When it happens that one is folicited to lend money, or interpofe his credit for any perfon in difficulties, the right way is, to make fure either that the fum furnished or engaged for, be fuch as he can lay his account with lofing, without any material detriment to his affairs, or that he have an unexceptionable fecurity in his hands. The confequences of lending money, or being fecurity for others, generally prove the lofs of both money and friend: For people are commonly at the laft pinch when they come to borrowing, and it is not an inconfiderable fum that will keep them from finking: And the demand of payment feldom fails to occafion difguft between friends. The best method I know for fupporting a man of merit in diftrefs, is for a fet of three or four, or more, according to the occafion, to contribute conjunctly, fo that the lofs being divided, if it fhould prove a lofs, may not prove fatal to any one concerned. And if in this, or any other prudent way, one can do a fervice in a time of need to a perfon of merit, one ought always to rejoice in the opportunity; and he will be highly to blame who neglects it. But as there is infinite craft and knavery among mankind, let me advise young people to beware of the common weakness that period of life is generally fubject to, I mean credulity. The moft open-hearted are the most liable to be impofed upon by the defigning; though one would think a man's knowing his own intentions to be fincere and honeft, fhould be no reafon for his concluding every one he meets to be of the fame character. There is no certain method of avoiding the fnares of the crafty But it would be a good cuftom if men of business made it their ufual practice, in all their dealings, where it is practicable, to draw up in writing a minute or memorial of every tranfaction, fubfcribed by both, with a claufe fignifying, that, in cafe of any difference, they should both agree to fubmit the matter to arbitration: For it is very common for a defigning person, in making an agreement, to take no notice of the reafonable and natural confequences of an advantageous conceffion; but to put off the perfon he wants to take an advantage of, with a general phrafe, as, We han't fall E 3 out; out; I affure you I mean you well; I won't wrong you: and fuch like: And when accounts come to be fettled, and the party who thinks himself aggrieved declares, that he made the bargain altogether with the profpect of having fuch and fuch advantages allowed him; No, fays the fharper, I never told you I would: Though it is the very fame to all intents and purpofes of deceiving, as if he had exprefsly confented to it; yet the unhappy fufferer must fit down with the lofs, because he can only fay he was deceived by infinuations, and not by a direct fraud within the reach of the law. One cannot therefore be too exact in making contracts; nor is there. indeed any fafety in dealing with deceitful and avaritious people, though one thinks he ufes the utmoft precaution, It will, I believe, generally be found of good ufe, in order to underftand the real fentiments of mankind, and to difcover when they have any indirect defign, to obferve carefully their looks. There is fomething in knavery that will hardly bear the infpection of a piercing eye: And you will generally obferve in a fharper an unfteady and confufed look, And if a perfon is perfuaded of the uncommon fagacity of one he is to appear before, he will hardly be able to muster up enough of impudence and artifice to bear him through without faltering. It will therefore be a good way to try one whom you fufpect of a defign upon you, by fixing your eyes upon his, and by bringing up a fuppofition of your having to do with one whofe integrity you fufpected, and what you would do in fuch a cafe. If the perfon you are talking with be really what you fufpect, he will hardly be capable of keeping his countenance. One ought always to fufpect men remarkably avaritious. Great love of money is a great enemy to honefty. The aged are more dangerous than young people. They are more defirous of gain, and know more indirect ways of coming at it, and of outwitting others, than the young. It will be your wifdom to be cautious of all fuch; and of thofe, who in an affected manner bring in religion on all occafions, in feafon and out of feafon; of all fmooth and fawning peo ple; ple; of thofe who are very talkative, and who, in dealing with you, endeavour to draw off your attention from the point in hand, by a number of incoherent reflections introduced at random, and of the extremely fufpicious; for it is generally owing to a confciousness of a defigning temper, that people are apt to fufpect others. If ever you hear a perfon boast of his having got any exorbitant advantage in his dealings, you may, generally speaking, conclude fuch a one not too rigoroufly honeft. It is feldom that a great advantage is to be got, but there must be great difadvantage on the other fide. And whoever triumphs in his having got by another's lofs, you may eafily judge of his character. There is a fort of people in the world, of whom the young and unexperienced ftand much in need to be warned. They are the fanguine promifers. They may be divided into two forts. The firft are thofe, who, from a foolish cuftom of fawning upon all those they come into company with, have learned a habit of promifing to