,i would advise a young man1 
especially if he have a pretty wife1 not
 to commit her unnecessarily to the care
 of any other man2 not to be separated  
from her in this studious and           
ceremonious manner2 and not to be       

ashamed to prefer her company and       
conversation to that of any other woman4
 ,i never could discover any            
good-breeding in setting another man1   
almost expressly1 to poke his nose up in
 the face of my wife1 and talk nonsense 
to her2 for1 in such cases1 nonsense it 
generally is4 ,it is not a thing of much
 consequence1 to be sure2 but when the  
wife is young1 especially1 it is not    
seemly1 at any rate1 and it cannot      
possibly lead to any good1 though it may
 not lead to any great evil4 ,and1 on   
the other hand1 you may be quite sure   
that1 whatever she may seem to think of 
the matter1 she will not like you the   
better for your attentions of this sort 
to other women1 especially if they be   
young and handsome3 and as this species 
of fashionable nonsense can do you no   
good1 why gratify your love of talk1 or 
the vanity of any woman1 at even the    
risk of exciting uneasiness in that mind
 of which it is your most sacred duty to
 preserve1 if you can1 the uninterrupted

 tranquillity4  #aif4 ,the truth is1    
that the greatest security of all       
against jealousy in a wife is to show1  
to prove1 by your acts1 by your words   
also1 but more especially by your acts1 
that you prefer her to all the world2   
and1 as ,i said before1 ,i know of no   
act that is1 in this respect1 equal to  
spending in her company every moment of 
your leisure time4 ,every body knows1   
and young wives better than any body    
else1 that people1 who can choose1 will 
be where they like best to be1 and that 
they will be along with those whose     
company they best like4 ,the matter is  
very plain1 then1 and ,i do beseech you 
to bear it in mind4 ,nor do ,i see the  
use1 or sense1 of keeping a great deal  
of company1 as it is called4 ,what      
company can a young man and woman want  
more than their two selves1 and their   
children1 if they have any8 ,if here be 
not company enough1 it is but a sad     
affair4 ,the pernicious cards are       
brought forth by the company-keeping1   

the rival expenses1 the sittings up late
 at night1 the seeing of 'the ladies    
home1' and a thousand squabbles and     
disagreeable consequences4 ,but1 the    
great thing of all is1 that this        
hankering after company1 proves1 clearly
 proves1 that you want something beyond 
the society of your wife2 and that she  
is sure to feel most acutely3 the bare  
fact contains an imputation against her1
 and it is pretty sure to lay the       
foundation of jealousy1 or of something 
still worse4  #aig4 ,if acts of kindness
 in you are necessary in all cases1 they
 are especially so in cases of her      
illness1 from whatever cause arising4 ,i
 will not suppose myself to be          
addressing any husband capable of being 
unconcerned while his wife's life is in 
the most distant danger from illness1   
though it has been my very great        
mortification to know in my life time1  
two or three brutes of this description2
 but1 far short of this degree of       
brutality1 a great deal of fault may be 

committed4 ,when men are ill1 they feel 
every neglect with double anguish1 and1 
what then must be in such cases the     
feelings of women1 whose ordinary       
feelings are so much more acute than    
those of men2 what must be their        
feelings in case of neglect in illness1 
and especially if the neglect come from 
the husband6 ,your own heart will1 ,i   
hope1 tell you what those feelings must 
be1 and will spare me the vain attempt  
to describe them2 and1 if it do thus    
instruct you1 you will want no arguments
 from me to induce you1 at such a       
season1 to prove the sincerity of your  
affection by every kind word and kind   
act that your mind can suggest4 ,this is
 the time to try you2 and1 be you       
assured1 that the impression left on her
 mind now will be the true and lasting  
impression2 and1 if it be good1 will be 
a better preservative against her being 
jealous1 than ten thousand of your      
professions ten thousand times repeated4
 ,in such a case1 you ought to spare no 

expense that you can possibly afford2   
you ought to neglect nothing that your  
means will enable you to do2 for1 what  
is the use of money if it be not to be  
expended in this case8 ,but1 more than  
all the rest1 is your own personal      
attention4 ,this is the valuable thing2 
this is the great balm to the sufferer1 
and1 it is efficacious in proportion as 
it is proved to be sincere4 ,leave      
nothing to other hands that you can do  
yourself2 the mind has a great deal to  
do in all the ailments of the body1 and1
 bear in mind1 that1 whatever be the    
event1 you have a more than ample       
reward4 ,i cannot press this point too  
strongly upon you2 the bed of sickness  
presents no charms1 no allurements1 and 
women know this well2 they watch1 in    
such a case1 your every word and every  
look3 and now it is that their          
confidence is secured1 or their         
suspicions excited1 for life4  #aih4 ,in
 conclusion of these remarks1 as to     
jealousy in a wife1 ,i cannot help      

expressing my abhorrence of those       
husbands who treat it as a matter for   
ridicule4 ,to be sure1 infidelity in a  
man is less heinous than infidelity in  
the wife2 but still1 is the marriage vow
 nothing8 ,is a promise solemnly made   
before ,god1 and in the face of the     
world1 nothing8 ,is a violation of a    
contract1 and that1 too1 with a feebler 
party1 nothing of which a man ought to  
be ashamed8 ,but1 besides all these1    
there is the cruelty4 ,first1 you win1  
by great pains1 perhaps1 a woman's      
affections2 then1 in order to get       
possession of her person1 you marry her2
 then1 after enjoyment1 you break your  
vow1 you bring upon her the mixed pity  
and jeers of the world1 and thus you    
leave her to weep out her life4 ,murder 
is more horrible than this1 to be sure1 
and the criminal law1 which punishes    
divers other crimes1 does not reach     
this2 but1 in the eye of reason and of  
moral justice1 it is surpassed by very  
few of those crimes4 ,passion may be    

pleaded1 and so it may1 for almost every
 other crime of which man can be guilty4
 ,it is not a crime against nature2 nor 
are any of these which men commit in    
consequence of their necessities4 ,the  
temptation is great2 and is not the     
temptation great when men thieve or rob8
 ,in short1 there is no excuse for an   
act so unjust and so cruel1 and the     
world is just as to this matter2 for1 ,i
 have always observed1 that1 however men
 are disposed to laugh at these breaches
 of vows in men1 the act seldom fails to
 produce injury to the whole character2 
it leaves1 after all the joking1 a      
stain1 and1 amongst those who depend on 
character for a livelihood1 it often    
produces ruin4 ,at the very least1 it   
makes an unhappy and wrangling family2  
it makes children despise or hate their 
fathers1 and it affords an example at   
the thought of the ultimate consequences
 of which a father ought to shudder4 ,in
 such a case1 children will take part1  
and they ought to take part1 with the   

mother3 she is the injured party2 the   
shame brought upon her attaches1 in     
part1 to them3 they feel the injustice  
done them2 and1 if such a man1 when the 
grey hairs1 and tottering knees1 and    
piping voice come1 look round him in    
vain for a prop1 let him1 at last1 be   
just1 and acknowledge that he has now   
the due reward of his own wanton cruelty
 to one whom he had solemnly sworn to   
love and to cherish to the last hour of 
his or her life4  #aii4 ,but1 bad as is 
conjugal infidelity in the husband1 it  
is much worse in the wife3 a proposition
 that it is necessary to maintain by the
 force of reason1 because the women1 as 
a sisterhood1 are prone to deny the     
truth of it4 ,they say that adultery is 
adultery1 in men as well as in them2 and
 that1 therefore1 the offence is as     
great in the one case as in the other4  
,as a crime1 abstractedly considered1 it
 certainly is2 but1 as to the           
consequences1 there is a wide           
difference4 ,in both cases1 there is the

 breach of a solemn vow1 but1 there is  
this great distinction1 that the        
husband1 by his breach of that vow1 only
 brings shame upon his wife and family2 
whereas the wife1 by a breach of her    
vow1 may bring the husband a spurious   
offspring to maintain1 and may bring    
that spurious offspring to rob of their 
fortunes1 and in some cases of their    
bread1 her legitimate children4 ,so that
 here is a great and evident wrong done 
to numerous parties1 besides the deeper 
disgrace inflicted in this case than in 
the other4  #bjj4 ,and why is the       
disgrace deeper8 ,because here is a     
total want of delicacy2 here is1 in     
fact1 prostitution2 here is grossness   
and filthiness of mind2 here is every   
thing that argues baseness of character4
 ,women should be1 and they are1 except 
in few instances1 far more reserved and 
more delicate than men2 nature bids them
 be such2 the habits and manners of the 
world confirm this precept of nature2   
and therefore1 when they commit this    

offence1 they excite loathing1 as well  
as call for reprobation4 ,in the        
countries where a plurality of wives is 
permitted1 there is no plurality of     
husbands4 ,it is there thought not at   
all indelicate for a man to have several
 wives2 but the bare thought of a woman 
having two husbands would excite horror4
 ,the widows of the ,hindoos burn       
themselves in the pile that consumes    
their husbands2 but the ,hindoo widowers
 do not dispose of themselves in this   
way4 ,the widows devote their bodies to 
complete destruction1 lest1 even after  
the death of their husbands1 they should
 be tempted to connect themselves with  
other men2 and though this is carrying  
delicacy far indeed1 it reads to        
,christian wives a lesson not unworthy  
of their attention2 for1 though it is   
not desirable that their bodies should  
be turned into handfuls of ashes1 even  
that transmutation were preferable to   
that infidelity which fixes the brand of
 shame on the cheeks of their parents1  

their children1 and on those of all who 
ever called them friend4  #bja4 ,for    
these plain and forcible reasons it is  
that this species of offence is far more
 heinous in the wife than in the        
husband2 and the people of all civilized
 countries act upon this settled        
distinction4 ,men who have been guilty  
of the offence are not cut off from     
society1 but women who have been guilty 
of it are2 for1 as we all know well1 no 
woman1 married or single1 of fair       
reputation1 will risk that reputation by
 being ever seen1 if she can avoid it1  
with a woman who has ever1 at any time1 
committed this offence1 which contains  
in itself1 and by universal award1 a    
sentence of social excommunication for  
life4  #bjb4 ,if1 therefore1 it be the  
duty of the husband to adhere strictly  
to his marriage vow3 if his breach of   
that vow be naturally attended with the 
fatal consequences above described3 how 
much more imperative is the duty on the 
wife to avoid1 even the semblance of a  

deviation from that vow6 ,if the man's  
misconduct1 in this respect1 bring shame
 on so many innocent parties1 what      
shame1 what dishonour1 what misery      
follow such misconduct in the wife6 ,her
 parents1 those of her husband1 all her 
relations1 and all her friends1 share in
 her dishonour4 ,and her children6 how  
is she to make atonement to them6 ,they 
are commanded to honour their father and
 their mother2 but not such a mother as 
this1 who1 on the contrary1 has no claim
 to any thing from them but hatred1     
abhorrence1 and execration4 ,it is she  
who has broken the ties of nature2 she  
has dishonoured her own offspring2 she  
has fixed a mark of reproach on those   
who once made a part of her own body2   
nature shuts her out of the pale of its 
influence1 and condemns her to the just 
detestation of those whom it formerly   
bade love her as their own life4  #bjc4 
,but as the crime is so much more       
heinous1 and the punishment so much more
 severe1 in the case of the wife than it

 is in the case of the husband1 so the  
caution ought to be greater in making   
the accusation1 or entertaining the     
suspicion4 ,men ought to be very slow in
 entertaining such suspicions3 they     
ought to have clear proof before they   
can suspect2 a proneness to such        
suspicions is a very unfortunate turn of
 the mind2 and1 indeed1 few characters  
are more despicable than that of a      
jealous-headed husband2 rather than be  
tied to the whims of one of whom1 an    
innocent woman of spirit would earn her 
bread over the washing-tub1 or with a   
hay-fork1 or a reap-hook4 ,with such a  
man there can be no peace2 and1 as far  
as children are concerned1 the false    
accusation is nearly equal to the       
reality4 ,when a wife discovers her     
jealousy1 she merely imputes to her     
husband inconstancy and breach of his   
marriage vow2 but jealousy in him       
imputes to her a willingness to palm a  
spurious offspring upon him1 and upon   
her legitimate children1 as robbers of  

their birthright2 and1 besides this1    
grossness1 filthiness1 and prostitution4
 ,she imputes to him injustice and      
cruelty3 but he imputes to her that     
which banishes her from society2 that   
which cuts her off for life from every  
thing connected with female purity2 that
 which brands her with infamy to her    
latest breath4  #bjd4 ,very slow1       
therefore1 ought a husband to be in     
entertaining even the thought of this   
crime in his wife4 ,he ought to be quite
 sure before he take the smallest step  
in the way of accusation2 but if        
unhappily he have the proof1 no         
consideration on earth ought to induce  
him to cohabit with her one moment      
longer4 ,jealous husbands are not       
despicable because they have grounds2   
but because they have not grounds2 and  
this is generally the case4 ,when they  
have grounds1 their own honour commands 
them to cast off the object1 as they    
would cut out a corn or a cancer4 ,it is
 not the jealousy in itself1 which is   

despicable2 but the continuing to live  
in that state4 ,it is no dishonour to be
 a slave in ,algiers1 for instance2 the 
dishonour begins only where you remain a
 slave voluntarily2 it begins the moment
 you can escape from slavery1 and do    
not4 ,it is despicable unjustly to be   
jealous of your wife2 but it is infamy  
to cohabit with her if you know her to  
be guilty4  #bje4 ,i shall be told that 
the law compels you to live with her1   
unless you be rich enough to disengage  
yourself from her2 but the law does not 
compel you to remain in the same country
 with her2 and1 if a man have no other  
means of ridding himself of such a      
curse1 what are mountains or seas or    
traverse8 ,and what is the risk 7if such
 there be7 of exchanging a life of      
bodily ease for a life of labour8 ,what 
are these1 and numerous other ills 7if  
they happen7 superadded8 ,nay1 what is  
death itself1 compared with the         
baseness1 the infamy1 the never-ceasing 
shame and reproach of living under the  

same roof with a prostituted woman1 and 
calling her your wife8 ,but1 there are  
children1 and what are to become of     
these8 ,to be taken away from the       
prostitute1 to be sure2 and this is a   
duty which you owe to them3 the sooner  
they forget her the better1 and the     
farther they are from her1 the sooner   
that will be4 ,there is no excuse for   
continuing to live with an adultress2 no
 inconvenience1 no loss1 no suffering1  
ought to deter a man from delivering    
himself from such a state of filthy     
infamy2 and to suffer his children to   
remain in such a state1 is a crime that 
hardly admits of adequate description2 a
 jail is paradise compared with such a  
life1 and he who can endure this latter1
 from the fear of encountering hardship1
 is a wretch too despicable to go by the
 name of man4  #bjf4 ,but1 now1 all this
 supposes1 that the husband has well and
 truly acted his part6 ,it supposes1 not
 only that he has been faithful2 but1   
that he has not1 in any way1 been the   

cause of temptation to the wife to be   
unfaithful4 ,if he have been cold and   
neglectful2 if he have led a life of    
irregularity2 if he have proved to her  
that home was not his delight2 if he    
have made his house the place of resort 
for loose companions2 if he have given  
rise to a taste for visiting1           
junketting1 parties of pleasure and     
gaiety2 if he have introduced the habit 
of indulging in what are called         
'innocent freedoms2' if these1 or any of
 these1 the fault is his1 he must take  
the consequences1 and he has no right to
 inflict punishment on the offender1 the
 offence being in fact of his own       
creating4 ,the laws of ,god1 as well as 
the laws of man1 have given him all     
power in this respect3 it is for him to 
use that power for the honour of his    
wife as well as for that of himself3 if 
he neglect to use it1 all the           
consequences ought to fall on him2 and1 
as far as my observation has gone1 in   
nineteen out of twenty cases of         

infidelity in wives1 the crimes have    
been fairly ascribable to the husbands4 
,folly or misconduct in the husband1    
cannot1 indeed1 justify or even palliate
 infidelity in the wife1 whose very     
nature ought to make her recoil at the  
thought of the offence2 but it may1 at  
the same time1 deprive him of the right 
of inflicting punishment on her3 her    
kindred1 her children1 and the world1   
will justly hold her in abhorrence2 but 
the husband must hold his peace4  #bjg4 
',innocent freedoms6' ,i know of none   
that a wife can indulge in4 ,the words1 
as applied to the demeanour of a married
 woman1 or even a single one1 imply a   
contradiction4 ,for freedom1 thus used1 
means an exemption or departure from the
 strict rules of female reserve2 and1 ,i
 do not see how this can be innocent4   
,it may not amount to crime1 indeed2    
but1 still it is not innocent2 and the  
use of the phrase is dangerous4 ,if it  
had been my fortune to be yoked to a    
person1 who liked 'innocent freedoms1'  

,i should have unyoked myself in a very 
short time4 ,but1 to say the truth1 it  
is all a man's own fault4 ,if he have   
not sense and influence enough to       
prevent 'innocent freedoms1' even before
 marriage1 he will do well to let the   
thing alone1 and leave wives to be      
managed by those who have4 ,but1 men    
will talk to your wife1 and natter her4 
,to be sure they will1 if she be young  
and pretty2 and would you go and pull   
her away from them8 ,o no1 by no means2 
but you must have very little sense1 or 
must have made very little use of it1 if
 her manner do not soon convince them   
that they employ their flattery in vain4
  #bjh4 ,so much of a man's happiness   
and of his efficiency through life      
depends upon his mind being quite free  
from all anxieties of this sort1 that   
too much care cannot be taken to guard  
against them2 and1 ,i repeat1 that the  
great preservation of all is1 the young 
couple living as much as possible at    
home1 and having as few visitors as     

possible4 ,if they do not prefer the    
company of each other to that of all the
 world besides2 if either of them be    
weary of the company of the other2 if   
they do not1 when separated by business 
or any other cause1 think with pleasure 
of the time of meeting again1 it is a   
bad omen4 ,pursue this course when      
young1 and the very thought of jealousy 
will never come into your mind2 and1 if 
you do pursue it1 and show by your deeds
 that you value your wife as you do your
 own life1 you must be pretty nearly an 
idiot1 if she do not think you to be the
 wisest man in the world4 ,the best man 
she will be sure to think you1 and she  
will never forgive any one that calls   
your talents or your wisdom in question4
  #bji4 ,now1 will you say that1 if to  
be happy1 nay1 if to avoid misery and   
ruin in the married state1 requires all 
these precautions1 all these cares1 to  
fail to any extent in any of which is to
 bring down on a man's head such fearful
 consequences2 will you say that1 if    

this be the case1 it is better to remain
 single8 ,if you should say this1 it is 
my business to show that you are in     
error4 ,for1 in the first place1 it is  
against nature to suppose that children 
can cease to be born2 they must and will
 come2 and then it follows1 that they   
must come by promiscuous intercourse1 or
 by particular connexion4 ,the former   
nobody will contend for1 seeing that it 
would put us1 in this respect1 on a     
level with the brute creation4 ,then1 as
 the connexion is to be particular1 it  
must be during pleasure1 or for the     
joint lives of the parties4 ,the former 
would seldom hold for any length of     
time3 the tie would seldom be durable1  
and it would be feeble on account of its
 uncertain duration4 ,therefore1 to be a
 father1 with all the lasting and       
delightful ties attached to the name1   
you must first be a husband2 and there  
are very few men in the world who do    
not1 first or last1 desire to be        
fathers4 ,if it be said1 that marriage  

ought not to be for life1 but that its  
duration ought to be subject to the     
will1 the mutual will at least1 of the  
parties2 the answer is1 that it would   
seldom be of long duration4 ,every      
trifling dispute would lead to a        
separation2 a hasty word would be       
enough4 ,knowing that the engagement is 
for life1 prevents disputes too2 it     
checks anger in its beginnings4 ,put a  
rigging horse into a field with a weak  
fence1 and with captivating pasture on  
the other side1 and he is continually   
trying to get out2 but1 let the field be
 walled round1 he makes the best of his 
hard fare1 and divides his time between 
grazing and sleeping4 ,besides1 there   
could be no families1 no assemblages of 
persons worthy of that name2 all would  
be confusion and indescribable          
intermixture3 the names of brother and  
sister would hardly have a meaning2 and1
 therefore1 there must be marriage1 or  
there can be nothing worthy of the name 
of family or of father4  #baj4 ,the     

cares and troubles of the married life  
are many2 but1 are those of the single  
life few8 ,take the farmer1 and it is   
nearly the same with the tradesman2 but1
 take the farmer1 for instance1 and let 
him1 at the age of twenty-five1 go into 
business unmarried4 ,see his maid       
servants1 probably rivals for his       
smiles1 but certainly rivals in the     
charitable distribution of his victuals 
and drink amongst those of their own    
rank3 behold their guardianship of his  
pork-tub1 his bacon rack1 his butter1   
cheese1 milk1 poultry1 eggs1 and all the
 rest of it3 look at their care of all  
his household stuff1 his blankets1      
sheets1 pillow-cases1 towels1 knives and
 forks1 and particularly of his crockery
 ware1 of which last they will hardly   
exceed a single cart-load of broken bits
 in the year4 ,and1 how nicely they will
 get up and take care of his linen and  
other wearing apparel1 and always have  
it ready for him without his thinking   
about it6 ,if absent at market1 or      

especially at a distant fair1 how       
scrupulously they will keep all their   
cronies out of his house1 and what      
special care they will take of his      
cellar1 more particularly that which    
holds the strong beer6 ,and his         
groceries and his spirits and his wine  
7for a bachelor can afford it71 how safe
 these will all be6 ,bachelors have not1
 indeed1 any more than married men1 a   
security for health2 but if our young   
farmer be sick1 there are his couple of 
maids to take care of him1 to administer
 his medicine1 and to perform for him   
all other nameless offices1 which in    
such a case are required2 and what is   
more1 take care of every thing down     
stairs at the same time1 especially his 
desk with the money in it6 ,never will  
they1 good-humoured girls as they are1  
scold him for coming home too late2 but1
 on the contrary1 like him the better   
for it2 and if he have drunk a little   
too much1 so much the better1 for then  
he will sleep late in the morning1 and  

when he comes out at last1 he will find 
that his men have been so hard at work1 
and that all his animals have been taken
 such good care of6  #baa4 ,nonsense6 a 
bare glance at the thing shows1 that a  
farmer1 above all men living1 can never 
carry on his affairs with profit without
 a wife1 or a mother1 or a daughter1 or 
some such person2 and mother and        
daughter imply matrimony4 ,to be sure1 a
 wife would cause some trouble1 perhaps1
 to this young man4 ,there might be the 
midwife and nurse to gallop after at    
midnight2 there might be1 and there     
ought to be1 if called for1 a little    
complaining of late hours2 but1 good    
,god6 what are these1 and all the other 
troubles that could attend a married    
life2 what are they1 compared to the one
 single circumstance of the want of a   
wife at your bedside during one single  
night of illness6 ,a nurse6 what is a   
nurse to do for you8 ,will she do the   
things that a wife will do8 ,will she   
watch your looks and your half-uttered  

wishes8 ,will she use the urgent        
persuasions so often necessary to save  
life in such cases8 ,will she1 by her   
acts1 convince you that it is not a     
toil1 but a delight1 to break her rest  
for your sake8 ,in short1 now it is that
 you find that what the women themselves
 say is strictly true1 namely1 that     
without wives1 men are poor helpless    
mortals4  #bab4 ,as to the expense1     
there is no comparison between that of a
 woman servant and a wife1 in the house 
of a farmer or a tradesman4 ,the wages  
of the former is not the expense2 it is 
the want of a common interest with you1 
and this you can obtain in no one but a 
wife4 ,but there are the children4 ,i1  
for my part1 firmly believe that a      
farmer1 married at twenty-five1 and     
having ten children during the first ten
 years1 would be able to save more money
 during these years1 than a bachelor1 of
 the same age1 would be able to save1 on
 the same farm1 in a like space of time1
 he keeping only one maid servant4 ,one 

single fit of illness1 of two months'   
duration1 might sweep away more than all
 the children would cost in the whole   
ten years1 to say nothing of the        
continual waste and pillage1 and the    
idleness1 going on from the first day of
 the ten years to the last4  #bac4      
,besides1 is the money all8 ,what a life
 to lead66 ,no one to talk to without   
going from home1 or without getting some
 one to come to you2 no friend to sit   
and talk to3 pleasant evenings to pass6 
,nobody to share with you your sorrows  
or your pleasures3 no soul having a     
common interest with you3 all around you
 taking care of themselves1 and no care 
of you3 no one to cheer you in moments  
of depression3 to say all in a word1 no 
one to love you1 and no prospect of ever
 seeing any such one to the end of your 
days4 ,for1 as to parents and brethren1 
if you have them1 they have other and   
very different ties2 and1 however       
laudable your feelings as son and       
brother1 those feelings are of a        

different character4 ,then as to        
gratifications1 from which you will     
hardly abstain altogether1 are they     
generally of little expense8 and are    
they attended with no trouble1 no       
vexation1 no disappointment1 no jealousy
 even1 and are they never followed by   
shame or remorse8  #bad4 ,it does very  
well in bantering songs1 to say that the
 bachelor's life is 'devoid of care4'   
,my observation tells me the contrary1  
and reason concurs1 in this regard1 with
 experience4 ,the bachelor has no one on
 whom he can in all cases rely4 ,when he
 quits his home1 he carries with him    
cares that are unknown to the married   
man4 ,if1 indeed1 like the common       
soldier1 he have merely a lodging-place1
 and a bundle of clothes1 given in      
charge to some one1 he may be at his    
ease2 but if he possess any thing of a  
home1 he is never sure of its safety2   
and this uncertainty is a great enemy to
 cheerfulness4 ,and as to efficiency in 
life1 how is the bachelor to equal the  

married man8 ,in the case of farmers and
 tradesmen1 the latter have so clearly  
the advantage over the former1 that one 
need hardly insist upon the point2 but  
it is1 and must be1 the same in all the 
situations of life4 ,to provide for a   
wife and children is the greatest of all
 possible spurs to exertion4 ,many a    
man1 naturally prone to idleness1 has   
become active and industrious when he   
saw children growing up about him2 many 
a dull sluggard has become1 if not a    
bright man1 at least a bustling man1    
when roused to exertion by his love4    
,dryden's account of the change wrought 
in ,,cymon1 is only a strong case of the
 kind4 ,and1 indeed1 if a man will not  
exert himself for the sake of a wife and
 children1 he can have no exertion in   
him2 or he must be deaf to all the      
dictates of nature4  #bae4 ,perhaps the 
world never exhibited a more striking   
proof of the truth of this doctrine than
 that which is exhibited in me2 and ,i  
am sure that every one will say1 without

 any hesitation1 that a fourth part of  
the labours ,i have performed1 never    
would have been performed1 if ,i had not
 been a married man4 ,in the first      
place1 they could not2 for ,i should1   
all the early part of my life1 have been
 rambling and roving about as most      
bachelors are4 ,i should have had no    
home that ,i cared a straw about1 and   
should have wasted the far greater part 
of my time4 ,the great affair of home   
being settled1 having the home secured1 
,i had leisure to employ my mind on     
things which it delighted in4 ,i got rid
 at once of all cares1 all anxieties1   
and had only to provide for the very    
moderate wants of that home4 ,but the   
children began to come4 ,they sharpened 
my industry3 they spurred me on4 ,to be 
sure1 ,i had other and strong motives3  
,i wrote for fame1 and was urged forward
 by ill-treatment1 and by the desire to 
triumph over my enemies2 but1 after all1
 a very large part of my nearly a       
hundred volumes may be fairly ascribed  

to the wife and children4  #baf4 ,i     
might have done something2 but1 perhaps1
 not a thousandth part of what ,i have  
done2 not even a thousandth part3 for   
the chances are1 that ,i1 being fond of 
a military life1 should have ended my   
days ten or twenty years ago1 in        
consequence of wounds1 or fatigue1 or1  
more likely1 in consequence of the      
persecutions of some haughty and        
insolent fool1 whom nature had formed to
 black my shoes1 and whom a system of   
corruption had made my commander4 ,love 
came and rescued me from this state of  
horrible slavery2 placed the whole of my
 time at my own disposal2 made me as    
free as air2 removed every restraint    
upon the operations of my mind1         
naturally disposed to communicate its   
thoughts to others2 and gave me1 for my 
leisure hours1 a companion1 who1 though 
deprived of all opportunity of acquiring
 what is called learning1 had so much   
good sense1 so much useful knowledge1   
was so innocent1 so just in all her     

