CHEAP REPOSITORY. TWO WEALTHY FARMERS, With the fad Adventupes of Mifs B RAGfVELL. PART V. Sold by }. MARSHALL, (Printer to the CHEAP REPOSITORY for Religi- ous and Moral Tracls) No. 17, Qiiecn-Sireeu Cheapfide, and No. 4, Aldermarv Church-Ya?-d, and R. WHITE, Piccadilly, LONDON. JBy S. HAZARD, at Bath, J. ELDER, at Edin- burgh, and by all Bookfellers, Newfmen, and Hawkers, in Town and Country* Great Allow- ,ance will be made to Shopkeepers and Hawkers. PRICE ONE PENNY, jQr 4s. 6d 100. — 2s. 6d. for §0. — is. 6d. for 25. A Cheaper Edition for Hawkenv [©ntfrra at grfatumm ^aii.J X * ) The Two Wealthy Farmers, &c. MR. Bragwell and Mr. Worthy alighted at the Golden Lion. It was market-day; the inn, the yard, the town was all alive. Mr. Bragwell was quite in his element. He felt himfelf the prin- cipal man in the company. He had three great objects in view, the fale of his land, the letting Mr. Worthy fee how much he was looked up to by fo many fubftantial people, and the (hewing thefe people what a wife man his mod intimate friend Mr. Worthy was. It was his way to try to borrow a little credit from every perfon and every thing he was connected with, and by that credit to advance his intereft and increafe his wealth. The Farmers met in a large room, and while they were tranfafting their various concerns, thofe whofe purfuits were the fame naturally herded to- gether. The Tanners were drawn to one corner, by the common intereft which they took in bark, and hides. A ufeful debate was carrying on at another little table, whether the practice of /owing wheat or of planting it were moft profitable. Another fet were difputing whether horfes or oxen were beft for plows. Thofe who were concerned in Canals, fought the company of other Canallers ; while fome, who were interefted in the new, bill for Inclofures, wifely looked out for fuch as knew moft about wafte lands. Mr. Worthy was plcafed with all thefe fubjecls, and picked up fornething ufefi^pon each. It was a faying of his, that moft men unaerftood fome one thing, and that he who was wife would try to learn from every man fomething on the fubjePt he beft knew.; but Mr. Worthy made a further ufe of the whole. " What a pity is it," faid he, « that Cferif- tians are not as defirous to turn their time to as good account as men of bufinefs are! When fliall we fee religious perfons as anxious to derive profit front the experience of others as thefe Farmers? When fliall we fee them , as eager to turn their time to good account? While I approve thefe men for not being Jlothful in bufinefs, let me improve the hint by being alfo fervent in fpirit" When the hurry was a little over, Mr. Bragwell took a turn on the Bowling -green. Mr. Worthy followed him, to afk why the fale of the eft ale was not brought forward. " Let the Auctioneer pro- ceed to bufinefs," faid he; u the company will be glad to get home by day light. I fpeak moftly w'th a view to others for you, I do not think of being a purchafer. myfelf." — « I know it," faid Bragwell, " or I would not be fuch a fool as to let the cat our of the bag. But is it really poflible (proceeded he with a finile of contempt) that you fhould think I will fell my eft ate before dinner? Mr. Worthy, you are a clever man at books and fuch things- and perhaps can make out an account on paper in a handfomer manner than I can. But I never found much was to be got by fine writing. As to figure^ I can carry enough of them in my head to arid, di- vide, and multiply more money than your learning will ever give you the fingering of. You may beat me at a book, but you are a Very child at a bar- gain. Sell my land before dinner, indeed !" Mr. Worthy was puzzled to guefs how a man was to {hew more wifdom by felling a piece of ground at one hour than at another, and defired an expla- , , f 4 ) nation. Bragweli felt rather more contempt fo** his underftanding than he had ever done before. Look'ee, Mr. Worthy," faid he, « I do not know that knowledge is of any ufe to a man unlefs he has fenfe enough to turn it to account. Men are my books, Mr. Worthy, and it is by reading, fpelling, and putting them together to good purpofe, that I have got up in the world. I {hall give you a proof of this to-day. Thefe Farmers are moft of them eome to the Lion with a view of purchafing this bit of land of mine, if they mould like the bargain. Now, as you know a thing can't be any great bar- gain to the buyer and the feller too, to them and to me, it becomes me, as a man of fenfe, who has the good of