道 C A FRIEND of mine was the other day cheapening some trifles at a shopkeepers, and after a few words they agreed on a price. At the tying up of the parcels he had purchased, the mistress of the shop told him that, people were growing very hard, for she actually lost by every thing she sold. How then is it possible, said my friend, that you can keep on your business. Indeed, sir, answered she, I must of necessity shut my doors, had I not a very great trade. The reason said my friend (with a sneer) is admirable. and Cleopatra, among other captives who accompanied them, brought to Rome a priest of about sixty years old; the senate being informed that this man had never been detected in a falsehood, and was believed never to have told a lie, not only restored him to liberty, but made him a high priest, and caused a statue to be erected to his honour. The priest thus honoured was an Egyptian, and an enemy to Rome, but his virtue removed all obstacles. Pamphilius was a Roman citizen whose body upon his death was forbidden sepulture, his estate was confiscated, his house razed, and his wife and children banished the Roman territories wholly for his having been a notorious and inveterate liar. Could there be greater demonstrations of respect for truth than these of the Romans, who elevated an enemy to the greatest honours, and exposed the family of a citizen to the greatest contumely? There can be no excuse for lying, neither is there any thing equally despicable and dangerous as a liar, no man being safe who associates with him; for he who will lie, will swear to it, says the proverb, and such a one There are a great many retailers who false- may endanger my life, turn my family out of ly imagine, that being historical (the modern doors, and ruin my reputation, whenever he phrase for lying) is much for their advantage; shall find it his interest; and if a man will lie and some of them have a saying, that it is a and swear to it in his shop to obtain a trifle, pity lying is a sin, it is so useful in trade; why should we doubt his doing so when he though if they would examine into the reason may hope to make a fortune by his perjury? why a number of shopkeepers raise consider-The crime is in itself so mean, that to call a able estates, while others who have set out man a liar is esteemed every where an affront with better fortunes have become bankrupts, not to be forgiven. they would find, that the former made up with truth, diligence, and probity, what they were deficient of in stock; while the latter have been guilty of imposing on such customers as they found had no skill in the quality of their goods. The former character raises a credit which supplies the want of fortune, and their fair dealing brings them customers; whereas none will return to buy of him by whom he has been once imposed upon. If people in trade would judge rightly, we might buy blindfolded and they would save both to themselves and customers the unpleasantness of haggling. Though there are numbers of shopkeepers who scorn the mean vice of lying, and whose word may very safely be relied on, yet there are too many who will endeavour, and backing their falsities with asseverations, pawn their salvation to raise their prices. As example works more than precept, and my sole view being the good and interest of my countrymen, whom I could wish to see without any vice or folly, I shall offer an example of the veneration bestowed on truth and abhorrence of falsehood among the ancients. Augustus triumphing over Mark Antony If any have lenity enough to allow the dealers an excuse for this bad practice, I believe they will allow none for the gentleman who is addicted to this vice; and must look upon him with contempt. That the world does so is visible by the derision with which his name is treated whenever it is mentioned. The philosopher Epimenides gave the Rhodians this description of Truth.-She is the companion of the gods, the joy of heaven, the light of the earth, the pedestal of justice, and the basis of good policy. Eschines told the same people, that truth was a virtue, without which force was enfeebled, justice corrupted; humility became dissimulation, patience intolerable, chastity a dissembler, liberty lost, and pity superfluous. Pharmanes the philosopher told the Romans that Truth was the centre on which all things rested: a chart to sail by, a remedy for all evils, and a light to the whole world. Anaxarchus, speaking of Truth, said, it was health incapable of sickness, life not subject to death, an elixir that healeth all, a sun not to be obscured, a moon without eclipse, an herb which never withereth, a gate that is never closed, and a path which never fatigues the traveller. MERCATOR. But if we are blind to the beauties of truth, tice of lying by the shopkeepers in selling it is astonishing that we should not open our their goods; but the charge has been only eyes to the inconvenience of falsity. A man half made; no notice is taken of their lying given to romance must be always on his guard when they come to the stores to buy. I believe for fear of contradicting and exposing himself they think lying full as convenient in buying to derision; for the most historical would their goods as in selling them; and to my avoid the odious character, though it is impos- knowledge some of them are most egregioussible with the utmost circumspection to travel ly guilty in this particular.