On the Guilt of incurring Debts, without an Intention or Prospect of Payment.

MONG the various devices which young men

and in ruin, none is more frequent than that of incurring debt without any real neceffity. No fooner is the aspiring youth emancipated from his school, or his guardian and fuperintendents, than he becomes, in his own idea, a man, and not only so, but a man of confequence, whom it behoves to dress and make a figure. To accomplish the purpose of making a figure, some expensive vices are to be affected or practifed. But as the ftipends of young men juft entering into life are usually inconfiderable, it is neceffary to borrow on the moft difadvantageous terms, or to purchase the various requifites of a pleasurable life on credit. The debt foon accumulates from fmall beginnings to a great fum. The young adventurer continues, while his credit is good, in the fame wild career; but adieu to real pleafure, to improvement, to honest industry, and to a quiet mind. His peace is wounded. A perpetual load feems to weigh him down; and though his feelings may, by length of time and habit, become too callous to be affected by the mifery of his fituation, yet he is loft to all fincere enjoyment; and if he fall not a victim to defpair, furvives only to gain a precarious existence at the gaming-table, to deceive the unwary, and to elude the researches of perfecuting creditors. Even if he be enabled, by the death of his parents or rich relations, to pay the debts which his youthful folly has contracted; yet has he fuffered long and much, and loft the beginning of life, the feafon of rational delight and folid improvement, in diftrefs and fears; in fabricating excuses and pretences, and in flying from the eager pursuit of duns and bailiffs.

But this folly, however pregnant with mifery, is entitled to pity, and may, in fome degree, admit of those

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ufual palliations, youthful ardour and want of experience. Thousands, and tens of thousands, have ruined their fortunes and their happiness by haftily running into debt before they knew the value of money, or the confequences of their embarraffment. We pity their misfortune, but in the first part of their progrefs we do not ufually accuse them of dishonesty.

But the habit of incurring debt, though in the earlier periods of life it may originate in thoughtleffness, commonly leads to a crime moft atrocious in itself, and injurious to fociety. He who prayed against poverty, left he should be poor and steal, understood human nature. Difficulties and diftreffes have a natural tendency to leffen the restraints of conscience. The fortress of honour, when stormed by that fort of poverty which is occafioned by profligacy, and not defended with found principles (fuch as men of the world do not often poffefs) has for the most part yielded at difcretion. He then who began with incurring debt merely because he was ftrongly ftimulated by paffion or fancy, and was not able to pay for their gratification, proceeds, when the habit is confirmed, and the first fcruples difmiffed, to contract debt wherever unfuspecting confidence will afford him an opportunity.

Many of the perfons who live on the fubftance of others, by borrowing, purchafing, or employing, without intending, and without being able, to pay, make a fplendid figure, and pass for gentlemen and men of honour. But however they may felicitate themselves on their fuccefs, and in the gratification of their pride and vanity, I shall not hesitate to pronounce them more criminal and deteftable than highwaymen and housebreakers, because, to the crime of actual theft, they add a moft ungenerous breach of confidence.

Learning

Learning should be sometimes applied to cultivate our Morals.

NVY, curiosity, and our sense of the imperfection of our prefent ftate, incline us always to estimate the advantages which are in the poffeffion of others above their real value. Every one must have remarked what powers and prerogatives the vulgar imagine to be conferred by learning. A man of fcience is expected to excel the unlettered and unenlighted, even on occafions where literature is of no ufe, and among weak minds lofes part of his reverence by discovering no fuperiority in those parts of life in which all are unavoidably equal; as when a monarch makes a progress to the remoter provinces, the ruftics are faid fometimes to wonder that they find him of the fame fize with themselves.

These demands of prejudice and folly can never be fatisfied, and therefore many of the imputations which learning suffers from disappointed ignorance, are without reproach. Yet it cannot be denied, that there are fome failures to which men of ftudy are peculiarly expofed. Every condition has its difadvantages. The circle of knowledge is too wide for the most active and diligent intellect, and while science is purfued with ardour, other accomplishments of equal use are neceffarily neglected; as a fmall garrifon must leave one part of an extensive fortress naked, when an alarm calls them to another.

The learned, however, might generally support their dignity with more fuccefs, if they fuffered not themselves to be misled by fuperfluous attainments of quali fications which few can understand or value, and by fkill which they may fink into the grave without any confpicuous opportunities of exerting. Raphael, in return to Adam's enquiries into the courses of the stars and the revolutions of heaven, counfels him to with

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draw his mind from idle fpeculations, and, instead of watching motions which he has no power to regulate, to employ his faculties upon nearer and more interesting objects, the furvey of his paffions, the knowledge of duties which muft daily be performed, and the detection of dangers which muft daily be incurred.

This angelic counsel every man of letters fhould always have before him. He that devotes himself wholly to retired study, naturally finks from omiffion to forgetfulness of focial duties, and from which he must be fometimes awakened, and recalled to the general condition of mankind.

So many hindrances may obftruct the acquifition of knowledge, that there is little reason for wondering that it is in a few hands. To the greater part of mankind the duties of life are inconfiftent with much study, and the hours which they would spend upon letters must be ftolen from their occupations and their families. Many fuffer themselves to be lured by more fprightly and luxuriant pleasures from the fhades of contemplation, where they find seldom more than a calm delight, fuch as, though greater than all others, if its certainty and its duration be reckoned with its power of gratification, is yet eafily quitted for fome extemporary joy, which the prefent moment offers, and another perhaps will put out of reach.

It is the great excellence of learning that it borrows very little from time or place; it is not confined to feafon or climate, to cities or to the country, but may be cultivated and enjoyed where no other pleasure can be obtained. But this quality, which constitutes much of its value, is one occafion of neglect; what may be done at all times with equal propriety, is deferred from day to day, till the mind is gradually reconciled to the omiffion, and the attention is turned to other objects. This habitual idlenefs gains too much power to be conquered, and the foul finks from the idea of intellectual labour and intenseness of meditation.

That thofe who profefs to advance learning fome

times obftruct it, cannot be denied; the continual multiplication of books not only diftracts choice, but difappoints enquiry. To him that has moderately ftored his mind with images, few writers afford any novelty; or what little they have to add to the common stock of learning is fo buried in the mafs of general notions, that, like filver mingled with the ore of lead, it is too little to pay for the labour of feparation; and he that has often been deceived by the promise of a title, at last grows weary of examining, and is tempted to confider all as equally fallacious.