ing their consciences, or must have stifled their remon

strances.

Whoever would thrive in trade, let him take care, above all things, to keep up to strict integrity. If a trader is once known to be guilty of taking exorbitant profits; or other unfair advantages of those he deals with, there is an end of his character: And unless a man can get a fortune by one transaction, it is madness in prudentials to hazard his whole reputation at once: And even if he could, giving his soul for an estate, would be but a losing trade. But of this, more hereafter.

When it happens that one is solicited to lend money, or interpose his credit for any person in difficulties, the right way is, to make sure either that the sum furnished or engaged for, be such as he can lay his account with losing, without any material detriment to his affairs, or that he have an unexceptionable security in his hands. The consequences of lending money, or being security for others, generally prove the loss of both money and friend: For people are commonly at the last pinch when they come to borrowing, and it is not an inconsiderable sum that will keep them from sinking: And the demand of payment seldom fails to occasion disgust between friends. The best method I know for supporting a man of merit in distress, is, for a set of three or four, or more, according to the occasion, to contribute conjunctly, so that the loss being divided, if it should prove a loss, may not prove fatal to any one concerned. And if in this, or any other pru. dent way, one can do a service, in a time of need, to a person of merit, one ought always to rejoice in the opportunity; and he will be highly to blame who neglects it. But as there is infinite craft and knavery among mankind, let me advise young people, to beware of the common weakness that period of life is generally subject to, I mean credulity. The most openhearted are the most liable to be imposed upon by the designing; though one would think a man's knowing his own intentions to be sincere and honest, should be no reason for his concluding every one he meets to be of the same character.

There is no certain method of avoiding the snares of the crafty: But it would be a good custom if men of business made it their usual practice, in all their dealings,

where it is practicable, to draw up in writing, a minute or memorial of every transaction, subscribed by both, with a clause signifying, that, in case of any difference, they should both agree to submit the matter to arbitration: For it is very common for a designing person, in making an agreement, to take no notice of the reasonable and natural consequences of an advantageous concession, but to put off the person he wants to take an advantage of, with a general phrase, as, We shan't fall out; I assure you I mean you well, I won't wrong you: and such like: And when accounts come to be settled, and the party who thinks himself aggrieved declares, that he made the bargain altogether with the prospect of having such and such advantages allowed him; No, says the sharper, I never told you I would: Though it is the very same to all intents and poses of deceiving, as if he had expressly consented to it; yet the unhappy sufferer must sit down with the loss, because he can only say he was deceived by insinuations, and not by a direct fraud within the reach of the law. One cannot therefore be too exact in making contracts; nor is there indeed, any safety in dealing with deceitful and avaricious people, though one thinks he uses the utmost precaution,

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It will, I believe, generally be found of good use, in order to understand the real sentiments of mankind, and to discover when they have any indirect design, to observe carefully their looks. There is something in knavery that will hardly bear the inspection of a piercing eye: And you will generally observe, in a sharper, an unsteady and confused look. And if a person is persuaded of the uncommon sagacity of one he is to appear before, he will hardly be able to muster up enough of impudence and artifice to bear him through without faltering. It will therefore be a good way to try one whom you suspect of a design upon you, by fixing your eyes upon his, and by bringing up a supposition of your having to do with one whose integrity you suspected, and what you would do in such a case. If the person you are talking with, be really what you suspect, he will hardly be capable of keeping his

countenance.

One ought always to suspect men remarkably avaricious. Great love of money is a great enemy to honesty.

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The aged are more dangerous than young people. They are more desirous of gain, and know more indirect ways of coming at it, and of outwiting others, than the young. It will be your wisdom to be cautious of all such; and of those, who in an affected manner bring in religion on all occasions, in season and out of season; of all smooth and fawning people; of those who are very talkative, and who, in dealing with you, endeavour to draw off tention from the point in hand, by a number of incoherent reflections introduced at random, and of the extremely suspicious; for it is generally owing to a consciousness of a designing temper, that people are apt to suspect others. If ever you hear a person boast of his having got any exorbitant advantage in his dealings, you may, generally speaking, conclude such a one not too rigorously honest. It is seldom that a great advantage is to be got, but there must be great disadvantage on the other side. And whoever triumphs in his having got by another's loss, you may easily judge of his character.

