I

NUMB. 57. TUESDAY, October 2, 1750.

Non intelligunt homines quam magnum vectigal fit parfimonia.

The world has not yet learned the riches of frugality.

SIR,

To the RAMBLER.

TULL

AM always pleased when I fee literature made ufeful, and scholars defcending from that elevation, which, as it raifes them above common life, muft likewife hinder them from beholding the ways of men otherwife than in a cloud of buftle and confufion. Having lived a life of bufinefs, and remarked how feldom any occurrences emerge for which great qualities are required, I have learned the neceffity of regarding little things, and though I do not pretend to give laws to the legiflators of mankind, or to limit the range of thofe powerful minds that carry light and heat through all the regions of knowledge, yet I have long thought, that the greatest part of those who lofe themfelves in ftudies, by which I have not found that they grow much wifer, might, with more advantage both to the publick and themselves, apply their understandings to domeftick arts, and ftore their minds with axioms of humble prudence, and pri

vate economy.

Your late paper on frugality was very elegant and pleafing, but, in my opinion, not fufficiently adapted to common readers, who pay little regard

to

to the mufick of periods, the artifice of connection, or the arrangement of the flowers of rhetorick; but require a few plain and cogent inftructions, which may fink into the mind by their own weight.

Frugality is fo neceffary to the happiness of the world, fo beneficial in its various forms to every rank of men, from the highest of human potentates, to the lowest labourer or artificer; and the miseries which the neglect of it produces are fo numerous and fo grievous, that it ought to be recommended with every variation of addrefs, and adapted to every class of understanding.

Whether those who treat morals as a fcience will allow frugality to be numbered among the virtues, I have not thought it neceffary to enquire. For I, who draw my opinions from a careful obfervation of the world, am fatisfied with knowing, what is abundantly fufficient for practice, that if it be not a virtue, it is, at leaft, a quality which can feldom exift without fome virtues, and without which few virtues can exist. Frugality may be termed the daughter of prudence, the fifter of temperance, and the parent of liberty. He that is extravagant will quickly become poor, and poverty will enforce dependence, and invite corruption; it will almoft always produce a paffive compliance with the wickednefs of others; and there are few who do not learn by degrees to practife thofe crimes which they cease to cenfure.

If there are any who do not dread poverty as dangerous to virtue, yet mankind feem unanimous enough in abhorring it as deftructive to happiness,

and

and all to whom want is terrible, upon whatever principle, ought to think themselves obliged to learn the fage maxims of our parfimonious ancestors, and attain the falutary arts of contracting expence; for without frugality none can be rich, and with it very few would be poor.

To moft other acts of virtue or exertions of wifdom, a concurrence of many circumstances is neceffary, fome previous knowledge must be attained, some uncommon gifts of nature poffeffed, or fome opportunity produced by an extraordinary combination of things; but the mere power of faving what is already in our hands, must be easy of acquifition to every mind; and as the example of Bacon may shew, that the highest intellect cannot fafely neglect it, a thousand instances will every day prove, that the meanest may practife it with fuccefs.

Riches cannot be within the reach of great numbers, because to be rich is to poffefs more than is commonly placed in a fingle hand; and, if many could obtain the fum which now makes a man wealthy, the name of wealth muft then be transferred to ftill greater accumulations. But I am not certain that it is equally impoffible to exempt the lower claffes of mankind from poverty; because, though whatever be the wealth of the community, fome will always have leaft, and he that has less than any other is comparatively poor; yet I do not fee any coactive neceffity that many fhould be without the indifpenfable conveniencies of life; but am fometimes inclined to imagine, that, cafual calamities excepted, there might, by univerfal prudence, be pro

cured

cured an univerfal exemption from want; and that he who should happen to have leaft, might notwithstanding have enough.

But without entering too far into speculations which I do not remember that any political calculator has attempted, and in which the most perfpiçacious reafoner may be easily bewildered, it is evident that they to whom providence has allotted not other care but of their own fortune and their own virtue, which make far the greater part of mankind, have fufficient incitements to perfonal frugality; fince, whatever might be its general effect upon provinces or nations, by which it is never likely to be tried, we know with certainty, that there is scarcely any individual entering the world, who, by prudent parfimony, may not reasonably promise himself a cheerful competence in the de

cline of life.

The prospect of penury in age is fo gloomy and terrifying, that every man who looks before him must resolve to avoid it; and it must be avoided generally by the science of fparing. For, though in every age there are fome, who by bold adventures, or by favourable accidents, rise suddenly to riches, yet it is dangerous to indulge hopes of fuch rare events: and the bulk of mankind muft owe their affluence to small and gradual profits, below which their expence must be refolutely reduced.

You must not therefore think me finking below the dignity of a practical philofopher, when I recommend to the confideration of your readers, from the statesman to the apprentice, a pofition replete with mercantile wisdom, A penny saved is two-pence

got; which may, I think, be accommodated to all conditions, by obferving not only that they who pursue any lucrative employment will fave time when they forbear expence, and that the time may be employed to the increase of profit; but that they who are above fuch minute confiderations, will find, by every victory over appetite or paffion, new strength added to the mind, will gain the power of refusing thofe folicitations by which the young and vivacious are hourly affaulted, and in time set themselves above the reach of extravagance and folly.

.

It may, perhaps, be enquired by those who are willing rather to cavil than to learn, what is the juft measure of frugality; and when expence, not abfolutely neceffary, degenerates into profufion? To fuch questions no general anfwer can be returned; fince the liberty of fpending, or neceffity of parfimony, may be varied without end by different circumstances. It may, however, be laid down as a rule never to be broken, that a man's voluntary expence fhould not exceed his revenue. A maxim fo obvious and incontrovertible, that the civil law ranks the prodigal with the madman, and debars them equally from the conduct of their own affairs. Another precept arifing from the former, and indeed included in it, is yet neceffary to be diflinctly impreffed upon the warm, the fanciful, and the brave; Let no man anticipate uncertain profits. Let no man prefume to spend upon hopes, to truft his own abilities for means of deliverance from penury, to give a loose to his prefent defires, and leave the reckoning to fortune or to virtue.

To