his family at heart, to fecure the bar-r gain to myfelf. I would not cheat any man, Sir, 'but I think it fair enough to turn his weaknefs to my own advantage; there is no law againft that you know; and this is the ufe of one man's* having more fenfe than another. So, whenever I have a bit 1 of land to fell, I always give a handfome dinner, with plenty of punch and Itrong beer. We fill up the morning with other bufinefs, and I carefully keep back any talk about the purchafe till we have dined. At dinner we have of courfe a bit of politics. This puts moft of us into a paflion, and you know anger is thirfty. Befides, Church arid King naturally bring on a good many other toafts. Now, as I am Mailer of the Feaft, you know it would be lhabby in me to fave my liquor, fo I pufh about the glafs one way and the tankard the other, till all my com- pany are as merry as kings. Every man is delighted to fee what a line hearty fellow he has to deal with, and Mr. Bragweli receives a thoufand compliments. By Unis time, they have gaiaed as mush in good hu- /AO mour as they have loft in fober judgment, and this is the proper moment for fetting the Auctioneer to work, and this I commonly do to fuch good pur- pofe, that I go home with my purfe a fcore or two of pounds heavier than if they had not been warmed by their dinner. In the morning men are cool and fufpicious, and have all their wits about them; but a chearful glafs cures all diftruft. And, what is lucky, I add to my credit as well as my pocket, and get more praife for my dinner than blame for my bargain." Mr. Worthy was ftnack with the abfurd vanity which could tempt a man to own himfelf guilty of an unfair aclion for the fake of {hewing his wifdom. He was beginning to exprefs his disapprobation, when they were told dinner was on table. They went in and were foon feated. All was mirth and good cheer. Every body agreed that no one gave fuch hearty dinners as Mr. BragwelL Nothing was pitiful where he was mailer of the Feaft. Bragwell, who looked with pleafure on the excellent dinner before him, and enjoyed the good account to which he fliould turn it, heard their praifes with delight, and call an eye on Worthy, as much as to fay, w Who is the wife man now ?" Having a mind to make his friend talk, he turned to him, faying, " Mr. Worthy, I believe no people enjoy life more tl;ian mea of our clafs. We have money and power, we live on the fat of the land, and have as good a right to gentility as the beft." " As to gentility, Mr. Bagwell," replied Wor- thy, £ c I am not fure that this is among the wifeft of our pretenfions. But I will fay that ours is a cre- ditable and refpe&able bufinefs. In ancient times* Farming was the employment of Princes and Patri - archs; and, now-£i-days, an hotaeft, humane, feu* Ml < 6 I £,ble, Ergliin yeoman, I will be bold to fay, is not only a very ufeful but an honourable character. But then he mult not merely think of enjoying life, as you call it, but he nuift think of living up to the great ends for which he was fent into the world. A Wealthy Farmer not only has it in his power to live veil, but to do much good. He is not only the father of his own family, but of his workmen, his dependents, and the poor at large, efpecially in the fe hard times. He has it iti his power to raife into credit aH the parifh offices which have fallen into difrepute by getting into bad hands; and he can convert, what have been falfely thought mean of- fices, into very important ones, by his juft and Chriftian-like manner of filling them. An upright Juryman, a confeientious Con {table, a humane Overfeer, an independent Eleclor, an aftive Super- intendant of a Work-houfe, a juft Arbitrator in public difputes, a kind Counfellor in private trou- bles, fuch a one, I fay, fills up a ftation in fociety iio lefs necefTary, and, as far as it reaches, fcarcely lefs important than that of a Magi ft rate, a Sheriff of a County, or even a Member of Parliament. That can never be a flight or a degrading office, on which the h^ppinefs of a whole parifh may depend." Bragwelfc, who thought the good fenfe of his friend reflected credit on himfelf, encouraged Wor- thy to go on, but he did it in his own vain way. Aye, very true, Mr. Worthy," faid he ; u You •re right; a leading man in our clafs ought to be looked up to as an example, as you fay j in order to which, he fhould do things bandfomely arid libe- rally, and not grudge himfelf or his . friends any thing,' 5 calling an eye of complacency on the good dinner he