ways1 so pure in thought1 word and deed1
 so disinterested1 so generous1 so      
devoted to me and her children1 so free 
from all disguise1 and1 withal1 so      
beautiful and so talkative1 and in a    
voice so sweet1 so cheering1 that ,i    
must1 seeing the health and the capacity
 which it had pleased ,god to give me1  
have been a criminal1 if ,i had done    
much less than that which ,i have done2 
and ,i have always said1 that1 if my    
country feel any gratitude for my       
labours1 that gratitude is due to her   
full as much as to me4  #bag4 ',care'6  
,what care have ,i known6 ,i have been  
buffeted about by this powerful and     
vindictive ,government2 ,i have         
repeatedly had the fruit of my labour   
snatched away from me by it2 but ,i had 
a partner that never frowned1 that was  
never melancholy1 that never was subdued
 in spirit1 that never abated a smile1  
on these occasions1 that fortified me1  
and sustained me by her courageous      
example1 and that was just as busy and  

as zealous in taking care of the remnant
 as she had been in taking care of the  
whole2 just as cheerful1 and just as    
full of caresses1 when brought down to a
 mean hired lodging1 as when the        
mistress of a fine country house1 with  
all its accompaniments2 and1 whether    
from her words or her looks1 no one     
could gather that she regretted the     
change4 ,what 'cares' have ,i had1 then8
 ,what have ,i had worthy of the name of
 'cares'8  #bah4 ,and1 how is it now8   
,how is it when the sixty-fourth year   
has come8 ,and how should ,i have been  
without this wife and these children8 ,i
 might have amassed a tolerable heap of 
money2 but what would that have done for
 me8 ,it might have bought me plenty of 
professions of attachment2 plenty of    
persons impatient for my exit from the  
world2 but not one single grain of      
sorrow1 for any anguish that might have 
attended my approaching end4 ,to me1 no 
being in this world appears so wretched 
as an ,old ,bachelor4 ,those            

circumstances1 those changes in his     
person and in his mind1 which1 in the   
husband1 increase rather than diminish  
the attentions to him1 produce all the  
want of feeling attendant on disgust2   
and he beholds1 in the conduct of the   
mercenary crew that generally surround  
him1 little besides an eager desire to  
profit from that event1 the approach of 
which1 nature makes a subject of sorrow 
with him4  #bai4 ,before ,i quit this   
part of my work1 ,i cannot refrain from 
offering my opinion with regard to what 
is due from husband to wife1 when the   
disposal of his property comes to be    
thought of4 ,when marriage is an affair 
settled by deeds1 contracts1 and        
lawyers1 the husband1 being bound       
beforehand1 has really no will to make4 
,but where he has a will to make1 and a 
faithful wife to leave behind him1 it is
 his first duty to provide for her      
future well-being1 to the utmost of his 
power4 ,if she brought him no money1 she
 brought him her person2 and by         

delivering that up to him1 she          
established a claim to his careful      
protection of her to the end of her     
life4 ,some men think1 or act as if they
 thought1 that1 if a wife bring no      
money1 and if the husband gain money by 
his business or profession1 that money  
is his1 and not hers1 because she has   
not been doing any of those things for  
which the money has been received4 ,but 
is this way of thinking just8 ,by the   
marriage vow1 the husband endows the    
wife with all his worldly goods2 and not
 a bit too much is this1 when she is    
giving him the command and possession of
 her person4 ,but does she not help to  
acquire the money8 ,speaking1 for       
instance1 of the farmer or the merchant1
 the wife does not1 indeed1 go to       
plough1 or to look after the ploughing  
and sowing2 she does not purchase or    
sell the stock2 she does not go to the  
fair or the market2 but she enables him 
to do all these without injury to his   
affairs at home2 she is the guardian of 

his property2 she preserves what would  
otherwise be lost to him4 ,the barn and 
the granary1 though they create nothing1
 have1 in the bringing of food to our   
mouths1 as much merit as the fields     
themselves4 ,the wife does not1 indeed1 
assist in the merchant's counting-house2
 she does not go upon the exchange2 she 
does not even know what he is doing2 but
 she keeps his house in order2 she rears
 up his children2 she provides a scene  
of suitable resort for his friends2 she 
insures him a constant retreat from the 
fatigues of his affairs2 she makes his  
home pleasant1 and she is the guardian  
of his income4  #bbj4 ,in both these    
cases1 the wife helps to gain the money2
 and in cases where there is no gain1   
where the income is by descent1 or is   
fixed1 she helps to prevent it from     
being squandered away4 ,it is1          
therefore1 as much hers as it is the    
husband's2 and though the law gives him1
 in many cases1 the power of keeping her
 share from her1 no just man will ever  

avail himself of that power4 ,with      
regard to the tying up of widows from   
marrying again1 ,i will relate what took
 place in a case of this kind1 in       
,america4 ,a merchant1 who had1 during  
his married state1 risen from poverty to
 very great riches1 and who had1        
nevertheless1 died at about forty years 
of age1 left the whole of his property  
to his wife for her life1 and at her    
disposal at her death1 provided that she
 did not marry4 ,the consequence was1   
that she took a husband without         
marrying1 and1 at her death 7she having 
no children71 gave the whole of the     
property to the second husband6 ,so much
 for posthumous jealousy6  #bba4 ,where 
there are children1 indeed1 it is the   
duty of the husband to provide1 in      
certain cases1 against step-fathers1 who
 are very prone not to be the most just 
and affectionate parents4 ,it is an     
unhappy circumstance1 when a dying      
father is compelled to have fears of    
this sort4 ,there is seldom an apology  

to be offered for a mother that will    
hazard the happiness of her children by 
a second marriage4 ,the law allows it1  
to be sure2 but there is1 as ,prior     
says1 'something beyond the letter of   
the law4' ,i know what ticklish ground  
,i am treading on here2 but1 though it  
is as lawful for a woman to take a      
second husband as for a man to take a   
second wife1 the cases are different1   
and widely different1 in the eye of     
morality and of reason2 for1 as adultery
 in the wife is a greater offence than  
adultery in the husband2 as it is more  
gross1 as it includes prostitution2 so a
 second marriage in the woman is more   
gross than in the man1 argues great     
deficiency in that delicacy1 that innate
 modesty1 which1 after all1 is the great
 charm1 the charm of charms1 in the     
female sex4 ,i do not like to hear a man
 talk of his first wife1 especially in  
the presence of a second2 but to hear a 
woman thus talk of her first husband1   
has never1 however beautiful and good   

she might be1 failed to sink her in my  
estimation4 ,i have1 in such cases1     
never been able to keep out of my mind  
that concatenation of ideas1 which1 in  
spite of custom1 in spite of the        
frequency of the occurrence1 leave an   
impression deeply disadvantageous to the
 party2 for1 after the greatest of      
ingenuity has exhausted itself in the   
way of apology1 it comes to this at     
last1 that the person has a second time 
undergone that surrender1 to which      
nothing but the most ardent affection1  
could ever reconcile a chaste and       
delicate woman4  #bbb4 ,the usual       
apologies1 that 'a lone woman wants a   
protector2 that she cannot manage her   
estate2 that she cannot carry on her    
business2 that she wants a home for her 
children'2 all these apologies are not  
worth a straw2 for what is the amount of
 them8 ,why1 that she surrenders her    
person to secure these ends6 ,and if we 
admit the validity of such apologies1   
are we far from apologising for the     

kept-mistress1 and even the prostitute8 
,nay1 the former of these may 7if she   
confine herself to one man7 plead more  
boldly in her defence2 and even the     
latter may plead that hunger1 which     
knows no law1 and no decorum1 and no    
delicacy4 ,these unhappy1 but           
justly-reprobated and despised parties1 
are allowed no apology at all3 though   
reduced to the begging of their bread1  
the world grants them no excuse4 ,the   
sentence on them is3 ',you shall suffer 
every hardship2 you shall submit to     
hunger and nakedness2 you shall perish  
by the way-side1 rather than you shall  
surrender your person to the dishonour  
of the female sex4' ,but can we1 without
 crying injustice1 pass this sentence   
upon them1 and1 at the same time hold it
 to be proper1 decorous1 and delicate1  
that widows shall surrender their       
persons for worldly gain1 for the sake  
of ease1 or for any consideration       
whatsoever8  #bbc4 ,it is disagreeable  
to contemplate the possibility of cases 

of separation2 but amongst the evils of 
life1 such have occurred1 and will      
occur2 and the injured parties1 while   
they are sure to meet with the pity of  
all just persons1 must console          
themselves that they have not merited   
their fate4 ,in the making one's choice1
 no human foresight or prudence can1 in 
all cases1 guard against an unhappy     
result4 ,there is one species of        
husbands to be occasionally met with in 
all countries1 meriting particular      
reprobation1 and causing us to lament1  
that there is no law to punish offenders
 so enormous4 ,there was a man in       
,pennsylvania1 apparently a very amiable
 young man1 having a good estate of his 
own1 and marrying a most beautiful woman
 of his own age1 of rich parents1 and of
 virtue perfectly spotless4 ,he very    
soon took to both gaming and drinking   
7the last being the most fashionable    
vice of the country72 he neglected his  
affairs and his family2 in about four   
years spent his estate1 and became a    

dependent on his wife's father1 together
 with his wife and three children4 ,even
 this would have been of little         
consequence1 as far as related to       
expense2 but he led the most scandalous 
life1 and was incessant in his demands  
of money for the purposes of that       
infamous life4 ,all sorts of means were 
resorted to to reclaim him1 and all in  
vain2 and the wretch1 availing himself  
of the pleading of his wife's affection1
 and of his power over the children more
 especially1 continued for ten or twelve
 years to plunder the parents1 and to   
disgrace those whom it was his bounden  
duty to assist in making happy4 ,at     
last1 going out in the dark1 in a boat1 
and being partly drunk1 he went to the  
bottom of the ,delaware1 and became food
 for otters or fishes1 to the great joy 
of all who knew him1 excepting only his 
amiable wife4 ,i can form an idea of no 
baseness equal to this4 ,there is more  
of baseness in this character than in   
that of the robber4 ,the man who obtains

 the means of indulging in vice1 by     
robbery1 exposes himself to the         
inflictions of the law2 but though he   
merits punishment1 he merits it less    
than the base miscreant who obtains his 
means by his threats to disgrace his own
 wife1 children1 and the wife's parents4
 ,the short way in such a case1 is the  
best2 set the wretch at defiance2 resort
 to the strong arm of the law wherever  
it will avail you2 drive him from your  
house like a mad dog2 for1 be assured1  
that a being so base and cruel is never 
to be reclaimed3 all your efforts at    
persuasion are useless2 his promises and
 vows are made but to be broken2 all    
your endeavours to keep the thing from  
the knowledge of the world1 only prolong
 his plundering of you2 and many a      
tender father and mother have been      
ruined by such endeavours2 the whole    
story must come out at last1 and it is  
better to come out before you be ruined1
 than after your ruin is completed4     
#bbd4 ,however1 let me hope1 that those 

who read this work will always be secure
 against evils like these2 let me hope1 
that the young men who read it will     
abstain from those vices which lead to  
such fatal results2 that they will1     
before they utter the marriage vow1 duly
 reflect on the great duties that that  
vow imposes on them2 that they will     
repel1 from the outset1 every temptation
 to any thing tending to give pain to   
the defenceless persons whose love for  
them have placed them at their mercy2   
and that they will imprint on their own 
minds this truth1 that a bad husband was
 never yet a happy man4     ,,letter ,v 
,,to ,a ,,father  #bbe4 ',little        
children1' says the ,scripture1 'are    
like arrows in the hands of the giant1  
and blessed is the man that hath his    
quiver full of them'2 a beautiful figure
 to describe1 in forcible terms1 the    
support1 the power1 which a father      
derives from being surrounded by a      
family4 ,and what father1 thus blessed1 
is there who does not feel1 in this sort

 of support1 a reliance which he feels  
in no other8 ,in regard to this sort of 
support there is no uncertainty1 no     
doubts1 no misgivings2 it is yourself   
that you see in your children3 their    
bosoms are the safe repository of even  
the whispers of your mind3 they are the 
great and unspeakable delight of your   
youth1 the pride of your prime of life1 
and the props of your old age4 ,they    
proceed from that love1 the pleasures of
 which no tongue or pen can adequately  
describe1 and the various blessings     
which they bring are equally incapable  
of description4  #bbf4 ,but1 to make    
them blessings1 you must act your part  
well2 for they may1 by your neglect1    
your ill-treatment1 your evil example1  
be made to be the contrary of blessings2
 instead of pleasure1 they may bring you
 pain2 instead of making your heart     
glad1 the sight of them may make it     
sorrowful2 instead of being the staff of
 your old age1 they may bring your gray 
hairs in grief to the grave4  #bbg4 ,it 

is1 therefore1 of the greatest          
importance1 that you here act well your 
part1 omitting nothing1 even from the   
very beginning1 tending to give you     
great and unceasing influence over their
 minds2 and1 above all things1 to       
ensure1 if possible1 an ardent love of  
their mother4 ,your first duty towards  
them is resolutely to prevent their     
drawing the means of life from any      
breast but hers4 ,that is their own2 it 
is their birthright2 and if that fail   
from any natural cause1 the place of it 
ought to be supplied by those means     
which are frequently resorted to without
 employing a hireling breast4 ,i am     
aware of the too frequent practice of   
the contrary2 ,i am well aware of the   
offence which ,i shall here give to     
many2 but it is for me to do my duty1   
and to set1 with regard to myself1      
consequences at defiance4  #bbh4 ,in the
 first place1 no food is so congenial to
 the child as the milk of its own       
mother2 its quality is made by nature to

 suit the age of the child2 it comes    
with the child1 and is calculated       
precisely for its stomach4 ,and1 then1  
what sort of a mother must that be who  
can endure the thought of seeing her    
child at another breast6 ,the suckling  
may be attended with great pain1 and it 
is so attended in many cases2 but this  
pain is a necessary consequence of      
pleasures foregone2 and1 besides1 it has
 its accompanying pleasures too4 ,no    
mother ever suffered more than my wife  
did from suckling her children4 ,how    
many times have ,i seen her1 when the   
child was beginning to draw1 bite her   
lips while the tears ran down her       
cheeks6 ,yet1 having endured this1 the  
smiles came and dried up the tears2 and 
the little thing that had caused the    
pain received abundant kisses as its    
punishment4  #bbi4 ,why1 now1 did ,i not
 love her the more for this8 ,did not   
this tend to rivet her to my heart8 ,she
 was enduring this for me2 and would not
 this endearing thought have been       

wanting1 if ,i had seen the baby at a   
breast that ,i had hired and paid for2  
if ,i had had two women1 one to bear the
 child and another to give it milk8 ,of 
all the sights that this world affords1 
the most delightful in my eyes1 even to 
an unconcerned spectator1 is1 a mother  
with her clean and fat baby lugging at  
her breast1 leaving off now-and-then and
 smiling1 and she1 occasionally1 half   
smothering it with kisses4 ,what must   
that sight be1 then1 to the father of   
the child8  #bcj4 ,besides1 are we to   
overlook the great and wonderful effect 
that this has on the minds of children8 
,as they succeed each other1 they see   
with their own eyes1 the pain1 the care1
 the caresses1 which their mother has   
endured for1 or bestowed1 on them2 and  
nature bids them love her accordingly4  
,to love her ardently becomes part of   
their very nature2 and when the time    
comes that her advice to them is        
necessary as a guide for their conduct1 
this deep and early impression has all  

its natural weight1 which must be wholly
 wanting if the child be banished to a  
hireling breast1 and only brought at    
times into the presence of the mother1  
who is1 in fact1 no mother1 or1 at      
least1 but half a one4 ,the children who
 are thus banished1 love 7as is natural 
and just7 the foster-mother better than 
the real mother as long as they are at  
the breast4 ,when this ceases1 they are 
taught to love their own mother most2   
but this teaching is of a cold and      
formal kind4 ,they may1 and generally   
do1 in a short time1 care little about  
the foster-mother2 the teaching weans   
all their affection from her1 but it    
does not transfer it to the other4      
#bca4 ,i had the pleasure to know1 in   
,hampshire1 a lady who had brought up a 
family of ten children by hand1 as they 
call it4 ,owing to some defect1 she     
could not suckle her children2 but she  
wisely and heroically resolved1 that her
 children should hang upon no other     
breast1 and that she would not          

participate in the crime of robbing     
another child of its birthright1 and1 as
 is mostly the case1 of its life4 ,who  
has not seen these banished children1   
when brought and put into the arms of   
their mothers1 screaming to get from    
them1 and stretch out their little hands
 to get back into the arms of the nurse1
 and when safely got there1 hugging the 
hireling as if her bosom were a place of
 refuge8 ,why1 such a sight is1 one     
would think1 enough to strike a mother  
dead4 ,and what sort of a husband and   
father1 ,i want to know1 must that be1  
who can endure the thought of his child 
loving another woman more than its own  
mother and his wife8  #bcb4 ,and besides
 all these considerations1 is there no  
crime in robbing the child of the nurse1
 and in exposing it to perish8 ,it will 
not do to say that the child of the     
nurse may be dead1 and thereby leave her
 breast for the use of some other4 ,such
 cases must happen too seldom to be at  
all relied on2 and1 indeed1 every one   

must see1 that1 generally speaking1     
there must be a child cast off for every
 one that is put to a hireling breast4  
,now1 without supposing it possible1    
that the hireling will1 in any case1    
contrive to get rid of her own child1   
every man who employs such hireling1    
must know1 that he is exposing such     
child to destruction2 that he is        
assisting to rob it of the means of     
life2 and1 of course1 assisting to      
procure its death1 as completely as a   
man can1 in any case1 assist in causing 
death by starvation2 a consideration    
which will make every just man in the   
world recoil at the thought of employing
 a hireling breast4 ,for he is not to   
think of pacifying his conscience by    
saying1 that he knows nothing about the 
hireling's child4 ,he does know2 for he 
must know1 that she has a child1 and    
that he is a principal in robbing it of 
the means of life4 ,he does not cast it 
off and leave it to perish himself1 but 
he causes the thing to be done2 and to  

all intents and purposes1 he is a       
principal in the cruel and cowardly     
crime4  #bcc4 ,and if an argument could 
possibly be yet wanting to the husband2 
if his feelings were so stiff as still  
to remain unmoved1 must not the wife be 
aware that whatever face the world may  
put upon it1 however custom may seem to 
bear her out2 must she not be aware that
 every one must see the main motive     
which induces her to banish from her    
arms that which has formed part of her  
own body8 ,all the pretences about her  
sore breasts and her want of strength   
are vain3 nature says that she is to    
endure the pains as well as the         
pleasures3 whoever has heard the        
bleating of the ewe for her lamb1 and   
has seen her reconciled1 or at least    
pacified1 by having presented to her the
 skin or some of the blood of her dead  
lamb3 whoever has witnessed the         
difficulty of inducing either ewe or cow
 to give her milk to an alien young one3
 whoever has seen the valour of the     

timid hen in defending her brood1 and   
has observed that she never swallows a  
morsel that is fit for her young1 until 
they be amply satisfied3 whoever has    
seen the wild birds1 though1 at other   
times1 shunning even the distant        
approach of man1 flying and screaming   
round his head1 and exposing themselves 
to almost certain death in defence of   
their nests3 whoever has seen these     
things1 or any one of them1 must        
question the motive that can induce a   
mother to banish a child from her own   
breast to that of one who has already   
been so unnatural as to banish hers4    
,and1 in seeking for a motive           
sufficiently powerful to lead to such an
 act1 women must excuse men1 if they be 
not satisfied with the ordinary         
pretences2 they must excuse me1 at any  
rate1 if ,i do not stop even at love of 
ease and want of maternal affection1 and
 if ,i express my fear1 that1 superadded
 to the unjustifiable motives1 there is 
one which is calculated to excite       

disgust2 namely1 a desire to be quickly 
freed from that restraint which the     
child imposes1 and to hasten back1      
unbridled and undisfigured1 to those    
enjoyments1 to have an eagerness for    
which1 or to wish to excite a desire for
 which1 a really delicate woman will    
shudder at the thought of being         
suspected4  #bcd4 ,i am well aware of   
the hostility that ,i have here been    
exciting2 but there is another1 and     
still more furious1 bull to take by the 
horns1 and which would have been        
encountered some pages back 7that being 
the proper place71 had ,i not hesitated 
between my duty and my desire to avoid  
giving offence2 ,i mean the employing of
 male-operators1 on those occasions     
where females used to be employed4 ,and 
here ,i have every thing against me2 the
 now general custom1 even amongst the   
most chaste and delicate women2 the     
ridicule continually cast on old        
midwives2 the interest of a profession1 
for the members of which ,i entertain   

more respect and regard than for those  
of any other2 and1 above all the rest1  
my own example to the contrary1 and my  
knowledge that every husband has the    
same apology that ,i had4 ,but because  
,i acted wrong myself1 it is not less1  
but rather more1 my duty to endeavour to
 dissuade others from doing the same4   
,my wife had suffered very severely with
 her second child1 which1 at last1 was  
still-born4 ,the next time ,i pleaded   
for the doctor2 and1 after every        
argument that ,i could think of1        
obtained a reluctant consent4 ,her life 
was so dear to me1 that every thing else
 appeared as nothing4 ,every husband has
 the same apology to make2 and thus1    
from the good1 and not from the bad1    
feelings of men1 the practice has become
 far too general1 for me to hope even to
 narrow it2 but1 nevertheless1 ,i cannot
 refrain from giving my opinion on the  
subject4  #bce4 ,we are apt to talk in a
 very unceremonious style of our rude   
ancestors1 of their gross habits1 their 

want of delicacy in their language4 ,no 
man shall ever make me believe1 that    
those1 who reared the cathedral of ,,ely
 7which ,i saw the other day71 were     
rude1 either in their manners or in     
their minds and words4 ,no man shall    
make me believe1 that our ancestors were
 a rude and beggarly race1 when ,i read 
in an act of parliament1 passed in the  
reign of ,edward the ,fourth1 regulating
 the dresses of the different ranks of  
the people1 and forbidding the          
,,labourers to wear coats of cloth that 
cost more than two shillings a yard     
7equal to forty shillings of our present
 money71 and forbidding their wives and 
daughters to wear sashes1 or girdles1   
trimmed with gold or silver4 ,no man    
shall make me believe that this was a   
rude and beggarly race1 compared with   
those who now shirk and shiver about in 
canvass frocks and rotten cottons4 ,nor 
shall any man persuade me that that was 
a rude and beggarly state of things1 in 
which 7reign of ,edward the ,third7 an  

act was passed regulating the wages of  
labour1 and ordering that a woman1 for  
weeding in the corn1 should receive a   
penny a day1 while a quart of red wine  
was sold for a penny1 and a pair of     
men's shoes for two-pence4 ,no man shall
 make me believe that agriculture was in
 a rude state1 when an act like this was
 passed1 or that our ancestors of that  
day were rude in their minds1 or in     
their thoughts4 ,indeed1 there are a    
thousand proofs1 that1 whether in regard
 to domestic or foreign affairs1 whether
 in regard to internal freedom and      
happiness1 or to weight in the world1   
,england was at her zenith about the    
reign of ,edward the ,third4 ,the       
,reformation1 as it is called1 gave her 
a complete pull down4 ,she revived again
 in the reigns of the ,stuarts1 as far  
as related to internal affairs2 but the 
',glorious ,revolution' and its debt and
 its taxes1 have1 amidst the false glare
 of new palaces1 roads1 and canals1     
brought her down until she is become the

 land of domestic misery and of foreign 
impotence and contempt2 and1 until she1 
amidst all her boasted improvements and 
refinements1 tremblingly awaits her     
fall4  #bcf4 ,however1 to return from   
this digression1 rude and unrefined as  
our mothers might be1 plain and         
unvarnished as they might be in their   
language1 accustomed as they might be to
 call things by their names1 though they
 were not so very delicate as to use the
 word small-clothes2 and to be quite    
unable1 in speaking of horn-cattle1     
horses1 sheep1 the canine race1 and     
poultry1 to designate them by their     
sexual appellations2 though they might  
not absolutely faint at hearing these   
appellations used by others2 rude and   
unrefined and indelicate as they might  
be1 they did not suffer1 in the cases   
alluded to1 the approaches of men1 which
 approaches are unceremoniously         
suffered1 and even sought1 by their     
polished and refined and delicate       
daughters2 and of unmarried men too1 in 

many cases2 and of very young men4      
#bcg4 ,from all antiquity this office   
was allotted to woman4 ,moses's life was
 saved by the humanity of the ,egyptian 
midwife2 and to the employment of       
females in this memorable case1 the     
world is probably indebted for that     
which has been left it by that greatest 
of all law-givers1 whose institutes1    
rude as they were1 have been the        
foundation of all the wisest and most   
just laws in all the countries of       
,europe and ,america4 ,it was the fellow
 feeling of the midwife for the poor    
mother that saved ,moses4 ,and none but 
a mother can1 in such cases1 feel to the
 full and effectual extent that which   
the operator ought to feel4 ,she has    
been in the same state herself2 she     
knows more about the matter1 except in  
cases of very rare occurrence1 than any 
man1 however great his learning and     
experience1 can ever know4 ,she knows   
all the previous symptoms2 she can judge
 more correctly than man can judge in   

such a case2 she can put questions to   
the party1 which a man cannot put2 the  
communication between the two is wholly 
without reserve2 the person of the one  
is given up to the other1 as completely 
as her own is under her command4 ,this  
never can be the case with a            
man-operator2 for1 after all that can be
 said or done1 the native feeling of    
women1 in whatever rank of life1 will1  
in these cases1 restrain them from      
saying and doing1 before a man1 even    
before a husband1 many things which they
 ought to say and do4 ,so that1 perhaps1
 even with regard to the bare question  
of comparative safety to life1 the      
midwife is the preferable person4  #bch4
 ,but safety to life is not ,,all4 ,the 
preservation of life is not to be       
preferred to ,,every ,,thing4 ,ought not
 a man to prefer death to the commission
 of treason against his country8 ,ought 
not a man to die1 rather than save his  
life by the prostitution of his wife to 
a tyrant1 who insists upon the one or   

the other8 ,every man and every woman   
will answer in the affirmative to both  
these questions4 ,there are1 then1 cases
 where people ought to submit to certain
 death4 ,surely1 then1 the mere chance1 
the mere possibility of it1 ought not to
 outweigh the mighty considerations on  
the other side2 ought not to overcome   
that inborn modesty1 that sacred reserve
 as to their persons1 which1 as ,i said 
before1 is the charm of charms of the   
female sex1 and which our mothers1 rude 
as they are called by us1 took1 we may  
be satisfied1 the best and most         
effectual means of preserving4  #bci4   
,but is there1 after all1 any thing real
 in this greater security for the life  
of either mother or child8 ,if1 then1   
risk were so great as to call upon women
 to overcome this natural repugnance to 
suffer the approaches of a man1 that    
risk must be general2 it must apply to  
all women2 and1 further1 it must1 ever  
since the creation of man1 always have  
so applied4 ,now1 resorting to the      

employment of men-operators has not been
 in vogue in ,europe more than about    
seventy years1 and has not been general 
in ,england more than about thirty or   
forty years4 ,so that the risk in       
employing midwives must1 of late years1 
have become vastly greater than it was  
even when ,i was a boy1 or the whole    
race must have been extinguished long   
ago4 ,and1 then1 how puzzled we should  
be to account for the building of all   
the cathedrals1 and all the churches1   
and the draining of all the marshes1 and
 all the fens1 more than a thousand     
years before the word 'accoucheur' ever 
came from the lips of woman1 and before 
the thought came into her mind8 ,and    
here1 even in the use of this word1 we  
have a specimen of the refined delicacy 
of the present age2 here we have1       
varnish the matter over how we may1     
modesty in the word and grossness in the
 thought4 ,farmers' wives1 daughters1   
and maids1 cannot now allude to1 or hear
 named1 without blushing1 those affairs 

of the homestead1 which they1 within my 
memory1 used to talk about as freely as 
of milking or spinning2 but1 have they  
become more really modest than their    
mothers were8 ,has this refinement made 
them more continent than those rude     
mothers8 ,a jury at ,westminster gave1  
about six years ago1 damages to a man1  
calling himself a gentleman1 against a  
farmer1 because the latter1 for the     
purpose for which such animals are kept1
 had a bull in his yard1 on which the   
windows of the gentleman looked6 ,the   
plaintiff alleged1 that this was so     
offensive to his wife and daughters1    
that1 if the defendant were not         
compelled to desist1 he should be       
obliged to brick up his windows1 or to  
quit the house6 ,if ,i had been the     
father of these1 at once1 delicate and  
curious daughters1 ,i would not have    
been the herald of their purity of mind2
 and if ,i had been the suitor of one of
 them1 ,i would have taken care to give 
up the suit with all convenient speed2  

