Dull to the fenfe of new delight,

On thee the drooping Mufe attends; As fome fond lover, robb'd of fight, On thy expreffive pow'r depends; Nor would exchange thy glowing lines, To live the lord of all that fhines.

But let me chafe thofe vows away,
Which at Ambition's fhrine I made;
Nor ever let thy fkill display

Thofe anxious moments, ill repaid:
Oh! from my breast that season raze,
And bring my childhood in its place;,

Bring me the bells, the rattle bring,
And bring the hobby I bestrode;
When pleas'd, in many a fportive ring,
Around the room I jovial rode;
Even let me bid my lyre adieu,
And bring the whistle that I blew.

Then will I mufe, and penfive fay,
Why did not these enjoyments laft ?
How fweetly wafted I the day,

While innocence allow'd to waste !
Ambition's toils alike are vain;
But, ah! for pleasure yield us pain.

Shenstone.

Imitation of Anacreon.

AND why fo coy, my charming maid?

Is Innocence of Age afraid!

Thy cheek may with the rofe compare;
Thy head is as the lily fair.

What lovely garlands maids compofe,
Who blend the lily with the rofe.

VOL. I.

T

Preliminary Addrefs to the Pennfylvania Almanack, intitled Poor Richard's Almanack, for the year 1758, printed at Philadelphia, continued from page 109.

66

HERE you are all got together at this fale of fineries and nicknacks. You call them goods; but if you do not take care, they will prove evils to fome of you. You expect they will be fold cheap, and perhaps they may for less than they coft; but if you have no occafion for them they must be dear to you. Remember what poor Richard fays, Buy what thou haft no need of, and 'ere long thou fhalt fell thy neceffaries." And again, " At a great pennyworth pause a while." He means, that perhaps the cheapnefs is apparant only, not real; or the bargain, by traitening thee in thy bufinefs, may do thee more harm than good. For in another place he fays, " Many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths." Again poor Richard fays, "It is foolish to lay out money in a purchase of repentance;" and yet this folly is practifed every day at auc tions, for want of minding the Almanack. “Wife men (as poor Dick fays) learn by others harms, fools. carcely by their own; but Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum.' Many a one, for the fake of finery on the back, have gone with a hungry belly, and half ftarved their families: "Silk and fattins, fcarlet and velvets, (as poor Richard fays) put out the kitchen fire." Thefe are not the neceffaries of life; they can frarcely be called the conveniences; and yet only becaufey look pretty, how many want to have them? the artificial wants of mankind thus become more numerous than the natural; and, as poor Dick fays, "For one poor perfon, there are an hundred indigent." By thefe, and other extravagancies, the genteel are feduced to poverty, and forced to borrow of those whom they formerly defpifed, but who, through industry and frugality, have maintained their standing; in which cafe, it appears plainly," A ploughman on his legs is higher than a gentleman on his knees," as poor Richard fays. 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 fo much, is not

worth minding; "A child and a fool (as poor Richard fays) imagine twenty fhillings and twenty years can neve be fpent; but always be taking out of the meal-tub, and never putting in, foon comes to the bottom " then, as poor Dick fays, "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 fome; for he that goes a borrowing goes a forrowing; and, indeed, fo does he that lends to fuch people, when he goes to get it in again." Poor Dick farther advises and fays,

"Fond pride of drefs is fure a very curfe;

E'er fancy you confult, confult your purse." And again," Pride is as loud a beggar as Want, and a great deal more faucy." When you have bought one fine thing, you must buy ten more, that your appearance may be all of a piece; but poor Dick fays, "It is eafier to fupprefs the first defire, than to fatisfy all that follow it." And it is as truly folly for the poor to ape the rich, as the frog to fwell, in order to equal the ox.

"Veffels large may venture more,

But little boats fhould keep near fhore."

'Tis, however, a folly foon punished; for "Pride that dines on vanity, fups on contempt," as poor Richard fays And in another place, "Pride breakfasted with Plenty, dined with Poverty, and fupped with Infamy." And, after all, of what ufe is this pride of appearance, for which fo much is rifked, fo much is fuffered? It cannot promote health, or eafe pain; it makes no increase of merit in the perfon; it creates envy ; haftens misfortune.

ás

"What is a butterfly? at belt He's but a catterpillar drest; The gaudy fop's his picture juft," poor Richard fays.