do great kindneffes, which they have no thought of performing. The other are a fort of warm people, who, while they are lavishing away their promifes, have really fome thoughts of doing what they engage for. But afterwards, when the time of performance comes, the fanguine fit being gone off, the trouble or expence appears in another light; the promifer cools, and the expectant is bubbled, and perhaps greatly injured by the difappointment, When it so happens, as it will often unavoidably, in fpite of the greateft wifdom, and the ftricteft integrity of conduct, that a man of bufinefs has reafon to think he cannot long ftand it, but muft make a ftop of payments, it will be his wifdom to call together his creditors, to let them know the ftate of his affairs before they come to the worft; and gain, by an honeft and full furrender of all, that forbearance and favour, which are always readily granted on fuch occafions. The longer a bad affair of that kind goes on, it grows the worse; the conftant expence of living diminishes the funds; the accounts become the more involved, and more and more bad debts fink the value of the unfortunate man's eftate. E 4 Nor (Book I. Nor is fuch a misfortune fo extremely formidable, where a trader can make it appear, that neither grofs mismanagement, nor indirect conduct have occafioned it. On the contrary, it has often happened, that a trader has, by fhewing a fingular degree of honefty and disinterestedness on such an occafion, fo won the compassion and efteem of his creditors, that they have not only allowed him time to make up his affairs, but have even given him fuch encouragement, and done him fuch kindneffes, as have enabled him to raife himfelf, by his industry, to circumstances he was not likely ever to have arrived at. If a trader will flounder on from misfortune to misfortune, in hopes of getting clear by fome lucky hit, he must be content to take the confequences; but prudence will direct to build no expectations on any scheme, for the fuccefs of which one has not many different probabilities, in cafe of the failure of one or two. In cafe of bankruptcy, or otherwife, when an unfor tunate trader, through the lenity of his creditors, is dif charged, on giving up his effects, and paying as far as they will go, there is not the leaft pretence for queftioning, whether he is obliged to make up the deficiency, if ever it fhould be in his power. If every man is in juftice obliged to make full payment of all he owes, there is no doubt but in this cafe there is the fame obligation, or rather indeed a ftronger; because the creditors have quitted part of what they had a legal claim to, and have thereby laid him under an obligation to do them juftice, if ever it thould be in his power. The fuccefs of bufinefs being fo extremely precarious, it is a very confiderable part of prudence to take care what fort of people one is concerned with. One would not choofe to take credit of an avaritious and cruel man, left it fhould happen, by an unlucky run of trade, that one's affairs fhould go into confufion, and one fhould fall under the power of fuch a perfon; because one could expect nothing from fuch a creditor but the most rigorous treatment the law would allow. The knowledge of human nature, the connection between men's general characters and their respective be haviour, haviour, and the prudence of ufing mankind according to their difpofitions and circumftances, fo as to gain one's laudable defigns by them, is a very important part of conduct. A mifer, for example, is by no means a proper perfon to apply to for a favour that will coft him any thing. But if he be a man of any principle, he will make an excellent partner in trade, or arbitrator in a difpute about property: For he will condefcend to little things, and ftickle for trifles, which a generous man would fcorn. A paffionate man will fly into a rage at a trifling affront; but he will, generally fpeaking, foon forget the difobligation, and will be glad to do any fervice in his power to make it up with you. It is not therefore by far fo dangerous to difoblige fuch a one, as the gloomy, fullen mortal, who hardly feems difpleafed, and yet will wait feven years for an opportunity of doing you a mifchief. Again, a cool flow man is, generally fpeaking, the fittest to advise with; but for defpatch of bulinets, make use of the warm, fanguine temper. An old man will generally give you the best advice; but the young is the fitteft for bustling for your intereft. There are fome men of no character at all; but take a new tincture from the laft company they were in. It is not fafe to have any thing to do with fuch. Some men are wholly ruled by their wives, and most men a good deal influenced by them; as in matters of the economy and decorum of life it is fit they fhould. It will therefore be prudent, generally fpeaking, to accommodate one's fchemes to the humour of both parties, when one is to enter into important concerns with a married man. It is in vain to look for any thing very valuable in the mind of a covetous man. Avarice is generally the vice of abject spirits; as extravagance often, not always, of generous minds. Men, who have a great talent at getting of money, moft commonly have no other; and you may for the moft part take it for granted, that the man, yho has raised exorbitant wealth from nothing, has been too |