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formerly made up the most Part or the Felicity of the golden Age. Hence came the ridiculous Vanities of our Cloathing, Ornament and Foppery; the unreasonable Superfluities of our Eating, Drinking and Nourishment; the extravagant Fashions of letting forth our Houfes with gaudy Furniture and unprofitable Moveables, fitter for outward Shew than any real Ufe. Hence proceeded the fond Vagaries of leaving our own native Climate for new Fangles, and Foreign Fanfarons; to get ill Habits or foul Difeafes; to learn ill Customs or falfe Politicks; to bring Home ill Manners or worfe Languages; and to fall at last into Il Company or the worft Corruptions of all Virtue, Juftice and Religion. Hence Hence arofe that dangerous Mixture of Strangers with our felves, making a Medley of the Natives, taking the Bread out of their Mouths, and tranfplanting their Riches. For it is notori Ous, that Jofeph in a ftrange Land was always progging and providing for his own Country. Egypt could not contain his Wealth. But he had the beft Authority for fo Doing. We lodge Foreigners under our own Roofs, We give them Houfe and Harbour. We recom mend them to Work and Imployment. We prefer them to publick Pofts, Places or Penfions. We like nothing but their Kickshaws, Novelties and Inventions. We love them al moft better than our felves: though we can learn nothing of them but the Art of Diffembling in Dealing, or Cozening, and Incroachment in Point of Trade. It is well if they do not make it their Bufinefs at last to effect either our Ruine or Repentance. But they can never work us out of the King

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dom. Lycurgus, the great Law-Giver, would not fuffer the Lacedemonians to converfe with: Strangers, nor traffick with Foreigners; for fear of growing poor in their own Virtues, by being inrich'd with the others fuperfluous Commodities. The learned Romans thought they lost by their Conquefts and Victories in? Afia; through the Medes and Perfians intailing their curious Vices upon the triumphant Army, or inflaving its Valour and Virtue by their effeminate Delights, which they brought Home with their Laurels.

BUT, Navigation is a moft ufeful and profita ble Study. This excellent Art was first invented for the publick Good of all Countries, and the Benefit of all Mankind. Trading with Strangers by Sea, for an honeft Profit, is a Bond of humane Society, as well as Peace and Profperity among different Nations; by interchanging or exchanging, buying or felling, commuting or communicating their Commodities to one another, for their mutual Advantage: provided always, that we export Things fuperfluous or unnecellary to Foreign Markets, and import Things highly neceflary or ferviceable to our own native Country. But before ever we undertake any fuch Voyage, we ought to be well-ftock'd with Wisdom and Experience, for Fear of Foreign Infection, the Corruption of our Manners, or making Merchandife of Vice rather than Virtue among Strangers. We fhould firft ftudy hard to know the Wants and Imperfections of our own Country, in Order to replenish thofe Scarcities, and fupply those Deficiencies with the most protable Commodities from Abroad. The Importation of Foreign Merchant Goods may be

very commendable; but the Exportation of them again, as Holland does, must be much better, and redouble our Gain: if not Cent per Cent, yet with huge Advantage. All honeft Traffickers from a-far, ought to have a ftrict Eye, and a particular Regard to the greatest Good or Profperity of the Royal Exchange in their Voyages. Gold and Silver, which can only really make the Kingdom a Half-Peny the richer, are better worth importing in Bullion than Eaft-India-Ware; than Silks, Sattins or Tapestries; than Pictures, Paintings or Perfumes; than Delicacies of Diet, Provocations of Voluptuoufnefs, or Incentives. of Luxury. Our trafficking Lady deals in no fuch unneceffary Vanities or ufelefs Merchandife. No Curiofity of this Kind can be good; but only that of more honeft, ufeful and profitable Things, either in Heaven, Earth, Air, Fire or Water, according to the Capacity of our Judgment, which may be most necessary for us to know, wear, eat, drink, or help us to live well and happily in the World. It is but a meer Folly, as the Comick Poet fays, to make Sleep fo dear, which God freely gave us gratis by inriching our Beds with fo much Coft of Gold and Silver; as if they contributed any Thing to the Eafinefs of our Pillows, the Softnefs of our Bolsters, or the Sweetnefs of our Reft. It is nothing but a wan ton Novelty of Mind, that makes us feek for thofe Rarities of outlandish Dealers, which we may have better, cheaper and more commodious at our own Haven, or in our own Ter ritories, without ever going out of Port for them upon dangerous Bottoms. It is only a ridiculous Fancy, like labouring in Vain, fool

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ing after a light Feather, or lofing the Subftance and catching at the Shadow; to leave the more folid Food upon Choice for fome Foreign Dainties, or airy Kickshaws at our fuperfluous Tables. For in these Respects, both at Bed and Board, we are generally apt to be too nice, curious, extravagant, profufe or vain-glorious. However, we need be beholden to other Countries but for very few Bleflings or Delicacies. Happy England, if the knew her own Happiness!

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AFTER all, this excellent Housewife, you fee, is not only forward to take any Pains her felf; but likewife willing to fhew a good Example to others by her own Industry. She fets them a Pattern to copy after, and gives them a Sample, as it were, of her beft Merchandife, to traffick by in the World. She teaches them by her ingenious Manufactures, how to maintain their Families without any great Expence. She carries-on a beneficial Trade for Foreign Commodities in exchange for her own; and thereby increases her Husband's Wealth, as if he really traded to the South-Sea, or fet out a Fleet of Merchant-Ships to fetch them Home from far diftant Coun tries: fo that the may be truly faid to vie with the best Merchants in the City for Dili gence, upon failing like a Ship over the wide Ocean, or indeavouring to establish a more univerfal Commerce. She exerts her utmoft Power throughout the whole Compass both of Sea and Land; conftantly imbarking in all ufeful Affairs and fruitful Negotiations, to get a competent Livelihood, or to better her Con dition; inceffantly taking Pains, either at Home or in far Countries, to inhance the Profperity

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and Welfare of her flourishing House. She becomes the greatest Negotiatrix of the Univerfe, according to her Faculties. In fhort, the makes her felf the forwardest Volunteer in the Service of Virtue, Labour and Industry, Infomuch that fo virtuous a Wife, fuch a prudent Woman in trafficking, may well be compar'd to the richest Ship and Cargo, for making of her Husband's Fortune, and Family, that ever yet came to England.

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I. BY Sea, fhe is her dear Spoufe's beft Friend. She will accompany him as his loving Mate or faithful Mariner in all Streights, Perils and Adventures Abroad: whether he be bound to France, Spain or Portugal; to Italy, Greece or Turky; to the Cape of good Hope, the Ganges, or even Terra Australis incognita; or to any Part of Europe, Afia, Africa and Ameri ca. She will imbark with him in all his hazardous Voyages, and Difficulties of Fortune. She will never leave him nor forfake him for Fear of any Dangers in the Deep. She will always follow his Fate by Land or Water. The Love of her Husband counter-ballances all other Confiderations or Apprehenfions of Difafter; and out-weighs the whole World in competition with his Happiness. She will purfue him with Kindness to the Grave, and either fix her Affections upon his Tomb-Stone, or not defire to outlive his Funeral. How famous was Queen Hypficrates, who follow'd her beloved Mithridates to the War; fought in Armour for him like a noble undaunted Heroine: and when he was beaten by Pompey, accompany'd him in his Flight, to alleviate his Misfortune! The valiant Triara, Wife of Licius Vitellus, dy'd bravely fighting by her Husband's Side in Battle. The defperate Panthea

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