THough Complaints of Poverty and scarcity of Money are unhappily become no less general than lamentable ; so that where-ever we go , our Ears are assaulted with the sad Rhetorick of Beggary ; and our Eye with deplorable objects of pity : yet must it be acknowledged , That we rail Impertinently at the hardness of the Times , since 't is our selves that make them such ; men generally by sloth or vanity , negligence or extravagance , twisting those chains of necessity wherein they lie entangled ; wherefore since Diseases are not cured with our Cries , nor Miseries redrest by Lamentations , let every one wipe his Eyes , and make use of his Head and his Hands to preserve or recover himself out of the Quagmire of Want : It being certain that still every man in Health and Strength ; may forge himself out a Fortune by Industry and Frugality , and obtain ( though not a splendid yet ) a comfortable Subsistance .

The general Cause of Poverty , is either Profuseness , or not Improving those Talents God hath lent us : Of the first Kind , we may reckon up ,

1. One to be Gawdy in Apparrel , and we will rank it first , because 't is most visible ; How do many Shipwrack their Credits , and score vast summs in Silk-mens , Mercers , Drapers , Taylors , or Semstrisses Books ; onely to follow some foolish New Fashion , and make themselves ridiculous Apes ; or at best but like the Cynnamon Tree , whose bark is more worth than its body : when a thrifty wise person can accouter himself with good decent and creditable Apparel for half or a third part of the others charge . Can our best studied Fashion-mongers tell us what use there is of Lace-bands of six , seven , or eight pounds , nay forty or fifty pounds a Hand ? Or of such dawbing of Coats or Petticoats with Gold Lace , or Silver Points of Five or Eight pound the dozen , meerly to dangle at their Knees ? Persons that have the Kernel of Wisdom and Magnanimity , seldom give much regard to the Shell of Gawdy Apparel ; and a Gentleman in a plain Cloth sui● well made , may decently appear in the presence of the greatest Monarch in Christendom .

2. A Liquorish Tooth or Extravagant Diet : What waste do our young Gallants make at their Treats at Taverns or French Ordnaries ? I have known three or four of them spend Forty or Fifty Shillings a piece , for a Dinner or Supper ; when two Dishes of seven or eight shillings price , had been as pleasant , and much more nourishing and wholesome . No less vain is extravagancy in ordinary House-keeping , variety of Dishes does but oppress Nature and disturb Digestion ; the Belly never ballances accompts : What madness is it therefore to keep such a stir to gratifie it ? especially where all things are to be bought in by the penny , and Servants are trusted to be our Purveyors .

3. Drinking , or ( as they nick-name it ) Good-fellowship , is not onely a shrewd Drainer of the Purse , but a great Consumer of Time ; thereby causing neglect of business , and many times rendring one incapable of doing any thing some dayes after : besides it weakens the Body , impairs the Intellectuals , brings into ill company , ruins ones credit , and leads to a thousand inconveniences : for what folly , mischief , or villany , will not a man engage in when he is drunk ?

4. Courting of Women ; Experienced Solomon calls a Whore a deep Ditch , and certainly whosoever follows her Enticements , though his way seem paved with Delight , treads to paths of Destruction : and though he have never so plentiful an Estate , shall in short time find emptiness in his Purse , rottenness in his Bones , horror in his Conscience , and infamy intailed upon his memory : Nor is it any other than a foolish vanity to treat any Women often at extraordinary Expences ; for if they be vertuous , they will not expect it , if otherwise they do not deserve it .

5. Gaming , Is the High-way to Beggars-Bush ; a bewitching vanity , that will not suffer a man to keep his money in his pocket , without putting it to the hazard of a Throw , whether it shall continue his own , or be anothers I have known a poor Citizen so be sotted with this itch of Shaking the Elbow , that no sooner could he get Half a Piece or a Piece , but away he must go , till he had plaid it away every farthing ; though his poor Wife and half a dozen small Children , were ready in the mean time to starve for want of Bread ; and himself glad to drink Water or Small Beer for a Fortnight after .

6. Suretyship , has been an Eminent Gulf to swallow fair Estates ; so much the more lamentable , because it falls upon persons of the best nature ; easily inveigled by Crafty Knaves to engage for their own debts , which they never intend to pay themselves . That old Emblem I have seen , was very significant in such Cases ; of a brisk gallant young Heir , sliding down the great end of a Hunters Horn with ease ; but cruelly pinched and tatterred at the comming ●orth at the small end ; with one of his Brother fools standing hard by , laughing at him ; and this Motto , Facilis descensus Averni , At revocare gradum , &c. 't is easie into Hell to fall , But to get back from thence is all .

7. Trusting to Servants , We use to say , The Eye of the Master . makes the Horse fat ; Sure I am , the not having an eye to Servants , will make his Purse lean ; what with Idleness , Waste , and Embezlements , he will find a sensible Consumption in his Estate , if he do not well examine their accompts , and continually suspect their doings .