for how could ,i reasonably have hoped  
ever to be able to prevail on delicacy1 
so exquisite1 to commit itself to a pair
 of bridal sheets8 ,in spite1 however1  
of all this 'refinement in the human    
mind1' which is everlastingly dinned in 
our ears2 in spite of the               
'small-clothes1' and of all the other   
affected stuff1 we have this conclusion1
 this indubitable proof1 of the falling 
off in real delicacy2 namely1 that      
common prostitutes1 formerly unknown1   
now swarm in our towns1 and are seldom  
wanting even in our villages2 and where 
there was one illegitimate child        
7including those coming before the time7
 only fifty years ago1 there are now    
twenty4  #bdj4 ,and who can say how far 
the employment of men1 in the cases     
alluded to1 may have assisted in        
producing this change1 so disgraceful to
 the present age1 and so injurious to   
the female sex8 ,the prostitution and   
the swarms of illegitimate children have
 a natural and inevitable tendency to   

lessen that respect1 and that kind and  
indulgent feeling1 which is due from all
 men to virtuous women4 ,it is well     
known that the unworthy members of any  
profession1 calling1 or rank in life1   
cause1 by their acts1 the whole body to 
sink in the general esteem2 it is well  
known1 that the habitual dishonesty of  
merchants trading abroad1 the habitual  
profligate behaviour of travellers from 
home1 the frequent proofs of abject     
submission to tyrants2 it is well known1
 that these may give the character of   
dishonesty1 profligacy1 or cowardice1 to
 a whole nation4 ,there are1 doubtless1 
many men in ,switzerland1 who abhor the 
infamous practices of men selling       
themselves1 by whole regiments1 to fight
 for any foreign state that will pay    
them1 no matter in what cause1 and no   
matter whether against their own parents
 or brethren2 but the censure falls upon
 the whole nation3 and 'no money1 no    
,swiss1' is a proverb throughout the    
world4 ,it is1 amidst those scenes of   

prostitution and bastardy1 impossible   
for men in general to respect the female
 sex to the degree that they formerly   
did2 while numbers will be apt to adopt 
the unjust sentiment of the old         
bachelor1 ,,pope1 that 'every woman is1 
at heart1 a rake4'  #bda4 ,who knows1 ,i
 say1 in what degree the employment of  
men-operators may have tended to produce
 this change1 so injurious to the female
 sex8 ,aye1 and to encourage unfeeling  
and brutal men to propose that the dead 
bodies of females1 if poor1 should be   
sold for the purpose of exhibition and  
dissection before an audience of men2 a 
proposition that our 'rude ancestors'   
would have answered1 not by words1 but  
by blows6 ,alas6 our women may talk of  
'small-clothes' as long as they please2 
they may blush to scarlet at hearing    
animals designated by their sexual      
appellations2 it may1 to give the world 
a proof of our excessive modesty and    
delicacy1 even pass a law 7indeed we    
have done it7 to punish 'an exposure of 

the person'2 but as long as our streets 
swarm with prostitutes1 our asylums and 
private houses with bastards2 as long as
 we have man-operators in the delicate  
cases alluded to1 and as long as the    
exhibiting of the dead body of a        
virtuous female before an audience of   
men shall not be punished by the law1   
and even with death2 as long as we shall
 appear to be satisfied in this state of
 things1 it becomes us1 at any rate1 to 
be silent about purity of mind1         
improvement of manners1 and an increase 
of refinement and delicacy4  #bdb4 ,this
 practice has brought the 'doctor' into 
every family in the kingdom1 which is of
 itself no small evil4 ,i am not        
thinking of the expense2 for1 in cases  
like these1 nothing in that way ought to
 be spared4 ,if necessary to the safety 
of his wife1 a man ought not only to    
part with his last shilling1 but to     
pledge his future labour4 ,but we all   
know that there are imaginary ailments1 
many of which are absolutely created by 

the habit of talking with or about the  
'doctor4' ,read the ',,domestic         
,,medicine1' and by the time that you   
have done1 you will imagine that you    
have1 at times1 all the diseases of     
which it treats4 ,this practice has     
added to1 has doubled1 aye1 has         
augmented1 ,i verily believe1 ten-fold  
the number of the gentlemen who are1 in 
common parlance1 called 'doctors'2 at   
which1 indeed1 ,i1 on my own private    
account1 ought to rejoice2 for1         
invariably ,i have1 even in the worst of
 times1 found them every where amongst  
my staunchest and kindest friends4 ,but 
though these gentlemen are not to blame 
for this1 any more than attorneys are   
for their increase in number2 and       
amongst these gentlemen1 too1 ,i have1  
with very few exceptions1 always found  
sensible men and zealous friends2 though
 the parties pursuing these professions 
are not to blame2 though the increase of
 attorneys has arisen from the endless  
number and the complexity of the laws1  

and from the ten-fold mass of crimes    
caused by poverty arising from          
oppressive taxation2 and though the     
increase of 'doctors' has arisen from   
the diseases and the imaginary ailments 
arising from that effeminate luxury     
which has been created by the drawing of
 wealth from the many1 and giving it to 
the few2 and1 as the lower classes will 
always endeavour to imitate the higher1 
so the 'accoucheur' has1 along with the 
'small-clothes1' descended from the     
loan-monger's palace down to the hovel  
of the pauper1 there to take his fee out
 of the poor-rates2 though these parties
 are not to blame1 the thing is not less
 an evil4 ,both professions have lost in
 character1 in proportion to the        
increase in the number of its members2  
peaches1 if they grew on hedges1 would  
rank but little above the berries of the
 bramble4  #bdc4 ,but to return once    
more to the matter of risk of life2 can 
it be that nature has so ordered it1    
that1 as a general thing1 the life of   

either mother or child shall be in      
danger1 even if there were no attendant 
at all8 ,can this be8 ,certainly it     
cannot3 safety must be the rule1 and    
danger the exception2 this must be the  
case1 or the world never could have been
 peopled2 and1 perhaps1 in ninety-nine  
cases out of every hundred1 if nature   
were left wholly to herself1 all would  
be right4 ,the great doctor in these    
cases1 is1 comforting1 consoling1       
cheering up4 ,and who can perform this  
office like women8 who have for these   
occasions a language and sentiments     
which seem to have been invented for the
 purpose2 and be they what they may as  
to general demeanour and character1 they
 have all1 upon these occasions1 one    
common feeling1 and that so amiable1 so 
excellent1 as to admit of no adequate   
description4 ,they completely forget1   
for the time1 all rivalships1 all       
squabbles1 all animosities1 all hatred  
even2 every one feels as if it were her 
own particular concern4  #bdd4 ,these1  

we may be well assured1 are the proper  
attendants on these occasions2 the      
mother1 the aunt1 the sister1 the       
cousin1 and female neighbour2 these are 
the suitable attendants1 having some    
experienced woman to afford             
extraordinary aid1 if such be necessary2
 and in the few cases where the         
preservation of life demands the        
surgeon's skill1 he is always at hand4  
,the contrary practice1 which we got    
from the ,french1 is not1 however1 so   
general in ,france as in ,england4 ,we  
have outstripped all the world in this1 
as we have in every thing which proceeds
 from luxury and effeminacy on the one  
hand1 and from poverty on the other2 the
 millions have been stripped of their   
means to heap wealth on the thousands1  
and have been corrupted in manners1 as  
well as in morals1 by vicious examples  
set them by the possessors of that      
wealth4 ,as reason says that the        
practice of which ,i complain cannot be 
cured without a total change in society1

 it would be presumption in me to expect
 such cure from any efforts of mine4 ,i 
therefore must content myself with      
hoping that such change will come1 and  
with declaring1 that if ,i had to live  
my life over again1 ,i would act upon   
the opinions which ,i have thought it my
 bounden duty here to state and         
endeavour to maintain4  #bde4 ,having   
gotten over these thorny places as      
quickly as possible1 ,i gladly come back
 to the ,,babies2 with regard to whom ,i
 shall have no prejudices1 no           
affectation1 no false pride1 no sham    
fears to encounter2 every heart 7except 
there be one made of flint7 being with  
me here4 ',then were there brought unto 
him little children1 that he should put 
his hands on them1 and pray3 and the    
disciples rebuked them4 ,but ,jesus     
said1 ,suffer little children1 and      
forbid them not to come unto me2 for of 
such is the kingdom of heaven4' ,a      
figure most forcibly expressive of the  
character and beauty of innocence1 and1 

at the same time1 most aptly            
illustrative of the doctrine of         
regeneration4 ,and where is the man2 the
 woman who is not fond of babies is not 
worthy the name2 but where is the man   
who does not feel his heart softened2   
who does not feel himself become        
gentler2 who does not lose all the      
hardness of his temper2 when1 in any    
way1 for any purpose1 or by any body1 an
 appeal is made to him in behalf of     
these so helpless and so perfectly      
innocent little creatures8  #bdf4       
,,shakspeare1 who is cried up as the    
great interpreter of the human heart1   
has said1 that the man in whose soul    
there is no music1 or love of music1 is 
'fit for murders1 treasons1 stratagems1 
and spoils4' ',our immortal bard1' as   
the profligate ,,sheridan used to call  
him in public1 while he laughed at him  
in private2 our 'immortal bard' seems to
 have forgotten that ,shadrach1         
,meshach1 and ,abednego1 were flung into
 the fiery furnace 7made seven times    

hotter than usual7 amidst the sound of  
the cornet1 flute1 harp1 sackbut1 and   
dulcimer1 and all kinds of music2 he    
seems to have forgotten that it was a   
music and a dance-loving damsel that    
chose1 as a recompense for her elegant  
performance1 the bloody head of ,john   
the ,baptist1 brought to her in a       
charger2 he seems to have forgotten     
that1 while ,rome burned1 ,nero fiddled3
 he did not know1 perhaps1 that         
cannibals always dance and sing while   
their victims are roasting2 but he might
 have known1 and he must have known1    
that ,england's greatest tyrant1 ,henry 
,,viii41 had1 as his agent in blood1    
,thomas ,cromwell1 expressed it1 'his   
sweet soul enwrapped in the celestial   
sounds of music2' and this was just at  
the time when the ferocious tyrant was  
ordering ,catholics and ,protestants to 
be tied back to back on the same hurdle1
 dragged to ,smithfield on that hurdle1 
and there tied to1 and burnt from1 the  
same stake4 ,shakspeare must have known 

these things1 for he lived immediately  
after their date2 and if he had lived in
 our day1 he would have seen instances  
enough of 'sweet souls' enwrapped in the
 same manner1 and capable1 if not of    
deeds equally bloody1 of others1        
discovering a total want of feeling for 
sufferings not unfrequently occasioned  
by their own wanton waste1 and waste    
arising1 too1 in part1 from their taste 
for these 'celestial sounds4'  #bdg4 ,o 
no6 the heart of man is not to be known 
by this test3 a great fondness for music
 is a mark of great weakness1 great     
vacuity of mind3 not of hardness of     
heart2 not of vice2 not of downright    
folly2 but of a want of capacity1 or    
inclination1 for sober thought4 ,this is
 not always the case3 accidental        
circumstances almost force the taste    
upon people3 but1 generally speaking1 it
 is a preference of sound to sense4 ,but
 the man1 and especially the father1 who
 is not fond of babies2 who does not    
feel his heart softened when he touches 

their almost boneless limbs2 when he    
sees their little eyes first begin to   
discern2 when he hears their tender     
accents2 the man whose heart does not   
beat truly to this test1 is1 to say the 
best of him1 an object of compassion4   
#bdh4 ,but the mother's feelings are    
here to be thought of too2 for1 of all  
gratifications1 the very greatest that a
 mother can receive1 is notice taken of1
 and praise bestowed on1 her baby4 ,the 
moment that gets into her arms1 every   
thing else diminishes in value1 the     
father only excepted4 ,her own personal 
charms1 notwithstanding all that men say
 and have written on the subject1       
become1 at most1 a secondary object as  
soon as the baby arrives4 ,a saying of  
the old1 profligate ,king of ,prussia is
 frequently quoted in proof of the truth
 of the maxim1 that a woman will forgive
 any thing but calling her ugly2 a very 
true maxim1 perhaps1 as applied to      
prostitutes1 whether in high or low     
life2 but a pretty long life of         

observation has told me1 that a mother1 
worthy of the name1 will care little    
about what you say of her person1 so    
that you will but extol the beauty of   
her baby4 ,her baby is always the very  
prettiest that ever was born6 ,it is    
always an eighth wonder of the world6   
,and thus it ought to be1 or there would
 be a want of that wondrous attachment  
to it which is necessary to bear her up 
through all those cares and pains and   
toils inseparable from the preservation 
of its life and health4  #bdi4 ,it is1  
however1 of the part which the husband  
has to act1 in participating in these   
cares and toils1 that ,i am now to      
speak4 ,let no man imagine that the     
world will despise him for helping to   
take care of his own child3 thoughtless 
fools may attempt to ridicule2 the      
unfeeling few may join in the attempt2  
but all1 whose good opinion is worth    
having1 will applaud his conduct1 and   
will1 in many cases1 be disposed to     
repose confidence in him on that very   

account4 ,to say of a man1 that he is   
fond of his family1 is1 of itself1 to   
say that1 in private life at least1 he  
is a good and trust-worthy man2 aye1 and
 in public life too1 pretty much2 for it
 is no easy matter to separate the two  
characters2 and it is naturally         
concluded1 that he who has been         
flagrantly wanting in feeling for his   
own flesh and blood1 will not be very   
sensitive towards the rest of mankind4  
,there is nothing more amiable1 nothing 
more delightful to behold1 than a young 
man especially taking part in the work  
of nursing the children2 and how often  
have ,i admired this in the labouring   
men in ,hampshire6 ,it is1 indeed1      
generally the same all over ,england2   
and as to ,america1 it would be deemed  
brutal for a man not to take his full   
share of these cares and labours4  #bej4
 ,the man who is to gain a living by his
 labour1 must be drawn away from home1  
or1 at least1 from the cradle-side1 in  
order to perform that labour2 but this  

will not1 if he be made of good stuff1  
prevent him from doing his share of the 
duty due to his children4 ,there are    
still many hours in the twenty-four1    
that he will have to spare for this     
duty2 and there ought to be no toils1 no
 watchings1 no breaking of rest1 imposed
 by this duty1 of which he ought not to 
perform his full share1 and that1 too1  
without grudging4 ,this is strictly due 
from him in payment for the pleasures of
 the marriage state4 ,what right has he 
to the sole possession of a woman's     
person2 what right to a husband's vast  
authority2 what right to the honourable 
title and the boundless power of father3
 what right has he to all1 or any of    
these1 unless he can found his claim on 
the faithful performance of all the     
duties which these titles imply8  #bea4 
,one great source of the unhappiness    
amongst mankind arises1 however1 from a 
neglect of these duties2 but1 as if by  
way of compensation for their           
privations1 they are much more duly     

performed by the poor than by the rich4 
,the fashion of the labouring people is 
this3 the husband1 when free from his   
toil in the fields1 takes his share in  
the nursing1 which he manifestly looks  
upon as a sort of reward for his labour4
 ,however distant from his cottage1 his 
heart is always at that home towards    
which he is carried1 at night1 by limbs 
that feel not their weariness1 being    
urged on by a heart anticipating the    
welcome of those who attend him there4  
,those who have1 as ,i so many hundreds 
of times have1 seen the labourers in the
 woodland parts of ,hampshire and       
,sussex1 coming1 at night-fall1 towards 
their cottage-wickets1 laden with fuel  
for a day or two2 whoever has seen three
 or four little creatures looking out   
for the father's approach1 running in to
 announce the glad tidings1 and then    
scampering out to meet him1 clinging    
round his knees1 or hanging on his      
skirts2 whoever has witnessed scenes    
like this1 to witness which has formed  

one of the greatest delights of my life1
 will hesitate long before he prefer a  
life of ease to a life of labour2 before
 he prefer a communication with children
 intercepted by servants and teachers to
 that communication which is here       
direct1 and which admits not of any     
division of affection4  #beb4 ,then     
comes the ,sunday2 and1 amongst all     
those who keep no servants1 a great deal
 depends on the manner in which the     
father employs that day4 ,when there are
 two or three children1 or even one     
child1 the first thing1 after the       
breakfast 7which is late on this day of 
rest71 is to wash and dress the child or
 children4 ,then1 while the mother is   
dressing the dinner1 the father1 being  
in his ,sunday-clothes himself1 takes   
care of the child or children4 ,when    
dinner is over1 the mother puts on her  
best2 and then1 all go to church1 or1 if
 that cannot be1 whether from distance  
or other cause1 all pass the afternoon  
together4 ,this used to be the way of   

life amongst the labouring people2 and  
from this way of life arose the most    
able and most moral people that the     
world ever saw1 until grinding taxation 
took from them the means of obtaining a 
sufficiency of food and of raiment2     
plunged the whole1 good and bad1 into   
one indiscriminate mass1 under the      
degrading and hateful name of paupers4  
#bec4 ,the working man1 in whatever     
line1 and whether in town or country1   
who spends his day of rest1 or any part 
of it1 except in case of absolute       
necessity1 away from his wife and       
children1 is not worthy of the name of  
father1 and is seldom worthy of the     
trust of any employer4 ,such absence    
argues a want of fatherly and of        
conjugal affection1 which want is       
generally duly repaid by a similar want 
in the neglected parties2 and1 though   
stern authority may command and enforce 
obedience for a while1 the time soon    
comes when it will be set at defiance2  
and when such a father1 having no       

example1 no proofs of love1 to plead1   
complains of filial ingratitude1 the    
silent indifference of his neighbours1  
and which is more poignant1 his own     
heart1 will tell him that his complaint 
is unjust4  #bed4 ,thus far with regard 
to working people2 but much more        
necessary is it to inculcate these      
principles in the minds of young men in 
the middle rank of life1 and to be more 
particular1 in their case1 with regard  
to the care due to very young children1 
for here servants come in2 and many are 
but too prone to think1 that when they  
have handed their children over to      
well-paid and able servants1 they have  
done their duty by them1 than which     
there can hardly be a more mischievous  
error4 ,the children of the poorer      
people are1 in general1 much fonder of  
their parents than those of the rich are
 of theirs3 this fondness is reciprocal2
 and the cause is1 that the children of 
the former have1 from their very birth1 
had a greater share than those of the   

latter--of the personal attention1 and  
of the never-ceasing endearments of     
their parents4  #bee4 ,i have before    
urged upon young married men1 in the    
middle walks of life1 to keep the       
servants out of the house as long as    
possible2 and when they must come at    
last1 when they must be had even to     
assist in taking care of children1 let  
them be assistants in the most strict   
sense of the word2 let them not be      
confided in2 let children never be left 
to them alone2 and the younger the      
child1 the more necessary a rigid       
adherence to this rule4 ,i shall be     
told1 perhaps1 by some careless father1 
or some play-haunting mother1 that      
female servants are women1 and have the 
tender feelings of women4 ,very true2   
and1 in general1 as good and kind in    
their nature as the mother herself4 ,but
 they are not the mothers of your       
children1 and it is not in nature that  
they should have the care and anxiety   
adequate to the necessity of the case4  

,out of the immediate care and personal 
superintendence of one or the other of  
the parents1 or of some trusty relation1
 no young child ought to be suffered to 
be1 if there be1 at whatever sacrifice  
of ease or of property1 any possibility 
of preventing it3 because1 to insure1 if
 possible1 the perfect form1 the        
straight limbs1 the sound body1 and the 
sane mind of your children1 is the very 
first of all your duties4 ,to provide   
fortunes for them2 to make provision for
 their future fame2 to give them the    
learning necessary to the calling for   
which you destine them3 all these may be
 duties1 and the last is a duty2 but a  
duty far greater than1 and prior to1 all
 these1 is the duty of neglecting       
nothing within your power to insure them
 a sane mind in a sound and undeformed  
body4 ,and1 good ,god6 how many are the 
instances of deformed bodies1 of crooked
 limbs1 of idiocy1 or of deplorable     
imbecility1 proceeding solely from young
 children being left to the care of     

servants6 ,one would imagine1 that one  
single sight of this kind to be seen1 or
 heard of1 in a whole nation1 would be  
sufficient to deter parents from the    
practice4 ,and what1 then1 must those   
parents feel1 who have brought this     
life-long sorrowing on themselves6 ,when
 once the thing is done1 to repent is   
unavailing4 ,and what is now the worth  
of all the ease and all the pleasures1  
to enjoy which the poor sufferer was    
abandoned to the care of servants6      
#bef4 ,what6 can ,i plead example1 then1
 in support of this rigid precept8 ,did 
we1 who have bred up a family of        
children1 and have had servants during  
the greater part of the time1 never     
leave a young child to the care of      
servants8 ,never2 no1 not for one single
 hour4 ,were we1 then1 tied constantly  
to the house with them8 ,no2 for we     
sometimes took them out2 but one or the 
other of us was always with them1 until1
 in succession1 they were able to take  
good care of themselves2 or until the   

elder ones were able to take care of the
 younger1 and then they sometimes stood 
sentinel in our stead4 ,how could we    
visit then8 ,why1 if both went1 we      
bargained beforehand to take the        
children with us2 and if this were a    
thing not to be proposed1 one of us     
went1 and the other stayed at home1 the 
latter being very frequently my lot4    
,from this we never once deviated4 ,we  
cast aside all consideration of         
convenience2 all calculations of        
expense2 all thoughts of pleasure of    
every sort4 ,and1 what could have       
equalled the reward that we have        
received for our care and for our       
unshaken resolution in this respect8    
#beg4 ,in the rearing of children1 there
 is resolution wanting as well as       
tenderness4 ,that parent is not truly   
affectionate who wants the courage to do
 that which is sure to give the child   
temporary pain4 ,a great deal1 in       
providing for the health and strength of
 children1 depends upon their being duly

 and daily washed1 when well1 in cold   
water from head to foot4 ,their cries   
testify to what a degree they dislike   
this4 ,they squall and kick and twist   
about at a fine rate2 and many mothers1 
too many1 neglect this1 partly from     
reluctance to encounter the squalling1  
and partly1 and much too often1 from    
what ,i will not call idleness1 but to  
which ,i cannot apply a milder term than
 neglect4 ,well and duly performed1 it  
is an hour's good tight work2 for1      
besides the bodily labour1 which is not 
very slight when the child gets to be   
five or six months old1 there is the    
singing to overpower the voice of the   
child4 ,the moment the stripping of the 
child used to begin1 the singing used to
 begin1 and the latter never ceased till
 the former had ceased4 ,after having   
heard this go on with all my children1  
,,rousseau taught me the philosophy of  
it4 ,i happened1 by accident1 to look   
into his ,,emile1 and there ,i found him
 saying1 that the nurse subdued the     

voice of the child and made it quiet1 by
 drowning its voice in hers1 and thereby
 making it perceive that it could not be
 heard1 and that to continue to cry was 
of no avail4 ',here1 ,nancy1' said ,i   
7going to her with the book in my hand71
 'you have been a great philosopher all 
your life1 without either of us knowing 
it4' ,a silent nurse is a poor soul4 ,it
 is a great disadvantage to the child1  
if the mother be of a very silent1      
placid1 quiet turn4 ,the singing1 the   
talking to1 the tossing and rolling     
about1 that mothers in general practise1
 are very beneficial to the children3   
they give them exercise1 awaken their   
attention1 animate them1 and rouse them 
to action4 ,it is very bad to have a    
child even carried about by a dull1     
inanimate1 silent servant1 who will     
never talk1 sing or chirrup to it2 who  
will but just carry it about1 always    
kept in the same attitude1 and seeing   
and hearing nothing to give it life and 
spirit4 ,it requires nothing but a dull 

creature like this1 and the washing and 
dressing left to her1 to give a child   
the rickets1 and make it1 instead of    
being a strong straight person1         
tup-shinned1 bow-kneed1 or hump-backed2 
besides other ailments not visible to   
the eye4 ,by-and-by1 when the deformity 
begins to appear1 the doctor is called  
in1 but it is too late3 the mischief is 
done2 and a few months of neglect are   
punished by a life of mortification and 
sorrow1 not wholly unaccompanied with   
shame4  #beh4 ,it is1 therefore1 a very 
spurious kind of tenderness that        
prevents a mother from doing the things 
which1 though disagreeable to the child1
 are so necessary to its lasting        
well-being4 ,the washing daily in the   
morning is a great thing2 cold water    
winter or summer1 and this never left to
 a servant1 who has not1 in such a case1
 either the patience or the courage that
 is necessary for the task4 ,when the   
washing is over1 and the child dressed  
in its day-clothes1 how gay and cheerful

 it looks6 ,the exercise gives it       
appetite1 and then disposes it to rest2 
and it sucks and sleeps and grows1 the  
delight of all eyes1 and particularly   
those of the parents4 ',i can't bear    
that squalling6' ,i have heard men say2 
and to which ,i answer1 that ',i can't  
bear such men6' ,there are1 ,i thank    
,god1 very few of them2 for1 if they do 
not always reason about the matter1     
honest nature teaches them to be        
considerate and indulgent towards little
 creatures so innocent and so helpless  
and so unconscious of what they do4 ,and
 the noise3 after all1 why should it    
disturb a man8 ,he knows the exact cause
 of it3 he knows that it is the         
unavoidable consequence of a great good 
to his child1 and of course to him3 it  
lasts but an hour1 and the recompense   
instantly comes in the looks of the rosy
 child1 and in the new hopes which every
 look excites4 ,it never disturbed me1  
and my occupation was one of those most 
liable to disturbance by noise4 ,many a 

score papers have ,i written amidst the 
noise of children1 and in my whole life 
never bade them be still4 ,when they    
grew up to be big enough to gallop about
 the house1 ,i have1 in wet weather1    
when they could not go out1 written the 
whole day amidst noise that would have  
made some authors half mad4 ,it never   
annoyed me at all4 ,but a ,scotch piper1
 whom an old lady1 who lived beside us  
at ,brompton1 used to pay to come and   
play a long tune every day1 ,i was      
obliged to bribe into a breach of       
contract4 ,that which you are pleased   
with1 however noisy1 does not disturb   
you4 ,that which is indifferent to you  
has not more effect4 ,the rattle of     
coaches1 the clapper of a mill1 the fall
 of water1 leave your mind undisturbed4 
,but the sound of the pipe1 awakening   
the idea of the lazy life of the piper1 
better paid than the labouring man1 drew
 the mind aside from its pursuit2 and1  
as it really was a nuisance1 occasioned 
by the money of my neighbour1 ,i thought

 myself justified in abating it by the  
same sort of means4  #bei4 ,the cradle  
is in poor families necessary2 because  
necessity compels the mother to get as  
much time as she can for her work1 and a
 child can rock the cradle4 ,at first we
 had a cradle2 and ,i rocked the cradle1
 in great part1 during the time that ,i 
was writing my first work1 that famous  
,,maitre ,d',,anglais1 which has long   
been the first book in ,europe1 as well 
as in ,america1 for teaching of ,french 
people the ,english language4 ,but we   
left off the use of the cradle as soon  
as possible4 ,it causes sleep more1 and 
oftener1 than necessary3 it saves       
trouble2 but to take trouble was our    
duty4 ,after the second child1 we had no
 cradle1 however difficult at first to  
do without it4 ,when ,i was not at my   
business1 it was generally my affair to 
put the child to sleep3 sometimes by    
sitting with it in my arms1 and         
sometimes by lying down on a bed with   
it1 till it fell asleep4 ,we soon found 

the good of this method4 ,the children  
did not sleep so much1 but they slept   
more soundly4 ,the cradle produces a    
sort of dosing1 or dreaming sleep4 ,this
 is a matter of great importance1 as    
every thing must be that has any        
influence on the health of children4    
,the poor must use the cradle1 at least 
until they have other children big      
enough to hold the baby1 and to put it  
to sleep2 and it is truly wonderful at  
how early an age they1 either girls or  
boys1 will do this business faithfully  
and well4 ,you see them in the lanes1   
and on the skirts of woods and commons1 
lugging a baby about1 when it sometimes 
weighs half as much as the nurse4 ,the  
poor mother is frequently compelled1 in 
order to help to get bread for her      
children1 to go to a distance from home1
 and leave the group1 baby and all1 to  
take care of the house and of           
themselves1 the eldest of four or five1 
not1 perhaps1 above six or seven years  
old2 and it is quite surprising1 that1  

