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REMARKS.

URCHASING and Poffeffion are Two nice Points of humane Prudence, as well as curious Matters of common Law in Bargains and Contracts. They ought to be well-weigh'd and look'd into, before we ingage in either, for the better Confirmation and Cultivating of Both. The one, to be fafely made, and the other, to be carefully manag'd. The Poffeffory Part of a wife Qeconomist, confifts in the true Management of Goods, moveable and immoveable, dead and living, or fuch as move of themfelves in Exercife; appertaining to a Family, where the Right of Property is indifputable by Law, and unquestionable in the Poffeffor. Arifotle places them, as previous Requisites, before the Art of Adminiftration; to the End that Cloaths, Victuals, and other neceffary Provisions may not be wanting in a House: for a Man cannot administer or manage what he has not first in Being. These Houshold Goods are all of Two Kinds; either thofe that come from the Father to the Son by Right of Succeffion and Inheritance, or those that are gotten by our own Acquirements of hard Labour and Induftry. It is the Father's great Duty to preserve the Patrimony of his Predeceffors, as by a lineal Defcent from Ancestors to Heirs, intirely without any Waste or Impov'rishment; Mortgage, Incumbrance, or Alienation: for the Benefit of his Wife and Children; as a faithful UfufruЯuary, or an accountable Guardian only of their future Good. The Head of a Family is alfo as much oblig'd in Confcience to increase either his perfonal or real Patrimony, to the

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best Improvement, by Care, Travail and good Husbandry; without any Remifnefs of Duty, Negligence, Profufenefs, Squandering, or Dilapidations. There are Two Ways of lawfully acquiring all Goods; either by Art or Nature. The Natural confifts in Tillage, Pafturing, or feeding of Cattle; in Hunting, Fishing or Fowling To which Diligence or Diversions muft neceffarily be adjoyn'd, the Vending of our Increase, to make the beft Market and Advantage of our Labours. The artificial Way of getting them, is by ingenious Works, Dealings, Handicrafts, Traffick or Merchandise, either in Buying or Selling for honeft Gain, and publick as well as private Profit: Or otherwise a Man's Acquifitions are highly difcommendable, and become felfish or blame-worthy, in Acting only for his own mercenary Ends, without any farther Views of his Neighbour's Benefit. Ап honest Trader ought to get nothing by Coźenage or Fraud, by Exaction or Extortion. Ufury is the moft deteftable Dealing. The Hebrews fay it is a fatal Bite, that reaches the Bone and Marrow of a Man in Debt, and mortifies into the Bargain. It is Trading both against divine and humane Laws. Griping Ufurers are little better than Blood-Suckers, LifeLeeches, or Man-Slayers, as well as MoneyChangers of Oppreffion in Families, and StockJobbers of Beggary in a Common-Wealth. At leaft they opprefs the Poor next to Murder. Cato calls them worse than common Thieves, Robbers, or High-Way-Men. They are the Cannibals of Mankind about Change- Alley. Confult Exod. Chap. XXII. Ver. 25. or Deut. Chap. XXIII. Ver. 19. and you will find that either this is not God's Word, or fuch Ufurers are not

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his People. But good Husbandry, above all Things, except Learning, Morality and Religi on, is the most commendable Study, fruitful Imployment, and pleasant Business; healthful in the Practice, delightful in the Poffeffion, and profitable in the Improvement of an Estate. In brief, it crowns all our Labours with a competent Livelihood and fuitable Injoyments; as Hefiod, Virgil and Phocylides have all obferv'd, abundantly more at large in their ingenious Georgick Writings, for our better Inftruction. Agriculture and Gardening, as old as Adam, will always be allow'd to be one of the happiest Diverfions of humane Being, Bufinefs or Society. LO then! Our virtuous Housewife is fo far from inconfiderately wafting, mifmanaging, miffpending, confuming or leffening her Husband's well-gotten Estate; that fhe continually increa→ fes his Substance by her diligent Care and prudent Conduct as it plainly appears, not only by the Text, but by her difcreet Transactions; first in purchasing a Field for Corn, when she meets with one worth her Money, to inlarge her Poffeffions; and then by planting her Land well with ufeful Trees of the best Sort, adding fruitful Vineyards, with pleasant Gardens to adorn it, fit for Service as well as DiversiAnd all this fhe industriously effects out of the meer Product of her own profitable Labours for faving Managery. In fhort, the is either perpetually improving her Portion and Patrimony, or buying a Better. For fhe conftrantly looks out for fome rich Purchase to be made, with what he has fav'd by her Frugality, as well as got by her ingenious HandyWorks. But then the Wisdom of her Choice

