not my
writings produce me some solid pudding, the great deficiency of praise
would have quite discouraged me.

I concluded at length that the people were the best judges of my merit,
for they buy my works; and besides, in my rambles, where I am not
personally known I have frequently heard one or other of my adages
repeated, with _as Poor Richard says_ at the end of it. This gave me
some satisfaction, as it showed not only that my instructions were
regarded, but discovered likewise some respect for my authority; and I
own that to encourage the practice of remembering and repeating those
sentences, I have sometimes quoted myself with great gravity.

Judge, then, how much I must have been gratified by an incident I am
going to relate to you. I stopped my horse lately where a great number
of people were collected at a vendue[409-1] of merchants' goods. The
hour of sale not being come, they were conversing on the badness of the
times; and one of the company called to a plain, clean old man with
white locks, "Pray, Father Abraham, what think you of the times? Won't
these heavy taxes quite ruin the country? How shall we ever be able to
pay them? What would you advise us to do?" Father Abraham stood up and
replied: "If you would have my advice, I will give it you in short; for,
'a word to the wise is enough,'[409-2] and 'many words won't fill a
bushel,'[409-3] as Poor Richard says." They all joined, desiring him to
speak his mind, and gathering round him he proceeded as follows:

Friends and neighbors, the taxes are indeed very heavy, and if those
laid on by the government were the only ones we had to pay, we might
more easily discharge them; but we have many others, and much more
grievous to some of us. We are taxed twice as much by our IDLENESS,
three times as much by our PRIDE, and four times as much by our FOLLY;
and from these taxes the commissioners cannot ease or deliver us by
allowing an abatement. However, let us hearken to good advice, and
something may be done for us. "God helps them that help themselves," as
Poor Richard says in his almanac of 1733.

It would be thought a hard government that should tax its people
one-tenth part of their TIME, to be employed in its service, but
idleness taxes many of us much more, if we reckon all that is spent in
absolute sloth or doing of nothing, with that which is spent in idle
employments or amusements that amount to nothing. Sloth, by bringing on
diseases, absolutely shor