considering the millions of instances in
 which this is done in ,england1 in the 
course of a year1 so very1 very few     
accidents or injuries arise from the    
practice2 and not a hundredth part so   
many as arise in the comparatively few  
instances in which children are left to 
the care of servants4 ,in summer time   
you see these little groups rolling     
about up the green1 or amongst the      
heath1 not far from the cottage1 and at 
a mile1 perhaps1 from any other         
dwelling1 the dog their only protector4 
,and what fine and straight and healthy 
and fearless and acute persons they     
become6 ,it used to be remarked in      
,philadelphia1 when ,i lived there1 that
 there was not a single man of any      
eminence1 whether doctor1 lawyer1       
merchant1 trader1 or any thing else1    
that had not been born and bred in the  
country1 and of parents in a low state  
of life4 ,examine ,london1 and you will 
find it much about the same4 ,from this 
very childhood they are from necessity  

entrusted with the care of something    
valuable4 ,they practically learn to    
think1 and to calculate as to           
consequences4 ,they are thus taught to  
remember things2 and it is quite        
surprising what memories they have1 and 
how scrupulously a little carter-boy    
will deliver half-a-dozen messages1 each
 of a different purport from the rest1  
to as many persons1 all the messages    
committed to him at one and the same    
time1 and he not knowing one letter of  
the alphabet from another4 ,when ,i want
 to remember something1 and am out in   
the field1 and cannot write it down1 ,i 
say to one of the men1 or boys1 come to 
me at such a time1 and tell me so and   
so4 ,he is sure to do it2 and ,i        
therefore look upon the memorandum as   
written down4 ,one of these children1   
boy or girl1 is much more worthy of     
being entrusted with the care of a baby1
 any body's baby1 than a servant-maid   
with curled locks and with eyes rolling 
about for admirers4 ,the locks and the  

rolling eyes1 very nice1 and1 for aught 
,i know1 very proper things in          
themselves2 but incompatible with the   
care of your baby1 ,ma'am2 her mind     
being absorbed in contemplating the     
interesting circumstances which are to  
precede her having a sweet baby of her  
own2 and a sweeter than yours1 if you   
please1 ,ma'am2 or1 at least1 such will 
be her anticipations4 ,and this is all  
right enough2 it is natural that she    
should think and feel thus2 and knowing 
this1 you are admonished that it is your
 bounden duty not to delegate this      
sacred trust to any body4  #bfj4 ,the   
courage1 of which ,i have spoken1 so    
necessary in the case of washing the    
children in spite of their screaming    
remonstrances1 is1 if possible1 more    
necessary in cases of illness1 requiring
 the application of medicine1 or of     
surgical means of cure4 ,here the heart 
is put to the test indeed6 ,here is     
anguish to be endured by a mother1 who  
has to force down the nauseous physic1  

or to apply the tormenting plaster6 ,yet
 it is the mother1 or the father1 and   
more properly the former1 who is to     
perform this duty of exquisite pain4 ,to
 no nurse1 to no hireling1 to no alien  
hand1 ought1 if possible to avoid it1   
this task to be committed4 ,i do not    
admire those mothers who are too        
tender-hearted to inflict this pain on  
their children1 and who1 therefore1     
leave it to be inflicted by others4     
,give me the mother who1 while the tears
 stream down her face1 has the          
resolution scrupulously to execute1 with
 her own hands1 the doctor's commands4  
,will a servant1 will any hireling1 do  
this8 ,committed to such hands1 the     
least trouble will be preferred to the  
greater3 the thing will1 in general1 not
 be half done2 and if done1 the         
suffering from such hands is far greater
 in the mind of the child than if it    
came from the hands of the mother4 ,in  
this case1 above all others1 there ought
 to be no delegation of the parental    

office4 ,here life or limb is at stake2 
and the parent1 man or woman1 who1 in   
any one point1 can neglect his or her   
duty here1 is unworthy of the name of   
parent4 ,and here1 as in all the other  
instances1 where goodness in the parents
 towards the children gives such weight 
to their advice when the children grow  
up1 what a motive to filial gratitude6  
,the children who are old enough to     
deserve and remember1 will witness this 
proof of love and self-devotion in their
 mother4 ,each of them feels that she   
has done the same towards them all2 and 
they love her and admire and revere her 
accordingly4  #bfa4 ,this is the place  
to state my opinions1 and the result of 
my experience1 with regard to that      
fearful disease the ,,small-,,pox2 a    
subject1 too1 to which ,i have paid     
great attention4 ,i was always1 from the
 very first mention of the thing1       
opposed to the ,cow-,pox scheme4 ,if    
efficacious in preventing the           
,small-,pox1 ,i objected to it merely on

 the score of its beastliness4 ,there   
are some things1 surely1 more hideous   
than death1 and more resolutely to be   
avoided2 at any rate1 more to be avoided
 than the mere risk of suffering death4 
,and1 amongst other things1 ,i always   
reckoned that of a parent causing the   
blood1 and the diseased blood too1 of a 
beast to be put into the veins of human 
beings1 and those beings the children of
 that parent4 ,i1 therefore1 as will be 
seen in the pages of the ,register of   
that day1 most strenuously opposed the  
giving of twenty thousand pounds to     
,,jenner out of the taxes1 paid in great
 part by the working people1 which ,i   
deemed and asserted to be a scandalous  
waste of the public money4  #bfb4 ,i    
contended1 that this beastly application
 could not1 in nature1 be efficacious in
 preventing the ,small-,pox2 and that1  
even if efficacious for that purpose1 it
 was wholly unnecessary4 ,the truth of  
the former of these assertions has now  
been proved in thousands upon thousands 

of instances4 ,for a long time1 for ten 
years1 the contrary was boldly and      
brazenly asserted4 ,this nation is fond 
of quackery of all sorts2 and this      
particular quackery having been         
sanctioned by ,king1 ,lords and         
,commons1 it spread over the country    
like a pestilence borne by the winds4   
,speedily sprang up the ',,royal        
,jennerian ,institution1' and ,branch   
,institutions1 issuing from the parent  
trunk1 set instantly to work1           
impregnating the veins of the rising and
 enlightened generation with the beastly
 matter4 ',gentlemen and ,ladies' made  
the commodity a pocket-companion2 and if
 a cottager's child 7in ,hampshire at   
least71 even seen by them1 on a common1 
were not pretty quick in taking to its  
heels1 it had to carry off more or less 
of the disease of the cow4 ,one would   
have thought1 that one-half of the cows 
in ,england must have been tapped to get
 at such a quantity of the stuff4  #bfc4
 ,in the midst of all this mad work1 to 

which the doctors1 after having found it
 in vain to resist1 had yielded1 the    
real small-pox1 in its worst form1 broke
 out in the town of ,,ringwood1 in      
,,hampshire1 and carried off1 ,i believe
 7,i have not the account at hand71 more
 than a hundred persons1 young and old1 
every one of whom had had the cow-pox   
'so nicely6' ,and what was now said8    
,was the quackery exploded1 and were the
 granters of the twenty thousand pounds 
ashamed of what they had done8 ,not at  
all3 the failure was imputed to         
unskilful operators2 to the staleness of
 the matter2 to its not being of the    
genuine quality4 ,admitting all this1   
the scheme stood condemned2 for the     
great advantages held forth were1 that  
any body might perform the operation1   
and that the matter was every where     
abundant and cost-free4 ,but these were 
paltry excuses2 the mere shuffles of    
quackery2 for what do we know now8 ,why1
 that in hundreds of instances1 persons 
cow-poxed by ,,jenner ,,himself1 have   

taken the real small-pox afterwards1 and
 have either died from the disorder1 or 
narrowly escaped with their lives6 ,i   
will mention two instances1 the parties 
concerned being living and well-known1  
one of them to the whole nation1 and the
 other to a very numerous circle in the 
higher walks of life4 ,the first is ,sir
 ,,richard ,,phillips1 so well known by 
his able writings1 and equally well     
known by his exemplary conduct as       
,sheriff of ,london1 and by his         
life-long labours in the cause of real  
charity and humanity4 ,sir ,richard had1
 ,i think1 two sons1 whose veins were   
impregnated by the grantee himself4 ,at 
any rate he had one1 who had1 several   
years after ,jenner had given him the   
insuring matter1 a very hard struggle   
for his life1 under the hands of the    
good1 old-fashioned1 seam-giving1 and   
dimple-dipping small-pox4 ,the second is
 ,,philip ,,codd1 ,esq41 formerly of    
,kensington1 and now of ,rumsted ,court1
 near ,maidstone1 in ,kent1 who has a   

son that had a very narrow escape under 
the real small-pox1 about four years    
ago1 and who also had been cow-poxed by 
,jenner himself4 ,this last-mentioned   
gentleman ,i have known1 and most       
sincerely respected1 from the time of   
our both being about eighteen years of  
age4 ,when the young gentleman1 of whom 
,i am now speaking1 was very young1 ,i  
having him upon my knee one day1 asked  
his kind and excellent mother1 whether  
he had been inoculated4 ',oh1 no6' said 
she1 'we are going to have him          
vaccinated4' ,whereupon ,i1 going into  
the garden to the father1 said1 ',i do  
hope1 ,codd1 that you are not going to  
have that beastly cow-stuff put into    
that fine boy4' ',why1' said he1 'you   
see1 ,cobbett1 it is to be done by      
,jenner himself4' ,what answer ,i gave1 
what names and epithets ,i bestowed upon
 ,jenner and his quackery1 ,i will leave
 the reader to imagine4  #bfd4 ,now1    
here are instances enough2 but1 every   
reader has heard of1 if not seen1 scores

 of others4 ,young ,mr4 ,codd caught the
 small-pox at a school2 and if ,i       
recollect rightly1 there were several   
other 'vaccinated' youths who did the   
same1 at the same time4 ,quackery1      
however1 has always a shuffle left4 ,now
 that the cow-pox has been proved to be 
no guarantee against the small-pox1 it  
makes it' milder' when it comes6 ,a     
pretty shuffle1 indeed1 this6 ,you are  
to be all your life in fear of it1      
having as your sole consolation1 that   
when it comes 7and it may overtake you  
in a camp1 or on the seas71 it will be  
'milder6' ,it was not too mild to kill  
at ,,ringwood2 and its mildness1 in case
 of young ,mr4 ,codd1 did not restrain  
it from blinding him for a suitable     
number of days4 ,i shall not easily     
forget the alarm and anxiety of the     
father and mother upon this occasion2   
both of them the best of parents1 and   
both of them now punished for having    
yielded to this fashionable quackery4 ,i
 will not say1 justly punished2 for     

affection for their children1 in which  
respect they were never surpassed by any
 parents on earth1 was the cause of     
their listening to the danger-obviating 
quackery4 ,this1 too1 is the case with  
other parents2 but parents should be    
under the influence of reason and       
experience1 as well as under that of    
affection2 and now1 at any rate1 they   
ought to set this really dangerous      
quackery at nought4  #bfe4 ,and1 what   
does my own experience say on the other 
side8 ,there are my seven children1 the 
sons as tall1 or nearly so1 as their    
father1 and the daughters as tall as    
their mother2 all1 in due succession1   
inoculated with the good old-fashioned  
face-tearing small-pox2 neither of them 
with a single mark of that disease on   
their skins2 neither of them having     
been1 that we could perceive1 ill for a 
single hour1 in consequence of the      
inoculation4 ,when we were in the       
,united ,states1 we observed that the   
,americans were never marked with the   

small-pox2 or1 if such a thing were     
seen1 it was very rarely4 ,the cause we 
found to be1 the universal practice of  
having the children inoculated at the   
breast1 and1 generally1 at a month or   
six weeks old4 ,when we came to have    
children1 we did the same4 ,i believe   
that some of ours have been a few months
 old when the operation has been        
performed1 but always while at the      
breast1 and as early as possible after  
the expiration of six weeks from the    
birth2 sometimes put off a little while 
by some slight disorder in the child1 or
 on account of some circumstance or     
other2 but1 with these exceptions1 done 
at1 or before1 the end of six weeks from
 the birth1 and always at the breast4   
,all is then pure3 there is nothing in  
either body or mind to favour the       
natural fury of the disease4 ,we always 
took particular care about the source   
from which the infectious matter came4  
,we employed medical men1 in whom we    
could place perfect confidence3 we had  

their solemn word for the matter coming 
from some healthy child2 and1 at last1  
we had sometimes to wait for this1 the  
cow-affair having rendered patients of  
this sort rather rare4  #bff4 ,while the
 child has the small-pox1 the mother    
should abstain from food and drink1     
which she may require at other times1   
but which might be too gross just now4  
,to suckle a hearty child requires good 
living2 for1 besides that this is       
necessary to the mother1 it is also     
necessary to the child4 ,a little       
forbearance1 just at this time1 is      
prudent2 making the diet as simple as   
possible1 and avoiding all violent      
agitation either of the body or the     
spirits2 avoiding too1 if you can1 very 
hot or very cold weather4  #bfg4 ,there 
is now1 however1 this inconvenience1    
that the far greater part of the present
 young women have been be-,jennered2 so 
that they may catch the beauty-killing  
disease from their babies6 ,to hearten  
them up1 however1 and more especially1  

,i confess1 to record a trait of        
maternal affection and of female        
heroism1 which ,i have never heard of   
any thing to surpass1 ,i have the pride 
to say1 that my wife had eight children 
inoculated at her breast1 and never had 
the small-pox in her life4 ,i1 at first1
 objected to the inoculating of the     
child1 but she insisted upon it1 and    
with so much pertinacity that ,i gave   
way1 on condition that she would be     
inoculated too4 ,this was done with     
three or four of the children1 ,i think1
 she always being reluctant to have it  
done1 saying that it looked like        
distrusting the goodness of ,god4 ,there
 was1 to be sure1 very little in this   
argument2 but the long experience wore  
away the alarm2 and there she is now1   
having had eight children hanging at her
 breast with that desolating disease in 
them1 and she never having been affected
 by it from first to last4 ,all her     
children knew1 of course1 the risk that 
she voluntarily incurred for them4 ,they

 all have this indubitable proof1 that  
she valued their lives above her own2   
and is it in nature1 that they should   
ever wilfully do any thing to wound the 
heart of that mother2 and must not her  
bright example have great effect on     
their character and conduct6 ,now1 my   
opinion is1 that the far greater part of
 ,english or ,american women1 if placed 
in the above circumstances1 would do    
just the same thing2 and ,i do hope1    
that those1 who have yet to be mothers1 
will seriously think of putting an end1 
as they have the power to do1 to the    
disgraceful and dangerous quackery1 the 
evils of which ,i have so fully proved4 
#bfh4 ,but there is1 in the management  
of babies1 something besides life1      
health1 strength and beauty2 and        
something too1 without which all these  
put together are nothing worth2 and that
 is sanity of mind4 ,there are1 owing to
 various causes1 some who are born      
ideots2 but a great many more become    
insane from the misconduct1 or neglect1 

of parents2 and1 generally1 from the    
children being committed to the care of 
servants4 ,i knew1 in ,pennsylvania1 a  
child1 as fine1 and as sprightly1 and as
 intelligent a child as ever was born1  
made an ideot for life by being1 when   
about three years old1 shut into a dark 
closet1 by a maid servant1 in order to  
terrify it into silence4 ,the           
thoughtless creature first menaced it   
with sending it to 'the bad place1' as  
the phrase is there2 and1 at last1 to   
reduce it to silence1 put it into the   
closet1 shut the door1 and went out of  
the room4 ,she went back1 in a few      
minutes1 and found the child in a fit4  
,it recovered from that1 but was for    
life an ideot4 ,when the parents1 who   
had been out two days and two nights on 
a visit of pleasure1 came home1 they    
were told that the child had had a fit2 
but1 they were not told the cause4 ,the 
girl1 however1 who was a neighbour's    
daughter1 being on her death-bed about  
ten years afterwards1 could not die in  

peace without sending for the mother of 
the child 7now become a young man7 and  
asking forgiveness of her4 ,the mother  
herself was1 however1 the greatest      
offender of the two3 a whole lifetime of
 sorrow and of mortification was a      
punishment too light for her and her    
husband4 ,thousands upon thousands of   
human beings have been deprived of their
 senses by these and similar means4     
#bfi4 ,it is not long since that we     
read1 in the newspapers1 of a child     
being absolutely killed1 at ,birmingham1
 ,i think it was1 by being thus         
frightened4 ,the parents had gone out   
into what is called an evening party4   
,the servants1 naturally enough1 had    
their party at home2 and the mistress1  
who1 by some unexpected accident1 had   
been brought home at an early hour1     
finding the parlour full of company1 ran
 up stairs to see about her child1 about
 two or three years old4 ,she found it  
with its eyes open1 but fixed2 touching 
it1 she found it inanimate4 ,the doctor 

was sent for in vain3 it was quite dead4
 ,the maid affected to know nothing of  
the cause2 but some one of the parties  
assembled discovered1 pinned up to the  
curtains of the bed1 a horrid figure1   
made up partly of a frightful mask6     
,this1 as the wretched girl confessed1  
had been done to keep the child quiet1  
while she was with her company below4   
,when one reflects on the anguish that  
the poor little thing must have endured1
 before the life was quite frightened   
out of it1 one can find no terms        
sufficiently strong to express the      
abhorrence due to the perpetrator of    
this crime1 which was1 in fact1 a cruel 
murder2 and1 if it was beyond the reach 
of the law1 it was so and is so1        
because1 as in the cases of parricide1  
the law1 in making no provision for     
punishment peculiarly severe1 has1 out  
of respect to human nature1 supposed    
such crimes to be impossible4 ,but if   
the girl was criminal2 if death1 or a   
life of remorse1 was her due1 what was  

the due of her parents1 and especially  
of the mother6 ,and what was the due of 
the father1 who suffered that mother1   
and who1 perhaps1 tempted her to neglect
 her most sacred duty6  #bgj4 ,if this  
poor child had been deprived of its     
mental faculties1 instead of being      
deprived of its life1 the cause would1  
in all likelihood1 never have been      
discovered4 ,the insanity would have    
been ascribed to 'brain-fever1' or to   
some other of the usual causes of       
insanity2 or1 as in thousands upon      
thousands of instances1 to some         
unaccountable cause4 ,when ,i was1 in   
,no4 ,,ix41 paragraphs from #bbg to     
#bcc1 both inclusive1 maintaining with  
all my might1 the unalienable right of  
the child to the milk of its mother1 ,i 
omitted1 amongst the evils arising from 
banishing the child from the mother's   
breast1 to mention1 or1 rather1 it had  
never occurred to me to mention1 the    
loss of reason to the poor1 innocent    
creatures1 thus banished4 ,and now1 as  

connected with this measure1 ,i have an 
argument of experience1 enough to       
terrify every young man and woman upon  
earth from the thought of committing    
this offence against nature4 ,i wrote   
,no4 ,,ix4 at ,,cambridge1 on ,sunday1  
the #bhth of ,march2 and before ,i      
quitted ,,shrewsbury1 on the #adth of   
,may1 the following facts reached my    
ears4 ,a very respectable tradesman1    
who1 with his wife1 have led a most     
industrious life1 in a town that it is  
not necessary to name1 said to a        
gentleman that told it to me3 ',i wish  
to ,god ,i had read ,no4 ,,ix4 of ,mr4  
,cobbett's ,,advice ,,to ,,young ,,men  
fifteen years ago6' ,he then related1   
that he had had ten children1 all put   
out to be suckled1 in consequence of the
 necessity of his having the mother's   
assistance to carry on his business2 and
 that two out of the ten had come home  
ideots2 though the rest were all sane1  
and though insanity had never been known
 in the family of either father or      

mother6 ,these parents1 whom ,i myself  
saw1 are very clever people1 and the    
wife singularly industrious and expert  
in her affairs4  #bga4 ,now the motive1 
in this case1 unquestionably was good2  
it was that the mother's valuable time  
might1 as much as possible1 be devoted  
to the earning of a competence for her  
children4 ,but1 alas6 what is this      
competence to these two unfortunate     
beings6 ,and what is the competence to  
the rest1 when put in the scale against 
the mortification that they must1 all   
their lives1 suffer on account of the   
insanity of their brother and sister1   
exciting1 as it must1 in all their      
circle1 and even in themselves1         
suspicions of their own perfect         
soundness of mind6 ,when weighed against
 this consideration1 what is all the    
wealth in the world6 ,and as to the     
parents1 where are they to find         
compensation for such a calamity1       
embittered additionally1 too1 by the    
reflection1 that it was in their power  

to prevent it1 and that nature1 with    
loud voice1 cried out to them to prevent
 it6 ,,money6 ,wealth acquired in       
consequence of this banishment of these 
poor children2 these victims of this1 ,i
 will not call it avarice1 but          
over-eager love of gain6 wealth1 thus   
acquired6 ,what wealth can console these
 parents for the loss of reason in these
 children6 ,where is the father and the 
mother1 who would not rather see their  
children ploughing in other men's       
fields1 and sweeping other men's houses1
 than led about parks or houses of their
 own1 objects of pity even of the       
menials procured by their wealth8  #bgb4
 ,if what ,i have now said be not       
sufficient to deter a man from suffering
 any consideration1 no matter what1 to  
induce him to delegate the care of his  
children1 when very young1 to any body  
whomsoever1 nothing that ,i can say can 
possibly have that effect2 and ,i will1 
therefore1 now proceed to offer my      
advice with regard to the management of 

children when they get beyond the danger
 of being crazed or killed by nurses or 
servants4  #bgc4 ,we here come to the   
subject of education in the true sense  
of that word1 which is rearing up1      
seeing that the word comes from the     
,latin educo1 which means to breed up1  
or to rear up4 ,i shall1 afterwards1    
have to speak of education in the now   
common acceptation of the word1 which   
makes it mean1 book-learning4 ,at       
present1 ,i am to speak of education in 
its true sense1 as the ,french 7who1 as 
well as we1 take the word from the      
,latin7 always use it4 ,they1 in their  
agricultural works1 talk of the         
'education du ,cochon1 de l',alouette1  
c41' that is of the hog1 the lark1 and  
so of other animals2 that is to say1 of 
the manner of breeding them1 or rearing 
them up1 from their being little things 
till they be of full size4  #bgd4 ,the  
first thing1 in the rearing of children1
 who have passed from the baby-state1   
is1 as to the body1 plenty of good food2

 and1 as to the mind1 constant good     
example in the parents4 ,of the latter  
,i shall speak more by-and-by4 ,with    
regard to the former1 it is of the      
greatest importance1 that children be   
well fed2 and there never was a greater 
error than to believe that they do not  
need good food4 ,every one knows1 that  
to have fine horses1 the colts must be  
kept well1 and that it is the same with 
regard to all animals of every sort and 
kind4 ,the fine horses and cattle and   
sheep all come from the rich pastures4  
,to have them fine1 it is not sufficient
 that they have plenty of food when     
young1 but that they have rich food4    
,were there no land1 no pasture1 in     
,england1 but such as is found in       
,middlesex1 ,essex1 and ,surrey1 we     
should see none of those coach-horses   
and dray-horses1 whose height and size  
make us stare4 ,it is the keep when     
young that makes the fine animal4  #bge4
 ,there is no other reason for the      
people in the ,american ,states being   

generally so much taller and stronger   
than the people in ,england are4 ,their 
forefathers went1 for the greater part1 
from ,england4 ,in the four ,northern   
,states they went wholly from ,england1 
and then1 on their landing1 they founded
 a new ,london1 a new ,falmouth1 a new  
,plymouth1 a new ,portsmouth1 a new     
,dover1 a new ,yarmouth1 a new ,lynn1 a 
new ,boston1 and a new ,hull1 and the   
country itself they called1 and their   
descendants still call1 ,,new ,,england4
 ,this country of the best and boldest  
seamen1 and of the most moral and happy 
people in the world1 is also the country
 of the tallest and ablest-bodied men in
 the world4 ,and why8 ,because1 from    
their very birth1 they have an abundance
 of good food2 not only of food1 but of 
rich food4 ,even when the child is at   
the breast1 a strip of beef-stake1 or   
something of that description1 as big   
and as long as one's finger1 is put into
 its hand4 ,when a baby gets a thing in 
its hand1 the first thing it does is to 

poke some part of it into its mouth4 ,it
 cannot bite the meat1 but its gums     
squeeze out the juice4 ,when it has done
 with the breast1 it eats meat          
constantly twice1 if not thrice1 a day4 
,and this abundance of good food is the 
cause1 to be sure1 of the superior size 
and strength of the people of that      
country4  #bgf4 ,nor is this1 in any    
point of view1 an unimportant matter4 ,a
 tall man is1 whether as labourer1      
carpenter1 bricklayer1 soldier or       
sailor1 or almost anything else1 worth  
more than a short man3 he can look over 
a higher thing2 he can reach higher and 
wider2 he can move on from place to     
place faster2 in mowing grass or corn he
 takes a wider swarth1 in pitching he   
wants a shorter prong2 in making        
buildings he does not so soon want a    
ladder or a scaffold2 in fighting he    
keeps his body farther from the point of
 his sword4 ,to be sure1 a man may be   
tall and weak2 but1 this is the         
exception and not the rule3 height and  

weight and strength1 in men as in       
speechless animals1 generally go        
together4 ,aye1 and in enterprise and   
courage too1 the powers of the body have
 a great deal to do4 ,doubtless there   
are1 have been1 and always will be1     
great numbers of small and enterprizing 
and brave men2 but it is not in nature1 
that1 generally speaking1 those who are 
conscious of their inferiority in point 
of bodily strength1 should possess the  
boldness of those who have a contrary   
description4  #bgg4 ,to what but this   
difference in the size and strength of  
the opposing combatants are we to       
ascribe the ever-to-be-blushed-at events
 of our last war against the ,united    
,states6 ,the hearts of our seamen and  
soldiers were as good as those of the   
,yankees3 on both sides they had sprung 
from the same stock3 on both sides      
equally well supplied with all the      
materials of war3 if on either side1 the
 superior skill was on ours3 ,french1   
,dutch1 ,spaniards1 all had confessed   

our superior prowess3 yet1 when1 with   
our whole undivided strength1 and to    
that strength adding the flush and pride
 of victory and conquest1 crowned even  
in the capital of ,france2 when1 with   
all these tremendous advantages1 and    
with all the nations of the earth       
looking on1 we came foot to foot and    
yard-arm to yard-arm with the           
,americans1 the result was such as an   
,english pen refuses to describe4 ,what1
 then1 was the great cause of this      
result1 which filled us with shame and  
the world with astonishment8 ,not the   
want of courage in our men4 ,there were1
 indeed1 some moral causes at work2 but 
the main cause was1 the great           
superiority of size and of bodily       
strength on the part of the enemy's     
soldiers and sailors4 ,it was so many   
men on each side2 but it was men of a   
different size and strength2 and1 on the
 side of the foe1 men accustomed to     
daring enterprise from a consciousness  
of that strength4  #bgh4 ,why are       

abstinence and fasting enjoined by the  
,catholic ,church8 ,why1 to make men    
humble1 meek1 and tame2 and they have   
this effect too3 this is visible in     
whole nations as well as in individuals4
 ,so that good food1 and plenty of it1  
is not more necessary to the forming of 
a stout and able body than to the       
forming of an active and enterprizing   
spirit4 ,poor food1 short allowance1    
while they check the growth of the      
child's body1 check also the daring of  
the mind2 and1 therefore1 the starving  
or pinching system ought to be avoided  
by all means4 ,children should eat      
often1 and as much as they like at a    
time4 ,they will1 if at full heap1 never
 take1 of plain food1 more than it is   
good for them to take4 ,they may1       
indeed1 be stuffed with cakes and sweet 
things till they be ill1 and1 indeed1   
until they bring on dangerous disorders3
 but1 of meat plainly and well cooked1  
and of bread1 they will never swallow   
the tenth part of an ounce more than it 

is necessary for them to swallow4 ,ripe 
fruit1 or cooked fruit1 if no sweetening
 take place1 will never hurt them2 but1 
when they once get a taste for sugary   
stuff1 and to cram down loads of garden 
vegetables2 when ices1 creams1 tarts1   
raisins1 almonds1 all the endless       
pamperings come1 the doctor must soon   
follow with his drugs4 ,the blowing out 
of the bodies of children with tea1     
coffee1 soup1 or warm liquids of any    
kind1 is very bad3 these have an effect 
precisely like that which is produced by
 feeding young rabbits1 or pigs1 or     
other young animals upon watery         
vegetables3 it makes them big-bellied   
and bare-boned at the same time2 and it 
effectually prevents the frame from     
becoming strong4 ,children in health    
want no drink other than skim milk1 or  
butter-milk1 or whey2 and1 if none of   
those be at hand1 water will do very    
well1 provided they have plenty of good 
meat4 ,cheese and butter do very well   
for part of the day4 ,puddings and pies2