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in purchafing feems to be very remarkable, and her confiderate Election grounded upon the fureft Foundations.

I. SHE buys Land; that which is folid, and not chimerical or aerial Bubbles in City, Town or Country. She will neither build nor buy any ground lefs Caftles in the Air. Terra firma is what he wants to purchase. She loves to lay-out her Money upon fubftantial Certainties, never fubject to any cross Accidents, or the fickle Contingencies of Fortune.

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Thoughts are right, that Ground can neither break, nor run away, nor become Bankrupt by any common Calamity. It cannot well be irreparably loft for ever, but by an Earthquake, that inevitably fwallows-up All., Land is recoverable, though it be fometimes overflow'd; and often proves only the more fertile by the Inundation of a Nile. Nothing can indanger its total Submerfion, like a fudden Deluge of the Sea; and that does not happen once in an Age, about fome Iflands or maritime Places, for Want of fufficient Banks, Dikes, or the Ingenuity of Holland. For, although peradventure it may lie under Water for fome Time, yet in all Probability, it will not be irretrievably drown'd by good Care or Precaution. Who doubts but the neglected Breach in the Thames might be stop'd in Time by due Incouragement, and the loft Land then easily regain'd, by fome ingenious practicable Scheme. Nothing can hurt Land, generally speaking, but Want of good Manuring and proper Tillage, or oppreffive Mortgages Mortgages are her greatest Averfion. She knows they breed a Canker in a flourishing Eftate; which either ruines the prefent Poffeffor, or wrongs the lawful Inheritor.

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They are, a Kind of a Gangrene in a Family or blaft all the Hopes and Fruits of it, eaten up with Caterpillars. But, of all Things, the defiresto, have no Dealings in Paper or Wood, in Tallies or Chalk Scores, for Fear of the Spunge or a Bone-Fire, She delights neither in the grand or petty Lotteries of the Times, even in Hope of getting the great Benefit-Ticket: Infomuch that her Heart is intirely fet upon Land, buying-up the pleasantest Country-fields, and acquiring a more valuabie real Estate. She does not understand the prodigious. Rife and lofty Down-fall of Stocks at Discretion, by the Will and Pleasure of a few ingenious, fraudu. Tent, fleecing Projectors. She confiders them all only as imaginary Riches in Fancy, without any material Transfer or Reality at the Bottom. However that be,, fhe likewife looks upon the Ground-Rents of London, as well worth her Purchasing. They will laft to the final Conflagration; obnoxious to no fuch Cafualties as old rotten Houfes are, either by fome furprizing Fall, or by dreadful Fire, as that was of London. The beft of Buildings may be foon burn'd down to the Ground; but it can go no farther with all its terrible Force and confuming Power. How many goodly Houses, with the fairest Outfides, have of late dropp'd upon People's Heads, and funk into Heaps of Rubbifh at one fingle Crack? It is true, the Friendly Infurance-Offices may help that deftructive Calamity a little, and rebuild thofe Fabricks with greater Splendour or better Security: but then that can never make the Purchafe good or pru dent, comparatively speaking, and feldom an fwers for the Money that bought and infur'd them both for their Prefervation. However,

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