had provided. "~True," replied Mr. Worthy, ii he fhould be an example of fimplicity fobriety and plainnefs of manners. But he will do well, added he, not to affeft a frothy gentility which will fit but clumfily upon him. If he has money, let him fpend prudently, lay up moderately for his children, and give liberally to the poor. But let him rather feek to dignify his own ftation by his virtues than to; get above it by his vanity. If he acts thus, then, as long as this country lads, a Farmer of England will be looked upon as one of its mod valuable members; nay more, by this con- duel he may contribute to make England 1 aft the longer. The riches of the Farmer, corn and cattle, are the true riches of a nation; but let him remember, that tho' corn and cattle enrich a coun- try, nothing but juftice and integrity can preferva it." Young Wilfon, the worthy grazier, whom Mifs Bragwell had turned off' becaufe he did not under- ftand French dances, thanked Mr. Worthy for what he had faid, and hoped he mould be the better for it as long as he lived, and defired his leave to be better acquainted, Moft of the others declared they had never heard a finer fpeech, and then, as is ufual, proceeded to fliew the good effect it had had on them by loofe converfation and hard drink- ing. Mr. Worthy was much concerned to hear Mr, Bragwell, after dinner, whifper to the waiter, to put lefs and lefs water into every frefh bowl of punch. It was his way, if the time they had to fit was long, then the punch was to be weaker, as he law no good in wafting money to make it ibonger than the time required. But if time paffed, then the ftieflgth was to be increafed in due proportion* . (' 8 ) as a fmall quantity muft then intoxicate them as much in a fhort time as would be required of a greater quantity had the time been longer. This -was one of Mr. Bragwell's nice calculations, and this was the fort of {kill on which he fa much va- lued himfelf. At length the gucfts were properly primed for bufinefs, juft in that convenient Gage of intoxica- tion which makes men warm and ram, yet fhort of ute drunkennefs. The Auctioneer fet to work. AH were bidders, and, if poffible, all would have been purchafers, fo happily had the feaft and the punch operated. They bid on with a Gill increas- ing fpirit, till they had got fo much above the value of the land, that Bragweil with a wink and a whifper faid, "Who would fell his land falling? Eh! Worthy?*' At length the efta'te was knocked down, at a price very far above its worth. As foon as it was fold, Bragweil again faid foftly to Worthy, " Five from fifty, and there remain forty-five, The dinner and drink won't coft me five pounds, and I have got fifty more than the land was worth. Spend a milling' to gain a pound, this is what I call practical Arithmetic, Mr. Wor- thy." Mr. Worthy was glad to get out of this fcene ; and feeing that his friend was quite fober, he re- folved, as they rode home, to deal plainly with him. Bragweil had found out among his calcula- tions, that fome fins could only be committed by a prudent man one at a time. For inftance, he knew that a man could not well get rich and get drunk at the fame moment, but he had found out that fome vices made very good company together; fbj while he had watched himfelf in dqnking, left < { 9 ) \ he fliould become as unfit to fell as his guefts wer© j * to buy, he had indulged without meafure in the f good dinner he had provided. Mr. Worthy, I fay, feeing him able to bear reafon, rebuked him for this day's proceedings with fome feverity. Brag- well bore his reproofs with that fort of patience which arifes from an opinion of one's own wifdom, and a recent flufh of profperity. He behaved with that good-humour which grows out of vanity and good lock- " You are too fqueemifh, Mr. Wor- thy," faid he, w I have done nothing difcreditable. Thefe men came with their eyes open. There is no compulfion ufed. They are free to bid or to let it alone. I make them welcome, and I mail not be thought a bit the worfe of to-morrow, when they arc fober. Others d® it befides me, and I fhal! never be afhamed of any thing as long as I have cuftom on my fide. Worthy. " I am forry, Mr. Bragwell, to hear you fupport fuch practices by fuch arguments. There i not perhaps a more dangerous mare to the fouls of men than is to be found in that word Custom. It is a word invented to reconcile corruption with credit and fin with fafety. But no cuftom, no fa- fhion, no combination of men to fet up a falfe ftandard can