-Yours, long on this route without detection, and shame and confusion follow. Whereas he who is a votary of truth never hesitates for an answer, has never to rack his invention to make the sequel quadrate with the beginning of his story, nor obliged to burden his memory with minute circumstances, since truth speaks easily what it recollects, and repeats openly and frequently without varying facts, which liars cannot always do, even though gifted with a good memory. No. XI. No. XII. SIR,-Being old and lame in my hands, and thereby incapable of assisting my fellow-citi zens when their houses are on fire, I have thought it my duty to offer in return for the safety and aid I derive in common with others, to do what I can in the only way I am able; and I must beg my fellow-townsmen to take in good part, the following hints on the subject of fires. In the first place, as an ounce of prevention As the nail sticketh fast between the joinings of the is worth a pound of cure, as Poor Richard stones, so doth sin stick close also between buying and selling.-Apocrypha. We have received the two following letters, the first from a shopkeeper, and the other from a merchant. To the Busy-Body. Sir, I am a shopkeeper in this city, and suppose I am the person at whom some reflections have been aimed in a late paper. It is an easy matter for gentlemen that can write, to say a great deal upon any subject, and to censure matters as faults of which they are as guilty as other people. I cannot help thinking that those remarks are written with much partiality, and give a very unfair representation of things. Shopkeepers are accused of lying, as if they were the only persons culpable in that way, and without the least notice being taken of the general practice of their customers. "I am sure it is very ordinary at that price," says one, "I have bought much better at such a one's shop for less money," says another, and the like disparaging expressions, are very common, so as to be almost worn threadbare; some have even the confidence to aver, that they have bought cheaper of me, when I know the price they mention is less than the goods cost me. In short, they will tell a hundred lies, to undervalue our goods, and make our demands appear extravagant. So that the blame of all the lying, properly belongs to the customers that come to buy, because if the shopkeepers strain the truth a little now and then, it is because they are forced to do it in their own defence. In hopes you will do us justice in this affair, I remain, your friend and servant, I would advise every one to take care says, how they suffer living brands, or coals in a full shovel, to be carried out of one room into another, or up or down stairs, unless in a covered warming pan, or some such close incombustible vessel; our houses are at present composed mostly of wooden materials, and sparks or flakes of fire may fall into chinks or corners where they may not inflame around them and make no appearance till midnight, when your stairs being in flames, you may be forced, as I was, to leap out of a window and hazard my neck to avoid the alternative of being roasted. And now we talk of prevention, where would be the damage if to the act for preventing fires, by the regulation of bake-houses and coopers' shops, a clause were added to regulate all other houses in the particular of too shallow hearths, and the reprehensible practice of ornamenting fire-places with wooden chimney pieces and mouldings, which being commonly made of heart-pine, abounds with turpentine, and always stands ready for a blaze, as soon as a live coal or brand may come in contact with it. Again, if chimneys were more frequently and more carefully cleaned, some fires might thereby be prevented; for I have known foul chimneys burn most furiously a few days after they had been swept, people in confidence of their being cleansed making large fires. Every body among us that pleases may undertake the business of chimney sweeping, but if a chimney takes fire after the owner has carefully caused it to be swept, the owner is obliged to pay the fine, and the sweeper goes free. This is not right. Those who undertake the MR. BUSY-BODY,-Some notice has been sweeping of chimneys, and employ assistants lately taken of a prevailing vice, and very for that purpose, ought to be licensed by the justly censured; that is the too common prac-mayor, and if any chimney takes fire and BETTY DILIGENT. 