In the midst of these praises bestowed on luxury, for which elegance and tafte are but another name, perhaps it may be thought improper to plead the cause of frugality. It may be thought low, or vainly declamatory, to exhort our youth from the follies of drefs, and of every other fuperfluity; to accustom themselves, even with mechanic meannefs, to the fimple neceffaries of life. Such fort of inftructions may appear antiquated; yet, however, they feem the foundations of all our virtues, and the most efficacious method of making mankind useful members of fociety. Unhappily, however, fuch difcourfes are not fashionable among us, and the fashion seems every day growing ftill more obfolete, fince the prefs, and every other method of exhortation, feems difpofed to talk of the luxuries of life as harmless enjoyments. I remember, when a boy, to have remarked, that thofe who in fchool wore the finest cloaths were pointed at as being conceited and proud. At prefent, our little mafters are taught to confider drefs betimes, and they are regarded, even at fchool, with contempt, who do not appear as genteel as the reft. Education fhould teach us to become useful, fober, difinterested and laborious members of fociety; but does it not at prefent point out a different path? It teaches us to multiply our wants, by which means we become more eager to poffefs, in order to diffipate, a greater charge to ourfelves, and more useless or obnoxious to fociety.

If a youth happens to be poffeffed of more genius than fortune, he is early informed that he ought to think of his advancement in the world; that he fhould labour to make himself pleafing to his fuperiors; that he should fhun low company (by which is meant the company of his equals); that he fhould rather live a little above than below his fortune; that he should think of becoming great; but he finds

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none to admonish him to become frugal, to perfevere in one fingle defign,, to avoid every pleafure and alt flattery, which, however, feeming to concilitate the favour of his fuperiors, never conciliate their efteem. There are none to teach him that the best way of becoming happy in himself, and ufeful to others, is to continue in the ftate in which Fortune at first placed him, without making too hafty ftrides to advancement; that greatnefs may be attained, but fhould not be expected; and that they who most impatiently expect advancement, are feldom poffeffed of their wishes. He has few, I fay, to teach him this leffon, or to moderate his youthful paffions, yet, this experience may fay, that a young man, who but for fix years of the early part of his life could feem divefted of all his paffions, would certainly make, or. confiderably increafe his fortune, and might indulge feveral of his favourite inclinations in manhood with the utmoft fecurity.

The efficaciousness of these means is fufficiently known and acknowledged; but as we are apt to connect a low idea with all our notions of frugality, the perfon who would perfuade us to it, might be accused of preaching up avarice.

Of all vices, however, against which morality diffuades, there is not one more undetermined than this of avarice. Mifers are defcribed by fome, as men divefted of honour, fentiment or humanity; but this is only an ideal picture, or the refemblance at leaft is found but in a few. In truth, they who are generally called mifers, are fome of the very beft members of fociety. The fober, the laborious, the attentive, the frugal, are thus ftiled by the gay, giddy, thoughtlefs and extravagant. The firft let of men do fociety all the good, and the latter all the evil that is felt. Even the exceffes of the firft no way injure the commonwealth; those of the latter are the moft injurious that can be conceived.

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The ancient Romans, more rational than we in this particular, were very far from thus mifplacing their admiration or praife; inftead of regarding the practice of parfimony as low or vicious, they made it fynonymous even with probity. They esteemed those virtues fo infeparable, that the known expreffion of Vir Frugi fignified, at one and the fame time, a fober and managing man, an honeft man, and a man of substance.

The Scriptures, in a thousand places, praise œconomy; and it is every where diftinguished from avarice. But in fpite of all its facred dictates, a taste for vain pleasures and foolish expence is the ruling paffion of the prefent times. Paffion did I call it, rather the madness which at once poffeffes the great and the little, the rich and the poor; even fome are fo intent upon acquiring the fuperfluities of life, that they facrifice its neceffaries in this foolish pursuit.

To attempt the entire abolition of luxury, as it would be impoffible, fo it is not my intent. The generality of mankind are too weak, too much flaves to custom and opinion, to refift the torrent of bad example. But if it be impoffible to convert the multitude; those who have received a more extended education, who are enlightened and judicious, may find fome hints on this fubject ufeful. They may fee some abuses, the fuppreffion of which would by no means endanger public liberty; they may be directed to the abolition of fome neceffary expences, which have no tendency to promote happiness or virtue, and which might be directed to better purposes. Our fire-works, our public feasts and entertainments, our entries of ambaffadors, &c. what mummery all this; what childish pageants! what millions are facrificed in paying tribute to cuftom, what an unneceffary charge at times when we are preffed with real want, which cannot be fatisfied without bur thening the poor!

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Were fuch fuppreffed entirely, not a fingle creature in the state would have the leaft caufe to mourn their fuppreffion, and many might be eafed of a load they now feel lying heavily upon them. If this were put in practice, it would agree with the advice of a fenfible writer of Sweden, who, in the Gazette de France, 1753, thus expreffed himself on that fubject. "It were fincerely to be wifhed," fays he," that the cuftom were established amongst us, that in all events which caufe a publick joy, "we made our exultations confpicuous only by acts "ufeful to fociety. We fhould then quickly fee "many useful monuments of our reafon, which "would much better perpetuate the memory of "things worthy of being tranfmitted to pofterity, "and would be much more glorious to humanity than "all these tumultuous preparations of feafts, enter"tainments, and other rejoicings used upon fuch "occafions."

The fame propofal was long before confirmed by a Chinese emperor, who lived in the laft century, who, upon an occafion of extraordinary joy, forbad his fubjects to make the ufual illuminations, either with a defign of fparing their fubftance, or of turning them to fome more durable indication of joy, more glorious for him, and more advantageous to his people.

After fuch inftances of political frugality, can we then continue to blame the Dutch ambaffador at a certain court, who receiving at his departure the portrait of the king, enriched with diamonds, asked what this fine thing might be worth? Being told that it might amount to about two thousand pounds. "And why, cries he, cannot his majefty keep the picture, and give the money?" The fimplicity may be ridiculed at firft; but, when we come to examine it more closely, men of fenfe will at once con

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fefs that he had reafon in what he faid, and that a purfe of two thoufand guineas is much more ferviceable than a picture.

Should we follow the fame method of ftate frugality in other refpects, what numberlefs favings might not be the refult! How many poffibilities of faving in the adminiftration of juftice, which now burdens the fubject, and enriches fome members of fociety, who are ufeful only from its corruption !

It were to be wifhed, that they who govern kingdoms, would imitate artizans. When at London a new stuff has been invented, it is immediately counterfeited in France. How happy were it for fociety, if a firft minifter would be equally folicitous to tranfplant the ufeful laws of other countries into his own. We are arrived at a perfect imitation of Porcelaine; let us endeavour to imitate the good to fociety that our neighbours are found to practife, and let our neighbours alfo imitate thofe parts of duty in which we excel.

There are fome men, who in their garden attempt to raise those fruits which Nature has adapted only to the fultry climates beneath the line. We have at our very doors a thoufand laws and cuftoms infinitely useful; thefe are the fruits we should endeavour to tranfplant; thefe the exotics that would fpeedily become naturalized to the foil. They might grow in every climate, and benefit every poffeffor.

The beft and the moft ufeful laws I have ever feen, are generally practifed in Holland. When two men. are determined to go to law with each other, they are firft obliged to go before the reconciling judges, called the peace makers. If the parties come attended with an advocate or a folicitor, they are obliged to retire, as we take fuel from the fire we are defirous of extinguishing.

The peace makers then begin advifing the parties, by affuring them, that it is the height of folly to

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