From an elder brother in the country to his younger brother, pu: apprentice in London. Dear Brother, AM very glad to hear you are pleafed with the new fituation into which the care of your friends has put you; but I would have you pleafed, not with the novelty of it, but with the real advantage. It is natural for you to be glad that you are under lefs reftraint than you were; for a mafter has neither occafion nor inclination to watch a youth fo much as his parents. But if you are not careful, this, although it now gives you a childish fatisfaction, may, in the end, betray you into mischief; nay, to your ruin. Though your father is not in fight, dear brother, act always as if you were in his prefence; and be affured, that what would not offend him will never displease any body. You have more fenfe, I have often told you fo, than most perfons at your time. Now is the opportunity to make a good ufe of it; and take it for certain, every right ftep you enter upon now will be a comfort to you for your life. I would have your reafon as well as your fancy pleafed with your new fituation, and then you will act as becomes you. Confider, brother, that the ftate of life that charms you fo at this time will bring you to independence and affluence; that you will, by behaving as you ought now, become mafter of a houfe and family, and have every thing about you at your own command, and have apprentices as well as fervants to wait upon you. The mafter with whom you are placed was fon.e years ago F in your fituation; and what fhould hinder you from being hereafter in his? All that is required is patience and industry; and these, brother, are very cheap articles with which to purchase fo comfortable a condition. Your mafter, I am told, had nothing to begin the world withal. In that he was worse than you.; for if you behave well, there are those who will fet you up in a handfome manner. So you have fufficient inducements to be good, and a reward always follows it. Brother, farewell! Obey your mafter, and be civil to all perfons; keep out of company, for boys have no occafion for it; and moft that you will meet with is very bad. Be careful and honeft, and God will blefs you. If ever you commit a fault, confefs it at once, for the lie in denying it is worfe than the thing itself. Go to church conftantly; and write to us often. I think I need not fay more to fo good a lad as you to induce you to continue fo. I am Your affectionate brother. LETTER XXXV. A letter of excufe for filence, and affurance it was not out of difrefpect. THERE are times, Madam, in which it is fail ing in care not to write to one's friends; there are others in which it is prudence. Methinks it better becomes an unhappy man to be filent than to speak; for he tires if he fpeaks of his mifery, or he is ridiculous if he attempts to be diverting. I have not done myfelf the honour of writing to you fince my departure, to avoid one or other of thefe inconveniencies. I have too much respect for you, Madam, to importune you with my griefs; and I am not fool enough to have a mind to laugh. I know very well that there may be a mean between these two extremes; but, after all, the correfpondence of the unhappy is feldem pleafing to thofe who are in profperity: and yet, Madam, there are duties with which one ought not to difpenfe; and it is to acquit myself of them that I now affure you, that no one can be with more efteem and respect than I am, Your faithful and affectionate fervant, I. B. LETTER XXXVI. A letter from a fervant in London to his mafter in the country. SIR, As SI find you are detained longer in the coun try than you expected, I thought it my duty to acquaint you that we are all well at home; and to affure you that your bufinefs thall be carried on with the fame care and fidelity as if you were perfonally prefent. We all wish for your return as foon as your affairs will permit; and it is with pleasure that I take this opportunity of fubfcribing myself, SIR, Your most obedient and faithful fervant, LETTER XXXVII. From a father to his fon, just beginning the world. Dear Billy, A S you are now beginning life, as it were, and will probably have confiderable dealings in your business, the frequent occafions you will have for advice from others will make you defirous of fingling out amongst your most intimate acquaintance one or two whom you would view in the light of friends, In the choice of these, your utmost care and caution will be neceffary; for, by a mistake here, you can fcarcely conceive the fatal effects you may hereafter experience. Wherefore, it will be proper for you to make a judgment of thofe who are fit to be your advifers, by the conduct they have obferved in their own affairs, and the reputation they bear in the world. For he who has, by his own indifcretions, undone himself, is much fitter to be fet up as a landmark for a prudent mariner to fhun his courfes than an example to follow. Old age is generally flow and heavy, youth headstrong and precipitate; but there are old men who are full of vivacity, and young men repléte with difcretion; which makes me rather point out the conduct than the age of the perfons with whom you should chufe to affociate; though, after all, it is a never-failing good fign to me of prudence and virtue in a young man when his feniors chuse his company, and he delights in theirs. Let your endeavours therefore be, at all adventures, to confort yourfelf with men of fobriety, good fenfe, and virtue; for the proverb is an unerring one that fays, "A man is known by the "company he keeps. If fuch men you can fingle out, while you improve by their converfation, you will benefit by their advice; and be fure to remember one thing, that, though you must be frank and unreferved in delivering your fentiments. when occafions offer, yet that you be much readier to hear than fpeak; for to this purpose it has been fignificantly obferved, that Nature has given a man two ears and but one tongue. Lay in, therefore, by obfervation, and a modeft filence, fuch a store of ideas, that you may, at their time of life, make no worfe figure than they do; and endeavour to benefit yourfelf rather by other people's ills than your own. How must these young men expofe themselves to the contempt and ridicule of their feniors, who, having feen little or nothing of the world, are continually shutting out, by open mouth and clofed ears, all poffibility of instruction, ⋅ and making vain the principal end of converfation, which is improvement? A filent young man makes generally a wife old one, and never fails of being refpected by the best and moft prudent men. When, therefore, you come among ftrangers, hear every one fpeak before you deliver your own fentiments; by this means you will judge of the merit and capacities of your company, and avoid expofing yourfelf, as I have known many do, by fhooting out hafty and inconfiderate bolts, which they would have been glad to recall, when, perhaps, a filent genius in company has burst out upon them with fuch obfervations as have ftruck confcioufnefs and fhame into the forward fpeaker, if he has not been quite infenfible of in ward reproach. 1 I have thrown together, as they occurred, a few thoughts, which may fuffice for the prefent, to fhow my care and concern for your welfare. I Hope you will conftantly, from time to time, communicate to me whatever you may think worthy of my notice, or in which my advice may be of ufe to you; for I have no pleasure in this life equal to that which the happiness of my children gives me. And of this you may be affured; for I am, and ever must be, Your affectionate father.. |