 but always without sugar1 which1 say   
what people will about the wholesomeness
 of it1 is not only of no use in the    
rearing of children1 but injurious3 it  
forces an appetite3 like strong drink1  
it makes daily encroachments on the     
taste3 it wheedles down that which the  
stomach does not want3 it finally       
produces illness3 it is one of the      
curses of the country2 for it1 by taking
 off the bitter of the tea and coffee1  
is the great cause of sending down into 
the stomach those quantities of warm    
water by which the body is debilitated  
and deformed and the mind enfeebled4 ,i 
am addressing myself to persons in the  
middle walk of life2 but no parent can  
be sure that his child will not be      
compelled to labour hard for its daily  
bread3 and then1 how vast is the        
difference between one who has been     
pampered with sweets and one who has    
been reared on plain food and simple    
drink6  #bgi4 ,the next thing after good
 and plentiful and plain food is good   

air4 ,this is not within the reach of   
every one2 but1 to obtain it is worth   
great sacrifices in other respects4 ,we 
know that there are smells which will   
cause instant death2 we know1 that there
 are others which will cause death in a 
few years2 and1 therefore1 we know that 
it is the duty of parents to provide1 if
 possible1 against this danger to the   
health of their offspring4 ,to be sure1 
when a man is so situated that he cannot
 give his children sweet air without    
putting himself into a jail for debt3   
when1 in short1 he has the dire choice  
of sickly children1 children with big   
heads1 small limbs1 and ricketty joints3
 or children sent to the poor-house3    
when this is his hard lot1 he must      
decide for the former sad alternative3  
but before he will convince me that this
 is his lot1 he must prove to me1 that  
he and his wife expend not a penny in   
the decoration of their persons2 that on
 his table1 morning1 noon1 or night1    
nothing ever comes that is not the      

produce of ,english soil2 that of his   
time not one hour is wasted in what is  
called pleasure2 that down his throat   
not one drop or morsel ever goes1 unless
 necessary to sustain life and health4  
,how many scores and how many hundreds  
of men have ,i seen2 how many thousands 
could ,i go and point out1 to-morrow1 in
 ,london1 the money expended on whose   
guzzlings in porter1 grog and wine1     
would keep1 and keep well1 in the       
country1 a considerable part of the     
year1 a wife surrounded by healthy      
children1 instead of being stewed up in 
some alley1 or back room1 with a parcel 
of poor creatures about her1 whom she1  
though their fond mother1 is almost     
ashamed to call hers6 ,compared with the
 life of such a woman1 that of the      
labourer1 however poor1 is paradise4    
,tell me not of the necessity of        
providing money for them1 even if you   
waste not a farthing3 you can provide   
them with no money equal in value to    
health and straight limbs and good      

looks3 these it is1 if within your      
power1 your bounden duty to provide for 
them3 as to providing them with money1  
you deceive yourself2 it is your own    
avarice1 or vanity1 that you are seeking
 to gratify1 and not to ensure the good 
of your children4 ,their most precious  
possession is health and strength2 and  
you have no right to run the risk of    
depriving them of these for the sake of 
heaping together money to bestow on     
them3 you have the desire to see them   
rich3 it is to gratify yourself that you
 act in such a case2 and you1 however   
you may deceive yourself1 are guilty of 
injustice towards them4 ,you would be   
ashamed to see them without fortune2 but
 not at all ashamed to see them without 
straight limbs1 without colour in their 
cheeks1 without strength1 without       
activity1 and with only half their due  
portion of reason4  #bhj4 ,besides sweet
 air1 children want exercise4 ,even when
 they are babies in arms1 they want     
tossing and pulling about1 and want     

talking and singing to4 ,they should be 
put upon their feet by slow degrees1    
according to the strength of their legs2
 and this is a matter which a good      
mother will attend to with incessant    
care4 ,if they appear to be likely to   
squint1 she will1 always when they wake 
up1 and frequently in the day1 take care
 to present some pleasing object right  
before1 and never on the side of their  
face4 ,if they appear1 when they begin  
to talk1 to indicate a propensity to    
stammer1 she will stop them1 repeat the 
word or words slowly herself1 and get   
them to do the same4 ,these precautions 
are amongst the most sacred of the      
duties of parents2 for1 remember1 the   
deformity is for life2 a thought which  
will fill every good parent's heart with
 solicitude4 ,all swaddling and tight   
covering are mischievous4 ,they produce 
distortions of some sort or other4 ,to  
let children creep and roll about till  
they get upon their legs of themselves  
is a very good way4 ,i never saw a      

native ,american with crooked limbs or  
hump-back1 and never heard any man say  
that he had seen one4 ,and the reason   
is1 doubtless1 the loose dress in which 
children1 from the moment of their      
birth1 are kept1 the good food that they
 always have1 and the sweet air that    
they breathe in consequence of the      
absence of all dread of poverty on the  
part of the parents4  #bha4 ,as to      
bodily exercise1 they will1 when they   
begin to get about1 take1 if you let    
them alone1 just as much of it as nature
 bids them1 and no more4 ,that is a     
pretty deal1 indeed1 if they be in      
health2 and1 it is your duty1 now1 to   
provide for their taking of that        
exercise1 when they begin to be what are
 called boys and girls1 in a way that   
shall tend to give them the greatest    
degree of pleasure1 accompanied with the
 smallest risk of pain3 in other words1 
to make their lives as pleasant as you  
possibly can4 ,i have always admired the
 sentiment of ,,rousseau upon this      

subject4 ',the boy dies1 perhaps1 at the
 age of ten or twelve4 ,of what use1    
then1 all the restraints1 all the       
privations1 all the pain1 that you have 
inflicted upon him8 ,he falls1 and      
leaves your mind to brood over the      
possibility of your having abridged a   
life so dear to you4' ,i do not         
recollect the very words2 but the       
passage made a deep impression upon my  
mind1 just at the time1 too1 when ,i was
 about to become a father2 and ,i was   
resolved never to bring upon myself     
remorse from such a cause2 a resolution 
from which no importunities1 coming from
 what quarter they might1 ever induced  
me1 in one single instance1 or for one  
single moment1 to depart4 ,i was        
resolved to forego all the means of     
making money1 all the means of living in
 any thing like fashion1 all the means  
of obtaining fame or distinction1 to    
give up every thing1 to become a common 
labourer1 rather than make my children  
lead a life of restraint and rebuke2 ,i 

could not be sure that my children would
 love me as they loved their own lives2 
but ,i was1 at any rate1 resolved to    
deserve such love at their hands2 and1  
in possession of that1 ,i felt that ,i  
could set calamity1 of whatever         
description1 at defiance4  #bhb4 ,now1  
proceeding to relate what was1 in this  
respect1 my line of conduct1 ,i am not  
pretending that every man1 and          
particularly every man living in a town1
 can1 in all respects1 do as ,i did in  
the rearing up of children4 ,but1 in    
many respects1 any man may1 whatever may
 be his state of life4 ,for ,i did not  
lead an idle life2 ,i had to work       
constantly for the means of living2 my  
occupation required unremitted          
attention2 ,i had nothing but my labour 
to rely on2 and ,i had no friend1 to    
whom1 in case of need1 ,i could fly for 
assistance3 ,i always saw the           
possibility1 and even the probability1  
of being totally ruined by the hand of  
power2 but1 happen what would1 ,i was   

resolved1 that1 as long as ,i could     
cause them to do it1 my children should 
lead happy lives2 and happy lives they  
did lead1 if ever children did in this  
whole world4  #bhc4 ,the first thing    
that ,i did1 when the fourth child had  
come1 was to get into the country1 and  
so far as to render a going backward and
 forward to ,london1 at short intervals1
 quite out of the question4 ,thus was   
health1 the greatest of all things1     
provided for1 as far as ,i was able to  
make the provision4 ,next1 my being     
always at home was secured as far as    
possible2 always with them to set an    
example of early rising1 sobriety1 and  
application to something or other4      
,children1 and especially boys1 will    
have some out-of-door pursuits2 and it  
was my duty to lead them to choose such 
pursuits as combined future utility with
 present innocence4 ,each his           
flower-bed1 little garden1 plantation of
 trees2 rabbits1 dogs1 asses1 horses1   
pheasants and hares2 hoes1 spades1      

whips1 guns2 always some object of      
lively interest1 and as much earnestness
 and bustle about the various objects as
 if our living had solely depended upon 
them4 ,i made everything give way to the
 great object of making their lives     
happy and innocent4 ,i did not know what
 they might be in time1 or what might be
 my lot2 but ,i was resolved not to be  
the cause of their being unhappy then1  
let what might become of us afterwards4 
,i was1 as ,i am1 of opinion1 that it is
 injurious to the mind to press         
book-learning upon it at an early age3  
,i always felt pain for poor little     
things1 set up1 before 'company1' to    
repeat verses1 or bits of plays1 at six 
or eight years old4 ,i have sometimes   
not known which way to look1 when a     
mother 7and1 too often1 a father71 whom 
,i could not but respect on account of  
her fondness for her child1 has forced  
the feeble-voiced eighth wonder of the  
world1 to stand with its little hand    
stretched out1 spouting the soliloquy of

 ,hamlet1 or some such thing4 ,i        
remember1 on one occasion1 a little     
pale-faced creature1 only five years    
old1 was brought in1 after the feeding  
part of the dinner was over1 first to   
take his regular half-glass of vintner's
 brewings1 commonly called wine1 and    
then to treat us to a display of his    
wonderful genius4 ,the subject was a    
speech of a robust and bold youth1 in a 
,scotch play1 the title of which ,i have
 forgotten1 but the speech began with1  
',my name is ,norval3 on the ,grampian  
,hills my father fed his flocks444' ,and
 this in a voice so weak and distressing
 as to put me in mind of the plaintive  
squeaking of little pigs when the sow is
 lying on them4 ,as we were going home  
7one of my boys and ,i7 he1 after a     
silence of half a mile perhaps1 rode up 
close to the side of my horse1 and said1
 ',papa1 where be the ,grampian ,hills8'
 ',oh1' said ,i1 'they are in ,scotland2
 poor1 barren1 beggarly places1 covered 
with heath and rushes1 ten times as     

barren as ,sherril ,heath4' ',but1' said
 he1 'how could that little boy's father
 feed his flocks there1 then8' ,i was   
ready to tumble off the horse with      
laughing4  #bhd4 ,i do not know any     
thing much more distressing to the      
spectators than exhibitions of this     
sort4 ,every one feels1 not for the     
child1 for it is insensible to the      
uneasiness it excites1 but for the      
parents1 whose amiable fondness displays
 itself in this ridiculous manner4 ,upon
 these occasions1 no one knows what to  
say1 or whither to direct his looks4    
,the parents1 and especially the fond   
mother1 looks sharply round for the     
so-evidently merited applause1 as an    
actor of the name of ,,munden1 whom ,i  
recollect thirty years ago1 used1 when  
he had treated us to a witty shrug of   
his shoulders1 or twist of his chin1 to 
turn his face up to the gallery for the 
clap4 ,if ,i had to declare on my oath  
which have been the most disagreeable   
moments of my life1 ,i verily believe1  

that1 after due consideration1 ,i should
 fix upon those1 in which parents1 whom 
,i have respected1 have made me endure  
exhibitions like these2 for1 this is    
your choice1 to be insincere1 or to give
 offence4  #bhe4 ,and1 as towards the   
child1 it is to be unjust1 thus to teach
 it to set a high value on trifling1 not
 to say mischievous1 attainments2 to    
make it1 whether it be in its natural   
disposition or not1 vain and conceited4 
,the plaudits which it receives1 in such
 cases1 puffs it up in its own thoughts1
 sends it out into the world stuffed    
with pride and insolence1 which must and
 will be extracted out of it by one     
means or another2 and none but those who
 have had to endure the drawing of      
firmly-fixed teeth1 can1 ,i take it1    
have an adequate idea of the painfulness
 of this operation4 ,now1 parents have  
no right thus to indulge their own      
feelings at the risk of the happiness of
 their children4  #bhf4 ,the great      
matter is1 however1 the spoiling of the 

mind by forcing on it thoughts which it 
is not fit to receive4 ,we know well1 we
 daily see1 that in men1 as well as in  
other animals1 the body is rendered     
comparatively small and feeble by being 
heavily loaded1 or hard worked1 before  
it arrive at size and strength          
proportioned to such load and such work4
 ,it is just so with the mind3 the      
attempt to put old heads upon young     
shoulders is just as unreasonable as it 
would be to expect a colt six months old
 to be able to carry a man4 ,the mind1  
as well as the body1 requires time to   
come to its strength2 and the way to    
have it possess1 at last1 its natural   
strength1 is not to attempt to load it  
too soon2 and to favour it in its       
progress by giving to the body good and 
plentiful food1 sweet air1 and abundant 
exercise1 accompanied with as little    
discontent or uneasiness as possible4   
,it is universally known1 that ailments 
of the body are1 in many cases1         
sufficient to destroy the mind1 and to  

debilitate it in innumerable instances4 
,it is equally well known1 that the     
torments of the mind are1 in many cases1
 sufficient to destroy the body4 ,this1 
then1 being so well known1 is it not the
 first duty of a father to secure to his
 children1 if possible1 sound and strong
 bodies8 ,,lord ,,bacon says1 that 'a   
sound mind in a sound body is the       
greatest of ,god's blessings4' ,to see  
his children possess these1 therefore1  
ought to be the first object with every 
father2 an object which ,i cannot too   
often endeavour to fix in his mind4     
#bhg4 ,i am to speak presently of that  
sort of learning which is derived from  
books1 and which is a matter by no means
 to be neglected1 or to be thought      
little of1 seeing that it is the road1  
not only to fame1 but to the means of   
doing great good to one's neighbours and
 to one's country1 and1 thereby1 of     
adding to those pleasant feelings which 
are1 in other words1 our happiness4     
,but1 notwithstanding this1 ,i must here

 insist1 and endeavour to impress my    
opinion upon the mind of every father1  
that his children's happiness ought to  
be first object2 that book-learning1 if 
it tend to militate against this1 ought 
to be disregarded2 and that1 as to      
money1 as to fortune1 as to rank and    
title1 that father who can1 in the      
destination of his children1 think of   
them more than of the happiness of those
 children1 is1 if he be of sane mind1 a 
great criminal4 ,who is there1 having   
lived to the age of thirty1 or even     
twenty1 years1 and having the ordinary  
capacity for observation2 who is there1 
being of this description1 who must not 
be convinced of the inadequacy of riches
 and what are called honours to insure  
happiness8 ,who1 amongst all the classes
 of men1 experience1 on an average1 so  
little of real pleasure1 and so much of 
real pain as the rich and the lofty8    
,pope gives us1 as the materials for    
happiness1 'health1 peace1 and          
competence4' ,aye1 but what is peace1   

and what is competence8 ,if1 by peace1  
he mean that tranquillity of mind which 
innocence and good deeds produce1 he is 
right and clear so far2 for we all know 
that1 without health1 which has a       
well-known positive meaning1 there can  
be no happiness4 ,but competence is a   
word of unfixed meaning4 ,it may1 with  
some1 mean enough to eat1 drink1 wear   
and be lodged and warmed with2 but1 with
 others1 it may include horses1         
carriages1 and footmen laced over from  
top to toe4 ,so that1 here1 we have no  
guide2 no standard2 and1 indeed1 there  
can be none4 ,but as every sensible     
father must know that the possession of 
riches do not1 never did1 and never can1
 afford even a chance of additional     
happiness1 it is his duty to inculcate  
in the minds of his children to make no 
sacrifice of principle1 of moral        
obligation of any sort1 in order to     
obtain riches1 or distinction2 and it is
 a duty still more imperative on him1   
not to expose them to the risk of loss  

of health1 or diminution of strength1   
for purposes which have1 either directly
 or indirectly1 the acquiring of riches 
in view1 whether for himself or for     
them4  #bhh4 ,with these principles     
immoveably implanted in my mind1 ,i     
became the father of a family1 and on   
these principles ,i have reared that    
family4 ,being myself fond of           
book-learning1 and knowing well its     
powers1 ,i naturally wished them to     
possess it too2 but never did ,i impose 
it upon any one of them4 ,my first duty 
was to make them healthy and strong if  
,i could1 and to give them as much      
enjoyment of life as possible4 ,born and
 bred up in the sweet air myself1 ,i was
 resolved that they should be bred up in
 it too4 ,enjoying rural scenes and     
sports1 as ,i had done1 when a boy1 as  
much as any one that ever was born1 ,i  
was resolved1 that they should have the 
same enjoyments tendered to them4 ,when 
,i was a very little boy1 ,i was1 in the
 barley-sowing season1 going along by   

the side of a field1 near ,,waverly     
,,abbey2 the primroses and blue-bells   
bespangling the banks on both sides of  
me2 a thousand linnets singing in a     
spreading oak over my head2 while the   
jingle of the traces and the whistling  
of the ploughboys saluted my ear from   
over the hedge2 and1 as it were to      
snatch me from the enchantment1 the     
hounds1 at that instant1 having started 
a hare in the hanger on the other side  
of the field1 came up scampering over it
 in full cry1 taking me after them many 
a mile4 ,i was not more than eight years
 old2 but this particular scene has     
presented itself to my mind many times  
every year from that day to this4 ,i    
always enjoy it over again2 and ,i was  
resolved to give1 if possible1 the same 
enjoyments to my children4  #bhi4 ,men's
 circumstances are so various2 there is 
such a great variety in their situations
 in life1 their business1 the extent of 
their pecuniary means1 the local state  
in which they are placed1 their internal

 resources2 the variety in all these    
respects is so great1 that1 as          
applicable to every family1 it would be 
impossible to lay down any set of rules1
 or maxims1 touching every matter       
relating to the management and rearing  
up of children4 ,in giving an account1  
therefore1 of my own conduct1 in this   
respect1 ,i am not to be understood as  
supposing1 that every father can1 or    
ought1 to attempt to do the same2 but   
while it will be seen1 that there are   
many1 and these the most important parts
 of that conduct1 that all fathers may  
imitate1 if they choose1 there is no    
part of it which thousands and thousands
 of fathers might not adopt and pursue1 
and adhere to1 to the very letter4      
#bij4 ,i effected every thing without   
scolding1 and even without command4 ,my 
children are a family of scholars1 each 
sex its appropriate species of learning2
 and1 ,i could safely take my oath1 that
 ,i never ordered a child of mine1 son  
or daughter1 to look into a book1 in my 

life4 ,my two eldest sons1 when about   
eight years old1 were1 for the sake of  
their health1 placed for a very short   
time1 at a ,clergyman's at              
,,micheldever1 and my eldest daughter1 a
 little older1 at a school a few miles  
from ,botley1 to avoid taking them to   
,london in the winter4 ,but1 with these 
exceptions1 never had they1 while       
children1 teacher of any description2   
and ,i never1 and nobody else ever1     
taught any one of them to read1 write1  
or any thing else1 except in            
conversation2 and1 yet1 no man was ever 
more anxious to be the father of a      
family of clever and learned persons4   
#bia4 ,i accomplished my purpose        
indirectly4 ,the first thing of all was 
health1 which was secured by the        
deeply-interesting and never-ending     
sports of the field and pleasures of the
 garden4 ,luckily these things were     
treated of in books and pictures of     
endless variety2 so that on wet days1 in
 long evenings1 these came into play4 ,a

 large1 strong table1 in the middle of  
the room1 their mother sitting at her   
work1 used to be surrounded with them1  
the baby1 if big enough1 set up in a    
high chair4 ,here were ink-stands1 pens1
 pencils1 ,india rubber1 and paper1 all 
in abundance1 and every one scrabbled   
about as he or she pleased4 ,there were 
prints of animals of all sorts2 books   
treating of them3 others treating of    
gardening1 of flowers1 of husbandry1 of 
hunting1 coursing1 shooting1 fishing1   
planting1 and1 in short1 of every thing1
 with regard to which we had something  
to do4 ,one would be trying to imitate a
 bit of my writing1 another drawing the 
pictures of some of our dogs or horses1 
a third poking over ,bewick's           
,quadrupeds and picking out what he said
 about them2 but our book of            
never-failing resource was the ,french  
,,maison ,,rustique1 or ,,farm-,,house1 
which1 it is said1 was the book that    
first tempted ,,duquesnois 7,i think    
that was the name71 the famous          

physician1 in the reign of ,louis       
,,xiv41 to learn to read4 ,here are all 
the four-legged animals1 from the horse 
down to the mouse1 portraits and all2   
all the birds1 reptiles1 insects2 all   
the modes of rearing1 managing1 and     
using the tame ones2 all the modes of   
taking the wild ones1 and of destroying 
those that are mischievous2 all the     
various traps1 springs1 nets2 all the   
implements of husbandry and gardening2  
all the labours of the field and the    
garden exhibited1 as well as the rest1  
in plates2 and1 there was ,i1 in my     
leisure moments1 to join this           
inquisitive group1 to read the ,french1 
and tell them what it meaned in         
,english1 when the picture did not      
sufficiently explain itself4 ,i never   
have been without a copy of this book   
for forty years1 except during the time 
that ,i was fleeing from the dungeons of
 ,,castlereagh and ,,sidmouth1 in #ahag2
 and1 when ,i got to ,long ,island1 the 
first book ,i bought was another        

,,maison ,,rustique4  #bib4 ,what need  
had we of schools8 ,what need of        
teachers8 ,what need of scolding and    
force1 to induce children to read1      
write1 and love books8 ,what need of    
cards1 dice1 or of any games1 to 'kill  
time2' but1 in fact1 to implant in the  
infant heart a love of gaming1 one of   
the most destructive of all human vices8
 ,we did not want to 'kill time2' we    
were always busy1 wet weather or dry    
weather1 winter or summer4 ,there was no
 force in any case2 no command2 no      
authority2 none of these was ever       
wanted4 ,to teach the children the habit
 of early rising was a great object2 and
 every one knows how young people cling 
to their beds1 and how loth they are to 
go to those beds4 ,this was a capital   
matter2 because1 here were industry and 
health both at stake4 ,yet1 ,i avoided  
command even here2 and merely offered a 
reward4 ,the child that was down stairs 
first1 was called the ,,lark for that   
day2 and1 further1 sat at my right hand 

at dinner4 ,they soon discovered1 that  
to rise early1 they must go to bed      
early2 and thus was this most important 
object secured1 with regard to girls as 
well as boys4 ,nothing more             
inconvenient1 and1 indeed1 more         
disgusting1 than to have to do with     
girls1 or young women1 who lounge in    
bed3 ',a little more sleep1 a little    
more slumber1 a little more folding of  
the hands to sleep4' ,,solomon knew them
 well3 he had1 ,i dare say1 seen the    
breakfast cooling1 carriages and horses 
and servants waiting1 the sun coming    
burning on1 the day wasting1 the night  
growing dark too early1 appointments    
broken1 and the objects of journeys     
defeated2 and all this from the         
lolloping in bed of persons who ought to
 have risen with the sun4 ,no beauty1 no
 modesty1 no accomplishments1 are a     
compensation for the effects of laziness
 in women2 and1 of all the proofs of    
laziness1 none is so unequivocal as that
 of lying late in bed4 ,love makes men  

overlook this vice 7for it is a vice71  
for a while2 but1 this does not last for
 life4 ,besides1 health demands early   
rising3 the management of a house       
imperiously demands it2 but health1 that
 most precious possession1 without which
 there is nothing else worth possessing1
 demands it too4 ,the morning air is the
 most wholesome and strengthening3 even 
in crowded cities1 men might do pretty  
well with the aid of the morning air2   
but1 how are they to rise early1 if they
 go to bed late8  #bic4 ,but1 to do the 
things ,i did1 you must love home       
yourself2 to rear up children in this   
manner1 you must live with them2 you    
must make them1 too1 feel1 by your      
conduct1 that you prefer this to any    
other mode of passing your time4 ,all   
men cannot lead this sort of life1 but  
many may2 and all much more than many   
do4 ,my occupation1 to be sure1 was     
chiefly carried on at home2 but1 ,i had 
always enough to do2 ,i never spent an  
idle week1 or even day1 in my whole     

life4 ,yet ,i found time to talk with   
them1 to walk1 or ride1 about with them2
 and when forced to go from home1 always
 took one or more with me4 ,you must be 
good-tempered too with them2 they must  
like your company better than any other 
person's2 they must not wish you away1  
not fear your coming back1 not look upon
 your departure as a holiday4 ,when my  
business kept me away from the          
scrabbling-table1 a petition often came1
 that ,i would go and talk with the     
group1 and the bearer generally was the 
youngest1 being the most likely to      
succeed4 ,when ,i went from home1 all   
followed me to the outer-gate1 and      
looked after me1 till the carriage1 or  
horse1 was out of sight4 ,at the time   
appointed for my return1 all were       
prepared to meet me2 and if it were late
 at night1 they sat up as long as they  
were able to keep their eyes open4 ,this
 love of parents1 and this constant     
pleasure at home1 made them not even    
think of seeking pleasure abroad2 and   

they1 thus1 were kept from vicious      
playmates and early corruption4  #bid4  
,this is the age1 too1 to teach children
 to be trust-worthy1 and to be merciful 
and humane4 ,we lived in a garden of    
about two acres1 partly kitchen-garden  
with walls1 partly shrubbery and trees1 
and partly grass4 ,there were the       
peaches1 as tempting as any that ever   
grew1 and yet as safe from fingers as if
 no child were ever in the garden4 ,it  
was not necessary to forbid4 ,the       
blackbirds1 the thrushes1 the           
whitethroats1 and even that very shy    
bird the goldfinch1 had their nests and 
bred up their young-ones1 in great      
abundance1 all about this little spot1  
constantly the play-place of six        
children2 and one of the latter had its 
nest1 and brought up its young-ones1 in 
a raspberry-bush1 within two yards of a 
walk1 and at the time that we were      
gathering the ripe raspberries4 ,we give
 dogs1 and justly1 great credit for     
sagacity and memory2 but the following  

two most curious instances1 which ,i    
should not venture to state1 if there   
were not so many witnesses to the facts1
 in my neighbours at ,botley1 as well as
 in my own family1 will show1 that birds
 are not1 in this respect1 inferior to  
the canine race4 ,all country people    
know that the skylark is a very shy     
bird2 that its abode is the open fields3
 that it settles on the ground only2    
that it seeks safety in the wideness of 
space2 that it avoids enclosures1 and is
 never seen in gardens4 ,a part of our  
ground was a grass-plat of about forty  
rods1 or a quarter of an acre1 which1   
one year1 was left to be mowed for hay4 
,a pair of larks1 coming out of the     
fields into the middle of a pretty      
populous village1 chose to make their   
nest in the middle of this little spot1 
and at not more than about thirty-five  
yards from one of the doors of the      
house1 in which there were about twelve 
persons living1 and six of those        
children1 who had constant access to all

 parts of the ground4 ,there we saw the 
cock rising up and singing1 then taking 
his turn upon the eggs2 and by-and-by1  
we observed him cease to sing1 and saw  
them both constantly engaged in bringing
 food to the young ones4 ,no            
unintelligible hint to fathers and      
mothers of the human race1 who have1    
before marriage1 taken delight in music4
 ,but the time came for mowing the      
grass6 ,i waited a good many days for   
the brood to get away2 but1 at last1 ,i 
determined on the day2 and if the larks 
were there still1 to leave a patch of   
grass standing round them4 ,in order not
 to keep them in dread longer than      
necessary1 ,i brought three able mowers1
 who would cut the whole in about an    
hour2 and as the plat was nearly        
circular1 set them to mow round1        
beginning at the outside4 ,and now for  
sagacity indeed6 ,the moment the men    
began to whet their scythes1 the two old
 larks began to flutter over the nest1  
and to make a great clamour4 ,when the  

men began to mow1 they flew round and   
round1 stooping so low1 when near the   
men1 as almost to touch their bodies1   
making a great chattering at the same   
time2 but before the men had got round  
with the second swarth1 they flew to the
 nest1 and away they went1 young ones   
and all1 across the river1 at the foot  
of the ground1 and settled in the long  
grass in my neighbour's orchard4  #bie4 
,the other instance relates to a        
,,house-,,marten4 ,it is well known that
 these birds build their nests under the
 eaves of inhabited houses1 and         
sometimes under those of door porches2  
but we had one that built its nest in   
the house1 and upon the top of a common 
doorcase1 the door of which opened into 
a room out of the main passage into the 
house4 ,perceiving the marten had begun 
to build its nest here1 we kept the     
front-door open in the daytime2 but were
 obliged to fasten it at night4 ,it went
 on1 had eggs1 young ones1 and the young
 ones flew4 ,i used to open the door in 

