Ufury, and unlawful Gain, as a more ingenuous Dealer in Virtue. Juftice is the Standard of her Sale in the Market. She would not for any Thing upon Earth, either wrong the Buyer or her own Confcience; though it were to get an Eftate by his Lofs, or to gain the whole World. She has no felfifh Satisfaction, nor Defire, either to fell too Dear for ready Money, or to charge too much upon Credit. Her conftant Business will be to traffick, or truck as reasonable upon Reputation, as she can be fuppos'd to do upon prompt Payment. It is her Abhorrence, to make indigent People pay Intereft upon Intereft for Money lent, or demand an extravagant Ufe for a Pledge or a Loan in the Way of Pawn-broking. She thinks the vile Sin of Extorting, a moft deteftable Grievance and Oppreffion of the Poor; and no lefs abominates exacting upon her honeft Customers and Chapmen in the Price of her Merchandise, for being in Arrear upon Neceffity, Lofs of Trade, or melancholy South Sea-Stories in the worst of Times. In a Word, fhe approves her felf to be in all Affairs of Buying, Selling or Commerce, the fairest Dealer in the World.

III. IF fhe barters: It is done with the most difcreet Juftice. Her difcerning Faculty in Trading leads her naturally to the right Understanding of Commutation, or dealing upon the Exchange. Her Bartering uses to be perform'd in the most genteel Manner, without any customary Clamour, Railery, or rattling Words between the Buyer and the Seller in Markets of Ill-Breeding. She rightly esteems her own Merchandise the best; but does not undervalue another's for Self-Intereft, to make any unreasonable Advantage by it. She acts fairly accord

according to the reasonable Proportion or Difproportion of the Things' in Truck. She may perhaps fometimes beat down the Price of a Commodity; and yet with no Defign to overreach the Dealer, but only to reconcile the Bargain to common Reafon: by fhewing the manifet Difference either of Weight or Measure, Quantity or Quality, or fome other diftinguishing Circumftance of Inequality, even in the very fame Species of Trade. It is none of her Practice to depreciate other People's Goods only for her own Profit. That would look like Tricking or outwitting, rather than fair Trafficking or honeft Merchandising. But fhe labours at nothing fo much by bartering with her Money, as downright Dealing, Honour and Honesty: not in the leaft regarding any groundlefs Inventions, new-fashion'd Establishments, or national Cheats. In fhort, whether he buys, or fells, or barters, fhe makes the best Merchandise of it in the Market, and manages in every Refpect, with all the Wisdom and Prudence of Religion and Morality.

IN all her virtuous Dealings, fhe has nothing fo much at Heart as the Flourishing of Trade, the Succefs of the Royal-Exchange, and the Profperity of the whole Kingdom. She need not Defire to Change Fortunes or Qualifications with the most renowned Ladies. Her Lamp of Life is perpetually fhining in the Day, and never extinguish'd by Night, for Want of fresh Supplies of Oyl, Labour and Watchfulness. Her Merchandife is fo good, and her Commerce fo univerfal, for the Sake of her dear Family, that it is her Husband's chief Comfort and Happinefs. For if he happens by chance to be forced, through Misfortunes, or the Iniquities of

the

the Times, to feek his Bread in Foreign Regions fhe may, peradventure, by this Means, be able to recover his loft Fortune, and reftore him to his Native Country. At least he may reafonably hope for better Things in Time, by the Bleffing of her infuperable Virtues.

VERSE XIX.

› SHE layeth her Hands to the Spindle, and her Hands hold the Distaff.

PARAPHRASE.

ER humble Greatnefs appears in this Verfe, as a very remarkable Instance of her inceffant Virtue and condefcending Goodness. It particularizes her diligent Work, as well as fets forth the Worthiness of her Imployment; which deferves the greatest Paraphrafe of Praise for her Pains. Upon Occafion of her Admonition and Affiftance, fhe lays hold of any Opportunities, either to direct the Management of her Family- Affairs, or promote the Progrefs and Intereft of her Manufactures. She does not think it beneath her Honour and Quality, whether it be by Birth or Fortune, to take upon her the meanest Offices of the Diftaff and Spindle: either by twisting the Thread and the Tarn with her own bufy Fingers, or winding them up with her own expeditious Hands, in a convenient Bottom, for better Service or farther Ufe. She esteems it no Servility to be doing of Good in any Respect or Station of Life, Domeftick or Civil, in the Practice.

Practice. Infomuch that the Spindle becomes her chief Diversion; and the Distaff, her chofen Delight or Recreation. She deems it only as an agreeable Relaxation from her other hard Labours and corporeal Drudgeries, to be ingag'd at her Spinning-Wheel. It revives her flagging Spirits, and repairs her failing Strength. The Action of it fupports her Body from finking into Sottishness. She reckons it a Refreshment in Comparison of her former Fatigues. Thus reftor'd from her more flavifh Imployments, to a better State of Liberty and Leifure; fhe puts her willing Hands, with Satisfation and Gaiety, to Wool, Tow, or Flax on the Diftaff and makes an elaborate Piece of Work on't, in the winding-up of the Clew. Hereby the furnishes Abundance both of Linen and Woollen Manufactures, fit for the finest, as well as courfest Uses of Mankind, either in Private or Publick. From hence fhe finishes at last what Effects foever, either the Diligence of the Distaff or Difpatch of the Spindle can afford of Curiofity and Service, by her excellent Home-fpun Cloth worth any Body's Wearing. Thus the lays out her precious Time, and exercifes the extraordinary Talents God has given her for the Good of the whole World, as well as the peculiar Emolument of her own particular Family. And when all is done, fhe never fails of leaving a remarkable Memorial of her own laft-. ing Handy-Works behind her Back, for the future Praife of Pofterity, or the Imitation of other excellent Housewives that are to come after, and ought to follow her ingenious Example.

REMARK S.

OCCUPATION is one confiderable End

of our Being Bufinefs must always fol low it of Course, out of meer Neceffity. To Be, and to be imploy'd, are confequently much the fame Things. The One implies the Other, and cannot well fubfift without its Attendance. Work began with our Creation. Husbandry was coæval with Adam, in delving and digging the Ground. New Inventions, Crafts and Curiofities, took their Beginning foon after the making of Man. Arts and Artificers had their Rife together, almost as foon as Original Go vernment; and plead the fame Honour and Usefulness, if not Antiquity or Precedency, both for their Practice and Profeffion. Ariftotle defines an Art to be a Habit of Working according to right Reafon. Or, to describe it more fully, it is the Knowledge of fomething invented, perfected, or acquir'd by Ufe, Inftru&tion or Reason; either tending to the Benefit and Advantage of humane Society, or the neceffary Service, Support and Prefervation of Man's Life. All Arts confift either in Theory or PraEtice: Thofe are Speculative only in Contemplation, and chiefly regard the Mind; these are more Active, and peculiarly affect the Body with Refpect to mechanical Operations. As Nature is of the greatest Perfection, next to God; fo Art that comes-up nearest to Nature, is the most perfect and accomplish'd Work: which plainly appears by excellent Images and Pictures approaching next to Life; fo that Art it felf is little more than an Imitation of Nature's Produ &ions, to the best Improvement of humane Ski

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