In short , whoever would Thrive , must continually have an eye to Frugality , a Vertue that is the Root of all Liberality : For that by Retrenching unnecessary Expences , avi ding much Buying , continual Borrowing , superfluous Buildings , vexatious Law-suits for Trifles , chargeable Recreations , and Expensive Studies , as the Phylosophers Stone , or the like ; preserves and maintains a plentiful Estate : which not onely renders the owners life comfortable , but also serves as a Spring , whence he can send forth streams of Bounty upon any necessary occasion ; which prodigality would soon dry up , and leave him miserable in himself and useless to others : Thus sings the witty Randolph , Spare not , nor spend too much , be this thy care , Spare but to spend , and onely spend to spare : Who spends too much , may want , and so complain ; But he spends best , that spares to spend again .

Defects of Improving what we have , are either by Sloth , one of the greatest baits the Devil has to all kind of wickedness ; He that will not work , deserves not to eat ; by the Apostles Rule : Remember the end of the Sluggard is miserable Beggary . Be curious sometimes to see the Morning Star draw the Curtain of the Day , or behold the Sun in Summer scatter glories as he climbs over the Eastern Hills . What a shame it is to spend half ones life-time in Dreams and Slumbers ; Leave your Bed therefore , when first Sleep hath left you ; left Custom renders your Body sluggish ; or ( what is worse ) your mind a Cage of unclean thoughts . A●count no labour slavery , If honest gain accrue thereby .

Man is born to labour , as the sparks sly upwards ; saith Job : And as he shall onely fill his Throat with Air , that sits lazily expecting Fortune to drop an Estate from the Clouds into his Mouth , w●… it can onely be attained by the care of a Vigilant Head , and sweat of a Laborious Brow ; so 't is a most foolish proud humor , to continue in a wretched , sharking , necessitous condition , rather than embrace any honest Employment , that might be advantageous , meerly because 't is not so neat and genteel as we would have it : Just as if a condemned Malefactor should refuse a gracious Reprieve , because 't is not brought him in a Silver Box , or by the hands of a Privy Councellor .

The Serious Spanyard when he would bestow the bitterest Curse upon an Enemy , is wont to wish , He may be a Beggar when he is old . And truly there can scarce be a greater misery in this life , than to be then in want , when all the faculties both of mind and body being disabled to labour for supplying our necessities ; leave us not so much as hope ever to raise our selves again . The consideration of which , should effectually warn All , whil'st Youth and Strength last , not to trifle them away in Vanity or Debauchery : but endeavour to lay up something as a Reserve for Gray Hairs , or a Bed of Sickness : not to speak of a thousand other Cross Accidents that happenning suddenly , may utterly ruin a person , if he be not a little before-hand in the world . Most true is the Proverb , In Summer of Youth , take pains with the Ant ; Or in Winter of Age , live poor and in want

The general means of Thriving , are for a man to be diligent ; Nulla dies sine linea , always employed in some honest Calling , or Designs suitable to his condition , advantageous in themselves , and feasible for him to accomplish ; to be vigilant , and way-lay opportunities : there being undoubtedly some offered in the course of every mans life , that may make him reasonably happy , if he have but the wit to nick them luckily . Add to this a wariness in his Expences and Bargainings , buying if possibly with ready money ; preserving his Credit , by keeping touch when he appoints any payments : Affability and obliging Carriage to all in matters that cannot damnifie him : but to avoid ●… gagements for any to his prejudice ; nor to concern himself in others matters ; not to go to law but upon necessity ; then first to take good advice on his case , and afterwards to prosecute it with all imaginable vigor ; that so the success may make others afraid to contend with him unjustly . Besides all this , discreetly for to wive , Is held by Wisemen a main help to thrive .

I am not ignorant with what clamor the Libertines of the Age decry that Sacred Institution ; but those that think Wedlock so Insupportable a Yoak , may fancy their Gartars to be Shackles , and their Bands Halters . I fear not many have received so fully the Gift of Continence , as to observe a Single Life with a pure and inviolated Chastity ( thrice happy are those that can ) but if they do fly out , most certain I am , besides the wounds to their Soul , 't is no small prejudice to their Estates and Business ; having always esteem'd a Mistriss a more chargeable convenience than a Wife ; the first having still an eye to her own profit , lest her Gallant should prove unconstant ; whereas the interest of the last is inseparably twisted with that of her Husband : Nor is she of small advantage to him in the management of his Affairs : Hear old Yasser on the point , The care of the Husband enricheth the Hutch , The Eye of the Huswife availeth as much . What he does provide with Money his Drudge She still must look to which way it doth trudge .

As to the choice of a Wife , having little experience my self , let me advise you in the words of the same Poet , Though love be in chusing far better than Gold , Let love come with somewhat , the better to hold .

