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ess perplexity. Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy,' as poor Richard says; and, 'he that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce Overtake his business at night; while laziness travels so slowly, that poverty soon overtakes him,' as we read in poor Richard; who adds, Drive thy business, let not that drive thee;' and,

Early to bed, and early to rise,

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.'

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"So what signifies wishing and hoping for better times? We make these times better if we bestir curselves. Industry needs not wish,' as poor Richard says; He that lives upon hope will die fasting.' There are no gains without pains; then help hands, for I have no lands; or if I have they are smartly taxed; and, (as poor Richard likewise observes) He that hath a trade hath an estate, and he that hath a calling hath an office of profit and honour;' but then the trade must be worked at, and the calling well followed, or neither the estate nor the office will enable us to pay our taxes. If we are industrious we shall never starve; for, as poor Richard says, At the working-man's house hunger looks in, but dares not enter. Nor will the bailiff or the consta ble enter; for, Industry pays debts, but despair in creaseth them,' says poor Rickard. What though you have found no treasure, nor has any tich relation left you a legacy? Dirigence is the mother of good luck,' as poor Richard says; and God gives all things to industry: then plough deep while sluggards~· sleep, and you will have corn to sell and to keep,' says Dick. Work while it is called to-day; for you know not how much you may be hindered to-morrow; which makes poor Richard say, 'One to-day is worth two to-morrows; and, farther, Have you some. what to do to-morrow, do it to-day.' 'If you were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good mas ter should catch you idle? Are you then your own mas ter, be ashamed to catch yourself idle,' as pour Dick says. When there is so much to be done for yourseif, your family, and your gracious king, be up by peep o!

poor

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day; 'Let not the sun look down, and say, Inglorious here he lies Handle your tools without mittens; re member, that the cat in gloves catches no mice,' as poor Richard says. It is true, there is much to be be done, and perhaps you are weak-handed; but stick to it steadily, and you will see great effects; for, 'continual dropping wears away stones, and by dil gence and patience the mouse ate into the cable; and light strokes fell great oaks,' as poor Richard says in his Almanac, the year I cannot just now remember "Methinks I hear some of you say, 'must a mar afford himself no leisure ?—I will tell thee, my friend what poor Richard says: Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to gain leisure; and since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour.' Leisure is time for doing something useful this leisure the diligent man will obtain, but the lazy man never; so that, as poor Richard says, 'A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things.' Do you imagine that sloth will afford you more comfort than labour? No; for, as poor Richard says, 'Troubles spring from idleness, and grievous toils from needless ease: many without labour would live by their own wits only; but they break for want of stock.' Whereas indus try gives comfort, and plenty, and respect. Fly pleasures, and they'll follow you; the diligent spinner has a large shift; and, now I have a sheep and a cow, every body bids me good-morrow ;' all which is well said by poor Richard.

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"But with our industry, we must likewise be steady, and settled, and careful, and oversee our own affairs with our own eyes, and not trust too much to others; for, as poor Richard says,

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I never saw an oft-removed tree,

Nor yet an oft-removed family,

That throve so well as one that settled be.'

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"And, again, Three removes are as bad as a fire, and again, Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee; and again, If you would have your business done, go; if not, send.' And again,

He that by the plow would thrive
Himself must either hold or drive'

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And again, The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands;' and again, Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge;' and again, Not to oversee workmen is to leave them your purse open.' Trusting too much to others care s the ruin of many: for, as the Almanac says, 'In ne affairs of the world, men are saved not by faith but by the want of it;' but a man's own care is pro fitable; for, saith poor Dick, Learning is to the stu dious, and riches to the careful, as well as power to to the bold, and heaven to the virtuous.' And, far ther, If you would have a faithful servant, and ons that you like, serve yourself.' And again, he advis eth to circumspection and care, even in the smallest matters, because sometimes, A little neglect may breed great mischief;' adding, 'For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost and for want of a horse the rider was lost;' being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for want of care about a horse-shoe nail.

"So much for industry, my friends, and attention to one's own business; but to these we must add frugality, if we would make our industry more cer tainly successful. A man may, if he knows not how to save as he gets 'keep his nose all his life to the grindstone, and die not worth a groat at last.' fat kitchen makes a lean will,' as poor Richard says; and,

Many estates are spent in the getting;

Since women for tea forsook spinning and knitting
And men for punch forsook hewing and splitting.

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"If you would be wealthy, (says he, in another Almranac) think of saving, as well as of getting: the Indies have not made Spain rich, because her out goes are greater than her incomes'

"Away than with your expensive foliies, and you will not have much cause to complain of hard times, heavy taxes, and chargeable fairies; for, as poor `Dick says,

"Women and wine, game anu deceit,

Make the wealth small, and the want great.'

"And, farther, 'What maintains one vice, woul ring up two children.' You may think, perhaps that a little tea, or a little punch now and then, dier a little more costly, clothes a little finer, and a litt entertainment now and then, can be no great matter; but reinember what poor Richard says, Many a lit tle makes a meikle; and farther, Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship;' and again, Who dainties love, shall beggars prove; and, moreover, Fools make feasts, and wise men eat them.'

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"Here you are all got together at this sale of fineries and nicknacks. You call them goods; but if you do not take care, they will prove evils to some of you. You expect they will be sold cheap, and perhaps they may for less than they cost; but if you have no occasion for them, they must be dear to you. Remember what poor Richard says, Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessaries. And again, At a great pennyworth pause awhile.' He means, that perhaps the cheapness is apparent only, or not real; or the bargain, by straitening thee in thy business, may do thee more harm than good. For in another place he says, 'Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths.'Again, as poor Richard says, 'It is foolish to lay out noney in a purchase of repentance;' and yet this folly is practised every day at auctions, for want of minding the Almanac. Wise men (as poor Dick says) learn by others harms, fools scarcely by their own but Felix quam faciunt aliena pericula cautum.'Many a one, for the sake of finery on the back, have gone with a hungry belly, and half starved their fa milies: Silk and satins, scarlet and velvetз, (as Door Richard says) put out the kitchen fire.' These

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are not the necessaries of life; they can scarcely be called the conveniences; and yet only because they look pretty, how many want to have thein? The ar tificial wants of mankind thus become more numer ous than the natural; and as poor Dick says, For one poor person there are a hundred indigent.' By these and other extravagances, the gentee' are reduced to poverty, and forced to borrow of those whom they formerly despised, but who, through industry and frugality, have maintained their standing; in whic case, it appears plainly, A ploughman on his legs higher than a gentleman on his knees,' as poor Rich ard says. Perhaps they have had a small estate 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 so much, is not worth minding: A child and a fool (as poor Richard says) imagine twenty shillings and twenty years can never be spent; but always be taking out of the meal-tub, and never put ting in, soon coines to the bottom;' then, as poor Dick says, 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 some; for he that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing; and, indeed, so does he that lend to such people, when he goes to get it in again.' Poor Dick farther advises, and says,

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Fond pride of dress is sure a very curse: Ere fancy you consult, consult your purse.'

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And again, Pride is as loud a beggar as Want, and a great deal more saucy.' When you have bought one fine thing, you must buy ten more, that your appearance may be all of a piece, but poor Dick says, 'It is easier to suppress the first desire, than to satisfy all that follow it. And it is as truly folly for the poor to ape the rich, as the frog to awell, in order to equal the ox.

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