the morning early1 and then the birds   
carried on their affairs till night4    
,the next year the ,,marten came again1 
and had another brood in the same place4
 ,it found its old nest2 and having     
repaired it1 and put it in order1 went  
on again in the former way2 and it      
would1 ,i dare say1 have continued to   
come to the end of its life1 if we had  
remained there so long1 notwithstanding 
there were six healthy children in the  
house1 making just as much noise as they
 pleased4  #bif4 ,now1 what sagacity in 
these birds1 to discover that those were
 places of safety6 ,and how happy must  
it have made us1 the parents1 to be sure
 that our children had thus deeply      
imbibed habits the contrary of cruelty6 
,for1 be it engraven on your heart1     
,,young ,,man1 that1 whatever           
appearances may say to the contrary1    
cruelty is always accompanied with      
cowardice1 and also with perfidy1 when  
that is called for by the circumstances 
of the case2 and that habitual acts of  

cruelty to other creatures1 will1 nine  
times out of ten1 produce1 when the     
power is possessed1 cruelty to human    
beings4 ,the ill-usage of horses1 and   
particularly asses1 is a grave and a    
just charge against this nation4 ,no    
other nation on earth is guilty of it to
 the same extent4 ,not only by blows1   
but by privation1 are we cruel towards  
these useful1 docile1 and patient       
creatures2 and especially towards the   
last1 which is the most docile and      
patient and laborious of the two1 while 
the food that satisfies it1 is of the   
coarsest and least costly kind1 and in  
quantity so small6 ,in the habitual     
ill-treatment of this animal1 which1 in 
addition to all its labours1 has the    
milk taken from its young ones to       
administer a remedy for our ailments1   
there is something that bespeaks        
ingratitude hardly to be described4 ,in 
a ,,register that ,i wrote from ,long   
,island1 ,i said1 that amongst all the  
things of which ,i had been bereft1 ,i  

regretted no one so much as a very      
diminutive mare1 on which my children   
had all1 in succession1 learned to ride4
 ,she was become useless for them1 and1 
indeed1 for any other purpose2 but the  
recollection of her was so entwined with
 so many past circumstances1 which1 at  
that distance1 my mind conjured up1 that
 ,i really was very uneasy1 lest she    
should fall into cruel hands4 ,by good  
luck1 she was1 after a while1 turned out
 on the wide world to shift for herself2
 and when we got back1 and had a place  
for her to stand in1 from her native    
forest we brought her to ,kensington1   
and she is now at ,barn-,elm1 about     
twenty-six years old1 and ,i dare say1  
as fat as a mole4 ,now1 not only have ,i
 no moral right 7considering my ability 
to pay for keep7 to deprive her of life2
 but it would be unjust and ungrateful1 
in me to withhold from her sufficient   
food and lodging to make life as        
pleasant as possible while that life    
last4  #big4 ,in the meanwhile the      

book-learning crept in of its own       
accord1 by imperceptible degrees4       
,children naturally want to be like     
their parents1 and to do what they do3  
the boys following their father1 and the
 girls their mother2 and as ,i was      
always writing or reading1 mine         
naturally desired to do something in the
 same way4 ,but1 at the same time1 they 
heard no talk from fools or drinkers2   
saw me with no idle1 gabbling1 empty    
companions2 saw no vain and affected    
coxcombs1 and no tawdry and extravagant 
women2 saw no nasty gormandizing2 and   
heard no gabble about play-houses and   
romances and the other nonsense that fit
 boys to be lobby-loungers1 and girls to
 be the ruin of industrious and frugal  
young men4  #bih4 ,we wanted no         
stimulants of this sort to keep up our  
spirits3 our various pleasing pursuits  
were quite sufficient for that2 and the 
book-learning came amongst the rest of  
the pleasures1 to which it was1 in some 
sort1 necessary4 ,i remember that1 one  

year1 ,i raised a prodigious crop of    
fine melons1 under hand-glasses2 and ,i 
learned how to do it from a gardening   
book2 or1 at least1 that book was       
necessary to remind me of the details4  
,having passed part of an evening in    
talking to the boys about getting this  
crop1 ',come1' said ,i1 'now1 let us    
read the book4' ,then the book came     
forth1 and to work we went1 following   
very strictly the precepts of the book4 
,i read the thing but once1 but the     
eldest boy read it1 perhaps1 twenty     
times over2 and explained all about the 
matter to the others4 ,why here was a   
motive6 ,then he had to tell the        
garden-labourer what to do to the       
melons4 ,now1 ,i will engage1 that more 
was really learned by this single       
lesson1 than would have been learned by 
spending1 at this son's age1 a year at  
school2 and he happy and delighted all  
the while4 ,when any dispute arose      
amongst them about hunting or shooting1 
or any other of their pursuits1 they1 by

 degrees1 found out the way of settling 
it by reference to some book2 and when  
any difficulty occurred1 as to the      
meaning1 they referred to me1 who1 if at
 home1 always instantly attended to     
them1 in these matters4  #bii4 ,they    
began writing by taking words out of    
printed books2 finding out which letter 
was which1 by asking me1 or asking those
 who knew the letters one from another2 
and by imitating bits of my writing1 it 
is surprising how soon they began to    
write a hand like mine1 very small1 very
 faint-stroked1 and nearly plain as     
print4 ,the first use that any one of   
them made of the pen1 was to write to   
me1 though in the same house with them4 
,they began doing this in mere          
scratches1 before they knew how to make 
any one letter2 and as ,i was always    
folding up letters and directing them1  
so were they2 and they were sure to     
receive a prompt answer1 with most      
encouraging compliments4 ,all the       
meddlings and teazings of friends1 and1 

what was more serious1 the pressing     
prayers of their anxious mother1 about  
sending them to school1 ,i withstood    
without the slightest effect on my      
resolution4 ,as to friends1 preferring  
my own judgment to theirs1 ,i did not   
care much2 but an expression of anxiety1
 implying a doubt of the soundness of my
 own judgment1 coming1 perhaps1 twenty  
times a day from her whose care they    
were as well as mine1 was not a matter  
to smile at1 and very great trouble it  
did give me4 ,my answer at last was1 as 
to the boys1 ,i want them to be like me2
 and as to the girls1 ,in whose hands   
can they be so safe as in yours8        
,therefore my resolution is taken3 go to
 school they shall not4  #cjj4 ,nothing 
is much more annoying than the          
intermeddling of friends1 in a case like
 this4 ,the wife appeals to them1 and   
'good breeding1' that is to say1        
nonsense1 is sure to put them on her    
side4 ,then1 they1 particularly the     
women1 when describing the surprising   

progress made by their own sons at      
school1 used1 if one of mine were       
present1 to turn to him1 and ask1 to    
what school he went1 and what he was    
learning8 ,i leave any one to judge of  
his opinion of her2 and whether he would
 like her the better for that6 ',bless  
me1 so tall1 and not learned any thing  
yet6' ',oh yes1 he has1' ,i used to say1
 'he has learned to ride1 and hunt1 and 
shoot1 and fish1 and look after cattle  
and sheep1 and to work in the garden1   
and to feed his dogs1 and to go from    
village to village in the dark4' ,this  
was the way ,i used to manage with      
troublesome customers of this sort4 ,and
 how glad the children used to be1 when 
they got clear of such criticising      
people6 ,and how grateful they felt to  
me for the protection which they saw    
that ,i gave them against that state of 
restraint1 of which other people's boys 
complained6 ,go whither they might1 they
 found no place so pleasant as home1 and
 no soul that came near them affording  

them so many means of gratification as  
they received from me4  #cja4 ,in this  
happy state we lived1 until the year    
#ahaj1 when the government laid its     
merciless fangs upon me1 dragged me from
 these delights1 and crammed me into a  
jail amongst felons2 of which ,i shall  
have to speak more fully1 when1 in the  
last ,number1 ,i come to speak of the   
duties of ,,the ,,citizen4 ,this added  
to the difficulties of my task of       
teaching2 for now ,i was snatched away  
from the only scene in which it could1  
as ,i thought1 properly be executed4    
,but even these difficulties were got   
over4 ,the blow was1 to be sure1 a      
terrible one2 and1 oh ,god6 how was it  
felt by these poor children6 ,it was in 
the month of ,july when the horrible    
sentence was passed upon me4 ,my wife1  
having left her children in the care of 
her good and affectionate sister1 was in
 ,london1 waiting to know the doom of   
her husband4 ,when the news arrived at  
,botley1 the three boys1 one eleven1    

another nine1 and the other seven1 years
 old1 were hoeing cabbages in that      
garden which had been the source of so  
much delight4 ,when the account of the  
savage sentence was brought to them1 the
 youngest could not1 for some time1 be  
made to understand what a jail was2 and1
 when he did1 he1 all in a tremor1      
exclaimed1 ',now ,i'm sure1 ,william1   
that ,,papa is not in a place like      
that6' ,the other1 in order to disguise 
his tears and smother his sobs1 fell to 
work with the hoe1 and chopped about    
like a blind person4 ,this account1 when
 it reached me1 affected me more1 filled
 me with deeper resentment1 than any    
other circumstance4 ,and1 oh6 how ,i    
despise the wretches who talk of my     
vindictiveness2 of my exultation at the 
confusion of those who inflicted those  
sufferings6 ,how ,i despise the base    
creatures1 the crawling slaves1 the     
callous and cowardly hypocrites1 who    
affect to be 'shocked' 7tender souls67  
at my expressions of joy1 and at the    

death of ,gibbs1 ,ellenborough1         
,perceval1 ,liverpool1 ,canning1 and the
 rest of the tribe that ,i have already 
seen out1 and at the fatal workings of  
that system1 for endeavouring to check  
which ,i was thus punished6 ,how ,i     
despise these wretches1 and how ,i1     
above all things1 enjoy their ruin1 and 
anticipate their utter beggary6 ,what6  
,i am to forgive1 am ,i1 injuries like  
this2 and that1 too1 without any        
atonement8 ,oh1 no6 ,i have not so read 
the ,holy ,scriptures2 ,i have not1 from
 them1 learned that ,i am not to rejoice
 at the fall of unjust foes2 and it     
makes a part of my happiness to be able 
to tell millions of men that ,i do thus 
rejoice1 and that ,i have the means of  
calling on so many just and merciful men
 to rejoice along with me4  #cjb4 ,now1 
then1 the book-learning was forced upon 
us4 ,i had a farm in hand4 ,it was      
necessary that ,i should be constantly  
informed of what was doing4 ,i gave all 
the orders1 whether as to purchases1    

sales1 ploughing1 sowing1 breeding2 in  
short1 with regard to every thing1 and  
the things were endless in number and   
variety1 and always full of interest4   
,my eldest son and daughter could now   
write well and fast4 ,one or the other  
of these was always at ,botley2 and ,i  
had with me 7having hired the best part 
of the keeper's house7 one or two1      
besides either this brother or sister2  
the mother coming up to town about once 
in two or three months1 leaving the     
house and children in the care of her   
sister4 ,we had a ,,hamper1 with a lock 
and two keys1 which came up once a week1
 or oftener1 bringing me fruit and all  
sorts of country fare1 for the carriage 
of which1 cost free1 ,i was indebted to 
as good a man as ever ,god created1 the 
late ,mr4 ,,george ,,rogers1 of         
,southampton1 who1 in the prime of life1
 died deeply lamented by thousands1 but 
by none more deeply than by me and my   
family1 who have to thank him1 and the  
whole of his excellent family1 for      

benefits and marks of kindness without  
number4  #cjc4 ,this ,,hamper1 which was
 always1 at both ends of the line1      
looked for with the most lively         
feelings1 became our school4 ,it brought
 me a journal of labours1 proceedings1  
and occurrences1 written on paper of    
shape and size uniform1 and so          
contrived1 as to margins1 as to admit of
 binding4 ,the journal used1 when my son
 was the writer1 to be interspersed with
 drawings of our dogs1 colts1 or any    
thing that he wanted me to have a       
correct idea of4 ,the hamper brought me 
plants1 bulbs1 and the like1 that ,i    
might see the size of them2 and always  
every one sent his or her most beautiful
 flowers2 the earliest violets1 and     
primroses1 and cowslips1 and blue-bells2
 the earliest twigs of trees2 and1 in   
short1 every thing that they thought    
calculated to delight me4 ,the moment   
the hamper arrived1 ,i1 casting aside   
every thing else1 set to work to answer 
every question1 to give new directions1 

and to add anything likely to give      
pleasure at ,botley4 ,every hamper      
brought one 'letter1' as they called it1
 if not more1 from every child2 and to  
every letter ,i wrote an answer1 sealed 
up and sent to the party1 being sure    
that that was the way to produce other  
and better letters2 for1 though they    
could not read what ,i wrote1 and though
 their own consisted at first of mere   
scratches1 and afterwards1 for a while1 
of a few words written down for them to 
imitate1 ,i always thanked them for     
their 'pretty letter'2 and never        
expressed any wish to see them write    
better2 but took care to write in a very
 neat and plain hand myself1 and to do  
up my letter in a very neat manner4     
#cjd4 ,thus1 while the ferocious tigers 
thought ,i was doomed to incessant      
mortification1 and to rage that must    
extinguish my mental powers1 ,i found in
 my children1 and in their spotless and 
courageous and most affectionate mother1
 delights to which the callous hearts of

 those tigers were strangers4 ',heaven  
first taught letters for some wretch's  
aid4' ,how often did this line of ,pope 
occur to me when ,i opened the little   
spuddling 'letters' from ,botley6 ,this 
correspondence occupied a good part of  
my time3 ,i had all the children with   
me1 turn and turn about2 and1 in order  
to give the boys exercise1 and to give  
the two eldest an opportunity of        
beginning to learn ,french1 ,i used1 for
 a part of the two years1 to send them a
 few hours in the day to an ,,abbe1 who 
lived in ,castle-street1 ,holborn4 ,all 
this was a great relaxation to my mind2 
and1 when ,i had to return to my        
literary labours1 ,i returned fresh and 
cheerful1 full of vigour1 and full of   
hope1 of finally seeing my unjust and   
merciless foes at my feet1 and that1    
too1 without caring a straw on whom     
their fall might bring calamity1 so that
 my own family were safe2 because1 say  
what any one might1 the community1 taken
 as a whole1 had suffered this thing to 

be done unto us4  #cje4 ,the paying of  
the work-people1 the keeping of the     
accounts1 the referring to books1 the   
writing and reading of letters2 this    
everlasting mixture of amusement with   
book-learning1 made me1 almost to my own
 surprise1 find1 at the end of the two  
years1 that ,i had a parcel of scholars 
growing up about me2 and1 long before   
the end of the time1 ,i had dictated    
many ,registers to my two eldest        
children4 ,then1 there was copying out  
of books1 which taught spelling         
correctly4 ,the calculations about the  
farming affairs forced arithmetic upon  
us3 the use1 the necessity1 of the      
thing1 led to the study4 ,by-and-by1 we 
had to look into the laws to know what  
to do about the highways1 about the     
game1 about the poor1 and all rural and 
parochial affairs4 ,i was1 indeed1 by   
the fangs of the government1 defeated in
 my fondly-cherished project of making  
my sons farmers on their own land1 and  
keeping them from all temptation to seek

 vicious and enervating enjoyments2 but 
those fangs1 merciless as they had been1
 had not been able to prevent me from   
laying in for their lives a store of    
useful information1 habits of industry1 
care1 sobriety1 and a taste for         
innocent1 healthful1 and manly          
pleasures3 the fangs had made me and    
them pennyless2 but1 they had not been  
able to take from us our health or our  
mental possessions2 and these were ready
 for application as circumstances might 
ordain4  #cjf4 ,after the age that ,i   
have now been speaking of1 fourteen1 ,i 
suppose every one became a reader and   
writer according to fancy4 ,as to books1
 with the exception of the ,poets1 ,i   
never bought1 in my whole life1 any one 
that ,i did not want for some purpose of
 utility1 and of practical utility too4 
,i have two or three times had the whole
 collection snatched away from me2 and  
have begun again to get them together as
 they were wanted4 ,go and kick an      
,,ant's nest about1 and you will see the

 little laborious1 courageous creatures 
instantly set to work to get it together
 again2 and if you do this ten times    
over1 ten times over they will do the   
same4 ,here is the sort of stuff that   
men must be made of to oppose1 with     
success1 those who1 by whatever means1  
get possession of great and mischievous 
power4  #cjg4 ,now1 ,i am aware1 that   
that which ,i did1 cannot be done by    
every one of hundreds of thousands of   
fathers1 each of whom loves his children
 with all his soul3 ,i am aware that the
 attorney1 the surgeon1 the physician1  
the trader1 and even the farmer1 cannot1
 generally speaking1 do what ,i did1 and
 that they must1 in most cases1 send    
their sons to school1 if it be necessary
 for them to have book-learning4 ,but   
while ,i say this1 ,i know1 that there  
are many things1 which ,i did1 which    
many fathers might do1 and which1       
nevertheless1 they do not do4 ,it is in 
the power of every father to live at    
home with his family1 when not compelled

 by business1 or by public duty1 to be  
absent3 it is in his power to set an    
example of industry and sobriety and    
frugality1 and to prevent a taste for   
gaming1 dissipation1 extravagance1 from 
getting root in the minds of his        
children3 it is in his power to continue
 to make his children hearers1 when he  
is reproving servants for idleness1 or  
commending them for industry and care3  
it is in his power to keep all dissolute
 and idly-talking companions from his   
house3 it is in his power to teach them1
 by his uniform example1 justice and    
mercy towards the inferior animals3 it  
is in his power to do many other things1
 and something in the way of            
book-learning too1 however busy his life
 may be4 ,it is completely within his   
power to teach them early-rising and    
early going to bed2 and1 if many a man1 
who says that he has not time to teach  
his children1 were to sit down1 in      
sincerity1 with a pen and a bit of      
paper1 and put down all the minutes1    

which he1 in every twenty-four hours1   
wastes over the bottle1 or over cheese  
and oranges and raisins and biscuits1   
after he has dined2 how many he lounges 
away1 either at the coffee-house or at  
home1 over the useless part of          
newspapers2 how many he spends in       
waiting for the coming and the managing 
of the tea-table2 how many he passes by 
candle-light1 wearied of his existence1 
when he might be in bed2 how many he    
passes in the morning in bed1 while the 
sun and dew shine and sparkle for him in
 vain3 if he were to put all these      
together1 and were to add those which he
 passes in the reading of books for his 
mere personal amusement1 and without the
 smallest chance of acquiring from them 
any useful practical knowledge3 if he   
were to sum up the whole of these1 and  
add to them the time worse than wasted  
in the contemptible work of dressing off
 his person1 he would be frightened at  
the result2 would send for his boys from
 school2 and if greater book-learning   

than he possessed were necessary1 he    
would choose for the purpose some man of
 ability1 and see the teaching carried  
on under his own roof1 with safety as to
 morals1 and with the best chance as to 
health4  #cjh4 ,if after all1 however1 a
 school must be resorted to1 let it1 if 
in your power1 be as little populous as 
possible4 ,as 'evil communications      
corrupt good manners1' so the more      
numerous the assemblage1 and the more   
extensive the communication1 the greater
 the chance of corruption4 ,jails1      
barracks1 factories1 do not corrupt by  
their walls1 but by their condensed     
numbers4 ,populous cities corrupt from  
the same cause2 and it is1 because it   
must be1 the same with regard to        
schools1 out of which children come not 
what they were when they went in4 ,the  
master is1 in some sort1 their enemy2 he
 is their overlooker2 he is a spy upon  
them2 his authority is maintained by his
 absolute power of punishment2 the      
parent commits them to that power2 to be

 taught is to be held in restraint2 and1
 as the sparks fly upwards1 the teaching
 and the restraint will not be divided  
in the estimation of the boy4 ,besides  
all this1 there is the great            
disadvantage of tardiness in arriving at
 years of discretion4 ,if boys live only
 with boys1 their ideas will continue to
 be boyish2 if they see and hear and    
converse with nobody but boys1 how are  
they to have the thoughts and the       
character of men8 ,it is1 at last1 only 
by hearing men talk and seeing men act1 
that they learn to talk and act like    
men2 and1 therefore1 to confine them to 
the society of boys1 is to retard their 
arrival at the years of discretion2 and 
in case of adverse circumstances in the 
pecuniary way1 where1 in all the        
creation1 is there so helpless a mortal 
as a boy who has always been at school6 
,but1 if1 as ,i said before1 a school   
there must be1 let the congregation be  
as small as possible2 and1 do not expect
 too much from the master2 for1 if it be

 irksome to you to teach your own sons1 
what must that teaching be to him8 ,if  
he have great numbers1 he must delegate 
his authority2 and1 like all other      
delegated authority1 it will either be  
abused or neglected4  #cji4 ,with regard
 to girls1 one would think that mothers 
would want no argument to make them     
shudder at the thought of committing the
 care of their daughters to other hands 
than their own4 ,if fortune have so     
favoured them as to make them rationally
 desirous that their daughters should   
have more of what are called            
accomplishments than they themselves    
have1 it has also favoured them with the
 means of having teachers under their   
own eye4 ,if it have not favoured them  
so highly as this 7and it seldom has in 
the middle rank of life71 what duty so  
sacred as that imposed on a mother to be
 the teacher of her daughters6 ,and is  
she1 from love of ease or of pleasure or
 of any thing else1 to neglect this     
duty2 is she to commit her daughters to 

the care of persons1 with whose manners 
and morals it is impossible for her to  
be thoroughly acquainted2 is she to send
 them into the promiscuous society of   
girls1 who belong to nobody knows whom1 
and come from nobody knows whither1 and 
some of whom1 for aught she can know to 
the contrary1 may have been corrupted   
before1 and sent thither to be hidden   
from their former circle2 is she to send
 her daughters to be shut up within     
walls1 the bare sight of which awaken   
the idea of intrigue and invite to      
seduction and surrender2 is she to leave
 the health of her daughters to chance1 
to shut them up with a motley bevy of   
strangers1 some of whom1 as is          
frequently the case1 are proclaimed     
bastards1 by the undeniable testimony   
given by the colour of their skin2 is   
she to do all this1 and still put       
forward pretensions to the authority and
 the affection due to a mother6 ,and1   
are you to permit all this1 and still   
call yourself a father6  #caj4 ,well1   

then1 having resolved to teach your own 
children1 or1 to have them taught1 at   
home1 let us now see how they ought to  
proceed as to books for learning4 ,it is
 evident1 speaking of boys1 that1 at    
last1 they must study the art1 or       
science1 that you intend them to pursue2
 if they be to be surgeons1 they must   
read books on surgery2 and the like in  
other cases4 ,but1 there are certain    
elementary studies2 certain books to be 
used by all persons1 who are destined to
 acquire any book-learning at all4 ,then
 there are departments1 or branches of  
knowledge1 that every man in the middle 
rank of life1 ought1 if he can1 to      
acquire1 they being1 in some sort1      
necessary to his reputation as a        
well-informed man1 a character to which 
the farmer and the shopkeeper ought to  
aspire as well as the lawyer and the    
surgeon4 ,let me now1 then1 offer my    
advice as to the course of reading1 and 
the manner of reading1 for a boy1       
arrived at his fourteenth year1 that    

being1 in my opinion1 early enough for  
him to begin4  #caa4 ,and1 first of all1
 whether as to boys or girls1 ,i        
deprecate romances of every description4
 ,it is impossible that they can do any 
good1 and they may do a great deal of   
harm4 ,they excite passions that ought  
to lie dormant2 they give the mind a    
taste for highly-seasoned matter2 they  
make matters of real life insipid2 every
 girl1 addicted to them1 sighs to be a  
,,sophia ,,western1 and every boy1 a    
,,tom ,,jones4 ,what girl is not in love
 with the wild youth1 and what boy does 
not find a justification for his        
wildness8 ,what can be more pernicious  
than the teachings of this celebrated   
romance8 ,here are two young men put    
before us1 both sons of the same mother2
 the one a bastard 7and by a parson     
too71 the other a legitimate child2 the 
former wild1 disobedient1 and           
squandering2 the latter steady1 sober1  
obedient1 and frugal2 the former every  
thing that is frank and generous in his 

nature1 the latter a greedy hypocrite2  
the former rewarded with the most       
beautiful and virtuous of women and a   
double estate1 the latter punished by   
being made an outcast4 ,how is it       
possible for young people to read such a
 book1 and to look upon orderliness1    
sobriety1 obedience1 and frugality1 as  
virtues8 ,and this is the tenor of      
almost every romance1 and of almost     
every play1 in our language4 ,in the    
',school for ,scandal1' for instance1 we
 see two brothers2 the one a prudent and
 frugal man1 and1 to all appearance1 a  
moral man1 the other a hair-brained     
squanderer1 laughing at the morality of 
his brother2 the former turns out to be 
a base hypocrite and seducer1 and is    
brought to shame and disgrace2 while the
 latter is found to be full of generous 
sentiment1 and ,heaven itself seems to  
interfere to give him fortune and fame4 
,in short1 the direct tendency of the   
far greater part of these books1 is1 to 
cause young people to despise all those 

virtues1 without the practice of which  
they must be a curse to their parents1 a
 burden to the community1 and must1     
except by mere accident1 lead wretched  
lives4 ,i do not recollect one romance  
nor one play1 in our language1 which has
 not this tendency4 ,how is it possible 
for young princes to read the historical
 plays of the punning and smutty        
,shakspeare1 and not think1 that to be  
drunkards1 blackguards1 the companions  
of debauchees and robbers1 is the       
suitable beginning of a glorious reign8 
#cab4 ,there is1 too1 another most      
abominable principle that runs through  
them all1 namely1 that there is in high 
birth1 something of superior nature1    
instinctive courage1 honour1 and talent4
 ,who can look at the two royal youths  
in ,,cymbeline1 or at the noble youth in
 ,,douglas1 without detesting the base  
parasites who wrote those plays8 ,here  
are youths1 brought up by shepherds1    
never told of their origin1 believing   
themselves the sons of these humble     

parents1 but discovering1 when grown up1
 the highest notions of valour and      
honour1 and thirsting for military      
renown1 even while tending their reputed
 fathers' flocks and herds6 ,and1 why   
this species of falsehood8 ,to cheat the
 mass of the people2 to keep them in    
abject subjection2 to make them quietly 
submit to despotic sway4 ,and the       
infamous authors are guilty of the      
cheat1 because they are1 in one shape or
 another1 paid by oppressors out of     
means squeezed from the people4 ,a true 
picture would give us just the reverse2 
would show us that 'high birth' is the  
enemy of virtue1 of valour1 and of      
talent2 would show us1 that with all    
their incalculable advantages1 royal and
 noble families have1 only by mere      
accident1 produced a great man2 that1 in
 general1 they have been amongst the    
most effeminate1 unprincipled1 cowardly1
 stupid1 and1 at the very least1 amongst
 the most useless persons1 considered as
 individuals1 and not in connexion with 

the prerogatives and powers bestowed on 
them solely by the law4  #cac4 ,it is   
impossible for me1 by any words that ,i 
can use1 to express1 to the extent of my
 thoughts1 the danger of suffering young
 people to form their opinions from the 
writings of poets and romances4 ,nine   
times out of ten1 the morality they     
teach is bad1 and must have a bad       
tendency4 ,their wit is employed to     
ridicule virtue1 as you will almost     
always find1 if you examine the matter  
to the bottom4 ,the world owes a very   
large part of its sufferings to tyrants2
 but what tyrant was there amongst the  
ancients1 whom the poets did not place  
amongst the gods8 ,can you open an      
,english poet1 without1 in some part or 
other of his works1 finding the grossest
 flatteries of royal and noble persons8 
,how are young people not to think that 
the praises bestowed on these persons   
are just8 ,,dryden1 ,,parnell1 ,,gay1   
,,thomson1 in short1 what poet have we  
had1 or have we1 ,,pope only excepted1  

