' you

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Away then, with your expenfive follies, and will not then have to much caufe to complain of hard times, heavy taxes, and chargeable families; for

"Women and wine, game and deceit,

"Make the wealth fmall, and the want great." And farther, "What maintains one vice, would' bring up two children." You may think, per-' haps, that a little tea, or a little punch now and then, diet a little more coftly, clothes a little finer, and a little entertainment now and then,' ⚫ can be no great matter; but remember, "Many "a little makes a mickle." Beware of little expences; "A small leak will fink a great ship," as Poor Richard fays; and again, "Who dain"ties love, shall beggars prove;" and moreover, "Fools make feafts, and wife men eat them."

• Here you are all got together to this fale of • fineries and nick-nacks. You call them goods; but, if you do not take care, they will prove evils to fome of you. You expect they will be fold cheap, and, perhaps, they may for less than they coft; but, if you have no occafion for them, they must be dear to you. Remember what Poor Richard says, "Buy what thou haft no need of, and ere long thou halt fell thy ne"ceffaries." And again, "At a great penny"worth pause a while." He means, that perhaps the cheapness is apparent only, and not real; or the bargain, by ftraitening thee in thy business, may do thee more harm than good. For in another place he fays, "Many have been "" ruined

"ruined by buying good pennyworths." Again, "It is foolish to lay out money in a purchase of "repentance; and yet this folly is practifed every day at auctions, for want of minding the Almanack. Many a one, for the fake of finery on the back, have gone with a hungry belly, and • half starved their families; "Silks and fattins, "fcarlet and velvets, put out the kitchen-fire," • as Poor Richard fays. Thefe are not the necef⚫ faries of life; they can fcarcely be called the ⚫ conveniences; and yet only because they look pretty, how many want to have them? By these, and other extravagancies, the genteel are • reduced to poverty, and forced to borrow of those whom they formerly despised, but who, through induftry and frugality, have maintained their standing; in which cafe it appears plainly, that "A ploughman on his legs is higher than "a gentleman on his knees," as Poor Richard fays. Perhaps they have had a small eftate left them, which they knew not the getting of; they think "It is day, and will never be night;" that a little to be spent out of fo much is not • worth minding; but "Always taking out of "the meal-tub, and never putting in, foon comes "to the bottom. as Poor Richard fays; and then, "When the well is dry, they know the "worth of water." But this they might have 'known before, if they had taken his advice: "If you would know the value of money, go; "and try to borrow fome; for he that goes a borrowing goes a forrowing," as Poor Richard

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fays;

fays; and, indeed, fo does he that lends to fuch people, when he goes to get it in again.• Poor Dick farther advises, and fays,

"Fond pride of drefs is fure a very curfe; "Ere fancy you confult, confult your purse." And again, "Pride is as loud a beggar as Want, "and a great deal more faucy." When you have bought one fine thing, you must buy ten more, • that your appearance may be all of a piece; but Poor Dick fays, "It is eafier to fupprefs the first "defire, than to fatisfy all that follow it:" And it is as truly folly for the poor to ape the rich, as for the frog to fwell, in order to equal the ox. "Veffels large may venture more,

"But little boats fhould keep near fhore." It is, however, a folly foon punished; for, as • Poor Richard says, "Pride that dines on vanity, fups on contempt; Pride breakfasted with Plenty, dined with Poverty, and fupped with Infamy." And, after all, of what ufe is this pride of appearance, for which fo much is rifked, fo much is fuffered? It cannot promote health, nor cafe pain; it makes no increase of • merit in the perfon, it creates envy, it hastens • misfortune.

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• But what madness must it be to run in debt for these fuperfluities? We are offered, by the terms ⚫ of this fale, fix months credit; and that, perhaps, has induced fome of us to attend it, because we 'cannot spare the ready money, and hope now to be fine without it. But, ah! think what you do

⚫ when

your

• when you run in debt; you give to another power over your liberty. If you cannot pay at the time, you will be ashamed to fee creditor; you will be in fear when you speak to him; you will make poor pitiful sneaking excufes, and, by degrees, come to lose your veracity, and fink into base, downright lying; for, "The fecond vice is lying, the first is running " in debt," as Poor Richard fays; and again, to • the fame purpose, "Lying rides upon Debt's "back:" whereas a free-born Englishman ought not to be ashamed nor afraid to fee or speak to any man living. But poverty often deprives a man of all spirit and virtue. "It is hard "for an empty bag to ftand upright." What ⚫ would you think of that prince, or of that go⚫vernment, who fhould iffue an edict forbidding you to dress like a gentleman or gentlewoman, ⚫ on pain of imprisonment or fervitude? Would you not fay that you were free, have a right to dress as you please, and that such an edict ' would be a breach of your privileges, and fuch a government tyrannical? And yet you are • about to put yourself under that tyranny, when you run in debt for fuch drefs! Your creditor has authority, at his pleasure, to deprive you of your liberty, by confining you in gaol for life, or by felling you for a fervant, if you fhould not be able to pay him. When you have got your bargain, you may, perhaps, think little of payment; but, as Poor Richard fays, "Creditors have better memories than "debtors;

F

debtors; creditors are a fuperftitious fect, great "obfervers of fet-days and times.' The day comes round before you are aware, and the ⚫ demand is made before you are prepared to fatisfy it; or, if you bear your debt in mind, the term, which at firft feemed fo long, will, as it leffens, appear extremely fhort: Time ⚫ will feem to have added wings to his heels as • well as his fhoulders. "Those have a short "Lent, who owe money to be paid at Easter." At prefent, perhaps, you may think yourselves ⚫ in thriving circumstances, and that you can bear a little extravagance without injury; but "For age and want fave while you may, "No morning-fun lafts a whole day."

• Gain may be temporary and uncertain, but ever, ⚫ while you live, expence is constant and certain; and, "It is easier to build two chimneys, than "to keep one in fuel," as Poor Richard fays: So, "Rather go to bed fupperlefs, than rise in debt." "Get what you can, and what you get hold: ""Tis the ftone that will turn all your lead " into gold."

And when you have got the philofopher's ftone, • fure you will no longer complain of bad times, or the difficulty of paying taxes.

• IV. This doctrine, my friends, is reason and wisdom: But, after all, do not depend too ⚫ much upon your own industry, and frugality, and prudence, though excellent things; for they may all be blasted, without the bleffing of Hea