't is the most critical action of a mans life ; not onely his own happiness or ruin , but his relations and posterity are concerned in it ; and since it can be done but once , it concerns us to consider more than twice before we undertake it : the fear of God , consent of Parents , and a fitness between the parties for each other , are requisite : A true mutual affection above all things should precede ; for nothing can be a greater torment than a loathed Bed . Yet since Love is a flame , 't is convenient it should have some fuel of Estate , left damps of necessity extinguish it . He that weds meerly for money , turns Marriage into a Bargain and Sale ; and he that marries one wholly portionless , does the worst of Drudgeries for no thing . I would take the Woman for her own sake ; but wellcom a bagg or two as good additions , considering Wealth in Relation to her , as Cyphers in Arithmetick , which though signifying nothing themselves , do yet much vary the signification of those figures wherewith they are joyn'd .

Another way whereby some ruin themselves , is folly ; undertaking things impossible or dangerous , or suffering themselves to be cheated and rook'd of what they have : For the prevention whereof there is no better way than to deal as securely with all men as if they were the veriest Knaves ; then let them prove as they will , you are safe . If a man impose on you once , 't is his fault ; if twice your own : Alwayes suspect the smoothest tongues and fairest pretenders . In this sense many a man is saved by his Infidelity .

Above all , to thrive , be very punctual in your Accounts ; Register all Receipts and Disbursements , and delight often to ballance them ; never slight little advantages , nor contemn small expences : The Scotch Proverb says well , Every little makes a mickle ; and the Wiseman tells you plainly , That he that contemneth little things , shall fall by little and little . What vast summs do some men trifle insensibly , Hang 't one pint with such a friend , t'other pot with such an Acquaintance ; 't is but twelve pence , 't is but two pence : whereas if these superfluous expences had but been laid up together , they might have paid the Rent at the years end , or stopp'd some other gapp : for which now perhaps thy goods are like to be ●eized , or thy person haled away to Jail . That none may pretend ignorance , for want of Arithmetick ; we shall here insert ,

ATableofExpencesorWages,wherebyknowingwhatisforoneDay,youmayseewhatitisinaWeek,Month,orYear. By the day By the week By the mon . By the year     li. sh . d . li. sh . d . li. sh . d . Pence 1 0 0 07 00 02 04 01 10 05 2 0 1 02 00 04 08 03 00 10 3 0 1 09 00 07 00 04 11 03 4 0 2 04 00 09 04 06 01 08 5 0 2 11 00 11 08 07 12 01 6 0 3 06 00 14 00 09 02 06 7 0 4 01 00 16 04 10 12 11 8 0 4 08 00 18 08 12 03 04 9 0 5 03 01 01 00 13 13 09 10 0 5 10 01 03 04 15 04 02 11 0 6 05 01 05 08 16 14 09 Shillings 1 0 07 00 01 08 00 18 05 00 2 0 14 00 02 16 00 36 10 00 3 1 01 00 04 04 00 54 15 00 4 1 08 00 05 12 00 73 00 00 5 1 15 00 07 00 00 91 05 00 6 2 02 00 08 08 00 109 10 00 7 2 00 00 09 16 00 127 15 00 8 2 16 00 11 04 00 146 00 00 9 3 03 00 12 12 00 164 05 00 10 3 10 00 14 00 00 182 10 00 11 3 17 00 15 08 00 215 15 00 12 4 04 00 16 16 00 219 00 00 13 4 11 00 18 04 00 237 05 00 14 4 18 00 19 12 00 255 10 00 15 5 05 00 21 00 00 273 15 00 16 5 12 00 22 08 00 292 00 00 17 5 10 00 23 16 00 310 05 00 18 6 06 00 25 04 00 328 10 00 19 6 13 00 26 12 00 346 15 00 20 7 00 00 28 00 00 365 00 00

This Table is so plain , the meanest capacity cannot but understand it ; Find the sum of pence or shillings spent in one day , in the first Column on the left hand , and just against it you have the summ in pounds , shillings , and pence , which it makes by the Week , by the Month , or Year ; according to the respective Titles above .

Hereby it appeareth , That one penny a day comes to one pound ten shillings and five pence in a Year ; and therefore in 21 years it will come to 31 l. 18 s . 9 d . onely by the saving thereof . But if you also employ this , so that it may gain after the rate of Ten in the Hundred ; it will amount to above Fourscore and six pounds , in the said time : which may be a good portion for a mans Child . A penny is a small regardless summ , Yet in a while we see to pounds 't will come ; He then that carelesly his pence doth spend , Will quickly bring his pounds unto an end .

But to conclude , take these words of Advice , First worship God , his blessing to obtain ; For without that , man toils and moils in vain . These Lessons approved , if wisely ye note , May save and advantage you many a Groat : Which if you can follow , occasion found , Then every Lesson may save thee a pound .