Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Of this man he never had a high opinion; but for his mother-in-law he had always the greatest esteem. "She was as good a woman," he used to say, "as his wife; and he could not say more for any woman on earth." However, though he could not pretend with the encumbrance of so large a family, to maintain them entirely, he agreed with the overseers of the parish, that if they would pay a shilling a week, he would do the rest. Accordingly, he built them a little cottage; and was as kind to them as he could. Soon after, on the old man's death, he took his mother-in-law into his own house, and kept her till she died; though she lived till she was upwards of ninety, and was blind many years.

About the time that his children were pretty well grown up, a fortunate circumstance happened. He received a legacy of seventy pounds, and a clock, This money came very happily to settle some of his children. "They had it all," he said, "among them." The clock alone he kept. A clock was the only piece of furniture he ever coveted; and he always intended, if it should be in his power, to purchase one: though it is probable, if it had not been thus thrown in his way, he would have found something more useful for the employment of his money.

Nor was he kind only to his relations. He was very friendly among his neighbours; and, as he got forward in the world, lent many a little sum to assist them in their distresses. But as he was a very shrewd, intelligent man, he lent only where he saw his money could be of use. To the spendthrift, he would lend nothing: nor to any man, who frequented an alehouse. So judicious was he in these loans, that although he helped

many a man out of difficulty, I have heard him say, he never lost a farthing by lending any money.Often, indeed, he received the worth of what he had lent, in a little corn, a pig, a calf, or something that was more convenient for the borrower to pay with, than money.

He was now advancing into years; and his good Joanna began to feel the effects of age, more than he did. Her ailment was a mere decay of nature; but she was so entirely weakened, that she could do nothing for herself. Her husband, for near seven years, in which she continued in this helpless state, hired a woman, into the house to attend her. Whatever he could do, he did, for a woman, "who," he said, "had been kinder to every body than to herself." In the year 1776, she died; and left him greatly afflicted for the loss of a faithful friend, who had followed close by his side in his laborious life, for the space of forty years. I have heard him, at the age of eighty, speak of her with tears in his eyes, and agitation in all he said.

SECTION 5.

Continuation of the exemplary cottager.

WILLIAM BAKER had now the world, in a manner, to begin again. His children were all married, or dispersed and he had nobody with him, on whose arm he could lean in going down the hill. He thought the wisest thing he could do, was to draw his little matters into as small a compass as he could; and rid himself, as much as possible, of the cares of the world. Accordingly he sold his cows, and horses, and a little tenement or two, which he had purchased; and brought one hun

''

dred and ten pounds to a friend, to put to some use: For, as I cannot now," said he, "work myself, I must make my money work for me." His friend advised him to put his money into the funds; having, as well as he could, made him understand what is meant by the funds. Baker followed his advice. Besides this property, he had two or three small sums, put out to interest, in private hands: and a little tenement, which he reserved for himself to live in; with two or three patches of ground, that lay near it, and served to employ him. He often lamented that young fellows do not depend more on themselves; and lay money by, without breaking into it. Fourpence a week would amount to near a pound in the year. At harvest, some little matter might be added to it. And if this practice were begun early in life, it might, in a few years, amount to a comfortable support in sickness, or old age. "But few young fellows," said he, “look forward to those times. They never think of more, than of living from hand to mouth. If I had spent my money at the alehouse, as many do, I should now, in my old age, have been in the poor-house."

His manner of spending his time, was rather different from what it used to be. He worked only a little, every morning, in his grounds; or in his garden; or in procuring fuel. The rest of his time he spent in reading, and in devotion. He had always been a serious man; but a busy life had never allowed him much time for any thing but business. He had now got above the world; had his time much to himself; and spent a great part of it in reading the Bible. He had the use of his eyes to the last and generally, though by himself, read aloud; which he thought made the more impres

:

sion on his memory. Oftener than once, as I have approached his lonely cottage, I have thought I heard voices but when I entered, the old man was sitting alone, with his Bible before him. He had as strong natural parts, as any person almost I ever met with. He easily understood, not only the general meaning, and intention, of the Gospel, but many of the more difficult passages in it. What our Saviour said, was, he thought, very easy; and much of what St. Paul said.

As he lived quite alone in his little cottage, on the edge of the forest, he was often, I am sorry to say, exposed to the depredations of the dishonest. Many little thefts, when he was watched out of his house, were committed; and one night there was a robbery of a very serious nature. On the day before Lymington fair, the old man had received some interest money, (about five guineas,) to purchase a few necessaries. This being probably known, two men, at midnight, broke into his house. One of them pressing a bolster over his face, pinned him down with his knees; while the other sought for the money, which was presently found. I heard him speak of the robbery next day; and his behaviour raised him in my opinion. He spoke with the caution of an honest man. The thieves had a dark lantern, he said, with them: he thought he could swear to one of them; but he durst not venture it, where a man's life, and character, were concerned.-He mentioned his loss, as far as his money was concerned, with Christian indifference. His chief distress was for those who had committed the deed. To him,

he said, they had done little injury. By the blessing of God, he doubted not, he had sufficient to support him, as long as he lived.

Though he had now enough before him, he continued still to live with his usual frugality. He did not love or save money, merely for its own sake: but as it might be the means of carrying him independently to the end of his life; and that the remainder might be of some little use to his family. Many of his neighbours thought he might have indulged himself rather more, as he had the means to do it: and as they themselves probably would have done in the same circumstances; and thus they might have spent all they had laid up for their old age, not knowing how long God might lengthen out their lives. He lived, however, as he had been accustomed to live, in the best of his days; for, in many parts of his life, he had been put to shifts. He had always good cheese in his house, and good bread, which was his common food. He used to brew now and then a bushel of malt; so that he was seldom without a little cask of beer. His garden produced him plenty of cabbages and every year he bought at Lymington fair, a side of bacon; a bit of which he would, now and then, put into his pot, with a cabbage. Butter and tea were not among his necessaries. On this provision, he never had a day's sickness; and even at those times, when his food was less nourishing, he was able to do every thing, to which the strength of man is equal.

:

He was now near eighty: his limbs began to fail; and he was subject to rheumatic pains, which seized his right leg, and made exercise very troublesome to him. However, notwithstanding this infirmity, and his living a mile from the church, he rarely missed taking a painful walk to it, every Sunday. The weather must have been very bad to prevent him. And though he was now become very deaf, he did not think even that a

« ZurückWeiter »