But what madness must it be to run in debt for these fuperfluities! We are offered by the terms of this fale fix months credit; and that, perhaps, has induced fome of us to attend it, because we cannot spare the ready money, and hope now to be fine without it. But, ah! think what you do when you run in debt. You give to another power over your liberty. If you cannot pay at the time, you will be ashamed to fee your creditor; you will be in fear

T2

when you speak to him; you will make poor, pitiful,
fneaking excufes, and by degrees come to lofe your vera-
city, and fink into bafe downright lying; for, as poor
Richard fays, "The fecond vice is lying; the first is
running in debt.” And again, to the fame purpose,
"Lying rides upon debt's back; whereas a free-born
Englishman ought not to be afhamed nor afraid to fee or
fpeak to any man living. But poverty often deprives a
man of all spirit and virtue; "Is is hard for an empty
bag to ftand upright," as poor Richard truly fays. What
would you
think of that prince, or that government, who
would iffue an edict, forbidding you to drefs like a gentle-
man or gentlewoman, on pain of imprisonment or fervi-
tude? would you not fay, that you were free, have a right
to drefs as you pleafe, and that fuch an edict, would be
a breach of your privileges, and fuch government tyranni-
cal? And yet you are about to put yourself under that
tyranny when you run in debt for fuch drefs! Your credi-
tor has authority, at his pleasure, to deprive you of your
liberty, by confining you in goal for life, or by felling you
for a fervant, if you should not be able to pay him. When
you have got your bargain, you may, perhaps, think little
of payment: but "creditors (poor Richard tells us) have
better memories than debtors ;" and in another place he
fays, "Creditors are a fuperftitious fect, great obfervers
of fet days and times." The day comes round before you
are aware, and the demand is made before you are pre-
pared to fatisfy it. Or if you bear your debt in mind,
the term which at firft feemed fo long, will, as it leffens,
appear extremely fhort. Time will feem to have added
wings to his heels as well as his fhoulders. "Thofe have
a fhort Lent (faith poor Richard,) who owe money to be
paid at Eafter." Then fince, as he fays, "The borrower
is a flave to the fender, and the debtor to the creditor ;”
disdain the chain, preferve your freedom, and maintain
your independency: be induftrious and free; be frugal
and free. At prefent, perhaps, you may think yourselves
in thriving circumstances, and that you can bear a little
extravagance without injury; but

"For age and want fave while you may,
No morning fun lafts a whole day,"

as poor Richard fays. Gain may be temporary and uncertain; but ever, while you live, expence is conftant and certain: and " It is easier to build two chimneys, than to keep one in fuel," as poor Richard fays. So "Rather go to bed fupperlefs than rife in debt."

"Get what you can, and what you get hold;

'Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold," as poor Richard fays. And when you have got the philofopher's ftone, fure you will no longer complain of bad times, or the difficulty of paying taxes.

This doctrine, my friends, is reason and wisdom: But, after all, do not depend too much upon your own induftry, and frugality, and prudence, though excellent things; for they may be blasted without the bleffing of heaven and therefore afk that bleffing humbly, and be not uncharitable to those that at prefent feem to want it, but comfort and help them. Remember Job fuffered and was afterwards profperous.

And now, to conclude, "Experience keeps a dear fchool; but fools will learn in no other, and scarce in that; for it is true, we may give advice, but we cannot give conduct," as poor Richard fays. However, remember this, "They that will not be counfelled, cannot be helped," as poor Richard fays; and further, "That if you will not hear Reafon fhe will furely rap your nuckles.” Thus the old gentleman ended his harangue. The people heard it, and approved the doctrine, and immedi ately practised the contrary, just as if it had been a common fermon: for the auction opened, and they began to buy extravagantly, notwithstanding all his cautions, and their own fear of taxes. I found the good man had thoroughly ftudied my Almanacks, and digested all I had dropped on thofe topics, during the courfe of twenty-five years. The frequent mention he made of me, must have tired any one elfe; but my vanity was wonderfully delighted with it, though I was confcious that not a tenth part of the wifdom was my own, which he afcribed to me, but rather the gleanings that I have made of the sense of all ages and nations. However, I refolved to be the bet. ter for the echo of it; and tho' I had first determined to buy stuff for a new coat, I went away, refolved to wear my old one a little longer. Reader, if thou wilt do the