ever make a wrong action right. That a thing is often done, is fo far from a proof of its being right,, that it is the very reafon which will fet a thinking man to inquire if it be not really wrong, left he mould be following « a multitude, to do evil." Right is right, though only one man in a thoufand purfues it, and wrong will be for ever wrongs though it be the allowed practice of the other nine hundred and ninety-nine. If this fliameful cuftoiri is really common 3 which I can //it / hardly believe, that is'a frefh reafon why a confci= r entious man mould fet his face againft it. And I muft go fo far as to fay (you will excufe me Mr. Bragwell) that I fee no great difference in the eye of confcience, whatever there may be in the eye of law, between your making a man lofe his reafon, and then getting 50 guineas out of his pocket be- cauje. he has loll it 3 and your picking the fifty gui- neas out of his pocket, if you had met him dead drunk in his way home to-night. Nay, he who meets a man already drunk and robs him, commits but on.e fin, while he who Ynakes him. drunk firft that he may rob him afterwards, commits two." Bragwell gravely replied, " Mr. Worthy, while I have the praftice of people of credit to fupport me, and the law of the land to proteft me, I fee no reafon to be afhamed of any thing I do." — "Mr. Brag- well (anfwered Worthy) a truly honeft man is not always looking (harp about him, to fee how far cuf- tom and the law will bear him out; if he be honeft on principle he will confult the law of his confei- ence, and if he be a Chriftian he will confult the written law of God. Notwithftanding this rebuff, Mr. Bragwell got heme in high fpirits, for no arguments could hin- der him from feeling that he had the 50 guineas in ins purfe. As foon as he came in, iie threw the money he had received on the table, and defned his wife to lock it up, Inftead of receiving it with her ufuai fatisfaclion, fhe burft into a violont fit of paffion, and threw it back to him. u You may keep your cafh yourfelf, faid fhe. It is all over : we Want no more money. You are a ruined man! A wicked creature, f craping and working as we have done for her!" Bragwell trembled, but durft not ( u ) a(k what he dreaded to hear. His wife fpared him the trouble, by crying out, as foon as her rage pel mitted, 44 Polly is gone off!" Poor Bragwelfs heart funk within him; he grew fick and giddy, and as his wife's rage fwallow 7 ed up her grief, fo in his grief he aim oft forgot his anger. The purfe fell from his hand, and he caft a look of ahguifh upon it, findr ing, for the fir ft time, that it could not relieve his mifery. Mr. Worthy, who though much concerned, was lefs difcompofed now, called to mind that the young lady had not returned with her mother and lifter the night before : he begged Mrs. Bragwell to explain the fad ftory. She, inftead of foothing her huf- band, fell to reproaching him. 44 It is all youi fault, faid {he, you were a Tool for your pains. If I had had my way, the girls never would have kept company with any but men of fubftancc." 44 Mrs. Brag- well," faid Worthy, 44 If (he has chofen a bad man, it would be ftill a misfortune, even though he had been rich." 44 O that would alter the cafe," faid fhe ; c; a fat for row] is better than a lean one. But to marry a beggar!" Here Mils Bet fey, who ftood ful- lenly by, put in a word, and ("aid, t; her lifter, how- ever, had not difgraced herfelf by having married a Farmer or a Trade fm an, fhe had at lead made choice of a Gentleman." 44 What marriage ! what Gentleman," cried the afflicted father. 44 Tell me the worft !" He was now informed that his darling daughter was gone off with a {trolling player } who had been a&ing in the neighbouring villages lately. Mifs Betfy again put in, faying, 44 he was no ftroller, but a gentleman in difguife, who onlv a&ed for his own diverfion." 4i Does he fo," laid the now fu- rious Bragwcllj then he (hall be tranfported for JJk) # 12 ) mine. At this moment a letter was brought him from his new fon-in-law, who defired his leave to wait upon him, and implore his forgivenefs. He owned he had been fhopman to a haberdaftier, but thinking his perfon and talents ought not to be thrown away upon trade, and being alfo a litile be- hind hand, he had takan to the ftage with a view of making his fortune. That he had married Mifs Bragwell entirely for love, and was forry to men- tion To paltry a thing as money, which he defpifed, but that his wants were preffing, his 'landlord, to whom he was in debt, having been fo vulgar as to threaten to fend him to prifon. Pie ended with faying-* " I have been obliged to fhock your daughter's delicacy, by confeiTing my unlucky real name; I believe I owe part of my fuccefs to my having aiTumed that of Auguftus Frederick Theo- dofius. She is inconfolable at this confeffion. which, as you are now my father. I muft alfo make to you, and fubfcnbe myfelf, with many blufhes, your du- tiful fon, Timothy Incle." 