1 blazes out within fifteen days after the sweep ing, the fine should be paid by the licensed sweeper for his default, for no chimney will fire if there be not soot left to harbour the sparks. We have at present got engines enough in the town (1734,) but I question whether in many parts of the town water enough can be had to keep them going for half an hour together it seems to me some public pumps are wanting; but that I submit to better judg ments. As to our conduct in the affair of extinguishing fires, though we do not want hands or good will, yet we seem to want order and method, and therefore I believe I cannot do better than to offer for our imitation the example of a city in a neighbouring province. There is, as I am well informed, a club or society of active men belonging to each fire engine, whose business is to attend all fires with the engine, whenever they happen, and to work it once a quarter of an hour, and see it kept in order. Some are assigned to handle the fire-hooks; others the axes, which are always kept with the engine and in good order; and for these services they are considered in abatement or exemption of taxes. In time of fire they are commanded by officers appointed according to forms prescribed by law, called Firewards, who are distinguished by an external mark, or a staff having at the end a brass emblem of flame of about six inches long; being men selected for their prudence and invested with authority, they alone direct | the opening and stripping of roofs by the axe men; the pulling down burning timbers by the hook men; the playing of the engines upon proper points and places; and the opening of lanes among the crowds who usually attend, &c.; they are impowered to require assistance for the removing of goods out of houses on fire, or in danger of fire, and to appoint guards for securing those goods; disobedience to these officers at any such times is punished by a fine of 40 shillings or ten days imprisonment. These officers, with the men belonging to the engine, at their quarterly meetings, discourse of fines; of the faults committed at some; the good management at others; and thus communicating their experience they become wiser, and know as well to command as to execute in the best manner upon emergency. Since the establishment of these regulations there does not appear to have occurred any extraordinary fire in that place, and I wish there never may be any here or there. But they suffered much before they had made such regulations, and so must we; for Italians say, Englishmen feel but cannot see. It has pleased God, however, that in the fires we have had hitherto, all the bad circumstances have never happened together, such as a dry season, high winds, narrow streets, and little or low water, which tends perhaps to make us more secure in our own minds; but if a fire with those circumstances should occur, which God forbid, we should afterwards learn to be more careful. One thought more and I have done. I would wish that tiles or slates could be brought into use as covering to buildings; and that the roofs were not of so sharp a pitch as to prevent walking on them in safety. Let others communicate their thoughts freely, and perhaps some good may grow out of it. A. A. No. XIII. Nothing is more like a fool than a drunken man. Poor Richard. It is an old remark, that Vice always endeavours to assume the appearance of Virtue; thus covetousness calls itself prudence, prodigality would be thought generous, and so of others. This perhaps arises hence, that mankind naturally and universally approve virtue in their hearts, and detest vice, therefore whenever through temptations they fall into vicious practices, they would if possible conceal it from themselves, as well as from others, under some name which does not belong to it. But drunkenness is a very unfortunate vice; in this respect it bears no kind of similitude with any sort of virtue, from which it might possibly borrow a name; and is therefore reduced to the wretched necessity of being expressed by round about phrases, and of perpetually varying those phrases as often as they come to be well understood plainly to signify that a man is drunk. Though every one may possibly recollect a dozen at least of these expressions, used on such occasions, yet I think no one who has not much frequented taverns could imagine the number of them to be so great as it really is. It may therefore surprise as well as divert the sober reader, to have a sight of a new piece lately communicated to me, entitled, The Drinker's Dictionary. A. He's addled. He's casting up his accounts. B He's biggy. He's been at Barbadoes. He has been catching the cat. He's cogniaid. He's cramped. He's cherubimical. He's cherry merry. He's wamble croft. He's half way to Concord. He has taken a chirping glass. He has heated his copper. He has been in the cellar He's above the clouds. He's non compos. He's cock'd. He's curved. He's cut. He is globular. He has got the glanders. He's on the go. He's a gone man. He has been to see Robin Goodfellow. He's half and half. He's half seas over. He's hardy. He's top heavy. H. He has got by the head. He has got on his little hat. He's loose in the hilt. He knows not the way home. |