There is a sort of people in the world, of whom the young and unexperienced stand much in need to be warned. They are the sanguine promisers. They may be divided into two sorts. The first are those, who, from a foolish custom of fawning upon all those they come into company with, have learned a habit of promising to do great kindnesses, which they have no thought of performing. The other are a sort of warm people, who, while they are lavishing away their promises, have really some thoughts of doing what they engage for. But afterwards, when the time of performance comes, the sanguine fit being gone off, the trouble or expense appears in another light; the promiser cools, and the expectant is bubbled, and perhaps greatly injured by the disappointment.

When it so happens, as it will often unavoidably, in spite of the greatest wisdom, and the strictest integrity of conduct, that a man of business has reason to think he cannot long stand it, but must make a stop of payments, it will be his wisdom to call together his creditors, to let them know the state of his affairs before they come to the worst; and gain, by an honest and full surrender of all, that forbearance and favour, which are always readily granted on such occasions. The longer a bad affair of that kind goes on,

it grows the worse; the constant expense of living, diminishes the funds; the accounts become the more involved, and more and more bad debts sink the value of the unfortunate man's estate. Nor is such a misfortune so extremely formidable, where a trader can make it appear, that neither gross mismanagement, nor indirect conduct have occasioned it. On the contrary, it has often happened, that a trader has, by showing a singular degree of honesty and disinterestedness on such an occasion, so won the compassion and esteem of his creditors, that they have not only allowed him time to make up his affairs, but have even given him such encouragement, and done him such kindnesses, as have enabled him to raise himself, by his industry, to circumstances he was not likely ever to have arrived at. If a trader will flounder on, from misfortune to misfortune, in hopes of getting clear by some lucky hit, he must be content to take the consequences; but prudence will direct to build no expectations on any scheme, for the success of which one has not many different probabilities, in case of the failure of one or two.

In case of bankruptcy, or otherwise, when an unfortunate trader, through the lenity of his creditors, is discharged, on giving up his effects, and paying as far as they will go, there is not the least pretence for questioning, whether he is obliged to make up the deficiency, if ever it should be in his power. If every man is in justice obliged to make full payment of all he owes, there is no doubt but in this case there is the same obligation, or rather indeed a stronger; because the creditors have quitted part of what they had a legal claim to, and have thereby laid him under an obligation to do them justice, if ever it should be in his power.

The success of business being so extremely precarious, it is a very considerable part of prudence to take care what sort of people one is concerned with. One would not choose to take credit of an avaricious and cruel man, lest it should happen, by an unlucky run of trade, that one's affairs should go into confusion, and one should fall under the power of such a person; because one could expect nothing from such a creditor but the most rigorous treatment the law would allow.

The knowledge of human nature, the connection be

tween men's general characters and their respective behaviour, and the prudence of using mankind according to their dispositions and circumstances, so as to gain one's laudable designs by them, is a very important part of

conduct.

A miser, for example, is by no means a proper person to apply to for a favour that will cost him any thing. But if he be a man of any principle, he will make an excellent partner in trade, or arbitrator in a dispute about property : For he will condescend to little things, and stickle for trifles, which a generous man would scorn.

A passionate man will fly into a rage at a trifling affront; but he will, generally speaking, soon forget the disobligation, and will be glad to do any service in his power to make it up with you. It is not therefore, by far, so dangerous to disoblige such a one, as the gloomy, sullen mortal, who hardly seems displeased, and yet will wait seven years for an opportunity of doing you a mischief. Again, a cool slow man is, generally speaking, the fittest to advise with: but for dispatch of business, make use of the warm, sanguine temper.

An old man will generally give you the best advice; but the young is the fittest for bustling for your interest. There are some men of no character at all; but take a new tincture from the last company they were in. It is not safe to have any thing to do with such.

Some men are wholly ruled by their wives, and most men a good deal influenced by them; as in matters of the economy and decorum of life it is fit they should. It will therefore be prudent, generally speaking, to accommodate one's schemes to the humour of both parties, when one is to enter into important concerns with a married man.

It is in vain to look for any thing very valuable in the mind of a covetous man. Avarice is generally the vice of abject spirits; as extravagance often, not always, of gene. rous minds. Men, who have a great talent at getting of money, most commonly have no other; and you may for the most part, take it for granted, that the man, who has raised exorbitant wealth from nothing, has been too much engaged in the pursuit of riches, to mind his own improvement, or any thing besides money.

A bully is generally a coward. When, therefore, one