who was not1 or is not1 a pensioner1 or 
a sinecure placeman1 or the wretched    
dependent of some part of the           
,aristocracy8 ,of the extent of the     
powers of writers in producing mischief 
to a nation1 we have two most striking  
instances in the cases of ,dr4 ,,johnson
 and ,,burke4 ,the former1 at a time    
when it was a question whether war      
should be made on ,america to compel her
 to submit to be taxed by the ,english  
parliament1 wrote a pamphlet1 entitled1 
',taxation no ,tyranny1' to urge the    
nation into that war4 ,the latter1 when 
it was a question1 whether ,england     
should wage war against the people of   
,france1 to prevent them from reforming 
their government1 wrote a pamphlet to   
urge the nation into that war4 ,the     
first war lost us ,america1 the last    
cost us six hundred millions of money1  
and has loaded us with forty millions a 
year of taxes4 ,,johnson1 however1 got a
 pension for his life1 and ,,burke a    
pension for his life1 and for three     

lives after his own6 ,,cumberland and   
,,murphy1 the play-writers1 were        
pensioners2 and1 in short1 of the whole 
mass1 where has there been one1 whom the
 people were not compelled to pay for   
labours1 having for their principal     
object the deceiving and enslaving of   
that same people8 ,it is1 therefore1 the
 duty of every father1 when he puts a   
book into the hands of his son or       
daughter1 to give the reader a true     
account of who and what the writer of   
the book was1 or is4  #cad4 ,if a boy be
 intended for any particular calling1 he
 ought1 of course1 to be induced to read
 books relating to that calling1 if such
 books there be2 and1 therefore1 ,i     
shall not be more particular on that    
head4 ,but1 there are certain things1   
that all men in the middle rank of life1
 ought to know something of2 because the
 knowledge will be a source of pleasure2
 and because the want of it must1 very  
frequently1 give them pain1 by making   
them appear inferior1 in point of mind1 

to many who are1 in fact1 their         
inferiors in that respect4 ,these things
 are grammar1 arithmetic1 history1      
accompanied with geography ,without     
these1 a man1 in the middle rank of     
life1 however able he may be in his     
calling1 makes but an awkward figure4   
,without grammar he cannot1 with safety 
to his character as a well-informed man1
 put his thoughts upon paper2 nor can he
 be sure1 that he is speaking with      
propriety4 ,how many clever men have ,i 
known1 full of natural talent1 eloquent 
by nature1 replete with every thing     
calculated to give them weight in       
society2 and yet having little or no    
weight1 merely because unable to put    
correctly upon paper that which they    
have in their minds6 ,for me not to say1
 that ,i deem my ,english ,grammar the  
best book for teaching this science1    
would be affectation1 and neglect of    
duty besides2 because ,i know1 that it  
is the best2 because ,i wrote it for the
 purpose2 and because1 hundreds and     

hundreds of men and women have told me1 
some verbally1 and some by letter1 that1
 though 7many of them7 at grammar       
schools for years1 they really never    
knew any thing of grammar1 until they   
studied my book4 ,i1 who know well all  
the difficulties that ,i experienced    
when ,i read books upon the subject1 can
 easily believe this1 and especially    
when ,i think of the numerous instances 
in which ,i have seen                   
university-scholars unable to write     
,english1 with any tolerable degree of  
correctness4 ,in this book1 the         
principles are so clearly explained1    
that the disgust arising from intricacy 
is avoided2 and it is this disgust1 that
 is the great and mortal enemy of       
acquiring knowledge4  #cae4 ,with regard
 to ,,arithmetic1 it is a branch of     
learning absolutely necessary to every  
one1 who has any pecuniary transactions 
beyond those arising out of the         
expenditure of his week's wages4 ,all   
the books on this subject that ,i had   

ever seen1 were so bad1 so destitute of 
every thing calculated to lead the mind 
into a knowledge of the matter1 so void 
of principles1 and so evidently tending 
to puzzle and disgust the learner1 by   
their sententious1 and crabbed1 and     
quaint1 and almost hieroglyphical       
definitions1 that ,i1 at one time1 had  
the intention of writing a little work  
on the subject myself4 ,it was put off1 
from one cause or another2 but a little 
work on the subject has been1 partly at 
my suggestion1 written and published by 
,mr4 ,,thomas ,,smith of ,liverpool1 and
 is sold by ,mr4 ,,sherwood1 in ,london4
 ,the author has great ability1 and a   
perfect knowledge of his subject4 ,it is
 a book of principles2 and any young    
person of common capacity1 will learn   
more from it in a week1 than from all   
the other books1 that ,i ever saw on the
 subject1 in a twelve-month4  #caf4     
,while the foregoing studies are        
proceeding1 though they very well afford
 a relief to each other1 ,,history may  

serve as a relaxation1 particularly     
during the study of grammar1 which is an
 undertaking requiring patience and     
time4 ,of all history1 that of our own  
country is of the most importance2      
because1 for want of a thorough         
knowledge of what has been1 we are1 in  
many cases1 at a loss to account for    
what is1 and still more at a loss1 to be
 able to show what ought to be4 ,the    
difference between history and romance  
is this2 that that which is narrated in 
the latter1 leaves in the mind nothing  
which it can apply to present or future 
circumstances and events2 while the     
former1 when it is what it ought to be1 
leaves the mind stored with arguments   
for experience1 applicable1 at all      
times1 to the actual affairs of life4   
,the history of a country ought to show 
the origin and progress of its          
institutions1 political1 civil1 and     
ecclesiastical2 it ought to show the    
effects of those institutions upon the  
state of the people2 it ought to        

delineate the measures of the government
 at the several epochs2 and1 having     
clearly described the state of the      
people at the several periods1 it ought 
to show the cause of their freedom1 good
 morals1 and happiness2 or of their     
misery1 immorality1 and slavery2 and    
this1 too1 by the production of         
indubitable facts1 and of inferences so 
manifestly fair1 as to leave not the    
smallest doubt upon the mind4  #cag4 ,do
 the histories of ,england which we     
have1 answer this description8 ,they are
 very little better than romances4      
,their contents are generally confined  
to narrations relating to battles1      
negociations1 intrigues1 contests       
between rival sovereignties1 rival      
nobles1 and to the character of kings1  
queens1 mistresses1 bishops1 ministers1 
and the like2 from scarcely any of which
 can the reader draw any knowledge which
 is at all applicable to the            
circumstances of the present day4  #cah4
 ,besides this1 there is the falsehood2 

and the falsehoods contained in these   
histories1 where shall we find any thing
 to surpass8 ,let us take one instance4 
,they all tell us1 that ,william the    
,conqueror knocked down twenty-six      
parish churches1 and laid waste the     
parishes in order to make the ,new      
,forest2 and this in a tract of the very
 poorest land in ,england1 where the    
churches must then have stood at about  
one mile and two hundred yards from each
 other4 ,the truth is1 that all the     
churches are still standing that were   
there when ,william landed1 and the     
whole story is a sheer falsehood from   
the beginning to the end4  #cai4 ,but1  
this is a mere specimen of these        
romances2 and that too1 with regard to a
 matter comparatively unimportant to us4
 ,the important falsehoods are1 those   
which misguide us by statement or by    
inference1 with regard to the state of  
the people at the several epochs1 as    
produced by the institutions of the     
country1 or the measures of the         

,government4 ,it is always the object of
 those who have power in their hands1 to
 persuade the people that they are      
better off than their forefathers were3 
it is the great business of history to  
show how this matter stands2 and1 with  
respect to this great matter1 what are  
we to learn from any thing that has     
hitherto been called a history of       
,england6 ,i remember1 that1 about a    
dozen years ago1 ,i was talking with a  
very clever young man1 who had read     
twice or thrice over the ,history of    
,england1 by different authors2 and that
 ,i gave the conversation a turn that   
drew from him1 unperceived by himself1  
that he did not know how tithes1        
parishes1 poor-rates1 church-rates1 and 
the abolition of trial by jury in       
hundreds of cases1 came to be in        
,england2 and1 that he had not the      
smallest idea of the manner in which the
 ,duke of ,bedford came to possess the  
power of taxing our cabbages in         
,covent-,garden4 ,yet1 this is history4 

,i have done a great deal1 with regard  
to matters of this sort1 in my famous   
,history of the ,,protestant            
,,reformation2 for ,i may truly call    
that famous1 which has been translated  
and published in all the modern         
languages4  #cbj4 ,but1 it is reserved  
for me to write a complete history of   
the country from the earliest times to  
the present day2 and this1 ,god giving  
me life and health1 ,i shall begin to do
 in monthly numbers1 beginning on the   
first of ,september1 and in which ,i    
shall endeavour to combine brevity with 
clearness4 ,we do not want to consume   
our time over a dozen pages about       
,edward the ,third dancing at a ball1   
picking up a lady's garter1 and making  
that garter the foundation of an order  
of knighthood1 bearing the motto of     
',honi soit qui mal y pense8 ,it is not 
stuff like this2 but we want to know    
what was the state of the people2 what  
were a labourer's wages2 what were the  
prices of the food1 and how the         

labourers were dressed in the reign of  
that great king4 ,what is a young person
 to imbibe from a history of ,england1  
as it is called1 like that of           
,goldsmith8 ,it is a little romance to  
amuse children2 and the other historians
 have given us larger romances to amuse 
lazy persons who are grown up4 ,to      
destroy the effects of these1 and to    
make the people know what their country 
has been1 will be my object2 and this1  
,i trust1 ,i shall effect4 ,we are1 it  
is said1 to have a ,history of ,england 
from ,,sir ,,james ,,mackintosh2 a      
,history of ,scotland from ,,sir        
,,walter ,,scott2 and a ,,history ,,of  
,,ireland from ,tommy ,moore1 the       
luscious poet4 ,a ,scotch lawyer1 who is
 a pensioner1 and a member for          
,knaresborough1 which is well known to  
the ,duke of ,devonshire1 who has the   
great tithes of twenty parishes in      
,ireland1 will1 doubtless1 write a most 
impartial ,history of ,england1 and     
particularly as far as relates to       

boroughs and tithes4 ,a ,scotch         
romance-writer1 who1 under the name of  
,malagrowther1 wrote a pamphlet to      
prove1 that one-pound-notes were the    
cause of riches to ,scotland1 will      
write1 to be sure1 a most instructive   
,history of ,scotland4 ,and1 from the   
pen of a ,irish poet1 who is a sinecure 
placeman1 and a protege of an ,english  
peer that has immense parcels of ,irish 
confiscated estates1 what a beautiful   
history shall we not then have of       
unfortunate ,ireland6 ,oh1 no6 ,we are  
not going to be content with stuff such 
as these men will bring out4 ,hume and  
,smollett and ,robertson have cheated us
 long enough4 ,we are not in a humour to
 be cheated any longer4  #cba4          
,,geography is taught at schools1 if we 
believe the school-cards4 ,the scholars 
can tell you all about the divisions of 
the earth1 and this is very well for    
persons who have leisure to indulge     
their curiosity2 but it does seem to me 
monstrous that a young person's time    

should be spent in ascertaining the     
boundaries of ,persia or ,china1 knowing
 nothing all the while about the        
boundaries1 the rivers1 the soil1 or the
 products1 or of the any thing else of  
,yorkshire or ,devonshire4 ,the first   
thing in geography is to know that of   
the country in which we live1 especially
 that in which we were born3 ,i have now
 seen almost every hill and valley in it
 with my own eyes2 nearly every city and
 every town1 and no small part of the   
whole of the villages4 ,i am therefore  
qualified to give an account of the     
country2 and that account1 under the    
title of ,geographical ,dictionary of   
,england and ,wales1 ,i am now having   
printed as a companion to my history4   
#cbb4 ,when a young man well understands
 the geography of his own country2 when 
he has referred to maps on this smaller 
scale2 when1 in short1 he knows all     
about his own country1 and is able to   
apply his knowledge to useful purposes1 
he may look at other countries1 and     

particularly at those1 the powers or    
measures of which are likely to affect  
his own country4 ,it is of great        
importance to us to be well acquainted  
with the extent of ,france1 the ,united 
,states1 ,portugal1 ,spain1 ,mexico1    
,turkey1 and ,russia2 but what need we  
care about the tribes of ,asia and      
,africa1 the condition of which can     
affect us no more than we would be      
affected by any thing that is passing in
 the moon8  #cbc4 ,when people have     
nothing useful to do1 they may indulge  
their curiosity2 but1 merely to read    
books1 is not to be industrious1 is not 
to study1 and is not the way to become  
learned4 ,perhaps there are none more   
lazy1 or more truly ignorant1 than your 
everlasting readers4 ,a book is an      
admirable excuse for sitting still2 and1
 a man who has constantly a newspaper1 a
 magazine1 a review1 or some book or    
other in his hand1 gets1 at last1 his   
head stuffed with such a jumble1 that he
 knows not what to think about any      

thing4 ,an empty coxcomb1 that wastes   
his time in dressing1 strutting1 or     
strolling about1 and picking his teeth1 
is certainly a most despicable creature1
 but scarcely less so than a mere reader
 of books1 who is1 generally1 conceited1
 thinks himself wiser than other men1 in
 proportion to the number of leaves that
 he has turned over4 ,in short1 a young 
man should bestow his time upon no book1
 the contents of which he cannot apply  
to some useful purpose4  #cbd4 ,books of
 travels1 of biography1 natural history1
 and particularly such as relate to     
agriculture and horticulture1 are all   
proper1 when leisure is afforded for    
them2 and the two last are useful to a  
very great part of mankind2 but1 unless 
the subjects treated of are of some     
interest to us in our affairs1 no time  
should be wasted upon them1 when there  
are so many duties demanded at our hands
 by our families and our country4 ,a man
 may read books for ever1 and be an     
ignorant creature at last1 and even the 

more ignorant for his reading4  #cbe4   
,and1 with regard to young women1       
everlasting book-reading is absolutely a
 vice4 ,when they once get into the     
habit1 they neglect all other matters1  
and1 in some cases1 even their very     
dress4 ,attending to the affairs of the 
house3 to the washing1 the baking1 the  
brewing1 the preservation and cooking of
 victuals1 the management of the poultry
 and the garden2 these are their proper 
occupations4 ,it is said 7with what     
truth ,i know not7 of the present ,queen
 7wife of ,william ,,iv71 that she was  
an active1 excellent manager of her     
house4 ,impossible to bestow on her     
greater praise2 and ,i trust that her   
example will have its due effect on the 
young women of the present day1 who     
stand1 but too generally1 in need of    
that example4  #cbf4 ,the great fault of
 the present generation1 is1 that1 in   
all ranks1 the notions of               
self-importance are too high4 ,this has 
arisen from causes not visible to many1 

out the consequences are felt by all1   
and that1 too1 with great severity4     
,there has been a general sublimating   
going on for many years4 ,not to put the
 word ,esquire before the name of almost
 any man who is not a mere labourer or  
artisan1 is almost an affront4 ,every   
merchant1 every master-manufacturer1    
every dealer1 if at all rich1 is an     
,esquire2 squires' sons must be         
gentlemen1 and squires' wives and       
daughters ladies4 ,if this were all2 if 
it were merely a ridiculous             
misapplication of words1 the evil would 
not be great2 but1 unhappily1 words lead
 to acts and produce things2 and the    
'young gentleman' is not easily to be   
moulded into a tradesman or a working   
farmer4 ,and yet the world is too small 
to hold so many gentlemen and ladies4   
,how many thousands of young men have1  
at this moment1 cause to lament that    
they are not carpenters1 or masons1 or  
tailors1 or shoemakers2 and how many    
thousands of those1 that they have been 

bred up to wish to disguise their honest
 and useful1 and therefore honourable1  
calling6 ,,rousseau observes1 that men  
are happy1 first1 in proportion to their
 virtue1 and next1 in proportion to     
their independence2 and that1 of all    
mankind1 the artisan1 or craftsman1 is  
the most independent2 because he carries
 about1 in his own hands and person1 the
 means of gaining his livelihood2 and   
that the more common the use of the     
articles on which he works1 the more    
perfect his independence4 ',where1' says
 he1 'there is one man that stands in   
need of the talents of the dentist1     
there are a hundred thousand that want  
those of the people who supply the      
matter for the teeth to work on2 and for
 one who wants a sonnet to regale his   
fancy1 there are a million clamouring   
for men to make or mend their shoes4'   
,aye1 and this is the reason1 why       
shoemakers are proverbially the most    
independent part of the people1 and why 
they1 in general1 show more public      

spirit than any other men4 ,he who lives
 by a pursuit1 be it what it may1 which 
does not require a considerable degree  
of bodily labour1 must1 from the nature 
of things1 be1 more or less1 a          
dependent2 and this is1 indeed1 the     
price which he pays for his exemption   
from that bodily labour4 ,he may arrive 
at riches1 or fame1 or both2 and this   
chance he sets against the certainty of 
independence in humbler life4 ,there    
always have been1 there always will be1 
and there always ought to be1 some men  
to take this chance3 but to do this has 
become the fashion1 and a fashion it is 
the most fatal that ever seized upon a  
community4  #cbg4 ,with regard to young 
women1 too1 to sing1 to play on         
instruments of music1 to draw1 to speak 
,french1 and the like1 are very         
agreeable qualifications2 but why should
 they all be musicians1 and painters1   
and linguists8 ,why all of them8 ,who1  
then1 is there left to take care of the 
houses of farmers and traders8 ,but     

there is something in these             
'accomplishments' worse than this2      
namely1 that they think themselves too  
high for farmers and traders3 and this1 
in fact1 they are2 much too high2 and1  
therefore1 the servant-girls step in and
 supply their place4 ,if they could see 
their own interest1 surely they would   
drop this lofty tone1 and these lofty   
airs4 ,it is1 however1 the fault of the 
parents1 and particularly of the father1
 whose duty it is to prevent them from  
imbibing such notions1 and to show them1
 that the greatest honour they ought to 
aspire to is1 thorough skill and care in
 the economy of a house4 ,we are all apt
 to set too high a value on what we     
ourselves have done2 and ,i may do this2
 but ,i do firmly believe1 that to cure 
any young woman of this fatal           
sublimation1 she has only patiently to  
read my ,,cottage ,,economy1 written    
with an anxious desire to promote       
domestic skill and ability in that sex1 
on whom so much of the happiness of man 

must always depend4 ,a lady in          
,worcestershire told me1 that until she 
read ,,cottage ,,economy she had never  
baked in the house1 and had seldom had  
good beer2 that1 ever since1 she had    
looked after both herself2 that the     
pleasure she had derived from it1 was   
equal to the profit1 and that the latter
 was very great4 ,she said1 that the    
article 'on baking bread1' was the part 
that roused her to the undertaking2 and1
 indeed1 if the facts and arguments1    
there made use of1 failed to stir her up
 to action1 she must have been stone    
dead to the power of words4  #cbh4      
,after the age that we have now been    
supposing1 boys and girls become men and
 women2 and1 there now only remains for 
the father to act towards them with     
impartiality4 ,if they be numerous1 or1 
indeed1 if they be only two in number1  
to expect perfect harmony to reign      
amongst1 or between1 them1 is to be     
unreasonable2 because experience shows  
us1 that1 even amongst the most sober1  

most virtuous1 and most sensible1       
harmony so complete is very rare4 ,by   
nature they are rivals for the affection
 and applause of the parents2 in        
personal and mental endowments they     
become rivals2 and1 when pecuniary      
interests come to be well understood and
 to have their weight1 here is a        
rivalship1 to prevent which from ending 
in hostility1 require more affection and
 greater disinterestedness than fall to 
the lot of one out of one hundred       
families4 ,so many instances have ,i    
witnessed of good and amiable families  
living in harmony1 till the hour arrived
 for dividing property amongst them1 and
 then1 all at once1 becoming hostile to 
each other1 that ,i have often thought  
that property1 coming in such a way1 was
 a curse1 and that the parties would    
have been far better off1 had the parent
 had merely a blessing to bequeath them 
from his or her lips1 instead of a will 
for them to dispute and wrangle over4   
#cbi4 ,with regard to this matter1 all  

that the father can do1 is to be        
impartial2 but1 impartiality does not   
mean positive equality in the           
distribution1 but equality in proportion
 to the different deserts of the        
parties1 their different wants1 their   
different pecuniary circumstances1 and  
different prospects in life2 and these  
vary so much1 in different families1    
that it is impossible to lay down any   
general rule upon the subject4 ,but     
there is one fatal error1 against which 
every father ought to guard his heart2  
and the kinder that heart is1 the more  
necessary such guardianship4 ,i mean the
 fatal error of heaping upon one child1 
to the prejudice of the rest2 or1 upon a
 part of them4 ,this partiality         
sometimes arises from mere caprice2     
sometimes from the circumstance of the  
favourite being more favoured by nature 
than the rest2 sometimes from the nearer
 resemblance to himself1 that the father
 sees in the favourite2 and1 sometimes1 
from the hope of preventing the favoured

 party from doing that which would      
disgrace the parent4 ,all these motives 
are highly censurable1 but the last is  
the most general1 and by far the most   
mischievous in its effects4 ,how many   
fathers have been ruined1 how many      
mothers and families brought to beggary1
 how many industrious and virtuous      
groups have been pulled down from       
competence to penury1 from the desire to
 prevent one from bringing shame on the 
parent6 ,so that1 contrary to every     
principle of justice1 the bad is        
rewarded for the badness2 and the good  
punished for the goodness4 ,natural     
affection1 remembrance of infantine     
endearments1 reluctance to abandon      
long-cherished hopes1 compassion for the
 sufferings of your own flesh and blood1
 the dread of fatal consequences from   
your adhering to justice2 all these beat
 at your heart1 and call on you to give 
way3 but1 you must resist them all2 or1 
your ruin1 and that of the rest of your 
family1 are decreed4 ,suffering is the  

natural and just punishment of idleness1
 drunkenness1 squandering1 and an       
indulgence in the society of            
prostitutes2 and1 never did the world   
behold an instance of an offender1 in   
this way1 reclaimed but by the          
infliction of this punishment2          
particularly1 if the society of         
prostitutes made part of the offence2   
for1 here is something that takes the   
heart from you4 ,nobody ever yet saw1   
and nobody ever will see1 a young man1  
linked to a prostitute1 and retain1 at  
the same time1 any1 even the smallest   
degree of affection1 for parents or     
brethren4 ,you may supplicate1 you may  
implore1 you may leave yourself         
pennyless1 and your virtuous children   
without bread2 the invisible cormorant  
will still call for more2 and1 as we    
saw1 only the other day1 a wretch was   
convicted of having1 at the instigation 
of his prostitute1 beaten his aged      
mother1 to get from her the small       
remains of the means necessary to       

provide her with food4 ,in ,,heron',s   
collection of ,god's judgments on wicked
 acts1 it is related of an unnatural    
son1 who fed his aged father upon orts  
and offal1 lodged him in a filthy and   
crazy garret1 and clothed him in        
sackcloth1 while he and his wife and    
children lived in luxury2 that1 having  
bought sackcloth enough for two dresses 
for his father1 the children took away  
the part not made up1 and hid it1 and   
that1 upon asking them what they could  
do this for1 they told him that they    
meant to keep it for him1 when he should
 become old and walk with a stick6      
,this1 the author relates1 pierced his  
heart2 and1 indeed1 if this failed1 he  
must have had the heart of a tiger2 but1
 even this would not succeed with the   
associate of a prostitute4 ,when this   
vice1 this love of the society of       
prostitutes2 when this vice has once got
 fast hold1 vain are all your           
sacrifices1 vain your prayers1 vain your
 hopes1 vain your anxious desire to     

disguise the shame from the world2 and1 
if you have acted well your part1 no    
part of that shame falls on you1 unless 
you have administered to the cause of   
it4 ,your authority has ceased2 the     
voice of the prostitute1 or the charms  
of the bottle1 or the rattle of the     
dice1 has been more powerful than your  
advice and example3 you must lament     
this3 but1 it is not to bow you down2   
and1 above all things1 it is weak1 and  
even criminally selfish1 to sacrifice   
the rest of your family1 in order to    
keep from the world the knowledge of    
that1 which1 if known1 would1 in your   
view of the matter1 bring shame on      
yourself4  #ccj4 ,let me hope1 however1 
that this is a calamity which will      
befall very few good fathers2 and that1 
of all such1 the sober1 industrious1 and
 frugal habits of their children1 their 
dutiful demeanor1 their truth and their 
integrity1 will come to smooth the path 
of their downward days1 and be the      
objects on which their eyes will close4 

,those children must1 in their turn1    
travel the same path2 and they may be   
assured1 that1 ',honour thy father and  
thy mother1 that thy days may be long in
 the land1' is a precept1 a disregard of
 which never yet failed1 either first or
 last1 to bring its punishment4 ,and1   
what can be more just than that signal  
punishment should follow such a crime2 a
 crime directly against the voice of    
nature itself8 ,youth has its passions1 
and due allowance justice will make for 
these2 but1 are the delusions of the    
boozer1 the gamester1 or the harlot1 to 
be pleaded in excuse for a disregard of 
the source of your existence8 ,are those
 to be pleaded in apology for giving    
pain to the father who has toiled half a
 lifetime in order to feed and clothe   
you1 and to the mother whose breast has 
been to you the fountain of life8 ,go1  
you1 and shake the hand of the          
boon-companion2 take the greedy harlot  
to your arms2 mock at the tears of your 
tender and anxious parents2 and1 when   

your purse is empty and your complexion 
faded1 receive the poverty and the scorn
 due to your base ingratitude6          
,,letter ,,vi  ,,to ,,the ,,citizen     
#cca4 ,having now given my ,advice to   
the ,,youth1 the grown-up ,,man1 the    
,,lover1 the ,,husband and the ,,father1
 ,i shall1 in this concluding ,number1  
tender my ,advice to the ,,citizen1 in  
which capacity every man has rights to  
enjoy and duties to perform1 and these  
too of importance not inferior to those 
which belong to him1 or are imposed upon
 him1 as son1 parent1 husband or father4
 ,the word citizen is not1 in its       
application1 confined to the mere       
inhabitants of cities3 it means1 a      
member of a civil society1 or community2
 and1 in order to have a clear          
comprehension of man's rights and duties
 in this capacity1 we must take a look  
at the origin of civil communities4     
#ccb4 ,time was when the inhabitants of 
this island1 for instance1 laid claim to
 all things in it1 without the words    

owner or property being known4 ,god had 
given to all the people all the land and
 all the trees1 and every thing else1   
just as he has given the burrows and the
 grass to the rabbits1 and the bushes   
and the berries to the birds2 and each  
man had the good things of this world in
 a greater or less degree in proportion 
to his skill1 his strength and his      
valour4 ,this is what is called living  
under the ,,law ,,of ,,nature2 that is  
to say1 the law of self-preservation and
 self-enjoyment1 without any restraint  
imposed by a regard for the good of our 
neighbours4  #ccc4 ,in process of time1 
no matter from what cause1 men made     
amongst themselves a compact1 or an     
agreement1 to divide the land and its   
products in such manner that each should
 have a share to his own exclusive use1 
and that each man should be protected in
 the exclusive enjoyment of his share by
 the united power of the rest2 and1 in  
order to ensure the due and certain     
application of this united power1 the   

whole of the people agreed to be bound  
by regulations1 called ,,laws4 ,thus    
arose civil society2 thus arose         
property2 thus arose the words mine and 
thine4 ,one man became possessed of more
 good things than another1 because he   
was more industrious1 more skilful1 more
 careful1 or more frugal3 so that       
,,labour1 of one sort or another1 was   
the ,,basis of all property4  #ccd4 ,in 
what manner civil societies proceeded in
 providing for the making of laws and   
for the enforcing of them2 the various  
ways in which they took measures to     
protect the weak against the strong2 how
 they have gone to work to secure wealth
 against the attacks of poverty2 these  
are subjects that it would require      
volumes to detail2 but these truths are 
written on the heart of man3 that all   
men are1 by nature1 equal2 that civil   
society can never have arisen from any  
motive other than that of the benefit of
 the whole2 that1 whenever civil society
 makes the greater part of the people   

worse off than they were under the ,law 
of ,nature1 the civil compact is1 in    
conscience1 dissolved1 and all the      
rights of nature return2 that1 in civil 
society1 the rights and the duties go   
hand in hand1 and that1 when the former 
are taken away1 the latter cease to     
exist4  #cce4 ,now1 then1 in order to   
act well our part1 as citizens1 or      
members of the community1 we ought      
clearly to understand what our rights   
are2 for1 on our enjoyment of these     
depend our duties1 rights going before  
duties1 as value received goes before   
payment4 ,i know well1 that just the    
contrary of this is taught in our       
political schools1 where we are told1   
that our first duty is to obey the laws2
 and it is not many years ago1 that     
,,horsley1 ,bishop of ,rochester1 told  
us1 that the people had nothing to do   
with the laws but to obey them4 ,the    
truth is1 however1 that the citizen's   
first duty is to maintain his rights1 as
 it is the purchaser's first duty to    