6i O," cried the afflicted father, as he tore the letter in a rage. " Mifs Bragwell married to a ftrol- ling a&or! Hbw fhall I bear it?" " Why, I would not bear it at all," cried the enraged mother. " I would never fee her, I would never forgive her, I would let her flarve at one corner of the barn 5 while that rafcal, with all thofe Pagan, Popifh names, was ranting away at the other." ;; Nay," laid Mifs Betfey, u If he is only a fhopman, and if his name be really Timothy Incle, I would never forgive her neither. But who would have thought it by his looks, and by his monftrous genteel be* haviour." 66 Come* come," faid Mr, Worthy, " were he really ( 4 ) an honeft haberdafher, I fhould think there "Was no other harm done, except the difobedience of the thing. Mr, Bragwell, this is no time to blame you, or hardly to reafon with yom I feel for you iincerely. I ought not, perhaps, juft at prefent % to reproach you for the miftaken manner in which you have bred up your daughters. Your, error has brought its punifhment along with it. You now fee, becaufe you now feel, the evil of a falfe edu- cation. It has ruined your daughter, your whole plan has led to fome fuch end. The large funis you fperit to qualify them as you thought for a high ftation, could do them nothing but harm, while your habits of life properly confined them to com pany of a lower ftation. While they were better dreft than the daughters of the firft gentry, they were worfe taught as to real knowledge, than the daughters of your plowmen. Their vanity has been raifed by exceflive finery, and kept alive by excefTive flattery. Every evil temper has been foftered by indulgence. Their pride has never been controled. Their felf-will has never been turned. Their idlenefs has laid them open to ev? r- temptation, and their abundance has enabled then* to gratify every defire. Their time, that precious talent, has been entirely wafted. Every thing they have been taught to do is of no ufe, while they are utterly unacquainted with all which they ought to have known. I deplore Mils Polly's falfe ftep. That flie fliould have married a run-away fhopman, turned ftroller, I truly lament. But for what hul- band was flie qualified ? For the wife of a Farmer ihe was too idle. For the wife of a Tradefman flie was too expenfive. For the wife of a Gentleman pie was too ignorant^ You yourfelf was moft to ( n ) blame. You •xpecTed her to aft wilely, though you never taught her that fear of God which is the beginning of wifdom. I owe it to you, as a friend', and to myfelf as a Chriftian to declare, that your practices in the common tranfa&ions of life, as well as your pre Tent misfortune, are almoft the na- tural confequences of thofe Falfe principles yhiclfi protefted againft when you were at my* houfe. Mrs. Bragwell attempted feveral times to inter- rupt Mr. Worthy, but her hufband would not per- mit it. He felt the force of all his friend faid, and encouraged him to proceed. Mr. Worthy thus- went * on. 66 It grieves me to fay how much your own indif- cretion has contributed even to bring on your pre- sent misfortune. You gave your countenance to this very company of Itrollers, though you knew they are afling in defiance to the laws of the land, to fay no worfe. .They go from town to town, and barn to barn, Gripping the poor of their money^ the young of their innocence, and all of their time. Do you remember with how much pride you told me that you had befpoke The Bold Stroke for a Wife, for the benefit of this very Mr. Frederic The- odofius ? To this pernicious ribaldry you not only carried your own family, but wafted I know not how much money in treating your workmen's wives and children, in thefe hard times too, when they have fcarcely bread to eat, or a fhoe on their feet. And all this only that you might have the abfurd pieafure of feeing thofe flattering words, By DeCire of Mr, Bragwell, ftuck up in Print at the Public- * See Second Part of Two Farmers, lioufe, on the Blackfmith's med, at the Turnpike- gate, and on the Barn-door." Mr. Bra