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 loweft 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 clafs of understanding.

Whether those who treat morals as a science 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 satisfied with knowing, what is abundantly fufficient for practice, that if it be not a virtue, it is, at least, a quality which can seldom exist without fome virtues, and without which few virtues can exift. 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 practise those 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 destructive to happiness; 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

To moft other acts of virtue or exertions of wifdom, a concurrence of many circumftances 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 fhew, that the highest intellect cannot fafely neglect it, a thousand inftances will every day prove, that the meaneft may practise 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 must 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; becaufe, 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 see any coactive neceflity that many fhould be withoutthe indifpenfable conveniencies of life; but am fometimes inclined to imagine, that, cafual calamities excepted, there might, by univerfal prudence, be procured an univerfal exemption from want; and that he who fhould happen to have leaft, might notwithstanding have enough.

But without entering too far into speculations which I do not remember that any political calcu lator has attempted, and in which the moft perfpicacious reafoner may be easily bewildered, it is evident that they to whom Providence has allotted no

other

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 decline of life.

The prospect of penury in age is fo gloomy and terrifying, that every man who looks before him muft refolve 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 must owe their affluence to fmall 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 ftatefman to the apprentice, a pofition replete with mercantile wifdom, A penny faved is two-pence got; which may, I think, be accommodated to all conditions, by obferving not only that they who purfue 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 ftrength added to the mind, will gain the power of refufing thofe folicit

ations 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 thofe 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 diftinctly impreffed upon the warm, the fanciful, and the brave; Let no man anticipate un certain profits. Let no man prefume to spend upon hopes, to trust 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 thefe cautions, which, I fuppofe, are, at least among the graver part of mankind, undifputed, I will add another, Let no man fquander against his inclination. With this precept it may be, perhaps, imagined eafy to comply; yet if those whom profufion has buried in prifons, or driven into banishment, were examined, it would be found that very few were ruined by their own choice, or purchafed pleasure with the lofs of their eftates; but that they fuffered themfelves to be borne away by the violence

of

of those with whom they converfed, and yielded reluctantly to a thousand prodigalities, either from a trivial emulation of wealth and spirit, or a mean fear of contempt and ridicule; an emulation for the prize of folly, or the dread of the laugh of fools.

I am, SIR,

Your humble Servant,

SOPHRON.

NUMB. 58. SATURDAY, October 6, 1750.

-Improbe

Crefcunt divitia, tamen

Curte nefcio quid femper abeft rei.

But, while in heaps his wicked wealth afcends,
He is not of his wifh poffefs'd;

There's fomething wanting ftill to make him blefs'd.

MOR.

FRANCIS.

AS S the love of money has been, in all ages, one of the paffions that have given great difturbance to the tranquillity of the world, there is no topick more copioufly treated by the ancient moralists than the folly of devoting the heart to the accumulation of riches. They who are acquainted with thefe authors, need not be told how riches incite pity, contempt, or reproach, whenever they are mentioned; with what numbers of examples the danger of large poffeffions is illuftrated; and how all the powers of reafon and eloquence have been exhausted in endeavours to eradicate a defire, which feems to have intrenched

VOL. II.

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itfelf