receive the thing for which he has      
contracted4  #ccf4 ,our rights in       
society are numerous2 the right of      
enjoying life and property2 the right of
 exerting our physical and mental powers
 in an innocent manner2 but1 the great  
right of all1 and without which there   
is1 in fact1 no right1 is1 the right of 
taking a part in the making of the laws 
by which we are governed4 ,this right is
 founded in that law of ,nature spoken  
of above2 it springs out of the very    
principle of civil society2 for what    
compact1 what agreement1 what common    
assent1 can possibly be imagined by     
which men would give up all the rights  
of nature1 all the free enjoyment of    
their bodies and their minds1 in order  
to subject themselves to rules and laws1
 in the making of which they should have
 nothing to say1 and which should be    
enforced upon them without their assent8
 ,the great right1 therefore1 of every  
man1 the right of rights1 is the right  
of having a share in the making of the  

laws1 to which the good of the whole    
makes it his duty to submit4  #ccg4     
,with regard to the means of enabling   
every man to enjoy this share1 they have
 been different1 in different countries1
 and1 in the same countries1 at         
different times4 ,generally it has been1
 and in great communities it must be1 by
 the choosing of a few to speak and act 
in behalf of the many3 and1 as there    
will hardly ever be perfect unanimity   
amongst men assembled for any purpose   
whatever1 where fact and argument are to
 decide the question1 the decision is   
left to the majority1 the compact being 
that the decision of the majority shall 
be that of the whole4 ,minors are       
excluded from this right1 because the   
law considers them as infants1 because  
it makes the parent answerable for civil
 damages committed by them1 and because 
of their legal incapacity to make any   
compact4 ,women are excluded because    
husbands are answerable in law for their
 wives1 as to their civil damages1 and  

because the very nature of their sex    
makes the exercise of this right        
incompatible with the harmony and       
happiness of society4 ,men stained with 
indelible crimes are excluded1 because  
they have forfeited their right by      
violating the laws1 to which their      
assent has been given4 ,insane persons  
are excluded1 because they are dead in  
the eye of the law1 because the law     
demands no duty at their hands1 because 
they cannot violate the law1 because the
 law cannot affect them2 and1 therefore1
 they ought to have no hand in making   
it4  #cch4 ,but1 with these exceptions1 
where is the ground whereon to maintain 
that any man ought to be deprived of    
this right1 which he derives directly   
from the law of ,nature1 and which      
springs1 as ,i said before1 out of the  
same source with civil society itself8  
,am ,i told1 that property ought to     
confer this right8 ,property sprang from
 labour1 and not labour from property2  
so that if there were to be a           

distinction here1 it ought to give the  
preference to labour4 ,all men are equal
 by nature2 nobody denies that they all 
ought to be equal in the eye of the law2
 but1 how are they to be thus equal1 if 
the law begin by suffering some to enjoy
 this right and refusing the enjoyment  
to others8 ,it is the duty of every man 
to defend his country against an enemy1 
a duty imposed by the law of ,nature as 
well as by that of civil society1 and   
without the recognition of this duty1   
there could exist no independent nation 
and no civil society4 ,yet1 how are you 
to maintain that this is the duty of    
every man1 if you deny to some men the  
enjoyment of a share in making the laws8
 ,upon what principle are you to contend
 for equality here1 while you deny its  
existence as to the right of sharing in 
the making of the laws8 ,the poor man   
has a body and a soul as well as the    
rich man2 like the latter1 he has       
parents1 wife and children2 a bullet or 
a sword is as deadly to him as to the   

rich man2 there are hearts to ache and  
tears to flow for him as well as for the
 squire or the lord or the loan-monger3 
yet1 notwithstanding this equality1 he  
is to risk all1 and1 if he escape1 he is
 still to be denied an equality of      
rights6 ,if1 in such a state of things1 
the artisan or labourer1 when called out
 to fight in defence of his country1    
were to answer3 ',why should ,i risk my 
life8 ,i have no possession but my      
labour2 no enemy will take that from me2
 you1 the rich1 possess all the land and
 all its products2 you make what laws   
you please without my participation or  
assent2 you punish me at your pleasure2 
you say that my want of property        
excludes me from the right of having a  
share in the making of the laws2 you say
 that the property that ,i have in my   
labour is nothing worth2 on what ground1
 then1 do you call on me to risk my     
life8' ,if1 in such a case1 such        
questions were put1 the answer is very  
difficult to be imagined4  #cci4 ,in    

cases of civil commotion the matter     
comes still more home to us4 ,on what   
ground is the rich man to call the      
artisan from his shop or the labourer   
from the field to join the sheriff's    
posse or the militia1 if he refuse to   
the labourer and artisan the right of   
sharing in the making of the laws8 ,why 
are they to risk their lives here8 ,to  
uphold the laws1 and to protect         
property4 ,what6 laws1 in the making of1
 or assenting to1 which they have been  
allowed to have no share8 ,property1 of 
which they are said to possess none8    
,what6 compel men to come forth and risk
 their lives for the protection of      
property2 and then1 in the same breath1 
tell them1 that they are not allowed to 
share in the making of the laws1        
because1 and ,,only ,,because1 they have
 no property6 ,not because they have    
committed any crime2 not because they   
are idle or profligate2 not because they
 are vicious in any way2 out solely     
because they have no property2 and yet1 

at the same time1 compel them to come   
forth and risk their lives for the      
protection of property6  #cdj4 ,but1 the
 ,,paupers8 ,ought they to share in the 
making of the laws8 ,and why not8 ,what 
is a pauper2 what is one of the men to  
whom this degrading appellation is      
applied8 ,a very poor man2 a man who is1
 from some cause or other1 unable to    
supply himself with food and raiment    
without aid from the parish-rates4 ,and1
 is that circumstance alone to deprive  
him of his right1 a right of which he   
stands more in need than any other man8 
,perhaps he has1 for many years of his  
life1 contributed directly to those     
rates2 and ten thousand to one he has1  
by his labour1 contributed to them      
indirectly4 ,the aid which1 under such  
circumstances1 he receives1 is his      
right2 he receives it not as an alms3 he
 is no mendicant2 he begs not2 he comes 
to receive that which the law of the    
country awards him in lieu of the larger
 portion assigned him by the law of     

,nature4 ,pray mark that1 and let it be 
deeply engraven on your memory4 ,the    
audacious and merciless ,,malthus 7a    
parson of the church establishment7     
recommended1 some years ago1 the passing
 of a law to put an end to the giving of
 parish relief1 though he recommended no
 law to put an end to the enormous taxes
 paid by poor people4 ,in his book he   
said1 that the poor should be left to   
the law of ,nature1 which1 in case of   
their having nothing to buy food with1  
doomed them to starve4 ,they would ask  
nothing better than to be left to the   
law of ,nature2 that law which knows    
nothing about buying food or any thing  
else2 that law which bids the hungry and
 the naked take food and raiment        
wherever they find it best and nearest  
at hand2 that law which awards all      
possessions to the strongest2 that law  
the operations of which would clear out 
the ,london meat-markets and the        
drapers' and jewellers' shops in about  
half an hour3 to this law the parson    

wished the parliament to leave the      
poorest of the working people2 but1 if  
the parliament had done it1 it would    
have been quickly seen1 that this law   
was far from 'dooming them to be        
starved4'  #cda4 ,trusting that it is   
unnecessary for me to express a hope1   
that barbarous thoughts like those of   
,malthus and his tribe will never be    
entertained by any young man who has    
read the previous ,numbers of this work1
 let me return to my very1 very poor    
man1 and ask1 whether it be consistent  
with justice1 with humanity1 with       
reason1 to deprive a man of the most    
precious of his political rights1       
because1 and only because1 he has been1 
in a pecuniary way1 singularly          
unfortunate8 ,the ,scripture says1      
',despise not the poor1 because he is   
poor2' that is to say1 despise him not  
on account of his poverty4 ,why1 then1  
deprive him of his right2 why put him   
out of the pale of the law1 on account  
of his poverty8 ,there are some men1 to 

be sure1 who are reduced to poverty by  
their vices1 by idleness1 by gaming1 by 
drinking1 by squandering2 but1 the far  
greater part by bodily ailments1 by     
misfortunes to the effects of which all 
men may1 without any fault1 and even    
without any folly1 be exposed3 and1 is  
there a man on earth so cruelly unjust  
as to wish to add to the sufferings of  
such persons by stripping them of their 
political rights8 ,how many thousands of
 industrious and virtuous men have1     
within these few years1 been brought    
down from a state of competence to that 
of pauperism6 ,and1 is it just to strip 
such men of their rights1 merely because
 they are thus brought down8 ,when ,i   
was at ,,ely1 last spring1 there were in
 that neighbourhood1 three paupers      
cracking stones on the roads1 who had   
all three been1 not only rate-payers1   
but overseers of the poor1 within seven 
years of the day when ,i was there4 ,is 
there any man so barbarous as to say1   
that these men ought1 merely on account 

of their misfortunes1 to be deprived of 
their political rights8 ,their right to 
receive relief is as perfect as any     
right of property2 and1 would you1      
merely because they claim this right1   
strip them of another right8 ,to say no 
more of the injustice and the cruelty1  
is there reason1 is there common sense  
in this8 ,what6 if a farmer or tradesman
 be1 by flood or by fire1 so totally    
ruined as to be compelled1 surrounded by
 his family1 to resort to the           
parish-book1 would you break the last   
heart-string of such a man by making him
 feel the degrading loss of his         
political rights8  #cdb4 ,here1 young   
man of sense and of spirit2 here is the 
point on which you are to take your     
stand4 ,there are always men enough to  
plead the cause of the rich2 enough and 
enough to echo the woes of the fallen   
great2 but1 be it your part to show     
compassion for those who labour1 and to 
maintain their rights4 ,poverty is not a
 crime1 and1 though it sometimes arises 

from faults1 it is not1 even in that    
case1 to be visited by punishment beyond
 that which it brings with itself4      
,remember1 that poverty is decreed by   
the very nature of man4 ,the ,scripture 
says1 that 'the poor shall never cease  
from out of the land2' that is to say1  
that there shall always be some very    
poor people4 ,this is inevitable from   
the very nature of things4 ,it is       
necessary to the existence of mankind1  
that a very large portion of every      
people should live by manual labour2    
and1 as such labour is pain1 more or    
less1 and as no living creature likes   
pain1 it must be1 that the far greater  
part of labouring people will endure    
only just as much of this pain as is    
absolutely necessary to the supply of   
their daily wants4 ,experience says that
 this has always been1 and reason and   
nature tell us1 that this must always   
be4 ,therefore1 when ailments1 when     
losses1 when untoward circumstances of  
any sort1 stop or diminish the daily    

supply1 want comes2 and every just      
government will provide1 from the       
general stock1 the means to satisfy this
 want4  #cdc4 ,nor is the deepest       
poverty without its useful effects in   
society4 ,to the practice of the virtues
 of abstinence1 sobriety1 care1         
frugality1 industry1 and even honesty   
and amiable manners and acquirement of  
talent1 the two great motives are1 to   
get upwards in riches or fame1 and to   
avoid going downwards to poverty1 the   
last of which is the most powerful of   
the two4 ,it is1 therefore1 not with    
contempt1 but with compassion1 that we  
should look on those1 whose state is one
 of the decrees of nature1 from whose   
sad example we profit1 and to whom1 in  
return1 we ought to make compensation by
 every indulgent and kind act in our    
power1 and particularly by a defence of 
their rights4 ,to those who labour1 we1 
who labour not with our hands1 owe all  
that we eat1 drink and wear2 all that   
shades us by day and that shelters us by

 night2 all the means of enjoying health
 and pleasure2 and1 therefore1 if we    
possess talent for the task1 we are     
ungrateful or cowardly1 or both1 if we  
omit any effort within our power to     
prevent them from being slaves2 and1    
disguise the matter how we may1 a slave1
 a real slave1 every man is1 who has no 
share in making the laws which he is    
compelled to obey4  #cdd4 ,what is a    
slave8 ,for1 let us not be amused by a  
name2 but look well into the matter4 ,a 
slave is1 in the first place1 a man who 
has no property2 and property means     
something that he has1 and that nobody  
can take from him without his leave1 or 
consent4 ,whatever man1 no matter what  
he may call himself or any body else may
 call him1 can have his money or his    
goods taken from him by force1 by virtue
 of an order1 or ordinance1 or law1     
which he has had no hand in making1 and 
to which he has not given his assent1   
has no property1 and is merely a        
depositary of the goods of his master4  

,a slave has no property in his labour2 
and any man who is compelled to give up 
the fruit of his labour to another1 at  
the arbitrary will of that other1 has no
 property in his labour1 and is1        
therefore1 a slave1 whether the fruit of
 his labour be taken from him directly  
or indirectly4 ,if it be said1 that he  
gives up this fruit of his labour by his
 own will1 and that it is not forced    
from him4 ,i answer1 ,to be sure he may 
avoid eating and drinking and may go    
naked2 but1 then he must die2 and on    
this condition1 and this condition only1
 can he refuse to give up the fruit of  
his labour2 ',die1 wretch1 or surrender 
as much of your income1 or the fruit of 
your labour as your masters choose to   
take4' ,this is1 in fact1 the language  
of the rulers to every man who is       
refused to have a share in the making of
 the laws to which he is forced to      
submit4  #cde4 ,but1 some one may say1  
slaves are private property1 and may be 
bought and sold1 out and out1 like      

cattle4 ,and1 what is it to the slave1  
whether he be property of one or of     
many2 or1 what matters it to him1       
whether he pass from master to master by
 a sale for an indefinite term1 or be   
let to hire by the year1 month1 or week8
 ,it is1 in no case1 the flesh and blood
 and bones that are sold1 but the       
labour2 and1 if you actually sell the   
labour of man1 is not that man a slave1 
though you sell it for only a short time
 at once8 ,and1 as to the principle1 so 
ostentatiously displayed in the case of 
the black slave-trade1 that 'man ought  
not to have a property in man1' it is   
even an advantage to the slave to be    
private property1 because the owner has 
then a clear and powerful interest in   
the preservation of his life1 health and
 strength1 and will1 therefore1 furnish 
him amply with the food and raiment     
necessary for these ends4 ,every one    
knows1 that public property is never so 
well taken care of as private property2 
and this1 too1 on the maxim1 that 'that 

which is every body's business is       
nobody's business4' ,every one knows    
that a rented farm is not so well kept  
in heart1 as a farm in the hands of the 
owner4 ,and as to punishments and       
restraints1 what difference is there1   
whether these be inflicted and imposed  
by a private owner1 or his overseer1 or 
by the agents and overseers of a body of
 proprietors8 ,in short1 if you can     
cause a man to be imprisoned or whipped 
if he do not work enough to please you2 
if you can sell him by auction for a    
time limited2 if you can forcibly       
separate him from his wife to prevent   
their having children2 if you can shut  
him up in his dwelling place when you   
please1 and for as long a time as you   
please2 if you can force him to draw a  
cart or wagon like a beast of draught2  
if you can1 when the humour seizes you1 
and at the suggestion of your mere      
fears1 or whim1 cause him to be shut up 
in a dungeon during your pleasure3 if   
you can1 at your pleasure1 do these     

things to him1 is it not to be          
impudently hypocritical to affect to    
call him a free-man8 ,but1 after all1   
these may all be wanting1 and yet the   
man be a slave1 if he be allowed to have
 no property2 and1 as ,i have shown1 no 
property he can have1 not even in that  
labour1 which is not only property1 but 
the basis of all other property1 unless 
he have a share in making the laws to   
which he is compelled to submit4  #cdf4 
,it is said1 that he may have this share
 virtually though not in form and name2 
for that his employers may have such    
share1 and they will1 as a matter of    
course1 act for him4 ,this doctrine1    
pushed home1 would make the chief of the
 nation the sole maker of the laws2 for1
 if the rich can thus act for the poor1 
why should not the chief act for the    
rich8 ,this matter is very completely   
explained by the practice in the        
,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america4 ,there
 the maxim is1 that every free man1 with
 the exception of men stained with crime

 and men insane1 has a right to have a  
voice in choosing those who make the    
laws4 ,the number of ,representatives   
sent to the ,congress is1 in each       
,state1 proportioned to the number of   
free people4 ,but1 as there are slaves  
in some of the ,states1 these ,states   
have a certain portion of additional    
numbers on account of those slaves6     
,thus the slaves are represented by     
their owners1 and this is real1         
practical1 open and undisguised virtual 
representation6 ,no doubt that white men
 may be represented in the same way2 for
 the colour of the skin is nothing2 but 
let them be called slaves1 then2 let it 
not be pretended that they are free men2
 let not the word liberty be polluted by
 being applied to their state2 let it be
 openly and honestly avowed1 as in      
,america1 that they are slaves2 and then
 will come the question whether men     
ought to exist in such a state1 or      
whether they ought to do every thing in 
their power to rescue themselves from   

it4  #cdg4 ,if the right to have a share
 in making the laws were merely a       
feather2 if it were a fanciful thing2 if
 it were only a speculative theory2 if  
it were but an abstract principle2 on   
any of these suppositions1 it might be  
considered as of little importance4 ,but
 it is none of these2 it is a practical 
matter2 the want of it not only is1 but 
must of necessity be1 felt by every man 
who lives under that want4 ,if it were  
proposed to the shopkeepers in a town1  
that a rich man or two1 living in the   
neighbourhood1 should have power to     
send1 whenever they pleased1 and take   
away as much as they pleased of the     
money of the shopkeepers1 and apply it  
to what uses they please2 what an outcry
 the shopkeepers would make6 ,and yet1  
what would this be more than taxes      
imposed on those who have no voice in   
choosing the persons who impose them8   
,who lets another man put his hand into 
his purse when he pleases8 ,who1 that   
has the power to help himself1          

surrenders his goods or his money to the
 will of another8 ,has it not always    
been1 and must it not always be1 true1  
that1 if your property be at the        
absolute disposal of others1 your ruin  
is certain8 ,and if this be1 of         
necessity1 the case amongst individuals 
and parts of the community1 it must be  
the case with regard to the whole       
community4  #cdh4 ,aye1 and experience  
shows us that it always has been the    
case4 ,the natural and inevitable       
consequences of a want of this right in 
the people have1 in all countries1 been 
taxes pressing the industrious and      
laborious to the earth2 severe laws and 
standing armies to compel the people to 
submit to those taxes2 wealth1 luxury1  
and splendour1 amongst those who make   
the laws and receive the taxes2 poverty1
 misery1 immorality and crime1 amongst  
those who bear the burdens2 and at last 
commotion1 revolt1 revenge1 and rivers  
of blood4 ,such have always been1 and   
such must always be1 the consequences of

 a want of this right of all men to     
share in the making of the laws1 a      
right1 as ,i have before shown1 derived 
immediately from the law of ,nature1    
springing up out of the same source with
 civil society1 and cherished in the    
heart of man by reason and by           
experience4  #cdi4 ,well1 then1 this    
right being that1 without the enjoyment 
of which there is1 in reality1 no right 
at all1 how manifestly is it the first  
duty of every man to do all in his power
 to maintain this right where it exists1
 and to restore it where it has been    
lost8 ,for observe1 it must1 at one     
time1 have existed in every civil       
community1 it being impossible that it  
could ever be excluded by any social    
compact2 absolutely impossible1 because 
it is contrary to the law of            
self-preservation to believe1 that men  
would agree to give up the rights of    
nature without stipulating for some     
benefit4 ,before we can affect to       
believe that this right was not         

reserved1 in such compact1 as completely
 as the right to live was reserved1 we  
must affect to believe1 that millions of
 men1 under no control but that of their
 own passions and desires1 and having   
all the earth and its products at the   
command of their strength and skill1    
consented to be for ever1 they and their
 posterity1 the slaves of a few4  #cej4 
,we cannot believe this1 and therefore1 
without going back into history and     
precedents1 we must believe1 that1 in   
whatever civil community this right does
 not exist1 it has been lost1 or rather1
 unjustly taken away4 ,and then1 having 
seen the terrible evils which always    
have arisen1 and always must arise1 from
 the want of it2 being convinced that1  
where lost or taken away by force or    
fraud1 it is our very first duty to do  
all in our power to restore it1 the next
 consideration is1 how one ought to act 
in the discharge of this most sacred    
duty2 for sacred it is even as the      
duties of husband and father4 ,for1     

besides the baseness of the thought of  
quietly submitting to be a slave        
oneself1 we have here1 besides our duty 
to the community1 a duty to perform     
towards our children and our children's 
children4 ,we all acknowledge that it is
 our bounden duty to provide1 as far as 
our power will go1 for the competence1  
the health1 and the good character of   
our children2 but1 is this duty superior
 to that of which ,i am now speaking8   
,what is competence1 what is health1 if 
the possessor be a slave1 and hold his  
possessions at the will of another1 or  
others2 as he must do if destitute of   
the right to a share in the making of   
the laws8 ,what is competence1 what is  
health1 if both can1 at any moment1 be  
snatched away by the grasp or the       
dungeon of a master2 and his master he  
is who makes the laws without his       
participation or assent8 ,and1 as to    
character1 as to fair fame1 when the    
white slave puts forward pretensions to 
those1 let him no longer affect to      

commiserate the state of his sleek and  
fat brethren in ,barbadoes and ,jamaica2
 let him hasten to mix the hair with the
 wool1 to blend the white with the      
black1 and to lose the memory of his    
origin amidst a dingy generation4  #cea4
 ,such1 then1 being the nature of the   
duty1 how are we to go to work in the   
performance of it1 and what are our     
means8 ,with regard to these1 so various
 are the circumstances1 so endless the  
differences in the states of society1   
and so many are the cases when it would 
be madness to attempt that which it     
would be prudence to attempt in others1 
that no general rule can be given beyond
 this2 that1 the right and the duty     
being clear to our minds1 the means that
 are surest and swiftest are the best4  
,in every such case1 however1 the great 
and predominant desire ought to be not  
to employ any means beyond those of     
reason and persuasion1 as long as the   
employment of these afford a ground for 
rational expectation of success4 ,men   

are1 in such a case1 labouring1 not for 
the present day only1 but for ages to   
come2 and therefore they should not     
slacken in their exertions1 because the 
grave may close upon them before the day
 of final triumph arrive4 ,amongst the  
virtues of the good ,citizen are those  
of fortitude and patience2 and1 when he 
has to carry on his struggle against    
corruptions deep and widely-rooted1 he  
is not to expect the baleful tree to    
come down at a single blow2 he must     
patiently remove the earth that props   
and feeds it1 and sever the accursed    
roots one by one4  #ceb4 ,impatience    
here is a very bad sign4 ,i do not like 
your patriots1 who1 because the tree    
does not give way at once1 fall to      
blaming all about them1 accuse their    
fellow-sufferers of cowardice1 because  
they do not do that which they          
themselves dare not think of doing4     
,such conduct argues chagrin and        
disappointment2 and these argue a       
selfish feeling3 they argue1 that there 

has been more of private ambition and   
gain at work than of public good4 ,such 
blamers1 such general accusers1 are     
always to be suspected4 ,what does the  
real patriot want more than to feel     
conscious that he has done his duty     
towards his country2 and that1 if life  
should not allow him time to see his    
endeavours crowned with success1 his    
children will see it8 ,the impatient    
patriots are like the young men         
7mentioned in the beautiful fable of    
,,la ,,fontaine7 who ridiculed the man  
of fourscore1 who was planting an avenue
 of very small trees1 which1 they told  
him1 that he never could expect to see  
as high as his head4 ',well1' said he1  
'and what of that8 ,if their shade      
afford me no pleasure1 it may afford    
pleasure to my children1 and even to    
you2 and1 therefore1 the planting of    
them gives me pleasure4'  #cec4 ,it is  
the want of the noble disinterestedness1
 so beautifully expressed in this fable1
 that produces the impatient patriots4  

,they wish very well to their country1  
because they want some of the good for  
themselves4 ,very natural that all men  
should wish to see the good arrive1 and 
wish to share in it too2 but1 we must   
look on the dark side of nature to find 
the disposition to cast blame on the    
whole community because our wishes are  
not instantly accomplished1 and         
especially to cast blame on others for  
not doing that which we ourselves dare  
not attempt4 ,there is1 however1 a sort 
of patriot a great deal worse than this2
 he1 who having failed himself1 would   
see his country enslaved for ever1      
rather than see its deliverance achieved
 by others4 ,his failure has1 perhaps1  
arisen solely from his want of talent1  
or discretion2 yet his selfish heart    
would wish his country sunk in          
everlasting degradation1 lest his       
inefficiency for the task should be     
established by the success of others4 ,a
 very hateful character1 certainly1 but1
 ,i am sorry to say1 by no means rare4  

,envy1 always associated with meanness  
of soul1 always detestable1 is never so 
detestable as when it shows itself here4
  #ced4 ,be it your care1 my young      
friend 7and ,i tender you this as my    
parting advice71 if you find this base  
and baleful passion1 which the poet     
calls 'the eldest born of hell2' if you 
find it creeping into your heart1 be it 
your care to banish it at once and for  
ever2 for1 if once it nestle there1     
farewell to all the good which nature   
has enabled you to do1 and to your peace
 into the bargain4 ,it has pleased ,god 
to make an unequal distribution of      
talent1 of industry1 of perseverance1 of
 a capacity to labour1 of all the       
qualities that give men distinction4 ,we
 have not been our own makers3 it is no 
fault in you that nature has placed him 
above you1 and1 surely1 it is no fault  
in him2 and would you punish him on     
account1 and only on account1 of his    
pre-eminence6 ,if you have read this    
book you will startle with horror at the

 thought3 you will1 as to public        
matters1 act with zeal and with good    
humour1 though the place you occupy be  
far removed from the first2 you will    
support with the best of your abilities 
others1 who1 from whatever circumstance1
 may happen to take the lead2 you will  
not suffer even the consciousness and   
the certainty of your own superior      
talents to urge you to do any thing     
which might by possibility be injurious 
to your country's cause2 you will be    
forbearing under the aggressions of     
ignorance1 conceit1 arrogance1 and even 
the blackest of ingratitude superadded1 
if by resenting these you endanger the  
general good2 and1 above all things1 you
 will have the justice to bear in mind1 
that that country which gave you birth1 
is1 to the last hour of your capability1
 entitled to your exertions in her      
behalf1 and that you ought not1 by acts 
of commission or of omission1 to visit  
upon her the wrongs which may have been 
inflicted on you by the envy and malice 

of individuals4 ,love of one's native   
soil is a feeling which nature has      
implanted in the human breast1 and that 
has always been peculiarly strong in the
 breasts of ,englishmen4 ,god has given 
us a country of which to be proud1 and  
that freedom1 greatness and renown1     
which were handed down to us by our wise
 and brave forefathers1 bid us perish to
 the last man1 rather than suffer the   
land of their graves to become a land of
 slavery1 impotence and dishonour4      
#cee4 ,in the words with which ,i       
concluded my ,english ,grammar1 which ,i
 addressed to my son ,james1 ,i conclude
 my advice to you4 ',with ,english and  
,french on your tongue and in your pen1 
you have a resource1 not only greatly   
valuable in itself1 but a resource that 
you can be deprived of by none of those 
changes and chances which deprive men of
 pecuniary possessions1 and which1 in   
some cases1 make the purse-proud man of 
yesterday a crawling sycophant to-day4  
,health1 without which life is not worth

 having1 you will hardly fail to secure 
by early rising1 exercise1 sobriety1 and
 abstemiousness as to food4 ,happiness1 
or misery1 is in the mind4 ,it is the   
mind that lives2 and the length of life 
ought to be measured by the number and  
importance of our ideas1 and not by the 
number of our days4 ,never1 therefore1  
esteem men merely on account of their   
riches or their station4 ,respect       
goodness1 find it where you may4 ,honour
 talent wherever you behold it          
unassociated with vice2 but1 honour it  
most when accompanied with exertion1 and
 especially when exerted in the cause of
 truth and justice2 and1 above all      
things1 hold it in honour1 when it steps
 forward to protect defenceless         
innocence against the attacks of        
powerful guilt4' ,these words1 addressed
 to my own son1 ,i now1 in taking my    
leave1 address to you4 ,be just1 be     
industrious1 be sober1 and be happy2 and
 the hope that these effects will1 in   
some degree1 have been caused by this   

little work1 will add to the happiness  
of        ,your friend and humble       
servant1              ,,wm4 ,,cobbett4  
,kensington1 #beth ,aug4 #ahcj4